Chapter 28 Thayla #2
“He took my pain away too. No sense lying around hurting if he can fix it.”
“Fix it,” Riven scoffs. “More like fill his reserves.”
Whatever Sevryn may want to say, he holds back as the carriage finally rolls to a stop.
We haven’t been traveling the full three hours we’ve been in here. We sat at the Oddian, Darlander line for an hour and a half, waiting for Fausta to arrive.
None of us got out to check or watch what Gladian and his Valtrue did in the meantime. Amick told Verlet to head here, the very outskirts of Darlander, close to the Edistoia line whenever they were ready to go.
Prior to the surprises that have happened today, I was actually looking forward to seeing what’s become of this area.
Once upon a time, twenty-odd years ago, when my parents and I traveled around Darlander, this area was pretty void of people, with the exception of a few isolated homes. I was shocked when I looked over Lambrit’s map and saw he had marked a lot of spots here.
“How far—”
Havar flinches and gasps, scaring everyone, and Yemi races to his side, hollering his name. “What?”
“The Veilatara just spoke to me,” he whispers. Then fucking squeals. “They just spoke to me, Yem.”
He picks her up and spins her around as he jumps up and down. She laughs and celebrates with him while the rest of us chuckle and simmer down from the attack positions we all got into.
Damn. It’s pretty sad our first instincts are that we’re under attack.
“They want me to unhook them, and they want to traverse the woods with us.”
“Seismet, you both need some rest.”
“We don’t rest the way you all do. I mean, we do sleep and we will when you all do tonight, but we rejuvenate by being one with the realm. Us tagging along with all of you will be rest for us.”
A hoot floats through the carriage and I find myself mad as hell when I realize V will be here by himself because he can’t, or at least I don’t want him to be seen by Gladian and his Valtrue.
“Don’t worry about me, Thayla girl. I’ll be out there as well, just unseen.”
“Very well then. We’ll get them unhooked and start our search. Everyone, stick together and watch what’s said around our company.”
We all move out the door behind Havar and come to the front of the carriage. It doesn’t take him but a moment to unhook the metal that connects from Seismet’s and Verlet’s contraptions to the carriage.
I didn’t even notice those extra pieces my first time ever watching him move the strapping from his wings to his neck. One, because Seismet’s back is taller than I am, and two, the piece is as black as his coat and blends right in.
Well, and because the Gods Gully freaked me out.
Apparently, and for obvious reason, that little extra piece both connects to the carriage so they can pull it, but it also relieves some strain on their shoulder blades.
I don’t know if I really believe that or Seismet was just trying to make me calm down ’cause I was mad as shit about it.
“You’re going to allow the Veilatara to walk freely?”
I flinch at Gladian’s loud-ass voice cutting through the otherwise quiet, peaceful forest.
No one responds to him, other than Creed glaring over his shoulder, and that dark, sexy look brings a smirk to my face.
I nearly faint when he catches it and winks at me.
Fuck, I didn’t even know he knew how to wink.
I shake that yummy distraction from my mind as he grunts, then I fall in step with him, but trip when a semi-familiar voice reaches my ear.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
Collum smiles brightly at me the second he sees me peer over my shoulder. I give him a pinched, awkward one in return, then face forward.
The Valories hate my ass.
The silence that surrounds us as we move through the trees is both comforting and awkward. It’s so fucking weird knowing everything we do and say is being watched, but at the same time, if I can put it out of my head, the beautiful, flourishing woodland and soothing sound of nature is calming.
It doesn’t take long for a quiet hum to start up behind me.
The beat draws a frown to my face and my chest pinches as the melancholy of it sinks into my skin.
I’m really not sure what Riven saw on my face in the hot spring that made him freak out and beg me not to give up on him, but it’s gutting me.
Yes, he has been more wishy-washy than any of them, but I see through it very clearly. Just as clear as I see the feelings he’s trying to hide from me. He lets them show more than he realizes.
When those words came out of his mouth and slammed into my soul, I realized, it isn’t just his fear of rejection and simultaneously, commitment, he has a fear of not being chosen.
Why, I don’t know. I’ll have to wait to hear his story before I can put that together.
What I do know is, I have every intention of choosing him.
Matter-of-fucking-fact, I’m not giving him a choice to reject me.
He’s mine and he’s going to be happy about it.
I mean, realistically, if he does reject me, I’ll accept it because I’d never force anyone to be with me, but…if I need to be a little crazy to get his undivided attention, I will.
My throat vibrates as I start humming along with him, just like I did in the cave.
My tempo is the same as his but livelier, happier—a sweet war beat if you will.
Kyzen bumps me with his elbow, smiling from ear to ear as he too joins in. His fingers lace with mine, and small chuckles cut through his tone that he can’t hold in to save his life.
My head whips to the right when a soft, very feminine hum joins us as well. Sweet Rose’s eyes are lit up like the stars as she gazes up at Lambrit’s red face. He shakes his head repeatedly, but she pulls his arm over and over until he gives in.
My laugh breaks up my song, but I clear my throat and jump right back to it.
Soon enough, everyone is humming except for Amick, who doesn’t look mad but actually seems pretty relaxed. Creed also isn’t joining in, but at least his head is bobbing to the melody. I don’t think Sevryn is either, but I can’t really tell. His lips are tilted in a small smirk, though.
I peer over my shoulder, catching Riven’s eyes scanning all of us in awe. A snort escapes me when he playfully lifts an eyebrow at me. I nod my head for him to come beside me, and he does.
I don’t say anything. I just link my arm through his and enjoy the way his body vibrates with his laughing, then his upbeat hum that brings everyone’s together.
Creed clenches his fist in the air, halting all our feet and our song. He holds his hands out for us to stay, and he eases a few feet forward.
I most certainly don’t stay put.
Neither does Kyzen, Riven, or Amick.
He huffs but just shakes his head at us and continues staring forward.
Unlike the stern scowl on his face, mine lights up with a smile as we creep up on and watch a little girl running around a yard. From here, I spot two adults sitting on the stairs of the quaint little house, watching her, and their laughs faintly drift back here to us.
The man, I assume her father, jogs down the stairs and chases after her playfully. Her squeals travel through the trees, and I become overwhelmed with the cuteness as well as the deep longing that rushes through me.
“What’s—”
My gasp clips my question.
From behind his back, the man produces a single flower, stem and all, and presents it to her. She claps and cheers like it’s the realm’s most normal occurrence, then she cups his cheeks.
Rose, out of nowhere, starts walking forward. Lambrit is quick to hold on to her arm, but she never takes her eyes off the little girl as she lays her fingers to her lips.
“What’s wrong, babe?”
Babe…aww.
“T-that little girl has power. Under the Goddess of Affection. I sense it.”
“What?” Creed whisper-shouts as his eyes blaze white. “Impossible.”
I release Kyzen’s hand and tuck it into the crook of Creed’s elbow when he keeps glancing over there. He’s five seconds away from stomping through their yard and that won’t do anything but scare the hell out of them.
“We need to talk with them. Find out how this is possible,” Amick says.
“Maybe…just the two of us should,” Lambrit says and I whip my head toward him.
“What?”
“If Rose senses the Goddess of Affection in her, she’ll be the best to connect with her. Plus, our group as a whole is a tad intimidating.”
Yeah, maybe a little.
“Figure out everything you can,” Amick says and I bite my cheek to stop myself from saying hell no.
I literally pinch the absolute fuck out of Creed when Lambrit nods, laces his fingers with Rose, and they walk through the tree line keeping us hidden from the family. My grip grows even tighter as Lambrit holds his hand out when the god notices them.
A shiver races down my spine when Creed leans down to my ear.
“Keep digging your nails in me, and I’m going to mark you back.”
His low, heated words are no form of threat but a dark, damning promise that I want to tell him he better keep.
“Promises, promises,” I breathe.
His eyes flare and air gets trapped in my lungs as he positions his face right down to mine.
“I fight a battle every day not to throw you over my shoulder, take you to my room, and fuck you until you can’t walk for a week because of that smart mouth of yours. Don’t push me, my endling.”
Oh, dear Valories.
He lays his lips to mine for a breath of a second.
I stumble into him, trying to make him come back. He doesn’t, but when I open my eyes, there’s a small smug tilt to his lips.
“I’m very pleased to know you’re as affected as I am.”
Asshole. Hell yeah, I’m affected. It takes everything in me not to climb him like a tree right now.
I breathe through the lust rushing through my blood and try my hardest to pay attention to what’s going on. It’s incredibly difficult to do when Kyzen makes it known he witnessed every second of what just happened.
He bites his bottom lip as his eyes devour me from head to toe.
Gods, these men.
Minutes pass as we sit anxiously waiting for Rose and Lambrit to return.