13. Thayla #2
She has one of the most perfectly sculpted bodies I’ve ever seen in my life, but I highly doubt she’ll be receptive to a skimpy two-piece.
My hands heat and the unfamiliar goldish yellow coloring that now comes with this power blazes across my fingers.
In my mind, I picture a slim-fitting one-piece that will mold to her.
Her mouth parts, but no words come out as her stare jerks repeatedly from my face to the swimsuit I’m trying to pass her.
“You can change here or in the woods. Your choice,” I say.
“What the fuck was that?” she whispers and I hang my head.
“I’m literally trying to get you out of this house so I can explain. My men, Yemi’s, and Lambrit are in there with Gladian and they’re going to have a little chat with him as well. Can you please just get your shit together so we can leave?”
She finally takes the swimsuit from me, but instead of stripping down, she stomps back over to her door. She pulls it open enough to stick her head out, then she slams it back just as fast.
“They really are out there.”
“Well, I wasn’t lying.”
“Obviously,” she says, then drops the swimsuit.
I’m prepared to cuss her out, but then she promptly slings her shirt over her head. V squawks loudly in my ear and his damn claws prick my shoulder as he rushes to turn around. I smirk at her as she slides her arms through the straps and situates the rest of her suit.
“Ready?” I ask.
“I fucking guess so.”
I stroll back across her room and poke my head out her door.
“We’re leaving. Be good and don’t kill anyone. Love you,” I shout and blow a kiss to my men.
They don’t respond with their words. My whole body shivers as four delicious sensations race through my soul.
Glad to know they’re getting over their foul moods now.
“V, if you will, please.”
He hoots and doesn’t give Mara another opportunity to object.
His starshoot releases us and Yemi’s laughter is the first thing I hear as his power completely fades from our skin.
“Well, about time. I was beginning to think the guys somehow talked you out of it,” she says before tossing a berry into her mouth.
“Nope, I didn’t give them much of a choice. It was this one who was dragging her damn feet.”
I jerk my thumb at Mara, and she gives me a stoic look.
“You didn’t give me any details about what we were doing.”
“That’s because it was a surprise. You don’t ruin surprises.”
She rolls her eyes and huffs at me.
“You girls enjoy yourselves. I’m going to go to the boys in case they need my assistance with their travels. If you need me, call,” V says.
“I will, thank you. Make sure they don’t do anything stupid, please.”
“Would they ever?” he asks sarcastically before disappearing in a streak of white.
I strip down to the swimsuit I have on under my clothes, then head down the built-in steps. Rose and Yemi are quick to meet Mara and me with drinks.
“A toast,” Rose cheers, and I grin at the flush on her cheeks. It’s clear they didn’t wait for us before testing the bubbly drinks Yemi whipped up. “To girls’ day without growly men.”
“Your man is the furthest thing from growly, so you’re only talking about ours,” Yemi says and splashes water at her.
“Oh, he can get plenty growly.”
Oh, eww. I don’t want to know that.
I hide my grimace behind the rim of my glass and take a small sip of my drink. A delightful hum vibrates in the back of my throat.
“Wow. This is really good, Yemi.”
“Thank you. I know you don’t like to drink, so I figured some light champagne with juice and fruit was a good choice.”
“I agree. Very good choice.” I smile and take a bigger sip.
“This is lovely and all, but what the fuck is actually going on?” Mara asks with a suspicious scowl on her forehead.
“Ugh, lighten up, Mara. Have some fun,” Rose says and I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing.
“The afternoon will go by much better if Thayla doesn’t drag out the suspense. Just go ahead and get the truth out there so we can gossip and enjoy our time without the men or realm-ending tasks,” Yemi orders and raises her glass at me.
I sigh. She’s right.
“The truth is,” I say, facing Mara. “Yes, I did bring you out here for a break from Gladian, but more so, I want to tell you the truth about everything going on. It’s time you knew. That’s also what my men are telling Gladian, then they’re going to find the rest of your Valtrue.”
“What?” She blinks. “We’ve been looking for days. How are they going to find them?”
“That’s where my man comes in,” Yemi says and Mara’s jaw falls open.
“The God of Discovery. Of course.”
“Yep. So, I’m going to take it from the top. Hold your questions and comments until the end,” I say and she nods.
With a deep breath, I let my exhale and the truth fall from my lips.
I meant from the top literally.
My story starts with the day my parents left me.
Of course I don’t add every single detail of the years in Oddian, but I do include some important bits.
Like when I met Lambrit, when Meridamus left, how that shaped Mellcom’s and my relationship, and how Jeremiah’s and my relationship progressed. Then plummeted.
Their master plan that landed me in the Veiling. Then arriving here. The Gods Veil. My soul being split. My tie to the Messenger. The touch of all seven Beginning Gods’ powers I have. Everything.
I don’t skip an event or information, even those she already knows about. Including her own. I make sure to describe in detail how she isn’t the only being whose Valtrue has been manipulated.
At some point, Yemi silently takes over refilling our glasses because I don’t stop talking long enough to do it myself and Mara’s eyes never leave mine.
Time blurs beneath the warm sun and the breeze blowing through the meadow. The drinks slide down easier, although my throat gets rougher. Mara’s expressions shift from confusion to disbelief to horror to outright offense on my behalf more times than I can count.
“And now,” I say, waving my hand dramatically enough that my drink sloshes from the glass, “the late God of Death’s soul is stuck in Hell and we’re once again gearing up to sneak back into either the Abandon or possibly Valveilious. Who fucking knows. We’ll find out tomorrow.”
Mara stares at me for a long moment before tossing her glass back and downing every drop.
“Your life sounds fake.”
I snort. “It feels fake sometimes.”
“No, because seriously,” she says, rubbing a hand down her face. “I thought I knew most of what was happening and I’ve been piecing things together on my own, but, Thayla…what the hell?”
“Yeah,” I mutter before taking another sip myself.
She leans back and rests her head on the rocky edge, staring up at the sky.
“I genuinely cannot comprehend how you’re all still functioning. I find out I’m really an Attendant, don’t have the power of Strength, but Elevation, and I lock myself away until Gladian drags me out of my room.”
“To be fair, we’d do the same if given the opportunity. Well, actually, that’s kind of exactly what we do when we have downtime,” Yemi says and I grunt my agreement.
“I wouldn’t call locking yourselves away with four men downtime,” Rose mumbles, and I can’t stop the laugh that bursts free from me.
Neither can Yemi.
We both definitely spend any downtime we get wrapped up in our men.
Mara shakes her head in disbelief.
Our mirth fades gradually beneath the weight of everything sitting between us now. All the truths finally out in the open.
Or mostly out in the open.
Yemi glances at me over the rim of her glass as if she heard my thought.
“You’re leaving a few important pieces out.”
I sigh.
“I was getting there, thank you.”
“For fuck’s sake, there’s more? What pieces?” Mara asks.
I drag in a deep breath.
“Mellcom’s father, Meridamus, is really the Beginning God of Consequence,” I say.
She blinks so many times my eyes nearly go crossed watching her. I hold my hand up to halt whatever she’s preparing to say.
“The Beginning God of Boundaries has returned, and he’s my father.”
Her jaw drops open. Then…she barks out a sharp laugh that rolls into one full of hysteria. I give her a moment to completely lose herself. I choke back a chuckle a time or two as she wipes away her tears, but then she just starts up all over again.
“Oh gods,” she says through her broken breaths. “You’re fucking with me now.”
Er. I sort of wish I were.
“I’m not,” I say. “You’ll meet them soon enough. This afternoon, actually. I was going to introduce you to them when Yemi and I go to training.”
She lets out a very ungodly-like snort before she drops her head back toward the clouds again.
“Of course they are,” she mutters. “Why wouldn’t they be? At this point, why the fuck wouldn’t they be?”
Yemi and Rose attempt to cover their laughs with coughs and I purse my lips at them. A long, drawn-out sigh pours from Mara as she points at me.
“Damn. I really thought my life was twisted up right now, but apparently, I’m playing in puddles while you’re all drowning in the middle of the Lost Sea.”
“She actually did almost drown in the Lost Sea, remember?” Yemi asks and Mara gasps.
“Fuck, she literally just talked about that,” she says, wiping her mouth. “I seriously hate this for you all. It’s beyond fucked up and just…crazy. The Valories, the gods, Beginning, Domain, whatever, really are a bunch of selfish assholes.”
“Hate this for us? Hate it for yourself too,” I say. “You’re in the deep end with us now.”
She sits up slowly.
“Gods damn it. I am, aren’t I?”
Yemi, Rose, and I smirk as she groans dramatically and slaps her hand that isn’t clutching her drink into the water, forceful enough to create waves.
For a few moments, the only sounds are leaves rustling in the wind, water lapping over the side of the hot spring, and Mara muttering curses under her breath. Then her expression slowly falls.
“I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do with all of this,” she whispers. “For a single minute in time, I thought my life was finally making sense. I knew my role, my purpose, my standing. Then suddenly everything started falling apart.”