Page 90 of The Gods Veiling (The Valorian Veil #1)

The second being created behind the Beginning Gods. In fact, the creature created to guide them and be the center means of communication to the Valories. They are deities in their own right.

No.

“Yes, my dear girl. That’s the truth you’re so fearful of in this moment. I am the last living Vedarya and what we just experienced was our Calling. I’ll be here from now on to guide you. All those important to me call me V. Your journey has truly begun, Thayla Godrun.”

Nope .

My body shakes as I stagger back. I continue to backpedal through the water until my legs hit a rocky ledge and I fall into the nature-made seat. I stare mindlessly into the water as I start to hyperventilate.

“Everything will be okay.”

I lift my head to find V perched on top of the water a foot in front of my face. “How…how could that be remotely true? My life continues to be flipped around, and I don’t have any idea why or what’s going on.”

“If you looked inside of yourself, you’d realize you know a lot more than you believe you do. It has been overwhelming, to say the least, but your mind and heart have already started putting the pieces together. Now it’s just a matter of accepting it.”

A touch of anger bubbles in my belly and I slam my eyes shut. “Why do I have to accept that my fate, my future, my damn soul, everything up to this point in my life has been decided for me? I refuse to accept that.”

“Your fate and future haven’t been decided for you.

The Valories quit dictating their beings’ lives for them long ago when they realized the error of their ways.

They aligned things, yes, but every decision has ultimately been up to you.

I was the only piece of something they set in stone for you.

One way or another, Godsden or Oddian, I would’ve come to you.

Where we go from here is left in your hands. ”

I glare at him incredulously. “I’m sorry, are you trying to tell me right now it was my decision to be put into the Veiling against my will by a meddling god then have my soul split four ways by another meddling god?”

“Those may have not been your direct decisions, but yes, you made decisions that created new outcomes and brought you here. Which is where you should be, if I might add. The night Mellcom devised his plan, had you not originally planned to eat dinner with Lambrit then changed your mind?”

My lips part in shock. “How did you know that?”

“And when you were Chosen, you had the choice to run to the barrier but then decided against it to not bring forth any harm to others in Oddian. Isn’t that right?”

“H-how?”

“Because I am your Vedarya and you are my Vedae. I’ve spent the last two hundred and twenty-five years since my return to the Valorian Veil preparing and evolving.

I’ve seen what you’ve been through in preparation for what you will go through.

You’ll be my most challenging connection yet because unlike any other, you don’t have a set path for me to keep you on.

I’ll be guiding mostly blind for the first time in my existence. ”

I’m too overwhelmed to speak, even think. My heart races at an unhealthy speed as fear, panic, excitement, hell, I don’t even know what else, pound through me.

How is it possible to feel both incredibly disappointed and proud to have not one but two revered connections?

Why the fuck is this happening to me?

“Because your parents were the ultimate believers in the Valories and the Valorian Veil itself. The Beginning Gods crushed that faith in them and the Valories promised to restore it.”

Him both responding to my thoughts and bringing up my parents wasn’t even on my list of things that I thought would come out of his mind next. It throws my shock to new heights.

“This is too much,” I whisper.

“For tonight, yes, probably so. I’ll leave you for the night with my first guiding advice.

Take some time in the sacred spring to heal more than your body.

Gather your thoughts and feelings. Allow your mind to put some pieces together and be honest with yourself about what you want.

That includes the decisions on your soul. ”

My soul…

“Am I supposed to keep you a secret from my Valtrue or anyone else?”

“I’d rather not be a secret from your Valtrue, but if you want me to be, I can be. I’ll warn you, though, being honest will always make decisions so much easier.”

With unexplainable grace, V flaps his wings once and glides until he sits on Seismet’s back. I gawk, mesmerized and increasingly overwhelmed at the sight.

I’m connected to two revered creatures.

Seismet huffs. “That you are. We’ll leave you for now. You’re safe here in the spring, so do as V said. He’s usually right.”

“Usually? Don’t insult me with such doubt.”

I slowly shake my head as they disappear into the dark forest.

My throat bobs as I swallow harshly and really take in my surroundings. Behind the rocky edge of the spring are woodlands but on what I’d consider the entrance into this little pool is a grassy meadow.

The light provided by the powerful water doesn’t expand far and I convince myself that they’d never leave me out here with the possibility of something or someone bad emerging from the shadows.

Just to be on the safe side, I swim from the edge.

I momentarily forgot about my back, so I stop moving, only for no pain to come .

Tentatively, I flex my shoulder blades, and a sob tries to escape me. Not because it hurt but because the minuscule tug against my skin feels like freedom.

I won’t attempt to lie to myself and say I didn’t enjoy being carried by Creed. There’s something incredibly sexy about a man willing to carry and take care of me when I can’t do it myself.

At the same time, though, it’s hard for me to allow that. There’s been more times than not, I’ve allowed a man I cared about do something nice for me, only for it to be used against me later.

I close my eyes at the thought and sink into the water until it touches my chin.

My favorite thing to do back home after a really hard day was soak in the hot spring and swim until my muscles were too relaxed to function properly. It always made everything better.

There’s no denying that this hot spring is different, though.

The power alone radiating from it is something I can’t begin to explain.

It forces my nerves to calm with every stroke and my mind stays focused on one thing at a time.

Every time I try to clear or ignore a thought, it comes to the forefront of my mind faster, harder, until I give in and think it through.

The events that have transpired since I got here, the cryptic messages I’ve received, the connections, the relationships, the betrayals, all of it.

I’m forced to face it.

My swimming stops as I sob. I stand in the center of the spring right beneath the moon and cry harder than I’ve cried in too many years to remember. The tears that slide down my cheeks are different from the ones today that I shed while I got whipped.

These are cleansing and crippling.

There’s a weight lifting off my chest, yet I’m bubbling with humiliation, and I hate that I’m allowing myself to break like this.

I release a deep breath when the stream of tears slows. It’s almost loud enough to cover the sound of a limb cracking.

My head jerks and my eyes lock on the one person I really could’ve done with not seeing for a while. At least until all my embarrassment from today was washed away.

“It looks like my angel’s wings have been clipped.”

I can’t force words out of my mouth as Riven slowly strolls to the edge of the hot spring. He doesn’t stop walking as he takes one stone step at a time down. I didn’t even know those were there .

The water cascades around his hips as he finally falls still and cocks his head at me.

“Why are you here?” I ask through a closed throat.

“I could ask you the same. This is my hiding spot.”

“How long have you been hiding here?”

“Twenty years.”

His answer throws me for a loop at first until I realize he means since he and his brothers were brought to the Godsdawn.

“I meant tonight.”

“I just got here.”

Silence fills the feet separating us until he chuckles and I squeeze my fists.

“I can’t do this, Riven. Not tonight, please.”

“You can’t do what, little burden? Enjoy my company?”

“Yes…that. This place has taken too much out of me tonight.”

“Oh, it hasn’t taken anything. Its power knows what needs to be healed, whether it’s body, mind, or soul. You just feel worn out because you bottle it all up all the time.”

“You’re one to call someone out.”

“I never said I didn’t do that. How do you think I know what you’re feeling?”

It’s my turn to cock my head at him. “Is that why you come here?”

“Nosy little thing.”

My lids slam shut and unfortunately the motion forces the water that was still gathered in my eyes to fall. It takes every drop of pride in me to keep from wiping them away.

I will not let him embarrass me in this moment.

“Yes, I come here to release it all. The thoughts and feelings that run through me are better spoken to a hot spring that can’t judge me rather than beings with ears and opinions that can.”

My gaze collides with his at his omission. “I wouldn’t judge you.”

“You just did a moment ago. The second you saw me, your first thought was you couldn’t be bothered to deal with my eccentricity. My chaos isn’t even at the helm right now.”

My lips part and shame sears across my chest. I’m very guilty of constantly assuming Riven’s going to do something to piss me off. His chaotic side is always more present than the other, so I expect it.

There have been very few moments that’ve given me an opportunity to see a more serious side of him.

Even then, he’s unreliable when it comes to expressing his true feelings about me being his Binder, our situation, and anything else going on.

He keeps me in a state of confusion I really don’t have the energy for right now.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to judge. I just put my feelings first before I even considered yours. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

“I can tell. It’s written across your whole face.”

I tear my eyes from his and look into the depths of the dark forest. “I need to ask you something and if you’ll give me an answer, I’d like it to be as honest as you can make it.”

He hums. “That depends on the question. How serious is it?”

“A soul level kind of serious.”

“Souls really aren’t my domain. Wrong brother for that.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’m the Binder to all four of you, not just one of you. This is something I’ll ask them as well.”

“Now you’ve got me intrigued and I appreciate the fact I’m the first you’re asking, so go ahead.”

My slow, steady breath passes through my lips. This is a truth I need from each of them before I decide what to do next.

“If someone could find a way to unpair us, take away our Valtrue tie, is that something you want? Would you like to be without a Binder again?”

“Is this a real possibility or you’re just being hopeful?”

My chest pulls tight. “This is a real possibility.”

He’s quiet for a long moment and I bite my bottom lip as I stare at the trees I can’t even see. My hand unconsciously rubs at the C branded into my wrist as I wait for his answer.

His fingers wrap around my jaw as he turns my head to look at him. His eyes hold no power as they bore into me. One’s burgundy, the other blue.

“Do you find it strange I really want to lick the tears from your cheeks?”

What the fuck?

My mouth falls open. That’s the only thing I can do. I can’t even produce an answer to that question in my mind.

“There they are.”

I blink. “What?”

His thumb rubs my drying tears in a circle. “I may not put stars in your eyes, but I bring color to your cheeks and ‘what the fuck did he just say’ wrinkles to your forehead. I enjoy those reactions immensely. If someone were to take them from me, well…I’d just simply have to take them back. ”

The smirk on his face is sickly satisfied by my silence.

And internally, I’m sickly satisfied by his weird-ass answer.

“Well, all right then.”

He chuckles. “Does that answer your question enough?”

“Yeah, I’ll accept that answer.” For now.

The hand that’s still wrapped around my jaw turns my head to the side and he bends down to my ear. “Good. Now go bother Creed and leave me be. When you get out, walk straight that way. You’ll find him.”

He releases me and I go stumbling forward toward the steps. I catch myself two stones up and glare at him over my shoulder.

“You ruined the moment, asshole.”

He stands statue-still, swirling eyes locked on me but not my face.

“Riven?”

“Go, Thayla.”

The low, honestly scary warning has me climbing my way out of the water, not looking back at him as I start scampering through the woods.

Confusing-ass little psycho.

I’m going to crack him open like a nut.