Chapter 10 Thayla
Thayla
A whoosh of relief slips from my lips, and I throw my arms around him. The sweat from his forehead drips down my neck, beneath my armor, and I force myself to pull away.
“I’m going to get you out of these chains. Hold on for me, then we’re getting the fuck out of here.”
He nods as he draws in ragged breaths. My fingers tremble as I pick Creed’s sword back up with both hands.
Come on, my sweet little weapon of death. Don’t let me down now.
“Get ready.”
His gaze meets mine, and I gulp.
Everything vibrates as I really look at him.
The bags under his eyes are deep, but the guilt, shame, fury lingering in the blue staring at me are even deeper.
His curly, multicolored hair is weighed down with sweat. The usual spirals are more like exhausted waves plastered to his scalp.
Did that bitch have him in this spot, this position, this entire time?
My soul shudders, and the pressure of my power pushing against my skin intensifies.
He tears his eyes from mine with a minuscule grunt, and I raise the weapon over my head.
With a bellow that comes from the depths of my soul, I swing it down.
The chains shatter on impact, crumbling to absolutely nothing as the links rain down to the floor. The momentum and sudden loss of tension jerk Riven forward, and I race to his other side.
Again, Creed’s sword slashes through the metal, killing every fiber in its wake.
Riven—none of them—will ever be put in restraints like this again.
So help me, Valories, I’ll kill all seven of your precious little fucking spawns.
I lower the sword to my side as I struggle to regulate my breathing. The more he shakes his head and rotates his wrist, the hotter my blood boils.
The swooshing in my stomach makes me want to puke.
The things he’s had to witness over the last two days…I can’t fucking imagine. Not to mention whatever she’s made him do.
Working…that’s the word that girl used.
He bellowed so much clipped nonsense between the repeated choruses of his song, I couldn’t make out any of it, but I’m not dumb.
Whatever he’s been through hasn’t been good.
“Riven.”
My eyes blink into focus as Kyzen grips him under his arms and pulls him to his feet. I startle out of my mind and take a deep breath as the platform fills up with our Valtrue, plus everyone else who came with us.
Panic pulses through me, and I ready my sword for the ambush of the Dark Gods to follow. It clenches me tighter as I watch them charge each other, not us. Or…they drop to their knees and weep.
Swirling in my belly has me gasping and trying to lock it down.
“Don’t. We need the distraction.”
Amick’s order has me whipping my attention to his observant gaze, and the blood dripping down his forehead forces the swirling to roll even faster.
I do a double take at Riven’s grunt. I expected his face to be twisted in pain, not uncertainty as he cocks his head to the side and stares at me. His gorgeous blue irises spin, and a lump forms in my throat.
Please don’t hate me.
“Are those my bags?”
His question confuses me until Creed grabs his sword, then a strap of my—well, Riven’s backpack—and slides it off me.
“Gladian, headcount.”
“Everyone’s accounted for.”
“Then let’s move. Sevryn and Yemi your home. My Valtrue to our house. Gladian’s, Bardot, and Elsher to the Court.”
I frantically search for Yemi and immediately find her tucked into Sevryn’s side. She’s still exhausted as shit and also a little flushed, but her nod washes away my worry of her not being able to get out of here.
“Mellcom! Mellcom!” Jeremiah bellows, ripping himself away from Chasin. He continues to scream, shove, and ignore anyone who tries to hold him back. “I’m not fucking—”
“Jer! Wait for me. Don’t leave me.”
Air gets stuck in my throat as that responding shout echoes from the single hallway. Jeremiah sprints that way, disregarding Gladian’s demand that he stay where he is.
“They’ve got less than thirty seconds,” Creed growls, and Gladian nods. The asshole doesn’t make a move, though.
My ears ring when the two of them stumble out of the hall at the twenty-four-second mark.
Mellcom’s arm is slung over Jeremiah’s shoulder, and he’s using a sword as a cane rather than a weapon. His shirt’s even more ripped and bloodied than when I saw him.
“How?” I breathe, but he shakes his head.
“We don’t have time. We’ve got to go. Right now.”
“You all heard the little Golden-Bitch. Starshoot in three, two, one.” Riven cackles, and we all stare at him.
Until our eyes grow to the size of saucers.
Multiple vials race through the air as he tosses them up.
My petrified gaze bounces from Creed to Amick to Kyzen. All stare at me with the same fear as our entire group shouts orders to get out.
Gods damn it, Riven.
I breathe and nod at them as Kyzen’s eyes glow.
Don’t fail me now.
My power responds as I command it to spread around my body. That heat travels at the speed of sound as multiple flashes of white fill the space.
My sight of the guys disappears as the sound of something popping roars in my ears.
I stumble, falling into our kitchen table as soon as my starshoot releases me, and a relieved breath tumbles from my chest.
I suck it back down just as quickly when a second passes and no one else pops up.
“V, where are they? Where the hell are—”
Amick, Kyzen, and Creed appear all at once, and their shoulders slump as their eyes fall on me.
“Why the fuck was there a delay? What took you all so long?”
I race across the space and attempt to wrap my arms around the three of them. That doesn’t work, so I snatch them to me by their souls.
A groan falls from each of them as they crowd around me, and I lean my forehead against Kyzen’s chest.
“He finally blew it up.”
A rumble passes through him, vibrating against me, and his words snap us back to reality.
“Riven,” I scream as I push my way out of their ring and sprint to his room.
My body glides right past the threshold, and my gaze devours the empty space. I sling his closet and bathroom doors open just as fast, and a strangled sob lodges itself in my throat.
“Where is he? He starshot out, right? Where the fuck is he?”
My bellow has the three of them freezing their frantic search of the house.
“Yes. I watched him leave before we did. We starshot a couple of structures down and saw Seductions go up,” Amick says.
“Then where…”
“You know where he is, Thayla.” V hoots lightly, and a shuddering gasp escapes me.
Of course.
“I know where he is. I’ll bring him back.”
“Where? You’re not going anywhere without us.”
My eyes soften at Creed’s harsh bark.
“He’s at the hot spring. And I am going to him. Give us a minute. Please.”
Realization rips across his face. He isn’t quick enough to hide the worry from me, though.
Amick doesn’t say a word as he stomps toward his room, but he does lay a gentle kiss on my forehead.
Kyzen approaches me slowly.
“Bring him back to us, little goddess.”
“You come back to me,” I whisper.
“I’m here.”
His kiss is too soft and gentle. His tremors pass through his skin and into me, solidifying my suspicion.
The small smile he gives me is both strained and forced.
“Verlet and Seismet are already at the tree line, watching him. You starshoot through the woods. Do not walk,” Creed orders as he stands in front of me.
“Of course, my sweetling.”
He growls before snatching me to him by the breastplate in my armor.
His kiss is completely opposite of Kyzen’s.
It’s full of fear and passion.
I stroke his soul to the same tempo he’s using on mine.
“I’m going to show you fucking sweet for losing your shit and starshooting away from me.”
Yeah, I definitely did that.
“Promises,” I murmur as I step out of his embrace and unclip Riven’s waist bags from around my hips.
Probably best I don’t bring anything that may blow up a sacred, secret hot spring.
Nerves try to strangle the life out of me as I call my power back out to spread around me. Darkness greets me, as do the backs of Seismet and Verlet, but the luminescent light of the hot spring crawls across the forest floor.
“Thayla.”
Seismet neighs gently as I approach his head and lay mine against him.
“Worried about me?”
“Always. Especially right now. Why are you so fearful?”
“Why are you so nosy?”
Verlet lets out a soft chuckle. “Thank you for bringing him home, Thayla.”
“Thank you for watching him for me. I’ll take it from here, though, if the two of you don’t mind.”
“Yes, I mind. You just return—”
“Of course. Come on, brother.”
Seismet’s annoyed huff has a small smile curling my lips, but it fades as I creep my way closer to the edge of the trees.
Riven’s humming hurts my heart despite the fact he’s smirking. I see it for what it is.
I peer down at the foliage beneath me and release a deep breath as I step onto a limb.
“Knew you could do it, little burden.”
“You didn’t give me much of a choice, little psycho.”
He giggles as he does backstrokes through the water. I make my way to the edge, where I now know the nature-made stairs are, then kick my shoes off. My toes wiggle through the blades of grass before I gradually make my way in.
With each step I take, I let a small bit of the power swirling in my belly seep from my skin. It doesn’t take long for his swimming to stop, and I halt my movements.
I examine his every reaction as he stands himself straight and tilts his head at me.
“Do you want to talk about anything?” I ask.
My heart thunders as his eyes morph from burgundy to blue.
“No.”
“Okay then. I’ve got something I want to say.”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
His jaw tenses as he glares into the forest. I’m not sure if he’s searching for someone, something, or if he’s trying to avoid looking at me.
“Too bad.”
My Chaos pushes toward him a touch more. His attention snaps back to me, and he narrows his eyes.
“The last thing I care for right now is for my Harmony to be in control. Get whatever you’ve got going on in check.”
“There is no getting it in check, Riven.”
“Don’t lie to me!”