Chapter 19 Creed
Creed
“Aside from the ones who kidnapped us, they’re all dead.”
My chest rumbles. “Good girl.”
I painstakingly tear myself from her, but I refuse to fully release her. I tuck her body into mine as I grip her elbow and pull her along with me to reenter the madness still unfolding around the edges of the fighting rings.
What was once the fighting rings…
I need her touch.
I need to know with unwavering certainty, what just happened isn’t going to destroy who she is.
My soul is multitasking at a distracting, confusing, and dizzying pace.
It’s nuzzling up nice and close to hers, but also, with every step I take, a body drops as their soul comes to me at my power’s command.
My being destroys it on contact, then goes back to snuggling around Thayla’s.
It’s never been so content in my entire existence.
This whole time, it was, in fact, attempting to devour hers.
Just not in the way I assumed.
There are three souls in this entire center who don’t deserve the fate all others in here will face today. Thayla, Yemi, and one more I haven’t identified yet, but will be able to once my eyes land on them.
Thayla’s sharp inhale has me peering down at her, but her gaze is focused forward. Her plump lips part, but her face twists in a mixture of awe and worry.
Kyzen.
He stands calmly in his self-made circle, manipulating time as his sword soars through the air in its effortless precision. Gods stupidly, maybe naively, come too close to him and mid-step, their bodies fall in slow motion. He has them in pieces before their feet even get near the ground again.
Shit. He’s lost to it.
“Kyzen.”
His head jerks up to her, but his gaze is distant. His head twitches with the effort it takes him to fight off what’s happening, and I pull Thayla back to me when she tries to take a step forward.
“Give him a minute.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
I flatten my lips as guilt that I’ve put him in this situation floods through me.
“He really doesn’t like confrontation. For many good reasons.”
Two more bodies hit the dirt, and he slowly wipes their blood off his swords on their pants.
The entire time, he stares at her.
He doesn’t blink as he sheaths his weapons behind his back and steps over the pile he left at his feet, but he doesn’t move any closer than that.
I release Thayla’s elbow and lay my hand on her back.
“He needs you.”
There’s no hesitation in her. She runs to him.
Her arms wrap around his neck while his hang limply. My fists ball at my sides as I watch the version of him I haven’t seen in a long time slowly drift back into the dark compartment he keeps it locked away in.
When he finally hugs her back, pulling her as close as he possibly can, I turn from them.
That’s how Kyzen and I differ the most when it comes to handling ourselves when we fall too far into our past selves. He needs a lifeline, something to appreciate and look forward to.
I need solitude and the ability to beat the rage out of myself.
However that may come about.
I spare Delun, the God of Judgment, a meager glance. He’s still attempting to fight off the hold my power has him in, but his fight is futile.
This is my shitty home away from home.
My power thrives here.
Hence why I swore I’d never step foot in this arena again unless absolutely necessary.
Thayla will always be necessary.
Riven’s giggle rings around the arena as he chases down some squealing god. When he catches up to him, he shoves him to the ground and shouts, “You’re it.”
He spins on his heel and runs the opposite way for maybe four strides before turning around and realizing the god never got up to run after him.
I pivot from him and don’t worry about watching how he kills the god. The disappointment on his face at the man’s whimpering lets me know it isn’t going to be pretty.
A spear slices through the air, heading directly for Amick. My warning gets stuck in my throat, but it doesn’t matter.
My brother and his strong sense of awareness are ready for it. He spins, allowing it to flow through his awaiting hand. His fingers curl around it expertly and he turns with the motion.
The sharp point travels right back where it came from at unmatched speed and accuracy. It embeds itself right through the gut of the god who threw it first.
More and more dark, disgusting souls come to my call as soon as my power washes across them.
My glare scans the remaining damned gods. The ones who aren’t being annihilated by my brothers, I kill quickly. Instantly.
My search halts when I finally spot Yemi standing at the opening of an archway. She’s already staring at me with wide eyes. Blood covers her body, but I don’t see any visible injuries.
An arm slithers out of the darkness and wraps around her stomach. I take a menacing step in their direction and my power flares.
She throws her hands up, palms facing me, and shakes her head frantically. I snatch my power back by a tight leash as it wraps around the last remaining soul that has redemption left in them.
A face I never thought I’d ever see again steps out of the shadows and stands behind her. I stumble back.
No. How? Impossible.
Relief, anger, hope, and betrayal all war within me at once.
“Let her go, Sevryn. Now.”
His eyes narrow on me. “Funny way of saying hi to an old friend.”
“Friend? Friends don’t betray friends.”
His face morphs into a ball of confusion, but I’m not listening to whatever the fuck else may come out of his mouth.
“Get over here, Yemi. Right this second.”
She opens her mouth, but then her head whips to the right. She’s out of Sevryn’s embrace in the blink of an eye and collides with Thayla not a moment later.
“Gods, you’re okay. You were incredible. Whatever that blast was, was fucking badass.”
“I’m so sorry, Thayla. I failed you. I watched Dimitri snatch you back, but then another wave of the others came, and we ended up getting pushed back to the archway. By the time I saw you again, Creed was running to you.”
“Hey, hey, none of that,” Thayla demands, pulling back and gripping her shoulders. “You didn’t fail me. I felt your power the entire time until I got too far away from you and it was incredible. Don’t be sorry. I still don’t know why this happened, but I know it’s my fault somehow and I’m sorry.”
Kyzen, Riven, and Amick come to stand beside me at the same time, and our glares stalk Sevryn. He steps toward Yemi and Thayla, and they both turn to him with a familiarity and comfort I don’t understand or fucking like.
It’s like seeing a ghost.
“I was right.” Thayla gives him a look I can’t quite describe, and my soul doesn’t care for that shit one bit. I want to lay my fist across his face and snatch his soul from him.
His gaze bounces between all of us, and with a scoff, he focuses completely on them. “It’d seem so.”
“Don’t take another step near her,” Riven warns, shoulder-checking me as he stomps toward Thayla and snatches her to his chest.
“Riven.” She doesn’t bite his name out or even cuss him out for his manhandling. She lays her head against him.
His swirling eyes glance down at her before he grips her jaw and tilts her head back.
“You’re a filthy mess.” His thumb runs across a lump of dried blood built up on her cheek. Her hiss has us stepping closer to them and he chuckles darkly. There’s not a hint of humor in that sound. “Who the fuck did that?”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
“It does.”
“He’s dead.”
“Still doesn’t matter. I’ll cut his fingers off his corpse, wash them, paint his nails whatever color you’d like, then gift them to you.”
She snorts, then seems to realize she shouldn’t encourage that.
“I cut his hand off.”
Fuck, that should not be sexy.
“Did you, really?” His smile grows as she nods. “My perfect angel.”
“Creed! Release me at once.”
The bellow falling from the God of Judgment has us all whipping around. It’d seem he was at least able to work my power off from around his mouth and sadly enough, the seats around him are now empty.
Riven shoves Thayla behind him and I stare as Sevryn does the same to Yemi. Who doesn’t flinch, tense, or lock up.
I don’t like that either.
I raise my palm and lift Delun from his righteous throne by my power.
Riven and I are the only two who can cast our powers out like this, making them animate for a period of time. Why the ability didn’t or hasn’t carried over to Amick or Kyzen when they’re outside of the Abandon, I’m not sure.
It may seem like I’m looking at the God of Judgment, but my attention is solely focused on Thayla. I need to see how she reacts to witnessing an ability of mine that so outwardly matches my father’s.
Just like his, my power is black.
My coils wrap around you and suck the life force from your body.
Prior to having my power taken, I could kill on contact if I pleased.
Now, it’s a slow, agonizing process for the being experiencing it. For me…it’s a feast that fuels my power to the brim.
It’s a vile and disgusting feeling to feel so satisfied afterward.
Thayla doesn’t show any negative emotions. Neither does her soul. The glare she’s giving the God of Judgement, though, is deadly.
I stride toward him as soon as his feet touch the ground. “You have some explaining to do, Delun.”
“I have nothing to say.”
“It’d be in your best judgment to find the words then. What have you done to the fighting rings, and explain to me how my fucking Binder ended up in here, fighting for her life?”
What I walked—ran—in on and witnessed replays in my mind and my bellow shakes the foundation of this fucking place.
That man hovering above Thayla with his hand around her throat.
Another man had his hands on her because you couldn’t get here fast enough.
You failed her. You took too long to get here.
You allowed Hellveilious to become what it is.
She’ll never forgive you for letting this happen to her.
My head twitches and the dark voices that are always ten times louder here start their fucking taunting.