Goddess Academy: The Complete Reverse Harem Collection

by Clara Hartley

  She looked up from her textbook. “Oh, here comes the special princess.” A thick layer of lashes fluttered over her mocha-colored irises.

  “Princess meets witch,” I replied, offering a handshake. She’d meant to insult me, but I was going to wear it like a compliment. “I’m Cara. Nice to meet you.”

  She returned an eye-roll and ignored my hand. I took that as a declaration of war, which wasn’t good, considering we were supposed to be on the same team.

  “Attention, girls,” a man with an effeminate voice said. He’d popped out from behind the chalkboard. Had he been there all along? He spread his hands open in a welcoming gesture, then bowed. Was this supposed to be a lesson or a theatrical performance? “Welcome to potions theory. I hope you’re as excited as I am. My name is Professor Lochlan, beloved and favorite vassal of the goddess of flora, Agness.”

  I squinted at him. Agness didn’t like me, so I doubted he was on my side either. I couldn’t trust anybody around here. Perhaps Danna, but I hadn’t known her for that long.

  Professor Lochlan clasped his hands together. He wore a funny hat with a large sunflower on top of it. His terrible fashion sense distracted from how attractive he was. “We will be going through the basic subcategories of materials today. Now, I’m sure you know about the team system here in the Sanctuary. My beloved overseer must have made that clear to you. This will be a group project, and the grading will be based on how well you and your team cooperate when brewing your concoctions.”

  I definitely wasn’t going to get along well with Francesca Bitchface. Was I going to have to team up with her for the rest of this semester? That would be the death of me. I glanced at the other girl on my team. She had a heart-shaped face and was dressed in a frilly outfit. She seemed easy to get along with, if not a little quiet. The group assignments had listed her name as Jeanine Snowater.

  I felt sorry that she had to be teamed up with Francesca and me. I already sensed the drama boiling between us, and Jeanine was going to get caught in the crossfire.

  When I looked up at the chalkboard again, Professor Lochlan had scribbled a bunch of words I didn’t understand on it. The sunflower on his hat bobbed as he said, “Meois, breois, and theois. These are the three different types of potion materials. Meois materials have dark properties, breois natural properties, and theois spiritual.”

  “Meows?” I asked. “Cats are dark, all right.”

  Professor Lochlan set down his chalk. “Did someone say something about cats?” His eyes zeroed in on me. “These subcategories aren’t a laughing matter. Messing them up can create huge explosions capable of causing serious damage.”

  The professors shouldn’t be letting us newbies dabble in them, then.

  How had he heard me speak? I was mumbling to myself. I couldn’t help but feel like I’d been singled out. The other girls were making small talk between themselves too.

  I stiffened. “Nobody said anything about cats, professor.”

  His gaze lingered on me. I waited for him to press on, but he let the matter rest and turned back to the chalkboard. He drew a large circle around the column of theois materials. Professor Lochlan had atrocious handwriting. I could barely make it out. “Theois materials are the trickiest to work with, and they’re the hardest to find. They tend to be the rare furs of creatures found in the outskirts of the Haven. We don’t have any for use today, but we still can mix some interesting combinations from the meois and breois objects we have with us.” He knocked on the board with his knuckles. The loud, jarring sound woke me from my daze. All the terminologies bored me.

  “Turn to page thirty-two of your potions textbook,” Lochlan said. “There, you will find the recipe for rat poison.”

  “Rat poison,” I blurted.

  “Is there something wrong with that, Miss Valencia?”

  “Uh, nothing.” I just thought we might create something a little more awesome.

  “Good, because I don’t appreciate whiners in my class. Be careful about this potion, because if you mess it up, it might bubble and burn off your hands.”

  Just great.

  A short girl at the back of the class raised her hand. “Must we really do this, then, professor?”

  The professor nodded. “The accumulation of your grades start today. If you fail too many assignments, you’ll be expelled and be sent off.”

  Sent off to where?

  “Now, I will demonstrate this once. Just once. Pay careful attention.” Professor Lochlan stepped to the large desk in front of him. An assortment of materials and test tubes set on top of the desk. He began mixing them up. Instructions flew from his lips in a sporadic manner. I watched him carefully, but failed miserably when trying to follow his movements.

  Professor Lochlan finished and lifted a beaker. A purple, translucent, mixture was inside it. “Rat poison, ladies and—well, uh, no gentlemen.”

  “What just happened?” I asked Francesca.

  “You were too stupid to follow,” she replied.

  “You got every bit of that?”

  Francesca tipped her chin up haughtily. “All of it.”

  I didn’t believe her. Professor Lochlan seemed like a terrible teacher. Trying to follow him was akin to following the trajectory of a drunk fly.

  I glanced over at Danna, and she looked as confused as I was. She shook her head, completely miffed. I raised both my hands, shrugging. In our silent gestures, we shared a consensus—we were doomed. I was going to flunk out of the Sanctuary and be sent to who-knew-where.

  “You may begin,” Professor Lochlan said, waving a hand. “You have twenty minutes.”

  Twenty minutes. “That’s not enough time at all,” I said.

  Professor Lochlan clicked his fingers together. “Chop chop.” He tapped his desk, making a knocking noise. “There are instructions in your textbook for those more mentally challenged. Work together and give me rat poison capable of making pest control proud.”

  I scrunched my nose. “Not exactly whom I’ve always strived to impress.”

  When I picked up my beaker, Francesca snatched it from me. “Stay out of my way. I’ll win the points for us this time.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Must you really be this snotty?”

  “You know what?” Francesca asked. “Let’s turn this into a competition so I can show you how much better I am.”

  “I have another suggestion. Let’s not.”

  Jeanine’s eyes flitted back and forth between us. She had her mouth hanging slightly ajar.

  Francesca palmed her chest. “I make my potion.” She then pointed at me. “And you make yours. And if we have two potions to show the professor, even better, right?”

  Jeanine raised her hand and said in a small voice, “What about me?”

  “Sit there and smile,” Francesca said, not even offering her a glance. How rude.

  “Fine,” I said, not liking the idea that much. I only caved because it seemed like Francesca wasn’t going to have it any other way. Why did she have to complicate things? “But can you elaborate on what’s the point of all this?”

  “The winner will have to give up their vassals to the other person for a week. The first person who finishes wins.”

  “What?”

  “I like one of yours.”

  “Who?”

  “The one with medium-length blond hair.”

  “Hansel?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  I wasn’t sure whether I was allowed to have favorites, but Hansel was mine. Him or Theo. They both treated me nicely.

  “It’s a deal, then.”

  “Wait, I haven’t—”

  Francesca burst into action. She didn’t even have to glance at her textbook. She grabbed the necessary materials and began pounding at them. I couldn’t stand there watching her like a fool, and my competitive streak rose. She wasn’t going to have Hansel, whether I lost or not.

  Just because she was faster didn’t mean she was better, right? Worry rose in my chest. If I lo
st, there was no doubt that she’d gloat, and the bitchy part of me didn’t want to see her do that.

  I skimmed through the instructions.

  Ten grams of spindle root. What the heck was a spindle root? I opened two boxes that hadn’t been labeled and had to differentiate two brown twigs. The instructions had said not to mistake spindle root for grime root.

  They both looked the same.

  I was screwed.

  Professor Lochlan raised his voice over the commotion, shouting, “Oh, and if any of your concoctions bubble, that is an automatic failure. You will get no marks. One step closer to flunking out. Chop chop.”

  “Seriously?” I said. Francesca was fast, but she didn’t seem careful. I hoped that she wouldn’t mess this up for us.

  I mashed the spindle root with a pestle—internally, I crossed my fingers, hoping I hadn’t picked the wrong one—and added a couple if sprinkles of fairy dust. I couldn’t help but feel like I was working on a preschool project. The fairy dust looked like glitter. Was it edible?

  Lochlan pointed at me. “Miss Valencia, please refrain from eating the breois.”

  “Right,” I replied. I should stop being dumb.

  I turned on the burner and set a beaker on it, before adding in three grams of starflower.

  “Done,” Jeanine, the quiet girl neither of us expected anything out of, said, sitting back down.

  What? I hadn’t even noticed that she’d started. None of the other half-bloods had finished.

  I spun toward her. “How did you—”

  A scream tore from next to me. Francesca’s concoction had bubbled, spilling from the beaker. It hissed and turned black, before bursting out from the top of the beaker. Some of it grazed her skin and burned it away. It ate toward her bone. Tears spilled from her eyes, and her scream morphed into wails. “It hurts!” Smoke trailed from the stains, and a sizzling noise sputtered.

  “Chiasma’s curse,” Lochlan said. He rushed toward Francesca, bounding across the glasshouse with wide strides. He held another potion. When he reached Francesca, he poured it over her hand. “This is the simplest of potions. I didn’t think anybody would mess it up.” He tutted. “This is a big disappointment, Caramel.”

  I grimaced. “Me? What’s it got to do with me?”

  “Francesca is your teammate. You should have made sure she didn’t mess up.”

  “What the hell?” Why did the responsibility fall on my shoulders?

  Lochlan sighed. “All three of you fail this test.”

  Jeanine’s expression fell. “But my—”

  “This is teamwork. One of you messed up. Doesn’t matter if you did well, Jeanine.”

  Francesca’s sobbing had lessened into a pathetic whimper.

  “I hate the both of you,” Jeanine said.

  And I hated group projects.

  Nine

  Liam walked me down the hallway. Paintings of goddesses lined them. The portraits were all bright and adorned with flowers around their frames. Gems decorated the lighting in the Sanctuary, reflecting sunrays that shone in from the large, tall windows.

  “Where are the others?” I asked.

  Liam flipped his ponytail over his shoulder and to his back. ”They have classes, too. They’ve synced my schedule so that I can pick you up during this break.”

  “What classes?”

  “Manipulation of magical items. The vassals are traditionally warriors, meant to protect the goddesses. We’re in a time of peace, but we still have to hone our battle skills.”

  That lesson sounded like something I’d want to attend.

  As soon as I thought that, my right foot caught my left ankle, and I stumbled forward. I’d nearly smashed my face on the ground when Liam caught me by my elbow and dragged me back to a standing position. He squinted at me. “How do you even manage that?”

  “What?”

  “Falling while just walking. It’s a basic human action.”

  Liam had changed out of his uniform into something more casual. I realized that the white uniform had only been for introductions. Liam’s new outfit fit him better. He wore a plain black shirt that hugged his muscled frame. He slung a small pouch behind his back. The black shirt was over a pair of gray jeans that led toward black sneakers. Back home, I used to see guys dressed like this all the time. Liam made everything he wore look like high fashion, however, even if it really was just a plain tee.

  His sultry eyes swept over me. “Looking for Hansel?” I heard a hint of jealousy in his tone. He had nothing to be jealous about. Judging from the way he spoke to me, he didn’t like me at all. Actions, however, spoke louder, and the way he kept undressing me with his eyes told me otherwise.

  “No,” I lied.

  “You like Hansel too much,” Liam said.

  “Is there a problem with that?”

  “Your emotions with all the vassals are supposed to be balanced.”

  “He’s the first who came for me.”

  “When you become a goddess, you’re going to be stuck with us for the rest of eternity. You don’t play favorites when having to keep a group together for that long.”

  “When I become a goddess? I’m already messing up. What makes you so sure that I’m going to pass? Only ten percent of the girls get through.”

  “You have to.”

  “Why?”

  “I have no idea where they’re going to send you, but I know the vassals will be stripped of their titles and will be sent to camps if their half-bloods fail. Their families will still be taken care of, sure, but that’s how they pay for it.”

  I bit my tongue, unsure of how to accept that information. “Your fates are dependent on me?”

  “Yeah, so don’t mess up.”

  I turned my eyes away from Liam. The new information weighed heavily on my shoulders. This wasn’t fun and games.

  I spotted Danna, and she waved goodbye to me from down the hallway. Our next class was separate. She hugged the arm of one of her vassals. She glanced up at him, obviously smitten, with stars sparkling from her eyes. She’d apologized for the incident with Francesca, even though it wasn’t her fault. She was one of those typical nice people, apologizing for everything even though she’d done nothing wrong.

  I glanced at Liam’s arm. He had toned biceps. I wanted to lick his musculature.

  “Lick?” Liam asked. He smiled, amused. It was the first time I’d seen him smile. He should do that more often. That expression made him look ridiculously handsome.

  I scratched the back of my neck. “Figure of speech. I always say that, but I don’t actually mean it.” Except for that one time when I’d bought a soap shaped like a donut. I’d licked that. It tasted like soap, and I immediately regretted my decision. Sue me for being weird.

  Liam pulled me in the other direction when I almost went down the wrong hallway. His grip was strong. Hard. It was nice to have the vassals to lead me everywhere, although I made an effort to memorize the place. I didn’t want to become too reliant. “I heard what happened in potions class,” he said. “You failed.”

  I winced. “News travels fast.”

  “Nah, I heard the other girls gossip about it as they walked out of the classroom. Most of them were laughing.”

  “My reputation is proving to be a hindrance.”

  “You have to learn how to work with people.”

  “I can.” But Agness’s stupid proclamation about giving me special treatment was getting in the way. “It’s all the drama that’s troublesome.”

  “Excuses.” Liam clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Good goddesses don’t make excuses. You need to stand up for yourself. Be a leader. Beat the odds.”

  “You’re the one telling me to work with people well?”

  “Takes one to know one.” Liam unzipped his pouch and took something out. “Here.” He passed me a small pill. It was round, white, with a slit in the middle. “Use this.”

  I squinted at it. “What is it?”

  “Something illegal.”
/>
  “Um, can I not use it, then?”

  “I thought it might help.”

  I questioned Liam’s judgment, because he hadn’t yet proved to me that he made sensible decisions. I cocked my head.

  He sighed, then explained, “It gives you a jump-start to your powers. You can use it to impress the other girls. Maybe then they’ll respect you and won’t mind you getting better treatment. Having others in awe of you goes a long way.”

  “Why is it illegal?”

  “It has side effects.” He shifted his eyes to the side.

  “Like?”

  “Might make you addicted. Also, the council prefers that the half-bloods get their powers naturally and not through cheating. Makes judging them easier. They want to test the girls based on merit but…” He looked around, making sure nobody eavesdropped. “If nobody knows about it, then it’s fair, right?”

  “What are the chances I get addicted?” I’d rather be unlikeable than risk my health.

  “One percent.”

  “That’s not high at all.” I tensed, considering. “But I don’t want it.”

  “Keep it.” Liam closed his hand over mine. His touch sent sparks up my forearm. “I advise you to use it.”

  “You’re advising me to use drugs.”

  “Don’t let the others know.” Liam snorted. “Agness isn’t playing fair with you. She has some sort of vendetta, even though I can’t be sure what it is. If the council isn’t going to play by the rules, then you shouldn’t either.” He passed me a small box. “You can place the pill in this.”

  I hesitated, then followed Liam’s suggestion, shut the box, and kept the pill. He wasn’t forcing me to do anything, and it wasn’t bad to have an extra boon with me. I placed the box in my pocket.

  “Don’t you think you should keep it somewhere safer?” Liam asked, looking at my pocket. “It was expensive getting that. Had to bargain with a goblin.”