The Goddess Quest

by Clara Hartley

  “You taste sweet, Cara,” Devon muttered. The warmth of his breath sent chills through me.

  The rest of the guys were awake now, their gazes fixated on me. The tension that zipped through the air was nerve-racking. The heat pulsed and throbbed and ebbed through my veins as Devon pushed his fingers into my folds and began kneading me. A soft hiss pulled from between his teeth as pleasure hooded his features, as if pleasing me was giving him the same sensations.

  Liam stirred. He was lying next to Theo and pushed himself up. He had his raven hair down. Silky black hair fell lazily around his shoulders. “Getting into it so quickly?” he asked.

  My jaw hung slightly agape. I squeezed my thighs around Devon’s head as his activities over my pussy got increasingly aggressive. I gripped Theo’s arm and began rocking my hips as mind-numbing lust filled my insides.

  “Flip her over,” Hansel said.

  Devon dragged his tongue across my center one last time before he followed Hansel’s request. He grabbed my waist and lifted me before turning me around. With a decisive tug, he pulled my ass up so that it was offered up to him. Too quickly, I’d gone from feeling safe to being vulnerable, and the position they put me in sent excitement pulsing through my veins.

  “Kiss me,” I said, not to anyone in particular. I wanted to feel lips on mine. Theo lightly tugged at my hair and angled my face so that he could take my mouth.

  Hansel kneaded my ass, spreading the cheeks apart for Devon, who was standing behind me. I could feel my wetness dripping down the inside of my thighs.

  “Not him,” Liam said.

  I lifted a brow. “Why?”

  “We’re all fucking jealous of him,” Liam admitted.

  I couldn’t wrap my head around that. I loved all four of my vassals equally, and there should be no rivalry. How had I reached this point? I couldn’t imagine life with just one of them missing, and I couldn’t be happier that Devon had returned to us.

  “You loved him so much yesterday,” Theo said. I sensed testosterone pulsing through the air. It was odd having this conversation while on all fours, ass sticking up in the air, just waiting for one of them to take me.

  Liam pushed Devon away. Before I could respond to Theo, Liam entered me from behind. He thrust himself inside me, grabbing my shoulders so he could sink himself deeper. My walls clenched around him in response, intensifying the sensations.

  “All right, then,” Devon said. “We can take turns, right, Cara?”

  My mind had turned into mush, and it was difficult to come up with a response. I slumped onto the bed, my arms growing too weak to support me. “Faster,” I said, because I was a glutton for punishment. Liam answered my plea, pumping into me at a more furious pace, making a slapping noise. Liam reached over and pinched my clit with his forefinger and thumb, massaging the sensitive spot. Pleasure gathered between my legs as my muscles cinched tighter at the sensations.

  Hansel took my hand and brought it to his length. “Don’t leave us hanging, Cara.” Theo grabbed my breast and lightly flicked my nipple. I groaned, and when Liam pressed his hand on the small of my back, the action was both so domineering and gentle that the knot inside me unraveled, and everything came apart. I screamed out Liam’s name and released Hansel’s length as I tried to get a grip on my senses. That was impossible. The pleasure that rocked through me was unbearably good. My body quaked. As I orgasmed, I felt the heat of their gazes on my back. Tears pricked my eyes from the intensity. Hansel stroked the back of my head tenderly.

  “Fuck,” Liam said as my walls clenched around him. His thrusts quickened, and with one last slam of his hips, he emptied his seed into me. He leaned toward my back and began placing kisses there, starting at the area between my shoulder blades. His kisses ran down my spine, and as he slowly gave them to me, I felt his breath. Hard. Hot. Heavy. “I could fuck you again, Cara. Through the day and night. You’re amazing.”

  “We want our turns,” Devon said.

  Liam snorted. “Fine.” He moved aside, and Devon took his position behind me. He pushed his length through my center slowly and gently. It was too soon after my orgasm, and I felt far too sensitive.

  “I love you, Cara,” Liam said, bending down. He captured my lips with his. And when he kissed me like that, I knew what he said was true.

  “I love you too.” I grabbed Hansel’s hand, hoping he could sense what I felt for him through my touch. “All of you.”

  Chapter 12

  With the amazing sex the vassals had given me, the morning started out well, but it blew up in my face once I had to meet Agness to get my schedule sorted.

  I was thankful to her for saving Devon, but ultimately, she wanted to see me fail. She was never on my side, and I shouldn’t have assumed that she might be understanding.

  Huffing, I stomped out of Agness’s study.

  Suspended.

  She’d suspended me from all school activities for a school year because of what I’d done to Devon. Apparently, hurting one of my vassals was on the list of things to not do when in school, and she needed to give me punishment that was worse than detention.

  “I’ll forever be at the bottom of the scoreboard, then,” I’d told her.

  She’d replied, “So be it. Then you will join the others.” She didn’t elaborate what she’d meant by “the others,” but I knew exactly what she was referring to. I refused to suffer the fate of the other girls, and Agness was underestimating me by assuming I’d just take it lying down. “You shouldn’t have snuck out of the Sanctuary in the first place. Going to the Ashmeda? What in the world were you thinking? That place is forbidden, and only the goddesses are allowed to visit it. I ought to expel you, but Devon loves you very much, and since he is my vassal’s son, I want to give him more time before he’s sent to the camp.”

  The conversation ended after I tried to speak for myself, but she silenced me every time I tried to raise some valid points.

  Whatever.

  I’d find a way to get around Agness’s decree. She might be the overseer, but I was Cara fucking Valencia.

  I headed out into the courtyard next to Agness’s tower. All four of my vassals waited for me. Theo was leaning against a fence while the others stood casually around him. Just looking at them cheered me up a bit, but not by much. “What did she say?” Hansel asked. He looked optimistic, which made me annoyed, because I’d have to let him down with my answer.

  “I’m not going to have to attend any classes anymore,” I replied.

  Hansel raised a brow. “That’s good, isn’t it?”

  “Not if I want to survive. I’m suspended. My grades are going to drop, and I’ll be at the very bottom of the class. At the end of year, I’m going to be harvested like the rest of those poor souls.” I sighed.

  Theo folded his arms across his chest. “Your suspension doesn’t matter. We’re going to meet Deimos after this, yes? We can find Aphrodite and Ares, and then we’ll search for the answers to the chiasma. With that, we won’t have to worry about the genocide anymore, and everything will be fixed.”

  He made it sound so easy.

  I nodded, but was still uncertain about how much to trust Deimos. I hated being around him because of the dread he gave me. The dark aura that pulsed from him made me want to run and hide every time I neared him.

  “Should we really go look for him?” I asked.

  Liam narrowed his eyes. “We need to search for your parents to solve the problem of the chiasma. The goddesses here don’t have answers, but Aphrodite and Ares might. If we want to prevent both Haven and Earth from imploding, then maybe we should follow the only lead we have. It’s good that you’re suspended. Then they won’t go looking for you, and we’ll have all the time in the world to find out what we need to.”

  “That’s a positive way to look at it.” I scratched the back of my neck. “I hope you’re right.”

  “Cara!”

  I turned to my right, peering at the courtyard, and saw Danna waving at me on her tiptoes.
She grinned widely. Her vassals had dressed her in a tight miniskirt today, and her hair was tied in a loose, messy braid that fell around her shoulders. Her crop top revealed her midriff, which was toned and sexy. She hopped up and down where she was standing, then ran up to me. With her eyes twinkling, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me along. “I’m stealing her,” she said to the others.

  I cocked my head. “What are you so excited about?”

  “You’re back,” Danna replied. “I wasn’t sure where you went, but you had me worried sick.”

  “It’s only been three days.”

  “With all that worrying and anxiety?” Danna asked. “It felt like an eternity. I thought I might lose you forever, especially after what Hansel said to me when he gave me that quilt.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He showed up in my room with a grave expression. He mentioned that you were panicking because one of the guys was dying, and he needed to be by your side as soon as possible. He threw the quilt at me and told me that he couldn’t be around to make sure that the goddess of death didn’t come. I was like, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’ And he quickly summed it up, telling me that if I didn’t do as he said, I’d die. I was half confused, half scared. I wasn’t sure what to think.” Danna frowned. “He disappeared right after. I didn’t get a chance to ask questions. I went looking for you the day after, but you were nowhere to be found. I thought you might’ve gotten yourself into trouble and died or something.”

  “We had to save Devon.” I angled my body slightly to look at him, who was watching us with casual amusement.

  Danna threw her arms around me. “I’m kidnapping her,” Danna said. She wrapped her fingers around my wrist and tugged me along. “None of you follow.”

  “We’re supposed to keep Cara safe,” Hansel said.

  “Why don’t you keep a safe distance instead?” Danna made a swishing motion with her hands.

  “I’ll be back at the dormitory by nightfall.”

  “It won’t take that long.” Danna pulled me away from the guys. She hopped down the stairs in front of Agness’s tower, and I struggled to keep up with her speed. She walked very quickly.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Stay and find out.” Danna giggled.

  She took me past a few other buildings and towers. When she arrived at the place she wanted to show me, she bounced on her heels. “Unicorns.”

  “Unicorns?” I asked.

  “The goddesses just got a new shipment of them. I’ve always wanted to see a unicorn.”

  Didn’t every girl? I’d seen the pegasi and the river steeds. I’d ridden a horse with wings. What more could a girl ask for? The unicorns were just a bonus, so I wasn’t as excited as Danna. Still, my interest had been piqued, and I let Danna take my hand and drag me along. My vassals had decided to give us space. They lightly trailed behind us as Danna led the way to where the mythical creatures awaited.

  It was cooling today, the weather a pleasant temperature. Maybe I needed this after everything I’d just gone through. It’d help keep my mind off the stress of having to save two realms.

  The unicorns weren’t too far away. They were in the field close to Agness’s tower. My jaw dropped when I noticed they were golden, the sheen of their gorgeous coats reflecting the rays of the sun and glowing with a radiant yellow. “They’re beautiful,” I said. The horns that poked out from their heads were silver, the tips sharp and jagged and deadly. There were at least thirty of them gathered in the field. I would have been happy to see just one unicorn. But so many?

  Danna squealed and hugged herself. “They’re real! I can’t believe it.”

  “Calm yourse—”

  “I can die happy now. I’ve seen a unicorn, and oh, I need to take a picture. But we’re not allowed anything to take pictures with, damn it. Why’d they have to take away our phones?”

  “Well,” I said. “They look lick-able.”

  “Lick-able, huh,” Danna said. “I want to eat them up.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  She looked at me innocently. “Well, whenever something’s really cute, you just want to swallow it whole, right?”

  I shook my head. “No, not really.” Also, I didn’t think the unicorns looked cute at all. They were resplendent, gorgeous, out-of-this-world, yes. But I wouldn’t describe them as cute. Danna had the strangest definitions.

  “I’m going closer,” Danna said, walking ahead of me. She pulled me along, and I let her. Brightlings tended to the unicorns, brushing their manes and leading some toward a nearby stable. As we neared, one brightling who was holding a clipboard noticed us and walked toward us. This brightling had a head like a squirrel. A long, bushy tail poked out from its butt. It looked soft, but also kind of creepy.

  “Only the goddesses are allowed to near the unicorns,” the brightling said, tapping its pen on its clipboard. “They’re for a special event.”

  Danna’s shoulders sagged. “Really? That’s disappointing.”

  Around us, I noticed other half-blood females getting declined too. Some were already walking away.

  “Please make yourself scarce,” the brightling said. “We’re putting up a barrier to ward you girls away. There’s just too many people that want to get close to the sacred creatures.”

  “What are their powers?” Danna asked. “Can they grant wishes?”

  “Yes. But only very small ones, and to different degrees. They’re not a convenient way to solve all the world’s problems.”

  “Can I ask for one?” She clasped her hands together, her eyes wide.

  “As mentioned earlier. You half-bloods are not allowed near the creatures. Please go away. You’re not welcome here.”

  “I can offer a trade,” Danna said. “What do you want, brightling? Name your price.”

  The brightling narrowed its eyes at Danna. The fact that they were beady made him look even more sinister. “I want you to go away. I implore you to do so.”

  Danna pushed past it. The brightling knocked her back, and she flopped backward, falling onto the ground. She groaned, before pushing herself back to her feet and shaking her fist at the brightling. “I demand to touch the unicorn!”

  I stood by, deciding to let Danna fight her own battles. I recalled the last time she’d tried to assault a brightling. I’d foolishly jumped in and helped her. Not long after, we were sent to detention, and my arms got tired while we tried to clean a bloodstained ground that kept regenerating its stains. I’d learned my lesson and didn’t want to suffer a repeat.

  Danna didn’t manage to get close to the brightling, however. A barrier shot up in front of her, blocking her way and knocking her backward. She stumbled, almost tripping and falling to the ground again. “Really? You guys are going to be selfish about the unicorns?”

  “Danna,” I said, clasping her shoulder. “Calm down.”

  “I’m not going to calm down! There are unicorns in front of me.” She pointed behind her. “There’s a herd of them. Any normal human being would be beside himself and pretty much dying. Like I am. I’m dying inside, Cara.”

  I winced. Was she having a mental breakdown?

  “Let’s have ice cream,” I said.

  “Ice cream is nothing compared to unicorns. Unicorns are like ice cream times a hundred.”

  “You’re not even making sense anymore.” I sighed, shaking my head. Maybe that was the effect of these magical creatures. They made girls like Danna go so crazy that they didn’t even like ice cream anymore. I glanced at the unicorns again. They truly were very pretty.

  But I wasn’t losing my shit or anything. Maybe I’d just seen too much after arriving in Haven.

  “Come on,” I said. I wrapped my hand around Danna’s wrist and dragged her away. She was pouting way too much.

  Ten minutes later, we were sitting across the herd with little cups of ice cream in our hands, courtesy of Hansel. Hansel really loved giving me sweet food. Earlier, I’d asked him why. His answer was t
hat it made me smile, and he loved seeing me happy. The genuine care he’d said that sentence with gave me all sorts of funny feelings, even more than looking at unicorns did.

  I had my legs crossed and my eyes fixated on the golden beasts as I spooned another scoop of ice cream into my mouth. Despite Danna’s insistence that only the unicorns could cheer her up, the dessert had seemed to do the trick.

  “Feel better?” I asked,.

  “I really wanted to touch one.”

  “I know,” I said. “Me too.” Less so, however, because riding the pegasi had already abated the need. Maybe I’d be just as disappointed as Danna if I hadn’t had the chance.

  Danna eyed the creatures like she might a long-lost lover. She tore her gaze away from them. “Thanks for saving me the other day, by the way. With the quilt and all. Would have sucked to have turned out like Miley.”

  “Are you still sleeping with it?” I wondered if Danna’s face was still in the chiasma’s pond. The goddess of death might not have completely given up on her yet, and I wanted her to be safe.

  “Hansel asked me to do it for about a month,” she replied. “And honestly, I don’t think I’d ever want to part with that quilt. It feels like heaven itself is pressed up against me. What in the world is it made of?”

  “My mother’s hair,” I said.

  Danna jabbed her spoon into the top of the ice cream. “What?”

  “Aphrodite made some dwarves weave the quilt out of her hair or something. It’s weird, I know.”

  Danna’s brow crinkled. She stared at her ice cream, as if she didn’t know what to think. “All right, then. I guess that doesn’t matter that much, even though it’s strange to think about. As long as it’s comfortable.” I thought that she was trying to convince herself that the quilt wasn’t strange more than me.

  Silence fell between us as we watched the golden horses run about. They had a certain elegance that was even more charming than their normal counterparts. Their movements looked like a dance, and I thought I saw clouds of glitter in the dust their hooves kicked up. I finished the last scoop of my ice cream and leaned back. Should I really be dallying while admiring these creatures, regardless of how beautiful they looked? I knew that even though we’d saved Danna, another girl would fall victim to the chiasma’s request soon.