The Devil's Smile

Chapter 31

We walked for the better part of the day picking our way through the forests and winding trails that dipped through the mountains. My feet started aching far too soon to complain allowed about it without embarrassing myself and slowly the each began to travel up my legs. Cronas was leading us withdrawn2 steps behind him me stuck in the middle and their triplets bringing up the rear of our procession as they talked quietly among themselves.

So your mother. I tossed the words over my shoulder trying to speak through the in my ribs. Is she still alive?

Is it normal for dwellers to ask each other that? Silas shot back sounding amused.

Sorry. I didn't sound sorry at all but that was because of the wheezing. I just meant. There 3 of you. And 2 of them. I paused notching my hands on my knees and bending over to catch my breath. And those 2 are like the size of monsters. How did she live through any of all that? Does she have some kind of fertility gift or something? Do you have another bunch of brothers tucked away? More cursors? If you unlucky sisters?

Beauty. Her gift is beauty. Are more answered ignoring my other questions.

Oh cool. Made total sense. Those boys had magical genetics. But that doesn't really explain the whole twin triplet thing.

The whole twin triplet thing? Yeti give me a look that seems to be part inquisition start annoyance.

Well it's not really normal or common. I hedged starting to walk against as he loomed closer. I mean to have a set of twins and a set of triplets. That is pretty rare.

I could feel him behind me. Hovering. I obviously hit a touchy subject. Apparently the twin triplet thing wasn't something that they wanted to talk about. I stubbornly focused my eyes on the ground ahead of me pumping my little legs as far as they could without actually breaking into a run. Because that would be obvious. It was much less obvious to power work as fast as possible even it made me certain that my legs are about to snap in half from over exertion.

We aren't normal or common Yeti finally muttered his hands gripping my hips and lifting me from the ground midway through a power stride.

He pulled me up and then tossed me behind him. I thought I was going to land on my ass and probably break a few things but I only landed against a heart chest arms easily plucking me from the air full are more. I could actually smell him. That paint combination of something addictive and sweet and a hint of burning. I realised after a moment that it was the smell of smoking sugar plants a very familiar smell to me but why I did not understand. Why I could not remember. I blinked up at him but he wasn't even looking at me. He was just trying on as though I hadn't been tossed at him and he hadn't caught me. As the flying girls through air at him happened every single day.

It probably did.

So how often do you guys sneak into Elysium? I directed the question to amore since he was now much closer to me than the others.

His golden eyes click down to me switching between my eyes before moving over the rest of my face. Every now and then. How often do you fall on your ask?

Every now and then.

He shook his head shifting me closer. One of his arms was hooked beneath my knees and other banded across my back. He was cradling me like a baby. You should be more careful.

Says the guy who sneaks into elysium.

You concerned about us, Rocks? Silas turned his hair his eyebrows lifting his teeth flashing.

No I crossed my arms.

It was hard to look impassive and intimidating while being cradled like a baby so I settled on pouting. Amor smirked taking in my expression before lifting me up the word around me dropped away as the gold in his eyes became more prominent almost shifting with energy as his face loomed above mine. Very suddenly and completely without warning his lips were pressing against the little corner of my mouth. I was simply too shocked to react. The case was barely even a case but my body didn't seem to know that. The simple brush of his lips had sent spiralling heat all the way through me locking down the air that should have been flooding in and out of my lungs. Pulled his head up the smart back in place and continued walking.

Meanwhile I was pretty sure that he had just reached into my chest and pulled out my poor heart. Now it was lying somewhere beneath us. In the dirt. beating pathetically.

Seduction is using his talent to change his rank! Silas shouted his voice carrying within a force to make me flinch.

Up ahead I could see Cronas and Dron stopping and the setting sun turning them into huge silhouettes as they spun around threads of yellow and gold weaving over their bodies and highlighting the fact that I really shouldn't be encouraging them to compete over an imaginary ranking because they were just too powerful looking to mess with just for the fun of it.

That's cheating! Cronas shouted back.

You cheat, you die! Room added in an equally booming voice. Why the hell was he playing into this when he really seemed to know that it wasn't a real ranking?

I told myself to come clean to open up that mouth of mind that always getting me into trouble and tell them all what Yeti and Dron were obvious keeping to themselves. Or maybe they were not keeping it to themselves. Maybe they had completely disregarded the fact that the ranking had nothing to do with them because everything to do with their don’t numbers because they didn’t care because it was a competition. Because they were making it a competition. Because they clearly wanted one of their brothers to murder me.

Hey have to come clean. As soon as possible

We had reached the others by now and they all seemed to be staring at amore waiting for an explanation. It was annoying to me because they couldn't just turn it to a competition without me agreeing the whole thing was my idea. They couldn't just deal it. Plus amore was still crediting me like a baby and for some reason it was making my temper bubble. I wanted to be standing on my own feet preferably towering over them all.

My ranks my rules I blurt it.

So we can use our drawn began but I held my hand up palm facing outward hoping that it would cut him off. Hell no crusher couldn't use his talent on me.

He stared at my extended hand for a moment. He seemed confused it was possible that nobody had ever tried to cut him off before. No you can't! It twisted out of almost arms landing on my hands and knees in the grass pain shimmering up my body. I quickly pulled to my feet brushing of my knees full stuff nobody is allowed to use their talent on me to change their rank. Because that would be cheating. And like I said my ranks my rules. I realised that I was doing the exact opposite or what I was supposed to be doing but it seemed like a pretty promising way to prevent the cursors from using their talents on me..

We might as well stop here for the night kronos muttered breaking up with the stair of that I had going on with his brothers. The dweller is great getting cranky. She needs to be fed and watered and rested or whatever dwellers need.

You are confused with me and bullocks. I shook my head insulted at the comparison.

You don't need to be fair? He prompted his expression blank.

Food would be nice.

And you don't need to be watered?

As in water down or like showered? Or given water? His blank mask cracked just barely but it was enough for me to glimpse the surprise beneath. He didn't answer me treating a look withdrawn. The others were similarly silent their faces quickly morphing into same lockdown expression.

You need help showering? Sailus finally asked evidently the first of them to gave and ask the question that had helped them up start .dwellers don't shower on their own?

What? Know what? I meant…

We are getting nowhere with this. Dron cut me across raising his hand in my face. So they were competitive and vindictive. That was why should I have never taught him that trick. The 12 and needs to tend to herself. They need regular breaks and sustenance just like the bullocks.

You guys don't need regular breaks and sustenance? I asked folding my arms and attempting to look down my nose at them.

I knew all well how much tending they needed. I knew because I watched people fetch them food and I collected their laundry.

We don’t need regular anything, Dron returned laugh in his voice.

Exactly yeah he added his smile matching his brothers. Our breaks are never normal and our food is never normal. That's how we stand apart from the bullocks and dwellers. Everything about us is extraordinary.

Especially your egos, I sneered.

I said everything didn't I?

Ashok my head storming right past Yeti hitting hard in the shoulder as I went. It hurt the way you would expect bashing your shoulder into a boulder to hurt but I didn’t just have plenty of experience in feeling pain. I also had decent amount of experience in stocking away from people angrily. I was in familiar and comfortable territory or at least I had been until the sky started to darken drawing tight and the clouds swelling as night time accelerated across the horizon. I stopped walking my head drawn back panic building somewhere at the base of my spine.

What the actual alpha the words were barely out of my mouth before the cursors were all standing around me.

They were all standing in a circle they are back to me they were completely ignoring the doomsday sky hearing around at the land instead.

Which God did you stab dweller? Room growled his eyes rolling over the slope of a nearby hill. He was just turned half enough for me to see his face.

I didn't catch his name I replied automatically.

I found myself drawing closer to drawn even though he appeared to be pissed at me. I couldn't help it. He was the broadest one. My shoulder bumped against his spine and his arms suddenly twisted around pulling me fully into him. I pressed my forehead to his shirt keeping my hands naked beneath my chin and my eyes closed.

Please don't let me die right now. I started whispering as the world darken further and the ground started rumbling beneath our feet. I am not ready to die yet. I still don't know how to cook and I would like to punch someone in the face not by accident. Just once.