Twelve
The Abcurses found Terrance’s cottage first, which was hardly a surprise to me. As soon as I felt the sudden flare of their energy drawing close, I fell silent mid-conversation with Haven and strode for the door. I flung it open and ran out to the porch, to find they hadn’t even reached the top of the hill yet. I sprinted up the pathway and heard their voices just as they crossed over the river. I refrained from yelling out to them, instead pausing to drink each one of them in. In all the time that I had spent on Topia, of all the gods I had met, no other had ever matched their perfection. There was something about the gem-like tint to their eyes and the dark ochre-gold blend of their hair that pulled at my gut. Somehow, their shared colouring and features made me want to see them more clearly than anyone else—to search out all the tiny differences in their faces that only someone who really knew them would be able to spot.
It pulled me to the stern way that Coen held his smile in check, and the constant tension that drew Rome’s shoulders into position. I found myself always searching for the unique twinkle in Siret’s eye that flooded warmth into me no matter our situation, and the way Aros shifted his attention quickly between people, so as not to overwhelm any one person with his power. Everyone except me, who he gave the entirety of his attention to whenever I was in the room. And then there was Yael, whose frown gave him away whenever anyone else was closer to me than he was. I hadn’t known it was possible for a heart to grow so large until that moment, as an emptiness inside me suddenly became full again, and I called out to the other pieces of my soul.
Their heads shot up then, as if they’d felt me too. Their faces were shrouded in dark anger—I’d never felt such fury from them, but it didn’t make me falter. I started to run toward them and a frisson of energy danced between us, strong and sure. They moved even faster, closing the distance in a click. The six of us all but collided. I closed my eyes as I was whirled from one to the next. Eventually I needed to see them, to drink in every part of my guys. We ended up in a tangled mess on the ground, touching and talking at once. All five of them reached out to me, needing to reassure themselves that I was really there. I was safe.
“Never fucking letting you out of my sight again,” Rome was rumbling, his giant chest heaving up and down as he held my hand tightly.
“Tell me that Pica is being tortured in the imprisonment realm?” Yael said, as he reached out to push my hair back from my face, staring into my eyes like he was memorising me. His next words came out harsher. “And it better be the best kind of torture, Willa-toy. A truly exemplary form of torture.”
I chuckled. Of course Yael would expect top-notch torture. Always had to be the best.
Siret drew my attention then, and I realised I’d missed some of what he was saying. “…and I’m not good with worry, Soldier. Could you maybe not do that anymore.” His words tore at my heart, eliminating any amusement I’d felt over Yael. It wasn’t normal to see Siret so sombre. His eyes, darker than usual, were clouded with heavy emotions.
Aros didn’t say anything but he held my other hand tightly, almost to the point of being too painful. I locked eyes with him briefly and choked on a sob. The hurt in his golden gaze was palpable. It thrummed through our bond, and another sob escaped me.
“I’m so sorry,” I finally managed to choke out. “I wasn’t sure what to do, she had every avenue of escape locked down. The room stole my energy. The knife would have stolen my will. I’m sorry.”
Coen was the first to stand, and he hauled me up into his arms. He hugged me for a very long time while the others closed in around us. “We want to do that marriage thing,” he murmured to me, his hands banded around my back. “We want to join to you in the way of both worlds.”
“Will you marry us, Willa?” Aros asked, stepping into my side so I was pressed between him and Coen.
I blinked, trying not to get caught up in the feeling of being sandwiched between the two of them. Instead I focussed on the beauty of what they were saying. Could a heart be so full that it exploded?
“Yes, once we deal with all of this Staviti stuff, then I will marry you.” I looked between the five Abcurses. “All of you.”
“Willa Abcurse,” Yael said with a smug pride. “That has a right sort of ring to it.”
“Willa Knight,” I corrected. “I’m keeping my family name. Especially considering yours is just a made-up one. Maybe you should all take my name and be Knights.”
Rome laughed, and it was such a free and genuine sound that whatever tight knot had been in my chest since I was stolen away from my family started to loosen.
“Rome Knight … I like the sound of that.”
I laughed then too, because it did sound pretty damn good.
“Knight is a family name,” a deep, somewhat familiar voice said from nearby. “You’re technically a princess, Willa.”
I took a moment to be grateful that the monarchy had fallen, even though I would have loved to know my grandparents. It was a few hundred life-cycles too late for that. As Jakan took another step closer, the Abcurses went from relaxed to hulking protective gods in about a fraction of a click. They formed a line in front of me, and I shook my head as I pushed past them. “Guys, calm down. This is Jakan … my father.”
For the first time that word flowed easily from my lips. It was almost like being back with the Abcurses allowed me to be more accepting about the truth of my parents.
Jakan was staring between the five Abcurses, sizing them up. “You five think you’re good enough to marry my daughter?” he asked suddenly, his voice thundering across the clearing.
Here we go.None of the Abcurses bothered to reply, but I could feel the tension filtering through them. I was just about to grab my snacks and settle in for the god smackdown when Jakan’s stern expression lifted. His eyes twinkled. “I’m just kidding. Willa is more than capable of choosing her mates and husbands without any input from me. I’m just really grateful that she had you all in her life. Thank you for being there. For loving her when I was unable to exist in the same world as her. I owe you a debt of gratitude.”
Coen shook his head, his shoulders relaxing. “If anything, we owe you a debt. Your energy created part of who she is. I can barely remember my life before Willa—I don’t want to remember my life before her. She completes us.”
Jakan looked pleased by this, and my heart was hurting in the best kind of way.
“You’re going to explain to us how your dead father, who was in the imprisonment realm, is now in Topia, right?” Aros asked.
I nodded. “Yes, I will explain everything, but first we have to organise the gods. We were just working on a coordinated attack against Staviti when you all arrived.”
Jakan held a hand up, halting me when I was about to start walking to the house. “The others have their missions already and have moved into position. They decided to leave the banishment cave for you and the Abcurses. It might be the most difficult one to crack.”
“Where are you going?” I asked him.
