“Derivius acknowledged me but has gone quiet again. I told him why we’re trying to reach him.”
“We’ve never had a meeting without him present. This is the first unplanned visit, and I can’t stretch my power to the point of seeing how it’s going to go without completely draining myself.”
“So this isn’t the first time you’ve all seen him since you came here?”
“No. At the start, some sort of agreement was made. Every year until we turned twenty, we had to see him once a year at his temple, the day after the Veiling. It was undoubtedly his way of measuring how much power had been released to us. That stopped, and we’ve only seen him once since then. That was twelve years ago.”
Twelve years…so they were twenty-three.
I’m sure so much has changed in them. I’m far from the girl I was twelve years ago. Eighteen-year-old me was going through all kinds of changes.
Kyzen’s cheeks puff out from the deep breath he releases, then he gives his brothers a tight smile. None of them return it, but they nod in acknowledgment.
Great. This is going to be a petrifying and awkward reunion.
I run my hand down my face as though that’ll wipe away all my fears and replace them with confidence I don’t feel right now.
“What do we do?”
“We’re going to proceed with caution. We don’t have a choice but to go, or consequences come into play. Assuming the same rules apply from before, he can’t take or harm us within his temple that’s here. That goes for us in regard to him as well. Based on why he used to come and the fact that he’s here now, it’s clear he’s been made aware that we have a completed Valtrue.
“He wants to see the power we hold. Don’t give any information away and lie where need be. Let us do the talking and don’t allow him to get under your skin. He has an extraordinary talent for being able to do that to anyone. Keep your cool and do not react.”
All I can do is nod at Amick. I already want to react, but I mentally talk myself down with very clear reasoning. Such as, this is a Beginning God who holds more power in his pinky than I do currently in my entire body. I can’t punch him and get away with it.
A loud bang on the door has us all whipping our attention towards it.
Kyzen mutters a curse under his breath as he peers over at me.
“Out of time. We’ve got to go.”
My shoulders tense as he and Amick reach their hands out to me. This gesture from them even an hour ago would’ve had me blushing, but right now… I can’t tell if it’s them getting me to come on, or if they really want to embrace me.
“No,” Creed barks before I can figure it out. “Have the two of you lost your minds? You can’t let him or his guards see that she’s anything more than our Binder. If he even gets a whiff that she’s important toyou two, he’ll zero in on her.”
They all share a look, then turn to me. Kyzen slowly drops his hand, but Amick hesitates.
“Will our pretending you mean less to us offend you?”
My mouth parts and I jerk my head. “I won’t be offended.”
He seems pleased with that answer as he nods and laces his own fingers together behind his back. “Okay. I’ll hold your hand when we return home.”
My body freezes in place as his words settle inside of me. I relax the smallest bit when Kyzen surprises me with a hug and a kiss on my forehead.
“Has everything changed?”
His quiet question roars in my ears.
“I don’t know. We haven’t had a second to consider or think about anything that’s come up. I’m not thinking straight right now.”
“I’m at an advantage, I guess. You’re talking to the being time belongs to about taking time to think. My power’s already slowed down my mind and allowed me to weigh what I need to consider. Owning a piece of your soul only makes claiming every other part of you that much more important to me.
“I’ll prove I can take care of and protect it. I am not—we are not—our father. That may be something that’s running through your mind, and I understand that. So if you need time to think, I’ll give you that time. But in my eyes, my mind, my heart, the way I feel about you hasn’t changed. That’s my decision, little goddess.”
I jump as another round of banging starts at the door, and the booming noise has Kyzen separating himself from me. He gives me a small smile and a wink as he cups my cheek, but it doesn’t mask the seriousness behind the rest of his features.
A knock that’s hard enough the walls rattle has a feral grunt falling from Riven as he marches over to it. He swings it open so forcefully, I’m surprised it doesn’t come off the hinges.
