average human’s Reviews > The Gods Veiling > Status Update

“Yemi nor Rose are sitting here complaining about that run. Only you. And yes, of course I’m jealous your power is already settling. You can control lights, and you already feel it inside of you. But it’s not in the ‘ugh, fuck you’ way. It’s all out of love and I want to be you when I grow up.”
“You are grown. We’re the same age.”
The three of us snort at him as he gives in and falls on his butt. Poor thing. I really should’ve made him work out when we were in Oddian.
Yesterday after lunch, we went back to the Athenaeum, and Yemi and I jumped into discussing how we were going to start going on runs in the mornings. Rose heard and asked if she could join us. We obviously agreed while Lambrit grimaced.
It was then I realized, because of his Designation, he doesn’t train at all. That didn’t settle with me well. I still don’t have a clue why the Defenders or my Valtrue, for that matter, train so hard. The fact we have to, though, is reason enough for me to make Lambrit do so as well.
He was resistant at first, yes, but Rose batted her lashes and it was decided.
“I promise I’m not punishing you. But yes, I’m mad my powers are still settling in. You’re the smart one. Tell me why they’re doing this.”
“The god that’s smarter than even me has explained this to you, Thayla. Twice now, I believe. He even said that his release he got from the Veiling hasn’t come through fully.”
Yeah, and I’m pretty sure he and his brothers are lying.
A shiver races down my spine when I bend over to grab my toes, and a low whistle sounds from behind me.
“Looking good, gorgeous. Keep this up and I’m going to have to beat the other gods off with a stick.”
I place my hands on my hips and slowly turn to face Kyzen. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. They see me beside my big and scary Valtrue, they all run for the waterfall.”
My mocking does nothing but cause him to laugh. “We aren’t scary. Everyone just knows we like to keep to ourselves. That includes you now.”
I bite my bottom lip to stop my smirk from spreading and I give him my back so I don’t chuckle at that flirty face of his.
It’s the truth, though.
Everyone gives me a wide berth if one of them is around. Yemi, Lambrit, Rose, and Havar are the only ones who approach me fearlessly. Well, and…Mellcom and Jeremiah.
Granted, they’ve only stared since the first day in the Gods Court. Mara glares.
I was hoping yesterday after Riven’s stunt, training would be canceled. Unfortunately, it wasn’t even though only half of the Defenders were in attendance. No one messed with me, though. I believe a conversation that I wasn’t a part of was had. A silent agreement seems to have been struck between Gladian’s Valtrue and mine.
I’m not complaining. Yesterday was far less stressful and I’m not nearly as worried about this afternoon.
I peer over my shoulder to see Kyzen still standing there blatantly appreciating my body. “I have two guesses as to why you’d be out here interrupting the end of our run.”
“Well, let me hear them then.” He plasters on a very fake, serious face and crosses his arms over his chest.
“One, breakfast is ready. So you’re here to tell me I need to come fuel my perfect body.” I wiggle my brows, and his seriousness starts to split. “Or two, Creed’s bailing on me, so you’re here to tell me first that way I don’t cuss him out or throw something at him.”
I groan when his face softens. Riven made an offhanded comment last night about me never getting to see Creed in his role because he’ll never let me get that close to him. I didn’t take him too seriously, but I did keep the remark in the back of my mind.
All right, if I’m being honest, I haven’t stopped thinking about it.
Kyzen uncrosses his arms and lets them lie limply at his sides. “Two things can be true at once.”
“Yeah, yeah. He better have a really good excuse as to why I can’t go with him, or I’ll be showing my ass. You’ve been warned.”
“You can show me your ass anytime you please.”
“Try defending Creed’s taurnshit. You’ll be lucky to get a glimpse of my knees, much less anything else.”
His eyes map my body. “Again. I’ll be lucky to see anything again.”
“You were lucky to see it then.”
“Stop blaming that on ‘being startled awake.’ You did it on purpose, admit it.” I huff and turn my back to him again, ignoring the heat starting to course through me.
“Are the two of you having sex?”
Yemi and I gasp. Rose grips Lambrit with one hand and covers her mouth with the other. I stare wide-eyed and horrified at my best friend.
“Lambrit, you can’t ask shit like that. Especially not in front of him.”
“Why not? The question involves the two of you.”
“Oh my gods,” I groan and rub my temples as Kyzen dies of laughter. “That’s something we, as in you and me, would discuss privately behind his back.”
“So you are having sex?”
“Fuck me. Kyzen, please go inside.”
“Hold on now, Lambrit’s right. This involves us and I want to hear your answer.”
“Go. In. Side,” I grit through my teeth and flaming red face.
He holds his hands up, chuckling while he starts taking a few steps back. “Fine, fine. I’ll go give Creed your warning. Would anyone else like some breakfast?”
Yemi and Rose mumble nos while trying to hide their laughter.
Lambrit, on the other hand, smiles. “I would—”
“Not. He would not like any breakfast.”
Kyzen takes the hint, and I hear him chuckling his entire walk to the front door. I wait until the sound completely disappears before I face Lambrit and throw my hands in the air. He looks confused and utterly disappointed.
“What was that?”
“What?”
Rose places her hand on his bicep and smiles sweetly at him. “You can’t ask a girl about her sex life like that. Thayla’s and your relationship is a little different, so I know you’re comfortable just asking her that, but you can’t do it in front of the guy you’re inquiring about.”
“Well, I just haven’t seen her show attention to anyone since Jeremiah. She’s attracted to her entire Valtrue as far as I’ve observed from her actions and words. I wanted to know if she’s taken a step toward a relationship with any of them.”
I suck in a sharp breath as Rose gives me an apologetic smile on his behalf and Yemi falls into my side. My first instinct is to hold her up, but after a second of her shaking from laughter, I let her fall to her ass.
“He’s the funniest person I’ve ever met in my life,” she gasps out.
“You only say that cause you’re not the one he’s calling out right now,” I grumble, then glare back at him. “For the Valories, Lambrit, we’ve only been here a few days. I need a little more time than that to jump into bed with him, any of them.”
I mean, I’ve thought about it…No. Never mind.
“I’m not calling you out, or at least I’m not trying to. I’m genuinely asking and concerned. You can’t blame me for my candidness. After the falling-out with Jeremiah and what he did to you, you shouldn’t blame me for wanting to know these things.”
My embarrassment and small tinge of anger leak out of me at his soft omission.
When you’re in the trenches of heartbreak, it’s easy not to notice how your feelings are affecting those around you. My grief in the breakup didn’t come until after Jeremiah’s switch up. The way he treated me after the Veiling destroyed me. I let it bleed out everywhere.
Poor Lambrit was there to pick up my pieces through it all.
“I don’t blame you. Just next time, that’s a question you ask when no one’s around. Yemi and Rose are the exception to that. No one else, though, okay?”
“Okay, I understand. You know you only have to tell me once.” His cocky little tone causes me to snort. “Just so you know, I’m happy you’re finding some happiness in them and this…situation. For what it’s worth, if you decided to have a relationship with one of them, I approve.”
Yemi finally pushes herself to her feet. “Uh, have you met Riven yet?”
“Yeah, he came to the Athenaeum. He was really nice.”
My mind seems to malfunction. I can’t hear anything else they say. His words ring between my ears on repeat until they cause me and my thoughts to grow dizzy.
One of them…
How awkward would that conversation be?
“Of course—whichever one I choose—I’d love to be in a relationship with you. Oh, and by the way, all of your brothers hold a piece of my soul. Hope that’s not an issue.”
Fuck no. Not happening.
“Thayla, did you hear me?” Yemi asks.
“No, I’m sorry. What did you say?”
She arches her brow at me, and I mimic the gesture, encouraging her to repeat herself. “Since we don’t know what your schedule looks like now, do you just want to come get me when you’re ready to go?”
“Yeah, that works. Are you two headed off?”
“Yeah. We need to go figure out food since someone so rudely denied me an invitation, then get to the Athenaeum.”
I shake my head at Lambrit and smirk at Rose as they start walking in the direction of their houses. “I’ll see you both soon. Yemi, enjoy your alone time.”
She sends me a wave over her shoulder as she makes her way to her door. “You enjoy…whatever’s about to happen in there.”
All I care about happening is getting some water, then coffee, and food. In that order. Shower will come after I’ve cooled off and got my belly full.
I make my way through my back door, kick my shoes and socks off, then head straight to the kitchen. The guys’ voices are already traveling down my hall.
“Good morning, my oh so lovely Valtrue.”
My cheery, sarcastic tone has all heads turning toward me as I make my way to the cupboard then sink. My ‘ahh’ after chugging a whole glass of water is met with a few murmured good mornings.
“Someone’s in trouble,” Riven sings.
“The sun’s barely even up. What could you have done already?” I ask as I join them at the table.
“No, no, no. Not me.” He points his finger at me as he lifts his mug.
“Me? I’ve only seen Kyzen this morning. I sure as shit haven’t done anything yet.”
He smirks over at Creed.
“What’s this I hear about you showing your ass today?”
I meet his glare with one of my own. “What’s this I hear you’re canceling my rotation with you today?”
“You’re not coming with me.”
“And why not?”
“Because I said so.”
“Then I’m about to show my ass.”
“To anyone in particular or is the show a free for all?”
We ignore Riven as neither of us is willing to break our eye contact. He speaks first, though. “Why does this have to be a fight?”
“It doesn’t, at all. All I want is a better reason than because I said so. Does it not bother you to just be brushed off? Try having that happen when you know you’re being kept in the dark already, all while trying to figure out your new life, home, and routine.”
My tone comes off bored, but my chest flares. I catch the slightest, and I mean a minuscule flinch in his eye. I don’t know if it’s because of my words or because he felt that pull in my chest as well.
If I wasn’t scared of that shit hurting so bad again, I’d snatch on that little tether to see if he’d react.
I’d have at least one answer then.

“There are areas within and outside of Godsden you can’t go or know about yet. I can’t tell you more than that until a certain time period has passed. I have to go to one of those places today. So you can’t go.”
“You can’t tell me or won’t?”
He balls his fists on the table. “Won’t. It won’t do you any good right now to know everything that goes on. I’m sure that isn’t what you want to hear, but it’s the best I’ve got. There’re things the four of us know that I wish like fuck we didn’t. Accept the semblance of peace I’m trying to give you.”
He tilts his mug back and downs every last drop before pushing away from the table. My eyes follow him as he stomps to the sink, puts his dishes in there, then grips the edge.
“I’ve got to go to the Gods Court first. You and Kyzen can come with me, and I’ll give you a tour.”
“Why does Kyzen need to be there?”
“Because he does.”
I grit my teeth and look at one of the others to say something. Chime in about how stupid this is and just tell me. They don’t. Not even Riven, who usually makes it abundantly clear he loves when tension is in the air.
“Fine.” My growled one-word response is met with an equally enthusiastic grunt.
I forego breakfast and ignore Kyzen’s attempts to settle my annoyance. Creed’s secrecy bothers me the most out of everyone for the simple fact I know he knows more about my situation than he’s said. Too many times, he’s made it obvious and then has avoided anything I try to ask. While simultaneously peppering me with questions to sate his own desire to know things about me.
That screams I’m hiding very important things.
Their past and the secrets that time period holds, I can get behind them not telling me yet. Secrets that include me and what’s going on with my damn soul, no. I want those answers. I deserve them.
I wordlessly excuse myself from the table and head to my room to get ready. I’m not wearing that ridiculous armor for my tour, but I’ll dress in something that’ll be easy to maneuver in if something were to happen while we’re there.
My sour mood spoils the blissful shower. It probably would’ve worked wonders for me to soak in my personal hot spring, but I figured the faster I get ready, the faster we get going.
Also, still not being able to control the lights, the bathroom gets the least amount of natural light. I have to pull my curtains all the way back, leave the bathroom door open, and use the torch lamp to get enough light to see my reflection just to get ready.
I can’t lazily bask in the water in the dark. I just scare myself with the thoughts of someone coming in here and drowning me in the water. Or falling asleep and drowning myself.
Kyzen and Creed are waiting for me as I stomp my happy ass back into the kitchen. “Where are the other two?”
“Already took off. Riven said he had something to check on, and Amick needed to go on to the Athenaeum for whatever it is he needs to read today.”
I follow them toward the door and we pass through one after the other, but a few steps into the yard, I stop walking. “I need to let Yemi know the plan.”
They stride over there with me but wait quite a few feet away from her front door. That both impresses and aggravates me.
It aggravates me because them taking into account her wariness of them settles some of my foul mood at them right now. For as much as the Godsdawn views them as the big and bad Valtrue, they have more of a tendency to show respect for people’s boundaries than any of the other gods I’ve witnessed.
I knock once, then raise my hand to do it again. Only this time, a small screech slips through my lips when, rather than landing against solid wood, I slip through her door.
“Shit. These damn doors and walls are going to be the death of me.” I pant out as I catch myself and lay my hand to my racing heart.
“You really think that’s what’s going to do it?” Yemi asks as she pokes her head around the corner of her entryway.
“How the hell did I just fall through there?”
“I gave my permission for you to be able to come in.” Her obvious tone has me rolling my eyes.
“Clearly. I have no idea how you did that, though.”
“They haven’t told you how to give someone permission to enter your space?”
I throw my hands up. “No. Why in the realm would they do such a thing when I have no power to implement their teachings?”
She snorts, then her lights dim in her whole home as she moves toward me. “Someone must have dropped your breakfast. You were in a much better mood when I left you.”
I press my lips together and her smirk grows.
“All you have to do when the time comes is lay your hand against your door, summon your power from where you feel it in your body, then simply say the person’s name. The essence spreading throughout the house will know who you’re referring to and what you want. I added yours in case you ever needed an escape or in case of an emergency.”
I blow out a harsh breath. “Thank you. I’ll probably be taking you up on that. I still don’t understand how our powers do this, though. These are the things I want explained to me.”
“Well, if I had to take a guess, Amick would explain it all happily. He’s probably just waiting for you to get to these things in your reading materials he’s given you or for your power to actually settle. The others…I don’t see any of them just knowing they should tell you. It’s easy for everyone who’s been here a while to forget the Chosen know absolutely nothing.”
Knowing nothing is a trend I’m over…
“I’m about to tell them I only want to be on rotation with Amick until I learn everything and have my power.”
“I wouldn’t be opposed to that. What are we about to do now? Or did you want me to explain the ins and outs of how this was possible?”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have time. Creed’s compromise for abandoning my rotation today was to give me a tour of the Gods Court. He’s going somewhere I can’t go apparently, so he and Kyzen are outside waiting.”
“Gross. To all of that.” Her disgusted sneer causes me to laugh.
The two of us exit her house and my laughter silences as I meet Creed’s impatient glare. His chiseled arms are crossed over his chest and he’s standing like a formidable statue preparing to yell at me for taking too long.
I don’t give him the chance as I ignore him and start walking in the direction of the Gods Court.
There’re several gods making their way out of their houses right now, so we keep our conversations quiet. I don’t ask the billions of questions starting to take up the entire space of my mind and I keep my smart-ass remarks to myself.
“Yemi, you put Thayla’s spare armor in the Attendant’s chamber yesterday, correct?” Kyzen asks as we approach the entrance hall of the Court. At Yemi’s yes, he continues, “If you wouldn’t mind, will you show me where you put it?”
Creed stops in his tracks. “She can do that when we come across it.”
“I think it’ll be best if she shows me now.”
Kyzen’s awkward insistence has my attention moving to Yemi to make sure she’s even comfortable doing that.
When she asked me for it yesterday, she had to explain that if the one I’m wearing were to get damaged in training, she’d need to bring my extra out. So it’s best to store a spare here.
“Um…sure. If that’s okay?” Instead of answering her, I ask my own question with my eyes, and she shrugs.
“That’s fine with me.”
“Perfect, after you.” Kyzen holds his hand out, indicating Yemi go before him.
As they walk away, Creed releases a quiet groan that I hear loudly in this empty walkway. “Why am I getting the impression you don’t want to be alone with me?”
“Because I don’t.”
I practically sprint to get in his way so he can’t walk away. “All right, that’s it. What’s your issue with me?”
Those unimpressive, smooth, muscular arms cross back over that huge—damn it, no—his normal-sized chest. He glares down at me like I’m a pesky fly buzzing in his ear. His attention moves down to my heart for a millisecond, then immediately back to my face.
I catch it, though.
Fuck this.
My fists ball at my sides. Now that I saw where his attention went, I focus specifically on that area. I typically notice the jerking spread across my chest, but it’s clear now, the feeling starts in my heart.
For a long, tense moment, we stare one another down. I’m really staring through him. My sole focus is locating that sensation inside of myself that’s oddly absent right now.
Finally, the smallest flicker of something breaks through and I zone in on it. It’s the faintest little flutter that I could easily mistake for my heart rate spiking then slowing down.
Unlike in the healing villas when I felt the connection to Kyzen, and I tried to snatch the shit out of it, this time, I only sense what’s inside of me. I can’t find the link to Creed.
I coax my small sliver gently and think of one of the other pieces sitting there snugly in Creed’s chest. It’s got to be there, so I focus hard on the two pieces connecting. When my chest jerks a bit more, I sweetly encourage it to come to me as though I’m trying to save an injured animal.
It responds.
Unfortunately, so does Creed.
Before I can blink, my back is pinned against the wall and he slams his hands against the stone. His dark gray eyes have shifted to a deadly white. Like the depths of the Veilataras’, there’s no end to his.
“Do not do that again, Thayla.”
I gulp and tilt my chin. “What exactly is it I did?”
“You know good—”
“Explain it.” My voice booms around us as I demand a straight answer.
He’s breathing so hard, every exhale drifts across my forehead. The muscles in his arms tremble, but I don’t think it’s from anger. It’s restraint.
“Don’t call your soul to you again. Not the piece you sense in me and especially not the pieces inside of my brothers. You’re not just beckoning a piece of yourself, but you’re pulling on the parts of us that it’s connected to now. You use this as a weapon against them, and I will end you.”
His cruel tone hits the mark. Any restraint I was trying to have dissipates. My body flames and I raise my knee with all the intention of rearranging his balls inside of his stomach.
An umph falls from my mouth when he catches my leg and spins me around until my chest presses into the wall. He traps my arms behind my back and squashes them between us.
“Don’t do that again either.”
“Stop telling me what to do, asshole. So you’ve known? This whole damn time and you haven’t said the first thing to me.”
“There’s nothing to say. Derivius split your soul. It’s now invading ours.”
“Nothing to say? This is a big fucking nothing, Creed. Do they know too? You’ve all known and haven’t explained anything to me. This whole time I’ve been afraid one of you was going to use it against me.”
His heavy pause is louder than the clipped sentences he’s been giving me.
“They don’t know. You haven’t told them,” I conclude.
He releases me and instantly takes a hearty step away like I’m about to spin around and pounce on his ass. I have half a mind to, but my desire for his explanation wins out.

“No, they don’t know.”
“Why are you keeping it from them?”
“Why are you?”
“I literally just told you. After the Veiling, I sensed my soul in Kyzen and tried to snatch it back to me. It felt like I was going to die. I had no intentions of any of you knowing in case you could do that to me.”
He examines me slowly and I force my body not to squirm. “We could. They could if they knew, but they wouldn’t do that.”
“But you would?”
His stillness causes me to shift my feet into a better position. Now I’m the one preparing for him to pounce on me.
“Not intentionally, no. I haven’t told them because I plan to get it out of them before it becomes too attached.”
“Could you not talk about my soul like it’s a fucking parasite?”
He throws his hands up and takes a step into my space. I want to step back, but I refuse to. “That’s exactly what it is. It’s surviving by clinging to ours. I’m trying my fucking hardest to figure out how to separate it and return it to you whole before it embeds itself so deep there’s no unweaving it.”
My breath rushes out of me and naturally, I rub my chest. “You…want to make it whole again?”
“Yes,” he growls. “I have no clue who or what any of us will become if I don’t. So could you just quit fucking pushing me and let me figure this out? Don’t tell my brothers, don’t get any closer to them than you have to, and don’t tug on it again.”
My blood heats from his shitty tone and order. “I want to know why you don’t want them to know. This feels like we’re crossing into taking their choices away from them territory and I don’t like it.”
“It’s your soul, not theirs. That’s where the choice ends.”
It’s my turn to throw my hands up and step closer to him. “But you think it’s your choice to make it whole again? You can’t stand me that much, you believe you just get to make this decision. Just another god who gets to tamper with my soul without my permission.”
How many times can a person survive having their soul rearranged?
He doesn’t shout. He doesn’t scream at me. Even worse, he leans so low our breaths mingle and all I smell is him. The remnants of the loaf of bread he baked this morning still cling to him. It’s such a confusing concoction. He smells delicious, but the look on his face could poison my blood.
I can’t control the rapid rise and fall of my chest as his whisper fans across my lips.
“Yes, Thayla. Yes, I do, because I know what a fucking soul needs and what a god needs to survive. You need to be whole so you can fucking live. That’s why I stay away from you. So your soul doesn’t grow attached to mine. There’s your god’s honest truth I was trying to protect you from. I didn’t want you walking around in fear that you’re just going to drop dead, but you’re going to die if you aren’t made whole. Derivius thought our souls could take care of and nurture yours, but I don’t believe we can.”
That reality slaps me stunned. My whole body freezes and I can’t even get my eyes to blink. He takes a few large steps away from me, shakes his head, and stomps toward the opening of the Court.
I don’t follow. I can’t. Air refuses to fill my lungs.
“Der-Derivius. Tell me what he just said isn’t true. Tell me you didn’t put my soul in them, knowing I could die.”
Silence greets me.
“Answer me, damn it, or this really will be the last fucking time you ever hear from me.”
“Creed and I have very differing opinions on this, little troublling. I have all the faith in the realm that you and your soul will survive. Thrive even. He has his own fears that cloud him from seeing it. Don’t let his fears influence your own. I, and many others, would’ve never agreed to this if we thought you’d die. I swear that on the Valories.”
My hands grip my knees as I force my lungs to cooperate. My mind whirls over both of their words. It’s a dizzying flood of emotions that I can’t seem to get under control. I don’t know which god to believe, nor do I know what to do from here.
Anger burns through every fiber of my being that a decision of this magnitude was made for me.
Him, probably the Valories, my…my fucking parents.
How dare they?
I take staggering steps back down the hallway and out of the Court. My head tilts toward the sun as I calm the turmoil racing inside of me.
“What’s the matter, angel? Do I need to go in there and wipe the floor with ol’ Daddy Gladdy’s ass?”
I whip around and find Riven leaning against the wall with his foot propped up. He’s smiling deviously and my heart drops to my stomach.
“How long have you been standing there?”
“I was walking up, and you stormed right on by me like you didn’t even see me. I waited right here in case something interesting was about to happen. I’m a little disappointed, actually.”
I run my hand down my face and blow out a breath. “So sorry to disappoint you, Riven.”
“Oh, that’s quite all right. Not all of us can be perfect. It’s an art really.” He uncrosses his arms and pushes off the wall. Every calculated stride toward me has my heart hammering. The way he traces over every inch of me makes my chest tighten and I refrain from literally screaming. “You seem to need a distraction. Want to ignore our roles and go fuck off in Godsden?”
An infuriating and hypnotizing sense of victory shines in his eyes and across his dazzling smirk. It’s like he knows I’m nervous to be alone with him, therefore he believes I’ll immediately say no to him.
“Thayla, there you are.”
I startle out of my staring and turn toward Kyzen and Yemi, who speed walk over.
“Were you looking for me?”
“Well, we just ran into a vicious Creed and you weren’t with him…so yeah, we came looking.” Kyzen arches his brows in question.
I clear my throat and give him a small grin. “Had a little disagreement. No punches were thrown, so it wasn’t too serious.”
“That’s always a good thing.” He laughs and guilt creeps through me. “Well, since your tour was over before it started, we can head to the Gods Sanctum or Athenaeum. Whichever you’d prefer.”
“Actually…” I glance at Riven, then back at Kyzen. “Riven’s offered to take me around today. I’m going to go with him.”
“Really?” all of them ask.
“Yeah, really. Just the two of us.”
Yemi’s eyes widen comically, while Kyzen seems nervous.
“Riven—”
“Nope, no warnings, brother. The little bur—Thayla will be safe with me. We’ll see you lot later.”
He bows dramatically, holding his hand out for me to lead the way. With one more tight smile aimed at Yemi and Kyzen, I do just that.
I want a distraction.

70%

When I figure out how I can remove her slivers inconspicuously from my brothers without damaging their souls, I’m going to put all the pieces inside of me. Once I can weave hers back together and heal it completely, then I’ll put them back inside of her.
I can’t do that if it grows attached to mine. Or worse…
It’ll be nearly whole by that point and there’d be no way for me to separate us. If I give my soul even an inch of hers, it’ll suck the rest in and never let it go.
She’ll be trapped to me forever.
I thought this whole time it’d be Kyzen’s I’d need to worry the most about. He’s flirty, inviting, and consistently the friendliest toward her. It was easy to assume that his soul would open the most and accept hers in.
Never would I have fucking guessed it’d be Amick’s.
A month ago now, she stood in the kitchen and announced she’d be spending her days with him in the Athenaeum learning. My thoughts were, that’s great and works out best for us. I figured she was silently telling me she was going to be doing her own investigation into the condition of her soul.
I don’t know if she actually has or not. She hasn’t said the first thing about it. She’s definitely been learning the ways of the gods, though. And her power is starting to slowly settle. It’s taking forever at this point, but I don’t think Amick’s told her that it’s getting close to the longer than normal point.
He doesn’t want to admit he doesn’t know why.
What’s abundantly clear to me now, though, is my brother has, unknowingly, opened himself up to her completely. The divide of their souls is barely visible by this point.
They’ll be the hardest to separate.
“Focus, Thayla. You’re being too emotional.”
“Amick, if you call me emotional one more time, I’m going to show you exactly how emotional I can get.”
I turn the water at the sink up higher, blocking the sound of the small chuckle that escaped me. By this point, I’m sure Amick has learned that Thayla’s emotional isn’t tears or trembling lips.
It’s fists swinging at your face, shit being thrown, and knees to balls.
The fighter in her is alluring. She doesn’t take shit from any of the other gods. That includes us. It’s a rarity and a nice change, but it’s impulsive, dangerous.
The other day in training, Gladian called her pathetic and told her she was regressing instead of evolving. Which is complete shit, but his way of motivation is to tear you down to nothing so he can build you up how he wants.
It doesn’t work on her.
She threw her sword down and tried to charge him.
I had to throw her over my shoulder and march her out of the Court while she pounded the fuck out of my back.
“You’ve made the lights come on accidentally three times now, which is a clear sign you have enough power settled to do it on purpose. So do it.”
“Amick—”
“Maybe a more hands-on approach is needed rather than just tell her to do it, huh?” Kyzen cuts Thayla’s warning off. “You know, walk her through step by step.”
Amick blinks at him before wordlessly holding his hand out to her.
“Are you trying to hold my hand right now?” Riven and Kyzen laugh while I press my lips firmly together. Her sass is in full swing tonight with her evident frustration.
“Give me your hand and let me guide you.”
She reluctantly does as he tells her to do, and he pulls her over to the center of the living room. I shut the water off as I finish cleaning up the last dish and come around the counter so I can see them better.
They stand in the middle of the rug, and he tugs her arm down until she’s on her knees.
“Really? This is going to teach me how to turn the lights on?”
“It’s got me turned on, that’s for sure.” Riven chokes on his laugh when Kyzen elbows him, and Thayla whips her head around with a nasty glare in her eyes.
“Ignore him. Focus on me and only me.” Amick stares her down until she finally gives in, then he steps off to the side of her. “I told you, your power will create a sensation inside of your body. Today in my office, you said you’re starting to feel random tingles in multiple places. Try to sense a spot now.”
She’s quiet for a second as she runs her palms up and down her thighs. “I already know a spot. It’s been in my fingertips all day. They go numb, then normal, then back to numb.”
Fingertips…that’s different for us.
Mine I sense the strongest in my heart. Kyzen and Amick in their minds, and Riven in his stomach.
We can all command our power out and it travels through our fingers if we want, but the power doesn’t usually sit there…waiting for us.
“Good. That’ll make this simpler.” He steps up to her again and raises her arms in the air. “Once your power’s fully settled, you’ll be able to locate it anywhere in your body. It’ll come to your command and obey you with a thought, but for now, you have to give it instructions. Keep your hands pointed to the ceiling as though you’re pushing it out of your fingers and instruct the lights to come on. Decide how bright or dim you want it and tell it to do that.”
She shakes her whole body and stretches her fingers out. I pinch the bridge of my nose and exhale harshly. Myself, Kyzen, and Amick are polite enough not to comment on the position she’s in right now. Riven isn’t.
“I’m about to go stand in front of her so it looks like she’s worshipping me.” His fake-ass whisper travels through the whole house and Thayla stops her little shimmy.
“You wish I’d worship you from my knees.”
“That I do. How gorgeous you’d look lowered before me.”
“Oh, please. I’d leave you begging for more at an altar you built just for me.”
Riven’s eyes darken and Kyzen releases a deep chuckle that’s more dangerous than it is humorous. “You tell us where you want it built, little goddess, and we’ll get it taken care of.”
Fuck me.
“You two stop with your sexual innuendos and let her—”
Blinding light flashes through the living room, cutting off Amick’s scolding. It’s like a damn star from the night sky outside has burst through our house and I lift my arm to shield my eyes from it. Thayla gasps loudly and in that same second, the light dies down.
There’s a tense beat of silence as my brothers and I ask each other with our eyes if one of us did that or she did. That question’s answered when she jumps to her feet and wraps her arms around Amick.
I knew she’d be strong. Her soul feels the same way.
He completely freezes, then awkwardly pats her on the back.
“Holy shit, I did it. I told it to blind Riven, and it listened. I didn’t really mean for it to get that bright, but it worked. Gods, I felt it leaving my fingers. That was so weird but also amazing.”
Kyzen’s cheers are a mixture of his laugh and hoots while Riven scrunches his nose at her. “If I were blind, how could I tell you about your poor outfit choices?”
Her brows draw down at him, but the scowl on her face is the least of my concerns. Her head’s resting on Amick’s chest, and he’s allowed his arm to limply hang around her.
The threads weave tighter.
Fuck.
“Come over here and do it in the kitchen, Thayla,” I command.
My tone is harsh, but in her excitement, she ignores it. I move out of her way and as subtly as I can, I position my body in front of Amick when he follows her.
He attempts to move around me, but I lay a hand on his chest. “Stay right there and see if she can do it without your guidance.”
They both disregard my shitty tone and nod to one another. She raises her arms and wiggles her fingers. The seconds pass just as they did a moment ago, then the light flares to life. A small, prideful laugh slips through her lips.
A triumphant smile replaces the sound, and my soul goes ballistic when it senses the taste of her power igniting in her soul. It’s different. Stronger now that it’s truly settling. I bite my cheek until I taste blood.
Kyzen and Riven cheer and clap as they surround her while Amick’s silence screams approval.
No one notices the war raging inside of me as they congratulate her. I can’t move to join them. Not that I would anyway, but right now, my feet are firmly rooted in place as I force my soul to stop stretching toward hers.
“My room. Fuck, yes. I can have light in my bathroom. Everyone, stay here. I’ll be right back.”
The four of us watch her haul ass out of the kitchen and down her hallway. I finally breathe once she’s out of my sight.
“I should’ve thought about the hands-on lessons before now. She takes well to it in training, so of course it would’ve worked here as well.”
“Oh, don’t beat yourself up about another failure when it comes to her, o wise one. She’s a confusing creature.”
“Riven, don’t give Amick shit right now. This is a huge step, and she’d probably still be way behind had we kept rotating her around like we were told to.”
“Unfortunately, I have to agree with him.”
My head jerks at Amick’s admission. That’s the first time in our lives I’ve heard him agree with Riven. It’s so shocking, even Riven’s silent.
“She’s taken very well to learning the history, the purpose of the Designations, the different gods and their domains, but I should’ve been working hands on with her through the transition of sensing and commanding her power. I’ve switched up her study methods plenty so she doesn’t grow bored with the routine. I’ll begin implementing this version tomorrow.”
Our jaws drop. He’s never one to admit he’s done something wrong. Which, typically, he never does wrong.
Banging on the front door disrupts the shock that holds us all still. The noise thunders through the house and my body heats.
“Who the fuck is trying to knock our door down?” Riven asks, but I’m already heading to find out.
There are only a handful who would dare.
My eyes narrow as I come face-to-face with Gladian. His stalking-ass Valtrue is right behind him, and I sneer at the God of Strength for his disrespect. After Amick told us about the stunt they pulled in the Athenaeum with Thayla’s smart-ass little friend, I made it clear he keep his new Valtrue members the fuck away from her and my house.
“Don’t give me that look. Get your things and get to the Court. All of you. Duty calls from the other side.”
Fuck, this can’t be happening already.
“Be there in a minute.” My blood begins to boil beneath my skin, and I go to shut the door, but his hand grips the wood, stopping it from slamming.
“That includes your Binder. We need all the bodies we can tonight.”
I don’t fucking think so.
“Absolutely not. You know her powers haven’t completely settled. She’ll be more of a distraction than help.”
“She can hold her own,” Mellcom declares as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“You don’t fucking—”
“Enough. My men are going, and their powers haven’t settled completely either. I’m only leaving a few behind tonight. So there’s no excuse for her. Get to the fucking Court. I’ve already sent word to the meadows for those who can’t starshoot. You’ll be traveling with them while I man the other Defenders.”
With that, he slams my fucking door for me, and I ball my fist. If he was referring to the newer Defenders as the ones he’s leaving behind, then there are only three who can’t starshoot.
Thayla, Mellcom, and Jeremiah.
Gods damn it.
I don’t understand why their powers haven’t settled.
“Who was—”
“Go get ready. Trouble in the Abandon,” I bark at Kyzen.
“Thayla?” he asks.
“Has to go.”
I don’t glance at any of them as I stomp down her hallway. They’ll be ready in less than a minute, but I got to get her moving.
My fist pounds on her door. “Thayla.”
Nothing.
“Thayla, open the fucking—”
“What is your problem?” She slings her door open and perches her hand on her hip.

I storm past her, only giving myself a second to map every surface of her room. It matches her soul.
Blissful.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Creed?” she shouts as she follows behind me into her closet.
“Where’s your armor?”
“What?”
“Where is your armor, Thayla?”
She startles at the echoing of my bellow all around us, but her eyes never flinch from their glare. Good. She’ll need her grit. I take a few quick calming breaths, then step toward her.
“I don’t have time to explain it all to you right now, but there’s an emergency and we’re needed. Where’s your armor?”
“At the back,” she says low, pointing her finger.
I cross the massive space and spot the dark steel I need. She has multiple ones to choose from, but for this battle, there’s one in particular that’s made for the Abandon.
There’s reinforced matte black metal both sewn into the fabric on the inside and plates on the outside. It provides as much flexibility as what she wears in training, but there’s a small bit of a weight difference. This armor was made with the intention of taking damage from Oblirians and their weapons.
“Creed, I need—”
“A better explanation. Yeah, I know, but I can’t give it to you right now. We have to get ready to go. Put this on as fast as you can and get to the kitchen.”
I lay the armor on her bed and continue walking out of her room. I don’t stop until I pass through my door.
I allow myself a moment to center myself and calm my soul. It’s both thrumming with excitement for what’s about to happen, but also, there’s a desperate need to connect to hers.
Both sensations disgust me.
I’m disgusted with the desires my power makes me have.
Along with my armor that matches Thayla’s, as well as my brothers’, I grab my most prized weapons. Two swords I was able to infuse with my power prior to them taking it from us.
One hit and your soul no longer belongs to you.
It belongs to me.
The Chancellors and some of the gods tried their hardest to force me to give them up. There’s no revoking power from an ancient object. Which these are. They were crafted and forged by a few Beginning Gods long ago, then gifted to me.
They have to be destroyed for the power to be freed.
The first attack that broke through the barrier from the Abandon happened and they never bothered me about them again.
“Where is she?” I ask my brothers as soon as I step out of my room.
“Right here.”
Thayla exits her hallway looking like the Goddess of Death. Her rose gold hair adds just enough life to the otherwise deadly attire she has on. The stern scowl written across her face, though, promises a vicious ending to any who threaten her.
Perfect.
“Listen to me and listen closely,” I order as I march over to her and spin her around.
Her body tenses under my touch and I grit my teeth at her reaction. She doesn’t even know what I can really do.
I run my fingers along the strappings on her back to adjust them, then spin her back to face me. “This is no ordinary sword. Do not accidentally slice yourself or any of our Defenders. It’s infused with a power that will kill on contact. Instantly. One hit. Do you understand?”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m a child. I understand. This sword will kill as soon as I hit someone with it. Why do I need it?”
“Because you have no power and where we’re going, you need all the power you can get.” I sheath my weapon in the holder on her back and place the second one in mine.
I’ve seen her wield swords. Plenty of them. I know she’ll do fine with it and that’s the most I can do for her right now.
“Let’s go.”
The five of us rush out the front door. We don’t make it but a few steps before a giggling voice calls out. “Thayla…what’s going on?”
We all spin around and find Yemi and her Meadow Hand cousin about to walk into her home. The smiles slowly slip off their faces and Havar, I think is his name, steps slightly in front of her.
“I honestly don’t know.”
“Trouble from the other side. You’re not accompanying us. We have to go.” I grip Thayla’s arm and pull her along.
After the third time she tries to tug free, I finally release her. “Why did you tell her she wasn’t accompanying us?”
“Most Attending Gods would bring their Attendants with them. I knew you wouldn’t want that, but the thought more than likely instantly popped in her mind that she’d have to go. I went ahead and made it clear so we didn’t waste time sitting there talking.”
“You’re still being vague as fuck and I don’t appreciate that, but I got the picture this is about to get bad. And you’re telling me, some of the Defenders bring their untrained Attendants with them?”
“Yes.”
She mumbles quietly, but I hear it loud and clear. “Pathetic fucking gods.”
Yeah, most of them are.
I pick up my pace and start running toward the Court. The longer we take, the more our people holding off the other side are at risk.
By the time the five of us enter the Court, half the Defender Designation is waiting for us.
This is so fucking bad if this many are coming.
“Get ready to move out. Mellcom, Jeremiah, follow Creed’s lead until you join us again. You other three on me,” Gladian instructs.
“Not happening. You know we don’t do this separated,” Kyzen states immediately.
Gladian’s eyes narrow. “There isn’t going to be room in the carriage for seven of you and we don’t have time for this.”
“We’ll make room. You just worry about getting the rest of them there and ready. That’s final.”
Thayla’s eyes widen on Kyzen at his tone. There’s not much that brings out the true Ruler in him. Threat of the Abandon and us being separated will do it.
“Fine. Let’s move.”
Just as Gladian and his entire force starshoots out, a majestic neigh vibrates the air around us. My head tilts back and I watch the Veilatara glide above us before landing at the other end of the Court.
The Escort hops out of the carriage and bows to us as he leaves the doors open. With my Valtrue present, we won’t need him to come along, not that we have room for him, anyway.
The five of us sneer at Mellcom and Jeremiah as they clammer on in while we bow to the Veilatara. Their disrespect just adds another reason to the list of why I don’t fucking like them.
The Veilatara here to escort us, Fausta, is one I’ve known my entire stay in the Godsdawn. She’s a sassy beast and is ready to jump into the fray at any point and time, although she isn’t allowed to.
I lay my head against her muzzle after my brothers and Thayla before making my way to the carriage. “Thank you for carrying us. I’m grateful for you.”
Her ancient laugh rumbles across my mind. “No thanks needed, Creed. I see this will be a very interesting flight.”
I internally groan.
That can’t be good.
By the time I enter last, the tension can be cut with any of the swords strapped to us. Kyzen’s taken what would normally be the Escort’s seat and Thayla’s perched in his lap.
Amick’s sitting in the chair closest to the door with Riven beside him. Mellcom and Jeremiah are on the other side, leaving the middle seat, directly across from Thayla, open for me.
The carriage jerks as Fausta takes off, but the silence is more jarring than the movement. Thayla refuses to look at the two gods across from her, while they won’t look anywhere but at her.
My skin heats with a mixture of feelings about that.
“We’ve been here a month, sweet T, and you haven’t come to see me one time. I’m hurt.”
Our heads slowly turn toward Jeremiah. He’s too busy staring at our Binder to see the warning flowing off us.
“I unfortunately see you every day, Jeremiah.”
“Aww, come on now, you know what I mean.”
Riven leans forward, smiling and rubbing his thumb across his lips as he stares Jeremiah down. “Well, I don’t know what you mean, Jerry. Please, do explain to the carriage this little inside joke you have with our Binder.”
A cruel smile spreads across Jeremiah’s face, but it’s not pointed at Riven. It’s still on Thayla. My fingers twitch with the need to grip my sword and ram it through his throat.
“She may be your Binder now, but she was more than that for me. She was mine. Always will be, right, sweet T?”
Thayla’s body goes rigid as Kyzen slowly looks around her to stare at the obviously stupid and arrogant god. She doesn’t respond, but her eyes shut down in a way I’ve never witnessed before. The desire to kill him right where he sits is scripted across her smooth, unwavering face.
It’s a level of calm you only reach when you’ve decided someone’s fate for them.
Quicker than I can react, the carriage doors swing open and Jeremiah is being lifted by the collar of his armor. The winds whip through the small space and the piercing sound nearly blocks out my bellow.
“Amick, put him down.” I slam my hand against Mellcom’s chest as he rises to his feet. My look alone has his eyes narrowing, but he doesn’t push me.
“Do you see the ground, Jeremiah?” Amick’s tone is the same as always, but the red that’s crept from his neck to his face tells a different story. “No, you don’t. Because we’re thousands of feet in the air. How long do you think it’ll take you to hit the dirt beneath us?”
Riven claps and kicks his feet like a child who had too much sugar as Amick forces Jeremiah to lean over the threshold of the open doors. “Gods, this is the best day of my life.”
“Given your silence, I’ll take that as you don’t know. Not surprising in the least bit. The answer is less than a minute. That minute will feel like eternity as your life flashes before your eyes. I imagine there won’t be much for you to reflect on, given that you are a self-absorbed, pathetic man. Not even worthy of the title god. It’s pitiful that you didn’t heed the two warnings I gave you. I never give a third. I don’t have the patience for it.”
Amick releases him and his bellow echoes through the small space.
It’s abruptly cut off when Kyzen’s power bursts free and the next thing we know, a still screaming Jeremiah is plopped on his ass on the floor. Mellcom quickly reaches down and snatches him up, shaking him until he comes back to reality.
“You fucking psycho.”
“I’m not the psycho of our Valtrue, but my tolerance for you has reached its limit. My brother obviously saw fit that you should’ve been saved, but don’t mistake that for me holding the same opinion.”
As collected as he always is, Amick walks over to Thayla, where she’s staring at all of us, wide-eyed. He offers her his hand and with the slightest tremble, she reaches for it.
I bow my head and close my eyes as he takes the seat Kyzen had been occupying and pulls her down.
He rarely loses his cool.
He has an aversion to touch.
He’s changing right before my eyes.
“We’ll be there in two minutes. The last thing we need to do as soon as we arrive is explain to Gladian how one of his Valtrue members didn’t survive the trip. They still have to survive what we’re about to face,” Kyzen says as he takes Amick’s seat.
“You know something I don’t understand.” Mellcom’s voice has a calculating ring to it. It isn’t cocky like his little friend’s, but the hair on the back of my neck stands at his pitch.
I slowly observe his calm face, while Riven snorts. “I imagine there’s a whole list, Golden boy.”
He hums, roaming his eyes over us before settling on Thayla. “Possibly, but in this moment, I’m failing to understand the heightened protectiveness and jealousy coming from the four of you over Thayla, when you’ve all failed her so miserably.”

“You’re one to talk about someone failing someone else, Mellcom.” Venom drips from Thayla’s words.
“I understand you still feel that way. In your eyes, I failed you, but in my heart, I know I gave you everything. What I didn’t do is load you into a carriage without explaining the truth of what you’re about to face. I didn’t perch you in here on my lap like a glorified whore we’re taking on a lovely night flight when the reality is, we’re about to arrive at the gods’ war zone.
“A division made because there’s a Beginning God who’s fighting for control and the right to rule the entire realm. The Abandon is what it’s called. On the other side, monsters and undead gods are waiting to tear us to shreds and take over the Godsdawn. Your Valtrue knows all about it. It’s where they’re from. Yet they didn’t tell you the first thing. They didn’t warn you. These…creatures we’re about to face are incredibly difficult to kill.”
Her glare meets each one of ours until it settles on mine. The questions are clear. Is this what I meant when I told her I go places she can’t go or know about? Is this what I was trying to protect her from knowing about?
I nod.
It isn’t just the Abandon I didn’t want her to know about yet. The time for her to know was coming fast. This incident just sped it up. She’s far more observant than she leads on to be, so she’s always known there was a deeper reason for our secrecy. She doesn’t push, just like Kyzen made us agree we wouldn’t push her for her secrets either.
Ours, though…I don’t think she could tell us anything that will match the level of fucked up our history holds.
She’s going to learn our truth now because of this and realize she’s been tied to four abominations that never should’ve existed.
“Not another word, Mellcom.”
Her voice is low, deadly, and he chuckles.
“Sure, Thay. Don’t worry, though, I’ll take care of you out here. Just as I always have.”
The carriage wheels touch down and each of our backs straightens. As soon as we stop rolling, the seven of us stand as one.
“Go,” I command to Mellcom and Jeremiah.
The second they exit the door, Kyzen speaks, “Thayla—”
She holds her hand up. “Not yet and not here. If what he said is true, I got to get my mind right. I’m fucking livid you all didn’t tell me about this, but if this…this place plays that large of a role in your lives, I sure as fuck don’t want to hear it from him. If I survive this, then we’ll all start talking.”
I grab her arm as she tries to walk out of the carriage. “I swear it on my soul, you will survive this. Stay close to us and don’t be afraid to use that sword. On any who threaten you.”
She looks down at my fingers wrapped around her forearm, then she bats her lashes at me. A deadly smile creeps across her face, and I have to restrain myself from snatching her closer to me.
One by one, she plucks my fingers off and a sultry little laugh falls from her lips. “Careful, Creed. That almost sounded like you care about me.”
She finally removes my thumb and turns from me without another word or backward glance at any of us. I don’t know whether to be turned on by the vicious energy pouring off her or worried.
I honestly can’t tell if the mood is directed at us, the two fuckers who just left the carriage, or this situation. Fuck, it’s probably everything.
“She’s about to lose her shit. This is so fucking exciting. There are Veilatara flying around in my belly right now.”
You can’t always tell the difference between Riven’s laughs. But there’s one that’s higher pitched, much like a giggle.
It always means chaos.
That’s the noise that leaves him.
“Wait for me, little burden.”
Amick, Kyzen, and I follow him out. Mellcom and Jeremiah are standing in front of the shimmering barrier, observing it closely. Riven’s laced his fingers with Thayla’s, and their opposite hands hold their swords.
They look like a couple.
Ready to rain fucking chaos.
“There’s an army of them tonight. Four of our gods have already been taken to the healing villas. They’re about to break through the stronghold lines. The rest of your group has already gone through, and we only have one Valtrue on this side.”
“Thanks, Mika,” I say, then turn to the three who don’t know, or I suppose they don’t know what he means. “Our stronghold is one hundred feet from the other side of this barrier. We cross and get over there as fast as possible. You two find your Valtrue.”
Everyone acknowledges me in some way.
Home sweet fucking home.
Here we come.