Gift from the Stone (Source of Elementra Book 2), page 18
“Gross. Just start.” I sneer, my nostrils lifting at his disgusting innuendo. Unlike how all the others started, Gage skips over the buildup and goes straight to a loud, menacing growl.
“Gage,” Vince warns.
I toss my head back and let out a spiteful little laugh just to piss him off. My dragon’s sitting in the background, paying more attention to him, but she still isn’t concerned. She’s more annoyed with his arrogance and disrespect toward us.
Instead of jumping straight in the way he did, I let out a small little warning rumble, my dominance fluttering out only enough to test his reaction. His wolf doesn’t like it at all. The human side of him may think I’m weak, he’s already convinced he’ll force me to my knees, but his animal can tell I’m just toying with him.
After the second fierce growl, with no more than a smirk from me, he starts to get pissed. We go back and forth, him letting out fierce, menacing growls, and me smiling, letting out sweet little chirps. Draken’s standing to the side laughing, knowing I’m playing with him, and I should be ashamed of myself for taking pleasure in the fact that he’s happy about this little game I’ve started with Gage. Instead, it just boosts my ego and makes me want to do it more.
This growl that he lets out does rouse my dragon. It’s his full force, and she doesn’t want to back down from the disrespect he just showed her. But I keep a tight grip on the control I have on her and pat my lips, covering a faux yawn.
“Are you done?” I ask, sugary sweet.
“Answer me this, little tree. When you’re done whoring yourself to the dragon over there, how about you give me and my Nexus a turn fucking that sweet little mouth of yours?” he asks with a twisted smile.
Wrong thing to say.
Locking eyes with him, I let the full power of my dragon out. From the depths of my chest, a deep, deafening growl shakes the ground beneath my feet, and I watch in satisfaction as Gage’s knees slam into the grass, his head bowing low.
Sauntering over to him, the dominance and power rolling off me in waves floods me with a confidence I’ve strived to have my entire life. My Nexus may treat me like a priceless gem, but that doesn’t mean other males will, not that they should, but treating someone more than an object they can fuck to their liking should be a given. I know what it’s like to be picked apart like a piece of carcass and I refuse to allow any man to treat me in such a way ever again.
“If you ever speak to me or any female that way again, I’ll make it my personal vendetta to ensure you and your Nexus never have the opportunity to bond to a Primary. Fuck around and I’ll make it so another female never enters your bed. You understand me, pup?” I growl, pinching his chin, forcing his eyes to meet mine and hold.
My voice is lower, deeper than my usual tone. My dragon’s as close to the surface as I’ll let her without him being able to see what I am, guiding me with her instincts on how to handle him.
“You’re so fucking beautiful. You have them all on their knees,” Draken whispers as his strong body presses into the back of mine. He lays his hand on my hip, instantly calming the rage swirling inside of me.
I follow his line of sight, zeroing in on Vince and Walker. Asking my dragon for some assistance on how to get them to stand back up, she floods me with impressions on how to pull my dominance back from the two of them, and they both stand straight up, looking at me in disbelief and shock.
I give them a small bow of my head, following her lead on how to let them know I didn’t mean to hit them like that. I don’t see Vince as a threat. I respect the way he’s treated me so far, and I haven’t even been introduced to Walker, but Draken seems to have a positive regard toward him. The rest are fair game in my dragon’s and my eyes.
“Answer me,” I command, turning back to Gage. His body is shaking like a leaf as he tries to break free from my power.
“I understand,” he answers begrudgingly. And I pull my dominance back, freeing everyone at once. I don’t care if he means it or not. I’ll keep my word if I hear anything not to my liking.
I may have let my dragon’s power give me a pretty unearned ego boost, but at the same time, I do have this power, and if I can use it to ensure no other female gets treated the way I’ve been, then damn straight I’m going to use it.
“Let this be a lesson to you dickheads the next time one of you decides to challenge my true Primary,” Draken announces, staring at each of them until they cast their eyes down.
“Class dismissed,” Vince bellows as he and Walker make their way over to us. “True Primary, huh? That’s the reason I was told not to pair the two of you against one another.”
“Yeah, we weren’t really announcing it yet. Sorry for hitting you that hard. I only meant to teach Gage a lesson in how to speak to women.” I apologize.
“It was unexpected. Is that something we need to work on? You didn’t seem to have a problem focusing on me and Walker when you withdrew your power,” Vince asks, eyeing me like he still isn’t sure how that much strength came out of little ol’ me. He doesn’t seem mad or offended, though, just shocked.
“I didn’t think I’d hit you all, but my intentions in my mind were clear that no man would speak to me that way, so you ended up as collateral damage, I’m afraid. I didn’t have any problems zoning in on the two of you and pulling it back once I asked my animal for a little help.”
“I think it’s an area we should work on. I heard that your Nexus is traveling to the Alpha trials. Now that I know you’re going to be joining them, it’d probably be beneficial for you to know how to direct your command at a specified group, so you don’t send any E.F. members to their knees by accident.” He nods like the more he thinks about it, the more sense it makes.
“How did you know I’d be going?” I ask suspiciously.
“I’ve known your Nexus for a long time. I was a teacher’s aide when Corentin and Tillman started their classes, and he offered me this position once becoming Headmaster. They’d never leave their true Primary behind alone. I’ll see you all next class,” he says, giving me a knowing look before walking away.
“I’ve only come across a few shifters whose dominance was as strong as yours, but it felt different,” Walker speaks for the first time, analyzing me.
“I’m sorry about that. Again, I didn’t mean for you or Vince to get caught in the crossfire,” I tell him sincerely, hoping he isn’t pissed about it.
“What do you mean different?” Draken tacks on defensively, stepping in front of me slightly.
“I mean no offense. Her power feels divine, ancient. I’ve only felt power like that during my awakening,” Walker says, holding his hands out in front of him.
“Damn, I didn’t realize Bri was your true Primary,” Draken comments with a surprised look on his face.
“It’s a well-kept secret. You know the dangers that lurk in Elementra around true Primaries. That’s why I wanted to say something about her powers. Others may not sense it because they’ve never experienced a bond like we have, but I felt it and its familiarity. I’d keep her as close as possible and be careful letting the full extent of your powers out,” Walker warns before turning from us and walking off the field.
“Great, another mystery to add to the craziness that is my life,” I whine as I pinch the bridge of my nose and lay my head on Draken’s arm.
“We’ll figure it all out, little wanderer, don’t worry.”
Ten
Tillman
“Have you seen anything?” I ask Rhett, our man on the ground in Terravile.
Me, Caspian, and Corentin are sitting around his desk with the communicator on speaker, getting an update on the pack’s activity since the wolves have begun their training for the trials. That’s what the majority of the day has consisted of, updates. There still isn’t shit coming out of Crestwood and I hope something comes out of this mission. Heads will fucking roll if not.
Their tracking spells are still being intercepted and they’ve gotten nowhere. They’ve acquired a tracker, but he doesn’t have the skill level as Oakly. But both her and Willow have made it known, under no circumstance, is Oakly joining the E.F.
Knowing what we know now surrounding Willow leads me to believe, like it or not, Oakly’s skills will be used, just not in an E.F. capacity. It’ll be in the capacity Willow needs, and that thought terrifies me.
“One hundred wolves have entered the running. There’s a multitude of different shifters here. I haven’t seen any markings yet, but combat training doesn’t start until tomorrow. I think a large portion of the pack has no clue what’s going on, but some of the wolves interact with the other shifters in a way that makes me think they may be rebels,” he informs us.
We needed a man on the ground who could report back anything they may see that could help us before we get there. At this stage, we won’t need every little detail on all one hundred wolves, unless they’re identified as a part of the Mastery, but the final ten, aside from Lyker if he makes it that far, we’ll need complete files on.
We also need someone watching his ass. Willow wouldn’t have seen him entering the trials for nothing. I told Rhett when he left, he couldn’t inform him what was going on. It’d only distract him from the trials and paint a target on his back while he was there if he started asking questions.
I hated sending Rhett’s Nexus and Lyker’s—both are fucking forces of nature and major assets to the E.F.—but they’re both from Terravile. So it was an easy cover for Rhett to pass off he was coming to pay his respects and watch the trials. It made the most sense sending him to collect what he could and once we gave him a briefing on what was going on, he was all for it.
“Keep us updated on anything you get. No doubt the rebels in the pack will keep their distance from you, but whatever you pick up, let us know. Stay safe. Leave at any sight of trouble,” I command.
“Yes, sir,” he responds before cutting the call.
He’ll go silent now until next week unless something happens or information too important not to get to us comes up. The whole Mastery knows the E.F. is hunting them, so the ones in the Terravile pack will likely keep their distance from him and his Nexus, but you never know how those sick fucks would react if they found out he’s there undercover and not on a social visit.
“One hundred wolves is a shit ton of competition. You think Lyker can pull it off?” Caspian asks.
“You think that’s what Willow saw? Lyker winning the whole thing?” I ask, rather than answer him.
“Yeah, obviously,” he replies like I’m an idiot for not thinking the same thing.
“Okay, asshole, I was just asking. Yeah, I think he could win it all. He’s a tough fucker and it’ll be a huge loss to the E.F. with him gone but also a huge win if he does and can help us clean house in that pack.”
Just like my parents, even once you’re out of the service, your loyalty always stays. And Lyker’s loyal to the bone. That’s one reason why he fought so hard not to go. He said his place was here, not back there. If we hadn’t told him that someone with the sight said he had to go, he would’ve ignored us completely and stayed right here, ready to fight this fight. He just doesn’t know I sent him directly to the enemy, but if he wins, he’ll help us end the treachery going on there, no doubt.
The Terravile pack being corrupt is a blow to the dynamic and structure of all the shifter packs in Elementra. For the most part, my aunt allows them to govern themselves as long as they’re adhering to the laws of the land. One of my uncles is a shifter and for the most part oversees them all as needed.
Terravile being the largest pack in Terian creates doubt and worry in our minds over all the other larger packs spread across the four territories. The Mastery getting their hands in them proves they can get their hands in all the packs if they want to. Hell, they might’ve already. It’s something we’re working on finding out now.
“Come in,” Corentin yells at whoever’s knocking at the door, cutting our conversation off. We all rise, taking a step toward Vince as he stomps into the room.
“Where is she? Is she okay?” I ask before he makes it five feet in.
“She’s fine, with Draken. Care to tell me why you didn’t warn me she was so powerful or that she was your true Primary?” he asks, huffing, crossing his arms.
“I take it Draken told you,” I state. I know Draken loves to brag about it, even though we’ve told him it’s dangerous.
“He told the whole class. I believe his exact words were ‘let this be a lesson to all you dickheads the next time you want to challenge my true Primary.’”
“Did one of them hurt her?” Caspian snarls.
Vince throws his head back, laughing, not a humorous laugh either. One that says don’t fucking play me for a fool.
“No, no one hurt her. Gage made a very derogatory comment to her, and she sent the entire class to their knees. Including me. She didn’t even react when I tested her dominance.”
“Fuck,” all three of us say.
“Yeah. Not just that, her animal thought I was a damn cub, a kitten she called me. So again, care to tell me why you didn’t give me a warning?”
We all stare at him for a few beats, letting his words sink in, then we lose our composure.
His lion is a beast of a creature. Standing at least six feet tall from shoulder to paw, with claws as sharp as blades and teeth that can tear your head clean off your neck. I can’t believe my little warrior thought he was a kitten.
“Vince the kitty cat. Damn, that little Primary is trouble,” Caspian teases as he continues to laugh and point at a pissy Vince.
“We can’t tell you her animal right now, Vince. I’m sorry, but it’s far too dangerous, and that’s all I’ll say on it. I didn’t tell you who she was because I didn’t want you to baby her. I needed you to treat her like you would any other student and get a feel for where she is and what she needs help with. You would’ve tested her dominance on your own then wouldn’t have let her go up against anyone else.” Corentin’s the first to compose himself as he states facts to Vince. And he’s spot-on. Just like Ry babies her, he would’ve too if he knew who she was to us.
“Probably, but she obviously has a very good relationship with her animal. They’re completely in tune with one another from what I could tell. She easily pulled her dominance off me and Walker as soon as she noticed we were down, then the rest of the class once she was done with Gage.”
“How the fuck is that possible?”
I pick up Corentin’s thought and shoot him a look, letting him know I heard that. I have no clue how that’s possible. It took Draken years to be able to pinpoint his dominance like that. It didn’t matter how weak the other shifter was compared to him. If they dared growl or challenge him, he’d send every shifter within his range to their knees, and they’d just have to deal with it until he felt like letting up.
“Where does she need the most work?” I ask.
“We’ll focus on pinpointing. Today, she purposely meant to send all the men to their knees, according to her, so I told her we’d work on getting those skills sharper so she doesn’t accidentally send any of your E.F. members to the ground on your trip to Terravile.”
We all grunt in agreement. That’d suck to be stuck in a situation and my Primary send my men crumbling in the middle of a fight.
“Will she be okay to return to the class?” Corentin asks.
“Oh yeah, she’ll be fine. The wolves have some wounded egos, but they’ll get over it. They’re no match for her. I just wanted to give you shit. She’s powerful, extremely so. But she can still learn. I’ll keep you updated.” He gives us all a handshake before walking out.
He’s one of our oldest friends here at the academy, but I still can’t stop myself from checking his thoughts about the situation, finding nothing but humor and genuine curiosity. I don’t feel guilty about doing it, friend or not. Willow’s safety will always come first.
“I wonder what that fucking mutt said to set her off,” Caspian comments, darkness clouding his eyes with the need to hunt them down if they meant her any harm.
He’s been doing better ever since she woke up, his darkness receding for the most part. Except for when it comes to her. The fierce protectiveness in him is handled very differently than we handle ours. Where me and Corentin can’t go around, fucking students up left and right, there’s no stopping Caspian. Draken either.
Hence how Vander mysteriously ended up in the healing wing, barely breathing with lungs full of water and beaten to within an inch of his life. Caspian and Draken of course denied any involvement.
“Caspian,” Corentin warns, having the same thoughts I am.
“What? I was just wondering. She’ll tell me,” he declares, rolling his eyes at us and plopping down in the chair like we’re being ridiculous.
Giggling down the hallway draws all our attention to the door. The sweet sound of her laughter is as calming as the wind chimes hanging in the windows of my tree. I could be on the verge of losing my mind and that laugh would settle me completely. It’s my favorite sound in the realm.
Aside from how she screams my name.
“Guys, guess what—”
“Come here, Primary,” Caspian orders, cutting off her excitement, causing the beautiful smile she was wearing to slightly fall.
“What’s wrong?” she asks as she hastily makes her way right to him.
I can see the satisfaction on his smug face, pleased she listened immediately with no fight.
“Caspian, leave her alone. Now,” Corentin orders.
Ignoring his brother completely, he wraps his shadows around her and sits her on his lap. “I heard you sent a class full of men to their knees.”
“How did you hear about that so fast? We just left the field,” she asks, looking up at him with those sweet innocent eyes.
“Vince came straight here. He was upset with Corentin for not telling him you were our Primary. But he left out a very important detail,” Caspian says as he runs his shadows down her face.
“What did he forget? It sounds like he’s already told on me.” Willow rolls her eyes, crossing her arms.
