“Your fingers aren’t as soft.”
I sighed, then scooped up a large dollop of cream with my fore and middle fingers. I applied it to Theo’s back, lathering on a generous amount. He hummed softly. The vibrations of the sound traveled through me and made my pulse quicken. Damn. He sounded so sexy when he did that.
Theo lifted his arm. “There’s a bit of an ache here, too.”
“Um, where?” I asked.
He pointed to the side of his abs. I bit my inner cheek.
No. Way.
Or yes way.
“You can reach there yourself,” I said, hiding my almost-stutter.
Theo chuckled softly. “I’d much prefer if you did it. Your hand feels nice.” A sly grin inched up the corner of his lips.
“Stop teasing her, Theo,” Liam said. “She’s gone completely red.”
“I’m like a microwaved cherry tomato.” I wasn’t sure what I meant. Theo had gotten me so worked up that I spouted the first thing that came to mind. I moved to Theo’s side, willed myself to calm my nerves, then rubbed more cream where he’d indicated. I felt the beating of his pulse from the side of his rib cage. Liam neared me and stood too closely. I could almost feel his need to grab me. Or maybe I was imagining things? Abruptly, I wondered how it might be to have a bad boy like Liam slamming into me from behind. Touching Theo’s smooth, hard skin sent too much desire through me. I grew wet between my thighs, and the need to soothe the ache sputtered through my being.
I was doing a bad job of keeping myself from exploding.
Theo patted my head. I thought the gesture somewhat condescending, though loving at the same time. I scowled at him, even though I got a tingle of pleasure from knowing I’d made him happy. Me and my damn crushes. I was getting blinded by my lust, acting like a silly girl falling in love with a guy just because he had a six-pack.
That, and Theo treated me nice, too.
“Thanks,” he said. “I appreciate it. I’m not sore anymore.”
I tore my fingers away and fisted them at my sides. “Uh, it’s no bother. You got injured trying to protect me, anyway.”
Theo grabbed his shirt and drew it back over his torso. Watching him do that sent trickles of disappointment through me. I wanted a little more time to admire his splendor.
“You can have more of me later,” Theo said, winking.
“Didn’t say I was interested,” I replied, attempting to play it cool.
Theo didn’t seem convinced. “I’ll tuck you into bed tonight. If you want me to join you too, that’s—”
“Cara!”
Danna’s high-pitched voice rang out. We all looked over at her. She hopped down the steps in front of the building, bouncing on her heels. She’d tied her hair up into two low pigtails and wore a crop top that showed off her toned midriff.
She waved her hands over her head. “Are you ready?”
We closed the distance between us, but she did most of the work because she kicked into a spritely jog.
“Must you hype up everything?” I asked. “We’re going to a morgue.”
“It’s my thing. I like to make situations seem more exciting. I cheer and I lead.” She shook her fists excitedly and gave a small wiggle of her hips. She acted like a small child when she got riled up, her personality taking ten years off her age.
“Not sure about the leading part.” So far, I hadn’t noticed her do much of that.
She waved off my insult and placed her hands on her hips. “You’re not going to change? I don’t think that outfit’s good for sneaking around.” Hansel had chosen a miniskirt that flared out. “Flashing your underwear and all that.”
“I don’t mind,” Liam said.
“I thought you hated me.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Still good to look at. I’m simple. I see a pretty girl, I stare.”
I blushed, then tried to play my embarrassment off as anger. “Typical guy.”
The amusement on Liam’s face told me he knew exactly what his effect on me was.
I glanced over Danna’s shoulder. “What happened to your vassals?”
“Are yours controlling?” she asked. “Because mine can be. They wouldn’t let me leave the room to meet you after Gus discussed with the others what we’d talked about. They decided that it was their duty to keep me safe. Apparently, their idea of that is to keep me under close watch and not allow me to risk myself in any way.”
“Ugh,” I said. I hated being controlled and was thankful my vassals weren’t like that. “Why are you here, then?”
“I snuck out.” Danna took out her wand. “And I used my powers to do it.” She flicked the wand at Devon. At first, it seemed like nothing happened, but after paying closer attention, I noticed Devon staring off in a daze. I waved my hand in front of him, but he didn’t notice me at all. Instead, he stared with his mouth hanging slightly open and a dumb look on his face.
My brows shot up my forehead. “You’ve gotten a hang of your powers? When?”
“During half-blood magic control. You should be attending yours tomorrow.” Danna looked at her wand. “It came to me suddenly. I didn’t even think twice about it. Professor Glockweather asked me to point at the rat, and so I did, and it became stunned for no reason. I was hoping I’d be able to fly, though. One of the girls had the ability to float. She surged up toward the ceiling and couldn’t get down after that. The professor needed a ladder to climb up to her and pull her down by her ankles.”
“Huh.”
Devon snapped out of his daze. “What in Athena’s name happened?”
Danna laughed. She straightened and shimmied her hips. “Nothing. Just toying with you.”
“Toying with me?” Devon frowned. “Nobody toys with me.”
“I did, apparently.”
A twinge of jealousy sparked in my chest. I wanted powers, too. Unlike some women, who wanted to find handsome knights who swept them off their feet, I wanted to be capable of beating them and having them worship at my feet. Max, especially. What if I had the power to make people naked randomly? It’d be fun to use that on him in public. Would that be too mean? I thought over what I’d do for a short moment, then realized that it was useless—that wasn’t ever going to happen anyway.
Danna walked in front of us and snapped her fingers. She moved with so much sass that she’d make most celebrities proud. “Are we heading to the morgue or what? Miley’s dead body isn’t going to wait for us forever.”
We wound our way through the Sanctuary, which was far larger than I presumed it might be. My legs were getting tired. “Shouldn’t being a half-blood make me fitter?” I asked. “Why are my legs dying on me?” It’d been a long day. I wished to cuddle up in my comfy bed, drag the sheets over my head, and fall into a deep slumber.
Hansel had joined us right before we left for the morgue. He’d stumbled upon us at the front entrance and now walked by my side. Turning to me, he flashed a bright white grin. “Unfortunately, no. Only vassals are stronger, physically.”
“That’s so unfair.”
“We have to protect you. Can’t do it if we’re weak.”
“Seems like a roundabout way to go about it,” I said. “Wouldn’t it be so much easier to just bless the female half-bloods with superior strength? Then I wouldn’t have to go through that whole damsel-in-distress act and just fight for myself.” I flared my nostrils.
“It’s just the way things work around here.”
“Nothing great ever comes from just following how things work.” I shook my head. “If there was a way to game the system so I’d be able to lift a truck, I’d do it.” I hummed, then darted my gaze to Hansel and his chiseled jaw. “Can you lift a truck?”
He laughed. “What? That is such a random thought.”
“I often say what comes to mind.”
“That’s what I like about you,” Theo said, eyes brightening.
“Trucks are… a challenge,” Hansel said. “But I can do it.”
“Like, over your
head?” I asked. “Similar to how Superman does it?”
Hansel laughed. “I’m not that strong. But I can lift one end.”
“For real? I really need to start exploring your abilities. I should know what my own vassals are able to do.”
“Inside or outside the bedroom?” Theo asked. His green eyes sparkled with playfulness. “I think I’m best behind closed doors.”
Liam snorted, Hansel rolled his eyes, and Devon tensed, despite trying to hold on to his facade of apathy.
“Oh, joy, there’s so much tension between the five of you it’s beginning to make me sick,” Danna said.
“There was a ton between you and your vassal, too,” I said.
Danna nodded. “Yeah, and that was fun. It sucks being the spectator.”
We were still walking through the crowded part of the Sanctuary. We’d strode past a bunch of girls, most of them in cliques. They giggled with each other in typical female fashion, and many of them ogled each other’s vassals. I spotted a chick leaning against a vined pillar, making out with her vassal in the middle of the hallway. She really enjoyed working her tongue. My vassals and I looked at the display and exchanged glances. I could see on their faces that they were thinking about doing the same thing to me. Warmth spread in my cheeks as I attempted to cope with the vivid, lustful images taking over my mind.
Hansel lowered himself so he was right next to my ear and blew at my earlobe. I squeaked and jumped away from him, startled by the ticklish sensation.
“Are you sure you’re not a virgin?” Hansel asked. “You’re just as jumpy as one.”
“Are you?” I asked. “You mentioned not being able to pick up girls back at the convenience store.”
Hansel shook his head. “We lived normal lives in the village before being summoned as vassals, but after being chosen, I decided to dedicate my life to my half-blood. Being selected for you saved my family, Cara. You have no idea how much it means to me.” I couldn’t fathom why he glanced at me with so much reverence. It wasn’t like I’d done anything. “I thought I might lose my favorite sister.”
Theo nodded. “Yeah. We got lucky.”
Devon and Liam remained silent.
The atmosphere surrounding us dipped, becoming darker and heavier. “There’s no need to be thankful. All I did was get kidnapped by a dude that looked like a goat. It wasn’t like I personally fed your family. You can thank the goddesses. Or not. I’m not sure. I don’t think either of us are here of our own volition.” And I always respected freedom and choice. It was why I’d begun living on my own at such a young age, and why I loved Lydia. She was never the controlling kind.
Liam grunted. “Kind of sucks.”
“I lost my virginity at the back of a truck,” Danna said.
“What?” I asked. Her words had completely blindsided me.
Danna shrugged. “Don’t know. Just thought it might be something for you guys to talk about, since we were on the topic of virginity before you got all dramatic and mopey. I’m just steering our conversations toward the more important things. Speaking of important things, who do you think murdered Miley?”
Her thoughts raced faster than a horse on steroids. “Agness,” I replied.
Danna tilted her head, and all my vassals glanced at me. “Agness?” Danna asked. “Why do you think it’s her?”
I tensed my jaw. “I just don’t like her very much. Also, I’m starting to think that Miley’s death is due to some mistake of the goddesses themselves. Why else would they be so secretive? It has to be because one of them is guilty, and they want to hide that fact. I haven’t met many of the teachers or goddesses, but Agness has been giving me bad vibes. She pretends she’s on my side but singles me out, tries to flunk me. She just screams ‘typical villain with something to hide’ all over.”
Devon sniffed. “That’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. We don’t even know if Miley was murdered. It might’ve been a supernatural phenomenon. Those aren’t uncommon around these parts.”
“Danna asked. I just threw out a wild guess.”
“Agness is the goddess of flora. It’s in her nature to make things grow and nurture them. She loves her students deeply.”
“Titles are titles. How can you be so sure?”
Devon tucked his hands into his pockets. “I grew up watching her.”
“His dad’s one of her vassals,” Liam said without batting an eyelid.
“Wait. What?” I said, feeling my eyes almost bulge out of their sockets. “Why didn’t you mention this before?”
“I didn’t think it important information.”
“So you’re Agness’s son?” I asked.
Devon scowled. “No. Just because my dad’s duty is to protect her doesn’t mean he has to fuck her. My mom’s the head of staff in Agness’s home.”
“Strange family dynamics.”
“It’s not that weird,” Devon said. “My dad treats taking care of Agness like a job. I’m kind of doing the same thing now.”
“So…” I said. “You guys… You don’t have to…” It was difficult to list the specifics. Perhaps because of Theo’s advances, I thought that we were all supposed to get to that stage eventually. Knowing this put us more in a gray area, which made me more confused about my feelings for them.
Devon lifted a shoulder. “It’s encouraged. They can’t exactly force you to have sex if you don’t want to. But there’s this whole belief that if you do so, the bond between the vassals and goddesses strengthens, and they all become more powerful as a result. But my dad views Agness like a sister.”
“Is that how you’re trying to view me?” I asked.
Devon snorted. “Even that is a stretch.”
“He’s still sour,” Liam said. Just like Liam still was, too. They didn’t do a good job of hiding their distaste.
“Why?” I asked.
Devon avoided my gaze. I wished to find out more, but I let the matter rest.
Theo, who had been walking in front so far, stopped in his tracks. His silhouette stood right underneath two bright moons. I hadn’t noticed the second moon till now. It was a small dot next to the gargantuan circle in the sky. Seeing them both together felt surreal.
“The east courtyard, ladies and gentlemen,” Theo announced.
I halted next to him. My jaw dropped. I’d expected a small garden of some sort, maybe furnished with a couple of benches and a couple of arches. Instead, I was greeted by a huge field, surrounded by pillars that reached up to the sky and blended into the clouds. The ledge Theo had stopped at led to a long flight of stairs that spiraled downward toward bluish grass. Butterflies flew past me, their wings glowing an effervescent white. Wherever they flew past, they left little trials of glitter.
“This isn’t a courtyard,” I said. “This belongs in a movie.”
Liam brushed his hand through his hair, completely lacking any of the awe that was plastered across my and Danna’s faces. “The goddesses take their architecture seriously. I think they were trying to push their limits here.”
“I don’t see a morgue,” Danna said.
Devon snorted. “I don’t think the four of us expected there to be one, anyway. We’re just here to entertain Cara and make sure she doesn’t face-plant. It’s a stupid rumor.”
“It’s a sight to admire.” I looked at the pillars, still failing to get over the size of those things.
“Has your curiosity been sated?” Liam asked.
“Oh, it’s just been awoken.” I took my first step down the stairs.
Thirteen
Devon looked like he was ready to go home, and we’d just walked down the stairs. He had his hands in his pockets—he loved doing that—and flashed me a bored look. The piercing color of his yellow eyes made his boredom seem sharp, somehow. “Rumors are rumors, Cara,” Devon said. “It’s late.”
“Let her have her fun,” Hansel said. “It’s a good time to explore the school, anyway.” He pushed back a lock of his blond hair. The spec
ks of green in his irises glittered even in the night.
As a group, we strode down a path that was lined by a couple of hedges. The temperature in the courtyard was significantly lower than the rest of the school. I stuck close to Theo, relying on his large frame to give me some warmth. I glanced at his large arms, wondering how it would feel to be swept into a cuddle. I assumed it might feel like being hugged by a large teddy bear.
Danna skipped forward. “Oh, here it is.”
“Huh?”
“The morgue.”
Devon’s jaw almost swung from its socket. “You have to be kidding me.”
Danna shoved a finger at the hedge. “No, it says right here. Spelled out in big capital letters, and embossed in gold, too. The morgue.”
Devon surged forward and pushed Danna out of the way. His features twisted, before falling flat. “There’s a door, too. Seriously? I thought I’d be able to go back early and catch some sleep. Now I have to follow you on some stupid adventure.”
“Is that why you were complaining?” I asked.
“I got up on the wrong side of the bed today.”
Liam shook his head. “That’s what you always do. Nothing’s new.”
“Guess the rumors were right after all,” Theo said. He laughed heartily. “What do you know?”
“I don’t think anybody’s tried to find it yet,” Danna said. “Either that or someone forgot to cover it up after entering.” I followed her gaze to the top of the hedge. There, I saw some vines swinging over the structure, as if they’d just been lifted off the door.
Devon clapped his hands. “We found the morgue. Mystery solved. Now, let’s get back—”
“Why are you acting like such a wimp?” I asked, furrowing my brow.
“A wimp?” He scowled.
“I’m not seeing the others back out.”
“Devon’s a stickler for following rules,” Hansel said with a shrug. “Agness is the overseer, and he’s grown up around her.”
“Are you on her side?” I asked, giving him a suspicious look.
“There are no sides,” Devon said. “I’m merely here to make sure you’re safe.”
Goddess Academy: The Complete Reverse Harem Collection Page 11