Page 60 of The Gods Veiling (The Valorian Veil #1)

“No, no, no. Not me.” He points his finger at me as he lifts his mug.

“Me? I’ve only seen Kyzen this morning. I sure as shit haven’t done anything yet.”

He smirks over at Creed.

“What’s this I hear about you showing your ass today?”

I meet his glare with one of my own. “What’s this I hear you’re canceling my rotation with you today?”

“You’re not coming with me.”

“And why not?”

“Because I said so.”

“Then I’m about to show my ass.”

“To anyone in particular or is the show a free for all?”

We ignore Riven as neither of us is willing to break our eye contact. He speaks first, though. “Why does this have to be a fight?”

“It doesn’t, at all. All I want is a better reason than because I said so. Does it not bother you to just be brushed off? Try having that happen when you know you’re being kept in the dark already, all while trying to figure out your new life, home, and routine.”

My tone comes off bored, but my chest flares. I catch the slightest, and I mean a minuscule flinch in his eye. I don’t know if it’s because of my words or because he felt that pull in my chest as well.

If I wasn’t scared of that shit hurting so bad again, I’d snatch on that little tether to see if he’d react.

I’d have at least one answer then.

“There are areas within and outside of Godsden you can’t go or know about yet. I can’t tell you more than that until a certain time period has passed. I have to go to one of those places today. So you can’t go.”

“You can’t tell me or won’t?”

He balls his fists on the table. “Won’t.

It won’t do you any good right now to know everything that goes on.

I’m sure that isn’t what you want to hear, but it’s the best I’ve got.

There’re things the four of us know that I wish like fuck we didn’t.

Accept the semblance of peace I’m trying to give you. ”

He tilts his mug back and downs every last drop before pushing away from the table. My eyes follow him as he stomps to the sink, puts his dishes in there, then grips the edge.

“I’ve got to go to the Gods Court first. You and Kyzen can come with me, and I’ll give you a tour.”

“Why does Kyzen need to be there?”

“Because he does. ”

I grit my teeth and look at one of the others to say something. Chime in about how stupid this is and just tell me. They don’t. Not even Riven, who usually makes it abundantly clear he loves when tension is in the air.

“Fine.” My growled one-word response is met with an equally enthusiastic grunt.

I forego breakfast and ignore Kyzen’s attempts to settle my annoyance.

Creed’s secrecy bothers me the most out of everyone for the simple fact I know he knows more about my situation than he’s said.

Too many times, he’s made it obvious and then has avoided anything I try to ask.

While simultaneously peppering me with questions to sate his own desire to know things about me.

That screams I’m hiding very important things.

Their past and the secrets that time period holds, I can get behind them not telling me yet. Secrets that include me and what’s going on with my damn soul, no. I want those answers. I deserve them.

I wordlessly excuse myself from the table and head to my room to get ready. I’m not wearing that ridiculous armor for my tour, but I’ll dress in something that’ll be easy to maneuver in if something were to happen while we’re there.

My sour mood spoils the blissful shower. It probably would’ve worked wonders for me to soak in my personal hot spring, but I figured the faster I get ready, the faster we get going.

Also, still not being able to control the lights, the bathroom gets the least amount of natural light. I have to pull my curtains all the way back, leave the bathroom door open, and use the torch lamp to get enough light to see my reflection just to get ready.

I can’t lazily bask in the water in the dark. I just scare myself with the thoughts of someone coming in here and drowning me in the water. Or falling asleep and drowning myself.

Kyzen and Creed are waiting for me as I stomp my happy ass back into the kitchen. “Where are the other two?”

“Already took off. Riven said he had something to check on, and Amick needed to go on to the Athenaeum for whatever it is he needs to read today.”

I follow them toward the door and we pass through one after the other, but a few steps into the yard, I stop walking. “I need to let Yemi know the plan.”

They stride over there with me but wait quite a few feet away from her front door. That both impresses and aggravates me.

It aggravates me because them taking into account her wariness of them settles some of my foul mood at them right now. For as much as the Godsdawn views them as the big and bad Valtrue, they have more of a tendency to show respect for people’s boundaries than any of the other gods I’ve witnessed.

I knock once, then raise my hand to do it again. Only this time, a small screech slips through my lips when, rather than landing against solid wood, I slip through her door.

“Shit. These damn doors and walls are going to be the death of me.” I pant out as I catch myself and lay my hand to my racing heart.

“You really think that’s what’s going to do it?” Yemi asks as she pokes her head around the corner of her entryway.

“How the hell did I just fall through there?”

“I gave my permission for you to be able to come in.” Her obvious tone has me rolling my eyes.

“Clearly. I have no idea how you did that, though.”

“They haven’t told you how to give someone permission to enter your space?”

I throw my hands up. “No. Why in the realm would they do such a thing when I have no power to implement their teachings?”

She snorts, then her lights dim in her whole home as she moves toward me. “Someone must have dropped your breakfast. You were in a much better mood when I left you.”

I press my lips together and her smirk grows.

“All you have to do when the time comes is lay your hand against your door, summon your power from where you feel it in your body, then simply say the person’s name.

The essence spreading throughout the house will know who you’re referring to and what you want.

I added yours in case you ever needed an escape or in case of an emergency. ”

I blow out a harsh breath. “Thank you. I’ll probably be taking you up on that. I still don’t understand how our powers do this, though. These are the things I want explained to me.”

“Well, if I had to take a guess, Amick would explain it all happily. He’s probably just waiting for you to get to these things in your reading materials he’s given you or for your power to actually settle.

The others…I don’t see any of them just knowing they should tell you.

It’s easy for everyone who’s been here a while to forget the Chosen know absolutely nothing. ”

Knowing nothing is a trend I’m over…

“I’m about to tell them I only want to be on rotation with Amick until I learn everything and have my power. ”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that. What are we about to do now? Or did you want me to explain the ins and outs of how this was possible?”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have time. Creed’s compromise for abandoning my rotation today was to give me a tour of the Gods Court. He’s going somewhere I can’t go apparently, so he and Kyzen are outside waiting.”

“Gross. To all of that.” Her disgusted sneer causes me to laugh.

The two of us exit her house and my laughter silences as I meet Creed’s impatient glare. His chiseled arms are crossed over his chest and he’s standing like a formidable statue preparing to yell at me for taking too long.

I don’t give him the chance as I ignore him and start walking in the direction of the Gods Court.

There’re several gods making their way out of their houses right now, so we keep our conversations quiet. I don’t ask the billions of questions starting to take up the entire space of my mind and I keep my smart-ass remarks to myself.

“Yemi, you put Thayla’s spare armor in the Attendant’s chamber yesterday, correct?” Kyzen asks as we approach the entrance hall of the Court. At Yemi’s yes, he continues, “If you wouldn’t mind, will you show me where you put it?”

Creed stops in his tracks. “She can do that when we come across it.”

“I think it’ll be best if she shows me now.”

Kyzen’s awkward insistence has my attention moving to Yemi to make sure she’s even comfortable doing that.

When she asked me for it yesterday, she had to explain that if the one I’m wearing were to get damaged in training, she’d need to bring my extra out. So it’s best to store a spare here.

“Um…sure. If that’s okay?” Instead of answering her, I ask my own question with my eyes, and she shrugs.

“That’s fine with me.”

“Perfect, after you.” Kyzen holds his hand out, indicating Yemi go before him.

As they walk away, Creed releases a quiet groan that I hear loudly in this empty walkway. “Why am I getting the impression you don’t want to be alone with me?”

“Because I don’t.”

I practically sprint to get in his way so he can’t walk away. “All right, that’s it. What’s your issue with me?”

Those unimpressive, smooth, muscular arms cross back over that huge— damn it, no —his normal-sized chest. He glares down at me like I’m a pesky fly buzzing in his ear. His attention moves down to my heart for a millisecond, then immediately back to my face .

I catch it, though.

Fuck this.

My fists ball at my sides. Now that I saw where his attention went, I focus specifically on that area. I typically notice the jerking spread across my chest, but it’s clear now, the feeling starts in my heart.

For a long, tense moment, we stare one another down. I’m really staring through him. My sole focus is locating that sensation inside of myself that’s oddly absent right now.

Finally, the smallest flicker of something breaks through and I zone in on it. It’s the faintest little flutter that I could easily mistake for my heart rate spiking then slowing down.