Page 134 of The Gods Veiling
“Really? No reason rings a bell?”
“None whatsoever.”
“Other than the highly insulting nickname you continue to call me, how about the kiss you laid on me without my permission?”
Beside me, Yemi gasps, then snorts. I forgot I hadn’t told her about that, and I eye her as she tries but fails to cover up her laughter.
Riven groans dramatically and throws his hands in the air. “Kyzen and Creed have already yelled at me about that, and you slapped the shit out of me. I gave you a present to make up for it and I haven’t done it again. I believe you should stop holding it over my head.”
“I believe you should apologize for it, stop calling me a burden, then I’ll consider changing the way I look at you.”
“Oh, angel, I’ve seen the way you look at me. Right now, we’re discussing how you treat me. I do have feelings.”
I poke my tongue into my cheek to stop from both popping off and smirking. I think all four of them have caught me ogling them. He and Kyzen are the only two to blatantly call me out about it.
“I have feelings as well and I don’t like being called a burden.”
“You’re not a burden,” Kyzen says, then scowls at Riven’s drawn-out “Well…”
I roll my eyes. I’m torn between thinking he really does view me as a burden and he’s only doing it because he knows it bothers me. I’ve noticed how he does shit to get under Amick’s skin to try to get a rise out of him. It wouldn’t surprise me if this is some weird-ass test he’s putting me through and I’m failing every time.
I decide not to play into him and focus on Yemi. “On a scale of one to ten, how surprised do you think Havar’s going to be?”
“Off that chart. I haven’t seen him to tell him I have an Attending God. He’s probably about to be pissed you’re bringing me out here.” She laughs and I smile at the sass.
“I see pissing your cousin off pleases you.” I chuckle along with her. “He didn’t see you at the Veiling ceremony and witness my embarrassment?”
“No. At least I didn’t see him. The Escorts and a few other select gods are allowed to miss the ceremony if duty is standing in the way. The Veilatara are an excuse high up there. He usually doesn’t, but I guess it took him longer at the meadows than normal. He’s been a lot busier now that he has a mentee.”
“Oh yeah, I briefly met him. Havar told him he’d meet him at the meadows when he dropped us off.”
She goes to say something, but Kyzen cuts in with his own question. “What about the Veiling ceremony embarrassed you?”
“Uh, the passing out in front of the entire Godsdawn. I saw all those eyes on me as the four of you stampeded your way up there.”
“Oh, well, we were to you before you even hit the ground. Creed caught you and Amick took your Deliverance from the High Chancellor so he couldn’t read it in front of everyone. He didn’t give it back to him until we were at the healing villas.”
“There’s no way. You all were still like halfway in the crowd when I saw you.”
“Ask Yemi.”
Her wide eyes tell me he’s telling the truth.
“You didn’t think that was something you should’ve mentioned?”
“When should I have brought that up? When you woke up freaking out or during ourstroll? No, I didn’t think either of those times was a very good moment to bring that up. I really haven’t thought about it since then.”
My nose scrunches thinking about how she witnessed both of those very low moments for me. Yeah, it probably was a good idea she didn’t tell me I was caught and carried away like a damsel in distress.
“I guess it isn’t so bad then knowing I wasn’t just lying there for everyone to gawk at.”
“Oh, everyone was definitely gawking at the fearsome Creed carrying you off the platform and the High Chancellor throwing a stink about not announcing you.” Riven chuckles and I glare.
“All right, enough, we’re coming up on the meadow.”
Kyzen’s words have a smile replacing my frown and I put a little pep in my step to catch up to his side.
A gorgeous stretch of green grass sits at the end of the tree-lined path not too far in front of us. Excitement thrums through my blood at the thought of seeing a herd of Veilatara.
