Damn, Thayla…you seriously had it all wrong.
They don’t want anything to do with him.
They’re nothing like him.
We enter the Assembly silently, and there isn’t another god in sight. No one is rushing to the Hailtorium, the Athenaeum, or the Sanctum. It’s the emptiest I’ve ever seen this part of the Godsdawn.
“Where is everyone?”
“Mandatory lockdown. Depending on when and what a Beginning God comes here for, all others are to return to their homes and not come out until otherwise informed. What more than likely happened is he arrived, called for the High Chancellor, gave his orders to retrieve us, then the High Chancellor sent word of the lockdown before coming to get us. Once he leaves, the Chancellors’ assigned Attendants will start making their rounds to the houses, and the lockdown will be lifted. No one will know who came or why.”
I don’t respond to Amick as we’re steered to a path that leads to the temples. The circle around us grows tighter, and I can’t help but think, how and why has the God of Obliteration been allowed to bring at least three Valtrues’ worth of gods with him?
What if he decided fuck it, seize my sons, then set them free on the Godsdawn? I believe they’d be defeated eventually. Not at first, though, seeing as everyone would be caught completely off guard since they’re in their homes, clueless about what’s going on.
It’d be a bloodbath.
Lambrit, Yemi…
I shake my head to get those disturbing images out of my mind.
My erratic, intrusive thoughts about the guys continue to settle with each step, and my fear fades to a weird sort of acceptance.
Am I still intimidated? Yes. Do I still have worries in the back of my mind? Also yes, but I’m trying to cling to the thoughts and obvious signs that the sides they’ve shown me are who they really are. The current and prime example of their true intentions toward me is the formation we’re in.
As the smaller temples belonging to Domain Gods that’ve truly made a name for themselves thin out and the circle of deadly gods continues to close, the tighter the guys move in around me.
Guarding me.
Kyzen’s and Riven’s arms are practically glued to mine. Creed’s so close, I can’t see around him, and heat from Amick’s body is keeping my back warm.
I know we’ve started coming up on the Beginning Gods temples only because they tower into the sky. The glistening white and gold marble that shines bright is much larger than the Domain Gods’, and they have ample space separating their structures from the next.
I crane my neck around at the last one we passed and catch a glimpse of a smaller replica of an obsidian statue in front, just like at the Sanctum.
Creed’s back collides with my face when he stops walking unexpectedly and his arm reaches around to catch me.
Muttered curses fall from my lips as my fingers tangle in his shirt. I both pull myself closer and push away from his amazing scent and toned muscles that twitch beneath my hands. He doesn’t release me, though, and the others crowd impossibly close.
My cheek stays plastered to his rock-hard back while my eyes watch Kyzen’s scan the gods surrounding us. They’ve each drawn weapons I didn’t realize they had on them, but they aren’t facing us.
“Now, now. Put your toys away before I make a game out of how you all kill each other.”
My lids fall shut as Riven’s chuckle joins the one coming from somewhere in front of us.
He showed up.
Dickhead definitely could’ve responded to us rather than make a grand entrance.
“I won’t repeat myself. Disobey the rules of the agreement and I will lay waste to you all, and your master won’t see his sons because of you.”
“The terms of you being present expired upon the sons’ twentieth birthdays. You have no right to demand a presence alongside them.”
“Kelshin, it’s good to see your nose is as brown as ever. Looking a little blacker nowadays, actually. Anywhos, my required presence expired upon their twentieth birthdays, but my chosen presence did not. You and I both know the clause. It’s not up to you, me, or Kirabaddon if I am here, but the boys. If they wish me to leave, I will. If they want me to stay, I will.”
My fingernails dig into Creed’s back, silently but painfully telling his ass to speak up. I don’t know if they really want him here, but I damn well do.
“Derivius will stay and accompany us as he always has.”
