AO 7 Ch 32

Surprisingly, despite the assassination attempt, I was able to find sleep with relative ease. I drifted off, not to the land of dreams, but rather into Soulgard. I opened my eyes to find Missy standing over me. 

"You fell asleep far too easily," Missy deadpanned. Unlike outside she had changed to a purple dress, if you could call it that, of sheer strips that ran down her shoulders and were loosely gathered at her waist.

There was something tantalizing about it, I wanted to play with the strips and reveal her skin.

"Well, I was quite tired, especially after Maribelle ruined my shot with Eva." I said, sliding my hands around her hips and pulling her to me. “Besides, we already knew that people were going to get murdered. Just didn’t know we’d be doing the murdering.”

Missy snorted. "I see you are fine. For a moment I was worried how you’d take the attempt on your life. The others will be here in a moment." She kissed me on the cheek in that ‘don’t get your hopes up’ way. "But before then, I wanted to check in on you." She stared deep into my eyes. 

"No need to worry, Missy," I said with a smirk and letting my hands play with the strips. "What about my beautiful Goddess of Magic herself?" 

At the mention of her being a goddess, she played with the Ardenium ring on her finger. 

"What, you don't like it?" I asked.

"No, I'm just thinking you call me a goddess, and that's what I was," she emphasized. "But I'm not really a goddess anymore. And we could call it a pantheon, but what we are is not bound by the same rules. I almost hesitate to use the same name, lest that somehow bind us to the same rules. What you call something has power, after all, Ard." 

"That's right, beautiful.” I gave her a wink and even followed up with a bob of my eyebrows.

She smirked and playfully slapped my chest. "Cut it out. Flirting will get you everywhere." 

"Well, that's unfortunate," I said with a sigh. "Because I don't want to go anywhere but be right here with you." 

Missy kissed me full on the lips. It wasn't a quick kiss as she ran her fingernails through my hair, mashing our lips even tighter together. Given my recent cock-blocking with Maribelle, I had no problem rolling Missy into the bed, and I found myself ready and eager for whatever she might want next. 

Though my luck seemed to be terrible.

Ditzy cleared her throat behind us. "Now I know why you were in such a rush to get to sleep," Ditzy sashayed into the room and had clearly changed outfits as well. Though hers was a simple white nightgown that faded from a gauzy bottom to a thin silk top.

"Can you blame me when this is what is waiting for me?" I hooked a thumb at Missy and squeezed her ass, only for the goddess to slap my hand away and shoot me a quick scowl. 

"What? Technically, you and her watch what I do all the time." I defended myself.

"Yes, but she's right here," Missy said, waffling her head. "It's a little different now."

"Different?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. What was with them all suddenly being odd about being watched? When Missy didn't answer, I turned to Ditzy.

The goddess frowned at me. "What, am I supposed to be your woman whisperer? If she can't tell you, what makes you think I can? Though if you're not busy, I'm sure we could find something for you to do." Ditzy batted her eyelashes at me, heavy with shiny pink eyeshadow.

That caught my attention, and I realized her hair seemed to be in slightly more perfect ringlets. It was so hard to tell, given I was fairly certain she used her goddess of beauty status on herself frequently enough.

But she was done up extra tonight in my soul.

Missy huffed and kissed me on the cheek before pulling her dress back down. "Do be gentle with him," she said, passing Ditzy and patting her on the shoulder.

"Huh?" I asked, knowing that I must have looked just as stupid as I sounded. "You guys have to stop speaking cryptically. I don't speak drop-dead gorgeous goddess cryptic. I can do drop-dead gorgeous, of course, but the cryptic's not my best."

Ditzy rolled her eyes and gave Missy a look that I couldn't see before swaying into the heart of my Ardenium Palace and plopping down on the bed beside me.

"Arden, one day when you finally master drop-dead-goddess-cryptic, you're going to realize just how much of an idiot you are." Ditzy told me.

"Well, that's unfortunate. I am now purposely going to avoid it because I don't want to feel like an idiot." I grabbed her hand and pulled her down on top of me.

The goddess of beauty landed with a flutter of silk, and her golden ringlets of hair cascaded down onto my face.

I blew out a big breath and blew it away from my eyes. "Careful now, Ditzy," I smirked. "You seem to be falling for me a little too often."

The goddess narrowed her beautiful eyes on me, squinting through the mysteries of the universe, searching for something on my face. Whether she found it or not, however, wasn't important, because the next moment she decided to kiss me.

There were literal pink sparks that jumped off her lips and into me, sending a magical tingle down my spine that made me curl my toes and never want to let her go. In fact, without even thinking about what I was doing, I had wrapped my arms around her back and crushed her soft, supple body to me, demanding for more.

The kiss didn't stop there. The tingle she was sending through me continued as she desperately kissed my lips. Her soft pink ones ignited a burning desire in me, making my blood pump and my desire grow beyond what I thought was possible.

We kissed in a sudden explosion of pent-up passion. It was as if a mighty dam had just sprung a leak, and the lake behind it refused to stop until it ran itself dry.

I sucked her lips, and caressed her chest, my hands wandering underneath her gown and found her skin silky soft to the touch and giving in a way that made me feel alive.

We were currently two hunks of souls within mine, so there was no need to breathe, and we didn't have to do anything pesky like stop to catch our breath. In fact, I completely forgot about breathing, and I even forgot to think. I simply got lost in the kiss.

Ditzy wasn’t in control of herself either, her eyes going hazy and her hands running along my chest before cupping my face and dragging her nails hungrily along my scalp.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed before Ditzy pulled back, gasping despite not needing any air. In all of our torrid desire she’d ended up on top, going after my lips with endless desire.

Ditzy licked her lips and stared down at me with raw, unrestrained hunger. She searched my eyes again.

I smiled up at her. "Don't take this the wrong way, Ditzy. You're a fantastic kisser..."

The goddess frowned at my pause.

“...But you cheat," I finished. “Using that little magical zap in the kiss was definitely cheating. Don't get me wrong, it was a definite bonus. But cheating is cheating. Why don't we try that again without the magical mojo?"

"I did not magically zap you," Ditzy huffed, and this time pulled away further, rather than coming back for another kiss. 

"No, you magically zapped me. I saw sparks of pink. Even through my closed eyelids, there was definitely some magical enhancement to that kiss." I told her, knowing what I saw and wagging a finger at her for trying to hide it.

This time, Ditzy almost looked angry. "There was not."

"Okay, then do it again. No magic," I urged her.

She came down and kissed me. It was a simple peck on the lips, eyes open, searching for magic.

I shook my head. "No, gotta do the same oomph. Really put the passion into it and make the sparks." I chuckled at myself. "There are actually sparks when we kiss."

Ditzy scowled at me but took a breath as if composing herself and came down to kiss me again. This time there was a hint of passion and a small jolt, although nothing like what came the first time. 

"See? That." I said, using the Ardenium around me to pull at the magic that she had used. And sure enough, out of my chest came a small cluster of pink sparkles. 

Ditzy frowned. "And what's that supposed to prove?"

"Well, if you don't believe me, then try this." I grabbed her by the cheeks and pulled her down. This time I gave her a dose of her own medicine, sending a surge of the pink sparkles through my kiss to her.

The goddess immediately shuddered. Her eyelids fluttered and she moaned briefly before losing all strength and collapsing against me. 

"I didn't mean to overdo it. Sorry," I drew out the word as I apologized and tilted her head to the side. I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt though, turnabout was always fair play.

She had a slightly glazed look that she blinked away. "What did you just do?" She asked.

"I sent the same thing you did to me back towards you. Turnabout is fair play. And I warned you. I mean, I can't be any more right, now can I?" I smiled, pleased with myself.

"No, but I wasn't using magic against you," she repeated, but this time I could tell she believed her words less than before. So I just waited, smiling at her and waiting for her to figure it all out. "No, but if I used magic on you. If I..." Her eyes were darting back and forth. It seemed that her use of magic was a greater revelation than I realized. It wasn't some playful trick she had pulled.

Ah fuck.

Something in this discussion gave her more concern than I had expected, and she was starting to look intensely overwhelmed.

"Hold on a second." I tried to stop her because I already knew what was coming. I'd seen that flighty look in a woman's eyes more than once tonight.

Unfortunately because she was a goddess, she was far harder to grab. Ditzy immediately exploded in a pink mist and disappeared.

I had given the goddesses full access to Soulgard, but it was still my soul. I was half tempted to reach through the ether and bring her back. Yet, I also needed to respect her desire for some space.

“Damnit. Tonight, is not my night.” I decided the moment had passed and the opportunity gone, laying back down on the bed with a heavy sigh. 

"Seems like tonight is just going to be that kind of night. Sometimes, the night is just fraught with misfortune," Bad Kitty’s voice sounded from nearby. A purple cat with a golden bell around its collar leapt onto the windowsill before transforming into the violet-haired goddess. 

"Well, there you are, Bad Kitty. Already struck out twice, no this is thrice. Are we going for a fourth?" I bobbed my eyebrows. 

"Not tonight. I was hoping to come get a peek at this." She gestured at the mural of the broken crown. "But it seems I stepped in on something else." 

I grunted. "Yeah. Watch me mess that one up, did you?" 

"I don't think there were any mistakes made, Ard. Instead, I think a wonderful opportunity for both of you has been born from this." She told me, a sly smile stretching across her lips.

I squinted at Bad Kitty, still not understanding her cryptic words. "I don't know how long you've been there, but I already had this conversation with Ditzy. I'm really not good at understanding drop-dead-gorgeous-goddess-cryptic. It's a difficult language for me." 

Bad Kitty laughed enough that her chest bounced. "Oh Arden, you are so delightful to be around.”

“Well, while I am happy to be a delight, I do think that the two of us are overdue for a little one-on-one time. And if you wish to see my horrible excuse for a piece of art, then I guess that gives us something to talk about. What do you see in the chaotic swirls of my soul?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Bad Kitty smiled broadly. "Compassion, love and care, and chaotic instability. At times, not even knowing what you yourself want," she gestured at the bed. "Like when our dear Ditzy vanished before you. Your instinct was to reach out to grab her and rip her back. Yet, you couldn't decide whether your affection would be best displayed by tempering your reach or to rip her back to you in an instant." 

I gave her a slow, polite clap. "That's a really good interpretation. You want to tell me my fortune next?"

My teasing tone was not well received. The goddess scowled back at me.

"Oh, come on. That was a good one," I insisted, trying to lighten the mood. I was even a little sorry for taking her off topic while studying my picture.

“You are a complex person," she admitted. "This image only makes it more clear the complexities within your mind. But I think when it's done, it'll be a wonderful embodiment of chaos." 

I squinted at her. "Ditzy couldn't get that much. You're telling me you understand this better than her?" 

"Oh, Ard," she gave me a polite smile. "It's not nice to ask a woman her age, but I am far older than the other two." Her eyes twinkled with a little mischief. "I guess that makes me more of a cougar, doesn't it?" 

I frowned. "Wait. Did you just make a cat joke?"

Her tail flicked as if to distract me for a moment. 

"Uh-uh, none of that," I shook a finger at her. "You made a cat joke. Does that mean cat jokes are on the table?" I was really unsure before and now that cat jokes were in play I had a whole bag full I’d been holding back. 

"Ard," Bastet said, as if testing her own patience. "Cat jokes are okay. They just need to be tasteful. And if you, for any reason, use 'pussy', then I may be forced to skin you alive." 

My eyebrows shot all the way up into my hairline. "Please don't skin me alive. But understood. That particular joke is off the books. But, all the others are okay?" I squinted at her, already running through potential options in my head.

She gave me a subtle nod, and I flashed her a thumbs up.

"I'm glad we understand each other. And thank you for the advice. I'll keep it in mind as this picture develops." I gestured at the mural. 

Still unsure what to do with my budding godly powers, but I was stuck with them. I might as well use them to their fullest. “If you are so knowledgeable then how about a little advice on how to use this?”

“Chaos is your friend, but it isn’t the whole. In chaos you will thrive, but you must understand your aspect completely if you’re to find the power to take the next step. When this clarifies into something you can wield, you’ll have taken that step.” Bastet passed by the bed, her tail brushing up against me and curling before slipping away.

“You are an absolute tease and I already told you I struggle with drop-dead-gorgeous-goddess-cryptic. Yet, you still use it.” I shook my head.

“Make chaos, make love and be yourself. Somewhere in there you’ll find the right balance and perhaps you’ll even get a crown of your own you can wear.” She ran a hand over the center of the mural.

I made a face. “Ugh. I really hope I don’t have to wear a crown.”