“Thank you,” I breathe.
“Thayla, you can’t go by yourself,” Yemi argues, latching onto my elbow as I step forward.
“I’ll be fine. She said there are no guards in the house and as soon as I reach the guys, I’ll have them. You all need to starshoot out of here as soon as all the Attendants are together. I’ll ask V to take you all back.”
“We’re not fucking leaving you,” Sevryn growls.
I want to scream.
“Yemi, you’re the only one who can manage and organize this. You need to get back to the Godsdawn with all the Attendants and tell Ellian what’s going on. I can’t come up with a plan for that right now.”
Her mouth opens and closes repeatedly.
“Thayla’s right. We got this and we’ll be okay. I know this house like the back of my hand. We can communicate through V if need be.”
I stare at Iric, a little shocked, then nod.
“V,”I say, then quickly relay what’s going on to him.
“I’ll keep you updated every step of the way.”
“Thank you,”I breathe, then focus back on Yemi. “That’s the plan. We’re good to go.”
“Fine, but I’m not too happy about it.”
Not a moment later, V appears in a flash of light and perches himself on her shoulder. She leans into his comforting purr and he nuzzles his face against her cheek.
“Be careful and I’ll see you all soon,” I call over my shoulder as I jog forward, not giving any of them another chance to try to stop me. Sterling falls in step with me immediately.
Turn after turn, hall after hall leaves me utterly lost. I definitely would’ve had to maneuver through the gardens to find my way on my own.
If we somehow get separated in this maze, I’m royally fucked.
My skin shivers as we pass through an illusion wall I didn’t even see or sense and I grit my teeth at the feeling. The discomfort instantly melts away when my eyes land on two familiar doors.
Before I can race through the one I know the guys are behind, Sterling latches onto my arms.
“You can’t just pass through or you’ll become stuck.”
“Stuck?”
She nods. “The Goddess of Creation’s permission is needed. Everyone has permission to pass in, but not out. Your powers are suppressed as soon as you go through the threshold, and are only released with her permission to leave. They…only us Attendants can move in and out.”
My soul thrashes around in my chest, still hitting that block that’s between us.
I swallow and flex my fingers at my side.
“Okay,” I huff. “You go ahead back and I’ll figure this out.”
“Are you sure?” she asks.
“Positive. Thank you for your help.”
She blinks a few times before giving me a small bow and smile, then she backpedals away.
Once I no longer hear the patter of her footsteps, I approach the door. I’m careful not to actually lay my palms against the surface in case my ass falls through. I let them hover, gaining a sense for the power blocking my way.
Okay, think, Thayla.
