The Devil's Smile

Chapter 26

I had not even noticed the stairs which led down to the grassed area and I was so damn engrossed in the story and listening to Dron while we were walking and the warm sun on my face and the sound of the trickling waterfall. You could not tell me that it wasn’t distracting.

Instead I took a one way trip down the stairs.

I threw my hands out because of broken skull was much harder to heal than broken arms. I closed my eyes and braced for the impact preparing to roll like any good clumsy curs to dweller knows how to do but there was no impact. No 3rd as my hands followed by my head slammed into the grass below.

Too hard bands were raped across my torch so heat surrounding me as I was lifted against a firm body. The sunshine seemed to increase around us and I knew even without looking up that it was a more. My sunshine demigod. I mean not mine or anything full that was weird but you know our sunshine demigod.

“You okay there, Charm?”

Golden eyes stole my breath ,” you know my name?” I managed to ask.

He knows my name?

“Come on seduction put her clumsy ass down and let's go.” Cronas shouted his command and already moving towards the arena.

Amor gave me a wink and for the second time that day and a Cursor was dropping me on shaky legs. He then strode off to catch his brothers taking all the warmth and life with him. Seduction. Was it me or was it weird that they called each other by their gifts and not their names? Like it was a name in itself. I hadn’t heard any of the other demigods do that so I guessed that it must be a thing which was done only by them.

But none of that mattered any longer. As long as I was being marched towards my impending death.

I picked up the pace feeling like a super dweller again because even though they were really good at dropping me they also seemed to be pretty good at catching me. The Demi gods were useful for something at least. Cronas was striding ahead of the rest appearing almost a speck from my vantage point as the straggling weakass dweller. Hey was right behind him followed by Amor who had caught up to the others without a problem despite the burn in my thighs and the pant on my breath Yeti was next and then Silas. I laughed almost causing myself to trip again because laughing and running weren't activities that should be carried out simultaneously. But it was funny. They were lined up in order of their dorm numbers one to 5.

Pain master Cronas was number one and the Crusher Dron was number 2 and golden Amor was number 3 and hypnotic Yeti was number 4 and evil Silas was number 5. That was one way to differentiate them.

“What are you laughing at?” Silas slowed down until he was beside me that mixture of curiosity and annoyance back in his eyes.

“Nothing 5,” I almost replied on another pant laugh and trapped again. Talking running and laughing was even less advisable.

“5?” Yeti called over his shoulder. “What the hell is she talking about?”

“Nothing 4!” I yell panted.

This time I did trip but I swung out a hand in natural reaction catching a fistful of stylish shirt. He started to go down with me but then he managed to catch us both his arm quickly wrapping around my back.

“She is ranking us?” Are more stopped running altogether turning to face us with an incredulous expression.

Yeti also stopped but the others continue too far ahead to realise what was happening.

“Why do you keep doing that?” Silas asked using his grip on me to shake me a little bit.

“Doing what?” I asked pushing on his chest to indicate that he could put me down. He didn’t my stomach decided to flip.

“Falling. Tripping. Almost getting yourself killed.”

“What does it matter?” I groused.” Aren’t you taking me to get killed anyway? And then you told me an incomplete story and I did not even understand why you told me the story in the first place.”

I spotted Dron and Cronas up ahead. They weren't running anymore but they weren't coming back to us. They were waiting. Drawn had his eyes reached to his eyes trying to block out the sun.

Yeti laughed. “We are not taking to get you killed.”

“May be we are?” Silas seemed to be asking the others a question full he seemed to have forgotten that he was holding me. I looked down at my feet kicking my boots back and forth a little trying to reach the ground.

“You have a point,” Yeti returned. “She will probably twist this around so that even she finds her way to die even if that is not our intention.”

“Doesn't matter.’ Silas was shaking his head. “She still needs to stay alive until we are done with her. She can die pissing old DOD off dead can't die getting there. That's just inconvenient.”

“Right here.” I grumbled

“Yeah you are,” Amor stepped forward grab my arm and yanked me out of silences grip. It hurt like a b***h but I wasn't going to complain because they were talking about killing me again and I figured complaining would probably not help my cause very much. I rubbed my shoulder trying to ignore the way that Amor was twisting his fingers through mine because it seemed to be tied directly to something inside me twisting and twisting and twisting.

“Don't get possessive seduction,” Silas growled stalking past us. “She is our dweller. Not yours.”

“Still right here,” I added. “I would also like to have a say if it's dweller claiming time.”

“No.” Yeti was chuckling moving past with Silas. “You get no say.”

Amor tugged me forward his feet eating up the distance faster than I thought it would be possible for me to follow and yet somehow I managed it. We were almost to the edges of the Academy now and only mountains in distance separated from us by a short stretch of forest where Cronas and Dron were waiting.

“What happened?” Cronas demanded once we reached to them. His eyes were on my hand. Specifically the hand that Amor was holding.

His bright green eyes narrowed luminous and dangerous and I tried to tag my hand free fall feeling a bowl of panic close in my throat now was not the time for all of them to start fighting over dwellers sleep claiming rights or whatever. They could do that after I was dead. Amor tightened his grip and they swallowed my stomach lurching.

“She ranked us,” Silas replied nonchalantly. He seemed to be the least concerned about ranking compared to the other 2.

“What?” That had been Dron. He looked confused.

“Right here!” I shouted my temper flaring and bursting before I even had the chance to realise that it had been building. I was panting again but this time it wasn't from the exercise. It was because 5 idiots were messing with my internal organs stop or my brain. Or something. They wouldn't stop making me dizzy are more wouldn't stop holding my hand!

Silas burst into certain laughter just as I managed to finally tear my hand free from a more. Everyone was staring at me as though I had just temporary lost my mind except for Silas.

“Well?” Cronas crossed his arms giving me a look. “If you are right there go ahead and explain yourself.”

“Nothing to explain.” I shrugged.

“This is why we don't talk to her.” He tossed his hands up turning on Yeti. “What ranking?”

“She ranked us,” he repeated .”4,” he jabbed her finger at his chest and then turned it on Silas ,”and 5. Don't know what she gave you guys.”

Dron’s mouth dropped open but Cronas was all Stony faced until I got the edge of his eyebrow inching up. “Is this out of 10?”

“Maybe.” I consider telling him that it was just their door numbers but that wouldn't have been half as much as fun. It was right to see him squirm. I considered it payback for the crossbow incident.

“What's my number?” He demanded.

“One.”

“That he was considering the possibility that this might have been one out of 10 situation.”

“And him?” this time the finger was in Amor’s direction.

“3.”

“And him?” This time the finger was jabbed in Dron’s direction.

“Two,” I said cooking my head towards Dron.

Dron was smiling like he had figured it out. He didn't tell the others though. He seemed content to allow them to all to stand around baffled. I would say it meet him a little bit evil but what difference did it make? They were all evil anyway.

“Can we figure this out later may be?” Once again Yeti seemed unconcerned with the ranking.

The others noted Cronas casting me one last look before this started moving again this time through the forest. Because the trees were so dense we had to slow to our walk and Yeti dropped back to walk behind me. The others didn't seem to notice when he twisted a hand in my shirt and pulled me off my feet. this was way too much yanking around for my poor cap and it finally gave up trying to clean to my head I tried to see through the spill of the blue curls feeling like sudden colour was almost blinding after not having it swinging into my line of vision for most of the morning.

“What…”

A hand slapped over my mouth cutting off the question before I could voice it my back hit one of the trees and I quickly pushed to the hair out of my eyes. Yeti was only an inch away leaning into me.

“Raise my ranking,” he ordered softly. I felt the heavy roll of his power rushing over me carrying on the tenor of his voice.

Polished where these 5 competitive or what?

I made a sound behind his hand. His eyes narrowed and he lifted his hand almost suspiciously.

“Not a ranking!” I finally managed to get out. “It's your dorm number.”

He frowned. “Make me one then.”

“You have to be in room one to be One.”

He released me suddenly stalking away.

“Hey Pain!” He shouted making his way through the trees again. “Switch rooms with me!”

“What?” I heard Cronas shout back.

I was still leaning against the tree my heart threatening to jump out of my chest and bury itself deep deep underground where it would be safe because I swear to the gods those boys were going to give me heart attack. How was that for karma? A sexy demigod was going to kill me by frightening me to death

And I didn’t just say sexy.

None of them were sexy. And their sexiness definitely wasn't the reason for my heart pains. Not that they had sexiness. Because they didn’t.

“Rocks?” Silas stood back into sight a skull twisting his lips. ”You fall again?”

“Not sexy…” it kind of slipped out. I wasn't sure how. I wanted to take it back immediately but he had clearly already heard me.

he blinked. “Well I wouldn't put it that way. You go down like a pro. Maybe it's a little bit sexy.”

My mouth dropped open my eyebrows inching up. Somehow that had sounded filthy full he seemed to realise it too or maybe he was just reading it on my face who gods in hell. I need to never speak again.