AO 6 Ch 43

“I think he nicked me,” Missy said aloud, floating next to the massive fang that had penetrated my soul.

“It did. I saw it." Ditzy nodded quickly, the goddesses all present with me.

Bad Kitty put her hands behind her back, swaying her hips as her tail flickered to life before disappearing once again. "Look, you even have a small scratch on your shoulder."

Missy rubbed at her shoulder as if in pain. "Well then, I guess I don't have to play as nice. After all I can defend myself." She reached over to the massive fang, grabbing it as if it was soft clay. Her fingers dug into it before she pulled, ripping the fang out of the sky as it transformed into King Martin. 

I hovered above the palace, staring down at its cracked form and the damage that was spread throughout Soulgard.

The form of King Martin blinked, turning to me, then his head whipped to the three goddesses that surrounded him. 

"This is my fight, Missy," I said, gathering up my magic and hoping that within Soulgard I would have an advantage against King Martin.

"Sure. And when I told you to run, what did you do?” She smiled at me before the goddess's eyes turned into two bright stars as the tapestry of night wrapped around Soulgard. Each one of those twinkling stars in the distance became a thin, piercing light. And each one of them stabbed into King Martin's form that had appeared within Soulgard. 

He screamed in rage as he fought against each of the tiny little lines that had pierced him from every direction. Blood welled up from each of the wounds, yet he continued to struggle.

Missy's jaw clench as she brought her hands in front of her to hold him.

I reached down to the top of the palace and grabbed a broken piece of Ardenium. Fashioning it into a thin, longsword, I rushed forward and thrust it into King Martin's chest before he had a chance to break free of Missy’s grasp.

The sword in my hand greedily drank power from King Martin's form, beginning to glow with how much magic was running through it. I brought several tethers up from the palace to drain it all away.

King Martin blinked, a little more intelligence returning to his eyes. 

"I will kill you," he screamed, struggling against the bindings, but as I drained him, he became weaker. I noticed Missy starting to relax.

"I'm sorry, Martin, you were a mistake," she said, floating down to him. 

"A mistake?" He roared, "I was anything but. I was change incarnate. I was going to elevate humanity into something better." 

"Perhaps you are going to change yourself, but don't think for a moment that you are doing any good for the rest of your people. Your will is not absolute, and your path is not clear." Missy responded.

The wings of light behind King Martin began to dim, only to recede into his body before his arm elongated. A spike shot out of it, crossing the distance between him and Missy.

My Ardenium shield flickered to life one more time, taking the spear and smashing it out of the way. It looked so battered that I thought it would be mistaken for a piece of scrap. 

"Thank you, Arden," Missy said, "for every time that you have helped me. Technically, I started this problem before us." Her expression was hard as she looked down at the broken king, who had cast off his humanity in the search for ever greater power.

"You helped a man when he needed it. You told me he was once a healer," I said, frowning. I probably would have made the same mistake, thinking that giving a healer more power would only result in less suffering, not more.

"At the end of the day, Missy, he is the one that misused the tool that you gave him. His choices are on him." I tried to console her, but it seemed she was determined to end what she viewed as her mistake herself. 

Missy’s arm jutted forward, her finger stabbing into King Martin's forehead as if it was a pool of water.

Life left his eyes in that moment, his form cracked and shattered, bleeding away.

My Ardenium Palace soaked up most of the power before Missy swiped at a gaseous black mass that blossomed from the center. It dissipated in an instant, only for Missy's glow to dim significantly and her shoulders to sag. Overall, the goddess looked weary from whatever she had just done.

I moved over to her, grabbing her by the waist and supporting her.

"Rest, Missy. As soon as I handle what is happening outside, I will be back here. And perhaps you and I should have a private talk," I said meaningfully, giving her an eyeful. The goddess smirked before grabbing me by the back of the head, surprising me with a soft kiss. 

She held my head still, and when I opened my mouth in surprise, her tongue flicked in before my surprise vanished.

I joined her in the kiss, pulling her waist more tightly against me and feeling every inch of her soft, warm body. When we broke the kiss, the other two goddesses were staring with wide mouths. 

"Wait, you two?" Ditzy scowled. 

"Oh, what, didn't you know?" I asked, hooking an arm around Missy as we both turned to them, holding her like a lover. "Missy, they fell for our act this whole time. Can you believe they thought they were actually teasing you?" 

"I know," Missy played along, rolling her eyes. "My favorite was when Bad Kitty thought you were actually wanting to check out her ass."

The cat-eared goddess scowled at both of us. "No way," Bad Kitty said in disbelief. "I'm calling foul play. This is another joke." 

Ditzy narrowed her eyes. "I'm pretty sure you two have not done the deed. After all, I am the goddess of love. I would know." She bounced her golden eyebrows suggestively. 

"Well, we haven't done that," Missy said, blushing. 

"Not yet," I added. "Soon, though." I kissed Missy on the cheek.

"Now, I'll be right back so that we can prove the two of them even more wrong. Think about how we can have privacy with those two nosy eavesdroppers in Soulgard. Since you invited them, that is on you. Consider yourself Soulgard’s hostess.” I smiled as Missy looked over at the two goddesses I had just made her problem, waving my hand as I left before she could reply.

Coming out of Soulgard, back to my body, it took me a moment to orient myself.

Apparently only a few moments had passed, as nothing looked drastically different. 

King Martin's fangs were still only barely piercing my neck. But I could see that his body was slowing, losing strength.

Lifting my arm I grabbed his hair and pulled him away from my neck. A thin sliver of ice appeared in my hand and swiped through his neck, severing his head and letting his body drop lifelessly to the distant ground below.

It was barely recognizable as King Martin, but perhaps someone would want proof.

I glared at the ugly thing for a second before floating down to my anchors. "Well now, I see all of you were having quite a bit of fun," I chuckled as I hovered above each of them.

All around them the chancellors and vampyrs were lifelessly laid out on the ground. There was no coming back from whatever King Martin had done. Given how his power had swelled I doubted they still had their souls left. A check with my senses showed there was nothing left but an empty husk of a body.

"You know, Ard, we're the ones that are supposed to protect you. In case you forgot," Emlyn tried hard to grumble, but she struggled to keep the relief out of her voice as she saw me alive.

"Is that so? Well, I think from time to time I can return the favor. I mean, technically, King Martin was a mage. As were the rest of them." I gestured at all of the dead vampyrs and chancellors. "And I think usually the mages fight the mages, right?" 

Aurelia was shaking her head in some mix of disbelief and relief. "Regardless, I'm happy you are safe," Aurelia said, and I could tell my mantikitten was going to be demanding a lot of cuddles. 

I flashed all of them a smile. “Okay, so I think we can all say that the world is changing quickly, and I have no idea what is coming next. But still up for joining me on the wild and crazy adventure?" I held a hand out to all of them. 

"Of course we're coming with," Emlyn rolled her eyes as she stepped closer to me. "But what happened to you and King Martin?" 

"Well. Since I'm so good at telling stories, why don't I tell you all a grand tale while I get us somewhere more comfortable for the evening? If it's all right with you, I'd rather not sleep in a cave tonight. Not to mention, I think there's about to be some big changes in the near future."  I formed a bluesteel plate to hold all of us.

My eyes turned to Uncle Valken, who was approaching "And thank you for coming."

The Vel'Shae grinned at me. "I couldn't simply leave Eva entirely unprotected. I've been trying to guess your movements since you started killing chancellors along the war front. That part was painfully obvious,” He gave me a look. “But it worked." 

I shrugged. "The offer for a ride extends to you, Uncle Valken."

He nodded and stepped up onto the bluesteel plate. "Well, at least the war is going to come to a swift end now," he said, glancing back at all of the dead forms behind us. 

I grimaced. "I don't know how true that's going to be, actually."

The Vel'Shae lifted a curious eyebrow at me. "I don't like the sound of that." 

I gave him my most charming smile, which only made him look more cautious. "In order to kill King Martin, we had to upset a rather powerful goddess behind him. I have a feeling that as I try to strip the last of her control here on this continent, she's only going to retaliate harder. She has moved pieces on the board we don’t know about yet, based on some hints she gave that we were further behind her. She’s already moving on her endgame."

"Perhaps we should go somewhere where we can start to have more concise conversations," Uncle Valken grimaced. "And if there is a force against you that still concerns you with all you just did, perhaps it's time you come to Zenovia and talk to the royal family. I'm sure if you can provide proof, they'll provide aid."

"I'd love that. But first, there are still some loose threads here." I flashed him a smile and with that, I took off on the bluesteel plate, carrying the group away.

"Let’s regroup amongst those we trust and consolidate forces.” Zuri nodded, seeming to agree to the plan.

With that, I shot off into the distance.

***

After getting everyone settled in at a nearby inn, I went into my Soulgard, intending to keep my promise to a beautiful goddess.

Appearing in Soulgard, I found Missy exactly where I expected her to be, or perhaps she put herself exactly where she was supposed to be found. 

"Missy," I said, holding a hand out for her. "You look absolutely incredible."

"Why, thank you, Arden." She smiled as she turned away from where she was talking with the other two goddesses.

It was clear that she’d freshened up after everything. There was a certain glow about her even if she was still in the same outfit with purple silk draped over every tantalizing inch of her, and showing enough to spark a man’s imagination.

Ditzy looked a little put out, but I'd have to deal with the tease later. Bad Kitty, on the other hand, looked incredibly amused at the whole situation. A confident smile hung from her lips as she watched the whole ordeal as if she was just an outsider. 

"Ditzy." Missy turned to her. "No need to be afraid. I'm sure if you ask nicely, Ard here will take you out on a date one day."

I hooked her arm before she teased the other goddess too much and started walking with her through Soulgard. The place was empty and most of the buildings were shells, but as I imagined the place more fully it would flesh itself out before we got there.

The walk was a comfortable silence as we just felt each other and reveled in one another’s company.

“You’ve stayed quiet too long.” She teased.

"Just thinking, Missy, I have a question. What are we?" I gestured between the two of us. 

“Already trying to put a label on it?" she smirked. Her lips were a little more pink than usual, a slight gloss to them that kept my eyes dipping down and watching her lips move as she talked. As my eyes latched onto them, her lips curled upwards with amusement.

She liked having my attention.

"Well, I guess my life has been a lot about labels. The ones outside are contracted or oathed to me in some manner or form.” I realized as I considered it.

“Do you like it that way?" She asked. 

"I like the commitment," I said, looking into her radiant azure eyes. She wasn't using her magic to make them look like anything else, yet the little flecks in her iris almost looked like the twinkling stars she often used to make herself seem godly. 

"You can say you like it, Arden." Her lips stretched into a broader smile, just a hint of her teeth showing and a little of her skin crinkling around her eyes. 

"I do like the commitment. You might not know this, Missy, but it's too late." I shook my head, sadly. "I'm utterly unredeemable, and I'm a little possessive, or perhaps protective, of my relationships, which means I like commitment in return. Before you start, yes I know it isn’t fair that I get to be possessive while having so many women. But alas, this is my life." I ran my hand through my hair.

Her eyes stared back at me in challenge, and I wondered if there was something that was supposed to be unsaid and obvious at the moment. I considered what to say next.

As usual, I did something wildly unexpected.

"Missy." I narrowed my eyes on her. "Would you like to join my pantheon? The rules are simple. Everything is shared equally because it's built on a foundation of trust. There's no out. And life will always be connected. And in death, I will find some way to reach across the fabric of this world or the next, tear it apart and pull you back from it so you can't even escape me there. The only thing I ask is that as I give everything to you, you give everything to me. We go through whatever comes next together." I finished.

The smile that came next was especially radiant as she put a hand on my chest. Missy leaned in for another soft kiss. "Ard. It doesn't work that way." Missy whispered against my lips.

"The rules," I said, smiling from the kiss. 

"The rules," she agreed. "However, I would absolutely love that, Ard." 

I held my hand above the ground of Soulgard and a small chunk of Ardenium broke free of the ground, transforming into a ring. It didn't need a gemstone. The metal itself was brilliant and beautiful. Everything I had said engraved impossibly small on the inside of the band before I added a small flourish, an empty crest branded on the top. 

"Then why don't we break the rules?" I smiled as I slid it on her soft hand.

The ring glowed, forming tight to her finger before the Ardenium kicked in and began draining Missy of all of her godly essence.

"Do you trust me, Missy?" I asked with a smirk

Her pink lips fluttered open and her eyes filled with uncertainty for the briefest moment. Then her lids lowered partially and a smile crept back onto her beautiful face. "I wouldn't have gone this far if I didn't trust you, Arden," she said. 

“Good.” I answered.

The small drain of power turned into a torrential flood. Everything that Missy had been, everything she was as Hecate, The Mistress of the Night, and all the other fancy titles she had lauded before me, were ripped from her into the Ardenium palace.

She became faint, like a flickering flame about to burn out. She was no longer a god before me. 

I stepped forward, kissing her and holding her hand. The ring was tight as I pushed everything she was and would be back into her, as well as every part of me I could connect to her.

She gasped into the kiss, her eyes fluttering open in shock before she leaned in more fully, savoring the kiss with long languid strokes of her lips. She became more ferocious in her love as the process continued and she blossomed back to where she was before I had drained her power and continued growing. 

The Ardenium palace had collected quite a bit from Thor and Freya and our misadventures. It was filled with godly power and still growing.

I shared it all readily with her, not putting up the barest measure of defense. I truly did what I said and as she went all in, I returned the favor twofold. 

After a minute, Missy gasped and leaned back, licking her lips and staring at me with a new hunger. "Careful now," she warned, touching her lips even as a new, broader smile stretched across them. Her eyes twinkled back at me. 

"What do I have to be careful about?" I shrugged. "I said it was built on trust. There's no barrier here. And even if I could, I couldn't fight back if you chose to betray me. This is what I meant. All or nothing. Committed to the end." 

She kissed me again before grabbing my hand and turning to lead me away. "Well then, we should celebrate," she said, looking down at the ring on her finger. With a touch of magic, a small gem sparkled to life like a tiny living star at the center of it.

“Sure. What are we celebrating?” I asked.

She reached up, weaving magic freely between her fingers. "So, apparently Ard you have done it again.” Missy laughed. “It appears you’ve created a pantheon of your own, although I am not even sure we can call it that. Pantheons abide from a specific set of rules you have just broken."

I couldn't stop smiling. "I'm really good at naming things. Just give me a little to find the right one." 

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. With a touch of magic, she literally whisked the two of us away in a swirl that landed us both, me on my back on some bed, with Missy over me.

A quick check told me we were in the Ardenium Palace and she was doing something to the exterior to keep the other two goddess out. I squinted slightly at her using my Ardenium, but shrugged it off a second later, there were more important things before me.

Her purple dress was falling away in glittering strands, revealing delightful bits of skin. Missy’s outfit was no longer suitable for public wear. Instead, it seemed more fitting for the bedroom.

I recovered from the initial shock, allowing my eyes to drink in her form from head to toe.

Missy possessed a mature beauty. Her curly, dark locks cascaded down, framing her beautiful face. A pair of intelligent eyes met mine, her nose had just the barest upturn, adding a touch of youth. Full pink lips spread into a constant smile when she looked at me, a beauty mark at the edge of her lips enhancing her unique face. Her body was perfect, slim with a moderate bust, especially for a goddess. Her toned waist led to flared hips and legs that seemed to stretch on forever. 

"Seen enough?" she asked, smiling as she leaned down and kissed me, guiding my hands to her chest.

“Never. I’d love to look at you for eternity. Oh wait. I’m in luck.” I didn't need any further encouragement. My fingers buried themselves beneath the cloth, finding her creamy, soft breasts and the pebble of her hard nipples. I teased them before feeling the soft underside of her breasts and wandering further down her skin.

As I played, her purple dress magically sloughed off, fraying and disappearing in little sparkles. It became a game for me to move it aside and brush it as it all disappeared, unveiling every savory inch of her. 

Missy wasn't as patient. She grabbed my shirt with both hands and ripped it off before it magically exploded into thin air. She stopped kissing my lips to leave a trail of wet pecks down my chest as she continued down further.

“Not many men can say they've enjoyed this from a goddess.” She told me, smirking as she pulled back her hair and cupped my cock, which was ready and standing at attention.

It was hard not to be more than ready with the beauty she displayed, her dress frayed and nearly falling off of her had a certain appeal.

But it couldn't be too easy. I felt she needed to be challenged every step of the way. "Goddess?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I see no goddess. All I see is my Missy.” I got a firm grip of her dark locks and pushed her face down over me.

She eagerly opened her mouth, taking it down to the hilt with ease. A smile curled at her lips and sparkled in her eyes as she did something magical.

I let go of her to grab the sheets and twist them as my hips bucked. Holy shit! My toes curled and I both didn’t want it to ever stop and at the same time knew if it didn’t I would absolutely lose to Missy and become hopelessly addicted.

She bobbed her head, every inch of my cock suddenly feeling pampered by the softest touch, the feeling curling into my body and filling me with boundless soft, sensual pleasure. 

"What were you saying?" she asked after she popped off of me for a second. 

I wanted to scream ‘you win’ but I couldn’t. "That was at least passable for a goddess," I said, waffling my hand.

The giant grin that had begun to spread on her face crashed down into a look of pure determination. She swallowed me again and went to work. 

"Oh, fuck!" I exclaimed, grabbing her head and trying to stop her from bobbing too quickly. In just moments, I felt myself build up to an incredible level.

The goddess knew exactly what she was doing. Even though her lips were occupied, I could tell by the slight shift of her beauty mark that she was grinning. She ignored my protests as she continued.

My toes curled and I gasped as I rushed to an orgasm. I slammed my hips up into her mouth as a jet of my seed sprayed down her throat.

She gagged slightly, her eyes opening wide.

"Fuck me," I said, my body becoming putty.

"I'm pretty sure that's what we were doing." Missy wiped at the edge of her lips with her thumb, sucking off a small drop that had tried to escape. She licked her lips. "I am going to tame you yet." A seductive curl of her lips was followed by a snap of her fingers.

Delicate gold chains, which I felt I could have easily broken, wrapped around my wrists and ankles.

She put a single finger in the center of my chest before rising up, wiggling her hips, and running a hand along to cup her breasts. She stretched her neck out and her fingers ran up to play with her hair. Goddess she was beautiful.

"Tame me? Not a chance, Missy. You know what I think? I think you like trying to tame me and failing every time." I told her with a smirk that had more confidence than I felt.

"We'll just have to see about that. And perhaps we'll have to test your theory over and over again," she said slowly, enunciating each word with a pop of her lips.

She swayed her hips back and forth as she settled over me. The finger that had been resting in the center of my chest slid down until, with that single finger, she caught my still excited member and angled it upwards, straight into her dripping sex.

There was a small bead of clear liquid running down her sex, only to drip at the head of my cock, encasing it in the divine liquid as she sank down.

I could feel just how flooded she was.

"What you did to me earlier did things to me," she stared into my eyes even as I had trouble keeping my own on her. They wanted to roll back up in bliss.

I had never had divine sex before and I had a feeling this was going to be life changing. "What was that again?" I asked, blinking and staring back up at her only to see the growing smirk on her face.

She wiggled her hips and accepted me fully into the slick divine embrace of her sex. "We can talk later," she said, rolling her head back and tossing her hair as her hips started moving, swaying and grinding. Slick flesh completely encapsulated every inch of me in glorious pleasure.

"This is…incredible," I said, leaning back and soaking up the feeling.

She rolled her hips and took me deeper again, melting my mind. "You can always ask for more," she offered.

I blinked, looking up at her with a giant grin. "Don't pretend you don't want this just as much as I do. That smile on your face doesn’t lie."

Though my wrists and ankles were bound, I didn't stop my hips as I thrust up into her, making the goddess gasp and her lashes flutter.

"If you buck like a horse, then perhaps I can tame you like one." She rode me as I tried to control the pace. She moved so smoothly using just her hips. Her hands ran through her hair and squeezed her breasts before letting them drop and bounce in my face.

"Tell me you're not enjoying yourself," I challenged her, even as she continued to ride me.

The giant smile still plastered on her lips did not waver. “I never said that I couldn't enjoy this, even as I tried to tame you, Ard. But feel free to start begging any moment." She came down on me and ground her hips as I tried to push up, only causing me to go impossibly deep as her sex clenched and her hips rose, dragging out every pleasurable inch of the next thrust.

I gritted my teeth, refusing to give in to her demands, finding hope in the short, soft gasps that she let loose between each bounce.

She was trying to hide her excitement, but this was far from my first rodeo. She lost her ability to speak first, her body sliding over me as gasps interspersed amongst each stroke. Eventually, all she could do was hang on and enjoy the ride.

I used a touch of life magic to ensure I didn't lose this battle, even as my hips shuddered and threatened to give way. I was simply too stubborn to lose.

Both of us were locked in a wordless battle punctuated by slick slaps of flesh and silky soft moans.

The goddess unraveled on top of me first, her hair sexily disheveled from where she'd been running her hands through the strands. A few small beads of sweat dripping down her body made her look even more ravishing when her whole body twitched as she gasped and cried out, her divine pleasure washing over me. 

"I win," I smirked, no longer holding myself back. I groaned as I joined her, the two of us unraveling in the pleasure together. 

Missy wiped a hint of drool from her lip to the back of her hand before pulling her hair back away from her face.

"Who said anything about just one round? Don't you know the most important thing in training is repetition?" She braced her hands against me and began to pick up speed again. 

I lay back on the bed, my arms still restrained. "By all means, if you feel that you’re able to keep up, we can try again.”

A flash of challenge flickered in her eyes, and I realized that without a doubt, I needed many more pitchers in the room. I sank back into the bed, letting Missy have control to tease and please me, enjoying watching her come undone first everytime.

My body rode the high, and I let all thoughts of the future fade away. For now, it was just me and a goddess, finally exploring what we could have together.