Page 73 of The Gods Veiling
A deep sigh flutters through the air, and I whip back to Kyzen. He’s leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed. There’s still a little smile on his face, but there’s tension behind it now.
“Sorry about that.”
I scoff and roll my eyes. His apology for his brothers is meaningless, so I focus on the only thing of importance I picked up. “What did Amick mean by cataloging all the changes?”
“The Goddess of Illusion created these homes to be designed with the essence of the beings living in it. The bedrooms are made based directly on the person, while the common areas have a mixture of everyone’s tastes. That hall is new. I assume that’ll lead to your room.” Both of us look to the right, opposite the direction the guys just went. “As is the fireplace. Amick is probably losing his mind about the bookshelves being split.” He chuckles as he looks over my head.
“Those four doors at the back lead to our rooms.”
I follow the direction he’s pointing in and sure enough, there are four doors, perfectly spaced out across the far back sidewall. “Why don’t you go familiarize yourself with your room and I’ll round them up. We don’t go into each other’s spaces without permission, so just come back out when you feel like it.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to say anything before he marches across the room. My mouth falls open to halt him, then I stop myself. He either senses my hesitation or just decides to speak again.
“This…we…none of us know what to do right now, but we all need to talk. Like adults. Just take some time to yourself, then we’re going to try this again. We’ll get the awkwardness out of the way.”
He passes through the fourth door as soon as his palm lies against it. For a weird, uncomfortable second, I stand here and stare at each room.
I grab my bag, tighten my grip on the straps, and on quiet feet, move to the hallway. It isn’t long, but it’s deep enough that it gives me a bit of extra privacy. It’ll also give me a little warning if anyone comes to my door. My desire may be not to like anything about this situation, but I appreciate that.
My palm lands against the door just as Kyzen’s did and I’m ready for it this time when I pass through. Although I still stumble from shock.
The bedroom is larger than any room in any home I’ve ever seen. I can’t decide where I want to look first. I take an unsteady step forward, then tilt my head back and release a deep breath.
Shit.
Even the arched ceilings stretch confusingly high.
This is too much.
I drag my feet toward the huge bed in the center of the room and grip onto one of the four marble posts for balance. It’s just as elaborate as everything else. I run my fingers over the soft, stunning, sage-colored comforter and up the pillar I’m holding on to.
It’s carved in delicate twists and at each end are wooden peaks that remind me of mountains. There’re beams that connect them all in a square with a canopy over top.
The fluffy white covering is just like the clouds I used to stare up at and daydream about grander places.
This has to be as grand as it gets.
As I try to regulate my breathing, familiarity rushes through me.
My bedroom looks just like my dream home but with some tweaks.
The dark green walls, the beautiful fireplace across from my bed with the decorated mantel and all. A smaller, but still full bookshelf, and a massive wall of windows that in the center has a door that leads out somewhere….
It’s all remarkably similar and all basically designed by me.
I drop my bag at my feet and move back to the door. I’ll take time later to familiarize myself with my room like Kyzen said to. Right now, the only thing it does is remind me of what just happened in the Gods Veil.
I need a minute away from that reminder.
I’m going to be pissed if my dream home is forever ruined because of what Deri—he did.
Unsure of the proper way to get out, I first try placing my palm on the wood rather than turn the handle. To my satisfaction, I slip right through.
My silent steps only add to the quietness of the house. The others are obviously still in their bedrooms, so as soon as I exit my hallway, I let my eyes feast on what I was oblivious to when I came in.
The kitchen that I have to pass through to get to my room is dark and moody but comforting even with its enormous layout. I’m not sure how much cooking is actually done in here, but there’re herbs and tea leaves hanging about. A jar of beans sits on the counter and the smell of roasted coffee still lingers in the air.
The scent reminds me of the fields back in Oddian. The bushes that bloomed with the delicate seeds inside could be smelled even in the arenas. Between those and all the other things we grew that could be brewed, there were always delicious aromas on the breeze.
