Page 3 of Gift from the Nexus
Nodding in acknowledgement, they head off to do as they were told, and I turn to lead our group toward the academy. Before we take three steps, another transport opens and we all jump into position, ready to destroy whoever it is.
“Boys. Is everyone okay?” one of my dads, Dyce, asks as soon as he steps out. Shifted claws and chest heaving.
“Where’s Willow?” Gaster asks frantically, seemingly just now realizing she’s not here. He completely ignores my dad, which tells me he knew he was tagging along.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to reestablish the walls that took every ounce of my control to build up seconds ago. There’s too much going on. There’s a damn mess everywhere my eyes scan, and I couldn’t give a fuck about any of it other than leaving and finding Willow.
“No, everyone isn’t okay, Dad. If you don’t feel comfortable keeping a secret from Mom, you need to go back to the palace now, and I’ll let you know when we have everything handled,” I spit out, my anger and impatience taking control.
He takes a moment, letting his eyes linger on me, Caspian, Draken, and Tillman. When he notices none of us are physically hurt, he casts his gaze to Gaster, then back to me.
“Good secret or bad secret?” he asks.
“Depends on how you look at the current situation.”
“Will your mother be happy when she meets said secret?” he asks knowingly.
“Yes.” I grunt.
I want to scream at him to make his bloody choice.
I don’t have time for this, it’s been…
Fuck…twelve minutes and thirty-eight seconds.
“I’m staying then. I’ll keep your secret, son. It looks like you need the help anyway, and my beast is ready to hunt.”
I give him a clipped nod, then turn my attention to Gaster. The words want to get stuck in my throat, but I refuse to allow them to. This is my fault and I’ll own it. Just the thought of admitting I failed her, though, has my body needing to shut down, yet my gift wants to be set free on every fucker who dared come after her, touch her.
They dared to take what’s mine.
“We need to get Oakly out of your pocket dimension so we can track her. They were here for her, and she exchanged herself willingly to save the students and E.F. members.”
I don’t wait for him to respond, nor do I look at him, at any of them. The disappointment that will be reflected at me will be my undoing, so I turn away from him and run in the direction of his office rather than transport. We need to make sure no other Mastery members are lurking around the academy, although part of me is hoping there’s at least one.
To my disappointment, there isn’t. From what I can see as me, my brothers, my dad, Gaster, and Oakly’s entire Nexus sprint to the archives, the damage was secluded to the training fields and gym. Which is even more telling. Their main target was Willow, not the whole academy.
How the fuck did they know that’s where she’d be?
As we stampede into Gaster’s office, he makes his way directly to his bookshelves, and I stand statue still, staring as he opens his pocket dimension. I’ll do anything in my power to convince him to give me access to that damn room.
He doesn’t get a step in before Oakly’s throwing herself at him, sobbing as his arms wrap around her.
“Ry. Where’s Ry? Is he—”
“Oakly,” Ry breathes, snatching her from Gaster’s arms and holding her close. “Fuck, I thought they took you. I didn’t see Willow get to you. The last thing I saw was that fucker sling you over his shoulder.”
“She killed him, then she…Oh, that little shit, she did something. She calmed me down, convinced me to leave the command room. Willow, I swear to—” She stops her tirade as she takes in the room, her gaze searching, hunting, but never finding who she’s looking for. Panic continues to set in across her features, growing more pronounced with each man her gaze lands on. Finally, she settles on me and shatters.
“Willow…Where’s…Corentin, where’s Willow?” Her question’s barely a whisper, but I hear her.
She knows. She can feel it, but she doesn’t want to acknowledge it.
“We need you to track her,” I say as calmly as I can.
Her entire body collapses against Ry as she breaks in his arms and the rest of her guys surround her, holding her up between them. The sight nearly fucking destroys me. If the roles were reversed, we’d be doing the same thing.
“Pull it together. My Primary has now been gone for fifteen minutes. There’s no fucking telling where she is,” Caspian says coldly, earning himself deadly stares from Oakly’s Nexus.