“Introductions are hardly enough for me to trust them. There’s a reason I’m here, and not out hunting with Romakus and the others.”
Adron shrugged. “Just a vrat who tries to keep himself alive. I worked for Zel for many years.” Conveniently, he didn’t say ‘spy’, which, as far as Mia could tell, was what he’d been, a spy for Zel pretending to work for Diogo. Because of course Zel hadn’t trusted her bailiffs enough to not plot her downfall, even though Diogo seemed devoted. Paranoia, or prudence?
Kas clicked once. “One of Zel’s enforcers.”
“Two who worked for Zel, and two who befriended the unmarked.” Julisa raised a brow as she looked between the two of them. “And two who have fucked her. Am I right?”
Adron, the past Adron, would have grinned, or chuckled. But Adron hadn’t been behaving the same way he did when Mia met him, and Mia was struggling to put a fine point on it. This new Adron just shrugged again.
“Why do you care?”
“Oh, no reason.” With an insidious little smirk, Julisa eyed Mia for a half second before she turned and joined Vin.
Ugh, was this some sort of cat fight thing? Fighting each other for a man? Yeah, fuck that.
Mia leaned down over Kas and set her cheek on the top of his head, beside some of his spikes. A big, flat shark head with no eyes, with two big horns sticking out of its side and pointing forward. Kinda comfy.
“Let’s look around,” Adron said. “We got the mound for a marker. Just keep it in sight and let’s scout the area. We might find some hiding food.”
Kas clicked, nodded, and the three of them headed off. Mia glanced back, and sure enough, Vin stayed with Julisa, the two of them watching the big mound grind up fresh remnants like it was a campfire and they were roasting marshmallows.
Vin wasn’t behaving like himself either, but he had zero interest in talking to Mia about anything, so fuck him. Adron, and even Kas, were more talkative.
“Now that we’ve got a little distance… You actually fucked Vin?” Adron asked, voice low, brow raised. He looked positively… incredulous.
“That’s… not fair. You know there’s something weird about me!” Yelling without yelling was difficult, but she managed. “I had all the Damall fucking each other, with this aura.”
Adron’s smile, his old smile returned. For a minute, anyway.
“I’m not judging. Just surprised he could even do it. Tetrads have be to gentle with humans or they’ll kill them just from the size difference.”
“I’m… not human.” She sat up straight and stroked her egg. “No point denying that, now. Auras, reading the ancient language, angel runes, controlling Hell, and, uh… a body that can… handle quite a bit.”
Adron held up a hand. “And an endless appetite. You’re quite the pig.”
She glared death straight into the vrat’s soul. Or, sin. Whatever. But alas, for all her crazy powers, she couldn’t incinerate the damn man on the spot like he deserved.
“I don’t know why any of that is happening. All I know is, my body isn’t normal, and Vin and I, our relationship got a little… physical.” She almost said ‘just physical’, as if to defend herself. She didn’t need to defend herself, not to this slut!
“And Romakus,” Adron said, “we trust him?”
It was their first time actually getting to talk about the Damall since they’d gotten together. A perfect time to actually do a little updating.
“Romakus is strange,” Kas said, “and deadly.”
“How do you know him?” Mia asked.
“Zel had me scouting nearby mountains because she thought the Damall were around. They were. Romakus and I fought.”
Mia threw up her hands.
“Is that how every demon gets to know each other? Violence? Never mind. Romakus seems kinda crazy and weird, but I trust Yosepha, and Yosepha trusts Romakus.”
Adron and Kas shared a look.
“You trust the angel that much?” Adron asked.
“Of course. You don’t trust angels?”
“I mean, I’ve never really had to deal with one. Angels don’t exactly make a habit of coming down to Hell, and when they do, it’s usually to kill a bunch of us. Any smart demon avoids them.”
“Do not trust angels,” Kas said. “Or did you not see them strike down their own?”
“Demons kill each other every day! For a snack!”
“Yeah,” Adron said, “but angels are angels. They don’t kill each other, Mia. Not ever.”
“I’ve talked to Yosepha, a lot, and–”
“Lately?”
“Not… lately.”
Silence fell on them, and Mia stared down at the top of Kas’s head. Yosepha lying, or betraying, or deceiving or manipulating or anything, just seemed impossible. Completely impossible.
“It doesn’t matter,” Mia said. “I need to get to False Gate, and the Damall seem like the best bet. Them, and keeping Vin as a bodyguard. They–”
Kas and Adron both snapped their heads to the side, nearly throwing Mia off the big sarkarin’s back, but she held on and looked where they were looking. Nothing. She opened her mouth but shut it before she made any noise. A month in Hell had given her the reflex to learn when to be silent.