Page 88 of The Gods Veiling
“No creepier than you standing and staring at my back door.”
I snort, but the delicious aroma floating out here has my stomach growling loudly. She chuckles and steps out of the way, inviting me in, and I tell myself to leave the pissiness at the door.
“Coffee, tea, water?” she asks as she makes her way over to her counter.
“Coffee would be amazing.” I twirl in her living room as I take in her house.
It’s not at all what I was expecting.
Like my new home, the living room and kitchen aren’t gilded in gold or marble, but there’s color everywhere. The walls are a beautiful light blue with dark hardwood floors and there’re plants decorating the space.
Everything’s lively and relaxing. Complete opposite of how she’s come off since meeting her.
Maybe this is how she was before the Gods of the Godsdawn got their claws in her.
“I’m thankful it’s the same as my last house. Only a few changes.” Her eyes scan her new place as she passes me a mug and anything I could possibly want to add to my drink when I slide onto a stool around her counter. I still feel guilty for uprooting her whole-ass life. “So how did your first night go?”
My cheeks heat and I take a large gulp of my drink to avoid answering that question. It doesn’t get past her, though. I’m not sure if she’s naturally this observant or if her time here has made her that way.
“Uh-oh. What did they do?”
I groan, covering my face with my hands as the embarrassment of last night sends heat through my whole body. I don’t even want to look at her as I tell her I opened the door for Kyzen practically naked.
She tries to hold it in, but after a moment of me blankly staring at her, she dies in a fit of laughter. “I’m so sorry. I know that was probably mortifying after yesterday.”
“I don’t believe you’re sorry whatsoever,” I huff, taking another sip of my drink before grimacing at the lingering embarrassment. “I don’t want to face him at all today. Any of them really. Can you believe he actually called me out?”
She covers her still giggling mouth with the back of her hand before wrapping it around her own drink. “I feel for you. I really do. Today’s an off day, so they’ll probably be home all day.”
“Kyzen mentioned it was an off day as well, but I have no clue what that means. I’m assuming not having to do our godly chores or whatever?”
“Yep, pretty much. The day after the Veiling Day is supposed to be a day of relaxation and giving thanks to the gods for another wonderful group of Chosen. You all are supposed to use this time to get acquainted and prepared for tomorrow when everything goes back to normal.”
“Lovely. So a day is all we get to get a grasp on our new reality.”
“Usually, the Chosen are quite excited. You’re the odd one out on that.”
“Yeah, story of my life. So what should I be expecting to happen today?”
“If I’m being honest…I have no clue. Since I’m an Attendant, the other Attendants took all of us newbies under their wing for the day and gave us a rundown on what to expect. Your experience is going to be pretty different from mine. Your schedule should arrive sometime today and I’m sure they’ll go over it with you.”
“It came last night. That was something I overheard Amick say. The Chancellor sent it to him, and I’ll be following them on their rotations then with them all in Court. Whatever the hell that means.”
The plate she was passing me, that my greedy fingers were already stretching for, stops just short of my reach. Her slack jaw, pale face, and the whitening of her knuckles make me sigh in defeat.
“What? Just spit it out.”
“That’s a brutal schedule. The Court every day? You’re sure they said that?”
My stomach sinks. “You know what, how about let’s eat before any more bad news?”
She shakes herself out of her stupor and gives me a forced smile as she pushes the plate toward me. I’m shocked at the array laid out. The bright yellow fluffy eggs, the strips of meat, fresh fruit, a buttered muffin. I mean, she went all out.
The spread brightens my souring mood.
“Goodness. Where did all this come from?”
“The dining hall. I still went last night for my own dinner and grabbed some stuff to fill my icebox with while I was there.”
