Love and Fortune Ch. 13

Author's Note:

Welcome to Book 2 of the Love and Fortune series! Readers of the last 12 chapters will notice the series has moved to Sci-Fi & Fantasy from its original 'home' in the Mind Control category. I think this move is warranted because, while this tale definitely has elements of psychic power and mentally-enhanced play, the next direction it's going will lean much further toward action-packed modern fantasy adventure than cerebral Mind Control-type stuff.

For the sake of avoiding confusion, I'm going to continue to label these chapters as Love and Fortune, and keep counting up on top of the previous chapters, but in case it matters to any readers, you can consider this one Chapter 1 of Book 2.

Furthermore, if you're brand-new here and wondering if you should read the first 12 chapters, that's honestly entirely optional. The start of this book represents a big pivot in the content and direction of the story, and what comes next will make the last book seem more like a prelude to the real 'main event' coming up.

So feel free to go back to the start if you want the full context and lore (or, if you only want to know the most essential stuff, chapters 11 & 12 provide the most direct lead-up to this). Just know it's pretty laidback, without too much of a gripping plot. If you'd rather jump into some tenser action and adventure, this will be a fine place to start. I've tried to look out for any new readers by offering a bit of 'recap' through character and place descriptions. Hopefully, that should make things make enough sense.

This Story Contains: extremely indulgent magically-enhanced harem shenanigans, horny goddesses, sexy utopias in unlikely places, potentially inaccurate depictions of foreign crime syndicate activity, gratuitous revisionism of well-known mythologies and spiritual texts, ill-advised carnal acts perpetrated in a library, sex workers liking what they do, and various shout-outs and references both obvious and obscure (can you spot 'em?). You've been warned.

BOOK 2: FATE AND MAGIC

Previously, in the world of Love and Fortune...

Ben was an ordinary young man trapped in a day-to-day cycle of modern ennui -- until a magical gift, an enchanted bead bracelet sent from Kenya by his cousin Belle, took his life in a fantastically new direction. Blessed with the magic boon inscribed on his bracelet's central charm -- 'much love and good fortune' -- he found that the world became a much more interesting and fun place: one where beautiful women seemed to fall into his lap at every turn, and where most things in life had a way of turning out right.

As Ben enjoyed the blessings of his magical bracelet, he quickly gathered a growing entourage of devoted lovers -- something it seemed his charm's power wanted him to do. And before long, he was formally meeting the goddess behind that power: Zawadi, an ancient and primal African deity of love and fortune, elated to have Ben in her service. Becoming Zawadi's devotee meant becoming a conduit of her power and an ambassador for her will. Ben soon understood that his role in the universe was to spread the positive energy of the goddess as far as it could go: more often than not, through pleasure.

To that end, he sought reconnection with Belle, which took him on a pilgrimage to Zawadi's ancestral homeland in Kenya. There, he found a whole new home -- a lush, modern community called the Haven, founded by Belle as a refuge for her own lovers and fellow devotees of the goddess. Over thirty women lived there, all of them openly devoted to Zawadi... and for Ben, moving into Belle's commune meant sharing and ruling over a vast, interconnected harem.

But Ben's journey of discovery was far from done. At the Haven, he was only just beginning to unravel the mysteries of the Living Goddesses: countless other ethereal beings like Zawadi who found and fostered devotees all across the world, bestowing them with their own boons. Now, with the aid of his cousin and his beloved girlfriends, Ben was gearing up to embark on a new quest -- to travel the world and find these other devotees, wherever they might be.

However, without him knowing yet, powerful forces were stirring elsewhere. And, as he would soon discover, there was more than one sort of magic in the world.

Chapter 13: Chaos Rising

The sun was high over China. Thick heat beat down on the streets and alleys of the city below. It was a busy time of day in Shanghai: the streets teemed with people moving about, going from someplace to another in every possible direction.

Through the many-faced throng, a slim and shadowy figure went on her own way, unbothered and unnoticed.

Jianjun didn't pay mind to most passersby. In fact, she rarely paid mind to anything, unless the distraction might be pleasurable or fun. With her little jade pendant around her neck, gleaming green in the sun, she didn't have to be trifled by the dull inconveniences that dragged most people down. She'd been its bearer for a while now, and it never left her neck. Why should it, when it all but rigged the universe in her favor?

She knew well what the charm granted her. It was an embodiment of a power from beyond the material plane. A direct conduit for a deep and primal force of the cosmos.

The power of chaos.

Jianjun had conducted her fair share of research into the matter -- not in the stuffy academic sense, but rather by doing. By kicking over little dominoes of her world and seeing just how big the resulting impacts got to be. She knew the magical nature of the charm, and how beautifully subversive its power could be. As long as Jianjun wore it, she could inspire chaos around her wherever she went.

Strolling down the crowded street, Jianjun smiled to herself. As always, she could feel the power flowing through her, pulsing in time with the charm's own subtle vibrations. A snap of her fingers; a thought; a will -- and the world around her could implode to any degree she wanted. And she could steer that chaos. She could control what it did and where it went.

She could make that man pushing crates on a dolly trip over the tiniest crack in the pavement and come crashing down, sending splintered boxes and fragile wares tumbling everywhere. Or she could make that passing woman in that oh-so-short skirt drop her purse and bend over, giving the whole sidewalk a gander at her lace panties, free of charge. The possibilities were endless -- and the longer she kept pushing her power, the worse the chaos in any situation would get.

"Goddess," Jianjun thought to herself, smirking a little even now. "It's good to be me."

Of all the little quirks in the world that brought magic into people's hands, this one was just so perfect for her. Straight-laced order and rigidity weren't her style. She was a punk. An anarchist. A rebel till she died. She liked to disrupt; to throw things out of balance. And with her pendant, she could do that to bombastic effect. "All thanks to you --" and she mouthed the sacred name of her patron goddess, progenitor of discord, mistress of chaos.

Eris.

Cultures could have a funny way of leaking. So could the veneration of certain Living Goddesses. In China, Eris had made her way into a few scattered, obscure apocrypha and circles of worship as Jian Qi. In fact, she was revered in small circles across the globe under different names and guises. Enyo; Discordia; Mummu; Abeloth. But she was always one and the same. The goddess of chaos. The spanner that had its way of falling into any unattended works. And Jianjun knew her well. Her patroness was the source of the magic in her necklace; the eyes that watched from behind it with delight.

Maybe it was all by chance that they'd forged this partnership. Eris hadn't exactly nominated Jianjun, as though Jianjun were some cosmic Chosen One. All the same, like many around the world, she'd ended up with a trinket that bound her to a Living Goddess. That was how these partnerships worked -- and they tended to work out, no matter the goddess.

Jianjun had learned about more than a few others. Zawadi, for instance. The Goddess of Love and Fortune. She was from... where was it? Kenya? Yet her worship seemed to spread farther than that. Par for the course, for a goody-goody patroness like Zawadi, Jianjun surmised. Being her devotee was an easy sell. Who wouldn't want to get lucky? Then there was Artemis, an age-old enemy of Eris with a sharp mind and a whole legion of sharp devotees. And there were others, too. More than she knew; probably more than anyone did.

In a cold and cynical and sometimes downright depressing world, Living Goddesses were something Jianjun was glad to know existed. They were better than the typical religions that ordinary people kept trying to peddle. No looming doomsdays, no strict doctrines, and best of all, no celibacy. Just energy. Spreading it, using it, and reaping the best of rewards.

But not all Goddesses were created equal. Or, at least, they weren't all understood equally. Most who knew of Eris weren't even aware of her status as a Living Goddess, or the power she could bestow. Though more broadly written about than, say, Zawadi, she lacked greatly in true devotees. A few sages here, far eastward from Eris's land of origin, had forged the jade charm Jianjun now wore, imbuing it with the connection to the being they venerated as Jian Qi. And as far as Jianjun knew, it was the only such charm left in the world.

Jianjun didn't mind being a loner. The power helped; maybe even went hand in hand with it. Discord and chaos didn't jibe with crowds and conformity. As an outlier, a lone wolf, she didn't have to share this intoxicating power with anyone. It could be all hers.

The only thing was... goddess, it just made her horny all the time.

Oh, yes, chaos wasn't just about making mischief. It was about pleasure. The thrill of the unexpected; the rush of something new. And Jianjun's Goddess was no stranger to that. All the Living, in some way or another, wanted the same for their champions, after all. Positive energy. Great vibes. Pleasure-filled lives.

Didn't chaos and sex go hand in hand like nothing else? Wasn't there no greater, more beautiful chaos than two bodies entwining together and making sparks fly? Or three bodies. Or more. Eris wanted that in the world. She wanted it in Jianjun's world. And Jianjun was more than happy to oblige her.

The jade pendant's power could bring people together, beautifully and chaotically, in ways that the humdrum routines of an ordinary day could never allow. Goddess, could chaos be hot. Jianjun could look at the most conservative, buttoned-up girl on the street and, with a thought, have her bent over in an alleyway for a stranger's cock, or Jianjun's own fingers, or both. She could send any mind reeling with thoughts of lust -- strange and intrusive at first, until they built and swirled upon one another and became irresistible. She could blow away all the rational thoughts in a whole group of people's heads until all that remained were primal urges -- and then let things go from there.

She could turn any situation into an erotic one. She could make anything sexy. And how she loved to do it!

She'd once turned a whole floor of the city's dullest corporate office into a fuck-fest. Getting into the fancy building had been easy when distracting the security guards had been so simple. A thought, a push of chaos magic, and they'd turned from the door, their attention stolen by an imagined distraction elsewhere -- and Jianjun had simply walked inside, unhindered. She'd ridden the elevator up to a floor with a good, high number, and she'd walked right into the corporate purgatory that awaited. Women in pantsuits, men in ties -- all had been blathering about numbers, about profits, about stocks and trends and fiscal periods and... whatever it was, Jianjun knew it was nothing of value. Not to her. It had made her so eager to cause a stir.

She had let her power loose like a beast unchained. She had turned every dour person's mind toward more amusing and worthwhile things. Exhibition. Desire. Free love. She'd set a sexual frenzy loose among them. The effect had been immediate and powerful. Every man and woman in the room had gotten up from their seats and torn their clothes off, going for whoever was nearest. The result had been an orgy of chaos, a group fuck of epic proportions -- and all in the unlikeliest place. The sounds of pleasure had echoed throughout the whole floor of the office as pure sexual chaos kept spreading, taking over other rooms as it went. Roping in the cute secretary Jianjun had passed earlier at the desk. And some demure women answering phones. And the scrawny I. T. guy. And more and more.

And Jianjun? She had taken part wherever she pleased, for the better part of an afternoon. Basking in adoration at the center of a group of people she'd inspired into a primal frenzy, she'd spread her legs for everyone around her, letting them all take turns fucking her senseless. That kind of power was intoxicating. Addicting. She'd gotten off so many times, cumming over and over with different partners. She'd played with secretaries, and handsome executives, and even some of the security guards who had come by to see what the fuss was about. She had sampled whatever she wanted. Experienced the joys of every virile man and nubile woman there. Getting plowed by one while sucking another off. Kissing a hot, mature businesswoman while a little intern girl ate her out like a good slut.

Goddess, it had been good.

Jianjun had walked out of that building after hours of fun and left behind a whole host of satisfied people -- plenty who never would have known such pleasure without the goddess of chaos' influence. Whatever business had been in order at the office that day, it had been forgotten. But the company hadn't taken a hit, either -- in fact, for months after, they shot to new highs in profit and productivity, all thanks to the lingering high of their chaos-fueled orgy. Magic, of course, smoothed out the kinks and kept them from questioning a thing. It always did, when the Living were involved.

Jianjun grinned. Thinking about that fun afternoon always made her nethers throb. And she knew it would never be long before she found some other opportunity to use her charm for more fun. Chaos magic made it such a breeze to walk through life: to go where she pleased, do what she wanted.

But she had business today.

This would be less fun than that day at the office. Not that it couldn't lead to fun later, if she wanted. But first would come the uglier dealings. The truth was, wielding chaos magic, even Jianjun would have been remiss to use it only for idle amusement. Shanghai was full of crime and corruption -- plenty of which Jianjun was familiar with. Early days on the streets, time spent with biker gangs, had taught her a thing or two about trouble. She'd learned where crooks hung out; where triads and syndicates reigned.

With power on her side, why not use it against some cruel bastards who deserved it?

The man she was on her way to meet was a mobster. A big one, too. A man with his hands in many dirty pots; a man who did terrible things and didn't face much in the way of consequences. Jianjun hadn't met him face to face yet, but she'd been up in his business for a while now -- nudging him, getting under his skin, making him squirm -- all without leaving any trace of herself. No paper trails, no witnesses; nothing. Just little notes written in golden ink, signed with a little glyph of a golden apple, slipped into his daily life.

They were little nags, mostly. Vague warnings. They came to him every which way: tacked to the windshield of his luxury car; tucked inside his shoe; dropped from above as he walked down the sidewalk. They always lurked somewhere obvious he would find them -- and as more had come his way, his paranoia of them had steadily grown. Idle threats were usually easy for a man like him to ignore. But these? They were persistent, and worse yet, much of what they promised had begun to come true. Operations disrupted. Henchmen gone missing. Hideouts raided by authorities out of nowhere.

Jianjun loved a good mindfuck operation. And this old favorite method of hers had been driving her latest target crazy. When her most recent note had plainly outlined a time and place for a meeting, she didn't have to fear that he wouldn't show. Not after all this time. She'd already taken enough from his mafia circles -- turned their resources against them, funneled away their cash, seduced and suckered away the people who worked under him. She knew he'd want to see who'd been tormenting him. He would want to know the face of his stalker. He would want to see it ruined.

He'd want it all too much to avoid taking her bait.

Jianjun's pace slowed as she got closer to the meeting spot: a shady lounge, its entrance disguised in the darkness of a back alley. Perfect for backroom deals and clandestine meetings, this place existed under the radar, both by necessity and by preference. Its clientele ranged from underworld types to crooked politicians to foreign businessmen with questionable ethics.

Jianjun hardly looked the part of any of these -- but thanks to her pendant, she had no problem getting in. The charm's influence easily clouded any doubt from the mind of the bouncer at the door. Her punkish clothes, young face, and all other unusual details were overlooked and forgotten. She walked into the lounge like she'd always belonged there. No other patrons paid her any mind, either, as she made her way through the dimly lit space -- its booths and tables arranged to obstruct lines of sight, illuminated by ornate lamp fixtures. Most were focused on their own business; others distracted by lush hostesses, waitresses, and dancing girls that sauntered by.

Soon she saw who she was looking for.

With a wolfish smirk, she closed in.

***

Li had never believed in boogeymen.

When the anonymous notes had started, he'd merely scoffed and ignored them. It was hardly uncommon for some cocky upstart or another to try to get under his skin. All they ever wanted was a reaction; the follow-up never came. But this time, things had been different. What started as vague threats turned to dire predictions; what started as simple pranks turned to intentional, baleful sabotage.

He wasn't sure how his tormentor was doing it. Or even if it was just one person. He'd held meetings among his associates to investigate; sent his sharpest men out to hunt for answers. So far, they'd all come back empty-handed and mystified. Whoever was leaving the notes, they knew what they were doing -- they kept their identity hidden, their trail covered, their connections dead.

It hadn't been long before he'd overheard the first whispers among the syndicate, gravely assessing that Li was in the sights of an enemy no one could beat.

A boogeyman.

Many in Shanghai's underworld had heard the tales as they'd spread through the last year. A fear-inspiring legend of a nameless vigilante, never quite directly seen, whose ruthless judgment had come hammering down on some of the biggest crooks in the city. One who'd done in triad bosses, sent corrupt cops to early graves, and broken up entire operations, always vanishing like a shadow without a trace when the bloody work was done.

Those who'd run in with the mystery vigilante, or claimed to, reported that they commanded a dangerous influence somehow. Something that could throw anyone off their balance like the hit of a very bad drug. A snap of the vigilante's fingers, and a room of stone-faced thugs would turn into stumbling idiots, falling on their faces, missing easy shots, firing rounds into the wrong targets. All without understanding why. The havoc that this stranger had wreaked in the underworld was enough to make anyone shudder -- and everyone knew the legend, if only vaguely, by now.

All that could ever be attributed to this ghost of a person consistently were reports of a jade pendant -- and, stranger still, a supposed allegiance to a spirit of chaos.

But Li hadn't put much stock into any of it. It all sounded like some mythical horseshit to him. Something to scare kids. Li was no gullible weakling. With tattoos streaking down both burly arms, a shaved head, and scars enough to prove his grit, he knew he looked the part of a terrifying big shot -- and that was just what he was. Fairytales weren't going to scare him.

But then, fairytales aside, the last month had not gone well for his syndicate. And despite himself, he couldn't help but feel rattled.

He tapped his fingers on the table before him, his silver rings glinting in the low light. The lounge was dark and private; full of shadows. He wouldn't stand out here. He could meet with this person without being disturbed, watched, or eavesdropped on. Here, today, he could solve this mystery -- and, he hoped, crush the threat for good. Before this upstart punk -- this trumped-up nobody that his superstitious goons called a "master of chaos," "a Discordian," and other such nonsensical epithets -- could do any more harm.

A flash of jade caught his eye from the dark.

The pendant he'd heard mentioned was glimmering in the lamplight, as if to confirm all the stories. For a moment, fear gripped him -- then surprise replaced it as he looked at the rest of the figure for who they were.

"Li, I take it? Good to see you didn't stand me up."

It was a girl. An impish-looking punk, tattooed and leather-clad, her black hair cut short. She slid into the booth across from him with a sneering grin, one eyebrow raised in amusement. It wasn't at all who Li had expected. At first he wondered if this was some kind of joke. But something told him not to let his guard down. That green pendant, carved with its swirling sigils, didn't seem to be a fashion statement. Not with the way it made him feel to look at it.

The boogeyman was real. And she was right here in front of him.

Her amused expression told Li that she could sense his fear. "What? Not who you thought you'd be meeting?"

"I thought you'd be a man," the mobster growled.

"Oh, lots of people think so. Got my ideas why, but that'd make for a boring start to our conversation." She flashed her teeth. "I'm Jianjun, by the way."

"I don't care, bitch." There was a slight shake in his voice as he said it, undermining his intended gruffness. "And I didn't come here for small talk, either. You've been fucking with me for weeks. Sabotaging my operations. Picking off my men. Threatening me from the shadows like a goddamn coward. Now you finally want to show your face? I don't know what for, bitch, but believe me when I fucking tell you: whatever makes you think you can fuck with me and get away with it, whatever your plan is, it's not gonna end well for you. You know who I am? What I do?"

The girl before him yawned and rolled her eyes, not caring about a word of it.

"Fucking answer me."

"Oh, I know all about what you do. Honestly? It all sounds cliché as fuck. Just one more lowlife taking advantage of other people in this city -- not the first I've met, and you won't be the last."

Li slammed a fist down on the table. "You don't know shit! Don't act like you fucking do!"

"Mind the volume, will you? Wouldn't want to make a scene."

Jianjun glanced aside at a passing cocktail waitress dressed in red silks. Li's eyes followed, glaring at the woman -- who quickly darted her eyes away and scurried onward at the sight of the syndicate boss's furious face.

"I know all about you," he hissed back at Jianjun. "What they say about you. Some people think you're some kind of demon. Is that what you are? I don't fucking care if you are, bitch -- you're not gonna get me to fall on my knees and beg for mercy like the rest of those shitheads --"

Jianjun silenced him with a laugh. "Demon? That's rich. Your source is way off if they fed you that. But since you said you didn't care, I guess I don't see the need to explain myself." She winked at him. "You get fucked either way."

Li gritted his teeth, then calmed himself for a moment. He looked around, checking for prying eyes. No one was looking their way. Sudden violence would make a scene either way, but at least no one would intervene before the work was done. With one look back at Jianjun, smirking and kicking back in that booth like she didn't have a care in the world, Li saw red. He stood up, reaching for the gun at his belt --

"Hey now," Jianjun snapped, suddenly serious. Her gaze cut him short. There was something dangerous in her eyes. Something supernatural. "That's no way to treat a lady. Besides, wouldn't that end badly for you? I thought you said you'd heard the stories."

Li shook. His hand was frozen on his holster, his gaze locked with Jianjun's. The jade pendant seemed to glow brighter. He recalled at once the other stories he'd heard; those involving guns. Supposedly, this freak could somehow jam any gun aimed her way. An underling had reported as such, before, of course, following the story with fearful rambling about wicked spirits and power unseen.

"The sooner you let go of that thing and sit back down, the better things'll go for you."

He hesitated just a moment more before, begrudgingly, returning to his seat.

"See? Was that so hard?" Jianjun teased him, leaning across the table.

"Fuck you," he grumbled back. "What is it you wanted to meet me about, anyway? Just to rub it in my face that you're fucking with me? Because you think it's funny to play goddamned pranks?"

She shook her head. "No. It's because I know something you don't think I do. And I wanted to see your reaction in person when I told you. The notes seem to get to you, but the one real shame is not being there to see your face when you read them."

He stared daggers at her. "I'm going to ruin you, you know. Somehow, bitch, I promise I will. I've got resources, money -- connections. Whatever this little stunt of yours is, it won't work out for you. I'm going to destroy you like you never fucking dreamed --"

"There you go again with your silly threats," she interrupted him with a grin. "You haven't even heard the big surprise yet, and already you're all bluster. So, Li. Can you guess what I wanted to tell you?"

"I don't care. Whatever it is, it's not going to stop me from crushing you."

"Oh, but that'll be a lot harder for you without your big money operation."

"Which one?" Li sneered. "The gambling rings? The extortion? The laundering? Bitch, you'll never stop any of that. It's a snake with more heads than you could ever cut off."

"Not any of that kindergarten shit, Li. The big operation. I told you I knew more than you thought I did."

His eyes widened in the beginnings of alarm.

Jianjun smirked as she went on. "Oh, yes. I know about the human trafficking. The fancy brothel you set up across the river, where you pimp out those girls to bigwigs and their fat wallets. Really rakes in the cash for you, doesn't it?"

Li felt unease wash over him. Nobody knew about that. Nobody but the highest in his mafia circles. "I don't know what you're talking about," he lied.

"But you do. It was your idea. That's why you moved up so fast in the syndicate. You set up the whole thing. It's your operation; all made possible by your shipments and your connections. You run it all yourself, and take all the benefits, too -- or, should I say, you used to.

"Here's the rest of the news, Li. Your little house of sin just came under new management. See, I strolled over earlier and took a nice tour of the facilities. Met the girls. Have to say, they took a shine to me pretty fast. But that's just my nature. Besides, it's mutual. They're beautiful. And receptive. I'll give you that -- you chose 'em well."

Li's eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you getting at?"

"I'm saying they're mine now, numbskull. I chased out every bit of syndicate scum in that house, and since then, I've been hashing things out with the girls. Plenty are already set to go back home, of course. But some of them? The ones who wanted to stay with me? Heh, you wouldn't even believe how many -- guess I've really got a certain charm." The punk girl cocked her head, looking smug as ever. "I'm setting them up right. Letting them make this their own operation. They get full control over their work now. And whatever they earn is all theirs to keep. Isn't that a lot fairer of a system? A lot more fun?"

Li felt his anger boiling over. He'd heard enough. That this demoness even knew about his most hidden operations was bad enough; that she had the audacity to steal them from him -- that she had the gall to show up here, rub it in his face, and laugh about it -- that was too much to take. Standing up again, throwing both palms onto the table, not caring about drawing eyes now, he leaned down and stared hard into Jianjun's dark eyes.

"You fucking bitch. You think you can take my shit from me? Just like that? I don't know what in fuck's name you think you are -- demon, witch, whatever -- but I think you're full of shit either way. There's no gods or magic in this world. You're naive and lucky; that's all. You put it all on that cheap charm and say it's a magical power because you're just a silly girl. But beginner's luck runs out. I've been in this world a lot fucking longer than you. I know there are consequences in the real world, and you've messed with the wrong goddamn people for too goddamn long! You think you've got the power now, bitch? You're done -- you hear me?!"

Jianjun just stood, not even bothering to match Li's menacing posture. She shrugged. "Say it that way if it makes you feel better. It won't change anything. Not as long as I've got this." She touched her jade pendant. "You'll never touch me, because you'll never have power like this. Because no Goddess in her right mind would let a greedy, violent, cold-blooded thug like you be her champion. You're not worthy of it. Not like me. Those cute little whores by the river? Every one of them is worth a hundred of you. Mmm, I'll have you know: the Goddess I serve loves whores." She winked again, laughing at Li's expression.

"I've... got connections!" he barked, but he was clearly on the back foot. "I told you! More than you can cut off! Don't think I can't fucking ruin you!"

"Connections already breaking," Jianjun corrected. "I've been up to more than you know. Exposing weakness. Setting secrets loose. Turns out what you do has a way of coming back to bite you. And when you're a shitty mobster? It comes around fast."

Li glared at her. He tried to think of something to say that would wipe that smug look off her face. "Fuck you," was what he settled for. "You'll never stop me."

"But I think I already have." Her pendant glowing, Jianjun herself lit up in equal measure, grinning like a hyena closing in on its prey. "Right about now, your whole little syndicate should be dissolving into chaos. I planted all the seeds a while back. I just wanted to be here with you when it happened."

Li felt his phone go off. He fumbled it out of his pocket. The text he saw made him blanch.

"Fucking hell," he hissed, as he started to read through more and more messages flooding in. He looked back at Jianjun, glaring in abject fear and fury. "You... what have you done?"

Jianjun's smile was mirthless. "Read the texts and see, fucker."

Li's sweating thumbs flicked through the flood of alerts. Disaster after disaster had befallen his organization, all seemingly at the turn of the last minute. Rats had been turned against each other; dirt had been spilled that Li had thought he'd locked up tight. Like a cluster of bombs all wired to the same detonator, every operation that Li was involved in, any scheme or setup that even had so much as his fingerprint on it, had suddenly become a liability. A bad business partner had outed him for skimming; someone else had exposed a hidden gambling ring.

But that wasn't even the worst of it.

His phone began to ring, displaying the name of a fellow high-ranking mobster. He picked up the call, hearing the man's voice immediately babbling on.

"Where the fuck are you?!" the man screamed into the phone. "We're being attacked! By that other syndicate from across the river! Goddamn, it's a massacre -- everything's burning, everything's -- fuck, get down! Get down!" The sound of gunfire roared over the line -- and then it went dead.

Li pulled his phone away from his ear, staring at Jianjun in disbelief. "You... you fucking did this?!"

"Of course. It's smart, huh? Turning two evils against each other. It's a great way to deal with two big problems at once, Li. You should learn how to do it someday. But then again, I don't think you're going to get the chance, are you?"

Even here in the lounge, echoes of the violence were beginning to reach them. At other tables nearby, other mafiosos were checking their phones, becoming wise to the carnage and chaos unfolding with Li at the center of every unraveling loose end. They rose from their seats, well aware Li was here from his earlier outbursts -- and they began to approach him with anger burning in their eyes.

Jianjun smiled as the small mob converged. "Uh-oh. Guess I'd better take my leave now. Let you deal with your business." She turned to head for the door -- but just as she'd expected, Li's desperate voice shouted after her before she could slip away.

"Wait! Fucking stop! Is it money you want from me?! Power?! I'll give it all to you, I swear -- just don't fucking leave me here!"

Jianjun paused. She turned her head and met his pleading gaze with a cool, empty stare. "Oh, Li. That's sweet of you to offer. But I can take what I want just fine. You should know that by now."

Syndicate men closed in left and right on the tattooed mobster she'd set up. Jianjun hung around just enough longer to watch the start of the beautiful chaos she'd so carefully engineered.

"You goddamn idiot," one snarled at Li. "This happened on your watch!"

"We're fucked! You hear? Fucked!" another yelled.

And yet another: "If we pay the price, so do you, scumbag!"

"This wasn't me!" Li protested, looking around at the men closing in on him. "That bitch there -- hey!" It was too late. A burly mafioso had already grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms.

Jianjun laughed as Li struggled helplessly in the bigger man's grip. "Bye bye, Li!" she called, waving. "It's been fun."

Her exit away from the ensuing brawl was effortless. As always, like a shadow, the devotee of Eris slipped away through the crowd, unhindered and untouched. Along the way, Jianjun fingered the smooth jade charm that hung from her neck. It seemed to pulse with the energy it had collected from the calamity unfolding here and beyond, all among the city's syndicates. She felt Eris's palpable joy, too. Jianjun had done a good thing for the city today -- and a good thing for her Goddess, too.

And doing such things, of course, got her hot in all kinds of ways.

Looking aside, Jianjun spotted the waitress in red, the same one who'd shied away from Li's bristling anger before. As the punk girl's pendant pulsed, the pretty woman turned to face her. Jianjun caught a mounting worry in her eyes, but as soon as she saw the necklace and its wearer, that fear was washed away by sudden, all-new feelings.

Jianjun curled a finger. "You. C'mere."

The cocktail waitress blinked. Without hesitation, she stepped forward, not quite smiling but clearly eager to get away with Jianjun from the commotion.

"Trouble over there," Jianjun told her slyly. "But you don't have to worry about it. Those men? They're all going down. I'd even say the guy who runs this lounge is gonna get bit by the end of the day, too. He's a bad man, isn't he?"

A nod and a shudder. The waitress's lips were trembling. "A syndicate man, yes. He... does bad things to many of the girls here."

"Well, that ends now." Jianjun took the waitress by the hand. "You're free to go. So are the others. Say the word, and I'll take you to safety and let you get on with your life. But..." Biting her lip, feeling magic pulsing between them, Jianjun stepped closer to whisper to her. "That could be such a shame. I know we just met, but... goddess, you're cute. We could have some real fun together."

"I... I..."

"Yes?"

"I want it," the waitress whispered back as Jianjun's influence worked over her mind so beautifully -- sending everything spiraling into chaotic lust. "Your kind of fun. Please. Take me with you."

Jianjun smirked. "Then let's get out of here, doll."

Minutes later, in a neighboring alley, Jianjun had her hand under the cutie's dress as they kissed and groped. They moaned and sighed in each other's arms as Jianjun rocked two fingers against the woman's hot, slick pussy, gliding in and out with practiced ease. She felt Eris's equal pleasure in her soul all the while. Goddess, it was fun to do this after a fine day's work of chaotic ruin.

"What's your name, doll?" Jianjun asked between kisses.

"Meili," she answered breathlessly, her back arching as Jianjun's slender fingers pushed between her legs. "Oh, god. Yes. Fuck me..."

"Cute. Mmm, after this, what do you say we blow this dump and head for my new place by the river? Plenty to do there. Hm, wanna meet some whores?"

The word didn't shock or offend Meili; it just made her laugh and moan. "They'd... want to join us for -- mmm, more of this?"

"Absolutely, doll." She curled her fingers against Meili's G-spot, making the cocktail waitress gasp as the beginning of an orgasm sparked inside her. "As much as you want."

Meili could only nod. Ecstasy was all she knew now. Even if it weren't for that, she could never have said no to Jianjun at this point. Not when this amazing, magical woman could make her feel so chaotically good. She was learning, as many did, that there was more magic in the world than she ever could have guessed. And she was learning she could experience it in the most intimate of ways -- in the depths of pleasure, at the mercy of a woman who possessed it.

A woman with the power of chaos. A woman who didn't give a damn what her haters and enemies thought; didn't give a damn about consequences. A woman who reveled in fun flings and pretty things, fast-moving affairs and wild encounters. A woman who knew what she wanted -- all the best things that the universe had to offer -- and wasn't afraid to take it.

A devotee of Eris.

That was one thing Jianjun was damn proud to be.

***

The wilderness stretched untamed as far as Ben could see.

He was far from the Haven, away from all the modern comforts that his home commune offered amid the Kenyan landscape. Out here, there was nothing but wide, untouched earth and the great blue sky above. It was a wildlife preserve, he'd been told -- one rarely trodden upon by human footsteps. But Zawadi's blessing and boons made any of her devotees welcome here. Ben saw no signs of civilization for miles around. No human minds, either -- save for the one that had brought him here.

He sat now, secluded, in the center of a small grove of acacia trees and brush that formed a rough circle around him. He breathed deeply, centering himself, and reached out with his mind to touch his trainer's. He felt her awareness -- a spark of bright fire at the edge of his consciousness. And as they joined, he sensed more of her.

Njau knelt in front of him, her shoulders set back, her braided hair tied up today in a neat bun atop her head. Her bone necklaces clicked softly in the gentle breeze, and the sacred patterns painted in white and red along her dark brown skin seemed to shine with her energy. Ben could feel that energy clearly as their minds connected. It thrummed through her whole body. He could sense the tension of her muscles, the subtle shift of her weight as she leaned slightly forward, the rhythm of her breathing. Her stillness was strong.

Ben tried his best to match that stillness, to tune his mind to hers. Three times since the Late-Summer Rites at the Haven -- when divine energies had aligned and Zawadi had spoken of a magical shift coming soon for the world, all the Living Goddesses, and all their devotees -- they'd come here to the unspoiled wilds to train together. With each session, Ben felt closer to what Njau sought to teach him, though he was well aware he had light-years more to go before he could say in the slightest that he'd mastered the powers granted to him as the devotee of Zawadi, Living Goddess of Love and Fortune.

In the first session, they'd meditated. Njau had taught him how to find peace and focus amid distractions. How to touch a tree with his eyes closed, and to feel the life within it. "All life is touched by the Living, so the Living are everywhere," she'd explained. "And you, devotee, can always feel them. This is Zawadi's country. Feel her in it -- in its life."

On the second day, they'd walked the wilderness, with the Maasai protectress training Ben to be aware of everything around them. They'd felt the passage of a flock of birds overhead; they'd sat near an ant colony and listened to its buzzing life. And they'd come upon a lone lioness stalking prey. "Look," Njau had said softly, nudging him toward the distant, prowling beast. "Feel her."

And Ben had done so. With his psychic abilities, he'd reached out to the animal and brushed against her mind. He had felt her animal pride, her hunting instincts, her watchful nature. But he'd also sensed something else: a peacefulness within her. A stillness born of pure presence. Of simply being there, in the moment. Never had Ben thought to commune with an animal psychically -- but that was what these lessons from Njau were teaching him. To expand his mind, to become more sensitive, to tap into the world beyond himself and learn everything nature could teach him.

Today, they'd come to the clearing to continue that learning: to train, and practice awareness. "We are here," Njau's voice rang clear and powerful in the open air. "We are on Zawadi's earth. We join our minds. We touch her energy."

"We touch her energy," Ben repeated softly. He closed his eyes and reached out, letting his consciousness slip down into the earth below them. Like a guiding star, Njau's own presence led his along, showing him everything there was to sense. Roots stretching far beneath them, an entire underworld of life thriving just beneath the surface. Mycelial networks, a slow yet mighty intelligence radiating everywhere. Animal burrows, insect colonies, buzzing life filling the dirt and rocks with energy. And within it all, a pulsing rhythm: Zawadi's pulse. Ben could feel her pervading everything.

Then Njau led his consciousness upward.

"We are beneath Zawadi's sky." And he was there: above them, spread out like a canopy of infinite, soft light, were the clouds and blue heavens themselves. Not distant, but enveloping. The air felt alive around them, saturated with power and energy. Ben felt her everywhere at once: all of space joined in her endless, ancient dance, from here to infinity.

"We are Zawadi," Njau finished softly, her voice melodic. "We are within her, and she is within us. We breathe with her. We become one."

He did. He was.

"Now, devotee -- ready yourself."

The words came just as Ben felt Njau's powerful will and energy rise up to meet him. Like a mental fist, her psychic clout connected with his mind -- and though she didn't strike with full mental force, the attack still took Ben off-guard.

This was a new kind of lesson, different from the last two. She had warned him of the rigor of such training, but Ben had insisted she include it in her tutelage. He had wanted to be able to defend himself if need be. If the hidden world of magic and power really was bigger than he thought -- and if he was to play a role in that world as it shifted and changed, as the Goddess had promised -- then he knew he'd feel more prepared to take it on if he could strengthen his mind as much as possible. He was not a fighter by nature. Never could he have matched Njau's physical prowess as a warrior. But perhaps he could hone his mind.

Now, in a heartbeat, he tried to turn his mental defenses upward -- but he'd been caught unaware, and he didn't react in time. Njau's practiced strike smashed right through his concentration. He felt her energy disperse his own and wash over him, tearing apart the delicate threads of his willpower. Ben tried to hold his focus, but his awareness shattered beneath the onslaught. His connection with Njau slipped away like sand running through his fingers.

He opened his eyes, breathing hard, and met the eyes of the Maasai woman -- who, like him, had never moved an inch.

"Not bad," Njau observed from across the clearing. "You hold up better than many."

"Holy shit." Ben swallowed and drew a long breath. "That was intense."

"As can the world be. I am a warrior and a devotee. And, like I told you before, my mind is my spear." A slight smile curved her full lips. "Yours is stronger than most, but not strong enough to hold against mine. Not yet. But with practice, perhaps you may stand a chance."

Though her mind-attack had shattered their direct link, Ben could still sense her psyche. He felt her confidence. It was well-earned; after all, Ben had seen her might in action during the Late Summer Rites, under entirely different circumstances. As a lover, she was focused, dedicated, and full of passion. As a physical fighter, he imagined she was much the same -- though no situation had yet come, thankfully, where he'd have to witness that. And as a psychic? She was like an unstoppable force. Feeling her mind rushing against his had felt like standing in the way of a hurricane.

"Goddess help whoever tries to get the mental jump on you," Ben breathed.

Njau's eyes shone with amusement. "I hope, as always, that the need to fight never rises, physically or mentally. But if it does... I am ready."

"No doubt. You mentioned you trained Belle in this stuff, too?"

"We have done just this, yes. On and off, since I arrived at the Haven. Nakessa and Priyanka have come along too, here and there. They've all been eager students and quick learners. And I can tell you that, by now, any could well hold their own against an adversary."

Ben grinned. "So there's hope for me yet, then."

"With practice? There is hope for anyone. Anyone with enough raw talent and fortitude, that is. As we all do, you have the spark of Zawadi in you -- and, more than that, you are her devotee. Let her be your conduit. Your shield, your armor, and your weapon. You will find that the Goddess' magic will rarely fail you."

"Happy to learn anything you can teach me," Ben replied softly. Then, after a short pause: "Can we go again?"

"Of course. I sense your readiness. Do you think you can hold out longer this time? Let us find out."

Several more times, Njau probed his mental defenses with quick, precise attacks, but Ben learned fast. The feeling of being overwhelmed by her assault made for good motivation to adapt. Soon, he was rebuffing each attack with stronger walls of psychic resistance. He couldn't bring his own attacks to bear -- going at his teacher's mind was like attacking a brick wall with a toothbrush -- but Njau complimented him all the same on his efforts.

"Impressive." Her own breathing had now grown heavier; Ben sensed her mild exertion. "Your talent is there. Raw, yes, but it grows stronger with each try."

"So do you," he countered, feeling his cheeks flush with the warmth of their exertion. "I know you're holding back."

"And in time, I will not. Small steps, devotee."

Ben felt his bracelet thrum against his wrist. If Zawadi approved of that, he saw no reason to disagree.

Njau stood, moving across the clearing. The elegant Maasai woman's gait was a silent prowl, confident and measured. Ben's gaze followed her. Though the crimson wrap of her kanga dress covered much of her, Ben knew what lay beneath all too well. And as she eyed him now, inviting him with her dark, lustrous eyes, Ben felt another kind of need building inside him. His eyes wandered down along the shapely, lithe form of Njau's body, savoring every part of her that he could see. Her mental aura, too, exuded mounting flirtation, impossible to misread.

"Your mind could use a rest," she counseled. "But your body? I can sense it raring to go. Come. Let's have a break from our training."

He rose from the ground, shaking the tension from his limbs. As a wide smirk spread across his face, he closed the distance between them. When they came together, Njau was like a panther pouncing on its prey: her swift, toned form pressed close against his, hands roaming his body with hungry abandon. Beneath the shade of the acacia trees, she guided him down to the soft, warm earth, straddling his waist as she captured his mouth in a fervent kiss. Her mind pulsed with sexual need, and the energy flowed into him with their shared psychic connection.

They would soon be wrapped up in a different sort of exchange.

It wasn't the first time their training in the wilderness had led to such spontaneous, heated lovemaking. In fact, not once had he and Njau come out here together without such breaks for physical release. The Maasai woman seemed to delight in the energy of sex; it was something they'd discussed before, how she saw the act as both a celebration of life and an offering to the Goddess. In a way, such was true for all Zawadists. But Njau's way seemed even more primal, more sacred, than most. She was unashamed to be as free with her body as with her mind, and Ben couldn't have admired her more for it.

Her dark brown form now rocked atop his with all the energy and skill of a practiced dancer. With her hands resting on his chest and her eyes locked on his, she rode him at a steady rhythm, slow and fluid like waves rolling onto a beach. When they spoke, it was only to exchange a few words -- a little dirty talk here and there, or just quiet affirmations of their pleasure. Their minds, just as intimately connected as their bodies, were more than enough to share most of what they needed to say.

They brought one another to multiple climaxes, then sank into a passionate embrace. As they lay together in the afterglow, Njau's free spirit and uninhibited lust for life and pleasure washed over him through their shared connection.

Njau whispered in his ear. "A bond is growing between us, yes? Can you feel it?"

"I can." The realization made Ben smile. By now, he had come to feel a similar closeness with many of the other women at the Haven -- but this, here with Njau, was quickly becoming an especially potent link. He recognized it for what it was, and he didn't balk at the notion of it. Zawadi, after all, had long since encouraged him to fall in love as many times as he wanted.

"Good. I like this. Showing you all that I am, and knowing you're here to share in it." Her full lips brushed against his cheek, and he felt her breath, warm against his skin. "We are the same, you and I. We both devote ourselves fully. We both understand that life should be lived in every moment. So I am proud to say I love you."

"I love you too, Njau."

"Mmm. And there's much more to be shown, yet." He felt her smirk, the hint of mischief that bubbled up within her. "What now, then? Shall we train more? Fuck more? A bit of both?"

"I wanted to ask something first," he told her, gently stroking her arm with his fingertips. "About the Living. All through our training, you've mentioned they're everywhere. Mostly we've mentioned Zawadi; it makes sense she'd be the most well-known to us, obviously. I know there are others out there, elsewhere -- but are there any others at work here, in these wilds?"

The Maasai woman considered that for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, a few. Africa is full of storied traditions, many of which are tied to the Living. Zawadi has always been my patroness. But in my days wandering, I have felt the touch of other powers."

Ben's curiosity rose. "Which have you known?"

"Sekhmet. She of the burning gaze." Ben sensed Njau's reverence and respect for the name as she spoke it. "And others. Oshun and Oya. Inkosazana, the Shifting One. Ala of the Earth and the Serpent. They come from different origins -- but the pantheons of old are not exactly separated anymore, just as humanity itself has largely melded together. Many who know and venerate their names lack the realization that they are of the Living, but devotees like us know better. I have sought them in dreams, felt their presence, known their disparate natures."

Ben listened intently, letting the African woman's mellifluous voice wash over him. "Wow. That's more names than I've heard yet. Nakessa, Belle, and the others don't seem to deal much with others besides Zawadi."

"Nor would they need to. We Zawadists are well taken care of by our Goddess. But I have never been like most other Zawadists." Njau touched the wooden beads of Ben's bracelet, letting her fingers graze the finely carved runes on each. "I do not have one of these, like you, Belle, Lenore, or Nakessa -- and thus I do not partake in the direct connection they bring. Of course, I still feel my prime Goddess just as strongly. But I do so through the energies of the earth and its living things. It is like... tapping into a current. And this world is full of many currents. Countless currents of countless Living Goddesses.

"It has been my way, ever since I divested from the culture I was born into and found the world of the Living, to keep my mind open. To look for counsel and guidance wherever it can be found. And to learn all I can from every possible perspective. Ruby shares that philosophy."

Ben perked up at the mention of the Haven's resident artist. Ruby Blomfield had been there when Ben and Njau had first met, and had joined in their first bouts of carnal revelry. Ben's time spent with Ruby since then might not have been as intense as his outings with Njau, but in a lot of ways, he'd come to enjoy her company equally. After all, the English blonde could often be just as eager as Njau to worship Zawadi in the best way any Havenite knew how.

"It is why we get along so well," Njau continued. "Of course, I do not begrudge any Zawadist who holds true to only one particular connection. But for myself, I have found no harm in looking beyond our little ivory tower."

"And what have you experienced beyond?" Ben asked, eager to know more.

"Much."

He felt her mind touching his once more, and he let her consciousness in. She pushed out a series of psychic images -- scenes of mystic rituals in far-flung lands. Of altars to deities known and unknown. Of unearthly visions carried on the winds of magic. They all swirled around Ben's mind in a flurry of images and sensations. He wasn't sure he understood, but if nothing else, his thirst for knowledge had been thoroughly piqued.

"All are visions I have felt, awake and in dreams." Her voice came psychically now, echoing amid Ben's thoughts. "Not all make sense to me, even to this day. But know, my love, that this is but a taste of what the world of the Living has to offer. One day, when you are ready, perhaps you will journey out and experience plenty more of it yourself."

The visions ceased. They were replaced by her physical touch, her warm body pressed against his.

"I've been hoping to get out exploring," he told Njau. "Still haven't put my finger on a plan yet. Maybe I'm still enjoying it here too much."

"There is much to enjoy in this land," the Maasai beauty told him. And she kissed him. And she straddled him. And soon they were once more making love under the warm, nourishing sun. Maybe they'd have to get back to the Haven eventually. Maybe this was eating up time that could be spent training. Much lay ahead of them; travels, encounters with other devotees of the Living... and who knew what else?

But right now? Ben wasn't complaining. Neither was his teacher.

***

"So, how'd your Jedi mind training go, babe?"

They had rolled back into the Haven, the jeep Njau had driven out into the wilds rumbling to a stop just past its front entry. Plenty of eager lovers had been there waiting to greet them. It was Yuki who'd asked the teasing question, swaggering up to Ben as he climbed out of the vehicle -- with Lenore, Nakessa, and Belle not far behind her.

"Got kind of intense," he bid her back. "But fun, too."

Yuki wrapped an arm around Ben's waist and pecked him on the cheek. Nude, as was the Haven's norm, her skin sun-kissed and her blonde-dyed hair loose around her shoulders, his Japanese girlfriend looked as effortlessly gorgeous as ever. "Well, if you're looking for some relaxation after all that intensity..."

"I'm sure we'll find a way." Ben grinned as he felt more hands on his body. Nakessa seemed to share in the sentiment. Dark-skinned, smooth-headed, clothed only in jewelry -- a slim Zawadist bracelet among that -- the Kenyan woman had a playful smile on her face as she joined Yuki in welcoming Ben home.

"Indeed," she purred. "I hope Njau did not wear you out too badly."

"I certainly could have," teased the Maasai warrioress as she slipped gracefully out of the driver's seat. "To his relief, I was feeling merciful today."

"Uh-huh." Yuki shot Njau a wry glance and shook her head. "Merciful. Like that's in your nature, Njau."

Ben laughed at her remark, knowing she was thinking right back to the Late-Summer Rites a week back -- the Zawadist festival that had swept over the whole commune, and its ensuing night-long orgy. Yuki, and many others, had definitely spent time under Njau's attentions, learning just how well the tribal woman could wield a strap-on phallus. When it came to carnal acts, Njau was anything but merciful.

"We all know that," Belle chimed in with a grin. "But it's not like we mind."

"Can't say I disagree," Ben said to his cousin, meeting the freckled redhead's eyes with a smile. The founder and co-leader of the Haven, the very one who'd found and gifted Ben the bracelet that had sent him from an unexciting life to this neverending adventure of magic and romance, Belle was always a person Ben was glad to see. He met her in a friendly hug, not minding the touch of her bare body on his despite their relation. Neither did he miss the palpable little spark of energy as her bracelet, identical to his, brushed against his skin.

"Seriously," Lenore piped up as she joined their circle. The pale, slim girl's voice was bright with interest, and psychically, Ben sensed that burning curiosity in equal parts from her mind. "You've gotta take me along next time. Magical mind training sounds right up my alley. I'm a devotee, too, after all." Her own bracelet shone in the sunlight as she held up her arm to show it off -- like Nakessa's, a smaller model, bringing good luck through its connection to Zawadi.

Ben grinned at her, stroking a lock of her bleached-white hair behind her ear. "We'd have taken you along in a heartbeat... but that would've required you to get up at the proper time. Njau likes an early outset. You like sleep-ins."

"Well, I need my beauty rest," Lenore retorted with a pout. "So sue me."

They shared a playful laugh, then a kiss, as Ben pulled the goth beauty close. Their tongues danced briefly, and Ben felt her slender body melt against him with a soft moan of pleasure. "Maybe I can pass down a few tricks in the meantime," he assured her as they parted. "I'm no Njau, but I've picked up a thing or two."

"If it's my suggestion, cuz," offered Belle, "then maybe we should all pick up some lunch first."

"You know me well," Ben admitted with a chuckle. And, with his entourage in tow, he followed his cousin's lead.

No stroll through the Haven was without its share of sights to see -- namely, all the beautiful women who lived there. Ben knew most by name now, and as he passed them at work and at play, more than a few offered greetings and affectionate touches. The Haven was a place of casual nudity and constant intimacy; a place where work was done without complaint and leisure was savored every moment in between. They passed the dark-skinned beauties Efi and Danae, tending to a garden -- both women paused to give Ben a kiss hello on their way -- and the buxom Middle Eastern twins Rasha and Aya, lounging and chatting beneath the shade of a verdant tree. They crossed the Haven's central stream, beside which Eleni and Aimee sat with a picnic spread -- both the elegant French blonde and the cute, spectacled brunette nude and all smiles as they watched him pass by.

Their own mealtime brought more companions who were eager to share it. Shaheen, fit and black with long braids trailing behind her, arrived not long after they'd finished laying out the feast -- a towel draped over one shoulder, her skin faintly shining with sweat from an intense workout. Moka wasn't far behind her -- the Colombian beauty's tawny skin flushed, breathing labored, and gait just above a stumble. Perhaps letting Shaheen lead their gym routine had been a little much for Moka, but then, she didn't look regretful; just pleasantly exhausted. Having spent the first half of his day with Njau, Ben knew the feeling.

"I know I probably say it too much, but... damn, do I love it here." It was Alicia who spoke, herself having joined the table as they ate. Tall, lean, and raven-haired, with smoldering eyes to match, she gave a happy sigh as she reached for more bread.

"Oh, boy, do we all," Shaheen chimed in. The athletic black woman set her glass down, casting her gaze across the dining area and its familiar, beautiful occupants. "It's been... what? A little over a week since we got here with Ben, but fuck, if I don't feel like I've been a Havenite forever. Everything about this place just fits me perfectly."

"No kidding," agreed Moka, her voice still slightly labored but her intent just as strong. "This feels like paradise. Even when you're putting me through my damn paces, Shaheen..."

"Yeah, well, a healthy body complements a healthy libido." Shaheen raised her glass and grinned. "Trust me. You'll thank me once you're ripped. Makes sexytime even steamier, I guarantee."

"Work harder, fuck longer... yeah," Moka replied in what seemed to be a mantra that the sporty black girl had already drilled into her. "I see the appeal. But for now? Don't mind me stuffing my face... mmm." She took a bite of her sandwich and chewed happily.

"It's more than the sex, though," Alicia offered in a softer tone, turning back to Ben. "As mind-blowing as that is... we can be ourselves here, in and out of the sack. This whole community just has everything."

"Is it weird to say this feels like... kind of the ultimate outcome of joining up with you?" Yuki asked him. "I mean, everything before was great. The fun and fucking around back in America. And I knew from the night we met that I wanted in on your magic. But the fact that it led us here? To someplace as unique and magical as this? Honestly, it's hard to imagine anything better."

"Oh, I totally get it." Ben nodded as he took in her words, finding his memory flashing back to the night he'd met Yuki. When she'd been bartending at that restaurant. When she'd confessed she felt his magic, and touched his bracelet, and told him boldly that she was ready to drop everything to be his. He remembered their first time together that night, sealing everything, cementing Yuki as a life partner -- just the same way he'd cemented so many others before and after. That was the bracelet's magic. Much Love. Good Fortune.

Zawadi wanted this. There was no mincing words about it -- she wanted Ben to enjoy a harem lifestyle. Being her devotee came with such a perk implicitly. But he'd never let his ego convince him it was all about him. The women in this partnership, after all, kept their own agency. They could choose their paths within the arrangement, follow their own desires, seek what brought them joy -- all while remaining bound to him by full consent, always returning to him, enjoying his company and his love whenever they desired. It was the same for every woman here at the Haven, too -- the entourage of female lovers Belle had initially built with her own bracelet; the entourage he and Belle now fully and openly shared. He knew it all worked. Why question it, when he was a part of it -- and never happier?

He also knew that Yuki, for all her eagerness to be his, hadn't just come here alongside him to be a pretty plaything for his amusement. She'd found her own place within the Haven effortlessly, her talents as a mixologist appreciated and nurtured right away. She'd found camaraderie with plenty of other women here. And, as Ben's own daily activities had begun to take him here and there, there was the inevitability that he wouldn't be able to stay by her side all the time. He couldn't be everywhere at once, and even with magic and psychic tricks at his disposal, he couldn't entertain every woman in his life constantly.

But Yuki had never seemed bothered. Not once. She'd been happy to spend time with other women at the Haven, whether in work or play or both. For that matter... not one of his women had ever seemed bothered. Not one seed of jealousy, or of feeling left out, or of any discontent at all, had ever cropped up. It must have been magic, to some degree... but perhaps it was also just part of the arrangement. Part of the lifestyle of the Haven, and part of the way of Zawadism.

Everyone trusted each other. They trusted him. They trusted their bonds. And they knew that if they needed him, he'd always be there for them. That was enough to make it more than alright for him to pursue his own interests elsewhere -- anywhere. When he returned, they would always be happy to have him back.

"I know exactly what you mean," he emphasized to Yuki now. "That you're so happy here... I'm over the moon about that." He looked about the table, at everyone's eager faces, and realized he was addressing everyone present. "The fact I could bring you here, and you all found a place so quickly... that makes me feel like I did the right thing."

"Babe, we were never worried you'd steer us wrong," Shaheen said with a wink. "I'd have followed you anywhere. But boy, am I glad it was here."

"True, maybe we don't always get to spend every waking hour by your side, like we did back in the States," Alicia admitted. "But I'm loving the new freedom and flexibility." She looked to Belle, then to Njau, both of whom knowingly smirked back. "And I can't say I mind having plenty of other hot, badass women around to keep me company when you can't."

"Mmm. Me neither," Yuki added with a sultry grin. "Besides, Ben. You've got Jedi training to do now. We wouldn't wanna get in the way of that."

That drew a laugh from everyone around the table -- even Njau, to whom the reference had to be explained, but who agreed it was apt enough. "Then I suppose you must sometime soon show me this film you continue to reference," she told him, which got him to chortle again, despite himself, at the absurdity of showing Star Wars to a Maasai warrior-woman who'd spent much of her life living in the wilds of Africa. But, hey -- this was the Haven. A lot of cultures, ancient and modern, converged here. And just about anything went.

"It's a date," he promised her, wondering how she'd react to intergalactic battles and laser swords. Knowing her, she'd probably love it.

The group amicably dispersed after lunch, many already set on their own plans for the rest of the day. Ben hung around with Belle and Nakessa. He wasn't entirely sure himself how he wanted the rest of his day to go, but if anyone could inspire him, it was his cousin and her comely Kenyan assistant.

"Speaking of dates," Belle told him with a knowing look. "Nakessa just reminded me you hadn't been to the library yet. I think that needs to change. Either way, the two of us are heading there to meet up with Ruby and Priyanka. Join us? We'd love to have you."

He thought about it. She was right: for all the talk he'd heard of the Haven's impressive literary collection, he hadn't taken the time to browse it yet. Now that she'd mentioned it, it sounded like a good idea -- especially today, with his mind still buzzing with lingering curiosity after Njau's revelations about the Living Goddesses. What valuable knowledge was here to be discovered, right at the center of the paradise he and his cousin ruled?

"Lead the way," he told Belle with a grin.

***

The library at the Haven was a two-story, widely vaulted room, taking up much of the large, central communal building it was built into. There was something to the place that made Ben feel as though he was stepping into a hall of ancient knowledge, despite knowing it was freshly constructed; it even had that scent of new wood to suggest as such -- yet it felt centuries old. As soon as he entered, the sense of the sacred pervaded him, too, but not in some stony, religious manner. It was a sexy kind of sanctity, something he was very well attuned to these days.

Ben looked up at the massive wooden bookshelves all around. He saw rows of tomes, volumes and manuscripts, organized by subject, some crisp and new, some as ancient as any dusty scroll in a museum. Many, as Belle and the others had assured him, were texts devoted to Zawadi's nature. Much could be learned here, he imagined, as a devotee of Zawadi: the Goddess's history and her place in the world; her many facets and aspects; ages-old methods of worship and communion with her. All that, and plenty more.

But, of course, there were other Living Goddesses to be researched here as well, if one so chose.

It wasn't long before familiar faces greeted him. Ruby, emerging from an aisle nearby, was all smiles as she welcomed him in, her usual 'edgy artist' look now accented by the pair of round glasses perched on her nose. The new accessory gave her a more studious air, but hardly tempered the energy he felt in her mind; beneath the facade, her passion still burned brightly. If Ben knew Ruby -- and by now, he knew her well -- it would take much more than a bookish getup to tame the ardor of this ash-blonde, tattooed Englishwoman.

"There's my new favorite muse," she greeted him in a tease, and Ben smirked as he recalled several days back, where he'd posed for one of Ruby's paintings. She was a lot in one package: artist, anthropologist, devotee. "When Belle let me know you were coming here, I almost didn't believe her. For all your big talk about wanting to learn, I thought you'd never actually make it to the library."

Ben chuckled. "Easy to get distracted around here, Ruby. I'm sure you understand."

"She does," came another voice behind her -- and as Priyanka padded up beside the artist, a stack of books in hand, her sly smirk suggested she'd been offering Ruby her own share of distractions today. The Indian beauty's long, dark tresses were loose around her shoulders, her slim figure on full display in her nudity. Ben knew the kind of distraction Priyanka could be. Those full lips, now beckoning him with a smirk, had many times parted for his cock.

"Ugh. Don't mention it, Pri." Ruby's groan was exaggerated and melodramatic, but her smile gave her away. "I came here to sort these new arrivals. This little minx promised she'd be helpful. Turns out her definition of 'helpful' is 'being a giant tease.'"

Priyanka just smirked. "Are you complaining?"

"Depends. You ever going to deliver, or will you leave me hanging for another couple hours?"

"I was hoping for more company. Now we've got it." Extending her arms, she welcomed the three newcomers in turn -- Belle, then Nakessa, and finally Ben. "But I must ask whether you meant the work, or..."

"Work first," Ruby cut in with a smirk. "Then, you damn temptress, I'm having my way with you."

"Perfect. A little incentive."

With greetings and banter exchanged, the five fell into pleasant small talk and, eventually, to the work that had to be done. Ben got a small tour of the library as he followed Ruby and Priyanka this way and that, watching them slip the new books into their rightful places. He learned they curated these collections with help from a number of Havenites with various specialized skills, and were quite meticulous in tracking them down. Many came from local merchants and savants, but others had arrived from much farther afield.

"Collectors have their way of stumbling upon this stuff," Ruby brusquely explained, standing on tiptoes to set a slender hardback into its place on a high shelf. Ben got a look at its intriguing title -- 'The Rituals of Frith' -- and filed that away to ask about later. "Plenty don't know what they have. That it's about real magic, not just empty fantasy. But we're happy to track down the works and find the right homes for them here."

"Indeed," Priyanka piped up. "Of course, we have our work cut out for us in sorting the real stuff from the fakes. But I can sniff out a scam better than most. You'd be surprised what a few supposed aficionados have tried to con us with."

"People put fakes in front of you and think they can get away with it?" Ben chuckled. "Wow. Didn't know magic fraud was a thing."

"Oh, there's a type," said Priyanka. "Every art has grifters. And the type we deal with? They're their own kind of obnoxious. Though sometimes a few turn out to have something worthwhile." She held up a weathered book titled 'Secret Magics of the Etruscans.' "Here's one we'd really been looking for. Went through all the esoteric circuits to track it down, got nothing... and all along, it was in the hands of some Dungeons and Dragons nerd from Fresno. He found it at a flea market and thought it would spice up his friends' campaigns."

Ben snorted. "So, how do you get that stuff away from them?"

"Generally, we buy it outright," Priyanka explained. "Our Dungeon Master here didn't even take much haggling. We've accrued a lot of means over our time, thanks to Zawadi's good-luck blessings." She glanced around the opulent library as if to emphasize her point. "Not to mention, super-luck helps us do a lot of the tracking-down, too. The Goddess has her ways."

"I'm just glad we're able to have all of this here, where real inquisitive minds can really use it," Ruby said. "Instead of it getting snapped up and locked away by... well, you know how a certain institution in my homeland can be."

Ben laughed. It took him a little effort to get what she meant, but he'd certainly heard the joke before about why the Pyramids were in Egypt: 'Because they're too heavy to bring to the British Museum.'

As the last new arrivals were tucked away, the five reconvened. Ruby pushed her glasses up and fixed her eyes on Ben. "So, now that the boring work is out of the way... I believe you had some questions for the librarian?"

"Just a bit of curiosity," he bid her back, sweeping his gaze along all the women present. "I was out with Njau earlier today. She told me about some of the other Living Goddesses she's met. It really piqued my interest. Couldn't help but think... maybe we have a few more texts about them around here? And that you'd all be happy to show them to me?"

Belle, Ruby, Nakessa, and Priyanka all shared a glance, then collectively grinned.

"Ask and ye shall receive," Ruby teased him with a wink. "I know the perfect place to start you off."

She led them deeper into the cavernous library. At its heart, sitting atop an ornate pedestal, illuminated naturally by a skylight above, was a tome bigger than any other in the stacks -- heavy, ornately bound, its cover etched in runes. His bracelet tingled faintly against his skin as he followed Ruby to where it awaited. From it, he could feel a certain energy: a trace much like the presence of Zawadi herself, but mixed with other energies and vibrations, all different but all as ancient and mystifying as she. This book must have been the centerpiece of this library. The codex by which every other text could be judged.

"This must be ages old," he murmured aloud.

Ruby just grinned. "Fooled you. Been putting this together for the last year, tops... okay, though, I'll admit I indulged in a little 'distressing' on the cover. Gotta make it look the part. Anyway, this is the Haven's personal Living Codex. Our own codex vitae. Everything we've gathered about all known Living Goddesses is in here, all organized and at your fingertips." She laid a hand on its cover and flashed him a glance. "Well? Wanna peek?"

"Please," he told her, his curiosity burning. The artist-turned-librarian gave a knowing smirk back. Then she opened the Codex.

What Ben saw took his breath away.

The first page was an ornate diagram, tree-shaped, detailed and grandiose. Each branch connected to one of countless names in inked text. A number of lines seemed to radiate out from a central point. There were colors uncountable; tracings and illustrations, with hand-written notes accompanying many. Every point on this sprawling diagram must have corresponded to a Living Goddess: the tree's branches bearing the many aspects and avatars that each deity had taken.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Ruby's smile was bright with pride. "Like I said: a work in progress. But I've never been that sort of artist who minds showing off her work before it's finished."

Ben's jaw was still on the floor, his gaze darting every which way as he took it all in. He only barely replied. "Every Living Goddess there's ever been must be here on this tree."

"Not every. It's a simplified representation." Nakessa's smooth voice was firm but reassuring as she padded up behind him. Her arms coiled around his waist and her breasts pressed against his back, reminding him that, despite the magical enigma before him, he was at the center of a very sexy world. Looking over his shoulder, she joined him in admiring the Codex up close. "There is much that remains unknown to this day. But to focus on that would be to sell short the work of our resident artist. Well done, Ruby."

The librarian smiled at the praise. "Thank you as always, Nakessa." She flipped through the first few pages, each of which delved deeper into specific branches and regions of the tree. Ben felt different energies all along, coming and going.

There were goddesses that felt old and proud and sacred. There were others that felt like the wilderness, like something of pure nature and untamed force. Others seemed like something that had been dormant for centuries, until it had awakened and found new life. Zawadi herself was one of that last category, he knew. From what he'd already learned, Zawadism had been on the decline until the Haven had formed under Belle's leadership.

The Handmaidens of Aphrodite got a full, multipage spread unto themselves. So did the fertility goddesses of Oceania and their many avatars, centered around an illustration of a topless woman bearing intricate, sacred Maori tattoos. There were whole sections dedicated to Ishtar, to Sif, to Lakshmi -- and to so many more.

"I spent many a late night piecing this together," Ruby explained as she took Ben and the others on her journey through the Codex's pages. "Call it a passion project. Ah. Here's one from my corner of the world. Cerridwen. The Enchanting One. Often confused for a mortal sorceress... but we know better." Another turn; another new, ornate page. "Priyanka, here's one you'll know. Parvati."

"Goddess of power, energy, and harmony," Priyanka dutifully recited. "In all her many forms."

Ben felt almost overwhelmed. This wasn't sating his curiosity so much as sending it spiraling. "All these are Living, out there in the world? Wow. Are there any Living Gods? Male deities? Sorry. Just curious."

"Fair question," Ruby answered. "But no -- not that we know of. The Living have always been a feminine presence, through and through. I think the notion of male gods like Zeus or Thor came from legends of human heroes whose deeds were great... or, at least, impactful. Very powerful devotees, but mortals still. In fact, by now, I think I've almost got Thor's real story pieced together. The way things point, seems like he was a devotee of Hlódyn, a very old and often-forgotten Goddess. His hammer? Just think of it like your bracelet."

"Never would've considered that," he replied, his fascination still growing. "All these Living Goddesses, then -- they're active today?"

"To varying degrees, but yes -- all indeed," Nakessa answered him, her fingers stroking softly up and down his back. "Njau probably already told you: the Living are everywhere. As ubiquitous as air."

"There are goddesses in Japan," Belle chimed in. "And China. Back in America, too -- let's not forget. America's a spiritual hotbed. Lots of native tribes have very real spiritual patrons. And even in mainstream faiths, there are a few hidden behind all the monotheistic stuff."

"Oh, definitely. Like Asherah. Or Bathsheba." Ben was especially surprised to hear that latter name as Ruby spoke it. "Guessing you've heard the story. It's something of a fabrication. A twisting of the truth, born of shame and repression. Bathsheba was a Living Goddess, not just a woman with good hygiene. And David was her chosen devotee. He abandoned a strictly monotheistic tradition to follow her -- and became one of history's greatest kings. A happy ending for both of them, I'd say.

"Of course," the librarian went on, "he wasn't the one writing the stories down. The priests didn't want anybody worshipping her, so they meddled in the history books. They felt David had betrayed them and their faith, so they made sure the less-flattering version stuck around -- a story about sinning. Falling to the wiles of a mortal seductress. They rewrote the ending, too. Had David repent, with a lesson learned about greed or pride. But the truth was that the king was happy. He had love. That beat serving a jealous, angry, punitive god by miles."

Ben tried to put the pieces together. "People were afraid of losing power, weren't they?" he suggested. "Afraid that their order might be brought into question if more people found out about Living Goddesses they could worship tangibly, as opposed to deities they had to take on faith."

"Absolutely right," Ruby affirmed. "A bit of power-playing, and a heaping of classic misogyny. I like to think the world's become at least a little better on that front. But back then, the amount of Goddesses censored and erased was immense. Of course, meddling mortals couldn't kill them off -- and plenty of their narratives have been resurrected."

"That's a part of what we do here," Priyanka added. "Call it stuffy academicism if you like, but the work matters. Recovering knowledge that's been erased or obscured is invaluable."

Ben shook his head. "Hardly stuffy to me. Color me fascinated."

"You'd be just as fascinated to learn there are many historical figures, in plenty of other stories and traditions, who were likely Living Goddesses," Nakessa added. "Fledgling ones, beginning to blossom and come into their power. Honestly, after reading and learning as much as I have, I'd wager that the whole realm of history is just one long story of Goddesses and their devoted partners."

Ben could tell it was true. Magic from Zawadi, felt through his bracelet, confirmed everything. It was humbling to realize how old and powerful these divinities were, and how many people had carried and displayed their gifts over the generations. To understand all the subtle ways that magic had affected the course of the world, often flying under the radar, gave him an even deeper appreciation for his position and his place -- and further excited him for the prospect of traveling in search of more devotees like himself.

Humming to herself, Ruby flipped to yet another page... and her fingers paused. Ben felt the new energy connected to this page and the deity marked therein. Something different; perhaps darker. More capricious. More chaotic.

"Eris."

Ben and Ruby said it at the same time, and then looked at one another, amused.

"Hey, look at you," she teased. "Guess you're already familiar."

He was, in a way. "I've read the mythology. Not that that implies knowing any real truth about real Living Goddesses, if Bathsheba's anything to go by."

"True." Ruby moved aside as Ben pressed closer, wanting to get a closer look at the Codex's spread. He saw its array of pictures, its symbols, its name spelled out in several strange languages. Eris. Greek goddess of discord and strife. Sower of war; herald of chaos; the spark that could set a thousand battles aflame. An energy emanated from the page, tingling through his bracelet like an echo from deep space, as if this being -- this Goddess -- took pleasure from his noticing her.

He wasn't sure if he liked how that felt.

"Is she..." Ben trailed off before any of the words he'd intended could come out: evil, malevolent, destructive. The implications weren't quite so black-and-white, were they? Yet it was hard to think of Eris any other way, considering the way her myths were usually told.

Belle picked up on her cousin's pensive silence. "None of the Living are evil. There are no dark Goddesses on this tree. A few may not be exactly as friendly and selfless as Zawadi, but they're not wicked, either." She shared a knowing glance with Ruby, who nodded. "I don't know a lot about Eris. I've read a few of the essential texts -- the Iliad, the Principia. But not much is exactly clear."

"She doesn't seem to have a lot of devotees," Ruby added. "Or, she hasn't for a long time. Maybe she's not even the type to want many devotees. Again... so little we know. But Belle's right. She's never struck me as wicked or cruel. In a lot of ways, I think she wants the same things Zawadi wants."

"Pleasure. Passion. Power." Nakessa's words rang true, though Ben could still sense that strange tingle of chaotic energy radiating from the page. He tried to imagine how a goddess of chaos could bring anything into the world like Zawadi did. Wasn't she about driving wedges between people, not bringing them together for greater pleasure? Or was her gift something more like supreme liberation of the soul -- an embracing of chaos for all its wild beauty? His bracelet seemed to warm on his wrist, and he took that as a good sign -- but still, he knew he had many more questions than answers.

"All the Living seek the same thing for their followers, when you break it down," Priyanka pitched in. "To follow their passions; to pursue the pleasure they deserve; to make their power known to all who can see it." She put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "You've certainly done plenty of all that, in Zawadi's way. And she loves you for it. That's how Goddesses feed: through the positive energy their champions create. I'm sure you know the best source of such energy."

He turned to the nude Indian beauty, a slow smile creeping across his face. For a moment, his burning curiosity ebbed, pushed aside by the growing flame of a different need. In fact, a sudden heat seemed to build between all present, sweeping through the library. Ben could feel arousal stirring in every mind and body around him. His cock throbbed as he let himself sink into it.

"Oh, yes. Definitely."

"Maybe you don't have to have met a devotee of Eris to get the idea, then," Priyanka said, sliding up against Ben's side. She grasped his chin and turned his head toward her, and as their eyes locked, Ben got the sense that all their current scholarly pursuits were about to go on hold for a bit. "Even we Zawadists can get swept up in a little chaos now and then."

"Guess it'd be kind of against most norms to turn a library into a sex den," he pointed out coyly. "But then, we're in the Haven."

"What can I say? I'm not big on rules," Belle offered. "That makes two of us, Eris and I. I think our librarian agrees, too. Don't worry; she won't tell you to shush."

Ruby didn't even offer a retort. "Well, if I'm gonna confirm anything, it's that I've seen enough books for a bit. Sorry if you were expecting a full-on lesson, Ben. You know how it is -- the heart wants what it wants." She laid a hand over his cock, her fingers curling around its hardening shaft. "Looks like yours does, too."

"What was it you said? Distractions -- am I right?"

"Goddess, please. Distract me now before I combust."

Ruby's lips crashed into Ben's. Their kiss was instantly hungry, open-mouthed and savage, their tongues tangling as their hands went this way and that -- not just to each other's bodies, but to the close and readily available forms of Priyanka and Nakessa. Belle used her last free moments to shut the Codex before, inevitably, a voracious Ruby brought the Haven's founder into the fray, too.

There'd be plenty of time later for a little reading.

Heaving breaths; hungry growls; burning kisses; warm, feminine bodies. The cacophony of the makeshift orgy in the Haven's library grew fast, and wouldn't abate for a while.

***

The wide, lavish bedroom had once been reserved for Li when he visited. Most rooms in the house were comfortable enough to suit the tastes of the wealthy patrons who'd once frequented it, but this one here, on the top floor, put everything below it to shame. The decor was opulent. The mattress was huge. Red silk sheets beckoned. Plush furnishings were all around. A beaded curtain hung in one doorway, leading to a large and comfortable bathroom with every amenity imaginable; glass doors and full windows on the opposite wall opened out to a spacious balcony, looking down upon the river. The view of Shanghai's skyline was breathtaking. It was a room fit for royalty.

Now it was Jianjun's. All Jianjun's.

She'd laid claim to this place. Made it into a sanctuary for Eris and her power. And nobody was going to take it away from her -- not while she breathed. She was breathing a little extra hard right now, as it were. Almost a dozen scantily-clad beauties had greeted her here as she'd returned from her earlier chaos-filled outing, all elated to hear how she'd cowed the powerful Li and toppled his syndicate in one fell swoop.

And, of course, they'd been glad to celebrate her victory in the best possible way.

Jianjun lay now with her legs spread at the center of that huge, queenly bed. A dutiful tongue and a pair of questing fingers were attending to her crotch with devotion. Her hips flexed and rolled a little as the high-class, foreign prostitute -- a gorgeous, slender woman with shimmering black hair -- licked and sucked, lapping and nibbling at Jianjun's swollen clit and stroking in and out of her throbbing pussy. The pleasure that crackled through her made her jade amulet hum against her chest, and as she laid a hand on her attendee's head, the woman was quick to pick up the pace.

"Oh, mmmfuck," Jianjun muttered, her fingers tangling in the soft, dark locks of her pleasurer. "Good girl. You like tasting me, hm? You like pleasing this pussy?" The punk looked down into the sex-worker's eyes and saw such arousal and gratitude there. Such a mess -- her lipstick smudged, her makeup running -- but an adorable mess at that. Jianjun always delighted in watching how her Goddess's power could send the most composed of women spiraling toward raw depravity -- and adoring every step of that descent.

"More," Jianjun bade her devotee. "Harder. I know you can give it to me harder than that."

She did as told, her fingers thrusting deeper, her tongue lapping faster. Jianjun rarely cared whose mouth was buried between her legs at any given time, but she did remember that the thin, pretty girl had introduced herself as Kumiko. Japanese; a lovely accent; a lovely face and body to match. Now, as those large dark eyes peered up at her, they seemed to say a lot.

Mostly, they told her, 'Use me however you want -- I will love you for it.'

A few of the others lay around her, exhausted and sweaty from earlier sapphic romps. Meili, the cute little cocktail waitress she'd brought along, had passed out like a light after cumming for the third time. Poor girl, Jianjun thought. She wasn't used to this. But she wasn't going anywhere, either. She'd definitely enjoyed herself.

Most people didn't have the capacity to enjoy the sorts of sexual marathons Jianjun preferred. But she was a Goddess's devotee, and with that role came the magical gift of infinite endurance and inexhaustible, bristling energy. Orgasms didn't wear her out or leave her drained, no matter how many she enjoyed. They only stoked her desire. She could soar up and over hill after hill of pleasure, always eager for more. She could fuck all night and day, if she so pleased. And these lucky girls? None alone could keep up with her, but all together, they could entertain her perfectly fine: taking shifts of rest and recovery while others took their places, keeping Jianjun's body and spirit well-attended to.

Right now it was Kumiko's shift. Not her first tonight, but that tongue and those fingers were still going strong, even after everything. Jianjun had to give her credit for that. The Japanese beauty was a real professional. Definitely the sort who'd done this a lot of times before... though never, perhaps, with as much relish as she worshipped the woman who'd given her life new purpose today.

A lot of these girls were long-time sex workers. Willingly choosing their profession, they'd plied their trade in their home countries before Li's syndicate had lured them to Shanghai with all means of empty promises. Li and his associates had kept them in line through threats and intimidation since then. There were no days off; no breaks; no vacations. Only a steady stream of rich, entitled customers who expected the girls to be obedient and compliant. All profits went to the syndicate. The women were lucky to get fed.

Jianjun had heard all their stories. She knew how badly they'd been mistreated. A shame, too -- for it wasn't the profession they hated. Sex work was far from abhorrent to women like Kumiko. They liked to fuck. They liked getting paid to fuck. They loved the feeling of being desired and worshipped, even by strangers. And they were good at worshipping back, too. If a woman wanted that, understood all that came with it, and managed her own safety and health all along? Let her have a ball, Jianjun had always said. It wasn't like the world was lacking in prudes and uptight asshats. Why shouldn't some women take pleasure in the opposite?

But Jianjun wasn't naïve enough to ignore the nastier, more twisted sides that such work could have. She knew it could be exploited, too, by all the worst kinds of people. When a girl wound up in the clutches of a crime syndicate more concerned with lining their own pockets than any part of her well-being, Jianjun didn't blame her for wanting out. Worse still, there were also a fair share of girls here who'd never even wanted a part of the work. Girls steeped in debt to the syndicate -- or who'd been kidnapped outright and put to work against their will. Jianjun hadn't needed to hear any more than that before making the only decision there was to make for girls like that. By now, she'd taken care of them. Plenty were on their way home right now, with a generous cut of cash to help them on their way. Assurance, too, that whatever leverage the syndicate had held over them was gone, swept away by the machinations of chaos magic.

All those who yet remained had chosen to stay. They'd weighed their options; understood they could go -- but hadn't gone anywhere all the same. Some of the seasoned sex workers, like Kumiko, were glad to keep doing what they'd been doing -- but with Jianjun in charge, that work got worlds better. They'd choose their clients; they'd keep their earnings. They'd have freedom to do as they pleased when not working. In short, they'd live like any professional in the city: free, safe, and prosperous.

There were a few girls who fell somewhere in between the extremes, too. Not quite looking to keep up sex work, but not champing at the bit to get back where they'd come from. Here on the brothel's top floor, Jianjun now offered them a place to stay and a chance to figure things out. She didn't mind. They were cute. And she liked having cute around.

And as it were, just about all of them had quickly developed a real taste for Jianjun.

"So... pretty..." Kumiko mewled between licks, her face glistening with Jianjun's moisture, her free hand sliding up the side of her thigh. "Love... your tattoos." She traced a finger along the ink there, almost as if unsure whether she ought to touch. She was really leaning into the whole praise thing, wasn't she? Jianjun had to smirk. She happened to love that kind of shit.

"Fuck yeah, you do," Jianjun murmured, encouraging. "Play with me more, doll. Show this inked-up, punk-ass goddess who's boss."

Kumiko's nails ran up and down Jianjun's thigh, trailing over each of many detailed tattoos. Jianjun loved the attention to each. She was proud of her ink; even before becoming a devotee of Eris, she'd loved the rebellious, colorful way her body looked. It was a defiance of what this country, often all too traditional, might have expected of her. Nobody could tell Jianjun no. Every line and shape on her flesh was an act of rebellion against those who would have held her down: her parents who hadn't wanted a girl; every scoffing adult who'd thought her style was some edgy phase; every teacher who'd slapped her wrist; every cop who'd tried and failed to catch her in her disorderly conduct.

Fuck that. Jianjun had never been one to be told how to live. She was a rebel, and that was that. Now that she had the power of Eris at her side, that rebellion was all the stronger.

And when a pretty girl happened to like her tattoos, she reveled in that adoration. Kumiko's worshipful caresses just added to the growing pleasure between Jianjun's thighs. Her ego soared. Her mind swam. Her jade amulet thrummed.

Any moment now, she'd go off like a firework.

"Fuck. Yes. Baby. Fuck. FUCK!"

The devotee of Eris shuddered with bliss, hips bucking as it began. One hand's fingers remained tangled in Kumiko's silky hair; the other grabbed a handful of the red sheets below her and squeezed. "Oh, Goddess, YES!" she cried, her vision blurring, her whole body tensing. Like a tsunami, a full-body orgasm swept over her, the best one yet today.

After all the day's exploits? Fuck yes, she deserved it.

Night had fallen over Shanghai by the time Jianjun, still naked and lightly panting, stepped out onto the balcony of the highest floor of the former syndicate brothel -- pushing open the glass doors and letting the night breeze wash over her. It was a warm night. The city's lights twinkled. She could see the Huangpu River from here, snaking through the metropolis, and beyond that the skyscrapers of the Pudong district. The Oriental Pearl Tower's pink and blue hues gleamed against the night. Jianjun had always liked the view of this city. It was beautiful, in its way. A place of many lives; a place of many possibilities. Maybe it hadn't always dealt her the best hand, but now, having conquered it in her own way, she was happy to call it her home.

The young woman lit a cigarette, smiling with pleasure. She knew the consequences of smoking, but what the hell. When you had goddess-magic behind you, it seemed a lot less like a problem. She smoked an herbal, sweet-smelling blend. As she puffed, the smoke that rose into the air carried that soothing scent like an offering to the heavens.

Jianjun took a long drag, then leaned over the railing. As she exhaled and watched the smoke drift away, she laughed lightly. It grew to a louder, giddier cackle, and soon she had to clutch her sides as the giggles took her. It was like the whole day had just caught up to her. All the wonderful mischief. All the incredible chaos. And now, here, on her own balcony, looking over the city she'd made her bitch... it all felt so real, and so good. This was everything Eris wanted for her. Everything the goddess had promised.

The Living, as Jianjun had learned, always kept a promise to their devotees.

"I'm the queen of this goddamn place!" she shouted into the night, not caring who heard. "I'm the fucking boss! Fuck with me? You get fucked right back!"

She cackled again, taking another puff of her cigarette and feeling the smoke fill her lungs. If anyone heard her, she didn't even care. Since she'd found that jade charm, since she'd gotten Eris on her side, these months had been wild, wild, wild. It hadn't even been that long ago when her life had turned around, but she stood now in a place of such power and influence that it seemed like a whole lifetime.

Before the pendant, before Eris, Jianjun had known her life was destined to be difficult. Not wanting a daughter, her parents had been cold to her as a child. It didn't help that her wild streak disappointed so many people; that she couldn't submit and play the role expected of her. The first big step she'd taken was to get the hell away from her family. There'd been a year or so on the streets: no home, no prospects, and nothing but her own attitude to carry her through life.

Then she'd fallen in with a motorbike gang. A risky bunch of punks with a penchant for troublemaking. They'd lived on the edge, but Jianjun had liked that. She'd found her real self with that crew. She'd gotten her tats. Taken wild risks. Pulled off crazy schemes and ridden away on her bike without a care for the consequences, slipping away every time. She'd stolen, fucked, and done what she pleased with whoever she pleased. For the first time, she'd felt like she belonged.

But it had all come crashing down. The gang had been busted. Jianjun had barely gotten away while the others got collared and carted off. She made her own way, and did so no differently than before -- but she'd learned a lesson. She'd learned how to be a little more careful. To be warier, even as she took bigger risks. She'd learned to plan. To scheme. To leave outs in case things went south. To keep friends close when you needed them, and to push them off just as quick when they turned into liabilities.

She'd learned to scrap; to use a blade. She'd toughened and toned her body, to the point she could kick around most who thought to mess with her. She'd learned she could be tricky, too. Street scams on dumbass tourists brought spending cash. Cheating in card and dice games brought more. She'd gotten good at that, and better still at slipping away before the suckers realized they'd been played.

It was for that pursuit that she'd found her way into the casino that changed her life.

A dingy, dark place. Not a legal, sanctioned operation, and not a place for any honest person. Jianjun had known that. But she'd also heard that it was a place where the stakes were high, the money flowed, and the players could be easy marks. That had been enough for her. Shady dealers plied their trade here. Big bets were made by gangsters and members of the underground. She'd found her way in after hearing whispers of a big poker match: one she'd intended to enter and win.

The prize wagered? A jade necklace.

Ancient, finely crafted, and perfectly preserved, it should have been in a museum. Instead it was in the clutches of the gangster Jianjun would ultimately take it from. The man's name was Bo Cheng. Cruel, callous, and unafraid to get violent, he would have intimidated most, but Jianjun knew how to hold her own. She'd met him and the others at the card table, all of them buying her fib about being the daughter of a powerful triad boss.

The game was tense, and hours long. As it progressed, the stakes had only gotten higher. Jianjun knew when to hold, when to bluff; when to cheat, even, and know she wouldn't get caught. And one by one, the others had gone out -- all but one.

Bo Cheng was sweating and gritting his teeth as he wondered how the hell some newcomer was besting him. He had years on her, this upstart, this supposed heiress to a triad empire. He had experience; this little bitch just had attitude. And yet, somehow, she was winning. The game was almost up. He'd pushed the priceless amulet to the center of the table, scowling -- but he had hope in his hand. There was no way she'd beat it.

"Let's see your hand, little girl," he'd snarled, and laid down his cards. "Beginner's luck never bests real talent. No whore like you can outplay me!"

Jianjun hadn't even smirked as her own hand hit the table. She'd just watched Bo's expression turn from confidence to confusion, then to disbelief. And, finally, rage.

"No. Impossible! You cheated me. Some trick. I never lose, bitch!" Bo had grabbed the arm of one of his goons lingering nearby. "Fucking get her. Don't let her leave this goddamn place. Not till we find out how she did this to me!"

Jianjun, however, had not cowered. With a sly "I'll be taking that," she'd snatched the jade amulet off the table and slipped it around her neck. In the miniscule moment she'd felt it there, smooth jade on her skin, right before all hell broke loose, she remembered feeling an ineffable sensation that the necklace had always belonged with her, and had finally come home. Like a piece she'd been missing. Now the whole was complete. In an instant, something had come over her; something for which she had always been the perfect host.

Then the fight had begun.

Jianjun found that something, like a voice in the back of her head, was guiding her as she started to move. This... intuition seemed to tell her exactly what she should do, in each tiny moment of the clash, to create and spread chaos. To throw the goons around her off their game. In the rush of the moment, the punk girl had acted on every little prompt that entered her mind. Push here. Kick there. Grab his arm. Twist that. She'd been a blur of motion. It had felt like instinct. Like she'd always known how to do this.

And the results had been a spectacle.

She had thrown a chair at the closest thug, knocking him back and dazing him. She had snatched the knife from the second's belt and hurled it with impossible speed into another goon's arm. She had kept her eyes darting around, taking in all the information and trusting her body to respond. She knew when an assailant was off balance, so she could trip him and send him reeling. She knew when an opening was apparent, so she could pull a trick out of her sleeve. She knew exactly where to strike, and how to bring the maximum amount of havoc in the smallest moment -- turning their superior numbers into their own demise as they ended up getting in each other's way.

At the end of the chaotic melee, she'd been the only one left standing: lightly bruised, faintly winded, but without a drop of blood spilled. The rest were on the floor, groaning and clutching at injuries.

Bo Cheng, sprawled and nursing a bleeding nose, had moaned with disbelief at his defeat. "I'll get you, bitch," he spat. "I'll find a way. Nobody fucks me like that."

"Gonna have to try harder next time," she'd plainly retorted -- and she'd left the den and never looked back.

Since that night, that amulet had been her ace in the hole. Her ultimate lucky charm. It had continued to guide her. Over the first week, it had shown her through 'downloads' of intuition: helping her find the right crowds, the right opportunities. She'd learned she could leverage the magical properties of the jade to supercharge everything she was already good at. Cash came fast and easy. Exploits she'd once needed to plan well in advance became child's play, carried out on the fly. With the jade, she always came out on top.

But of course, the best fun was the fucking.

The power wanted her to fuck. And it made it easy. The amulet's magic led her straight into the arms of willing, eager partners whenever she wanted, and chaotic, crazy sexytimes ensued. No inhibitions. No limits. It was the most liberated she'd ever felt. And with every erotic encounter, her confidence soared even further. She learned to focus the power she could draw from the sex and turn it into energy to influence more chaos all around her -- heightening her position at the center of a constant, high-energy storm. It was a feedback loop of the best kind. Toe-curling pleasure today, big mischief tomorrow. And the next day, more fucking.

When she'd learned the magic was a goddess's doing, she'd hardly been surprised.

Eris had started out by speaking to her in dreams. Not long after, the Living Goddess of Discord had revealed her true nature to Jianjun. Her existence, more than something to take on faith. The divine blessing of the jade charm. All that her power could offer Jianjun.

She'd never thought herself spiritual, but then, she hadn't ever thought there'd be a deity such a perfect match to her nature. A goddess of chaos, trickery, and rebellion? Hell yes. It beat going to church. And Eris was almost more a lover to her than a distant, ethereal being. The goddess was a friend, a guide, and an ally. She wanted to see Jianjun succeed. To live the life she deserved.

And oh, how Eris had delivered.

Turning now from the balcony and the view of Shanghai, the punk girl stepped back inside, leaving her cigarette burning in a tray. She passed the beautiful girls now lounging in her bed, Kumiko among them -- and more still sprawled on chairs, divans, and sofas around the room, out like lights. Jianjun smirked at the image. It was quite the job she'd done on them. She'd have to do it all again tomorrow. And the day after. And every day. Because why the fuck not?

Damn, could she use this place right.

The brothel wasn't just her most recent conquest; it was perhaps her proudest. The men in Li's syndicate had kept its existence under wraps, but Jianjun had her ways of making secrets spill. As the time drew near to push the whole criminal operation down like a tower of blocks, she had of course made sure to do something about this key part of it -- in the way only a devotee of Eris could.

She hadn't prepared much more than rolling up her sleeves, saying 'fuck it,' and kicking open the door. The power had done the rest. She'd strolled in like she owned the place. Confusion and alarm had risen fast as the girls and guards realized a stranger had slipped past security.

Jianjun had just laughed, taunted the mafiosos as they rose against her with their empty threats and useless weapons, and led a merry chase through the halls. She had baited them into fights, lured them into compromising positions, made them scramble and stumble over each other. In time, she'd sent them all packing with black eyes, broken noses, and bruised egos -- shouting, stumbling, hurrying off to grab reinforcements.

But no backup would be coming. In fact, there hadn't been a mafia man in the house since then. By the end of that day, they'd be well distracted. Every facet of their syndicate would be burning.

The girls had all watched, stunned, as the chaos unfolded. Jianjun had left the brothel a mess, but not one working girl had been a target. It didn't take them long, either -- guided by some swirling, comforting presence in their minds -- that this crazy, sexy, tattooed woman had come to their rescue.

And as the last men fled, Jianjun had stood in the center of the lobby, victorious, and the women had cheered.

Jianjun had a lot of options ahead of her now. She could have shut the brothel down, but that seemed a waste -- especially with so many girls eager and willing to stay. She could live high on a cut of the profits... but that didn't feel like her style. For now, she'd opted to make the place into a home of sorts. A refuge where she could live, play, and fuck alongside her new host of grateful lovers. There'd be the occasional visitor, of course, but that would all happen on Jianjun's terms. She could see as much or as little of the clients who came through these doors as she wanted.

The operation wasn't perfect. There'd be a lot of work to do if she stayed committed to it. It would be a new kind of challenge. But that was part of the appeal. Sometimes you needed an upset in your own life. A little extra chaos.

And if the Goddess had a problem with it? She certainly hadn't piped up.

Of course, Jianjun hadn't hesitated to enjoy the fruits of this establishment. Even after a significant crop had packed and left, a host of beautiful, horny, devoted women remained. They'd already spent a day and a night indulging their new mistress. Plenty were Chinese women, but a few came from further places: Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines. Jianjun loved the wide variety of tastes and talents at her disposal here.

She gave one last look at the sleeping forms behind her. "Sleep well, girls. We'll have fun again soon."

Then she pushed through the beaded curtain, entering the lavish bathroom.

In the mirror, she appraised herself, and felt, yet again, pride in her choices. She was slim and sexy, her flesh tattooed with swirling designs. The little, well-trimmed patch of dark hair above her pussy gave her a kind of edgy sex appeal. Eris probably agreed, she thought, smirking.

"Oh, love, I always agree."

The telepathic voice, accented and sultry, purred in the back of Jianjun's head. Jianjun grinned, biting her lip.

"Been a while, Goddess," she said. "Heh. Liked what you saw in there? Sometimes you make me wonder if you're not some kind of voyeur."

"I am a voyeur, sweetheart. Nothing beats watching your brand of chaos." Eris's sultry tones seemed to fill the small room, despite existing only in Jianjun's mind. "Seeing all you've done here. Indulging in a little show. You've certainly accrued plenty of lovely performers this time. The way that Meili was screaming for you..."

"Zonked her right out, didn't I?" Jianjun cheekily replied. "She's sweet, though. Likes the digs. And the others'll teach her how to handle a real fucking." She laughed again, softer this time but still just as wickedly amused. "Ah, I've been having a blast here, Goddess. This place is a fucking gold mine."

"We could make this place a Discordian enclave, you know. The first in a long, long time. A little world, all ours, where everything we love can happen all the time. We can initiate the girls. Make them into proper acolytes. And once we've got a nice, cozy little coven established here, they'll be our emissaries and proselytizers. Bring more into the fold."

The prospect excited Jianjun. "And here I thought we had something going -- just you and me." Her tone was a friendly tease.

"Oh, pet -- we very much do."

A sparkle of golden light seemed to flash in the mirror. Jianjun felt and anticipated what it meant, and the prospect made her toes curl. Her reflection's jade amulet glowed and pulsed. She turned. And there before her, in the bathroom's center, the goddess took form.

Eris was a dream of a woman. Long, dark locks framed a face with seductive Greek features. A perfect, full-lipped pout; eyes that seemed to contain universes all their own. A diaphanous gown, goldenrod and shimmering, showed off an incredible body, like one of those marble statues come to life. After all, this was one of the very subjects the Greeks had been inspired by -- only here, for her sole devotee, she was alive and animated, bristling with energy, eager for pleasure, hungry for chaos. She could be soft or fierce, but never less than divine. And when Jianjun got these rare chances to see Eris in the flesh, she was always reminded how lucky she was to be the devotee of such an amazing Goddess.

"Oh. Wow." Jianjun's breath caught. "Didn't think you still had that trick in you."

"It's been a week since Harmonic Convergence, yes. But I've still got enough juice left to go physical for a bit. You've definitely been keeping me charged with all that beautiful, delectable chaos you've been wreaking."

Eris stepped forward, bare feet silent on the tile. As her hand rose, Jianjun saw an orb of light take form and become solid in her hand: the golden apple she so often seemed to carry. Its shining surface reflected the light, and the tattooed devotee's eyes followed it with an eager curiosity.

"I... do like when you go physical," Jianjun managed. Usually unflappable, there was something about the goddess that could make her weak. "It's a nice change of pace from just hearing you in my head."

"Mmm. So it is." One hand reached out, cupping Jianjun's chin. Eris's touch was warm and electric, and Jianjun shivered. Her nipples were stiffening; her pussy was heating. All that fucking before, a whole brothel's host of beautiful playthings -- and one touch now made it all seem insignificant. "Had a fun day, darling?"

"Goddamn right, I did. Wrecked a few systems. Freed some girls. Got my rocks off... and I think a syndicate headquarters ended up burning down in the mix somewhere? Well, only if what that thug at the lounge said was true. But a girl can hope."

Eris laughed, dark and musical. "Spreading good trouble. Inciting sweet anarchy. Causing a little havoc in the cliché criminal organizations of Shanghai. My, you're building up one hell of a track record."

The young Chinese punk smirked. "Got a goddess on my side. How could I fail?"

"That's my devotee."

With a possessive tug, the Greek Goddess of Discord pulled her follower in for a deep kiss. Her lips were warm and full, her tongue quicksilver-fast as it slipped past Jianjun's teeth and began to dance. The apple fell from Eris's hand, rolling off and dissolving back into light, and her free hand came up to join the other in cupping Jianjun's face. The Goddess's every touch felt like fire licking at Jianjun's skin, sending goosebumps racing all along her spine. When their lips separated, Jianjun had to catch her breath for a moment; a goddess could do that to a woman.

"Damn, you're good to me," the punk girl breathed.

"As you are to me. I feel stronger than I have in a long time." The deity's gaze traveled over Jianjun's nude curves, admiring her tattoos. "Your style is killer," she murmured, tracing a design along the younger woman's shoulder and neck with a fingertip. "Your spirit's pure anarchy. Your libido never fucking stops. Ah, I couldn't ask for a better devotee than you."

Those lips that had just devoured Jianjun's now moved to her neck, trailing along her throat, across her collarbone, over her shoulder. Jianjun shivered and arched, her body responding to Eris's touch like a live wire.

"Erissss," she sighed, loving the way the name left her lips, at once inwardly rejoicing that the Goddess was hers and mourning every year she'd spent without this incredible patroness in her life. What a fool she'd been to dismiss so much as superstition; now that she knew what this all-too-real goddess's hands could do, and her mouth, and...

Jianjun realized she had to cut herself off before her mind ran away from her.

She remembered Eris had told her how some goddesses had a way of being forgotten. How deities that once had been part of the same ancient pantheon as herself -- Hera, Athena, a few others -- had stuck around just fine, but lesser-known figures had been reduced to mythological obscurity. Plenty were almost entirely lost now. Eris had regaled her with stories of what the height of Greece had been like. Love and war. Scheming and seducing. Conspiracies. Intermarriages of power and politics and untamable human lust, so often leading to such beautiful chaos. Eris had reveled back then. But those golden days had faded.

Eris had enjoyed a brief resurgence a half-century back, when a little movement had briefly made a mark in her name. A couple of authors had written her into books that became cult classics. Undoubtedly, she'd had fun with that time in the spotlight... but even that hadn't lasted, and in the present day, she was nothing more than a footnote for a few conspiracy theorists, mythology enthusiasts, or academics.

Mostly so.

Then there was Jianjun. Jianjun, who had come across one of the precious few relics the goddess of discord had placed her power into. Jianjun, who was a perfect vessel of chaos and anarchy and rebellion, who represented that stubborn will to resist and live freely, and who now represented the absolute best devotee Eris had had in centuries.

There was magic between them. Wild, powerful magic.

"Oh, to think I found a perfect thing like you in China, of all places." The goddess's deft fingers, like little lightning rods of pleasure, danced along the sensitive nape of Jianjun's neck. "Do you have any idea how amazing I find you?"

"I-I might have some idea," Jianjun stammered.

Eris traced down the narrow valley of Jianjun's slender back. "You're an improbability," the goddess purred, meaning it as the highest compliment. "An unlikely, beautiful quirk of chaos. To think you'd be the source of my resurgence. All through a charm of power --" she tapped at the jade necklace, the only thing Jianjun currently wore -- "crafted in reverence to a mere alter ego of mine. Jian Qi. I always liked the ring of that one. Especially since getting to know you. Makes us almost sound like sisters. A matched pair."

Jianjun gasped as Eris's fingers alighted upon her rear, cupping, squeezing -- then pushing with gentle force. Eris pinned Jianjun against the bathroom counter, and the Chinese punk gasped at the sudden cool glass of the mirror against her back.

"That's how some of us goddesses have survived," her patroness continued. "We've become known by many names, reinterpreted through new cultures that discover us. Eris, Enyo, Mummu... I've manifested myself in so many places and times. The Mediterranean. Northern Europe. The Middle East. Historically, my item of power, my gift to devotees, has been this."

Pulling back slightly, she raised one hand, and the golden apple reappeared there in her palm. Jianjun had always thought it was a strange trinket that the Goddess carried around, but the idea that it had a more-than-metaphorical function to channel Eris's power made perfect sense. Perhaps devotees in the goddess's homeland, all those years ago, would have assumed her power by eating the golden fruit.

"But," the goddess teased, "as you surely know, this little trinket of devotion to Jian Qi works just as well." The apple was gone from her hand, and just as soon, those fingers were clasping the jade pendant. "A very devoted sorceress crafted it here in this land. Few like it exist. Honestly, I'm just as fond of it as any of the more traditional symbols of mine. Speaking of fondness..."

Eris's touch ventured elsewhere.

"Ooh, fuck," Jianjun growled, her hips rolling as her patroness began to toy with her pussy. Feather-light yet precise, the Greek Goddess of Discord traced her labia, parted them gently, and slipped her index and middle fingers inside her. When Kumiko had done much the same earlier tonight, her own slim, nimble fingers had felt enough like magic. But Kumiko never could have matched what Eris could offer now. Kumiko's 'magic' was a mortal sort. But this? The touch of a goddess? Jianjun was fairly sure it had no equal on earth.

"Goddamn you," she purred, knowing she was helpless, knowing this was the one situation where she didn't mind being so.

"Too much?"

"Never."

"Good girl." Eris chuckled, nuzzling against Jianjun's shoulder, nibbling the punk's sensitive neck. Jianjun felt herself melting as the deity began to slowly, sensually pump two digits inside her. "I love how needy I can make you, my perfect little anarchist," Eris purred, her words sending Jianjun into a shiver of submissive desire. "How eager. How obedient. Oh, Jianjun. Do you like to submit sometimes?"

Jianjun quickly nodded. "To you? Always. Fuuuck." Her knees buckled; her thighs trembled. "D-damn. Gonna make me cum so... fucking... fast... ahhh!"

Not that Jianjun was going to mind that.

She loved that their bond could get physical. Sure, it was kind of a rare luxury to go this far -- with the late-summer alignment of energies having passed, the Goddess would soon drift back into her usual ethereal state. A few days more, and only in Jianjun's dreams or her subconscious would they meet, at least until another ritual of Harmonic Convergence was due. But a lot of the Living didn't even grant their devotees that. Some stayed distant and impersonal, speaking in riddles like oracles of old. Some only sent their power, never a tangible sense of self.

Thank the universe Eris didn't fancy that. It was the Goddess of Discord's own choosing to be so personable, after all. And right now? Oh, did she ever want her devotee.

"You're soaked, sweetheart." Jianjun felt Eris's teeth nip at her shoulder, felt those two slender, pumping fingers curl and rub. "Mmm. Don't you dare hold back for me. I'm going to make this so good."

"Fff-- fuck!" Jianjun gasped, arching. She felt a third finger slip into her, stuffing her tighter and doubling every electric sensation -- and she cried out, her head rolling to one side while Eris bit down and sucked at her skin, leaving what would certainly become a beautiful, rosy-red mark.

It didn't take a second more.

Jianjun wasn't sure where it began and ended. All she knew was that this ecstasy eclipsed every bit of mortal fun she'd experienced in the past hours, with every single one of her sexy little workers and playthings. It was the sort of climax that could turn her mind to putty. Every nerve sang, crackling with goddess-magic. She might have fallen; might have crumpled in an unceremonious, boneless heap -- but Eris supported her, possessively and protectively, keeping her in place against the counter and continuing to pump, to stroke, to coax out each ripple of pleasure.

It felt so good. So. Good.

As she came to, breathing hard, she felt she'd gained a little perspective as to why poor Meili had passed out. Jianjun might have been a pleasure junkie, but up against a Living Goddess? Not even she was a match.

"Ah. That's my girl," the goddess murmured, smirking at her, a glimmer of golden light shining in her eyes.

"Heh. Fuck." Jianjun trembled, her knees still wobbling. "Thanks for wrecking me, Eris."

"'Tis the season. Got to keep it going strong -- our first Late-Summer Convergence together. I always love this time of year, but this is my first in forever with a devotee. So... you won't mind me being a little selfish, will you?"

"Oh, hell no. Not when it means more of that."

"Then I should be the one thanking you," Eris affirmed. And she kissed her again, tenderly.

They lingered there for a long moment. Jianjun, for once, was content to simply breathe. To be in the arms of her patroness, and not think of anything but her. When she felt Eris's energy swirling and fading, she didn't protest or complain. She just leaned back and watched her ethereal lover fade into golden light.

"You're going to change this city, you know." Eris's voice rang with approval, and with anticipation. "And then? Your spirit and my power, with all the time in the world? Who knows... we might just end up giving this whole mortal society a much-needed shakeup."

"Mmm, sounds fun," Jianjun agreed, finally finding the strength to stand straighter. She caught a look at herself in the mirror, flushed, sweating, a few marks blooming on her shoulder and neck from the Goddess's kisses and bites. "It'll be one hell of a ride, won't it?"

"And I'll make sure you feel amazing the whole way."

The bathroom was empty. No evidence Eris had been there; nothing except the way Jianjun's body still sang with orgasmic bliss.

She gathered herself for a moment. She stretched; she yawned. It really had been one hell of a day. Knowing it was time to close it out, she stepped out of the bathroom to rejoin the others she'd left.

Jianjun flopped onto the wide bed, settling in among its slumbering occupants. She pulled Meili close, spooning the petite, black-haired girl's soft curves. Dreaming blissfully, the cocktail waitress stirred at the soft touch of her lover, but didn't wake.

"Yeah. I get it. Tired too..." Jianjun murmured. She stroked the other woman's arm and rested her face in her hair, breathing her in -- and soon she was drifting off, lulled by the warm afterglow. She could feel Eris watching her like a guardian, a presence that would surround her always, even as she slept.

And her dreams, of course, were beautifully, blissfully chaotic.

***

Hope you're enjoying this story, and the new expansion of its world! Rest assured that the different 'threads' developed here are about to collide in big ways... so stay tuned. More is on the way!