Chapter 3 Thayla
Thayla
His voice is—I hate to say it—warm and smooth.
If you didn’t know anything about him or who he was, just hearing him speak would have any god or goddess batting their lashes at him. His weird-ass comment, though, has a frown marring my face and the guys tensing.
Derivius subtly steps directly in front of me as they shake off the strained energy and form a line together. Without so much as uttering a word, their footsteps fall across the stone floor in sync, and my heart skips a beat.
I hate the fact that I can’t see anything, and nausea builds in my stomach knowing they’re within arm’s reach of him.
The way Derivius’s shoulders keep twitching in time with Kirabaddon’s cooing and hums of approval leads me to believe he’s laying his hands on them.
That shit makes my fingers tremble.
Valories, do not let my chaotic power do some crazy shit right now.
“Ah, my favorite son. The stories that’ve come out of Hellveilious have made me so proud. I always knew you out of your brothers would please me the most.”
My throat closes and my lids drift shut as another truth filters through the air. I’ve been adamant I didn’t want to hear any of the guys’ stories from anyone but them. This piece of shit just gave me a large insight into why Creed’s the way he is with only a few words.
“What was the reason for this meeting, Kirabaddon?” Derivius makes no attempt to hide the annoyance in his voice.
“Derivius. As always, sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“You know as well as me, if it involves the boys, it involves me.”
Kirabaddon’s sigh—maybe that’s a laugh, I’m not sure—sounds exasperated. Derivius shifts his feet apart and crosses his arms.
Damn…I originally thought having a Beginning God with us as we face another one was a good idea.
Given my position directly hidden behind him and his ready-to-throw-down stance, I’m not so sure now.
“Desperate for their love still to this day. Let us not forget, they are my sons.”
“By blood. Nothing more.”
The weight of Derivius’s words hang heavily in the room. I force my lungs to cooperate so the deep breaths I’m taking aren’t heard. No one speaks or moves for an uncomfortable few seconds.
Finally, Kirabaddon grunts, and his footsteps sound like they’re moving farther away from the guys.
“That’s what’s most important. Now move aside and let the girl introduce herself. You all go back over there to him.”
Fuck.
Gone is that smooth tone, replaced with one full of malice and authority. I wipe the panic from my face as the guys’ eyes bore into me, but the sheer hatred in their features doesn’t help.
My heart pounds in my ears and my palms are drenched in sweat. A soft caress flutters across my chest, and I take in a deep gulp of air as the sensation soothes my soul.
The guys’ bodies practically vibrate as Derivius steps out of my way, but none of them dare to embrace me in any kind of way.
I don’t know how to express my first thought as my glare falls on the God of Obliteration leaning against a carved throne a few steps off the ground. The position of the seat makes me imagine him lording there, laughing at the beings worshipping at his feet.
For some reason, the guys acting like him was a thought that plagued me, but a resemblance didn’t cross my mind.
I believe I had him painted out like his statue outside.
Dark and nothing else. No facial features, emotions, or anything.
It’s incredibly strange and hard for me to understand how they have some of his features yet look nothing like him at all.
I assume it’s the purely evil energy pouring off him that’s messing with my head.
A dark smirk spreads across his mouth as he runs his thumb over his lip. He takes the few stairs impossibly slow, and I make my feet stay put as his power slithers against my skin. The desire to take a step back is so strong, my knees threaten to give out on me.
“Come forward, girl. I won’t bite.”
My teeth grind together, and it takes all my mental strength not to sneer at him. No part of me wants to do as he ordered, but I also don’t want to put the guys in a harder spot than they’re already in.
I force my legs to stay sturdy and take three steps forward, leaving a couple of feet between us. In one stride, he closes the distance, and I swallow down my gasp as he peers down at me and chuckles low.
He has dimples.
The guys don’t, though.
Wait…I don’t know if they do.
I’ve never seen Creed or Amick fully smile.
“Thayla Godrun. I’m thrilled to meet you.”
My lips stay sealed as he continues to run his eyes over me. My mind, on the other hand…
Let’s just say it’s taking a shit ton of effort not to let the hateful thoughts color my face. My wild imagination and the exaggerated scenarios I create have kept me distracted through some really hard times.
They, unfortunately—as I’ve already proven today—can also conjure up some pretty awful things.
Instead of picturing the guys being like their father, my poor muddled mind imagines the guys as innocent children. They flinch in fear from his strong arms or duck their heads as he bellows at them. They didn’t receive tender hugs or bedtime stories.
Realistically, and now that the initial shock is wearing off, I know they experienced far worse.
I can’t let myself dwell on that or I’ll explode.
Every one of my muscles and thoughts locks up tight when he starts to circle me. I’m completely clothed, yet I’ve never felt so exposed.
I’m not sure what he’s searching for, but whatever he’s finding, he’s getting either amusement or satisfaction from it. The same appreciative sounds he made toward the guys, he’s making them at me.
“Kira—” Derivius warns, but it’s too late.
I choke on a gasp as Kirabaddon jerks my jaw up. His power swells and with it, his eyes take a different form. His pure gold irises cloud over with blackness. The only remaining piece of that color is the teardrop shape that’s bled into his pupils.
“Well, you weren’t what I was expecting at all.”
“You’ve done your assessment. It’s time for us to go.”
The breath I’d been holding pours out of me in a slow exhale at Kyzen’s voice. He’s kept his tone light, reasonable, and it gets his father’s attention.
“You’ve all just arrived. My time isn’t nearly up, and I’d like to get to know Ms. Godrun.”
“I know it’s been twelve years since you’ve been here, but I’m confident you haven’t forgotten the rules of this arrangement. You state why you called this meeting or it’s over.”
A diabolical smile replaces the calculating smirk on his lips as he tsks at Derivius.
A shriek tears from my throat when a searing sensation wraps around my waist. I find no comfort in the warmth that battles it.
“Let her go, Kirabaddon.”
My head whips between the Beginning Gods and the ropes of power they both have laced around my stomach.
The power pouring from Derivius’s hand is a glittery blue. Mix it with the black coming from Kirabaddon, my torso resembles a swirling cosmic sky.
“You release her Chaos, or I do more than sense her power.”
A small whimper I’d been attempting to hold in slips free and Derivius’s power snaps.
My body collides with Kirabaddon’s and quicker than I can blink, my arms become tied to my sides with his power, and he pulls me down onto his lap. I don’t even know how he moved us so fast.
I try to steady my hands on the stone throne as his laughing bounces me around, but it’s useless. This rope made of darkness pulls a hiss from my lips as it tightens with every move I make.
My frantic gaze bounces across the guys as their powers surround them. Derivius spreads his arms out, blocking them from rushing forward. The menacing look written across his brow has my mouth drying out.
“You dare dishonor our agreement!”
“Our agreement, Derivius, is in place for my sons. This fine specimen of a growing goddess has no such restraints. You all may leave now if you wish while I speak with her. It makes no difference to me.”
A cold sweat breaks out across my skin as he runs a finger down my cheek. Where we all fucked up is very clearly running through everyone’s mind.
The rules in their apparent agreement were stated that he couldn’t take or hurt them in this temple. Nor could they do anything to him.
Obviously, there’s no shit stated about me, or in any other case, whoever their Binder would’ve been.
My pleading eyes lock on Kyzen’s.
“Valories Law on the separation of Godsden.” His voice booms through the temple.
“All Beginning Gods who chose to live their reign beyond the barrier are permitted to reenter the Godsdawn under the agreeance of a peaceful reunion. Any act that falls within the definition of instigation or violence committed to the underling Gods will be viewed as a breach of the agreement. Therefore, the right to retaliation will be allowed.”
Understanding dawns on me, but it brings me a very small amount of comfort. He could very easily decide to break that agreement and harm me. He’ll just have to face the wrath of his sons and Derivius immediately afterward.
Creed steps forward, eyes blazing white. “Think about your actions very carefully. There won’t be any hesitation from us.”
Kirabaddon chuckles against my back. There’s no doubt he can feel my heart hammering where he’s laid his forehead against my shoulder blade.
His hot breath fans across my earlobe as he leans closer. “My, my. You’ve got my sons wrapped around your finger, don’t you?”
I sit frozen as his shadowy-like rope slinks from around me and another whimper threatens to break free of my sealed lips. It’s as if his power tries to suck the life out of me as it goes.
Riven grunts, drawing my attention, but it isn’t my face he’s staring at, and I follow his line of sight.
I desperately want to run my fingers across the bruises that are now decorating my arms. I’ve never felt the combination of both fury and fear like what’s coursing through me right now.