“Thought so.”
“Not right now, at least. But that’s as good as your foolhardy plan. Your powers aren’t going to work on Agness. You’re just a half-blood. You haven’t gone through the ritual to become a full-fledged goddess yet. Your powers are just a speck of dust compared to hers.”
“It worked on Fenrir.”
“Fenrir is a beast. His power hardly rivals a goddess’s.” Devon squeezed my wrist. The intensity of his eyes caused a lump to form in my throat. “You need to gather your emotions, control them, then come up with a better plan.”
My chest hurt. I felt for those girls. They were like me—scared, vulnerable. They’d been torn from their lives and thrown into this foreign world. And to think that most of us were going to die. Maybe it was more fright than anger that drove me to act.
“Trust me, Cara,” he said. I had no faith in Devon. He hadn’t proven reliable so far. But as he pleaded for me to listen, I saw the sincerity in his yellow eyes. They warmed, turning a copper shade. “Deep breaths.”
I sucked in a few deep breaths. He took a step back and watched the rise and fall of my chest as I tried to calm down. The insides of my head quieted. Devon’s instructions made sense. We shouldn’t be alerting the enemy of our knowledge.
“Okay,” I said. “We’ll come back to this after a proper talk.”
“Good. Now, can we—”
I lifted a finger, shushing him. I heard muffled noises through the door. Agness wasn’t alone.
“Come on,” Devon said. “We should go back. The longer we stay, the more likely we get caught.”
“Not yet,” I replied, covering my lips so I wouldn’t be too loud. “They’re discussing something important.”
I pressed my ear up against the door.
Agness said, “Aphrodite is getting closer to her goals.”
Aphrodite? But my vassals told me she’d died. My breathing quickened. Growing up as an orphan, I’d often looked at kids at the playground hanging out with their families. I wondered what it was like to have my own mother. If Aphrodite were alive, that meant I could finally meet her.
But I wasn’t the small kid longing for a family anymore. I’d decided that Lydia was my mom. Blood ties or not, Aphrodite felt like a stranger to me.
“Then we must stop her,” a man replied. “She has too much planned. She’s going to ruin us all, both Earth and the Haven. Can we kill her?”
“Not yet,” Agness said. “Ares has protected her too much with his wards. If we take her now, more of Haven will be destroyed. We need to wait for her to weaken.” Wasn’t Ares dead?
“But the chiasma—”
“Sacrifices must be made, Eren. The girls have to die. Or the chiasma will collapse.”
My mouth dried up. Those dead girls were used to keep the chiasma running?
“They used to be sent back to Earth. They deserve better than to be used for fuel.”
“The alternative is the destruction of both worlds. What other choice do we have? I love the students. I want to see them grow. To see them become better versions of themselves. This pains me, more than anyone.” Agness almost choked on her own sentences. “Someone has to make the difficult choices.”
Did the end justify Agness’s means? Suddenly, I wasn’t sure whether I should hate her. My anger fizzled out.
“I love you, my goddess,” Eren said. “I will be by your side, regardless of what you choose to do.”
“Thank you, Eren.”
They went silent after that, so I pulled myself away, leaving them to their own devices. My shoulders slumped as the weight of what they’d said sank into me.
“She sounds troubled,” I said. “Did you listen?”
Devon nodded. Like me, he obviously had no idea what to make of this new information. “I’ll walk you back to your room.” Numbly, I followed him.
As we strode together underneath a sky full of colorful stars, I tried using Devon’s company as a respite. I didn’t want to be alone after those revelations hit me. “Is that why Agness hates me so much?” I asked. “My mother is the bad guy here. Somehow, whatever she did with Ares is ruining both worlds. I still can’t accept how I’m the daughter of a god.”
“You’re not defined by your heritage,” Devon said. “That’s what I always tell myself, anyway.”
“Why does it concern you?”
“My father is one of Agness’s most powerful vassals. I was always told to follow in his footsteps.”
“Is that why you’re so strong?”
“Yes. Which is one problem. I grew up in privilege, but I never truly felt I deserved any of it. It made me start to not care.”
We stopped in front of the dorm. My gaze lingered on him as I tried to see past Devon’s exterior, to try to understand him. “Kind of like why I wanted to escape from Lydia.” She’d owned a large business, so I distanced myself to make a name for myself. Singing at pubs hadn’t done much for my career, however. I was going to move to New York to try to get a better deal, but I’d ended up in the Sanctuary.
“Rest well, Cara,” Devon said. “Don’t overthink things. We’ll tackle this one step at a time.”
“Good nigh—” He kissed me on the cheek. I stilled. “Why’d you do that?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe I don’t like seeing you worried. I’ll see you in the morning.” He brushed his thumb across the spot on my cheek where he’d kissed me. My heart skipped. I watched him, stunned by his show of affection. He took long, languid steps away. He spun around and saluted me with two fingers before disappearing around the corner.
Seeing that side of Devon was strange.
I yawned. I hadn’t gotten much rest after what happened in the morgue. Tiredness made me drag my feet. Still, despite my low energy, my mind raced, and I knew that I wouldn’t manage any sleep even if I lay in my bed.
When I opened the door, I heard Hansel say, “Welcome back.” I startled and almost tripped, but caught the cabinet behind me. Hansel rushed toward me and snaked a hand around my waist. “Careful. Don’t get injured on account of me.”
“You’re not supposed to be here.” The vassals and goddesses had separate rooms. It was way past curfew. “You ought to be with the others.”
“I know, but I was so worried,” Hansel said. “I’d never seen you so… quiet before. I was worried something had happened to your brain.”
I snorted. “No need to worry about that. I’m pretty sure there’s something wrong with it already. I think Aphrodite dropped me as a kid.”
Hansel shot me an amused look, but my comment wasn’t enough to make him laugh. “You keep putting yourself down, but you’re quite intelligent, Cara.”
I shrugged. “Am I? Don’t know why I always make mistakes, though.”
“Because you’re less afraid than most people. Most people would rather live in their own little bubble. They play it safe. They don’t take chances. You dive into danger.”
“Which is a dumb thing to do.”
Hansel smiled. “It’s subjective.”
While we talked, he’d narrowed the space between us. Silence enveloped us, and the tension grew so thick that I could almost taste it. Hansel swept his blue eyes over me, studying my face, as I did his. He leaned over and rested his mouth in the sensitive portion at the neck. The faint tickle of his breath burned my skin, and my brain fizzled.
“Why… why are you here?” I asked.
“I want to be with you,” Hansel replied, inching me toward the bed. “To make you feel better. That’s all.”
He pushed me so I sat on the sheets, sinking into the soft comforter. He leaned in and skimmed his lips across mine, his hot breath brushing lightly over my skin. Hansel caged me in with his hands, surrounding me with his body, his scent, making it so that I had no choice but to think of him as my world.
“I’ll provide you a good distraction,” he said in a husky whisper. Our lips met. Hansel tasted sweet. My mind turned to mush and a soft groan sounded from him. He pushed me so I lay flat on my b
ack and the hard planes of his body were against me. He was careful not to put too much weight on me, using one hand to prop himself up. “Let me know what you want.”
I tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Hansel was perfection. He paused, his gaze drifting across my face. Then, with a pleased smile, he began kissing me. He started at my jaw and traveled down my neck. When the collar of my shirt got in the way, he drew my shirt off my body, peeling the fabric off my skin in an agonizing, gentle motion that sent desire running down my spine. I shook under his touch.
“You’re gorgeous, Cara,” Hansel said, stopping at the side of my bra. He didn’t unclasp it. Instead, he traced kisses around the edges, before continuing down my abdomen. His mouth lingered over the seam of my pants. I thought he might drag them away. Instead, in a swift motion, he flipped me over and crawled over me, holding me down by sitting on my legs. He resumed assaulting me with his kisses, working his way down my back.
Need simmered throughout me. My insides ached. My vision fogged. Hansel hadn’t touched me where it mattered yet, but his care sent my toes curling.
Hansel brought his hands to my shoulders and massaged me. I groaned and arched my back. Where had he gotten those skills from?
“This is only the beginning,” Hansel said. “There is more pleasure to come. More I can give you. It won’t be easy. It’s never easy in the Sanctuary, but I’ll be here to ensure the process is sweet.”
I pushed myself up and turned to look at him. Oceanic eyes with specks of green glittered at me, filled with promise.
I knew the process wasn’t going to be sweet, however, not with what I’d just heard. Hansel had wanted to be a distraction. He’d succeeded, but only for a moment. The images of what I’d seen refused to stop coming. I had to face Agness. I had to face my heritage. And I had to save myself from becoming one of those gray-skinned bodies with no other purpose than as fodder for the chiasma.
Book Two
Prologue
I wished to kill.
I didn’t understand the sudden violence and what took over me, but I wasn’t myself and instincts drove me to bloodlust. Devon spun around, his tan skin emanating a light glow by reflecting the magic around us. He glanced at me with questioning yellow eyes.
“Cara,” he said. “You’re not supposed to be holding that.”
I blinked out of the redness of my anger and looked at my hand. I held a golden dagger that had arrows decorating its hilt. It had a curved blade that arced in a threatening manner. Why was I holding this? It was lightweight and fit nicely inside my palm, as if it’d been made just for me.
“We’re here for this, remember?” Devon said, lifting up our prize and showing it to me. A quilt?
I narrowed my eyes, suspicion rising in me as memories came flooding back.
I did not love this man.
An image of another male flashed through my mind’s eye. He had a mane of fiery red hair that he kept tamed with a silver hair tie. This man was a god unlike any other. A man to be lusted after and worshipped. He adorned himself with flowing robes and had a presence made from fire and ashes and steel. This was the man I loved. He was my soul mate and the only person I should be with. Not Devon. Devon existed as a pathetic excuse of a vassal. He was a lie. A distraction. And he had to be gotten rid of.
Devon cocked his head. “What’s with you? Was it something bad you ate? You’re making me worried, Cara. You shouldn’t play games. Not when her life’s at stake.”
Whose life? I looked at my surroundings and inspected the tiled white walls. I’d forgotten why I was here. Clutching the dagger tighter, I angled it outward and at Devon’s broad chest. He shouldn’t be breathing and looking at me like that. My love for him swelled into hatred, and I swept away the creeping doubt that I’d turned mad. I should trust my instincts and listen to my thoughts. Devon was a thorn that needed to be plucked away.
“You must die,” I said.
“What?” Devon half-smiled. “I don’t unders—”
I raised the dagger and leapt at him, using anger as my fuel. Consumed by both passion and grief, I plunged the weapon into Devon’s heart, removing myself from an unneeded distraction.
He was merely an insignificant vassal unworthy of being with me, and I belonged to a god.
Chapter One
I swept my hair from my face and hummed softly in satisfaction. I’d slept soundly last night, spent from Hansel’s playing of my body. He’d worked his magic over me and provided me a good night’s sleep. I’d wondered where he’d learned all that. My center still ached from his touch.
“Morning, sunshine,” Hansel said, stroking my cheek lightly with his thumb. He’d pleasured me for a good hour or more last night, and I couldn’t remember just how many times I came. The insides of my thighs ached with soreness, having been kneaded too much. I still couldn’t believe I’d experienced what I had.
I smiled softly at Hansel and puckered my lips. I might have looked stupid acting like a giddy schoolgirl, but he had that effect on me, and not caring about looking stupid was the secret to being cool. “Morning, you fine piece of meat.” I palmed his chest and reveled in how hard his muscles were. I felt the throbbing of his heart through his ribcage. It let me know exactly how much I managed to rile him, which sent flutters of excitement through my belly.
I couldn’t believe that I had that kind of effect on such an amazing guy.
“Meat, huh?” Hansel lifted a brow. “Not exactly the term of endearment I was expecting.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and sent kisses down my neck.
I reached toward his crotch, intending to show him exactly how much he’d endeared me to him, but Hansel caught my wrist before I touched him. “No.”
“And why not?” He’d given me pleasure all night without fucking. I thought it’d be good if I returned the favor. It only seemed fair.
A light rumble shook his chest as he chuckled. “I appreciate knowing that you want me, dear Caramel”—the way he said my name, rich with velvet sensuality, sent want spiraling through my thoughts—“but I have yet to discuss having you with the rest of the vassals. They’re gonna be pissed if they know I’d taken you without their consent.” He slid his fingers between my thighs and stroked there lightly. My center knotted again as I waited for another climax. “I love being the first of them to have made you moan like that, however.”
I caught myself mid-moan. I was way too loud during sex. I wondered if the girls next door heard me. If so, then all I really could say to them was “Oops.” I didn’t regret a moment of last night. Screw being considerate. I’d had fun.
I rocked my hips against Hansel’s hand, racing toward climax. I must have orgasmed at least ten times from Hansel’s dexterous tongue and fingers. I didn’t think I still had any in me.
I grabbed his shoulders and rocked my hips against his fingers. I clutched him tightly as shock waves of pleasure spasmed through me. “Don’t stop,” I said. “Just—”
He silenced my pleading by flicking his fingers over the nub of my clit. Numbness took over my mind, and I slackened under his touch, completely subdued by the effect he had on me.
Right before my knot unraveled, Hansel slipped his hand away. I glared at him with indignation. “There’s this thing one of our coaches kept yelling in gym class,” I said, forcing his hand back over my center. “Finish what you’ve started.”
“Gym class?”
“Back in high school. In the human world.” The one I’d flunked out of.
“Are you sure that’s what you want to bring up during a moment like this?”
I pursed my lips. “It’s a bit unsexy, isn’t it?”
“Just a bit?”
Unwelcoming visions of what had happened in high school swept through my thoughts.
Sweaty tank tops. Smelly sneakers. Coach Jaimie’s oversized belly and the coffee stains he always had on his shirt. Weird Billy also always had this habit of smelling his own armpits after staining his sleeves with way too much perspir
ation.
I winced at the memories and cursed myself for doing this to my own mind. Why couldn’t I just think sexy thoughts? Ugh.
Hansel reached for my center again.
“Hands off,” I said, pushing his fingers away. Recalling Weird Billy caused my pussy to shrivel like a dried-up prune.
He arched a brow. “Whatever you say, princess. Your wish is my command.” The cheesiness of that line caused me to cringe and sent happiness fluttering through my belly at the same time. I kissed Hansel on the cheek, unable to control myself. Hansel sighed at my show of affection and nuzzled the nape of my neck. “Red velvet?”
“More of that?” I screwed my nose up. “Can we try something else other than cake? Biscuits, perhaps? Or cookies. Anything that’s not that. Also, should I really be having so many sweets for breakfast?”
Hansel peeled back and showed me a puppy-eyed expression that sent light tremors through my chest. “You’re sick of that so quickly? I thought we’d bonded over it.”
Panic spiked up my gut. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “No, I mean, ah…” I turned into a flailing mess trying to explain myself away, but Hansel shook off his worry quickly and smiled.
“Anything you want, then. I’m just here to get your mind off what happened.”
His mention of the incident at the morgue did the exact opposite. Images of the piles of dead bodies and murdered girls came flashing back. Just yesterday, Danna, the vassals, and I wanted to find out more about Moping Miley’s death. Miley had been my roommate in the Sanctuary, and she died the first day I stayed here, going completely gray like the corpses we’d seen during our investigation.
Hansel noticed my tensing up. His eyes darkened. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“We need to address it eventually. I’d wanted to subdue Agness with my newfound lovemaking powers, but Devon had convinced me against it.”
“Had he?” Hansel asked.
“He said we should come up with a better game plan.”
“I agree.”
Goddess Academy: The Complete Reverse Harem Collection Page 14
