Page 26 of The Gods Veiling (The Valorian Veil #1)

“I’m so incredibly pleased with how today is turning out. Well, not so much about getting you, little burden. I could’ve done without that. But all these surprises have been so refreshing.”

It takes me a moment to snap back to reality and understand what just came out of his mouth. He just called me a fucking burden. My sneer is immediate, and I open my mouth, but I’m cut off by the one with candy eyes.

“You can never accuse a god—especially one of his standing—of such things again.”

So much for introductions.

“First of all, you”—I point to the two-toned-eye asshole—“don’t call me a burden. I didn’t ask for this shit either. And you…” My finger swivels to the one with yummy chocolate hair. “I’ll say this once, Candyman. Don’t ever tell me what to do like that again.”

His head tilts to the side. “Why did you call me that?”

“Figure it out on your own.”

He stares through me like he’s struggling to process anything I just said. With a small laugh, the brother with the fake-ass welcoming smirk pats him on the shoulder. “Why don’t you three head back to the house? Allow me to speak with Thayla and her Attendant. ”

“Yemi.”

“I’m sorry?” he asks, looking at me like he’s not sure if he got my name wrong or wondering if I’m having a medical emergency.

“You called her my Attendant. Her name is Yemi, and she’ll be addressed as such.”

Three of them glance between themselves. The fourth, well, he’s humming, walking around the room, making me incredibly nervous. I really don’t like the fact he called me a burden. That basically tells me where he stands.

The confusion contorting the others’ features only adds to my own, but I don’t ask. I’ll add it to my list of shit to figure out.

“Yemi it is then. You three head home.”

Candyman doesn’t bother responding. He turns on his heel and leaves like this is all beneath him, anyway. The humming one skips behind him. The last, the one who hasn’t spoken or taken his eyes off me, gives me one long-lasting glance before leaving the room as well.

Yemi goes to shut the door behind him, but the remaining brother holds his hand out to her to stop. “Would you give us a minute?”

“You don’t have to go anywhere.” I shake my head repeatedly at her, but she doesn’t bother picking hers up and looking at me. She just scurries out as she was asked to.

We’re going to work on that.

His power sweeps across the room as soon as the door clicks shut. My mouth dries out completely as my nerves take hold. I both mentally and physically prepare myself for whatever he’s about to say and do.

He takes a step closer to me but keeps enough distance between us that I don’t feel like he’s trying to corner me. I don’t trust the calm demeanor he has going on right now, though.

Plus, what Yemi warned keeps screaming in the back of my mind.

“Are you okay? Hurt or in any pain?”

Words are lost on me, maybe for the first time in my life. The unexpected softness of his question throws my mind even more into a tailspin.

“I’m fine. Is this some sort of bad god, good god thing? Because if so, I really don’t have it in me today to deal with it.”

He slides his hands into his pockets and flashes me a breathtaking smile. “Do you think I’m the good god or the bad?”

My eyes devour his far too relaxed posture. “Bad. ”

A huff falls from him as he places his hand on his heart.

“You got it all wrong, gorgeous. I’m Kyzen and I’m most certainly the good god.

The one you called Candyman is Amick. The mouthy one was Riven.

The quiet one was Creed. We’re your Valtrue.

I’m sure you’ve already worked that out yourself since the Chancellors blurted it out and you saw your mark, but I just wanted to state the obvious for you. ”

“Appreciate that. Could you state the obvious and tell me what’s going on?”

His head hangs as he sighs, but his smile never fades completely. “This is going to take some adjusting for all of us. By your reaction and what you said, it’s clear this isn’t what you wanted or expected, but it’s a little late for any of that to matter. We’ll have to make do from here.”

I observe him. Intensely. I don’t know what to make of him. He shifts back and forth on his feet, apparently waiting me out while also enjoying my silent appraisal.

His body and all his features are calm. His power is still crawling all over me, but nothing around us is actually happening. I have no clue the reaction it would have if I tried something crazy, but it doesn’t feel defensive or harmful.

I release a deep breath and force my shoulders to loosen. “My reaction has everything to do with not knowing what’s going on since I got here. Answers would be nice.”

He nods like he completely understands and is on the same page with me. Ever so slowly, my anger leaks out when he withdraws a rolled parchment from his back pocket. “This is all I’ve got for you at the moment until we’re all together at the house.”

Fuck, of course. A house I’ll now share with not two but four men.

The two of us take a step toward one another. We only get close enough to where I can grab the parchment, then we back up once again. I run the wrinkled ribbon between my fingers, then look up at him. “You’ve all already read it?”

“We didn’t read it, but the High Chancellor took it upon himself to warn us.”

Warn them…

I stare at the cream parchment. Part of me is desperate to unravel it and finally know what the Chancellor was keeping from me. The other part is fearful about what Derivius did.

“Why are there two?” I ask as soon as I give in to my need to know and a small slip of parchment falls from the larger one.

“All the Chancellors collect information on the Chosen before they leave their regions. They truly only move the piece of the Volreen. Then they stay behind, concealed by an illusion, and ask around about the Chosen. The High Chancellor will announce it to all of the Godsdawn at the ceremony. You were spared that embarrassment today when you passed out and we got in the way on the platform.”

My fist accidentally clenches the paper. There’s no telling what whoever he spoke with let slip.

I bite my lip as I debate whether I want to read it or not. Especially in front of him. I don’t want the words to set me off, but I also want to know what picture I’ve been painted in for these men.

I blow out my breath and flip the little parchment around. Better to face it now and be ready rather than have it thrown in my face later.

Thayla Godrun. Thirty years old. Lives at home with her adoptive brother and ex-lover. Never wed under the eyes of the gods.

Stars…give me a break.

Spends her mornings training in one of the four arenas and sometimes spends her afternoons in the library, market, or secluded.

Never been one to foster a relationship with the rest of Oddian and is easy to anger if provoked.

Under the direction of her training group due to an altercation she instigated, she was put through many training trials. For a female, she did exceptionally well. They felt she was close to redeeming herself.

The last words on the parchment drive a knife through my heart. There are many things they could’ve said about me that I’d let roll off my back, maybe even laugh about. But these words make me want to puke, knowing what I somewhat know now.

Orphan. Abandoned by her parents at ten, followed by her appointed guardian at eighteen.

My lids drift shut as I ball the piece of paper in my hand.

If it had been a year ago, they would’ve said something along the lines of a little introverted and sarcastic but friendly to everyone.

Helps her dear friend Lambrit in the library or the merchants in the markets and the farmers in the fields.

Enjoys spending alone time in the meadows or picking wildflowers.

It’s amazing how one event warped the way everyone viewed me and everything I did. I used to help the community any way I could. I just never went out of my way to be incredibly close with anyone outside of Mellcom, Jeremiah, Lambrit, and Laney .

I hate to say I’m thankful, but given where I’m at, I’m relieved they just made it seem like I caused a fight rather than what I truly said and did. There’s no telling how everyone would treat me here if it came out, I hate the beings they’re literally becoming and worship.

I shove the piece of trash in my pocket and shake my head as I focus on the more important parchment.

Now or never.

Thayla Godrun.

Equalized in all Designations.

Worthy of an Attendant. Yemi Andino.

Domain. Untold.

Completed Valtrue.

Riven, Creed, Amick, Kyzen.

The Deliverance shall be honored.

I blow out a breath and reread the parchment multiple times over.

That’s it? Seriously? All the drama, the anticipation, just for it to be written out point blank like these decisions—that now change my entire life—are nothing more than marks on a checklist.

The High Chancellor seemed beyond pissed when he first read my Designation, and the Untold about my domain explains why he came in so hot, asking questions.

There’s more to all of this.

“Here. What a waste of parchment,” I mutter as I roll it up and pass it back to Kyzen. “It doesn’t even have your last name on there.”

“You don’t want to keep it?” he asks, a little baffled, and I scoff.

“No, not at all. So what now? You told them to leave for what exactly? So you could deliver the bad news? Get to know me? I’m sure the High Chancellor filled you all in on the day I’ve had, judging by the shouting that was taking place outside the door when I woke up.”

He stares at me while he hits the parchment against his palm repeatedly. I can’t tell what he’s contemplating.

Finally, he shrugs and puts my Deliverance back in his pocket. “Yes and no. I don’t enjoy confrontation. I’d prefer to deescalate a situation before it gets to that point. So yes, when bad news needs to be delivered, I’m usually the one who has to do it.”

“Great, so the news has been delivered and I’m still in the dark, so where do we go from here?”