CH 170: The Good News
Claire came down from the lust-filled trance she’d been wrapped in. She left Toni and Hannah curled together in bed, then helped Jasmine clean up. Thankfully, the noise they made didn’t bleed out into the hallway since there were kids still roaming the halls.
The pair exited the man’s room disheveled, and their hair was a complete mess. Elsie was quick to shuffle them into the twins’ room to bathe before her mother found them. She practically shoved them into their shared bathroom, only to get dragged in with them.
The tub was large enough for all three of them. Claire sat with Elsie in her lap, her hands instinctively exploring the older twin’s body. She ignored every protest Elsie made, teasing her lover the entire time.
After the extended bath, Claire felt completely refreshed. It was the first one she got to enjoy with warm water in a very long time. She behaved, not wanting to dirty the twins’ bathroom. She dried off and dressed, giving Elsie an extended kiss before leaving.
She tried to savor the little peace she had. Her next conversation was going to be tough.
She walked downstairs to find her mothers still sitting at the same table. Ricky was gone now as the two ate silently. They didn’t notice Claire until she sat beside Jane.
“Claire!” Jane choked out. She nearly choked on her food when the redhead sat down. “Gods scared me half to death.”
“Sorry,” Claire said with a giggle. “Long meeting… I’m exhausted.”
She leaned against her mother’s shoulder, feeling her body crave sleep. She looked over at Eve, who was staring at her plate. Looked like she had only picked at her food.
“Mom,” Claire said. Eve perked up, finding her daughter. “I want you to hear this, too.”
“Yeah?” She mumbled. Her food was nearly untouched and cold.
“Anthony found him.”
She could feel Jane tense up beside her, could hear her gulp. She continued after letting the two digest her words. “The man I met with upstairs. He found Ryley.”
Eve dropped her fork, her eyes widening. She glanced at Jane and then went back to Claire. “Wh-what?”
“He performed at her estate.” Claire continued. She reached for Jane’s hand, letting her squeeze tight. “He’s alive and still with our Lady.”
Tears welled in Eve’s eyes. It was the first news they’d heard about their boy since his disappearance.
Jane’s hand squeezed tighter and tighter before she finally spoke. “How is he?”
Her voice was full of emotion. Claire contemplated telling them the good parts only and leaving out the abuse. But she decided they needed to know.
“Not great,” Claire muttered. “Our Lady is… extreme in her perversion. Toni and his bodyguard said they were abused.”
The tears ran down Eve’s face. Jane let go of her hand and hugged Claire tightly, sobbing gently in her ear. She comforted her mother as Eve shuffled to their side. She embraced Claire from behind.
Claire regretted telling them immediately, but she knew they’d want to know the full extent. She comforted them as best she could, letting them sob into her.
“We will get him back,” Claire finally spoke. Her voice was full of command and determination. She felt adrenaline pumping within her. “We gained allies that can help us. Toni, he’s the grandson of Lady Efreit. With him and them, we can finally do something.”
She felt her moms squeeze tighter. She could hardly breathe anymore. Jane choked up as she spoke. “You really did grow so much these last couple of months.”
“I did,” Claire nodded. “Had to. Or else I couldn’t save Ryely.”
“Claire,” Eve mumbled. She whispered to her daughter as she spoke. “Don’t sacrifice yourself… please. I-I can’t lose another…”
“Don’t worry,” Claire whispered back. “I have a Goddess on my side. And an amazing party…”
“Still, please come back to us.” Jane insisted. “Keep coming back to us.”
“I intend to,” Claire affirmed.
“Doesn’t matter if you intend to,” Eve cried. She clung tighter to Claire. “You’re fighting… you could d-”
“I won’t let that happen,” Jasmine interrupted her. Her voice caused Eve to flinch. “I’m not the only one, either. The twins, Lily and Ursa, will do everything in our power to prevent that.”
“Ursa?” Jane asked hesitantly.
“The Ravian we picked up,” Jasmine explained. Her professional expression dropped into a warm smile as she spoke. “The one surprisingly good with kids.”
Eve pulled away from Claire. She studied the assassin’s expression, hearing a surprising warmth in her voice. Jasmine couldn’t help but smile. “Seriously? Another?”
“What?” Jane asked, pulling away from Claire, too. “Another what?”
“Claire, I swear to the gods, if you found another lover,” Eve said with growing anger. “Do you know how many times I’ve had to reassure Jess? How many nights I’ve had to listen to her ramblings about you?”
Claire exhaled slowly. She couldn’t think of an excuse fast enough, and there was no point lying anymore. “Yes, but there is a reason.”
Eve nearly lost her cool. Gone were the tears and worries for her daughter. She could feel her anger begin to bubble. She kept her voice as calm as she could. “Jane, looks like we raised a playgirl.”
Jane let out a nervous laugh and pulled away from Claire. She gave her daughter a worried look before wiping the tears from her eyes. Part of her wanted to congratulate her daughter, but most of her did not want to anger her wife.
“So it seems.”
“Mom,” Claire sighed. Might as well tell them now. She looked over at Jasmine. “It’s what my Goddess wants.”
“Your Goddess? Your Goddess?” Eve’s voice rose. “The fuck kind of Goddess would encourage this?”
Jasmine shook her head, signalling to stop. Claire kept going. “Better if I explain now, rather than later.”
“Huh?” Eve said, barely holding her yelling. “What do you mean, Claire?”
“Moms, promise me you don’t overreact,” Claire said as Jasmine scanned their surroundings. Thankfully, Jess and the boys were all upstairs, giving them plenty of room. “She’s the Goddess of Virility.”
It took a moment for the word to register in their minds. It wasn’t a virtue they thought about very often. Claire turned and covered Eve’s mouth with her hand, muffling her voice.
“Virility?” Jane said after a moment. Her wife’s yelling was muffled by Claire as she processed the information. “L-like male fertility?”
Claire nodded.
“But you’re a woman and you said Goddess…” Jane said, slowly trying to piece everything together. “Wh-why have a female goddess if… it doesn’t make sense.”
“She’s also a Goddess of parenthood,” Claire said, trying to salvage the situation as best she could. She hoped she didn’t have to explain her gift yet. “But my power… it expands with the more lovers I have.”
Eve broke free, her voice nearly echoing through the dining room. “There will be more?”
Claire nodded. She shushed her mother before glancing at Jasmine. The assassin gave her a thumbs-up. “Yes, and… my party is more than okay with it. All of them, including the twins.”
Eve took a deep breath. She calmed herself down as best she could. “Fuck. I’m going to be comforting Jess for months.”
For a moment, Claire’s mind wandered. All of this could be avoided with a simple solution. She felt that divine nudge as she thought about it. Spreading her gift to the entire village, add them all to her growing lovers.
She stopped herself when she caught Jasmine’s eye. She signaled to Claire to wrap it up. Claire shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Sorry, Mom.”
“It’s whatever,” Eve sighed. She rubbed her forehead and looked around the tavern. “Just glad Jess didn’t hear any of that.”
“True,” Jane finally spoke. She could feel her liver ache thinking about comforting the hostess. “Will have to get some expensive wine for her…”
“That’s a good idea,” Eve mumbled. “Let’s just go home. Today’s been… enough.”
“Agreed,” Claire said with a nervous smile. She knew Eve was just dropping this for now and would bring it up tomorrow. So she bought herself some rest, it seems.