14. Riven #2
“Okay, enough,” Gladian shouts. “You come to my home, drop a realm’s worth of information on me—including the fact the Beginning God who abandoned the realm has returned.
Now we find one of my missing Valtrue members, who’s the son of Chancellor fucking Gulliver.
And you’re all ready to move on to the next one. Can I have a minute to process?”
Geez. Emotional.
“You didn’t tell me the God of Boundaries has returned.”
“Vullie,” I scold.
“What all have you told him?” Amick snaps.
“Gods damn it. What did I just say?” I glare at Vullie. My brilliant idiot friend. He gives me a sheepish smile.
I give my brothers the same look.
“In my defense, I didn’t tell him everything at once. I’ve been filling him in as things happened. I’ve always known he was an ally.”
They huff and shake their heads.
“I seriously don’t get the big deal. We just shared everything with this fucker. The girls are sharing with Mara. What? Are they supposed to keep monumental secrets from their Valtrue and give no explanation when they run off to help us?”
They keep glaring.
They have no good arguments.
“For the first time in my life, I agree with him.”
“Eww.” I sneer at Gladian. “I don’t like that one bit.”
His eye twitches.
“Let’s go,” Creed grunts.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Gladian huffs.
Amick stops and faces him. “You had nothing to say at your house besides ‘let’s go find my Valtrue.’ Now you want to lose your mind?”
“I am not losing my mind.”
“You seem to be having an existential crisis.”
I chuckle. “He definitely is.”
“I’m not having a crisis. I’m trying to process.”
“Are you coming with us to find the rest of your Valtrue?” Amick asks Vullie.
He stutters, looks at Gladian, then at us.
“I believe I shall stay here.”
“You’re not coming?” Gladian asks, frowning.
“He doesn’t have to do shit he doesn’t want to do,” I snap.
“N-no, he’s right,” Vullie stutters. “I should join.”
I should kick the approval off Gladian’s face.
Dickhead.
Amick sighs, lacing his fingers. “Very well. You both seem to be processing, so my guiding advice is that you process while walking.”
I tilt into Doren’s side, dying from laughter. He tries to hide his smirk. Kyzen thankfully laughs with me.
“For fuck’s sake,” Creed growls. “Doren, do what you need to do and let’s go.”
Discovery pats my shoulder, encouraging me to let him go. Gladian thrusts his wrist out so Doren can touch his mark and locate the next unfortunate god.
Silence passes as Doren’s glowing green eyes scan the ruined scenery.
He eventually nods at V.
“Well,” V hoots. “Prepare yourselves…again.”
My wrinkled forehead shifts from him to my brothers. Kyzen’s face matches mine. Before I can question V, his power wraps around us and whisks us away.
“Fuck,” Kyzen mutters as soon as we’re released.
“Fuck us,” I say, then giggle.
“Where are we?” Amick asks, and I smile.
“Somewhere we shouldn’t be. Where no one should be, actually.”
I—well, Kyzen and I—took care of the vermin who lived here.
“That’s not an answer,” Gladian says.
I open my mouth to say something incredibly clever, but Kyzen elbows the shit out of me.
“Now’s not the time. This path leads to the late God of Shadows’ house.”
I choke on my breath, fighting back the laugh clawing up my throat. The stunned looks on everyone’s faces are priceless.
“Well, come on. Let’s go see who moved into the dark and spooky monstrosity.”
I actually really like the house.
Everyone is far less chatty than they were during the half-mile walk to Vullie’s chime tower. Gladian was calmly grunting questions at Amick then. Now he’s rigid as a wall.
It’s hilarious. We’ve really put him through it today.
It’s got to be a shock. Thinking you know everything one minute, learning you know fuck-all nothing the next. I can’t find it in myself to feel bad. We’ve had no choice but to roll with the punches since the moment my angel flew into our lives. He’ll have to get over it sooner rather than later.
I do feel bad for Vullie, though. He’s had it rough, and I don’t know if this Pairing will make his life better or worse.
Maybe I should just kill his father for him. That would make it easier.
“You’re having murderous thoughts.”
Speaking of the man.
I grin at Vullie. “How did you know?”
“Your hum changed from teasing to daunting.”
“Have no fear. I won’t be murdering anyone today.”
Maybe.
“Vulius, explain your relationship with Riven,” Amick says, and I scoff.
“That’s personal and none of your business.”
He continues anyway.
“I already know he’s your supplier for all things illegal and dangerous, but I’m intrigued. Last time we saw you together, he was petrified of you. Now that fear seems nonexistent.”
“He kicked my door down and you all stormed into my home,” Vullie says.
I will admit I scared the literal shit out of him that day, but my actions were justified. He understood after I explained everything.
“I apologized and fixed your door.”
“You did, and I appreciate that.”
“So your fear was momentary because of the situation?” Amick asks.
“Yes, Amick. Now leave him alone,” I say.
Vullie gives me a tight smile and glances at his feet.
If we were honest, the truth is, Vullie’s afraid of everything. He’s very introverted and would be perfectly content never leaving his chime tower or speaking to another soul. Just his plants and concoctions. And if his father found him, he’d lock him up—maybe even try to get him thrown into Hell.
I can’t allow that.
Also, I didn’t give him a choice about being my friend, and I’m his number one customer.
A faint whistle drifts toward us, snapping all of us silent. A fierce line forms between my brows as I spot a being in the distance…raking leaves.
Kyzen and I peer at one another, asking the same question neither of us can answer.
The melody fades as the god notices us, but nothing in his stance becomes defensive. My nostrils curl.
Ugh. Another blond. He better not be as bad as the others I hate.
“Fix your face,” Kyzen murmurs through his breathtaking smile.
“My face is perfect,” I whisper.
The strange god strolls toward us with a smile. I judge his attire immediately. Baby-blue button-up, black dress pants.
Absolutely ridiculous for yard work.
“Well, this is quite the confusing surprise. I didn’t expect—or hope—to have guests way out here,” he says.
“Why are you here?” I ask, and Kyzen huffs.
“Forgive my brother. We’re just shocked to see you. My name is Kyzen.”
“I’m aware,” he says, shaking Kyzen’s hand. “I’m Prath, God of Shadows.”
Well, shit. I sort of saw that coming but was hoping I was wrong.
I’m sure he doesn’t want to hear he’s shaking hands with one of the men who murdered his predecessor.
“I hope you haven’t come to kill me like you did my uncle.”
Oops. Seems like he already knows.
A giggle bursts from me before I can stop it. No matter how tight I press my lips, the sound escapes.
“Did you forget to mention that?” Gladian asks, scowling.
Well, duh. We can’t admit those kinds of things.
We also didn’t tell him about his dead brother like our Binder told us to…
Creed’s taking the fall for that.
“I haven’t the first clue what he’s talking about,” I say innocently.
Prath grins.
“Riven,” he says, holding his hand out to me.
I don’t like that he knows who I am.
“I’ll keep my hands to myself, thanks.”
He nods, eyeing me in a way that makes my skin crawl.
Like he’s undressing my soul with his gaze.
My little burden would claw his eyes out for that.
“Forgive my manners, but it’s time you all left.
I have much to attend to, and disappearing from the eyes of the gods is no easy feat.
Having the sons of Obliteration, the son of Pain, the brother of Pain, the God of Discovery with a Vedarya on his shoulder, and…
I don’t know who you are, actually, but regardless, with all of you lingering around my house, it’s bound to draw unwanted attention. So, if you would.”
He gestures for us to leave. We stare at him in disbelief. Gladian zeroes in on his outstretched arm.
“How do you know who I am? That history was erased from all records.”
“You can erase history all you want. It doesn’t get rid of the shadows the past left behind.”
We all straighten.
“Expand on that,” Creed orders.
Prath lowers his arm with a sigh, clearly regretting speaking.
“Every God of Shadows inherits more than power. We inherit the darkness. Every shadow cast by my predecessors remains within my domain. I can follow them backward through time if I choose. The shadows of the god before me. The god before him. Every God of Shadows stretching back further than I care to explore.”
His gaze drifts across each of us—except Vullie.
“Records can be burned. Memories can be altered. Histories can be erased. Shadows are far less cooperative. Through them, I know much of my predecessor’s life, just as he knew the lives of those before him.”
My smile slips.
Well. That’s horrifying.
“You met Obsidian?” Sevryn asks Gladian.
“Him? No. His power? Yes,” Gladian grunts. “You met him?”
“Once, but he didn’t use his power on me. He was visiting my father and theirs.”
“He visited them often. A tradition I have no intention of continuing. So again—if you would—it’s time for you to leave.”
He holds his arm out again, and I chuckle through the unease crawling up my spine.
“Hate to break it to you, but you won’t be getting rid of us that easily.”
“And why is that?”
Instead of answering like a normal person, Gladian grunts and shoves his arm out, lining their wrists together. Prath’s eyes widen for a heartbeat as he scans the matching E’s.
“Oh. I see.”
“Have you even looked for us?” Gladian snaps, then glares at Vullie. “I fucking know you didn’t.”
I loathe the way Vullie curls in on himself.
“No, I didn’t. And I never planned to,” Prath admits. “I came here hoping never to be found. By anyone.”
“Great. Fantastic,” Gladian says, throwing his hands up. “The realm is coming to an end, and this is who I get paired with. Gods who’d rather hide than do something about it.”
None of us say anything while the man-child throws his tantrum.