“I could use the rest of the day if that’s okay.”
Kyzen and I open our mouths to reassure her, but Amick bows his head a bit, then speaks.
“Of course. I didn’t mean to be pushy, but Sevryn’s situation is one we can’t put off. He’s the only being in the Godsdawn with untouched power from the Abandon. Your pairing, the obvious change to your house, meaning his essence has been added, neither of those things should be possible. His presence needs to be kept between us, so no leaving. We can’t send him into our Binding because they very well could strip all his power and alert his father. He’s a risk to what we have going on.”
“Don’t act like I’m here fucking up your perfect life. I didn’t ask you to bring me to the Godsdawn.”
“Perfect life,” Riven barks a humorless laugh. “You’re going to wish we left your sorry ass in Hell when you find out what’s going on around here.”
He boops me on my nose as he walks past us, mumbling, “Eww, she’s dirty,” and I roll my eyes.
But yeah, I’m dirty and ready for a shower.
“Enough,” I bark when Sevryn and Amick both start talking at the same time.
“V, I don’t have the capacity to think straight right now. Is she safe with him? Can I trust him not to hurt her?”
“Yes, she is safe with him. You all can trust him.”
“There’s so much we have to figure out, but that’s not happening right this second in our front fucking yards. Yemi is more than capable of talking with him alone and filling him in on whatever she wants and needs to.”
I take a deep breath to try to cool the rising tension within me.
“Yemi, are you really okay?”
Her watering eyes meet mine, and I know the answer is fuck no, not really. She’s holding herself together the best she can, but she wants to get inside her house where she feels comfortable. Safe.
I pull her into my arms. She’s going to think I’m having a breakdown with all this hugging in one day.
I might be having one.
“Go on in. If you want to come over later or me come to you, starshoot me a letter or reach out to V. Even if you don’t, just let me know you’re okay. We’ll meet tomorrow for breakfast.”
She nods against my shoulder and pulls away. She murmurs an “I’ll see you in the morning” to the guys and motions Sevryn to follow her. He doesn’t spare the guys or me another look. Each step behind her is tense, awkward, and I have no doubt his mind is torn in two right now.
Half of him is probably contemplating starshooting away from here as fast as he can, but the part keeping him here is confused and concerned about Yemi.
My ugly thoughts ambush me as they slip past her threshold and disappear inside. I shove them away as best as I can, focusing on V’s reassurance, the fact she sensed something in him the second she laid eyes on him, and there’s a comfort between them I’ve never seen her have with anyone other than Havar.
Reasonably, I also know if he meant her harm, he would’ve done something to her in the Judgment Rings. Or he wouldn’t have bothered protecting her.
“I’m going to go see Seismet. I’ve already filled him in on what’s happening. He’s enraged over the fact the two of you can’t communicate the way he wants, so we’re going to put our heads together and see what can be done.”
The lowness of V’s tone has me frowning.“What’s wrong?”
“All is fine. You go relax with your Valtrue.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. You don’t let me get out of not talking about shit.”
He hoots as he climbs up my arm.
“You’re right, I don’t. I’m having a hard time accepting how today transpired. This was the first taste of how truly blind I am guiding you and I feel like I monumentally failed you. It’s hard to appreciate anything positive that came from this when I’m constantly thinking about what I could’ve done to help you more.”
My heart.
“V, you didn’t fail me. The guys didn’t, Yemi didn’t. We didn’t fail each other. Some asshole tried to get rid of us, and they failed. We were all there for each other when it mattered and when we needed each other the most. That’s about the only positive I have the capacity to think about right now, but please don’t leave thinking or feeling like you failed me. You were my lifeline.”
His little chest rumbles as he spreads his wings out.“And you are mine, always. I won’t keep you. Go embrace the emotional revelations you’re experiencing. I’ll see you in the morning.”
