Chapter 20 Thayla #2
The guys push into my room before I can fully move out of the way. I scoff at all of them as Kyzen and Riven make their way to claim a seat on my bed. Amick leans against the mantel of my fireplace, observing Yemi from head to toe.
Creed stomps to my back door as though he’s ready to fulfill his threat against Sevryn. He crosses his arms and blocks the way in.
“Ask what you want, bestie. I love gossiping.”
“I don’t think so, Riven.” I place my hands on my hips and stare him and Yemi down as they share mischievous smiles with one another.
“Oh, come on. I need to be as prepared as possible before I go home and have to face all four of them.”
Her pleading eyes won’t work on me.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d love nothing more than to tell her everything so I can talk her out of considering Nero’s offer before he can even tell her. That’s the problem, though.
I shouldn’t do that.
That’s going to be her decision, and I shouldn’t interfere.
Fucking taurnshit.
“I distinctly remember having this exact conversation once, but in reverse. I believe your words were, I’m liable to scare you more than inform you.”
“You asked her about us?” Kyzen asks with a smug grin.
“I did, and she provided minimal information.”
“Given your situation, I still stand by that decision. I don’t think it would’ve been best for you if I had spilled everything I had heard about them by that point.”
Yeah, I definitely agree with that.
“And now, I’m trying to do the same for—”
“If I may, Thayla, it isn’t like you to bite your tongue, so to speak. Why are you doing so with her now?” Amick asks as the wrinkles in his forehead deepen.
“I don’t want to influence her opinion of her Valtrue before she even has a conversation with them.”
He nods as his gaze bounces between the two of us.
“You should be honest with her. I don’t believe what you or any of us have to say will sway her. If that had been the case, she wouldn’t have gotten close to Sevryn at the start.
“One of the biggest differences between you and her is how you both receive information. You get overwhelmed by information overload, whereas Yemi gets frustrated with only knowing bits and pieces at a time. She likes it all laid out so she can compartmentalize and treat each new discovery as a task on a list.”
“How did you—”
“Oh, dear, sweet Yemi. Is this the first time he’s told you something about yourself?” Riven asks with a teasing chuckle.
“I mean, this is the first time I can recall him doing it to my face, yes.”
“I’ve done it numerous times just not so directly.”
She thinks about that for a second, probably attempting to identify a specific instance he did this and she didn’t notice. She doesn’t waste much time pondering it, though. With a fierce, determined nod, her gaze sets on me.
“I want to know everything you learned about them.”
I blow out my breath and my lips flap together as I perch on the side of my bed. Kyzen chuckles, scooting closer until my back is flushed to his chest and that settles the nerves inside of me.
“Well…”
From the moment we saw Doren and Nero at the tree line, I let the day unfold. I’ve never been the best at telling a story from start to finish without also telling a couple of other mini tangents in the middle.
She doesn’t get frustrated with me, though. Her eyes actually widen and she covers her mouth when I tell her about my freak-out over the black hole we had to jump in.
Honestly, though, that look is probably because of my comment about us going through it the first time unknowingly.
Other than that, she nods along. If I go too far off from the things I’m supposed to be saying, Kyzen gives me a little squeeze, and I get myself back on track. As I get to the part about the Soul Chamber, though, she holds her palms out, halting my rambling.
“I’m sorry, are you saying Iric is an Attendant and he was assigned a role in Hell?”
Worry and a touch of anger lace her voice. Her gaze bounces over Amick, Creed, then settles on me once again.
“That’s what we first were told and believed until he told us the truth in the carriage.”
Her shoulders deflate as I jump right into explaining what little we learned about him. The disgust on her face, directed at the random goddess and High Chancellor who did this to him is cute in a protective way.
“Now this is the part I’ve honestly been dreading telling you.”
“Really? It’s worse than the part where one of my Valtrue members has a prominent role in Valveilious?”
I grimace and Riven lets out a chuckle.
“That’s the Valtrue member she wanted to punch and had to lay the law down with.”
“What?” She gasps as she spins toward him.
“Oh yeah. The moment all four of them were together, he tried to tell them what was about to happen. My angel had to shut that down.”
“Stop trying to rile the situation up, Riven,” Kyzen scolds, but panic has already set in Yemi’s face.
“What did he say? Does he think he’s like in charge of our group because of his standing? What happened?”
I glare at my snickering little psycho but soften my features at Yemi’s pacing.
“I don’t know if he thinks he’s in charge or it’s in his nature to dictate a situation.
He stated you all would be moving to his house in Valveilious.
I may have called him a pretentious asshole and said under no circumstances would you be moving.
A few other choice words were said and he let it go. Agreeing that it’d be your decision.”
“My decision? Fuck yeah, it’s my decision where I’m going to live. Are you serious? I’m not moving to Valveilious. If the rumors are true, Attendants are treated even shitter there than here. What the hell is he thinking?”
What was a frantic pace is now one of anger.
My lips press together to stop from smiling at her and the muttered curses falling from her mouth.
“Well, Thayla never mentioned that you were an Attendant at any point today.”
“What?” she and I say at the same time.
“Anytime you addressed Yemi, you called her by her name or your best friend. You never once referred to her as your Attendant. Sevryn never mentioned it either.”
“So the other three still don’t know I’m Thayla’s Attendant?”
“Not unless it’s been mentioned since we left them to go into your home.”
“Fuck,” she mutters as she plops down on the end of my bed and rubs at her forehead. “That’s going to be a shocker for them.”
I crawl out of Kyzen’s embrace and situate myself beside her. Her eyes beg for answers I don’t have, and that hurts my heart.
“Everything’s going to be okay. Two of the four over there are firmly committed to you already. Doren speaks of you as though he’s really been waiting his whole life to meet you. Sevryn is a jealous ass who would love nothing more than to knock them all out and have you to himself.”
That pulls a small laugh from her, and I smile as I pat her knee.
“It’ll be a learning curve with the other two and there’s nothing wrong with that. The first step is getting to know them.”
“Yeah, and what if they decide they’re not all that happy with having an Attendant as a Binder?”
My face grows deadly serious. The energy in the entire room shifts, even from my men, and she squirms in her spot.
“Then I will fuck them up. There isn’t a thing wrong with being an Attendant, Yemi. It doesn’t make you less than by any means. I truly hate that’s what the Godsdawn has made you believe, but I will do whatever I can to make you see otherwise.”
She nods, but it’s unconvincing. I don’t push, though. This is something she’s going to have to overcome on her own, but not alone. Never alone. I’ll show her through our friendship what she means to me and how I really see her.
“So…I can’t really tell if you’re excited to have four boyfriends or not?”
“Riven,” I shout as Yemi gasps.
“What? I was just asking. Damn. I mean, the way ol’ Discovery got on his knee, I was waiting for him to propose right then and there.”
“Oh gods, he did. Then he made that kissing comment.” A harsh breath pours from her as she jumps off the bed and starts pacing once again. I glare at Riven. “No, they can’t expect or think that, right? You all are the first to do that.”
“That we’re aware of,” Amick adds, not helping at all.
“You do not have to be anything to them that you don’t want to be. Don’t listen to any of my men.”
“Your men…your four men who make up your Valtrue.” She throws her hands up at me like that is answer enough.
“Okay, well, we’re a little different.”
“Okay, and so? Apparently, so are we.”
Errr, she kind of got me there.
“Still. That needs to be the least of your worries right now. The only thing you need to focus on is getting to know them and going from there. No other life-changing decision needs to be made tonight, tomorrow, or even the next. One day at a time, Yem.”
She places her hands on her hips and tilts her head back so she can stare at my ceiling that has no better answers than what I gave her.
After a quiet moment, she sighs.
“Guess it’s time to face them.”
“You don’t have to if you aren’t ready to.”
“I am. Sort of. Avoiding it is making my nerves worse. Might as well get it over with and go from there.”
I give her a pinched smile as I stand, then link my arm through hers.
“I’ll walk you.”
A formidable wall, made of Creed, blocks our way as we approach my back door and I arch my brow at him.
“I warned Sevryn not to hurt any of them.”
We both snort at him. “Thanks for that. Hopefully, he listened and my house isn’t destroyed.”
He grunts as he opens the door, checking outside for himself first before letting us pass. My hand roams over his arm as I slip by him and my soul shivers. His gentle caress has all the stress leaving my shoulders.
Silently, we take the small path from my back door to hers and with each step, she trembles a little more.
“You got this,” I murmur as she hesitates to turn her handle.
She straightens her shoulders and nods as she finally opens the door. Two steps in, we both freeze as all four of her Valtrue members whirl around from where they’re standing at the counter.
“Yemi,” Doren breathes, taking a step forward, but Sevryn halts him with a grip to his shoulder.
I’d roll my eyes at him if this moment weren’t so tension filled.
“Hi.”
The four men all release subtle breaths with her whispered word. I untangle myself from her but lean in close as I give them my back.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah, I believe so.”
“I’m right next door if you need me.”
She nods and I make my way back to her door. Of course I peer over my shoulder and give all the guys, even Sevryn, a loaded look. They can interpret it however they please.
I won’t react kindly to any of them hurting her feelings.
Valories, be with them if they make her feel even an ounce of something negative because of her Designation.
Technically, I know that a completed Valtrue tie trumps the tie we share, but that won’t stop me from defending her, even from them.