Chapter 19 Creed #3
“We’re not starshooting or walking back out through Hellveilious,” I say, leading them to the left and into an even smaller grove. “There’s another exit this way. It’ll put us outside of Hellveilious.”
“Care to give us a little more than that?”
I scowl over my shoulder at Kyzen. He’s still hand in hand with Thayla and that shit burns through me. I force the feeling down, but between my soul and the way my lips tingle with the slightest thought of her mouth on mine, it makes it nearly impossible.
“This exit has been here since the first time I ever came here. It’s one way and it was only supposed to be used if I needed to get out fast. As long as part of me is through, you all can pass.”
I’ll never forget the Goddess of Illusion’s sweet, motherly tone as she talked me through embedding my power into her creation. It was the first time I’d ever been talked to like that. Rather than comforting me, it made me wary of her. Which, as I know now, was a good instinct to have.
As one of the first and most powerful of the Domain Gods to come about, she’ll never pick a side between the Beginning Gods. She seems, even to this day, to love them all equally.
It’s great for the Godsdawn that she didn’t leave it high and dry and side with my father, but it feels like a slap in the face that she still does things for him as well.
The veiled shimmering brick comes into view for me, and I exhale as I stare at it. It’s been a while since I’ve passed through it.
I don’t bother explaining anything else to anyone as they all gather around me. My palm connects with the wall, and the illusion fades away.
“You all first. Yemi, come up here and go with Thayla and Kyzen.”
Her mouth parts and her eyes whip to Thayla. “She’s fine. She can go through with Sevryn.”
Kyzen goes to argue but stops when she shakes her head. I make myself hold her gaze as she stares into my eyes. She’s searching for so much more than I can give her right now.
But I will give it to her. Eventually.
I thought breathing would be easier once she stepped through the opening to the other side, but, in fact, it becomes harder. My soul thrashes around as though there’s too much distance between the piece of her that’s mine and the piece still inside of her.
“Hurry the fuck up,” I grunt at Amick and Riven.
Amick tilts his head to the side, observing my shitty tone closely, while Riven walks through without a word or backward glance.
As Yemi and Sevryn step up, though, I slam my hand to his chest, and he grips my wrist.
“Don’t waste your breath with threats, Creed.”
“I don’t know what the fuck is going on here”—I glance down at Yemi, then back up at him—“but she means a lot to my Binder, therefore she means a lot to us. Take that however you need and want.”
A small slip of a snort bubbles out of Yemi, but she sucks it back down and faces forward when we both look at her.
“Yeah, your Binder made that quite clear to me.”
He doesn’t waste another second with me as he steps through the opening, pulling Yemi along with him. He misses the small smirk on my face.
I bet she did. I hope she fucking rocked his jaw.
I follow right behind them, gritting my teeth at the tug against my skin from the power of the Goddess of Illusion and the God of Boundaries, whose power surrounds all of Hellveilious. It’s not that his power is bad, but his barriers all feel the same.
It’s too much of a reminder of what returning to the Abandon feels like.
I’m not through to the other side for a second when a hiss of pain catches my attention. Yemi’s hunching over, gripping her arm, and I lunge for Sevryn.
Not even fucking five seconds…
“Creed, stop,” Thayla shouts, jumping in front of me while also casting a fearful glance over at Yemi.
The second that cry of pain ceases, Thayla runs to her, and I snatch Sevryn up by the collar of his shirt. He pivots, shoving me in the chest, and we draw our fists back at the same time.
“Stop!” Yemi and Thayla shout, but we’re already swinging.
We crash into an unseen wall that ripples like water, although it sure as shit doesn’t feel like it. I grip my knuckles, hissing as blood blossoms like I collided with cement.
“If you two fucking assholes don’t stop for a second and learn to speak to one another, I’m going to lose my shit.” Thayla’s hoarse scream cuts through my fury as she holds Yemi’s arm.
Tears run down Yemi’s face as she stares at Sevryn. “I didn’t know, I swear. This shouldn’t be possible.”
His chest heaves as he glares menacingly at me. His eyes drift down to his wrist, then over at Yemi.
“What the fuck is going on?” Riven asks.
Thayla scans each of us, Sevryn, then she settles on Yemi’s nod.
“She’s a Binder and he’s a member of her Valtrue. The brand started appearing the second they came out.”
I grab him as Amick snatches his wrist. He attempts to pull it away, but I grip him tighter while my brother observes.
“Stop fighting and let me see. You were born in the Abandon. This shouldn’t be possible for you. Yemi is Thayla’s Attendant, and she shouldn’t have a Valtrue.”
Amick’s calm tone has him giving up his fight, but his now worried eyes continue to bounce over to Yemi.
“Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, right?”
She shakes her head, making her tears fall faster. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“It’s a B. It doesn’t match ours,” Amick says as his brows furrow. “Chaos didn’t do this, or he would’ve marked them.”
“It’s okay, Yem. You didn’t do this. You have no control over it. We don’t know what the fuck he’s playing at, but it’s okay.”
He?
“Who the fuck is he?” my brothers, myself, even Sevryn, ask.
Their paling faces scream they know something we don’t.
The girls have some explaining to do.