Chapter 16 Thayla #2
“Everything’s going to be fine.”
She gives me a very unconvinced nod as she rises from her chair. Instead of going through the front door, she makes her way down my hallway. I give her a minute to make her way out of my room before telling the other three to sit tight while I go change into my armor.
I spare a glance at my back door as I enter my room, then head toward my closet. I’m so torn between feeling like I should’ve said more to her, but also not. The last thing I want to do is get either her hopes or worries up any more than they already are.
There’s no telling how Sevryn’s really going to handle the news that it’s Hellveilious we’re going to. If he freaks out, it’s going to freak her out.
Gods, what the hell do we say if her fourth is a piece of shit?
That sounds like a job for Doren.
The familiar material of my armor glides on like a second skin and I huff at that.
My ass had some wishful thinking when I first saw them and hoped I wouldn’t be wearing them much.
My unpleasant noise is met with a small chuckle, and my heart races.
“What’s wrong, gorgeous?”
My gaze roams across Kyzen leaning against the frame of my closet door. He’s already got his armor on and two swords strapped to his back.
A lump forms in my throat at the sight of them, but I swallow it down and return the flirty smile he’s giving me.
Goodness, he’s something beautiful to look at.
“Nothing. Amusing myself.”
He hums as he strolls toward me. My soul flickers in my chest as he drops to a knee and finishes lacing my boots for me. Air rushes from my lungs as he caresses my calf and lays a kiss to my thigh.
Even with the material blocking his way, the heat of his mouth sends chill bumps racing across my skin. When he stands, he slides his hand around the side of my neck and traces circles against my pulse.
“Everything will be okay. Believe what you said to Yemi.”
“I do.”
“That’s not the complete truth now, is it?” He arches his brow, giving me an opportunity to fess up.
“Are you giving my soul any privacy?”
He shakes his head at me. Not falling for the distraction.
“I give you about as much privacy as you give me.”
Okay, so…damn. None.
“I believe, physically, we’re all going to be fine.”
“Just physically?”
“I hope mentally as well, but I’m not as confident in that department. I’m concerned about Yemi, Sevryn, all of us. Are we going to face another fight? How’s that going to affect Creed? Will Riven go Chaos crazy? Is Amick going to get lost in his thoughts again? Will you…”
I don’t want to finish my sentence.
Yesterday, I put on a brave face when convincing Creed we needed to do this. I still believe that to be true, but that doesn’t mean I’m not worried about all the shit that could go wrong or what it could do to us.
“You know you’re phenomenal at getting the attention off yourself, right?”
My eyes widen before I smooth my features out.
“What?”
He chuckles lightly, giving me a pointed smirk.
“You’ve yet to talk about what happened to you in the Abandon and you think you’ve gotten away with it.”
“I…that’s not. I didn’t—”
“It’s okay, Thayla. For now. I have to ask, though. Did our reactions cause you not to trust us with this?”
Gods, my heart.
“Kyzen, no. Absolutely not.” I exhale, closing my eyes. The guilt in his indescribably pains me. “It’s just habitual. That’s a sorry excuse, but it is. I shoved everything down, threw all my focus on the four of you, and when you all started getting back to normal…”
“You did too.”
“Yeah.”
He nods like he completely understands, and honestly, I wholeheartedly believe he does.
“We’re going to talk about it after this. No more bottling it up. Okay?”
“Okay,” I breathe.
He lays a gentle kiss on my cheek, and I bask in the warmth it sends through my body.
“As for a fight, I’m hoping not, but that’s going to depend on what part of Hellveilious we’re going to.
If Yemi’s fourth is in a lower level, or an area like the Judgment Rings, then possibly.
When we came after you, we didn’t face any problems until we hit that point.
Hellveilious is confusing to explain. Creed would obviously be the best at talking about it, if he ever would. ”
“Key word is if.”
“Yeah,” he muses. “He’s coming around slowly but surely, though.”
“I know.”
He pulls me into his chest as I sigh. I suck up all I can of his affection and let it ground me in the moment.
“Come on, they’re waiting for us.”
He leads me out of my room and we find the house already empty aside from V, who’s pacing on the back of the couch. Creed’s going to bitch about the claw marks he’s leaving as he waddles across the leather again.
I laugh a little at that.
“The others are waiting for you two outside.”
“Thanks, V,” I say as I approach him and run my fingers down his side. “No ancient creature mischief-making while we’re gone.”
He hoots and ruffles his wings.
“It is me who should give you instructions, not the other way around. I cannot believe I’m being told I must stay behind once again. You all realize I’m a fierce creature of prey, yes?”
Kyzen and I chuckle, and my smile swings toward the one taking over his face. Fuck, I’ve missed that breathtaking sight.
“We’re aware, V, but I refuse for you to be in any situation that could take you from me. That’s reckless. If Seismet weren’t strapped and could come, I’d still tell him the same thing. I’m all ears if you’ve got some grand guidance for me, though.”
“I wouldn’t call this grand, but something for you to keep in mind. It’ll also probably get the ol’ God of Death mad at me.”
His hum vibrates through my mind and my eyebrows rise. Kyzen doesn’t indicate that he heard that.
“Well, I definitely want to know then.”
“He’s not responsible for a lot of what you’re about to learn about Hellveilious. He carries the brunt of it on his shoulders, but he didn’t always carry the torch.”
My grip tightens on Kyzen’s fingers by accident. He takes that as his cue to head to the door, but I want to dig my feet in the floor and tell V to explain what he just alluded to.
“Wait, are you saying there was another God of Death before him?”
I peer over my shoulder just as he stretches his wings out.
“I’ll see you when you return.”
The bright flash of white light has a noise akin to a growl coming out of me and Kyzen chuckles as we pass through the front door.
“Did he say something not to your liking?”
“Oh, you know V. Just him dropping some of his damn secretive lore.”
“That’s kind of his purpose, little goddess.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I roll my eyes teasingly, but the smirk fades from my face as we approach the rest of our serious group in the front lawn.
Yemi’s red-rimmed eyes gut me, and Sevryn can try all he wants to hide the worry behind his stoic mask, but I see right through it.
“Ready?” Creed asks no one in particular.
He avoids my stare, and I have half a mind to blast him with some Seduction or stroke his soul until he falls to his knees for me.
I quickly change my mind.
I need to have an actual conversation with them and make sure it doesn’t bother them that I do that.
They didn’t mind when I was learning how to call forth and control my Seduction but now…I can’t help but feel like things could be different.
“Go on in the house. We’ll be back soon.”
Yemi nods, closing her eyes briefly as Sevryn lays a kiss to her forehead, and my eyes widen comically.
He’s always snatching her to his side and standing all protectively around her. That’s the first time I’ve seen him do something super sweet and affectionate.
I fix my face when her gaze swings to me. Her small smile is weak, so I make sure my nod is confident.
The six of us stand here silently until the four of them make their way into Yemi’s—and well, I guess her Valtrue’s—house.
“So what? Home sweet home?” Sevryn asks.
“Something like that,” Creed grumbles.
“If he’s in Hellveilious, he can keep his ass there.”
“I agree.”
“No, you don’t,” I argue, eyeing Creed, then moving my gaze to Sevryn. “You of all people should know better. What if I had left your ass there?”
“You would have if not for Yemi.”
“Okay, and? Same thing now. What if he’s in there wrongfully and you’re okay not even finding out?”
He can grit his teeth like an animal all he wants. He knows I’m right.
“Fine. What’s the plan?”
“Starshoot to the tree line so we can watch them show up. I want to get a look at both of them before we approach,” Creed says, then he turns to me. “Do you think you can starshoot or do we need to get V?”
“I can do it, thank you very much. I remember the trees distinctly.”
His lips flatten like he’s ready to argue with me, but he relents with a nod.
“To the tree line.”
Sevryn’s gone before I even command my power forward and Creed shakes his head as he disappears as well.
“We’re waiting for you,” Amick says and I give him a grateful smile.
My power responds immediately. I shiver as the seven slivers cascade around my whole body, then meet as one.
“Good, little burden. Now do it.”
Riven’s short song of praise has me squeezing my thighs together and commanding my power to whisk me away before he catches that hint of arousal.
In less than a second, I’m being greeted by towering trees. The transition from dark to daytime is still upon us and the massive canopies block out any light that may try to break through to the forest floor.
“Ah, shit.”
I spin around, searching for the guys, but I’m met by darkness that gets deeper the farther into the trees I look.
“Guys!” My whisper-yell rolls right into a shriek when a giggle responds, and I’m pulled into a chest.
“Knew you were going to do that.”
“Damn it, Riven, you scared me.”
“No more than you about scared yourself. You’re in trouble.”
“What the hell am I in trouble for?”
He doesn’t say anything as he steals a quick kiss, then snatches me along behind him. I trip at least three times and growl for him to stop running, but he doesn’t listen.