Page 95 of The Gods Veiling
The pitch, the delivery, and the grasp on my hand are completely opposite to how those two words cause my body to react. Icy dread rushes through my blood with his warm, low voice.
He’s gone from in front of me before he catches the panic flash across my face, and I shove it down so the others don’t notice. His chair skids across the floor, gaining everyone’s attention.
“Enough, you two. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
My feet stay frozen in a block of ice while Riven marches to his seat and Kyzen comes to stand a few feet away from me.
Why does he know that nickname?
What was he told?
“I’m sorry about him and I don’t have an excuse good enough for him. This is not at all how I saw this going,” Kyzen says with a small, hopeful smile and holds his arm out like he’s ushering me to a seat.
“You’re serious? You expect me to just sit and enjoy a lovely meal after…whatever that was?”
His face scrunches as he puts his hands in his pockets. “Expect, no. Asking, yes.”
Better.
Except right now, I’m mad, flustered, and just fucking confused.
My chest pulls toward them the longer I stand here and brand each of them in my mind as their own kind of crazy. It’s as if my slivers of soul inside of them are trying their hardest to reach me and make me feel better. I fight back the confusing heat traveling under my skin.
“What’s wrong, angel? Did I leave you speechless? If so, run along if you have nothing to say.”
I sneer at Riven and at the same time, the startling realization that the amazing rush of warmth that came with his uninvited kiss was the pieces of my soul connecting. It’s starting to spread again now just looking at the stupid-ass smirk on his face.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
In two steps, I pick the chair farthest from him and plop down into it. “Angel my ass. I can’t believe the gods had the mortals call them that.”
Amick’s fork freezes midair before he resumes eating without the rest of us and Kyzen chuckles as he takes a seat next to me.
“Would you like to eat or talk first?”
“I’m sure we’re all capable of multitasking.”
“Some of us more than others,” he says as he takes a quick bite, wipes his mouth with a napkin, then his power washes over us. “Do you want to address the oxid in the room, aka Riven, or jump in?”
“Just jump in,” I groan.
“Great. Do you understand how your Deliverance read based on what the High Chancellor explained? Aside from the obvious gaps.”
“Yes.”
He rubs his hands together. “Okay, so normally, the new Chosen would be receiving their schedules with their roles on it today so they could prepare themselves for tomorrow. Due to your situation, your schedule’s going to be different.”
I nod along like I’m following although I already know this as well. “How so?”
“We each play a role within the Godsdawn based on our Designations. The Chancellors have decided the best course of action for you is to accompany each of us on a daily rotation to learn the roles we take on. Everyone has to learn the responsibilities in the five-focused Designations to an extent, so you won’t be much different from everyone else in that respect. With you having an Attendant, you’ll also indirectly learn that role. You just won’t have one you focus on primarily like the rest of us do.”
“So you all have a primary role each within your Designations, which means I’m going to have four primary roles?”
“Not necessarily. You’re not taking over our roles. You’re just…” he trails off as his nose scrunches.
I piece it together, though, and cross my arms over my chest. “I’m just following you all around like a clueless errand girl who’s stuck up your asses all day. Nope, not happening.”
Their words from last night about babysitting me ring in my mind and I refuse to let that be a reality.
