Chapter 34 Thayla
Thayla
The chill of the fresh evening sea air has me tilting my head back and taking a deep breath.
It doesn’t blow away the smell of Riven, though.
Between his clothes I’m still wearing and the fact he was plastered to me for a solid four-hour nap, his scent clings to me.
“Why do I have this feeling you wanted me to come out here with you so we can gossip, while the others have a big talk with everyone else inside?” Yemi asks.
I crack my eyes back open and match her smirk. She didn’t laugh at me when I told her we were sitting far away from the edges, but her seriousness is starting to wane.
At some point during my slumber, Amick told Brogden to turn the ship around and he told everyone else they had some things to discuss as we made our way back.
I asked him if I could skip the conversation and talk to Yemi, and I’d fill her in. He said yes, that everything he was talking about was what happened, then we’d decide what we’re going to do from here. He’s going to wait until we come back in to address that.
“We can one hundred percent gossip if you want, but I do have something to talk to you about and I wanted to tell you without the possibility of anyone else overhearing me.”
“These three don’t count?”
She nods at the Veilatara lying around us.
Literally around us.
They’ve made a circle, cocooning us in the middle.
“I’m pretty sure they already know, so they’ll be our lookouts.” I laugh as Seismet bumps me in my head, Fausta tilts her chin proudly, and Verlet huffs, I swear much like Creed.
“In that case, spit it out then. You love the shock factor.” I roll my eyes as she chuckles at me.
Valories know I don’t try to shock people. It just happens.
“I met a member of your Valtrue today.”
Her laughter tapers off and the smirk on her face fades as she takes in my much smaller, tender smile.
“What? How? When—oh gods. The only time you’ve left this ship is when…Fuck, Thayla, it’s not the God of the Sea, is it? Please say no.”
“Is he a bad god? I haven’t necessarily heard bad things about him.”
“For the Valories.” She jumps to her feet, pulling at her hair as she paces our small circle.
“Sit back down,” I say, gripping her hand and tugging her. “No, it’s not the God of the Sea. If you’d let me finish, I could tell you.”
She plops down and throws her hands up. “Let you finish? You took a whole-ass pause, then asked a question about him. What else was I supposed to think?”
“Yeah, I did, sorry about that. But your please say no surprised me. I was wondering if it’s just because of him or what?”
“Well, thankfully, it’s not him, but no.
I mean, I guess it’s not him exactly. I’ve heard he’s a little rough around the edges, but nothing nefarious or anything.
He’s a Domain God, though, a very powerful and old one.
That kind of dynamic is what freaked me out.
I’ve seen the way Gladian treats Mara, well, all of them.
Not that I give a single shit about them, but I see that dynamic and I don’t want someone in my Valtrue who believes they’re better than me or all our other members because they may be stronger or older. ”
Oh no…
I didn’t really pick up that mindset from Doren, though.
“What’s that look on your face?”
I attempt to unscrunch my nose. “Your member is kind of old and powerful.”
Her face grows angrier. “Spit it out, Thayla.”
“He’s the God of Discovery. His name is Doren.” I go on and on, repeating everything I learned from and about him. Her eyes grow wider, and her face pales the more I speak. “He was actually really sweet, maybe a little awkward but—”
“Stop. You’re babbling.”
I zip my lips and stare at her as she processes my words. She rubs her forehead, groaning. “What is my life coming to?”
I snort, then hold my hand over my mouth when she glares at me. “I’m sorry. Inappropriate time.”
She shakes her head, then tilts it back to the sky. “Gods, Sevryn is going to freak out.”
“You really think so?”
“I don’t know. This is exactly what we argued about before we left.
It wasn’t really an argument, more so he was being an ass because that’s what he does when he’s, I don’t want to say afraid, but yeah, afraid or shocked.
I made a comment about how our other three members are somewhere in the Godsden, and he went off saying he didn’t give a shit to find or meet them.
He wasn’t going to play buddy-buddy with some random-ass gods.
This whole…his whole situation has been difficult for him. ”
“I completely sympathize and understand that, but honestly, I’m more concerned with you and how you feel right now.
I know that sounds like I don’t care about him and that’s not what I’m trying to say, but from what I’ve seen, he turns to you a lot and your emotions greatly influence his.
So I think how you approach this is going to make it easier or harder for him to accept. ”
She nods, mindlessly running her hands through Fausta’s braids as she inches closer and lays her head beside her.
Even if I couldn’t see how tense Yemi’s body language is, I could tell her mind is running through a thousand things. There’s no doubt the Veilatara can feel her.
“I’m nervous, scared, excited, worried. I can give you a reason for every emotion.
I’m glad you warned me now, though. I have time to think about it and talk to Sevryn.
The rest of our Valtrue popping up at one time surprising us would surely piss him off.
In turn, that’ll piss me off, then the other three would be like what the fuck did we walk into. ”
I grin despite the unamused look on her face. “Are you secretly worried your boyfriend isn’t going to like your other boyfriends?”
“Thayla.” She gasps, and I lean out of the way of her incoming playful smack.
“What? I’m just saying, the option might be on the table.”
“No, it’s not.”
“You never—”
“Ladies,” Kyzen calls as he walks up to us with his hands shoved in his pockets and a small guilty smile on his face. His power washes over our skin and I narrow my eyes.
“What happened?”
He hangs his head and sighs, then turns to Yemi. “Amick may or may not have blabbed about who the God of Discovery really is to you. Riven most certainly baited Amick into saying it. Now Havar is currently teasing Sevryn, who Creed is holding back.”
“Gods damn it,” she huffs, turning to me, and I squeeze my eyes shut.
“Fuck, I’m sorry. He’s such an instigating ass.”
“He did that shit on purpose to get back at me, didn’t he?”
“Only the Valories know. Either payback to you or he was truly trying to rile Amick up and tease Sevryn.”
“Probably a little of all that,” Kyzen adds as he steps back when I get to my feet and pull Yemi up.
“I’ll handle him.”
We make our way back to the carriage door that Kyzen left cracked, and she turns her frown to me as we hear the shouting filtering out here. It all falls silent, though, as we walk inside.
Sevryn drops the finger he has pointed in Havar’s smiling face as he turns all his attention to Yemi. “Is it true?”
“I just found out as well, Sevryn.”
“You’re taking it far better than he is,” Riven jokes and I whip my glare to him.
“You’re in big fucking trouble.”
His lips form an O as his eyes grow wide. He instantly points his finger at Amick. “Amick said it. I didn’t.”
“Yes, I had a slip of the tongue. I don’t understand the commotion it’s causing, though.
Havar is teasing Sevryn because his response to being scared is to cover it with humor.
They have a relationship built on a sense of banter, but despite that, Havar actually likes Sevryn with his cousin.
He’s using the only form of communication they have as a way to express his fears of losing Yemi because she’s getting a Valtrue, but it’s an inappropriate time for jokes and Sevryn isn’t understanding that’s what he’s doing.
“Sevryn, on the other hand, is lashing out due to his fear of three more men joining the dynamic he’s only now growing accustomed to.
Not to mention the emotional connection he’s formed with Yemi is in jeopardy because of these three men.
He’s failing to realize that gaining a Valtrue is what’s best for Yemi.
She has a very powerful, secret domain, and I have no doubt interest would be drawn to her if it was discovered.
The best and safest thing for her is to have her entire Valtrue. ”
Gods, Amick.
The living room falls eerily silent and Amick’s confused expression, aimed at whatever is on Kyzen’s face behind me, has me holding in a very inappropriate snort.
I completely understand that’d be the worst thing for me to do, but I genuinely don’t understand how the smartest individual I’ve ever met in my life doesn’t realize when he’s said far more than he should.
“And you all say I’m the one with a big mouth,” Havar grumbles and that finally makes my chuckle break free.
I swallow it down quickly, though.
“Are you really afraid of losing me? Both of you?” Yemi asks softly.
Sevryn holds her stare until Havar clears his throat.
“Well, yeah, of course I am. You’re finally finding your place in this crazy realm. I always knew you would, but I didn’t see it being beside the most powerful beings we know or have met. I don’t want you to outgrow me, so I’m just trying to grow with you. You’re my best friend, always have been.”
Oh stars, my heart.
“I’m not outgrowing you, Havar, and never will. Valtrue or not.”
He smiles at her, then turns his attention to Sevryn’s grunt. “Can we talk about this in private?”
“Of course, man.”
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Oh, my bad. Thought we were about to have our moment.”
Sevryn sighs and pinches his nose. “We don’t need a moment. We’re fine. I want a moment alone with Yemi.”
Power shifts in the carriage before she can take a step toward him and we all whirl around toward the kitchen.
“Oh goodie, you’re all here.”