Thayla #2
“All your powers need their own attention to keep all of you level. You have to remember, you and your powers aren’t separate. They’re a part of your very being. You must take care of your being.”
Huh. Riven definitely told me he believed I’d need to sit with my emotions alone to recharge, refuel, feed—whatever we want to call it.
It makes a lot of sense now, actually.
Sorry, Seduction. Looks like you’ll have to sit out a few rounds.
A crack of a limb echoes behind me, but before I can peer over my shoulder, a teasing hand wraps around my jaw. The man of my thoughts tilts my head back until I’m staring into his eyes.
“Sweet release, little burden. I felt it down to my di—”
I lay my finger against his lips, laughing at the horrified sound that comes out of Seismet.
“Thank you.”
“Got all those pesky emotions out of the way now?”
“Yes.”
“Good, ’cause one, it’s time to go, and two, I can’t have you asking for space anymore. That’s a load of taurnshit that my brothers and I don’t agree with.”
I roll my eyes, then let my lids fall shut as he seals his mouth to mine. Kissing upside down is very strange, but somehow, Riven makes it work.
“Go away, Seismet, so Thayla can suck—”
Faster than his ass can finish that sentence, I grip his wrist and tug him forward over my head. My shoulder presses into his stomach as my knees shove me up.
His back crashes into the ground just as I stand on two feet.
“You’re going to”—he heaves, sucking in a deep breath—“pay for that, angel.”
“You’ll have to catch me first.” I smirk, turning on my heels. “You’re the best, Seismet. Thank you for your help.”
A shriek leaves me three seconds later as Seismet’s chuckle is drowned out by a warning giggle that I know better than to fuck with.
My power surrounds me, starshooting me to the tree line where I assume the others are waiting.
“Save me,” I shout as I jump on Creed’s back when I appear behind them.
He whips around so fast, I have to put him in a headlock to hold on.
“From who?”
Riven tsks, shaking his finger back and forth at me as he pops up from his own starshoot.
“Put her down, Death.”
“Don’t you dare put me down.”
I wrap my legs and arms around him tighter. A shiver spreads down my spine as he runs his hands under my ass cheeks.
“What did he do, little goddess?” Kyzen asks as he runs his thumb over his playful smirk.
“Me?” Riven asks, pointing at himself.
“He was about to say something highly inappropriate in front of Seismet, so I flipped him over my back, then ran.”
“Oh, don’t leave out the part where you taunted me and told me to catch you.”
I bury my face into Creed’s neck, hiding my wide smile and silent laughter.
“I did no such thing,” I whisper, and Creed snorts.
“As adorable and endearing as the two of your flirting is, we must be on our way. The Attendants are waiting on all of us in multiple locations.”
My light sigh has goose bumps raising Creed’s skin and his hands squeeze me tighter. I fight my need to squirm.
“Right you are, Candyman, but Creed can remain my shield until we get where we all need to go.”
He nods like that’s a solid plan before striding toward me. He cups my cheeks and pulls me into a dizzying kiss. I damn near forget my feet aren’t on the ground, but luckily Creed’s tight hold keeps me plastered to his back before I fully relax and let go.
“I’ll see you soon, Mysenta.”
“Okay,” I mumble against his lips.
He starshoots away without another word.
Another sign that something is off.
He’d usually never leave us.
I huff and shake my head before resting my chin on Creed’s shoulder. The position leaves me staring at a face twisted in sweet, sweet mischief.
His payback is going to be so delicious.
“See you later, angel.”
Riven’s giggle echoes around us even after he starshoots away, and I slide down Creed’s back with a dreamy breath slipping from my tingling lips.
“You’re in for it now,” Kyzen says, chuckling as he laces his fingers with mine.
“I know.”
He and Creed chuckle as I flutter my lashes, and he continues to tease me as we make our way around the house to the front. I don’t hide my smile as Yemi and Rose turn toward us. They grin at me in return, while Sevryn’s scowl deepens.
“Seriously? While we were out here waiting, the three of you were doing…that?”
“We weren’t doing anything, but maybe if you didn’t wake up with an attitude, you could walk around with a just been fucked smile too.”
Yemi snorts at my sass, and she shrugs when Sevryn’s glare bounces between the two of us. His frown grows fiercer, and I swear to the Valories he thinks real hard about that.
“Okay, okay. Enough picking on Sevryn. Let’s go before we’re late,” Kyzen says.
At our nods, the six of us starshoot to the entrance of the Court and make our way down the hall. Creed and Sevryn break away from us to go speak with Gladian in his planning chamber before he heads to the barrier.
“So how are you feeling about this training? You did so good the other day, and surprisingly, Mara wasn’t that bad,” Rose says.
“Do you really think it went okay? I mean, we only went over the basics, and I know the Attendants were a little nervous, but I didn’t make it worse, right?”
Their few seconds of silence pull a groan from my lips.
“What? What did I do wrong?”
“Nothing. You’re right, the Attendants are just nervous, and some feel like being here is sort of like an invitation for problems. Some also don’t like being told they have to do this. This is just adjustment pains.”
“Where have you been without me to already have all this intel?” I ask Yemi.
“The Attendants chamber after first rotation. Remember?”
“Oh yeah, sorry. Should we still call it that? I feel like the defined separation isn’t helping the problem.”
Kyzen chuckles beside me. “Baby steps. I’m sure right now they still appreciate a little separation. Too much change at once can do more harm than good.”
He gives me a pointed look while Yemi and Rose hum in agreement.
“True. Okay, so what do I need to do to make them all feel a little more comfortable and motivated to do this?”
“You did great the first day, and you’re going to do even better today. Don’t worry yourself. They’ll come around, or they won’t,” Kyzen says, leaning in and laying a kiss on my cheek.
He jogs off toward the male Attendants as soon as we step into the arena of the Court, and Yemi and Rose leave me to go stand with the other female Attendants.
My eyes roam across the small crowd, and I mentally recite the names I remember while making a note of those I don’t recall. I won’t blame my lack of learning them all on my poor muddled mind. I’ve only spent a day with them. I’ll get them down eventually.
My head jerks as I do a double take at two familiar faces.
Jay and Leah stand side by side, glancing around a touch warily until their gazes meet mine. Both give me bright smiles and waves that I return. It’s like a blast in the short past to my first day in this Court.
We won’t have a repeat of that day.
Nor will Jay have to heal me, or anyone else, via almost orgasms.
As I move my attention from them, it dawns on me why I can’t remember so many people’s names.
“Shit,” I mumble under my breath.
“What?” Mara asks as she steps up beside me and passes me a training sword. All the females shift despite there being plenty of feet between her and them.
“I just remembered that the females with secondaries in Defender were joining today to see if they wanted to add this to their permanent rotations.”
“So?”
“So it’s more people for me to remember, but I also want them to want to be here. You don’t think that’s a lot of pressure?”
She snorts. “No. If they don’t have what it takes. They don’t have it.”
I scoff and narrow my eyes at her. “That’s a piss-poor attitude, Mara. None of them are going to have it at the start. You failed them their first time around.”
“I didn’t fail them. I wasn’t instructing.”
“No, but you could’ve helped and didn’t. You were too worried about your own image and standing to bother yourself with making them any better.”
“Yeah, well, I have a hell of a lot more people watching and judging me than they do.”
“You got to quit giving a fuck about what other people think of you. You can be a badass bitch, without being a…”
“Bitch?”
I chuckle and smirk at her. “Yeah.”
“Whatever.” She rolls her eyes, although her lip twitches. “Can we get some actual training in today? Gladian kicked my ass yesterday and I completely blame it on the fact we didn’t do shit but show people how to hold swords the day before.”
I’m sure that’s why he went hard on her…
My gaze again roams across the murmuring crowd that’s watching the two of us.
“Fine. Go get in position. Let’s spar.”
“What?”
I arch my brow. “Isn’t that what you’re here for?”
A devious smile curls across her mouth then and I glance at her sideways, fighting a grin.
Some habits die hard, I suppose.
“No powers or punches, just swords. Ready?” I ask her, and she nods.
Her feet pound against the dirt as she charges. Her first strike comes at me high and fast in a diagonal cut meant to test my guard rather than break it.
My foot slides to the right and her sword slices through the air as I lean out of the way rather than raising mine just yet.
Dust kicks up beneath our shoes as we circle one another, calculating our next moves.
We swing at the same time, and the sharp, clean sound of wood cracking against wood rings through the arena.
Our momentum carries us both into the second strike, then the third. Overhead, horizontal, high, low, you name it. Each blow becomes heavier than the last and flows into the next.