Something is pouring out of me, but I sure as hell am not shaking the ground.
“Not me,” I groan.
Just as they start to take cover, a massive beetle spews from the lake, spanning at least twenty yards as it floats atop the fiery surface. It spits and foams at the mouth, and it gnashes its crooked, spiky teeth close to Gage.
A beetle that likes hellfire instead of burning? No thank you.
Gage flips back, and in the next instant his hand shoots out. The beetle freezes, and Gage lunges, connecting with the beetle’s leg that he grips with both hands.
A scream tears through the air as the beetle’s massive body starts to shrivel, the fight slowly leaving the beast.
“Stop!” I shout, and Gage does, looking at me like I’m crazy.
“We can ride it across. It’s subdued with whatever you just did that is making it wilt like a rotten piece of fruit, but it’s still floating.”
The guys all exchange a look, and then they quickly start climbing it. Kai is the only one left on land, and he kicks his foot out hard, knocking the beetle off the land what little bit it was beached.
Then he runs and leaps. Jude catches his hand, pulling him up the rest of the way. I zap myself up there with them, and we slowly float down the fire. The center of the beetle escapes the licking flames, and they stay there, away from harm.
There’s just enough of a current to slowly drag us in the right direction.
“How do you pass an impassible lake without a consequential gift from the Devil’s children?” Ezekiel asks as he lies down.
“You wound a hell’s belly monster just enough to ride it on the premeditated current,” Jude answers, looking over at Gage as he clenches and unclenches his fists, still wired from whatever he just did.
“Riddles,” Kai states flatly.
“The riddles are subtle?” I ask on a sigh. “I expected a super creepy echoing voice to pop in and ask us questions that we had to get right before we could pass on to the next phase.”
Ezekiel snorts as he tosses his tux jacket off the side of the beetle. It turns to ash instantly when it hits the flames, and he adds the tie to the flames next.
“Why must they overcomplicate these things? How do we know when there’s a riddle or just an obstacle?” I ask. “Lamar said the riddles would be the most important.”
“They will be. They’ll be the trick to life or death, clearly,” Jude says, gesturing at the beetle under us, and looking at me like I’m an idiot.
“In that case, I really hope you’re all old enough to be wise and not just paranoid, so we can see the riddles before it’s too late next time,” I tell him, a fuck-you grin on my face.
Ezekiel laughs as he lies down, putting his side against mine as he untucks his dress shirt. Fortunately, I feel no overwhelming urge to go whole.
I’m getting better at this.
Gage loses the same unnecessary items, but he also strips off his dress shirt as well, leaving the white tank underneath to outline his very hard and distracting body.
“What’s Hera’s way of delivering gifts?” I ask them, since there’s nothing else to do but chat.
“She takes something from you before she gives you something in return,” Kai answers from somewhere. “You have no say in what she takes.”
“Lovely. Let’s hope she doesn’t help out, because I don’t think I’d like what she’d want from you.”
“That’s more Cain’s style. It’s why he doesn’t help us. He prefers to be given something in exchange for his help, and it’s usually on the sexual favor side. Have you ever seen us with men?” Gage points out.
“The twins?” I muse.
“A fucked up version of yin and yang with their own twist,” Ezekiel answers. “They could hurt you or allow you to fuck them. It depends on what course of action they used the last time. You’re always gambling with agonizing pain or possible pleasure when you deal with them.”
“They have no sexual preference, but again, we do,” Kai points out. “Which is why Lilith and Hera are the ones to approach us.”
“So Hera has approached you?” I ask, trying not to sound as worried as I feel for whatever reason.
“She tried at the beginning of the first trial. Lilith intercepted her,” Jude states, staring in front of us like he’s searching for an end to come into sight.
“What about Manella?” I ask when it grows quiet.
“No clue. I’ve never heard anyone speak about him ever aiding anyone before,” Gage says with a shrug.
“I know you’re all probably not tired, but now would be a good time to take a nap. This lake is big, and at the speed we’re going, we’re going to be riding for a while. I’ll take guard duty,” I tell them.
Kai loses the shirts completely, going bare chest as he flops down. I idly wonder how all four decided combat boots were acceptable footwear for a tux.
“Must you touch her every time you sleep? You have a tendency to form habits, Mr. Nipples,” Jude says dryly, his eyes on Ezekiel.
“I only get any actual rest next to her, so if I’m going to nap when I’m not really tired, then it’s going to be one hell of a power nap to last me,” Ezekiel answers unapologetically.
“Point one for the evil pussy,” I say tauntingly to Jude, holding up my index finger on one hand and an O with the other to signify the score.
Jude looks like he’s trying not to smile, which pisses him off even more, apparently, since he mimes the motion of strangling me before turning around and calling me a few uncharitable, yet very creative, names.
I give him the bird. It’s not creative, but it is my favorite sign.
“He’s only mad because he hates me as much as he likes me, and since he doesn’t want to like me, he tries to hate me a little more,” I say as Kai stretches out beside me, his body brushing through mine.
Gage and Jude sit across from me like it’s a standoff, and they eye Kai like he’s a new traitor to their cause.
I hold up two fingers while mouthing the new score.
They both glare at me.
It’s adorable, really. At least in this form. I’d find it less adorable and more terrifying if I could physically feel the true power of a racing heartbeat.
Kai just smirks, even as he keeps his eyes closed. Like he knows the silent exchange going on without seeing it. Ezekiel is already asleep, breathing evenly as his face remains relaxed.
Gage stares a little longingly, as though he’s jealous of the obvious peace on Ezekiel’s usually tortured sleep-face.
He blinks and looks away, his jaw set as he stares out over the lake. Jude continues to burn a hole through me with his glare.
“I’m all of your types, really, minus the preference in hair color. I had no control over that. It was there when I got here. But all your wants, desires, needs, debaucheries of choice…everything. I’m molded to your specifications, because the only thing in the world I knew was all of you. I learned what you liked, and it became a part of me. It shaped me as the person I am now, because I was learning who the hell I was then. Blame yourselves for all the things you don’t like.”
A sleepy rumble of laughter slides out of Kai as his body begins to relax.
“Kai loves the chase and is always desperate to make someone who hates him suddenly crave him,” I say with a shoulder shrug. “He wants to infect them with his heady spell that he can weave when he really wants to.”
Another sleepy laugh is the response to that.
“Ezekiel is the most desperate for peace, as though his nightmares are twice as stained as all of yours. Not sure how I did that. I expected his favorite part to be the fact I really want my nipples adored.”
Jude arches an eyebrow at me.
“It’s true,” I go on unapologetically. “Gage wants a puzzle he can’t unravel so easily. He wants to be surprised, and he’s tired of all the predictable variables. He’s starving for a challenge. He’ll admit it if you ask him how much he’s actually enjoying the fact he doesn’t know if he’ll die or live at the end of these trials.”
Gage’s jaw grinds, but he smirks even as he radiates anger.
Jude looks over at him then at me. “This is why you’re so dangerous, comoara trădătoare. Giving us exactly what we’ve all always dreamed of, along with a chance to strengthen ourselves? When something feels too good, there’s always a really fucking nasty tail you don’t see coming until it’s too late.”
He turns around, putting his back to me before lying down. His eyes are closed and he is purposely staying inches away from me, not touching me.
“I’ve already told you my tail in lace is the prettiest thing you’ll ever see,” I deadpan.
He makes a sound of frustration, but I’m apparently going to get the last word.
I’m a little curious just how beautiful Hera must have been as Helen of Troy to have inspired a war between two nations, when I couldn’t even get one man to crumble before me.
It, of course, makes me envious. Sigh. I’m still blaming Lilith for that.
“Ezekiel was my first kiss,” I decide to say, looking down to see Kai sleeping peacefully. “Kai was my first orgasm giver,” I go on.
Jude’s jaw tics, as Gage grunts and curses. I grin.
“Don’t worry, he just used his fingers. He didn’t give it up to the nefarious vagina. My point is, it seems I’m going to be running low on firsts pretty soon, at the rate I’m going. You boys better not come crying to me when you missed all the firsts for being completely unreasonable pricks.”
Gage does the same petty thing, refusing good sleep offered by the evil vagina holder for no cost of admission.
They both ignore me, because they don’t really like arguing as much as I do. I could quite literally point logic out to them all day.
Surrounded by the four guys who easily close their eyes in my presence, willing to put their life in my hands, yet completely unwilling to stubbornly admit they trust me, I stare out over the fiery lake.
It’s actually sort of pretty once you get over the dangerous part of it. Also, as long as you don’t mind the occasional bird-snake carcass floating by you, or the living ones casting their ominous shadow over you from the red sky.
I take it back. It’s not pretty. I’m really just trying too hard to make this not as doom-and-gloom as we know it is.
With all of them quiet, not bickering or bantering with me as a distraction, the reality of our situation sinks in, and it grows heavy pretty quickly.
I can’t see land on any side now. The crackle of the lake and spitting fire that hisses when it shoots too high don’t exactly give off a comforting melody.
I’m so alert that it’s a good thing they can’t feel me jostling around to inspect each sound or smell.
Gage suddenly moves into my knee with just the very tips of his fingers, not making a sound or looking at me.