Creed
“What?” I grunt, and the feisty little nine-year-old puts a damn death grip on my fingers.
Her scowl is just as vicious.
On the other side of me, Thayla hides her small chuckle. She knows good and well that this surfacing attitude in who was the sweetest child I ever met, is all her fault.
Whatever Thayla does, Laney does.
“Saying what like that is rude,” she says, arching her little brow at me. I arch mine in return. “Do you really think these kids are going to be okay with me living in their house?”
Her question has the smile melting right off Thayla’s face, and my soul strokes hers to ease her displeasure.
“Has one of them said something to make you ask that?” I ask.
“No, but just because they like when I come play doesn’t mean they’ll like me living with them.”
I give her hand a squeeze.
“They’re excited. You’ll see.”
She gives me a smirk, then squeals when Riven tickles her as he runs by.
“Race you to the fence. Loser has to give up their cookie.”
She shrieks and takes off running down the path. Riven throws his head back, yelling when Kyzen hits him with his power and forces his sprint into an extremely slow stroll.
We all laugh as she tickles him back as she passes him.
“Are we sure a few play dates were enough to get her comfortable?” Thayla asks. “I mean, it’s only been a week.”
“It’s going to be fine, Thay. We discussed this,” Lambrit says from behind us and she grits her teeth. “She needs to sleep in a bed. No more couch hopping and living out of boxes.”
“She didn’t sleep on a couch at my house,” she snaps back.
That’s true.
We got kicked out of the bed while the two of them had a girls’ night. I had to bake three trays of cookies and make hot cocoa.
It was worth it.
Thayla had a permanent smile on her face. It’s dimmed since then.
She’s been dreading this day since we returned from the healing villas, and she gifted Lambrit and Laney what she made them. There were a lot of tears, quiet promises, and hopefully, a little healing in that moment.
Since then, we’ve spent the vast majority of our time with Laney. We’ve toured the Godsdawn, the Godsden, the Veilatara meadows—which I thought Laney was going to faint when Verlet and Seismet spoke to her—and we’ve spent hours at the Akova’s getting her familiar with everyone.
Ellian told us to take as much time as we needed. He even went as far as closing down the Court and told Gladian to allow the Valtrues at the barrier to handle everything. From what he told us, Gladian thanked him and said he and the remainder of his Valtrue needed some time.
Shocked the shit out of me.
Amick and Lambrit are going stir-crazy and declared we all were going back to our responsibilities tomorrow.
Thayla and Riven are trying to do anything to get out of that.
For very different reasons.
“I win!”
Laney’s cheer echoes back to us as she jumps up and down in front of the Akovas’ fence. Kyzen finally releases Riven completely from his power, and he perches his hands on his hips, then sneers at him.
“Fucking cheater. I was going to win.”
“Yeah, I know.” Kyzen chuckles, shaking his head. “Hence why I slowed you down.”
“Letting her win isn’t going to teach her anything.”
“Maybe next time,” Kyzen says, patting Riven on the chest as we walk past him.
Thayla opens the gate for Laney, and she goes racing through the yard toward the back, where the voices of the kids are drifting from.
Kyzen, Amick, Lambrit, I, and all of Yemi’s Valtrue, except for Yemi, follow behind her.
“There you all are,” Annalise calls from the swing set where she’s pushing one kid with Ezra on her hip.
“Here we are,” Thayla says with far less enthusiasm.
Annalise takes no offence and gives her a soft smile that melts the grim frown on Thayla’s face.
“Sorry,” she mumbles, then blows out a breath. “Yemi, Rose, and Ellian aren’t back yet?”
“Not yet but should be any minute. You all go put those boxes down and come relax.”
“Don’t unpack anything, though,” Laney yells as she climbs up the obstacle course. “I want to decorate my own room.”
My lips tug in a smirk as I turn and nod for Sevryn, Nero, Doren, and Iric to follow me. Amick and Kyzen are also carrying a box each, but we saw her room yesterday, so they don’t need directions.
We leave Lambrit, Thayla, and Riven in the backyard with Annalise and the kids as we make our way through the house. Up the stairs, to the left, and the new, first door on the left leads to Laney’s new space.
Ellian had the edition ready to go the day after Lambrit spoke to him and Annalise.
I don’t think the man will ever turn a child away.
I’ve literally heard him say, ‘what’s one more’ at least eight times.
All those times were my doing.
This time it’s only partially on me.
“I think Laney is truly going to love it here,” Doren says as he lays his box down and smiles around the room.
“I know someone who hates this shit,” Sevryn counters.
“She’ll feel better about it in a few days. Once she sees that Laney is okay and having fun, it’ll be easier for her.”
I stare at Kyzen.
He’s being hopeful but incredibly unrealistic.
She’s going to be pissed about this for a while.
My gaze slides over to Iric’s grunt and the way he glances at Kyzen. The two of them have some damn secret conversation with their eyes, and mine continue to narrow on them when they don’t pay attention to me.
What the hell is that?
I stalk behind them as everyone leaves Laney’s room and makes their way back to the backyard. The second Doren sees that Yemi’s arrived, he hauls ass off the porch and the other three follow him like love-sick animals.
I don’t have room to talk.
My soul is snuggled up against my Binders right now.
It’s desperate for her and some normalcy.
Whatever that is now…
“How did it go, my fearless public speaker?” Doren asks as he wraps his arms around Yemi.
“Fearless is the last thing I’d call myself. Rose kept her hand on my back the whole time. It was scary as shit having all those eyes on me. I stuttered a few times.”
“She did spectacularly. All the Attendants hung on to every word she spoke. I think her expressing her and Thayla’s relationship made a realm of difference in their confidence about these changes.
I also believe it settled the nerves in those who had been going to the Court until recently,” Ellian says, smiling at Yemi with pride on his face.
“So you think they’re all going to come back?” Thayla asks. “I mean, I kinda gave my whole speech about them giving me their all, then I disappeared on their asses.”
“You didn’t disappear. You had very important things come up, and I explained that.
Well, to an extent. I explained that when someone needs you, you’re ready to run headfirst into danger no matter what.
That actually seemed to comfort them. All the new additions we brought back from you know where were bragging about how you weren’t willing to leave them behind.
It’s hard for them not to talk in detail about where they came from, but they have each other.
I think they think you’re their bonified bodyguard. ”
Thayla rolls her eyes at Yemi, but the smile dusting her lips belies her worries that she’ll return to an empty Court. Before she can get another word out, Amick starts his shit, peppering Yemi and Rose for every little detail.
Sevryn and I share a look with one another.
“Bye, you guys. Love you,” Laney says as she runs up to us, cheeks already red from smiling and playing.
Her arms wrap around Thayla and Lambrit together, but before she can pull away, Thayla grips her shoulders.
“Whoa, hold on a second. Why are you telling us bye? We aren’t leaving.”
“Why not?”
Thayla blinks at her question, then looks at Lambrit.
“We just want to make sure you’re comfortable and okay before we go. Is that okay?” he asks.
“I’m fine. Me and the other girls are going to decorate my room.”
“Oh,” Thayla says, clapping her hands together before bending down until she’s eye level with Laney. “How about Yemi, Rose, Annalise, and I join? It’ll be just us girls. No boys allowed.”
Laney scrunches her nose. “Just little girls. No adult girls or boys.”
“Oh, okay.”
That ‘oh’ was way sadder than the last.
Laney tears out of her grasp and makes her way to Lambrit. She gives him a kiss on the cheek that’s so quick, he doesn’t have time to wrap his arms around her. Everyone gets a rapid hug and a see you later. When she gets to me, I kneel to her level.
“Be good and have fun,” I say.
“I’m gonna have so much fun. Justine said she has these beads we can string together to make bracelets, so we’re all going to make matching ones. I can make you one too. Then Mrs. Annalise is going to make us a snack and something sweet.”
I smirk at her excited giggle.
“Sounds like you’ve got the whole day planned.”
“I do. I’ll see you later.”
She throws her arms around my neck, then hauls ass around me to catch up with the other girls. I shake my head, grinning at her enthusiasm as she goes.
“I’ll come see you tomorrow, okay?” Thayla yells after her.
“You work tomorrow,” she yells right back.
“I can still come.”
“You don’t have to. Come see me later.”
Thayla opens her mouth, then it shuts with a sigh as Laney bursts through the back door.
“Well, that went better than expected,” Lambrit says.
“That was horrible. What are you talking about?” Thayla asks as she places her hands on her hips.
“Horrible for you. Not her.”
She sneers at him, and he stares at her. He’s been relatively quiet this whole week, which isn’t surprising to me, but it’s been driving Thayla crazy.
She’s so much calmer with him than anyone else. When she does start pestering him, Sevryn says something, then she cusses him out. It’s not funny, but it is, watching her switch from patient to I’ll bite your fucking head off in a split second.
Sevryn riles her up on purpose.