Chapter Eleven
Remy glanced up at the pink and black sign of The Sweet Spot, feeling a mixture of anticipation and skepticism.
He’d been to the bakery countless times over the last few years since it was so close to the university and the apartment complex he lived in, but he never would have guessed it was owned by a god.
The Goddess of Revenge, to be exact.
It had taken a dozen more questions to pry the answers they needed out of Kyler and Liam, and the truth was still difficult to believe.
He’d always known that some of the gods lived amongst them, yet going to a bakery to meet one of them still felt kind of surreal.
He wanted answers, but a small part of him didn’t want Starla anywhere near one of the powerful celestials.
He’d heard enough horror stories about them to be leery, although Kyler and Liam swore Autumn and her mate were different than the others.
Starla squeezed his hand and glanced up at him with a smile. “Still want to stick me in your pocket?”
“You have no idea how much I really wish I could,” he fully admitted.
“Come on. Let’s go inside. The sooner we can hand that amulet over to someone who can safely deal with it, the better I will feel.”
With a reluctant nod, Remy opened the door, allowing her to enter first. He quickly followed behind in order to protect her.
There was no need, though. The bakery was completely empty of people.
The pale pink walls created a cheerful atmosphere, while the black and white accents and gleaming steel appliances gave everything a modern, upbeat look.
It was a large space, with dozens of tables and booths.
There was also a wide staircase leading up to a second level.
The display cases had been emptied of baked goods, but their sugary scent still lingered in the air.
The most notable feature in the bakery was the giant cherry blossom tree that had been planted in the middle of the store.
“What an odd place for a tree,” Starla commented. “I like it. It’s beautiful.”
“It is the Wellness Tree,” a feminine voice echoed through the empty space.
A few seconds later, a beautiful female appeared standing beneath the tree.
She had a mass of shimmering bronze hair that fell down her back in dark waves and glowing gold eyes that burned like twin suns.
She looked stylish, wearing a dark brown sweater and black leather pants with ankle boots, but there was no mistaking the powerful aura emanating from her that classified her as one of the gods.
“Customers write down wishes and worries and tie them to the tree,” she explained, reaching up to tap one of the paper tags hanging down from a branch. “Sometimes those wishes come true, and sometimes, those worries turn into a chance for revenge.”
Remy had stepped in front of Starla the moment the stranger had appeared, but his little mate moved to lean against his side. He knew his reaction was ridiculous since she was just as powerful as he was, but he still couldn’t control the primal instinct to protect her, even from a god.
The goddess grinned at them. “Hi, I’m Autumn Arcane, the Goddess of Revenge. Don’t worry. I’m not like those other asshole celestials. Welcome to The Sweet Spot. I heard you were stopping by for a little chat.”
“Arcane? Were you the one who sent us the Arcane Assist app?” Starla asked.
Autumn laughed and shook her head. “That wasn’t me, but I know who did. Now, what kind of cookies would you like? Or would you prefer cake or pie? Never mind. I’ll just bring out a selection of goodies. Take a seat at one of the tables. I’ll be right back.”
She disappeared, leaving Remy and Starla blinking after her.
“Come on. Let’s sit down,” he said, feeling slightly overwhelmed.
He led his mate over to a booth near the wall of windows that was close to the entrance. While there wasn’t much they could do to defend themselves against a god, he felt better knowing their friends were watching over them from the private room at the pizza parlor across the street.
“We should have brought Kyler or Liam with us since they know Autumn,” Remy said through their bond.
Starla patted his thigh. “Don’t worry so much. I don’t think the app would have sent us here if they planned on harming us. We asked for help, and that is exactly what the app has done.”
Leaning closer, he pressed a kiss against her forehead. “Thank the gods one of us is thinking logically. I really can’t do without you.”
“Good thing since you are stuck with me.”
With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she tilted her head back and puckered her lips, playfully asking for a kiss.
Remy couldn’t help but laugh softly at her antics and felt warmth and love bloom in his chest. Gladly accepting her silent request, he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her waiting lips.
The contact was sweet but brief, a mere brush of his lips against her.
And yet, it only fueled his longing for more.
Every time they kissed, it seemed to stoke the fire between them. He fucking loved kissing her and found himself wanting to draw her closer, to deepen the connection. He was about to lose himself in her when a voice broke through the moment, pulling their attention away from each other.
“Aww, you two are so cute together!”
Starla jerked in surprise, then blinked at the petite female sitting across the table from them.
The female had pink and silver hair and glowing gold eyes with black swirls.
She was wearing a purple hoodie covered with tiny ice cream cones, and she rested her chin on her clasped hands as she beamed a smile at them.
Although she looked beautiful and sweet, the powerful magic emanating from her made her even more intimidating than the Goddess of Revenge.
“Hi! I’m Devon Lightbringer, the designer of the Arcane Assist app.”
Remy stiffened beside her. “Lightbringer? As in—”
“My mate is Braxton Lightbringer, the Prince of Hell. Actually, he has a lot more titles now, but we can get into that later.” Devon leaned back, and a tablet appeared in her hand.
“I was hoping I could ask you some questions about your experience using the app. Since you are the first couple to use it, your feedback is essential to improving our system.”
“Ah…” Starla shot a quick glance at her mate, then nodded. “Sure.”
She jerked in surprise again when Autumn suddenly teleported into the seat next to Devon.
A large tray of sweets appeared in the center of the table with enough cookies, slices of cake, pieces of pie, and brownies to feed a dozen people.
Smaller plates appeared in front of each of them, with the addition of steaming cups of cappuccino.
“Please, help yourself,” Autumn offered. “I actually had some time to personally do some baking today.”
“Oh, you made a tuxedo cake,” Devon exclaimed, clapping her hands together in glee.
“Of course, I knew you were coming over. Chocolate is a must.”
“You are so good to me,” Devon cooed. “You guys have to try some. It’s totally yummy.”
Remy served Starla some of the cake before placing a small slice on his own plate. She wasn’t going to eat anything since her stomach felt like it was tied into knots, but the way the two goddesses kept staring at her expectantly made her pick up her fork. Sampling the cake, she smiled in approval.
“It’s very good.” She relaxed a little when that seemed to placate them enough to fill their own plates. “I thought the gods weren’t able to use technology.”
“Before I met my mate, I was a tech witch,” Devon explained as she filled her plate with food.
“That means I am able to merge technology and magic together. Now, I can make tech work anywhere, even in the other realms. Speaking of, I upgraded the Arcane Assist app a few days ago so it would work on your phone even when it doesn’t have a signal. Looks like that came in handy today.”
“Thank you,” Starla said. “Your app saved my life twice.”
“I’m really glad it did, although I’m sorry you had to use it for that purpose. While the whole killer amulet thing really was pretty messed up, it did give you a chance to use the app again.”
“Can you help us figure out what the amulet did to my mate?” Remy asked, placing the small box on the table.
Devon opened the box and frowned down at the amulet inside. “This was blocking you from using your magic? That’s odd. I don’t even sense any power coming from it.”
“We couldn’t sense anything from it either. But it was definitely glowing and doing something to her when I pulled it off of her,” Remy said.
“I only wore it twice, and both times, my magic failed,” Starla explained. “I also felt like a heavy weight was being pressed down on my chest until I couldn’t breathe.”
Devon reached out to touch the amulet, but before she could, Autumn stopped her.
“Don’t touch it.”
“What is it? What’s wrong? Did you have one of your revenge visions?”
“Sort of. I don’t think the amulet is cursed.
It’s an ancient relic, but I’m not exactly sure what it’s used for.
All I know is that it is very dangerous.
” Autumn’s glowing eyes focused on Starla.
“If your mate hadn’t taken it off of you when he did, I think it could have completely drained you of your magic… or maybe even your lifeforce.”
That sounded utterly terrifying.
Remy wrapped his arm around Starla, drawing her closer to the warmth of his body when she shivered. “Is she okay now? Do I need to take her to a healer?”
“Don’t worry. She’s fine. Nothing a little rest and a good night’s sleep won’t take care of. I don’t think you wore it long enough to have any lasting effects. I’m not exactly sure what it does, but in the wrong hands, this could cause a lot of damage,” Autumn added. “Where did you get it?”
“My friend found it in a store called The Attic here in the city.”