The Goddess Quest

by Clara Hartley

  “Are you lecturing me now?”

  “Just trying to make peace.” We might as well use this alone time to work things out.

  “It’s not so simple,” Liam said.

  “Making friends?” I paused, considering my next words carefully. “It’s just a change in mindset. And maybe you’ve just gotta smile more.” I wasn’t one to give advice on that, however. Back on Earth, I didn’t have that many friends either. Sometimes it was just difficult to find people I could click with, and Liam was a challenge to get along with.

  “Yep.” Liam folded his arms across his chest. “And how I think about you isn’t something that’s so easily changed.”

  “How so?” I asked. “It’s not about my IQ, is it? Do you have something against people who like to knock their heads on things randomly?”

  “You’re clumsy. That’s one thing. Though Devon did help with that using the bracelet.”

  “So, what is it?”

  “You’re Aphrodite’s daughter.”

  I pursed my lips. Narrowed my eyes. “This again? Why is it always about my parents?”

  “She wasn’t a good person.”

  “I’m not her.”

  “You share her blood.”

  “Humans came from apes, didn’t they? By that dumbass logic, we’re all fucking monkeys.” Then again, I wasn’t sure how that whole genetic thing worked with half-bloods and goddesses. Now that magic was involved, how did all that science-y shit play into it? I decided I didn’t want to waste my brain cells on things I couldn’t understand. I was an in-the-moment person. “I’m not Aphrodite. I might have popped out of her divine, sparkling vagina, but that doesn’t mean I share much in common with her other than blood. So give me a chance and maybe we can make something out of this.” I twirled my hand over my head. “Whatever this is.”

  Liam blew out a breath through his nose. “I think you share more in common with her than you think.”

  “I wouldn’t know.” I shrugged. “I’ve never met her. So what about her, anyway? Why do you dislike her?”

  “My last name’s Javerion.”

  “Uh huh,” I said. “Come to think of it, this is the first time I’m hearing your last name.” From previous conversations, I’d learned that Hansel’s was Mason, and Theo’s was Wilson, but Liam had kept his distance so much that the opportunity to find his out never came up. “So, what about it?”

  “Ever heard of the guardian massacre during the Vassal War?”

  “Where have you been the last few weeks? I think you should know by now that I have God-awful memory, and history’s one of my worst subjects.” It involved too much reading. I wondered if Medusa’s bracelet had a variation that could also make me smart. It would be nice and convenient if my shortcomings could all be solved by magical artifacts littered around Haven.

  Liam scoffed at my statement. “During the Vassal War, the guardians were a strong force of a thousand families. Mythical creatures grew in abundance throughout Haven, too. They all banded together to face Ares and his armies, so they posed a major threat to Ares and Aphrodite. Aphrodite used her love powers, exhausting herself, to create infighting between the families. She didn’t give a fuck about the children in those families. Made them kill each other all the same. After all the fighting, only one family was left. The Javerions.”

  “Sounds brutal,” I said. I continued using the soft texture of my new wings to calm myself. Liam’s words sounded like they’d been ripped out of fiction. The horribleness of it all was too grand for me to fathom.

  “That’s all you have to say to that?”

  “What else? I’m just a bystander, and the war has passed. It’s not like I can do anything about it.”

  “War crimes. Your mother committed genocide. You’re related to that woman and you don’t even care.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck. It seemed like Liam had been expecting a certain reaction out of me, but I couldn’t give him what he wanted. Although I did find his story repulsive, I couldn’t feel much about it, since it sounded like something bad in the news, or just pages from a history book. I hadn’t been there to experience it myself. “Goddesses really like doing this whole genocide thing, huh? It’s happening right now back in the Sanctuary. And I want to find Aphrodite to stop it. I’m trying to prevent it, not commit it, so really, don’t judge me for my mother’s crimes.”

  “My family has been taught to hate the likes of you.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way, then.” Though I bore no guilt.

  Liam huffed. He stood from the couch and moved over to the large bed the selkies had prepared for us. Acting like a brat, he kicked off his shoes and hopped under the sheets. His lips were turned down, all grumpy, when he pulled the blanket over his head and tucked himself in.

  “Going to bed?” I asked.

  “I’ll sleep this whole night off, and we can worry about saving Devon tomorrow once they let us out of this room.”

  I couldn’t stop worrying about Devon. “Do you think we can steal the elixir from the centaurs?”

  “Yeah,” Liam said. “I know some passages around the temple. At least, I hope my sense of direction can serve us well enough. We’ll save him.”

  “You say it so confidently.”

  “How else am I supposed to act?” His voice was muffled, blocked by the sheets. “Pretend like everything is going to shit and cry in a corner? We’re going to fix things.”

  Anxiety zipped through me. Liam’s confidence gave me some relief. I didn’t know what we were doing, and Liam sure acted like he did. Still, I wasn’t sure whether he was putting up a front. “There’s so many things that could go wrong. We could get captured by the centaurs or we not make it on time. What if we never find Hansel and Theo? Or what if they got caught, too, and are being used as leverage? There’s no time left, and—”

  A soft, almost unnoticeable sound interrupted me. I frowned, then stood up, nearing Liam and dragging my wings on the ground. I shook him.

  He’d fallen asleep and was as still as a log.

  Really?

  How did he manage to fall asleep like that when we were stuck in so much chaos, and so quickly at that?

  I resisted the urge to smack him awake and dragged my hand down my face.

  Why’d he have to be the one to save me? I should be more thankful about him saving my life, but his attitude made him really easy to dislike.

  Chapter 6

  My wings were gone by the next morning. Also, I woke up to Liam snuggling up behind me. When I blinked awake, I was, frankly, quite surprised. I wasn’t sure how we’d ended up in that position, with me lying down on one of his arms, another arm across my waist, and his hard-on nudging my backside, but it was a strange mixture of comfortable and awkward.

  “Cara,” Liam said lazily as he dug his nose into the back of my neck. “You smell nice.” A low hum rumbled from his chest. My pulse thumped faster as I tried to process what was happening. Liam seemed so vulnerable like this, and the words that escaped from his lips seemed so raw. He pulled my body closer against his, then dragged his palm down the side of my arm. His hands were slightly coarse, but their warmth also felt really nice. I shifted, indulging in the comfort of his embrace.

  Should I stop him? Judging from the conversation we’d had last night, he really hated my guts, and I doubted he’d be proud of showing this side of himself to me once he fully came to his senses.

  “Cara.” He really should stop saying my name in that husky voice. He was making it difficult for me to concentrate on waking up. “Hmm.”

  “Good morning,” I replied. My voice quivered. I paid full attention to his erection, which didn’t seem like it was going to subside anytime soon. He made slight movements with his hips, twitching subconsciously. The curious side of me wondered how his length would feel when I circled my fingers around it, how I might be able to arouse him by stroking him.

  Internally, I scolded myself for crawling into the bed last night. I thought it was un
fair that I had to take the couch, and the rebellious side of me didn’t want to let Liam win. So, I took the other side of the bed. Before I fell asleep, however, I’d ensured that Liam and I had two feet between us. I certainly wasn’t expecting the snuggle. It didn’t help that I’d taken off my shirt, so his arm was rubbing against my bare skin. One of his legs draped over mine, pulling me closer.

  He wiggled. “Cara. Hmmm.”

  A blush heated my cheeks.

  “You really do smell nice.”

  The rumble that came from his chest after made me want to combust. Even though he was an asshole, Liam was hot with a capital H. I couldn’t deny that. Feeling his heat pressed against my back sent all sorts of emotions spiraling through me.

  “All right,” I said. “That’s it. Wake up.” I pushed his arm away from me and sat up. My cheeks were flushed from desire, my pulse raced, and the ache between my thighs told me that my panties were probably completely soaked.

  Liam’s eyes fluttered open. He pushed himself up and raked his hand through his long raven hair, which had unraveled sometime during the night. “What’s going on?” He rubbed his eyes, still in a daze, before he fully awoke. “Crap.”

  I glanced down at myself. I hadn’t noticed that my bra had been pushed up while we cuddled, exposing one of my nipples. I blushed again, then pulled the bra down, although Liam had probably already seen enough.

  Once he fully awoke, Liam was back to being his usual rude self. He scowled, as he often did, and said, “Why are you in my bed?”

  “Your bed? Excuse me? From what I’ve seen, the selkies wanted us to share it.”

  “I got it first. You were supposed to take the couch.” I huffed and pushed a strand of hair away from my face. My hair was probably a mess. I normally woke up with my hair all messy.

  Hearing the hardness in his tone made me regret pulling myself away from him so quickly. I preferred it when he was being all snuggly. He was a lot less smack-able then. “I didn’t remember such an arrangement. You went ahead and decided everything yourself. I wasn’t going to let myself be taken for a ri—”

  The front door clicked. I stopped mid-sentence and looked to the entrance. The ponytailed selkie who’d led us in here yesterday stepped through the doorway. She had her hands clasped together and a bright smile on her face. “Did you enjoy your night?”

  I reached up to my shoulder and pressed. There wasn’t any tension around my shoulders, showing that I’d actually gotten a pretty good night’s rest. I’d slept like a baby, which I often didn’t do when in a new place. All that running about might have made me exhausted, even though my concern over Devon spiked adrenaline through me.

  “We scented the room to have more calming properties, so you’d be able to get better rest,” the selkie said.

  That explained why I’d had such a good sleep.

  “Also,” the selkie said, stepping aside, “these two showed up at the lake not too long ago.”

  Hansel and Theo appeared from behind her, looking worse for wear. Hansel had a deep cut across his cheek, and his hair was completely damp, probably from the trip through the lake. Some parts of his shirt were torn.

  The moment his eyes fell on me, however, they brightened. He pushed past the selkie and swept me into his arms. Theo didn’t have as many injuries, but there were light bruises around his arm. Theo drew Hansel and I into a big hug.

  “Thank the chiasma that you’re safe, Cara,” Theo said. I wanted to point out that the chiasma was the very thing he shouldn’t be thanking, but I let the matter slip. “We were worried sick about you.”

  “Why the injuries?” I asked them, hating how they’d been hurt. I reached up and pinched dirt away from Hansel’s hair. Blood also clumped his locks of hair together. “Goddammit, you shouldn’t let yourselves get hurt like this. I should’ve been there.”

  Hansel let me go. He had squeezed me so tightly that I thought my ribcage might get crushed. He seemed really grateful that I was safe, and realizing that he cared so much warmed my heart.

  “We got injured during our escape,” Hansel replied. “Theo first overheard about you eating their fig, causing an uproar throughout the temple. We tried to find you. We searched everywhere, but you were nowhere to be found. After looking for too long, we heard about you escaping, and that’s why the centaurs were looking all over the place. It slowed us down, but we managed to avoid them for the most part, and then we stumbled upon a stray group of scouts.”

  “Fucking killed me trying to get past them,” Theo added. “Them and their giant axes.”

  “But we managed.” Hansel grinned proudly. His brow crinkled right after. “We were worried about where you and Liam might be. Luckily, we stumbled upon this lake.”

  The selkie behind Hansel nodded.

  I sucked in a deep breath. In response, Hansel’s attention fell upon my boobs, which were exposed from my lack of a shirt. “Did something happen between you?” he asked Liam, sounding more curious than jealous.

  I lifted a brow. “Surprisingly, no.”

  Hansel drew me to him again, more languidly than before. He wrapped an arm around the back of my waist and pressed me against his hard torso. My mouth went dry as lust crept to my center. Hansel smirked. Was it wrong that I thought the scar on his face made him look even more handsome than usual? It marred his casual looks with a certain badass sensuality that sent all sorts of funny emotions through my chest. “Really? How did you manage to resist, Liam? Cara looks ready to be eaten up like this.” He hooked his finger around the strap of my bra and dragged it down the side of my arm. “I’m very tempted myself.”

  Liam grunted and folded his arms across his chest, remaining distant.

  While Hansel had the front of my body pressed against him, Theo neared me from behind. He drew a hand down my back and leaned toward my neck to plant a kiss there. The sexual tension that had built from Liam snuggling up to me had already put me on edge, so when they cornered me like this, need spiked through me uncontrollably. I thrust my hand in Hansel’s hair and drew my lips to his. There was a metallic aftertaste when we kissed. Blood. It had probably come from the scrape at the side of his mouth. The bitter taste only added to our rugged passion and made me want him even more. Theo cupped the curve of my ass. His hand traveled down it before he grabbed the flesh of my thigh.

  “I’m guessing you’ll need more time in this room, then,” the selkie said, laughter in her voice. I’d almost forgotten that we had an audience. I looked over Hansel’s shoulder. She left us alone again, shutting the door behind her.

  Theo reached around my torso and cupped my breasts. While Hansel continued kissing me, Theo stroked the mounds that peeked out from over my bra. His hands continued to wander as the heat between us rose, and it wasn’t long before he pushed the fabric of my bra aside and found my nipples. “You’re too fucking sexy, Cara,” he said, nibbling my earlobe.

  I mewled in response as my knees weakened. Hansel was kissing me so hard that breathing became difficult. I clutched his arms and pushed him away to take a small breath. Giddiness fogged up my head and my knees weakened. Stuck between them, I felt so small, so wanted, like there wasn’t enough of me to go around.

  “Fucking get a room,” Liam said, sitting down.

  Hansel looked over my shoulder and smirked. “You could join us if you want.”

  I heard a growl from behind me.

  Theo dragged my pants down. “I haven’t had Cara yet.” His breathy panting told me that he was eager to take me, to sink his cock inside my folds and make me scream his name. He exposed my pussy to the cool air. I shivered. “How tight are you?” he asked, as he dragged a finger across my center.

  “You could test me out yourself,” I replied. I sounded breathy because of the white-hot desire tightening around my body. I arched my back at the teasing sensation. Already, I felt my wetness dripping down the side of my thigh as my heart slammed against my ribs from both nervousness and anticipation.

  “She’s del
ectable,” Hansel said. He picked me up, and instinctively, I hooked my legs around his waist to support myself. He carried me as if I weighed nothing and set me down on the bed. I spread my legs for him as he situated himself between my thighs. My insides twisted in knots, but Hansel pulled away from me. I grabbed him, impatiently wanting him inside me.

  Hansel’s lips were damp from all my kissing. He wiped his thumb across the bottom of his mouth. “Your turn.” With a teasing smirk, he glanced at Liam. “Are you sure you don’t want to join? She’s tight as fuck and tastes golden.”

  “I don’t want Liam,” I said.

  Hansel raised a brow at me.

  “He hasn’t done anything to make me want him yet,” I added. I liked looking at hot dudes, but that didn’t mean I’d fuck every one of them.

  “I did save your life, you know,” Liam said. “I got you away from the centaurs.”

  “You could have done it more nicely.”

  “You weren’t exactly the best damsel in distress.”

  “Because I’m not one. I’m badass Cara.”

  “And which part of you is badass?”

  “The part that doesn’t want to bend over for—”

  Hansel latched his mouth over my pussy, tearing a gasp from my throat and shutting me up. I clamped my thighs around his head, locking him there, as he tongued circles around my center, sending sparks of electricity up my core. I bucked my hips even more, the tension around my pussy drawing moans from my mouth.

  “Sweet,” Hansel said, before flicking his tongue over my clit.

  Liam might have said that he didn’t want me, but the burning expression on his face told me otherwise.

  “I thought you said it was my turn,” Theo said in a low voice. He sounded completely different when lustful, and the hooded expression on his face told me that he couldn’t wait to plunge his length through my center.

  Hansel chuckled, not releasing his mouth from me. His laughter sent light vibrations through my sensitive areas. “Just getting her nice and wet for you.”

  “Is she ready?” Theo asked impatiently.