Goddess Academy: The Complete Reverse Harem Collection

by Clara Hartley

  The professor walked over to me and peered into the nest. He adjusted his spectacles and huffed. “Interesting. This is the first time I’ve seen one of these chickens lay three eggs at once. You must have pleased her greatly.”

  I wiggled my fingers in front of me. “Must have been my awesome shiatsu massage skills.”

  “What is that?”

  “Never heard of shiatsu before?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “You’re missing out.” Honestly, I didn’t even know what an actual shiatsu massage was supposed to be.

  Liam tapped my shoulder. I turned to him, then saw him gesturing to the scoreboard. My name had shot up the list, and I was closer to the top than ever. I beamed.

  “Well done,” Liam said, still wearing a blank expression.

  “It’s a start.”

  I had to push myself much harder if I wanted to save everyone.

  Francesca Bitchface was back to climbing the social strata of catty girls again. After watching how amazing I’d been at taming chickens, she’d given me a new nickname—Caramel Valencia, Great Tamer of Chickens. At the end of creature cordiality, she offered me a large bow, sweeping her hands out in front of her, and christened me with my new title. A bunch of girls, obviously jealous of my heritage and how well I was performing, mimicked her. The name caught on and spread like wildfire.

  Joke was on them. I wore the title proudly. At least I had a title. They had to continue through life being all normal and boring and title-less.

  “Tamer of Chickens,” Danna said, combing her hair while she sat on my bed. “It almost sounds terrifying.”

  “It’s not uncommon for queens to have familiars in fables, yes? Some queens have dragons. I have chickens. They can’t breathe fire, but at least they can provide a nutritious breakfast. I’ll take a healthy meal over a destroyed village any day.”

  “Exactly,” Danna replied, pumping her fists again in an excited manner. Despite everything that had been going on, she still hadn’t shed her cheerleader personality, and I was thankful for it. Everybody needed a cheerleader in their life. Life was often too shitty.

  The night had quietened, and it was almost bedtime, but it was nice spending the last hour before lights out with my best friend. We’d painted our nails. I’d chosen a glittery silver shade. I’d asked Danna to adorn my middle fingers with stars, so that whenever I had to flip someone off, I could do it in style.

  Danna stood and stretched. We’d been sitting for too long. She sighed and pulled my curtains back to let more moonlight stream in. “I told my vassals about the morgue. They asked me not to butt into it. Say it’s better to let the goddess continue in their ways, since we’re just kids who don’t know what we’re doing. I think they want me to stay alive, that’s all.” She peered out the window, and, following her gaze, I looked at the two crystal moons that glowed between the glittering stars.

  “Really?” I asked. “They sound like they’ve resigned to their fates.”

  “I think they’re mostly concerned for my safety. They say I should focus on being close to the top, which I already am.” Unlike me, Danna was good at pushing herself and studying. “If I butt into what Agness is doing, I might get caught in the crossfire.”

  “And what do you think?”

  “Screw them,” Danna said. “I can’t sit around doing nothing. Have you gotten a lead?”

  “I haven’t had an opportunity to speak to Devon yet, but he’s supposed to have learned something from his dad during our visit.”

  “You met his dad already?” Danna asked, her brows creeping up her forehead. I realized that I’d never told her about our little visit. “That’s fast.”

  “It doesn’t mean anything in terms of our relationship, if that’s what you’re referring to.”

  “Still…” Her voice trailed off when her attention caught something outside her window. “If you need to talk to him, now would be a good time.”

  “Hm?” I cocked my head.

  “Devon’s sitting outside in the courtyard. You can go ask him.”

  I strode up to the window and peered down, following where Danna pointed. Devon stood out from the dimness of the night. He was dressed casually in a shirt and pants. Sitting on an ornate bench, he had one leg crossed over another. His eyes were fixated on a book.

  “He looks busy,” I said.

  “It’s just reading.”

  “Yeah. I don’t know how people do that.”

  “How did you get past high school?”

  “I didn’t.”

  Danna blinked in shock. I realized I’d never told her about my dropping out.

  I frowned at Devon, then sighed. I’d been putting off confronting him, since I wasn’t sure how things would go, but now was as good a time as any other. I stood from my bed. “I guess I’m going, then.”

  As I strode toward the exit, Danna clapped her hands and gave me two thumbs up.

  I laughed. “I’m only going to talk to my own vassal. You don’t have to encourage me every time, you know?”

  “Nonsense,” Danna replied. “It’s good to be excited, even about the smaller things in life.”

  Facing Devon gave me little excitement. I didn’t want to face his apathy and rudeness.

  I walked out of the dormitory, climbed down the stairs, and headed toward the courtyard behind it. Devon was still sitting on the bench when I arrived. He closed his book. When he set it down, I casually glanced at the title—Vassaling 101. How to care for your goddess the right way.

  Was it a textbook?

  “I didn’t think you’d need an instructional booklet just to care for someone,” I said. “Seems like overkill.”

  Noticing my arrival, Devon uncrossed his legs and stood, closing the distance between us.

  Why was he nearing me like that? I thought he didn’t want anything to do with me.

  Not knowing what to think, I flinched away, but Devon grabbed my hand and ran a gentle touch across the back of it. “It’s harder than it sounds. People are complicated beings. Goddesses, especially.” His voice was soft, smooth, contrasting with the hard intensity of his gaze. Why was he looking at me like that?

  I cleared my throat. “Uh, I just wanted to talk to you about what happened with your father. Did you get any useful information? You’ve been dancing around the topic ever since we got back.”

  Devon shook his head. The intensity in his eyes lessened, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he really wanted to kiss me. Why? Hadn’t his heart been captured by that Abigail girl? “I thought I might get something from him, but my father wasn’t very helpful. Most of the meeting consisted of him reprimanding me. I just… didn’t want to talk about it after going through all that. I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry?” I blinked. “Devon Cierro, are you actually apologizing to me?”

  He drew in a deep breath. “And why not?”

  “Because you’re an insufferable prick with an ego the size of a mountain?”

  My insult didn’t affect him at all. He drew his hand up and pinched a lock of my red hair between his fingertips. Devon had never looked at me this way before. His eyes were filled with too much loving care. This was not the Devon I knew.

  “Are you plotting with Liam to make fun of me?” I asked.

  Hurt flickered across Devon’s face. “What?”

  “Or did I accidentally zap you with my magic? Is that why you’re being so nice to me now?”

  Devon finished what he started and tucked the strand of my hair behind my ear. “Why are you questioning my intentions?”

  “Because you’re doing a one-eighty. First, you’re all ‘I hate you, Cara, and now you’re looking up instruction manuals on how to care for me? People don’t just change like that.” I clicked my fingers in front of his face. Devon stood too close to me, and I attempted to not let the heat of his proximity bother me. He was too delectable, though, and my wild imagination began concocting images of him without his shirt on. I shoved those thoughts a
way even as they struggled to escape the mental cell I’d locked them in. “Your father said something to you to make you this way. I’m certain of it.”

  “It’s not—”

  “Something’s up your sleeve. And I’m going to find out what.”

  “You have to give me some credit.”

  “Credit is given to those who deserve it. And so far, you haven’t proven to me anything except for the fact that you’re a cocky asshole who happens to have really confusing mood swings.”

  Devon pinned me with a lingering stare. I could almost taste the hurt that emanated from him, and I almost felt guilty for rejecting him like that. I had to remind myself that he was a grown man with the ability to take care of his own feelings, and until he proved otherwise, I shouldn’t have to baby him.

  “All right,” Devon said, nodding to himself. “I’ll show you that I care. Trust takes time. I understand that.”

  “Good. Glad we’re on the same page.” I still needed to figure out why the one-eighty, however, and we weren’t any closer to solving the mystery of the morgue. I wanted to rip my hair out in frustration.

  I opened my mouth, wishing to bombard Devon with another string of questions. The bell chimed, indicating that it was time for us to head back into our rooms.

  “I’ll tuck you in,” Devon said.

  Tuck me in? Had Theo and Devon switched bodies?

  “No thank you,” I replied, spinning away.

  I felt a damp pressure on the back of my hand. Devon had kissed me there. My mouth hung agape. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.

  “Sorry,” Devon said again. Two apologies in one night? Devon was on a roll. “When you look so pretty like that, it’s hard to help myself.”

  “Did your textbook teach you to say that?”

  Devon shook his head. “Nope. Just saying what I think and being truthful for once.”

  “You are freaking me out.”

  “In a good way?” Devon asked. He grinned, and I never thought he’d smile at me like that.

  Chapter Eight

  Life went on as usual after what happened between Devon and me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the universe had tipped on its axis. Was it for the better or worse? It was still too soon to tell.

  I had direr things to worry about than the fate of the universe. I always reminded myself to deal with more pressing matters. Why care about big problems when I couldn’t even handle the small ones? And right then, my largest problem was the sweatiness of my pits and how my lungs were squeezing too tightly.

  I hated gym class.

  I hated it back on Earth, and I hated it now, in Haven. Despite being the daughter of a goddess, I’d been cursed with stubby legs that refused to cooperate with me whenever I ran.

  I’d been forced to run around a fancy track. The texture of the track shimmered an onyx color, and the markings were purple. Pillars, decorated with Agness’s golden vines, rimmed our running area.

  I cared little for the setting despite the gorgeous decorations. Gym class was terrible regardless of the location. They could set gym class in the middle of Disneyland and I’d still be this grumpy about it.

  Danna ran ahead of the rest of us. She made running look like an art. She’d been born to dominate the track. Despite her speed, she wasn’t even sweating.

  “Almost there,” I muttered softly, before pushing myself harder. We were being graded on our times, and if I fell behind too much, I’d lose points. When I finished and glanced at the scoreboard, I noticed that I’d lost a couple positions due to how slow I was.

  I strode from the track, my lungs heaving for air. After stopping, dragging one foot in front of the other was a challenge.

  Theo passed me a towel, then gave me a pat on the back. I doubted he understood just how strong he was. His pat gave me another ache between my shoulder blades, and I groaned.

  “Oops,” Theo said. “Uh, well done, Cara. You finished the run.”

  “I’m not sure why she’s struggling so much,” Liam added. “It’s only a mile.”

  I wiped my forehead with the towel, hating how my sweat clung to my skin and gave me a grimy sensation. “It felt like a hundred.”

  “Weak,” Liam said. I flipped him off. In style, of course, courtesy of Danna’s star.

  Growing up, I’d noticed an odd phenomenon about gym teachers. Most of them weren’t fit—at all. They were usually old and looked like they’d had one too many donuts. My theory was that they spent so much time yelling at kids to work out that they had no time to exercise themselves.

  And in the Sanctuary, this wasn’t any different.

  Our gym teacher, Mr. Applebottom, was a short man with a beer belly. He stood watching over us in a power pose, his hands on his hips, a stern expression on his wrinkled face. “Well done, Danna!” There was a strange vibrato in his voice that sounded goatlike. “That’s the fastest time I’ve ever seen from a half-blood!” He couldn’t seem to talk without shouting, either. A whistle hung around his neck, and in typical gym teacher fashion, he blew his whistle before barking out another command. “Everybody give me ten push-ups!”

  I hadn’t recovered from the run, and my lungs were still straining from panting. Push-ups? Did I really have to?

  Mr. Applebottom met my eyes. His stern expression told me that I didn’t really have a choice, and the flashing scoreboard gave me extra incentive. I groaned and lowered myself to the ground for push-ups. When I put my hands on the track’s surface, my elbows shook. I’d never been to the seventh circle of Hell, but I was pretty sure it felt just like the gym class.

  “Off your knees!” Mr. Applebottom shouted. “I want your maximum effort here! Everybody give me full push-ups!”

  Really? I couldn’t even manage the modified, easier version of push-ups. Why did life have to be so cruel? I tried to steady myself when I moved up to a plank position, but my elbows shook even more, and I thought they might just give in.

  “You can do it, Cara,” Theo said. He sounded like a watchful older brother. Since he’d grown up with so many siblings, that was no surprise. “One.” Theo counted for me as I struggled. My arms barely inched downward before I pushed myself upward, back into the neutral position. Mr. Applebottom had probably noticed how pathetic my form was, but he didn’t say anything. “Two.”

  “You’re doing well,” Hansel said.

  “Don’t lie to her,” Liam replied. “She doing a terrible job. The teacher’s taking points from her and she’s dropping down the— Ow! What was that for?” I heard a smacking sound.

  “You’re not doing her any good,” Hansel said. “You’re supposed to cheer her on.”

  “I’m not going to lie if I don’t have to.”

  “Three,” Theo continued.

  What? I’d only done three? I thought I’d done at least thirty. My shoulders ached from the strain, and I wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the ground. I craned my neck to look at where I’d spotted Danna last. Frustration clawed up the back of my mind. She’d already finished and was doing jumping jacks like a bunny who’d had too much coffee. I wanted to be done and over with this already.

  A shadow moved next to me. I recognized Devon’s voice when he said, “You’re halfway there. Five more to go.”

  Silence fell over the rest of my vassals. They were probably just as surprised as I’d been last night to hear Devon supporting me. I still couldn’t figure out his sudden change. Had I accidentally zapped him with my love powers? Maybe my powers had grown stronger, and they could affect him for a longer period of time.

  “Did I miss something?” Liam asked. “Why are you being nice to Cara?”

  “She’s my half-blood,” Devon responded.

  “She was before, too, but you didn’t treat her so well.”

  “I’ve learned from my mistakes.”

  Hansel cut in, “Did something happen between you back at your father’s place?”

  I finished the last of my push-ups, though I wasn’t sure if any of the
m counted because I didn’t even go halfway toward the ground. “Ten,” Theo said. I fell to the ground, not caring that it was covered with dirt, and loosed a tired moan. I never wanted to do this again, though I was certain I had to during the next gym class.

  “You did great,” Devon said, smiling at me.

  Liam folded his arms across his chest. “Okay, this is weird. Am I alone in the Let’s Not Be Completely in Love with Cara Club now? I want the old Devon back.”

  Looking at Devon’s hands, I noticed that he’d already prepared a bottle of water for me. He passed it to me. Despite my suspicions, I was parched, so I snatched the bottle from him, uncapped it, and took a large swig. I swallowed large gulps of water, not caring that some of it spilled down my jaw because I drank too quickly. It did the job of quenching my thirst, but my lightheadedness hadn’t abated.

  Devon raised a brow. “Feeling better?”

  “I’ll… survive,” I replied, having trouble talking over my heavy breathing.

  “It gets better as you get fitter.”

  “I need motivation.”

  “Some push?” Devon asked. “I can help with that.”

  When was he so helpful? He wouldn’t even chip in when facing Fenrir, even though his powers subdued the wolf in no time at all. “How so?” I asked.

  “If I wake you up earlier every day, we can go for a jog together.”

  “Jogging.” And waking up early? Never mind. Devon was just keen on making my life hell. I knew that he had ulterior motives all along. “My suspicions were right.”

  Devon squinted, apparently not quite understanding where I was coming from. “Besides,” he said, “it won’t be too bad if I get to spend more time with you.”

  The others watched us with stupefied looks. They were as confused as I was, and Devon’s new behavior caused tension to spike between all five of us.

  “Well?” Devon asked.

  “I’ll consider it,” I said, though I wasn’t sure if I wanted alone time with Devon. The way he stared at me caused my stomach to twist.

  “Okay then,” Theo said with an awkward chuckle. “We should get Cara changed and ready for her next lesson. We don’t want her to be late.”