Chapter Seventeen
Delaney
I close the door behind me with a thud, legs shaking. Would it be too much for me to crawl to my potential friend’s house? I know I said I’d swing by and say hi, but that was before I had my insides rearranged by a collection of men.
Wow, I sound like a right proper conduit.
Maybe I just need to walk a bit and stretch my legs. They’ve been elevated and contorted so much since yesterday that they might be contemplating mutiny at this point. A run would be even better, but if I did that, I’d probably chicken out of talking to Violet. I feel like I could really enjoy hanging out with her.
“Do you want me to carry you?”
“I think you’ve done quite enough, Jackson. I just need to stretch a bit.”
I bend over, ensuring my ass is pointing at a wall so Jackson can’t start anything again, and I get my calf muscles a little bit friendlier, then decide to pace up and down the halls a few times just so I can say I got a couple steps in. The hallways are long enough, it should do...something.
“What are you gonna do about her?” Jackson points to the tastefully decorated doorstep announcing it as Shelly’s room when we pass it, with a dusty pink paper covering the door.
“I’m not at all surprised it was her that broke in to my locker, but she didn’t get what she wanted so I’m not very concerned with her at the moment. I think she does need to learn her lesson though, because it’s fucked up she felt she could just do that. It’s a school, you know? I don't care who she knows; she should be held accountable.”
“She must have thought her brother was going to have her back.”
“Probably didn’t see the turn of events that he’d be working towards getting me on mine.”
“Well, then.”
I smile at my mate and then have to stop and kiss him, because it’s so rare we get to do anything just the two of us. I know we’re just walking around the dorm halls, but I’ve learned in my conduit care and support class that any moment can be something special with the right intentions.
I back him into the wall and wrap myself around him, burying my face in his chest. “You and your brother have made this process of finding everyone as stress free as it could be. I appreciate you and all you do for me; I just want you to know that.”
His hand comes up to the back of my head and smooths the crown of my head. “You’re my world, Delaney. I love going through all of this with you.”
The door to Shelly’s room opens, and she’s giggling with sex hair, wrapped up in a robe and pulling... “Spencer.”
He whips around and shuts the door on Shelly, but there’s not really any way of covering up what was happening in there. “Uh, hey, Delaney. What’s hanging?”
I shrug and then keep moving, wishing I didn’t feel weird about seeing him with another woman. It’s not like we’re together or have been talking or anything, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about that kiss we shared a lot.
“I was just, uh, helping her with an assignment.”
“That’s kind of you.”
“Right. Well...can I walk you somewhere?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
“Spencer! Get your ass back here right now or we’re done!” He looks back at Shelly, who is fuming and standing in her doorway once again, robe still heaving open. “Don’t make a mistake, Spencer.”
“Can you hang on a sec while I deal with that?”
“I’m definitely not waiting for you to go talk to your…whatever she is to you. I’m good, I’ve got somewhere I need to be. Good luck.”
“It’s not what it looks like.”
“It doesn’t matter if it is, we’re not in any way involved.”
“Because he wanted to be,” Jackson guesses, taking measure of Spencer. “You hooked him with that kiss of yours, baby.”
“I do have that effect on people.”
“I, uh, saw you at my last home game. Is it cheesy if I say you looked really cute?”
I eye the enraged woman in the doorway and decide to fuck with her a little. I step closer to Spencer and wipe off a bit of sparkly lip gloss from his neck. “New skin treatment you’re trying out?”
He smiles shyly before bringing a hand up to wipe at his neck. “This isn’t helping my case, is it?”
But something seems off between them, he looks wary of her. That’s when I catch a weird, raised rash on the back of his hand, and I instantly grab it to look closer. “Ouch, what happened?”
Spencer immediately pulls his hand back and tucks it into his pocket. “I’m taking a potions class, it didn’t go so well yesterday.”
“Let me know if you need my…help,” I say with a wink.
By this point, Shelly is a terrifying shade of ice bitch as she walks toward us, eyes flicking to the ring I haven’t felt like removing. “Leave some for the rest of us, will you?” She asks before sneering and towing Spencer back to her room.
He does look a bit dejected, but he’s still moving his feet instead of telling her off, so I’m not going to interfere. I wave at least, waiting for him to return it and telling me he’ll see me later, disappearing from sight behind her door.
I listen to them shouting for a minute before erupting in giggles and pulling Jackson back in the other direction, ready to be out of here fast now.
“Huh,” Jackson drawls, stroking his chin. “That was all very strange. How we feeling about that one?” He turns to me, flashing those irresistible gray eyes at me and I have to blink my way out of a minor stupor.
“We’re feeling like he’s a friend, possibly, and that we don’t want to get involved in whatever messy situationship they’ve got going on.” I shiver, retinas slightly burning now because I had to see most of Shelly’s boobs.
“Cool, cool. You want to get out of here then?”
“Please.”
We take a few steps in silence until Jackson says in a repulsed voice, “That was gross,” and shakes his hands out. “I don’t understand how anyone would willingly touch someone that’s so ugly inside.”
“I’m sure it’s her insides they’re benefitting from,” I say and then wince. “Right. Let’s just get to Violet’s and pretend we don’t know what Shelly’s breasts look like.”
“Good plan.”
???
Violet answers almost immediately after I knock, which tells me maybe she’s been anxiously waiting for me to swing by. But then it’s awkward because clearly, we’re both excited at the possibility of a new friend, but neither of us know how to travel that road.
“Sorry. Come in! We were just snacking and hanging out.”
She opens the door wider, and I try not to make a face at all the weird and semi-funny stickers all over their door, but she rolls her eyes and points at one of the guys inside, lounging on the sofa in sweats. “That’d be Danny’s handiwork. It’s his mission to find the most obscure stickers he can so he can try and get a reaction from me. The other one over there is Aaron. Guys, this is Delaney.”
I wave. “Hi, thanks for having us over. It’s nice to get out of the chaos of my dorm for a bit. I’m not sure if it’s completely my doing but everyone that I’m not sure actually lives there or not is at least 60% insane. Oh, this is one of my mates, Jackson.”
The guys get up and come to shake hands with us, casually framing either side of Violet and touching her in some way. It’s sweet.
“Insane how?” Danny asks with an eyebrow up.
“I feel like it’s too early in this transaction to answer that truthfully,” I admit while Jackson snorts and tries to cover up a laugh.
“Delaney has a way of making all of us feel like we can be ourselves, so we tend to let loose around her. The insanity she’s referencing is a testament to how well we all get along.”
“Aw, that’s so cute,” Violet preens.
Then we have to be awkward for a minute. Jackson pulls out a paper from his pocket, asking for a pen as well. “This is a little uncomfortable, but hopefully you can understand that we have to protect Delaney because of who she is. Would you guys be willing to sign an NDA? It’s just because she’s had issues in the past with people trying to sell info to the media, and we value her privacy too much not to take small steps to ensure she has some protection. It’s nothing crazy, but it will mean you guys can actually talk about whatever and I won’t be worried about her oversharing.”
“Oh, uh, yeah, I guess. If it makes you guys more comfortable.”
Jackson hands the paper over and they all read over the simple agreement briefly before signing along the bottom and passing it back. I was worried that might cause problems, but seeing how easily Violet agreed helps me breathe a bit easier.
“Can I get you guys a coffee?”
“Absolutely,” I answer, following her to the kitchen area. She’s got a whole little coffee bar set up so we both have fun picking out flavors to mix together before sinking down onto the couch, and it’s...nice.
“So, did you figure out who wrecked your locker?” she asks.
“Oh yeah, she told us about that,” Aaron pipes up. “Pretty crazy people like that are on campus. With the way this school collects accolades you’d think the students would have a bit more respect.”
I notice some pictures pinned to a wall, her with Spencer and two people that must be their parents. I made assumptions when Spencer told me his sister was my neighbor and I met Violet properly after yoga class, but it’s nice to know for sure. “Your brother is currently with the culprit, so you can ask Spencer if he knows her motives.”
Violet slams her coffee down on the coffee table, screeching. “What?!”
“It’s not my business, I shouldn’t have mentioned it. I just...that girl really makes it hard to stay rational, you know?”
“Who? Please tell me he didn’t go back to that bitch.”
“Shelly? They have a history?”
“For fuck’s sake! Oh, he’s getting his ass chewed. Yes. They dated in high school, and she was so terrible to him. Poor guy needed therapy when they finally broke up because she was so good at gaslighting him that his self-esteem sunk really low. He’s worked way too hard to slide back into that.”
“How has his foot been? It causing him any problems since I fixed it?”
“Oh I like you,” Danny says with a warm smile. “You’re bringing all kinds of good gossip over. We get a bit dull because we’re all pretty introverted and we thrive on other people’s messy lives. You fixed an injury for Spence?”
“Oh dear. I think I’m getting myself into trouble.”
“For fuck’s sake. I was going to try and hook you two up!” Violet says. “I’ll deal with him later. I guess that ship has sailed though, huh?”
I shrug. “I don’t actually know how many mates I’ll have; I have no idea. I’m not impressed with the company he keeps though, that’s for sure.”
I feel all of them eyeing the marks on my arm. It’s Aaron that speaks up though. “What do you mean you don’t know how many mates you’ll have? Don’t you have seven marks on your arm? That’s insane, by the way. No wonder you wanted a bit of quiet. Here I thought it got noisy in here sometimes with three of us sharing this smaller space, but I can’t even imagine seven.”
I sigh. “It’s a long story, but basically my mom complained a lot to the goddess when her marks kept changing; I think the goddess wanted to get one more over on my mom or something, I don’t really know. My mom figures I couldn’t complain about how many mates the goddess gifted me if I only knew about them once I met them. I could be done finding them, but I could literally have like ten more for all I know.”
Violet gasps. “Is that even possible? You really think you have seventeen ?”
“Gods no, that was just a random number. If I end up with that many mates, very bad things are going to happen to lots of people. I just meant, I have to meet the people the goddess chose for me and grow a suspicion that they’re mine, voice it aloud, and then a mark will appear if it’s meant to be. So I'm up to seven, but I'm not ready to know if there are more than that or not. I think seven is a nice number and I’m already stressed trying to figure out how the hell to balance them all. Time is a hot commodity, that’s for sure.”
“I can imagine,” Violet says, and then seems to think of something else she keeps to herself. No doubt it was a sex question; we’ll get there someday.
“I’m beginning to think our problems aren’t too bad,” Danny says somewhat lightheartedly.
“Enough about me. You guys got anything fun planned for the long weekend? It was so nice to wake up today and get to do absolutely nothing.”
“There’s a party tomorrow if you wanted to go. It’s out in the woods, just past the school boundary so that people can get as wild as they want— I haven’t seen you around any of the parties yet this semester.” If I was someone else, the idea of a wild and drunken party in the woods would be a blast; but I know Jackson’s going to shoot this down and I can’t really blame him.
“It’s a bit of a security risk to have the princess in a house full of drunk college students. Or wandering around woods where we can’t secure any sort of perimeter or vet who’s around her.”
Violet raises an eyebrow at Jackson’s explanation, and I feel the need to explain something. “Did I mention he’s also my bodyguard?”
“Oh girl, I know. Truthfully, I don’t know how you’re balancing everything you are—starting midway through the year and all these marks?”
“I think my mates keep me grounded. I was enrolled in an online school before transferring here and it was really hard at first switching to in-person classes, but having my best friend here helped. It’s all kind of been a blur, but I’ve been assured that I’m doing well in all my classes. If I seem at all put together, I promise it’s mostly a fa?ade and that internally I’m a big, hot, mess.”
“I can’t wait for the semester to be over. It’s going to be amazing when she graduates and we get to move out of these dorms and get a bit more space,” Aaron explains, looking over at his girl fondly.
“Oh no way, you’re about to graduate? That’s so exciting. Do you know what you’re going to do afterwards?”
Aaron looks almost giddy to answer. “My family owns this big ranch a few hours away, and part of my inheritance is a plot of land there. We have a house being built and we’ll all be helping out with the family business. There are never enough people on a ranch to cover everything. It’s not glamorous, but it’ll be a good place to settle and eventually start our family.”
I find myself getting lost a bit in a little daydream, imagining having a simple life like that. It sounds pretty idyllic, and I’m jealous they have it all sorted out.
“That’s cool man,” Jackson replies for the both of us, squeezing me a bit tighter because he can clearly tell I’m a bit distressed.
“My family can’t wait for us all to get there,” Aaron says fondly. “They of course love Violet, and she’ll be able to do all the community outreach she’s passionate about from there as well.”
“Please tell me your secrets,” I laugh. “I know I still have a whole year left of school but my life’s a fucking mess. I vaguely know I want to work at the headquarters with my parents, but I’ve got nothing else planned.”
“Probably makes it easier to have solid plans for the future when you aren’t worried about demon betrothals and breaking curses on gargoyles.” I relax against Jackson at his attempt to tell me to go easy on myself. Sometimes it’s hard to remember I’m not exactly living a normal existence.
I wince. “That’s true.”
“Oh my gods. This is so much better than watching daytime tv. What the hell are you talking about? You know what? Hold that thought. I’m going to make some popcorn.”
Violet jumps up to make popcorn, and of course Danny goes to help carry bowls and stuff, and when they get back, I find myself spilling everything that’s been bottling itself up inside of me. I thought I was doing really well, but meeting a fully-bonded conduit group and seeing how sweet and simple their life is, it sort of throws everything into perspective.
Violet understandably has so many questions about literally every facet of my history, and after spending so long trying to hide from the media and stay private, it’s terrifying and liberating at the same time to have so much of my personal business out in the world with someone I hardly even know.
There’s just a good vibe from her though that relaxes me. It’s probably the way her magic works; she has the ability to sort of tease problems out of people and help them relax about them, and it’s very cathartic.
We stay way longer than I thought we would, because her couch is comfy and her mates and her are calming to be around, but by the time we’ve gone through so many random subjects about both our lives, I’m determined to get something about my future settled.
I know the note that was placed in my locker by my apparent demon fiancé had all the steps outlined to help free Leo, and I’ve been so scared about the ramifications of that, but when Violet and I hug goodbye with promises to hang out again soon, I walk down to my room again with a sense of determination rising in me to get him the hell off that awful concrete perch and out of the elements and bring him inside so I can hold him and fall asleep in his arms.
Everyone is watching a movie when I walk through the door and I of course take the time to say hi to everyone, surprised to see that Zac is still around while I try not to find it weird that I made out with my headmaster yesterday.
But then I’m bringing the demon’s note out and taking the time to really read through the steps so I can start preparing. I don’t even know if it can be done in one night or if it’s the sort of situation where I have to make some crazy brewed potion that needs to sit under the moonlight for a specific amount of time, but I am so optimistic right now. Maybe desperate.
“What are you up to?”
I blink up at Cory who’s leaning over me, reading through the note as well, their lips tilt up in a smile and they lean forward to kiss me nice and sweetly, and I feel the emotion rising high in me to have all my mates with me.
“I swear, once he’s free I’m fucking dragging him around everywhere I go. He’s going to have to take over guarding me for one of the twins because the bond between us is really hungry and itchy.”
August takes a seat next to me at our huge dining table, eyes roaming over the note. “You think you’re ready?”
“If I’m not ready right now, it’s never going to happen.”
“Did something happen at Violet’s? I know you wanted to do this, but you seem...off.”
“It was a bit of a therapy session,” Jackson explains to his brother. “If she needs this though, let’s help her. What’s the first thing we need to break the curse?”
“Mashed potatoes. Why the hell is it mashed potatoes? That makes literally no sense,” I complain.
“Yeah, I was wondering about that. Is that a joke?” Ash asks, getting involved.
“It says you have to possess something to tempt the cursed back into a regular life with something from their past they have hard memories tied to. The demon has scribbled in the margins that this needs to be mashed potatoes...and that a collection of anal plugs wouldn’t be remiss? Who the hell is this guy?”
“I think the better question is what the hell are we supposed to do with those two items and why does the demon know your gargoyle needs these things?” Adam asks carefully.
I look around the room, hoping for inspiration to strike, but all of them are very much not meeting my eye. “I suppose that’s something to ask when we meet him. Ugh, fine. Do we even have potatoes?”
Cory gets up from their seat and walks calmly to the kitchen, pulling a few packages of something out of the cabinet. “I was at the store yesterday...”
“That’s such a fucking useful gift. Cory, come here, let me kiss you. I’m not even going to debate with you about how instant potatoes aren’t actually potatoes, because this is about to save me effort when I have none to spare.”
They saunter over to me, expectant expression on their face. “I will gladly take any and all forms of gratitude.”
“I’ll take those,” Jackson says as he grabs the potatoes out of Cory’s hands. He saunters to the kitchen and grabs a bowl and a pan and starts getting everything set up.
I’m not thrown off at all when Cory full-on straddles me, sitting in my lap with their arms around my shoulders, opening their mouth to me instantly. They go for gold, and I am happy to reciprocate.
They start to harden against me and it’s such a fucking turn on. I become starving for them, squeezing them to me and practically eating their face off in my attempt to taste every bit of them I can. They’re making these delicious mewling noises that are just so damn cute, and my lust stores are going haywire, soaking up everything pouring off of them and making me feel incredible.
“What else can I go buy to get that reaction from you? I’ll go do it right this second.”
I laugh, pulling a scant few inches away from their face, breathing in the same air they are. “You don’t have to do anything but be yourself, babe. It’s not just my bond with Leo that’s itchy, that one’s just the loudest at the moment.”
“Really?”
“When are you going to stop undervaluing yourself? Of course I want you.”
They lean their forehead against mine, twining their legs around me a bit tighter. “I needed to hear that. Thank you.”
I can feel satisfaction from my bond with Adam flooding through me, and I look up to see him much closer than he was a moment ago, squatting beside me and Cory with his elbow propped up on the table. “You two are so fucking pretty together.”
Ash clears his throat. “Before this turns into an orgy again, maybe we should read through the steps, so we know what to expect? That way everything is ready in a timely manner. I only briefly looked at that note; I’ve been researching other ways to use the goblin heart.”
“Yes, professor,” I say cheekily.
He smirks but tries not to. “You will absolutely not be calling me that when we’re in the comfort of our own home.”
That makes a ball of warmth detonate inside my chest. “Are you considering this your home, then?”
“Wherever you are is my home, Delaney,” he says simply.
“Okay, I’m getting off. Go kiss that man,” Cory says, grabbing the chair I empty.
I straddle Ash much in the same way Cory was just straddling me, that need to have all of my mates with me driving me hard. “Thank you, that means a lot to me.”
“I just want to make you happy, Delaney. Truly.”
“You’re doing a good job.”
“Then sit with me a moment? I want to feel you close to me.”
I spin around so my back is to his chest, lacing our fingers together to rest along my stomach as his other hand holds the note and his voice rumbles in my ear. “I read that desire is very important; this ritual is all about intent. If the cursed can sense how wanted they are it makes everything else much easier.” He reads on and I just close my eyes and listen, letting the deep rumble of his voice soothe me.
“So, we prepare the potatoes, and the one calling him must focus on the reasons they want them freed. Must be pure of intentions, because false intentions will only strengthen the curse.”
“Well, that’s terrifying.”
“You have nothing to worry about, love,” Ash says automatically. I jump a little because the endearment rolls of his tongue so easily. He tightens his hand on me, acknowledging it, and then moves on. “So, if you can reach the cursed, you’re to place a hand on them. If that isn’t possible, you need something that belongs to the cursed. Well, that’s easy enough.”
“Can I touch that gargoyle dick? Because I’ve got to tell you it’s fucking impressive. If my intentions towards that aren’t pure, then I’m a toad.”
“That good, huh?” August asks with a smirk.
I use my hands to show the size, then a shiver rolls through me at the memory.
“Doesn’t seem like it matters what exactly you touch, just something that’s a part of the cursed. So you’ll need to wear something that reflects your desire to be in the cursed’s life, something that will tempt them to you. Oh, that’s cute, completing this journey will irrevocably tie your souls together. Good thing you’re already mated and bonded, or that could be a deal breaker.”
“You see why we haven’t been able to help him?” Zac asks sheepishly. “Curses are hard to undo unless you know who cast them. In this case, I don’t think the caster is still alive. There’s something to be said that their descendent might be of use in the process, but their blood isn’t nearly as potent as the one that cursed them. At the risk of sounding cheesy, true love really is the best way for these things to be fixed.”
I accept this information and decide to take it at face value. Zac is a smart guy, he received a lot of education to be suitable for the headmaster position, so I’m going to accept that he simply knows more about this subject than I do. I’ve never had much interest in curses, so I don’t have the first clue where to start with them.
“What does that mean that I need to wear something that reflects my desire? Like lingerie? Would that tempt him out of a curse?”
“You in lingerie would tempt anyone to do literally anything,” Ash says offhandedly as he continues to read over the note. Ooh, that’s giving me a lot of power.
“Noted. So, when I want something out of you…”
He doubles back, seeming to realize the implications of what he said, but then must decide it’s too true and shrugs. “You need only ask."
“What’s next? How does she actually get him down from there?” Cory asks, moving us all along from our tangents.
“So you…set the offering near you and touch the cursed, and then you…no that can’t be right. Somebody else read this. I don’t think I’m interpreting this correctly. I don’t suppose this demon left a phone number we could reach him at? I think his instructions are faulty.”
“What does it say?” Adam reaches for the paper, and I’m wondering why I didn’t read the note more in-depth earlier because the way Adam starts smiling tells me either I’m going to love the next part or they’re going to love the next part. And I’ll probably love it as well anyway.
“The curse was borne out of jealousy, so to combat that, you need to prove that no jealousy exists in you.”
I blink at Adam, who’s holding the paper, while Ash continues to fidget against me. “What does that mean?”
Cory grabs the paper and starts giggling. “It means, my darling girl, that to undo the jealousy that created the curse, you must shatter it by sharing yourself with six people that aren’t jealous.”
“Six? Why six? That seems awfully convenient,” I say as I look around the room, noticing there are indeed exactly six people present.
“That’s the goddess’ number,” Cory says like I should know this. I mean, I guess I do, but…
“Share how?” Zac asks suspiciously.
“ORGY TIME!” Cory yells before throwing the paper on the table and doing a silly dance with their arms in the air.
“Yeah, further support as to why we didn’t break the curse earlier,” Zac says. “Maybe there are other ways to break a curse, or maybe this demon fellow is fucking with all of us and is secretly hiding in the trees with a blatant mashed potato fetish and this won’t do anything at all to help Leo and we’re just fodder for his sexual deviances, but I guess it’s up to you, Delaney, as to how we proceed.”
“First of all, I won’t ask anybody to do anything they aren’t ready for. Yes, Leo is important to me, but so are all of you. His salvation won’t come at the expense of any of your comfort. He’s been stone for this long, I’m sure he’ll understand us waiting if we need to.”
“Too late, already made the mashed potatoes.”
I blink up at Jackson as he plops a big bowl of whipped potatoes on the table.
Zac stands and yanks his shirt off, baring his chest which has a faint scale pattern sitting just under his skin, even in his human form, and it’s stunning. Blues and greens are suggestive as the light hits his skin, making the overall effect otherworldly. “I’m in,” he says as he undoes his belt and whips it out of his pants with one hand. Fuck that’s hot.
One by one, everyone starts pulling off their shirts and declaring they’re down to orgy, like some sort of fucked up vow that only my mates would say with emotion, until I’m severely overdressed and being herded into my closet for a change of my own.
I stare at the dresser, unseeing, contemplating what’s about to happen.
I know all these people are meant to be mine and the fact that the goddess picked them out for me is flattering as hell because they’re all so perfect in one way or another, and here I am with a dining room full of semi-nude men ready to fuck me for a higher purpose. Very altruistic of them.
I haven’t seen Leo in a few days and it’s probably a driving factor in me feeling needy to get him in my arms. There are a lot of factors, and it’s time to just fix them all.
I don’t want to wear anything super skimpy for this because that just doesn’t feel like me. Instead, I reach for a lacy pair of cheeky undies and one of my old sleepshirts I have that's been washed so many times it’s practically threadbare; it hangs off one of my shoulders and barely covers up my ass, leaving my legs on display.
I pull my hair down and use the mirror in the closet to make sure I look okay, then I pick up the jewelry box with the goblin heart because obviously that will be needed in one of the steps as well.
This is how I feel sexiest, so I walk out confident to a whole room of people that have no business looking at me the way they are.
Actually, I guess given the circumstances, they have all the business looking at me the way they are. “I figured we’d need this, too. What do I do with it?”