Page 67 of The Gods Veiling (The Valorian Veil #1)

Her ancient laugh rumbles across my mind. “No thanks needed, Creed. I see this will be a very interesting flight.”

I internally groan.

That can’t be good.

By the time I enter last, the tension can be cut with any of the swords strapped to us. Kyzen’s taken what would normally be the Escort’s seat and Thayla’s perched in his lap.

Amick’s sitting in the chair closest to the door with Riven beside him. Mellcom and Jeremiah are on the other side, leaving the middle seat, directly across from Thayla, open for me.

The carriage jerks as Fausta takes off, but the silence is more jarring than the movement. Thayla refuses to look at the two gods across from her, while they won’t look anywhere but at her.

My skin heats with a mixture of feelings about that.

“We’ve been here a month, sweet T, and you haven’t come to see me one time. I’m hurt.”

Our heads slowly turn toward Jeremiah. He’s too busy staring at our Binder to see the warning flowing off us .

“I unfortunately see you every day, Jeremiah.”

“Aww, come on now, you know what I mean.”

Riven leans forward, smiling and rubbing his thumb across his lips as he stares Jeremiah down. “Well, I don’t know what you mean, Jerry. Please, do explain to the carriage this little inside joke you have with our Binder.”

A cruel smile spreads across Jeremiah’s face, but it’s not pointed at Riven. It’s still on Thayla. My fingers twitch with the need to grip my sword and ram it through his throat.

“She may be your Binder now, but she was more than that for me. She was mine. Always will be, right, sweet T?”

Thayla’s body goes rigid as Kyzen slowly looks around her to stare at the obviously stupid and arrogant god. She doesn’t respond, but her eyes shut down in a way I’ve never witnessed before. The desire to kill him right where he sits is scripted across her smooth, unwavering face.

It’s a level of calm you only reach when you’ve decided someone’s fate for them.

Quicker than I can react, the carriage doors swing open and Jeremiah is being lifted by the collar of his armor. The winds whip through the small space and the piercing sound nearly blocks out my bellow.

“Amick, put him down.” I slam my hand against Mellcom’s chest as he rises to his feet. My look alone has his eyes narrowing, but he doesn’t push me.

“Do you see the ground, Jeremiah?” Amick’s tone is the same as always, but the red that’s crept from his neck to his face tells a different story. “No, you don’t. Because we’re thousands of feet in the air. How long do you think it’ll take you to hit the dirt beneath us?”

Riven claps and kicks his feet like a child who had too much sugar as Amick forces Jeremiah to lean over the threshold of the open doors. “Gods, this is the best day of my life.”

“Given your silence, I’ll take that as you don’t know.

Not surprising in the least bit. The answer is less than a minute.

That minute will feel like eternity as your life flashes before your eyes.

I imagine there won’t be much for you to reflect on, given that you are a self-absorbed, pathetic man.

Not even worthy of the title god. It’s pitiful that you didn’t heed the two warnings I gave you.

I never give a third. I don’t have the patience for it. ”

Amick releases him and his bellow echoes through the small space.

It’s abruptly cut off when Kyzen’s power bursts free and the next thing we know, a still screaming Jeremiah is plopped on his ass on the floor. Mellcom quickly reaches down and snatches him up, shaking him until he comes back to reality.

“You fucking psycho.”

“I’m not the psycho of our Valtrue, but my tolerance for you has reached its limit. My brother obviously saw fit that you should’ve been saved, but don’t mistake that for me holding the same opinion.”

As collected as he always is, Amick walks over to Thayla, where she’s staring at all of us, wide-eyed. He offers her his hand and with the slightest tremble, she reaches for it.

I bow my head and close my eyes as he takes the seat Kyzen had been occupying and pulls her down.

He rarely loses his cool.

He has an aversion to touch.

He’s changing right before my eyes.

“We’ll be there in two minutes. The last thing we need to do as soon as we arrive is explain to Gladian how one of his Valtrue members didn’t survive the trip. They still have to survive what we’re about to face,” Kyzen says as he takes Amick’s seat.

“You know something I don’t understand.” Mellcom’s voice has a calculating ring to it. It isn’t cocky like his little friend’s, but the hair on the back of my neck stands at his pitch.

I slowly observe his calm face, while Riven snorts. “I imagine there’s a whole list, Golden boy.”

He hums, roaming his eyes over us before settling on Thayla. “Possibly, but in this moment, I’m failing to understand the heightened protectiveness and jealousy coming from the four of you over Thayla, when you’ve all failed her so miserably.”

“You’re one to talk about someone failing someone else, Mellcom.” Venom drips from Thayla’s words.

“I understand you still feel that way. In your eyes, I failed you, but in my heart, I know I gave you everything. What I didn’t do is load you into a carriage without explaining the truth of what you’re about to face.

I didn’t perch you in here on my lap like a glorified whore we’re taking on a lovely night flight when the reality is, we’re about to arrive at the gods’ war zone.

“A division made because there’s a Beginning God who’s fighting for control and the right to rule the entire realm.

The Abandon is what it’s called. On the other side, monsters and undead gods are waiting to tear us to shreds and take over the Godsdawn.

Your Valtrue knows all about it. It’s where they’re from.

Yet they didn’t tell you the first thing.

They didn’t warn you. These…creatures we’re about to face are incredibly difficult to kill. ”

Her glare meets each one of ours until it settles on mine. The questions are clear. Is this what I meant when I told her I go places she can’t go or know about? Is this what I was trying to protect her from knowing about?

I nod.

It isn’t just the Abandon I didn’t want her to know about yet.

The time for her to know was coming fast. This incident just sped it up.

She’s far more observant than she leads on to be, so she’s always known there was a deeper reason for our secrecy.

She doesn’t push, just like Kyzen made us agree we wouldn’t push her for her secrets either.

Ours, though…I don’t think she could tell us anything that will match the level of fucked up our history holds.

She’s going to learn our truth now because of this and realize she’s been tied to four abominations that never should’ve existed.

“Not another word, Mellcom.”

Her voice is low, deadly, and he chuckles.

“Sure, Thay. Don’t worry, though, I’ll take care of you out here. Just as I always have.”

The carriage wheels touch down and each of our backs straightens. As soon as we stop rolling, the seven of us stand as one.

“Go,” I command to Mellcom and Jeremiah.

The second they exit the door, Kyzen speaks, “Thayla—”

She holds her hand up. “Not yet and not here. If what he said is true, I got to get my mind right. I’m fucking livid you all didn’t tell me about this, but if this…

this place plays that large of a role in your lives, I sure as fuck don’t want to hear it from him.

If I survive this, then we’ll all start talking. ”

I grab her arm as she tries to walk out of the carriage. “I swear it on my soul , you will survive this. Stay close to us and don’t be afraid to use that sword. On any who threaten you.”

She looks down at my fingers wrapped around her forearm, then she bats her lashes at me. A deadly smile creeps across her face, and I have to restrain myself from snatching her closer to me.

One by one, she plucks my fingers off and a sultry little laugh falls from her lips. “Careful, Creed. That almost sounded like you care about me. ”

She finally removes my thumb and turns from me without another word or backward glance at any of us. I don’t know whether to be turned on by the vicious energy pouring off her or worried.

I honestly can’t tell if the mood is directed at us, the two fuckers who just left the carriage, or this situation. Fuck, it’s probably everything.

“She’s about to lose her shit. This is so fucking exciting. There are Veilatara flying around in my belly right now.”

You can’t always tell the difference between Riven’s laughs. But there’s one that’s higher pitched, much like a giggle.

It always means chaos.

That’s the noise that leaves him.

“Wait for me, little burden.”

Amick, Kyzen, and I follow him out. Mellcom and Jeremiah are standing in front of the shimmering barrier, observing it closely. Riven’s laced his fingers with Thayla’s, and their opposite hands hold their swords.

They look like a couple.

Ready to rain fucking chaos.

“There’s an army of them tonight. Four of our gods have already been taken to the healing villas. They’re about to break through the stronghold lines. The rest of your group has already gone through, and we only have one Valtrue on this side.”

“Thanks, Mika,” I say, then turn to the three who don’t know, or I suppose they don’t know what he means. “Our stronghold is one hundred feet from the other side of this barrier. We cross and get over there as fast as possible. You two find your Valtrue.”

Everyone acknowledges me in some way.

Home sweet fucking home.

Here we come.