38. Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Calliope

Even though Mom, Dad and Valpar were getting along better than I had hoped, the next morning at breakfast, I was still uneasy. Simon was still missing and my parents stayed up late looking for him. I tossed and turned the night before, too worried about where he could be.

It didn't help that I had the same ominous dream of a rundown house, with missing shingles, dark laughter, and the smell of heavy smoke. I still wasn't sure if I was ready to face it all head on or get the missing puzzle pieces one by one.

"We will check the palace today," Mom said and placed a blueberry muffin on my plate.

Blueberry muffins were just naked cupcakes. I try to get past their nakedness and eat the darn things, but it was so hard when it didn't have icing. It was too dry and not enough sugar for my taste.

My mom raised a brow, knowing I was trying to skip breakfast. "Perhaps Osirus and Melina have seen them. What do you think, Birch?"

Birch had his arms crossed, chewing on a piece of dry jerky. "I don't know where Simon could have gone. Maybe he found himself a female. Now that Calliope has found her own male, perhaps he got the idea he needed to go find him a companion of his own species."

My lip trembled. This only made me feel worse. I didn't even get to tell him goodbye. Wouldn't he want to tell me goodbye? I thought he would want to go with me and Valpar. He sounded like he was into moving with us.

Valpar's rubbed his hand up my back in comfort. "We will find him. We will go to the cave today, gather our supplies and return here by sunset. Don't worry yet, little fairy."

I let out a defeated sigh and pushed my muffin around on my plate. I wasn't hungry. I worried for Simon and the letter we would bring back. I decided I would read it, but only if Simon was with me. He'd been with me from the beginning, it was only fair he was there too. My entire support system should be.

Dad wiped his mouth. His wings fluttered behind him when he pushed away from the table. "Right, let's get going. I'll see if Osirus would have the guards be on the lookout, as well. That goat has given them all sorts of entertainment over the years."

That was true. Their favorite part was when Simon climbed up to the highest part of the palace and started screaming for help. His voice echoed for miles, and they had to make sure not to scare him or he would have fainted and fallen to his death.

Silly Simon.

"Thank you," I said when Mom finally stood up from the table.

She clapped her hands together and her eyes softened. She opened her mouth several times but before anything could be said, Dad pulled her arm and nodded his head toward the door.

Valpar had me on top of his shoulders as we walked our way back through the forest to the cave. I continued to look around for any signs of Simon. I called out to him with no answer back. My shoulders slumped further, and I knew the longer it was that we didn't find it…the least likely we would find him.

It was like in those mystery books from Earth. If you don't find them within the first forty-eight hours, you are less likely to find the missing person.

What if he fainted into a puddle and he drowned? What if he got his head stuck in a bush somewhere? What if he really did meet a lady goat and didn't know what to do? I didn't teach him about the birds and the bees yet! He's just a baby!

Valpar's hand wrapped around my leg and tugged on the leash he had tied around my waist. "Female, if you squeeze your legs any tighter around my head, I will think you want me to stop for a snack."

I released my legs that were, in fact, squeezing his head like a giant melon and let go. "Whoopsie, sorry."

"We will find him. I know it. I will begin tracking him once we grab our supplies."

"Do you have a good nose, like wolf shifters? Do you get on your hands and knees and sniff around?"

Valpar scoffs. "No, I do not sniff around like a dog. Unlike shifters, I use both scent and tracking abilities. I check for breaks in branches, drops of fur, foot—or in Simon's case, hoof prints."

"You know a shifter would take offence if you called them a dog," I said playfully.

Valpar sneered. "Isn't that what they are? Just humans that shift into wolves. I can wrestle ten at a time without getting a scratch." He pulled up his arm and flexes.

"What big muscles you have," I giggled and squeezed the rock on his arm. "And what big teeth and big–"

Valpar growled playfully and slapped my back side causing me to rub my crotch against his neck. He hummed and rubbed up and down my thighs. "That's it, female, rub your cunt all over my neck so I can smell you all day."

I hunched over, my face turning red. "You are shameful, don't say things so loud!"

As we got closer, I saw the boulder was carelessly rolled away. Probably from hastily running out of the cave to come find me. I probably should not worry about him so much, but then that wouldn't be as fun.

I had to keep this male on his toes. He kept telling me he was going to get some gray hair, but I was yet to see it.

He pulled me off his shoulders and carried me inside. The furs were thrown off the bed and Simon's bed of pillows was still fairly neat.

"Can you untie me?" I tugged on the leash.

Valpar's eyes narrowed, their piercing gaze on me and the open passageway outside. The air was heavy with tension as he firmly uttered a resolute, "no". The rustling sound of his movements filled the space as he turned his body, his muscles tensing to meticulously removed items from his bag so he could repack everything.

What a dingle berry.

He said he didn't have much to pack. He kept most of his weapons on his back, thigh and calf but he had to wrap his tent up tightly and even a few furs he for easier travel. Valpar said he put the letter in his bag and that was what he wanted to look for first.

Valpar rearranged items out onto the table. A few of his tools fell with a plunk and the blankets fell to the floor. I went to reach for them and he slapped my hand.

"I will take care of it, female. Go sit on the bed and rest." He slapped my butt, and I yipped in surprise as he led me over, tying the rope to a metal ring, bolted into the bed frame.

Wow, what kind of bondage did Aunt Melina and Uncle Osirus get into?

It looked kinda fun.

"Sit," he ordered and raised a brow.

"You're kinda bossy." I crossed my arms.

Valpar huffed. "You like me bossy, and I like to know where you are. Now stay."

"I'm not a pet." I retorted. I bit my lip, enjoying this little game I knew he was playing.

Valpar leaned in, his nose grazing up my neck. My body shivered, my nipples tightening underneath my dress. "Ah, but you are my pet. My little human pet that I like to fuck into the furs. You like it too, don't you, my little fairy? Using your hole for my pleasure."

Good gravy.

My mouth dropped and Valpar pulled away. The smirk on his face let me know he was satisfied with my reaction.

I plopped my butt on the bed and when his back turned, I stuck my tongue out at him.

Poop on him.

He was pretty smart to tie me here, because I would have definitely done something to get back at him for turning me on. Not sure what, but something.

I could grab one of the dildo's out and smacked his butt with it. He'd have a fit over that.

But we needed to hurry, we needed to go find Simon.

I let out a sigh, and he ruffled through the bag. When I leaned back into the bed, waiting for him to finish, I felt something touch my hand.

It felt like a bug, so I shook my hand and laid it back down on the bed, but it happened again. I groaned and looked over to see that it was Karma.

Oh, so it is a bug.

My nemisisis…

"What do you want?" I hissed. Karma flew up and slapped his hand over my mouth and shook his head. He held up a small piece of paper and stuck it right in my face.

"If you want to see Simon alive—lose the orc."

I'm gonna kill that son of a bi—

He slapped my nose and held the paper up again. I nodded angrily and grabbed the rope at my waist. I watched as Karma zipped down the cave passage and I knew I had to follow him.

Great, sneaking past an orc that had just bragged about his tracking skills was going to be dang near impossible.

Valpar was humming, though. He was happy and somewhat content right now because I was supposedly listening to him by sitting on the bed. Only problem was I was going to disobey him and really have some corner time later, and maybe a spanking not of the high-pleasure proportions I love so much.

I inwardly groaned and undid the poorly done knot he'd made. Thankful that I never told him what a terrible knot-maker he was, I slipped it off of my waist. I grabbed several pillows and tightened the rope around them, so he would have some resistance when he moved, thinking it me following behind him. It would give me a little more time to get out of there.

My butt tingled as I tip-toed closer to the passageway.

Goddess, he's gonna pop me good, later.

Valpar was still humming, though looked rather disgruntled as he rummaged through his supplies on the table.

"Where is it?" he grumbled to himself. "I put it in here. It should be right there!"

I swallowed and turned, taking off down the passageway, making sure my feet didn't slap the stone floor and welcomed the sun outside.

"Took you long enough," Karma hissed and pulled a small braid of my hair. I tugged back and his body flew past me.

"Get off me, you shiny turd, and tell me where Simon is!"

A rope dropped in front of my face, and I saw Ivy hovering above me. "Grab the rope and hold on." Her eyes narrowed and checked out the cave before looking at me again. "And be quick about it, or you will never see the annoying goat again."

I didn't think that Karma and Ivy could be so mean or that evil to do something. Karma picked on me because—he was just mean, and Ivy was just jealous I had a mate. Why go to this extent? Kidnapping a goat.

I snorted. Kid-napping. Goat-napping a goat. That was just ludicrous.

"What is your problem? Both of you? Why can't you just leave me alone? Leave my friends and mate alone?"

As if on cue, they both rolled their eyes.

"Get on the rope," Ivy barked. "Before the fat orc comes out here, or Simon will be fed to an ogre."

I ground my teeth together and made a bowline knot at the bottom of the rope, so I could stick my feet inside and wouldn't have to use my arms to hold me up constantly.

And my mate wasn't fat, there was more to love, and he was so damn comfortable to sleep on, more padding when he punches his hips when he sticks his dick into me, but I wasn't gonna tell her that. She would just want him more.

Right now, there was nothing else I could do. I had to find Simon. He was the first friend that I could remember when I came here. I trusted him and loved him. I couldn't wait for Valpar to come out of the cave and beat these two up. I didn't know if Simon was being held by someone else, and if they were told to hurt him if we arrived late.

I had to do this for Simon.

I tightly gripped the rough, coarse rope with my trembling hands as Ivy, with no warning, effortlessly hoisted me into the air. The wind rushed past my face, carrying with it the scent of fresh pine and the distant aroma of the palace gardens. Above the towering trees, the view extended beyond the height of the palace, revealing a breathtaking view. Despite the intense desire to shut my eyes tightly, I resisted the urge, determined not to show my fear. I had to remain composed, to absorb every detail of where we were going, so I could find our way home.

Because, obviously, Valpar was not going to be able to track us.

"Gods, you need to lay off the cupcakes," Ivy announced as we started flying south.

I leered up at the large form she took to carry me and scoffed. "And you wanted an orc in your bed. If you can't handle a small human to carry, what makes you think you can handle a heavy orc dick?"

Her fangs pulled back in a hiss and she stopped flying. She let us freefall for a few seconds, and I held onto a rope, for dear life, that I knew would never save me from my death.

She caught it, and pulled me back up, grunted before keeping our original flight direction.

"I could let you die right here. Not even worry about you any longer."

I pursed my lips and kept quiet. She was right. She could end me right here. Why was she carrying me so far away and not killing me now?

She probably did kidnap Simon and wasn't going to kill me but do something more sinister. Like killing Simon in front of me and giving me a deep-rooted pain that would forever gut me. I didn't think animals were within the laws of Bergarian to be considered murder if one was killed.

Cheese and crackers—how can souls be so evil?