My nerves almost shut down. Beneath me, the lights of the sanctuary shone. The carpet had already climbed way up high, into the clouds. There was no way to secure myself safely on it.
I shuddered. I definitely was going to lose balance and die. Would it be too terrible if I wet myself? I knew that Devon wouldn’t let me hear the end of it if I did.
“Can you please slow down!” I shouted over the gust of wind that beat against my face.
“Do you want to have less time to sleep?” Devon asked.
“I honestly wouldn’t mind exchanging some sleep for survival.”
“Good to know.”
“Good to know? I’m asking you to slow down!”
“And your suggestion has been duly noted.”
Yet his actions didn’t change. Devon was having fun teasing me. That notion infuriated me to no end.
I scowled at him. The man was standing on the carpet with perfect balance. Competent asshat. My teeth were chattering and my hands were preoccupied with holding on for dear life, but if I could, I’d stick my tongue out at him before giving him the finger. The dewy mist of the clouds condensed on my face, and the temperature up here was far colder than at ground level.
Devon sat on the edge of the carpet. I didn’t really want to, but fear motivated me, so I crawled toward him and attempted to wrap my hands around his shoulders for support. He shifted, almost making me fall, and said, “Hands off.”
“What?”
“I don’t like you touching me.”
“Seriously?” My instincts told me he wanted me. I’d seen the way he looked at me. His expression let me know that Devon was fighting against his longing. “Why are you being so difficult?” The carpet finally slowed down a little so we could have a proper conversation without the wind flapping against my face. I wondered how Devon controlled the carpet. I didn’t see any widgets or controls sticking about. Did he use his mind? Or was there something else I was missing?
Magic was probably the answer.
“I never asked to be your vassal,” Devon said.
“Uh huh,” I replied. “I didn’t want to be snatched away from my home during one of the lowest points of my life and sent to some crazy place where people get murdered, either. But we don’t always get what we want in life, right? You don’t see me sulking like a stupid buttnugget.”
“Buttnugget? I’m unfamiliar with that insult.”
“I’m having it trademarked, and that’s what I’m calling you from now on.”
“I’d prefer if that didn’t happen.”
“Re-emphasizing my point about the whole ‘life’s unfair’ statement.”
“Lecture me any more, and I’m going to push you off this carpet.”
“Are you allowed to?”
“Not as your vassal.”
“But you’re still going to do it anyway.” I cocked a brow.
“If you annoy me enough. And hands fucking off. Stop making me repeat that.”
“Stop being so sour.”
“But I am sour.”
“Why?”
“Shut up.”
“Not until you tell me why.”
“I’m not going to bring you to meet my father if you continue rambling on like that.”
I laughed. “Hm, so we’re on a meet-the-parents basis now? Don’t you think you’re moving a bit too quick?”
“This has nothing to do with my feelings for you.”
“You have feelings for me?”
“Will you keep your mouth shut?”
“You still haven’t answered why—”
“Because you’re the wrong girl!” Devon flipped around to look at me, almost knocking me off the carpet. I yelped and clutched him, because I would have fallen otherwise. His shoulders were taut with tension. Even with his mask of rage, with his tan skin and yellow eyes, Devon looked like he belonged on a movie poster. He was breathing hard. “It wasn’t you I wanted to serve under.”
I shank back from his outburst, but my timidity only lasted a couple seconds. My boldness returned right after, so I raised a finger at his face. “And now I have to go back to that whole lesson about not getting what we want. Can you stop making me a nag?”
Devon raked a hand through his short, dark hair and pinned me with an Are You Serious look.
“Okay, tell me more about this girl you longed for, then,” I said calmly, ignoring the twinge of jealousy that tightened in my chest. “Was she hot?” I asked that question because I was superficial and proud of it. I blamed it on my DNA, which was decidedly human. Then again, I was a half-blood, so I couldn’t really use that excuse.
Devon thumbed his nose at me, then spun around.
“I’m going to annoy you more, then.”
“Fine,” he said snippily. “You’re a fucking thorn in my side.” I noticed he didn’t push me away when I grabbed his forearm to steady myself. He sighed, then continued, “Before I start, you need to know that this woman was better than you in every way. I can’t think of a way in which you’re superior. I loved her very much, while for you, my heart is dead.”
I grimaced. “Wow, you’re really not holding anything back, huh?”
A bird flew straight into Devon’s face, but he smacked it away nonchalantly. The bird lost balance for a bit and dipped downward. It cawed and was on its way.
Devon continued, acting as if that incident hadn’t just happened. “Her name was Abigail, and she grew up with me. I was always pining after her.”
“Pining?” I leaned back. I couldn’t imagine Devon being that desperate.
Devon scratched his chin. “Perhaps a better way to put it was that I wanted to win her over. She was the town’s most sought-after bride. She could sing, dance, cook, act. Whenever she used her voice, she’d attract the animals and they’d sing along with her. Her beauty…” He sighed. “Goddesses bless me. She was beautiful. Whenever I looked at her, it felt as if I was looking at the most beautiful woman in the whole universe.”
My jaw slackened. “Holy shit. She sounds like a Disney princess.”
“Disney?”
I’d completely forgotten that the company didn’t exist here. “Carry on.”
Devon cleared his throat. “She listened to my problems when I was down. We used to be good friends. But never more than that. I thought I’d finally be with her if I became her vassal. She was selected to be a half-blood, after all. The people in Haven get a letter before they’re summoned to the Sanctuary. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be. She was sent to the Sanctuary and graduated two years before I was called. She’s now the goddess of sadness.” Ew. What a terrible title. Who wanted to reign over sadness? “I was supposed to be with her, but instead, I’m stuck with you because I was assigned two years late. I tried very hard to stay with Abigail.”
“Huh. Never more than friends?”
“She didn’t want more. I respected her decision.”
Devon’s cocky exterior had been shed, and now he appeared a sad, dejected puppy. I thought her title, the goddess of sadness, was apt, because only she could make Devon wear that look.
I stroked the back of his head. “Aw, there’s no need to be sad. You were friend-zoned, that’s all.” I guessed that horrid label was something too many males suffered. Even the alpha ones.
Devon scowled and smacked my hand away. “I don’t need your pity. You asked. Now you know and can leave me alone. We have another five minutes to my father’s place, and I expect you to be quiet for the rest of the journey.”
“Before I shut up, I have to say my piece.”
“You have one last sentence,” he said.
“That girl never deserved you in the first place, and from my shallow knowledge of the friend-zone, I’m guessing that she was using you.”
Devon gave me an unreadable expression. “Duly noted,” he said, shutting me down. He avoided my gaze and turned his eyes back toward the clouds.
I peered upward, having gotten used to the heights. A sea of stars spanned above me,
glittering in a surreal multitude of colors.
We rode the rest of the trip in silence, and despite Devon’s saying otherwise, I had a feeling that I’d measure up to this girl and then some.
Chapter Four
“You stay at a fancy place,” I said with only an inkling of awe. After visiting the Sanctuary and seeing so much, I was starting to feel a little jaded. The more awesome shit I saw, the less awesome I thought most things were. “Did you grow up here?”
It was a large mansion with perfectly trimmed hedges. Warm yellow light shone from the second floor of the building. The two moons of Haven hung brightly in the sky, glowing between the massive spectrum of stars that glittered above me.
My hair was a mess from riding the carpet for too long. I pulled my fingers through my locks. They caught on tangled split ends. I winced before tugging harder.
Devon glanced at me. “You look decent enough.”
“Decent enough?” I asked, appalled by the backhanded compliment. I wasn’t anything to boast about, but Devon had been looking at me with so much lust that I assumed that I qualified for slightly more than a “decent enough.” I rolled my eyes. “For what? Is this some sort of special event that I have to be dressed extra pretty for?”
Devon thumbed the bottom of his lip. I wasn’t sure if he intended to be sexy, but whatever he did worked well for him. He was hot enough that he could make a clown suit looked like male lingerie. Heat travelled to my cheeks at his suggestive gesture, and I probably stared too hard.
“No. The Cierro family merely has very high standards, and we expect our guests to respect the household when entering. They should have acceptable attire when visiting the place. Luckily, Hansel ensures that your fashion sense is always exquisite.”
I glanced down at my outfit. Hansel had dressed me in a checkered long-sleeved shirt and a pair of loose pants that emphasized my waistline. I’d gotten so used to letting him doll me up that I hadn’t thought twice about it. “I think I look better than decent, actually.” I twirled a finger around a perfectly straightened lock of hair. I was pretty sure my makeup was on point, too, even though I hadn’t taken a look in the mirror since returning from my classes. Hansel always ensured my makeup lasted.
A brightling that was trimming a hedge spun around and waved at Devon. Right after, a human-looking female servant came running from the entrance. Devon wasn’t kidding about the Cierro family taking their outfits seriously. The girl was dressed in a French maid costume, and a big, delicate bow decorated the top of her head. “Master Devon,” she said, folding her hands over each other. She bowed. “We weren’t expecting your return today.”
“Where is Father?” Devon asked.
“He’s not in at the moment. He has a meeting with the council.”
Devon cursed so softly that I couldn’t make out his words. So much for our trip being fruitful. I’d suffered trauma over sitting on that carpet for no reason at all.
“When will he be back?” Devon asked.
“Not too long from now,” the servant replied. “Twenty minutes. He called through birdsong and asked us to have his supper ready.”
“Birdsong?” I asked.
Devon didn’t shed his half-annoyed, half-bored expression when he explained, “It’s how we communicate over long distances. There are special birds around here we call canetis birds. They pair for life, and once they do, they can communicate telepathically with their partners. We teach them to echo the words of a particular person from one bird to another.”
“So, like, magic telephones. Just way more of a hassle?” I missed my phone. I wondered how the people back on Earth were doing. Had they solved global warming yet? If they hadn’t, then they shouldn’t have to worry about too much. Judging by what was happening with the Chiasma, things were going to shit whether they solved it or not.
“Oh, we have telephones,” Devon said. “Internet, too. But my father and the goddesses like doing things traditionally. Canetis birds are creatures of the past.”
“The old farts here are just as stubborn and resistant as the ones back home,” I muttered to myself.
“It’s nice to have you back,” the servant said before bowing again. “Would you like me to alert your mother about your arrival? I’m certain she’s missed you greatly.”
I didn’t think I’d ever seen Devon’s face pale this much. Fenrir, the great mythical wolf, hadn’t scared him at all, yet he shrank back immediately at the mention of his mother. “That’s not needed.”
“But you’re her favorite child.”
“She’s not going to let me hear the—”
“Devon, my darling!”
I jolted at the greeting. It verged on a squeal. I looked behind me. Heading toward us was a woman with a large belly and the most fanciful dress I’d ever seen. At first, I thought she might be pregnant, and I almost muttered a congratulations before I realized that she was just a little chubby around the edges. She carried her weight well and with confidence, flaunting it proudly. She had red-tinted cheeks that gave her a hearty, healthy look. Her arms were spread open as she raced toward us. She swept Devon into an embrace and kissed him on both cheeks. She reached up to his head and ruffled his hair. “It’s been far too long.”
“Mother, I visited a month ago.”
“Still too long! You have a phone, don’t you? I asked you to call me every day. Twice if you have the time. Can’t you care for a mother’s heart? I’ve raised you since you were a tiny baby. And look at how fast you’ve grown.”
“You always say the same thing.”
I laughed.
Devon glared at me.
“And who is this?” his mother asked, smiling.
Devon sniffed. “Nobody importa—”
“Cara Valencia,” I replied, reaching a hand out and returning my politest grin. I wanted to make a good impression. “The half-blood that Devon’s serving under.” His disapproving expression deepened at my condescending tone. Call me childish, but pissing Devon off felt like a win, and winning sent a fluttery sensation through my chest. “How may I address you?”
“Natalia,” Devon’s mother said. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the Cierro name? Or is that not mentioned on Earth a lot?”
“Devon’s made it clear to me that he comes from an important and amazing family.” I twined my fingers together.
Natalia crinkled her brow. “Why are you here? Don’t get me wrong, Devon. I love, love, love you very much, but don’t you have many duties as a vassal? And you”—she grabbed my wrist, looking concerned—“aren’t you supposed to be training for your role as a half-blood? I’ve heard that failure isn’t treated well in the Sanctuary.” Again with the reminder of failure. I didn’t appreciate hearing it so many times.
I scratched the back of my head. “It’s about that…”
As I trailed off, Devon added to my thoughts: “That’s why we’re here to see Father.”
“Maxwell is out,” Natalia said.
“The servant told me. We’ll just wait for him—”
“Come spend more time with your mother, then. Have you been eating well? Sleeping well? Do you do morning exercises like I always remind you to?”
Devon sighed. “The Sanctuary ensures that we’re in top physical condition. It’s tradition to be warriors to our goddesses.”
Natalia’s shook her head. “The curriculum that the Sanctuary give you is one thing, but I’m talking about the exercises that improve your blood circulation. Come, do it with me so you remember.” She took a step back before spreading her legs apart. Looking ridiculous, Natalia put her hands out and began clenching and unclenching her fists. She began an exercise that I’d never seen before, but struck me as cute. “Alpha. Omega. Beta. Alpha. Omega. Beta.” She continued like this for a good minute, and when Devon didn’t join in, she gave him a reprimanding look. “Devon, you can’t let your mother do this alone. Follow me. Alpha—”
Devon winced. “No, Mother—”
“Do it!”
He jolted, then put his hands out in front of him halfheartedly. I covered my mouth to hide my wide grin.
Watching Devon reminded me of one of those internet cats who accepted their fate too soon. It took everything inside me to keep from keeling over laughing.
“Good, good,” Natalia said, smiling to herself when Devon finished the exercise with her. “You know why blood circulation is beneficial, yes?”
Devon’s dead expression gave me life. “It keeps you awake and healthy. Helps your digestion.” He swished his hand back and forth. “Yada, yada, yada.”
“It’s also good for your sex life. Keeps your erection up longer.”
I balked.
Natalia pointed at me. “And wouldn’t dear Cara like that?”
“Um…” I attempted to smile, but I thought I projected disgust instead. I wasn’t keen on discussing my sex life with Devon’s mother.
“Mom,” Devon said in an almost whiny tone. “Ew. Please don’t bring up things like that.”
Natalia pinched his cheeks. “A good mother is concerned about every aspect of her child’s life. That includes his sex life.”
“I’ve never heard that before,” Devon said. “You have to let go eventually. I’ve grown up.”
“You’ll always be my little baby boy. Kids like you won’t understand. Not until you get children of your own.”
“You’re lucky,” I said, although I did think the whole sex life thing was a bit much. “I never got to feel it properly.”
“Feel what?” Devon asked.
I started feeling sorry for myself for no good reason. “A mother’s love.” Lydia had called herself my mother, but she never gave me the care and attention other kids had. She took me under her wing when I was fourteen, and most of the time, she talked to me like I was an adult. It was funny watching Devon get babied like that, but the sight also made me somewhat jealous.
Natalia gave me a sympathetic look. “Poor child.”
I took a step back and raised my hands. “Oh, don’t say that. I had a lot of fun growing up. I played punk a bit too much but having to deal with shit on my own also helped me grow to be independent. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I looked at Devon. “I’m just asking you to be a little more thankful. That’s all. Some people long for what you have.”
Goddess Academy: The Complete Reverse Harem Collection Page 17