Before I can call him out about his eavesdropping on my feelings, he starshoots away and I shake my head.
Wordlessly, Kyzen laces our fingers together. I’d love to say something to break the silence, but my energy is being zapped with each step taken toward the house. I’m wired, overstimulated, and so exhausted.
My body doesn’t know what to feel.
We drift into the house mindlessly and find Riven in the kitchen with his arms full of stuff. A mug slips out of the crook of his elbow and he attempts to break its fall with his foot, but all he does is kick it. It cracks right in half on impact against the floor.
My fingers cover my lips as his wide eyes meet Creed’s.
“Shit, that was your favorite cup, wasn’t it?”
Creed huffs, stomps over to him, and takes all the stuff from his arms. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to be helpful. Duh.”
Oh boy. Everyone is out of sorts right now.
I tug away from Kyzen and cross the kitchen, snagging one of the far too many cups Riven took out of the cabinet. Their eyes sear into my skin as I chug a whole glass of water in seconds, but no one speaks.
After my second cup, which I probably should’ve drunk a little slower, I turn back around to face them.
“We don’t have to put this conversation off, but I’ve got to shower off whatever this shit is that Creed got all over me first. Then we can cook, eat, nap, talk, whatever. Everyone happy with that?”
Amick nods, almost excitedly. Kyzen snorts and gives me a smile. Riven groans about always having to talk about something. Creed…
He, on the other hand, has a look in his eye that immediately sets me on edge. “What?”
“Nothing. We can talk after showers.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and huff. “Nope, can’t do that now, Creed. I won’t be able to relax, and my mind will create fucked-up scenarios about what it is you know that we don’t the entire time I’m trying to wash.”
“I agree. It pisses me off when one of you say we’ll talk about it later. Like great, now I get to obsess over something I don’t care to obsess about.”
“Exactly,” I say, then instantly look at Riven like he’s lost his mind.
He just bitched about talking.
“I didn’t get anything on you.”
“What do you mean? You got dirt or whatever this is all over me when you killed Dimitri.”
His jaw tightens and he looks away from me. “I didn’t kill him, Thayla. You did.”
“What?” I wrinkle my nose at him. “No, I didn’t. I couldn’t even breathe. Then the next thing I know…”
He was just gone.
“I was almost to you when I felt your power flare. You…” he trails off, staring at me like he doesn’t want to say whatever it is he’s about to say. My heart pounds in my chest and my mouth dries out despite the water I drank. “I don’t know how, but you turned him to ash.”
I step away from the counter as everything sways. My head jerks repeatedly as my gaze scans over each of them.
“Ash? But only one god can…”
“Yeah.”
His one word has my realm tilting to the side.
My stomach revolts. One hand lies against it, trying to soothe the waves crashing through me. The other covers my mouth to keep the bile from bursting through my lips.
