Page 188 of The Gods Veiling
We have a Binder that I want and that I’m going to protect from him.
Not just him. Silently, I swear to fuck any of my brothers up if they dare try to untie us.
Not that she wasn’t already, but she’s now officially stuck with the Abandon brothers.
Thayla
25
It’s been a week since that dreadful night in the Abandon and last night was the first night I slept in my room.
No one called me out about it even though they knew by the next morning my small amount of power that’s settled allowed me to control the lights. I just didn’t want to be on the other end of the house alone.
If I closed my eyes in the shower too long, the water would turn black and a little girl’s voice in my mind would beg me not to leave her. My soul would jerk painfully in my chest every time I drifted too far away from the guys. That’s been a confusing and unfortunate side effect of my inner turmoil.
Other than that, nothing life-altering has occurred. No Beginning Gods have starshot into our home to kill or kidnap us. The Godsdawn and the Defenders act like that night never happened. No one even speaks about it.
A shift in my Valtrue has happened, though.
Every day since then, both Kyzen and Creed join Yemi, Lambrit, Rose, and I on our runs. They don’t interfere or really even talk, but they show up in the backyard every morning like clockwork.
Creed now shields me in training at the Court even more than he did before. He informed me the day after the Abandon that, even though he doesn’t know what exact ability Mellcom has, it’s definitely a mental one and for me never to look him in the eye again.
That shit made me want to scream. It was his mind messing with my emotions. He’s always been able to do that. Even without godly power.
If Gladian or any of them really spare me too much attention, he does his whole arm cross and stare you down thing. It’s endearing but doesn’t make up for the fact he won’t talk about my soul with me again. The one and only time I’ve brought it up this week was when I waited alone for him outside the Court.
We walked in silence for a second and I couldn’t hold my questions back any longer. He starshot away and left me on the path to walk back by myself. Kyzen and Amick tore him a new one, and I smirked smugly.
Kyzen never did bring up my pitiful-ass breakdown. Thank fuck because I was absolutely mortified when I woke up still cuddled up next to him. I got up, practically ran to my room, and never breathed a word about it.
He’s stuck close to me, though. He comes to see me constantly in the Athenaeum or when I spend too much time hiding in my room while the sun’s up. I added permission to my door to allow him, well, and the others, in like Yemi taught me, but I haven’t told him that yet.
He has a way about him that makes my mornings amazing. The time we spend drinking coffee together every day while the others sleep is relaxing and puts me in a much better mood.
Riven has been…distant.
If I joke or tease him, he’ll give it right back, but he disappears a lot. When I asked him where he keeps going, he told me to mind my business. I didn’t mind my business, though, and as soon as I talked Kyzen into walking me to the Veilatara meadows to see Seismet, the first thing I asked was if he keeps coming there.
My meddling companion had no problem telling me that Riven does, in fact, come to the meadows daily to see Verlet, but he doesn’t spend much time there.
The only other place I can assume he keeps going is Godsden.
I’m not dumb enough to attempt to venture around there alone.
Amick has taken my power training as I call it very seriously. I’m proud to say I can cut any light on in his office or in the house at my command. I still have to hold my hands up or point them to make it come out, but that doesn’t bother me. I honestly think it’s hilarious.
Our next big lesson he’s planning is going to be rough. He wants to move on to teaching me how to starshoot, but that’s going to take a while.
First, he wants me to truly understand how power is released from the Gods Binding and what it’s actually doing inside of my body. I can spot my powerwhenever I feel it. I just don’t exactly understand what it wants when I feel it, so I have to learn how to read that.
Our power is always present and ready for our command, but apparently, there’re times when it makes itself known because it senses it’s needed even before we do. I’m not sure if that’s really the case with me because I feel the sensation of it multiple times a day.
After all that, he’ll explain how to make my power spread and surround me. I also have to learn more locations than just the Godsdawn if I ever want to actually put this skill to good use.
I can’t read a map to save my life, by the way.
Amick is, honest to the Valories, the best educator I’ve ever had, but his hands-on teaching is driving me crazy.
