Page 85 of The Gods Veiling (The Valorian Veil #1)

Creed

The God of Strength hits his knees before me as his own whip latches around his throat.

Even though she looked away from me, I don’t move my eyes from her.

From her blood.

It’s a river cascading down her back.

Her tanned skin is no longer visible.

A pitiful whimper sounds through the air as my brothers reach her and begin freeing her. My soul tries to rip me to shreds. It’s a fucking war to force my feet to stay where they are.

My body’s been a battleground since the second I felt her soul wither in pain. I knew something was wrong. I knew she needed me. Needed us.

This isn’t what I thought I’d find.

I don’t even know now what I was fearful to see.

There’s a ferociousness flowing between the four of us right now. No doubt seeing her in this condition has briefly made my brothers forget that they felt that pull. That something inside of them forced them to come to her.

They’ll soon remember, though.

When she’s okay and out of this fucking Court.

She’ll never step foot in here again.

As Gladian relentlessly tries to get the whip from around his neck, I push more of my power and my eyes flare brighter. The natural pain my power can produce embeds itself in his weapon and grips him tighter.

I need to see every move they make with her.

I have to watch her leave that post.

Riven scoops her up with her chest pressed to his. She’s so limp, he has to wrap her legs around his waist for her, while Amick adjusts her arms. Kyzen gently pushes the hair out of her tear-soaked face.

The look of relief in her eyes when Riven pivots his body to glare at me is nearly my undoing. I’ve given her no reason to trust or not trust me. I’ve given her nothing but clipped words and vague information.

I told her to stay away. Quit pushing me.

It’s my own fault she thought I’d ever hurt her.

The second Riven gets a better grip under her thighs, he takes off running. There’s no doubt his harmony half is eating him alive, and he can’t resist but to make whatever’s going on inside of her better. There’s also no question that his chaos side is raging at that fact.

He and his power may hate it right now, but he’s the best man to get her out of here and to the healing villas. He can wrap his power around her and try to outweigh the pain.

Her small cry and the way her trembling hand stretches toward me make me see black. It’s like she’s trying to apologize for doubting my intentions. She has no reason to do that.

A small caress flows across her soul inside of me and I want nothing more than to latch onto it, seal it to mine for forever.

I won’t do that.

I refuse to ever do that to her.

The situation she’s in is bad enough. I won’t make it worse by letting my soul devour hers.

I finally turn to face Gladian as Kyzen and Amick take a side each of mine. His face is three shades redder but not near the color her back was.

“From this moment forward, you and your Valtrue are to have no contact of any kind with our Binder. She’s excused utterly and completely from responsibility in the Gods Court. Nod that you understand me.”

The deep baritone of Kyzen’s voice has the entire Defender designation stepping back .

Gladian tries his hardest to get out of the restraint I have him in, but it’s futile. I’ve gone easy. I’ve suppressed my abilities and allowed him to believe just because he’s the God of Strength he’s above me.

His pointless competition has gone on long enough.

I’ve allowed this so we could keep the peace. I wanted the freedom and flexibility to be elsewhere besides this Court day in and day out. Even after this is over, I still expect that. I don’t want or have any intentions to take his spot, but he’ll know after today where he stands with me.

“Answer my brother,” I command.

His glare narrows darkly as he scans the three of us. He offers only a minuscule blink, but it’s a recognition, nonetheless.

I take a knee in front of him and grab his jaw with my free hand. I force him to look into the depth of my eyes while I say my peace.

“Let it be known, Gladian, I’m sparing your life today for the simple fact I know I can’t take on the Beginning Gods. If not for them, I’d be taking your soul down to Hellveilious for laying your whip against my Binder’s flesh.”

I don’t smile at his bristling or the way his eyes widen with his fear. I get no pleasure from this, and I don’t say any of this to gloat. I mean every word from the darkest parts of my soul.

“If you’ve forgotten how you felt receiving that scar twenty years ago, then keep pushing us.

We’ll remind you. I’ll show you what a kiss from death truly feels like.

I don’t have to kill you or steal your soul for you to feel agony every day for the rest of your life.

Remember that, Gladian, and inform your Valtrue. ”

I stand, embedding my power deeper into his blessed object and killing off every drop of godly essence in it as I go. When I sense there’s nothing left but dry, brittle leather, I snatch it forward.

He crumbles to all fours while his weapon crumbles to pieces.

My heart hammers and body thrums with the desire to run straight for the healing villas, but I pull my shoulders back. With Amick and Kyzen at my side, we leave with our heads held high and make sure every Defender and god otherwise in here sees our unwavering place.

Our Valtrue, especially our Binder, is not to be fucked with.

I give in to my desperate desire as soon as we make our way out of the exit of the Court.

Kyzen and Amick sprint in stride with me the entire way to the healing villas. None of us speak until we race into the halls and find Riven pacing. Then we all talk at once .

“What’s going on?”

“Is she okay?”

“Who’s working on her?”

His eyes swirl like a fierce whirlpool coming from the depths in the Lost Sea. “She passed out as soon as we left the Court. I couldn’t get her to wake up. That one girl who almost gave her an orgasm and a couple of others are in there now. Is Gladian dead?”

“No, he’s not. You know I can’t do that, Riven.”

He releases a single, dark laugh as he takes a dangerous step toward me. “You can but didn’t.”

“You and I know good and well what me killing a Domain God would do. They’d strip our powers, possibly for good this time. Then we’d be easy pickings. Think with some fucking sense right now.”

His chest rises and falls. The rapid motion makes me look at his clothes. Even though they were chest to chest, her blood is still clinging to him. It’s everywhere.

That’s when I notice the trail on the floor leading under the door. The sight makes me sick and feral.

“What caused this?” Amick asks low.

I ball my fists so hard, the sound of my knuckles cracking echoes around us. “From what I gathered, it seems her power settled and unleashed in the Court.”

I grit out what I was told and what I assume happened. It’s easy for me to piece it together. Thayla’s nothing if not protective and ready to stand for what she believes is right in a heartbeat.

No one says anything, then Kyzen starshoots away.

I close my eyes to force them from white to gray. This situation is one with the power to push us all over the edge.

It isn’t a moment later, Kyzen is reappearing, escorting Yemi by her arm up to us with her cousin right behind him. Judging by her bruised face and only one fully opened eye, I’d say the blanks I filled in for what happened are spot-on.

“I’ll go do as you said when I know she’s not in any sort of trouble. Thayla said she was going to talk with you all, but you’re acting like Yemi’s about to be punished.”

“The only one about to be punished is you, Havar, if you don’t go get the fucking Veilatara and carriage I told you to. Yemi’s not in trouble. She’s about to get healed and tell us what happened. Now go. ”

Very smart thinking on Kyzen’s part. Not that I’m surprised, but it occurred to him faster than it did for me that when Thayla can leave, she may not be able to walk. She’s not going to allow us to carry her through the Godsdawn, though.

There’s a tense beat of silence as the four of us stare Havar down and Yemi nervously takes in each of us. “Go do as he said, please.”

He sighs, glances at her, all of us, then her once more before turning on his heels and leaving.

Kyzen removes his hand from her arm and steps out of her space. “What happened today?”

She shifts nervously on her feet. “What did Thayla tell you?”

“Yemi, we just need you to please—”

“No, no, no. There’s no sense in coddling her, Kyzen.

Dear sweet Yemi,” Riven singsongs, making her pivot anxiously toward him.

“Whatever happened to you caused our Binder, your Attending God’s power to settle and come out in, I’m sure, a blaze of glory that we all missed.

What we didn’t miss, though, is how her back was torn to shreds by Gladian’s whip.

So you have three seconds to tell me what happened to you so we know if it was our Valtrue or theirs who stepped over the line first. Then I can react accordingly. ”

Her face becomes horrified. It seems it’s at that second she realizes the blood on him, on the floor, and how Thayla is missing from this discussion. Her head shakes back and forth repeatedly as she looks at me.

“She told me she was going to talk to you, well, all of you, but you specifically.” Her voice trembles with her words. A couple deep breaths and clearings of her throat, she tells us everything that happened.

My blood grows hotter.

Mara was at fault, no matter how you look at it. She approached, cornered, and touched another god’s Attendant. As ridiculous and disgusting as the traditions surrounding the Designation have become, there’re still rules to follow.

She broke them and got what she deserved.

With that being said, I can assure you I’m a hypocrite. I couldn’t give a single fuck about all the rules Thayla broke after that. They each were a consequence of what Mara set in motion.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” all our heads turn toward Jay.

“Is she okay?” Kyzen asks.