Chapter 15 Creed
Creed
“You gonna be good?”
“Fucking spectacular. There’s nowhere else in the realm I’d rather be.”
I suck my teeth as I stare at the side of Sevryn’s face. For someone who was bitching, moaning, and refusing to sit in his house any longer, he seems ready to go right back.
“Where else would you have me take you? You can’t go to the Athenaeum with Yemi. Gladian’s bound, so he won’t be spewing off who you are to everyone.”
“I don’t understand what the fuck it matters anymore. Seduction saw me. She knows I’m alive. Do you seriously think she hasn’t told my father—our fathers?”
I scoff at him. He acts like I didn’t ask Amick these same damn questions.
“I have no clue. All I know is, which I’ve already told you, Amick doesn’t want you around the High Chancellor. He doesn’t want him to know that Yemi has a Valtrue, and you staying up her ass raises questions.”
“Fine. Whatever. I don’t see why I couldn’t have gone off with Riven or whatever the hell you’re about to do. I’m staying here two hours, max, then going home.”
“Riven isn’t doing anything but going to see Verlet, then going back home.
I’m going to check on my Binder and yours.
I don’t have a rotation here anymore and I don’t want to be here.
You don’t have to stay. You’re the one who smiled when I offered you the opportunity to come beat the hell out of a few Defenders. ”
A small smirk crosses his lips as his gaze scans the gods in the center of the Court. His face morphs into a sneer when he catches the females staring at him.
“Fine. Any shit comes out of Gladian’s mouth and I’m knocking his teeth down his throat.”
“Fine by me.”
I clap him on the shoulder, intending to walk away. Accidentally, though, my grip tightens as my glare falls on the fuckers approaching us.
“They’ve got balls the size of the Abandon.” He huffs out a laugh.
“Yeah, and brains the size of peas.”
“Creed…Sevryn.”
“What do you want?”
“Is Thayla—”
“Nope. Fuck no. Did you get hit in the head one too many times over there or something?”
Jeremiah grunts and straightens his shoulders as the two of us stare at him.
Mellcom doesn’t budge.
“I want to make sure she’s fine. You were a little preoccupied while she was strung up from head to toe in the Goddess of Seduction’s power.”
My eyes narrow on him.
I don’t like how he said that.
It’s like he’s trying to make me believe that I—any of us—were doing something wrong in that moment. We were fighting off a fucking horde of horny-ass Dark Gods and Oblirians in order to get to her and Riven.
“I’ll see you later.”
Sevryn grunts in response as I turn from them and walk back down the hall that leaves the Court. He’s a big boy and can handle those two fucking losers.
“Tell her I asked about her, yeah?”
I force my feet to keep moving before I turn back and snatch his soul from his pathetic vessel.
Instead of starshooting to the Athenaeum, I march my way there so I can cool my anger.
I hate them. Their whole Valtrue. What I hate even more is that he struck a nerve.
What happened in Seductions has been eating me alive.
I was too confident when my sword cut through her rope of power like paper. I figured it would’ve been a little more difficult for her to knock my ass off my feet with a flick of her wrist.
My mind has been in overdrive ever since.
Part of me wants to ask Thayla to give us more power from the Binding that we’re now hiding behind V. Literally. Amick asked him if we could place it in his nook for his powers to hide its pulse.
The other half balks at the thought.
There are too many ifs, ands, or buts in the air to tempt it. According to Thayla, Seduction made the comment that our father wouldn’t have sensed us behind her power.
So, for now, we have no clue what version of the events she told him.
His lack of retaliation so far leads us to believe whatever she said was a lie, and she’s scheming on her own.
There were a lot of other things discussed over the last two days. As difficult and uncomfortable as it was to talk shit out, we obviously needed it. I was so lost in my own thoughts and fears, I didn’t even notice how much my brothers were slipping into their own minds.
Thank fuck she did and finally grew tired of our shit.
There’s no telling how long we would’ve taken this time to pull our heads out of the dark cloud the Abandon leaves behind.
Yeah, I’ve gone there many more times than my brothers have over the years, so I’m a little bit more used to it, but I’ve never ventured as close to the heart as we just had to.
Fuck, it made years of suppressed, maybe ignored, memories rush to the surface.
I’ve rubbed my skin raw every day, yet I still feel the cling of the power crawling across me.
The things my power’s been craving to do…
I shake my head as I pull the doors to the Athenaeum open. The ginormous space is quiet as I walk through the rows to Amick’s office. My brows narrow on the empty table where Lambrit and Rose like to sit.
I was expecting them all to be piled in his room, so when emptiness, aside from him scribbling away, greets me, my heart races.
“Where’s Thayla?”
“The bathroom.”
He doesn’t even bother looking up from his parchment.
“You let her go alone? Are you serious?”
“Don’t, Creed.”
His voice halts me at his threshold.
“What do you mean don’t? Do you not recall a brief time ago her being kidnapped from this very fucking place?”
“Of course I recall. I told her she had to take Yemi and Rose with her, then when they walked out, I asked Lambrit to go stand by the door.”
“No offence to Lambrit or anything, but what’s he going to do if something happens?”
“Don’t doubt his willingness to defend any of them if need be.
You’re also forgetting Thayla is much more comfortable with her powers now than when she was taken.
We can’t start watching her every move because we’re afraid someone is going to jump out at us from every corner. She’ll grow tired of that.”
I cross my arms and stare daggers at him. He doesn’t realize that or care to acknowledge it because he’s yet to even glance at me.
“Are you afraid there’s someone waiting around the corner for us?”
“Not in the literal sense, but yes, I’m concerned about whoever or whatever is coming. It’s only a matter of time before they respond in some way.”
The way he admits that like it’s fact not just fear infuriates me. How can he be so calm about that?
“You upset Thayla again this morning, by the way.”
My head jolts at the abrupt change of subject.
“What? How? I didn’t do anything.”
“You were in her bed when she went to sleep but gone by the time she woke up. You snuck out on her like a thief in the night. As Riven called it.”
“Could you put down the fucking pen and look at me?”
He sighs at my ass as he quits writing, laces his hands together, then stares at me.
“My role wasn’t covered in the week we were relieved of our duties. If anything, Harriseen purposely left more tasks for me to complete. Why can’t I continue my work and converse with you simultaneously?”
“Because it makes me feel like you don’t give a shit about conversing.”
“Are we discussing our feelings together now? Very well.”
He gestures toward the chair that no one’s allowed to sit in but Thayla. My gaze bounces from it back to him. I shift my feet apart a little more and continue to glare at him and his shitty attitude.
“I’ll start. I feel like you, out of everyone, still have reservations about our relationship dynamic.
Since you won’t say anything to anyone, eventually, Thayla is going to catch on.
That will lead to her being upset and feeling awkward.
I don’t like that. What are your reservations so we can get them out of the way? ”
I grit my teeth at the patience on his face. Each feature is smooth as though he’s perfectly fine staring at me all day until I answer him.
“You came to that conclusion from me leaving her bed last night?”
“If my assumption is wrong, please correct me.”
Fucking smart-ass.
“Perhaps when I sleep in her bed, I want to be sleeping next to her. Not cuddling one of you or damn near falling off the bed.”
“If the size of her mattress is an issue, that can be fixed. As for sleeping next to her, I can create a rotation like what we had in the carriage. Will taking care of those issues alleviate your reservations?”
“I don’t have reservations about her. Stop saying that shit before she hears you.”
“I didn’t say reservations about her. I said our dynamic as in the five of us.”
Yeah, I fucking know what he said.
A laugh that makes my soul flutter echoes from the Athenaeum into the office and I naturally turn toward the sound. It’s Lambrit who shushes and scolds Thayla for her noisiness.
It still blows my mind how he can get away with sassing off to her, but I can’t.
“Shall we continue this conversation with her?”
“Drop it, Amick.”
Her steps falter when she sees me standing here, but the smile never leaves her face as she makes her way to me.
“I didn’t know you’d be coming here so soon. How did Sevryn take being left?”
She presses up on her toes to kiss my cheek, but I capture her mouth with mine.
It’s fucking addicting the way her body melts into my chest.
Amick can assume all he wants. I can handle my reservations on my own without upsetting her or making her feel awkward about anything.
“He was pissy, but what’s new?”
Yemi scoffs. “Got that right.”
My lips twitch as I slowly let Thayla pull away from me. The sassy smirk she shoots her friend has them both snickering.
“I’m glad you came on here. Yemi, will you give us a sec?”
“Sure. Remember these walls are paper thin.”
Thayla chuckles and winks slyly as Yemi shuts the door on her way out.
“Why is she concerned with the integrity of the walls? They’re far thicker than a piece of paper.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose as Thayla’s smile brightens blindingly.
“The walls are fine, Candyman.”