Page 65 of The Gods Veiling (The Valorian Veil #1)

Creed

The days are long. The weeks are long.

This has been the longest fucking month of my life.

Every day, I get five steps further from separating Thayla’s soul from ours. I’m hanging on by a thread keeping it from interweaving with my own.

If this were a normal situation, I’d just snatch the soul from the vessel. That causes damage, though. Both to the soul and to the god, or whatever being is facing that unfortunate downfall.

In our fucked-up, now almost to the point of irrevocable situation, her soul is firmly weaving with my brothers’ despite the distance she’s listened to me and kept from them. Emotional distance anyway.

Hopefully…

Physical distance, not so much.

Not in the sexual sense, but none of us can help the fact she lives with us and they’re around her nonstop during the day.

This has put me in the predicament that I’ll have to gently unravel each thread that’s formed between them. It’s nearly impossible to do that without them sensing me doing something.

I’m caught in the middle of how to move forward from here. If I damage either soul now in jeopardy, I run the risk of fucking them all up more than we all already are .

The divide between our two beings is still as far apart as it’s been from the start, but it’s an internal battle I’m having to conquer daily. My soul wants to do more than welcome hers in. I won’t allow it.

I have to leave room for her other pieces to join it when the time comes.

That’s the only solidified plan I see so far.

When I figure out how I can remove her slivers inconspicuously from my brothers without damaging their souls, I’m going to put all the pieces inside of me. Once I can weave hers back together and heal it completely, then I’ll put them back inside of her.

I can’t do that if it grows attached to mine. Or worse…

It’ll be nearly whole by that point and there’d be no way for me to separate us. If I give my soul even an inch of hers, it’ll suck the rest in and never let it go.

She’ll be trapped to me forever.

I thought this whole time it’d be Kyzen’s I’d need to worry the most about. He’s flirty, inviting, and consistently the friendliest toward her. It was easy to assume that his soul would open the most and accept hers in.

Never would I have fucking guessed it’d be Amick’s.

A month ago now, she stood in the kitchen and announced she’d be spending her days with him in the Athenaeum learning. My thoughts were, that’s great and works out best for us. I figured she was silently telling me she was going to be doing her own investigation into the condition of her soul.

I don’t know if she actually has or not.

She hasn’t said the first thing about it.

She’s definitely been learning the ways of the gods, though.

And her power is starting to slowly settle.

It’s taking forever at this point, but I don’t think Amick’s told her that it’s getting close to the longer than normal point.

He doesn’t want to admit he doesn’t know why .

What’s abundantly clear to me now, though, is my brother has, unknowingly, opened himself up to her completely. The divide of their souls is barely visible by this point.

They’ll be the hardest to separate.

“Focus, Thayla. You’re being too emotional.”

“Amick, if you call me emotional one more time, I’m going to show you exactly how emotional I can get.”

I turn the water at the sink up higher, blocking the sound of the small chuckle that escaped me. By this point, I’m sure Amick has learned that Thayla’s emotional isn’t tears or trembling lips.

It’s fists swinging at your face, shit being thrown, and knees to balls .

The fighter in her is alluring. She doesn’t take shit from any of the other gods. That includes us. It’s a rarity and a nice change, but it’s impulsive, dangerous.

The other day in training, Gladian called her pathetic and told her she was regressing instead of evolving. Which is complete shit, but his way of motivation is to tear you down to nothing so he can build you up how he wants.

It doesn’t work on her.

She threw her sword down and tried to charge him.

I had to throw her over my shoulder and march her out of the Court while she pounded the fuck out of my back.

“You’ve made the lights come on accidentally three times now, which is a clear sign you have enough power settled to do it on purpose. So do it.”

“Amick—”

“Maybe a more hands-on approach is needed rather than just tell her to do it, huh?” Kyzen cuts Thayla’s warning off. “You know, walk her through step by step.”

Amick blinks at him before wordlessly holding his hand out to her.

“Are you trying to hold my hand right now?” Riven and Kyzen laugh while I press my lips firmly together. Her sass is in full swing tonight with her evident frustration.

“Give me your hand and let me guide you.”

She reluctantly does as he tells her to do, and he pulls her over to the center of the living room. I shut the water off as I finish cleaning up the last dish and come around the counter so I can see them better.

They stand in the middle of the rug, and he tugs her arm down until she’s on her knees.

“Really? This is going to teach me how to turn the lights on?”

“It’s got me turned on, that’s for sure.” Riven chokes on his laugh when Kyzen elbows him, and Thayla whips her head around with a nasty glare in her eyes.

“Ignore him. Focus on me and only me.” Amick stares her down until she finally gives in, then he steps off to the side of her.

“I told you, your power will create a sensation inside of your body. Today in my office, you said you’re starting to feel random tingles in multiple places. Try to sense a spot now.”

She’s quiet for a second as she runs her palms up and down her thighs. “I already know a spot. It’s been in my fingertips all day. They go numb, then normal, then back to numb.”

Fingertips…that’s different for us .

Mine I sense the strongest in my heart. Kyzen and Amick in their minds, and Riven in his stomach.

We can all command our power out and it travels through our fingers if we want, but the power doesn’t usually sit there…waiting for us.

“Good. That’ll make this simpler.” He steps up to her again and raises her arms in the air.

“Once your power’s fully settled, you’ll be able to locate it anywhere in your body.

It’ll come to your command and obey you with a thought, but for now, you have to give it instructions.

Keep your hands pointed to the ceiling as though you’re pushing it out of your fingers and instruct the lights to come on.

Decide how bright or dim you want it and tell it to do that. ”

She shakes her whole body and stretches her fingers out. I pinch the bridge of my nose and exhale harshly. Myself, Kyzen, and Amick are polite enough not to comment on the position she’s in right now. Riven isn’t.

“I’m about to go stand in front of her so it looks like she’s worshipping me.” His fake-ass whisper travels through the whole house and Thayla stops her little shimmy.

“You wish I’d worship you from my knees.”

“That I do. How gorgeous you’d look lowered before me.”

“Oh, please. I’d leave you begging for more at an altar you built just for me.”

Riven’s eyes darken and Kyzen releases a deep chuckle that’s more dangerous than it is humorous. “You tell us where you want it built, little goddess, and we’ll get it taken care of.”

Fuck me.

“You two stop with your sexual innuendos and let her—”

Blinding light flashes through the living room, cutting off Amick’s scolding. It’s like a damn star from the night sky outside has burst through our house and I lift my arm to shield my eyes from it. Thayla gasps loudly and in that same second, the light dies down.

There’s a tense beat of silence as my brothers and I ask each other with our eyes if one of us did that or she did. That question’s answered when she jumps to her feet and wraps her arms around Amick.

I knew she’d be strong. Her soul feels the same way.

He completely freezes, then awkwardly pats her on the back.

“Holy shit, I did it. I told it to blind Riven, and it listened. I didn’t really mean for it to get that bright, but it worked. Gods, I felt it leaving my fingers. That was so weird but also amazing. ”

Kyzen’s cheers are a mixture of his laugh and hoots while Riven scrunches his nose at her. “If I were blind, how could I tell you about your poor outfit choices?”

Her brows draw down at him, but the scowl on her face is the least of my concerns. Her head’s resting on Amick’s chest, and he’s allowed his arm to limply hang around her.

The threads weave tighter.

Fuck.

“Come over here and do it in the kitchen, Thayla,” I command.

My tone is harsh, but in her excitement, she ignores it. I move out of her way and as subtly as I can, I position my body in front of Amick when he follows her.

He attempts to move around me, but I lay a hand on his chest. “Stay right there and see if she can do it without your guidance.”

They both disregard my shitty tone and nod to one another. She raises her arms and wiggles her fingers. The seconds pass just as they did a moment ago, then the light flares to life. A small, prideful laugh slips through her lips.

A triumphant smile replaces the sound, and my soul goes ballistic when it senses the taste of her power igniting in her soul. It’s different. Stronger now that it’s truly settling. I bite my cheek until I taste blood.

Kyzen and Riven cheer and clap as they surround her while Amick’s silence screams approval.

No one notices the war raging inside of me as they congratulate her. I can’t move to join them. Not that I would anyway, but right now, my feet are firmly rooted in place as I force my soul to stop stretching toward hers.

“My room. Fuck, yes. I can have light in my bathroom. Everyone, stay here. I’ll be right back.”

The four of us watch her haul ass out of the kitchen and down her hallway. I finally breathe once she’s out of my sight.