Page 94 of The Gods Veiling (The Valorian Veil #1)

Thayla

If not for the weight of Amick’s hand on my knee, I’d bolt for my room.

What I thought was going to be, honestly, a screaming match, has turned into something so much more.

My heart’s been sitting in my throat since Amick and Kyzen came to my room and checked on me. I knew their declaration of both wanting to be in a relationship with me wasn’t going to be the most surprising announcement made, but it set the scene for my emotions.

Hope has warred with fear since walking out my bedroom door.

They pretty much offered me my nonstop fantasy right there on a gold platter and I wanted to scream yes but couldn’t.

I didn’t and don’t give a fuck about the societal issues we may face in that situation like Amick pointed out.

I’m used to society’s rejection.

I was petrified they’d be furious and want nothing to do with me once they found out the truth right after offering me what I’ve desperately wanted despite my denial.

I’ve constantly shut down my own thoughts about them because I couldn’t work out a real, functioning relationship in my mind. I’d never want to choose between them and cause issues .

My wildest dreams revolve around having more than one of them all to myself. Those are daydreams…fantasies, though. Never did I think that would translate to my reality.

I’m still not processing the possibility or logistics completely. Plus, I have to have a conversation with Riven and Creed.

Guilt and unease bubble in my gut right along with everything else.

Another truth, one that’s hard to admit to myself, much less them, is I want the four of them.

All for different reasons and all in different ways.

I can’t fathom choosing Amick and Kyzen if the other two are going to hate and resent us for that.

Especially not after they just found out what they did.

That was the largest and last secret I’ve been keeping from them.

The abundance of information thrown at me in the last few minutes, though, has my mind shutting down. It’s hard to force myself not to stare off and lose myself to the thoughts.

Overwhelmed isn’t a strong enough word to describe what’s going on inside of me.

My system’s fried by the rapid change of my want and opinion about my soul being inside the four of them. Even after last night and the beginning of this conversation, I still held a great amount of fear about them having slivers of it. Anyone having that amount of power over me scares me to death.

What scares me even more, though, is the possibility they just presented to me.

I’d hate to break it to them if they changed their minds and didn’t want my soul, but that’s where it’s staying.

I really and naively thought I had it all figured out last night after getting out of the hot spring.

In my mind, I’d worked it out that because of what was done to the guys and choices my parents made that are now directly affecting me, that the choice we’d have to make is stand against the Abandon.

That’s the most unnerving and out-of-order place I’ve ever seen. It was simple to conclude that. Fix the problem that is the Abandon, it’ll fix the problems in the realm.

Like obviously we’d choose to stand against it.

It feels far deeper than that, though. Like only standing against the Abandon isn’t enough.

Why go to such lengths to make sure I’m never killed?

My life is no more valuable or important than any other god. Also, not to sound overly sure about myself, especially after what Gladian did to me yesterday, but I believe my chances of survival are higher than the average .

Between the power and skills of my Valtrue, add in Creed’s killing sword, my own power settling—which we still don’t know what it is, nor have we addressed it—I’m confident that it’d be hard to kill me.

I’m going to continue telling myself that until all my doubt and fear dissipate.

None of them, aside from Riven, have voiced that they want my soul gone or their feelings about what this all means, but we’ve been rapid firing one large remark to the next in the span of a few minutes.

Once the realm’s largest dickhead leaves our front door, maybe they’ll have time to let this information settle. Then they’ll decide they don’t want to have that much responsibility over my life or be involved more than they’re forced to be in the taurnshit the realm has going on.

Fuck, my life is in their hands. Literally.

“Come on,” Kyzen says quietly as he grips my hand and pulls me up.

“Wait, we’re all answering the door?”

“Yeah. He never shows up here unless he’s demanding to see all of us. I can count on my hands the number of times he’s come to our door in twenty years.”

Shit…I bet this is about yesterday and he’s about to tear my ass a new one.

The tension bleeding between the five of us is strong. I struggle to swallow with how clogged my throat is from my nerves.

I would’ve figured the whipping Gladian gave me would’ve been enough of a punishment I’d have to face. I never even considered the High Chancellor would get involved.

Creed and Amick step slightly in front of us as we approach the door. The four of them all exchange a nod, then they all give me one. Kyzen tightens his grip on my hand, and I squeeze his back in silent thanks.

“Amick, Creed.”

“High Chancellor,” they reply in sync with a small tilt of their heads, then their muscles go rigid.

Kyzen and Riven step closer to me on each side and I try to peer around the other two to see what has them reacting that way, but their bodies block me completely.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Amick asks.

“This is not of my doing. I am only coming to retrieve you. Your father has requested a meeting. You may take a minute to yourself, gather your Binder, and report to the temple. He is already waiting for you. They have orders to escort you there when you come out. Make sure you come out.”

Excuse me? Their who ?

The condescending tone that his voice usually carries is absent. I caught the slightest bit of tremble in it, actually.

The guys all react the same.

They’ve fallen statue-still. Their powers caress my skin, and I suck in a deep breath from the incredible sensation of it all at one time. Yet, my body shivers as a cold breeze blows through the house.

None of them reply when the High Chancellor shuts the door himself.

My head swivels to each of them, but they’re literally frozen in their places.

“Guys…” None of them even flinch and my heart skips a beat.

Did the High Chancellor or whoever is out there do something to them?

I remove my fingers from Kyzen’s death grip and turn to touch Riven’s arm. He doesn’t budge. Neither does Amick nor Creed when I lay my hands on their backs.

What the fuck is happening?

My feet trip over themselves as I ease myself away from them. The wobbling in my knees makes it hard to stay standing from the pressure of their power building around us.

My mind whirls on what to do. None of them respond to me calling their names nor do they even seem to see what’s happening around them.

Panic grips me as the last thing the High Chancellor said rings in my ear. As wavering as his voice was, that was a clear threat.

We have no choice but to come out there.

And my Valtrue is obviously facing some internal turmoil.

I suck in as much air as I possibly can and release it slowly. My breath fans through my lips at the same time as I stroke my soul. Just as I had done in the tunnel to Creed, I coax it gently even though now I know I won’t do any harm.

I don’t want to startle them and get knocked the hell out with their powers or worse, cause the souls inside of them to retaliate against me instinctively.

A flutter races across my chest as someone responds and their bodies bristle. They each spin on their heels faster than the blink of an eye.

I’m not even sure I saw them move.

My breathing grows erratic as it speeds up to match the tempo of theirs. Their hands shake by their sides and their eyes are piercing as they fall on me.

“Guys—”

“They’ve more than likely surrounded the house. We need an escape route for her,” Kyzen says.

“If the High Chancellor said to gather her, he already knows about her. ”

“I don’t give a fuck. Riven, call for Derivius.”

“Already on it.”

“Kyzen, we don’t have a choice. If she runs, he’ll make it a game. You know this.” Creed’s low voice silences the others and my fretful gaze bounces between them.

“What’s happening right now?”

“Thayla,” Creed says.

I don’t know if it’s a reprimand, warning, or apology.

“Why would your father request a meeting? I didn’t even know he was still alive. I kind of chalked him up to being dead. Why would the High Chancellor come and get you for this? Why—”

“There’s something we need to be honest with you about, little goddess.”

The pleading in Kyzen’s eyes and voice has my body trembling, and chill bumps break out across my skin.

My lips part, but no sound escapes me. I blink repeatedly.

“Remember when you made the comment about our last names not being listed in your Deliverance, and I never readdressed it?”

Well, I hadn’t really thought about it until now.

“Yeah…”

He exhales slowly, flexing his fingers as he stares at me. “That’s because we don’t have one. Our biological father, his name is Kirabaddon.”

Kirabaddon. Why does that sound…

I gasp and my hand flies to my mouth as I fight back bile. “As in…”

“Yes. Kirabaddon, the Beginning God of Obliteration.