Chapter 7 Thayla #2
“Mellcom, stop this. Look at her, she’s had—” An oomph falls from Lambrit as he’s shoved to the ground and another scream belts out of me as I crane my head around as far as I can.
“Don’t. Jeremiah, don’t hurt him. Mellcom, stop him, please.”
Those green eyes lock onto me. How can he look so sad and angry at the same time? How can he love me, yet do this to me?
“Enough, Jer. Let’s go.”
Jeremiah scoffs, kicking Lambrit over as he comes to crouch beside me. “See you at home, sweet T.”
I jerk my head away as he lays his lips to my cheek. The movement causes pain like no other to race down my spine and his laugh has my heart cracking open.
“Thay,” Lambrit sputters as he catches his breath and crawls to me.
“Why are you here? You shouldn’t have come looking for me.”
“You didn’t show up at the library on time. I knew something was wrong. Hold on, I’ll get you down.”
He quickly unlatches one wrist and my body slumps into the post. As he moves to the next one, I lose the strength to hold myself up.
I fall forward toward the blood-stained arena ground.
My body sways harshly as I finally break the restraint on my mind, but the scream in the flashback pours from my throat now.
The shattering of glass registers in my ears before the pain across my knuckles. I stare down at the red as it drips down my fingers. The puddle I’m creating ripples with the vibrations passing through the bathroom.
How could they do that to me? More than once. More than twice.
Why did I leave those arena walls each time and pretend it never happened?
I stagger back as my body tingles to the point of numbness. I flex my fingers repeatedly to ease the feeling, but that doesn’t help. If anything, I just tremble more.
Everything inside of me riots. Especially my soul.
It goes ballistic in my chest, slinging itself from one side to the next.
Attempting to break free.
My knees hit the floor as my hands rise beside me and everything within me explodes outward.
My bellow ricochets off the walls, shattering all the glass in the bathroom. The jagged edges slice my skin as it rains down around me, but the noise doesn’t stop.
I’m lost to the sound, the destruction, the grief, the overwhelming thoughts, everything that continues to pile onto my lap.
It all rushes out in wild rapids made of glass, marble, and water shooting out everywhere.
A large shard freezes an inch from my face.
I had no intention of stopping it. Mostly because I couldn’t see it, but also because I don’t have the strength to lift my arms as they fall beside me.
The vibrations stop.
The thoughts flee me.
My soul settles down.
I gaze around, staring at the deadly flakes frozen in the air.
“Thayla,” Kyzen whispers as he kneels in front of me.
“My weird, unidentified power came out again,” I say flatly.
“I see that.” He glances at the mess he has suspended in the air. “What do you need?”
My lip trembles and I bite my tongue to keep myself from crying. Does this man ever get a break? Does he ever get the chance to be the one to break instead of putting everything back together?
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t shut me out.”
I open my mouth to argue, then immediately shut it as I search for something to say. I don’t want to be vulnerable. I’m already bleeding out, both literally and metaphorically. I also can’t stand the thought of bottling anything else inside of me.
“I don’t know if I know how to let you in. Fully.”
He nods. “We’ll learn. Together. We can start small.”
Small…
It seems so silly given our situation. He owns a piece of my soul, he’s a member of my Valtrue, and he’s one of my self-declared boyfriends.
Granted, I no longer plan to deny his claim. I don’t want to fight my feelings for him anymore. It’s exhausting holding myself back.
Everything is exhausting these days.
My desire for him and Amick, though, is swiftly outweighing my fear of a relationship. Hell, I may not be ready to fully accept it, but part of me already claims Creed and Riven.
Other than myself, the only thing holding me back from really admitting that is them. I don’t know how they feel about me from one day to the next.
Resisting my urge to tell Kyzen what happened seems like a problem I’m only creating for myself when we have so much more to worry about.
“I’m not exactly sure how this just happened, but it felt like my breaking point. It started small, but pressure kept building in my chest, and my body was vibrating. The blood on my hands that I thought was Creed’s…” I close my eyes and exhale sharply. “I thought someone had hurt him…”
“And that set you off?”
“It started it. There was a drop of blood on my shirt, so I jerked it off. Then I saw my bruises, which led to me seeing my back.”
“I’m sorry, Thayla, I’m not following.”
I force myself to look at him. “That’s the first time I’ve seen it. I’ve avoided looking at myself, so I didn’t think about the fact that was the tenth whipping I’ve received within the last year.”
His body flinches before he falls unnaturally still. For a small blip of a second, the light blue rings in his eyes flare to life. The color settles as he regulates his breathing.
“No one, man or god, should’ve ever done that to you. I don’t have to know what led to that to know there was nothing you said or did that would’ve warranted that type of abuse. You know you didn’t deserve that, right?”
“I…”
No, I don’t know that.
Mellcom’s soft but harsh words explaining to me exactly why it was happening replay in my ears. It was always my mouth, my temper, my reaction to getting my ass handed to me.
Every single time, I was told it was my fault, he explained why it was happening, and that was the punishment.
“If you don’t know that, I will teach you.
I’ll show you exactly how you’re supposed to be treated.
Neither I nor my brothers will ever raise a hand, power, or a weapon against you, no matter what.
I swear to the Valories, if anyone, I don’t give a fuck who they are, were to ever do something like that to you again, I will kill them where they stand.
I will defend and protect you because you are mine. Do you understand me?”
My heart pounds from the intensity in his voice. I’ve never seen him so stern. There’s not a strand of teasing, flirting, or any of his normal, playful behavior.
I have no choice but to let what he’s saying settle inside of me.
Kneeling before me is a powerful god, declaring I’m his.
Swearing he would take a life in order to protect mine.
Me. He’ll protect me. I know that. I see it.
Fuck, that sounds perfect.
“I’m yours,” I whisper.
The serious scowl melts from his face and he blinks repeatedly. “Say that again.”
The raspiness in his voice has heat racing through my body. “I’m yours, Kyzen.”
A gasp falls from my lips as what’s left of the cold shower tile presses into my back. I wrap my arms around his neck and legs around his waist instinctively as he reaches behind me to turn the water on.
My chest rises and falls as I gawk at him.
I didn’t even feel him move us.
The water pulls a small hiss through my lips and as I stare at him, he watches as my blood gets washed away. I gulp when his eyes lock on mine, his power caresses my skin, and he presses me more firmly into the wall.
The water comes to a standstill midair.
This insanely impressive show of power and strength doesn’t spark an ounce of fear in me, but it definitely sparks something else.
I reach my hand out, wiping away a droplet that’s frozen on his lip. He lays a gentle kiss to my thumb, then falls still when I lean forward and seal my mouth to his.
His shock fades fast and he grips the back of my neck with one hand, my hip with the other, and deepens our kiss.
Everything about his embrace consumes me.
From the warmth of his mouth to the tender yet strong grasp he has on me.
I groan when he shifts his body and his arm loops under my ass. The hard length of him teases me through my pants and I want more than anything to grind myself down on him.
His eyes are hooded as he pulls back and allows me to slide down his body.
A pitiful, embarrassing little noise slips out of my throat.
He chuckles low. “Relax, gorgeous. I’m going to take care of you.”
My breath hitches and my chest grows warm as he leans back in, laying a kiss on my cheek. The trail he creates down my neck has me shivering and my head automatically tilts to give him more access.
His hands glide over my back gently and with a quick pinch of his fingers, my bra comes undone. He removes it expertly, letting it fall to the shower floor with a wet slap.
I don’t have to lead, tell him what I want, or guide him at all.
With no warning, he ducks his head down, sucking my nipple into his warm mouth, and his hand finds my other one. My back bows off the wall as a deep moan falls from my lips and my hands grip his shoulders.
Every nerve in my body flickers to life as he switches from sucking to running his tongue in circles. I cry out when he moves to the other side. The rotation between his thumbs and mouth has me panting.
My hands fist at my sides when he steps away from me. I want more than anything to tangle my fingers in his hair and pull him back, but he pins me in place with a single look.
His thumbs trace just the barest amount under the rim of my pants, and his eyes ask—no, beg for permission.
One nod is all it takes for him to strip them away.
Air gets stuck in my throat as his dark gaze devours every bare inch of me.
All coherent thoughts die within me when he starts peeling his wet shirt off without ever looking away from me.
A need like no other races through me and my fingers jerk.
I give in to my desire.
The moment they touch his warm skin, everything inside of me melts.
He is literally a god chiseled to perfection.
Every ab and groove twitches under my touch as he lets me explore my heart out.