My nostrils twitch. “It was ash from a dead man, Riven. That is off the wall.”
He snorts and rolls his eyes. “Oh, come on, we’ve all eaten a little ash before. You guys remember that time I asked Mr. Breski for some sugar in my berries and he gave me some? Then ol’ Daddy dearest found out, turned him to ash, sprinkled him all over my lunch, and made me eat it.
“I was freaking the hell out until Amick whispered in my ear that all matter is destroyed during the process of something becoming ash. So it’s sterile or what the fuck ever, so no harm would come to me and to just eat it. That was so fucked up.”
His chuckle guts me. It’s laced in pain no matter how much he’s trying to downplay what came out of his mouth.
The haunting sound of that laugh slowly fades from my ears. My lips and fists tremble as my eyes water. I’m torn between swimming over there butt-ass naked and hugging him or going absolutely fucking crazy.
I don’t do either. I sit here. Shocked still with a bone-deep chill running through my blood.
Gods, what I’ve been through is nothing compared to what they’ve had to face.
I don’t have a right in the realm to complain.
The power in me is going to remind them of himconstantly.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
I don’t know what look is on my face, but I try to school it the best I can. “I’ll turn him to ash for you. I don’t know how, but I will.”
“Oh really?” He gives me a saucy smirk. “You’d kill a Beginning God for me?”
“I would. For any of you.”
The humor on his lips vanishes and he tears his predominantly blue swirling irises from my face. I let the seriousness in my statement shine through all my features as I glance at Amick, Kyzen, then Creed.
He pushes himself up until he’s sitting on my sink counter and his movement draws Kyzen’s and Amick’s attention as well. I stay focused on him as he goes through a nervous routine of cracking his neck, then his knuckles.
I swear the breath he releases causes me to inhale sharply.
He doesn’t speak much, and when he does, he’s mostly an asshole, but I recognize when there’s a shift in his demeanor. Just like when he was training me, everything he said was important. I knew to listen.
Something is about to come out of his mouth that will change everything.
There’s a fierce mixture of determination and appreciation in his eyes as they pierce me, but they turn cold as he turns to his brothers.
“Yes, I kissed her. I don’t regret it, nor will I apologize for it. In your minds, I may have stepped over some sort of relationship line, but I want to make this clear, she’s as much mine as she is either of yours.”
Fuck.
My pulse thuds in my ears as my heart does flips in my chest. I attempt to remind myself that inhaling too hard will have my breasts breeching the water, but I can’t slow my rapid, irregular breaths.
“We know that.”
The confidence in Amick’s voice sends the bathroom into shocked silence. Creed’s body flinches as his eyes bounce between the two of them and me. He prepared himself for a fight rather than agreement.
“We do know that. We’ve discussed this and knew this would become a possibility. We won’t dictate your relationship with her, but you will define it, Creed. You can’t make a claim like that here in front of her, all of us, then pull away from her after we leave this room and the high of the day settles down. I’m not going to mediate and interfere with whatever develops with her and any of us, but I will with this. I won’t allow you to confuse or lead her on.”
My heart swells at the fierce protectiveness coming from Kyzen. He’s literally always forced to be the middleman in every situation. It warms my whole bodyknowing he doesn’t want to nor is he going to mediate my relationships but is willing to step in to protect my feelings.
“You’ve discussed it? As in you two or…?” Creed’s head turns toward me, and I swallow roughly.
“We’ve discussed it.”
“Kyzen and I have discussed this without Thayla present as well. Today, actually. I’ve accepted this dynamic works best for the five of us. I’m emotionally and mentally prepared for this relationship. Kyzen still needed time to consider it.”
Worry rushes through my chest and the water ripples as I whip toward Kyzen.
