Page 229 of The Gods Veiling
“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.
