Chapter Twenty-Four

One, two, three, four.

Whack!

I slammed my fist into the punching bag and sent it spiraling out before it came tumbling back. I counted to before I swung my leg around and kicked it away with another loud whack that echoed through the mostly empty training room. I'd arrived early after I got a call from Alex telling me that someone had jammed the signal from one of the cameras in the mountain pass between Helheim and Hell. He'd gotten right on fixing it and in the mean time, I had gone to let loose some steam.

Anger whipped around in me with a fury that put to shame my earlier rage over the whole situation with Julius coming to get me. I had no doubt it was Julius. He'd picked up on me poking around, so he was probably gonna try knocking out all the cameras, but once he got the final camera jammed, I was going send troops in to completely flood the area. See how he appreciates that fun little surprise.

I smashed my fist into the punching bag and sent it spinning before I caught it a foot away from me before it could knock me off my feet. I sensed someone moving toward the room and turned my head in time to see Alaric coming in, all huffy and angry. His cheeks flushed, hazel eyes blazing angrily and his short light-brown, blonde-laced hair pulled into a short ponytail as he stalked towards me. I arched a brow.

"You look pissy." I commented. Alaric shot me a glare that would've made a normal citizen flee, but I took it in stride as I stepped aside to let him take a whack at the punching bag. I watched him, curious by his anger, when my eyes fell on a row of hickeys that dotted his exposed shoulder blade. My eyes widened slightly.

"What are those?" I asked, even though it was obvious. Alaric scowled, stopping punching the bag to look over his shoulder when the bag came slamming into him and almost knocked him off his feet. I caught him under the arms to steady him before catching the bag before it could come back and hit him. Alaric blushed furiously, reaching back to rub at his shoulder blade.

"Nothing." He grunted at last, turning to the punching bag. I frowned.

"You have a girlfriend?"

"No."

"A boyfriend?"

"Absolutely not."

"Did you visit a brothel?"

"Who said they were hickeys?!"

"I'm not stupid, Alaric." I deadpanned. Alaric scowled at me, turning back to the punching bag before landing a hard smack to it that had it spinning out and reeling back in, but he kicked it back before it could hit him. He didn't speak to me now. Just beat the living crap out of it. I couldn't stop staring at the marks on his shoulder, though. They were obviously hickeys, but from whom? As far as I knew, Alaric was as serious about his job as I was. He didn't do dating and I'd never even seen him go to a brothel. Come to think of it, I don't think Alaric even had any friends. He brought a whole new meaning to socially awkward.

But there was no denying those marks. He'd slept with someone, or at least did some hardcore necking. Whoever had done it looked incredibly possessive... and streak of annoyance passed through me. Why wouldn't Alaric tell me if he was sleeping with someone? There weren't any secrets amongst my siblings and I.

Well, aside from mine, but that didn't count. That was a necessary secret.

But if Alaric had a lover, did I have the right to know as his older brother? What if this person was a snake? What if they were just doing it to hurt him? What if he wasn't willing?

That scared me even more. A shudder went through me at the thought of anyone treating my younger brother, or any of my siblings for that matter, the way I had been treated. My stomach churned and clenched to the point where I swore my breakfast would resurface.

"Alaric, you'd tell me if you had a lover, right?" I asked. Alaric twitched, then caught the punching bag before it could hit him and positioned himself partially behind it, like he was trying to hide behind it from me as he eyed me warily.

"Why does it matter? I don't ask about you and Dev."

"Dev and I aren't lovers." I pointed out. Alaric barked a laugh at that as he stepped out of hiding to put a hand on his hip.

"You're joking, right? You're obviously sleeping together. Everyone can see it." He added. I stiffened at that. For some reason, that bothered me. It was obvious we were sleeping together? How? What had I done to make it obvious? Not that we were sleeping together. We'd been on a couple more dates, and Dev always invited me to stay over, but I always polite declined. I wouldn't mind dating Dev, don't get me wrong, but sex was completely out of the question. It would ruin everything in so many ways. I just didn't even want to think about it.

But the fact that people thought we were sleeping together... it made me feel dirty. Not because sleeping with Dev was dirty, but just the amount of people I'd already slept with and it made me wonder how many people would have noticed that without telling me. Although, Alaric was extremely blunt. Surely he would've said something by now.

"We're not sleeping together." I said at last, keeping my voice firm. Alaric smirked, shaking his head at that, but when he realized I wasn't relenting my glare, his smirk faded and he dropped his arm to his side limply, eyes widening.

"You aren't?" He asked.

"We aren't." I stated. Alaric's expression twisted in a confused scowl that I once thought was adorable and only found annoying now.

"But you guys have gone out almost every single night since you returned."

"So?"

"So, you guys stay out really late. Don't you stay at his apartment or invite him to your room?"

"Of course not." I protested angrily, offended by the assumption. Alaric still appeared confused, and frustrated by it too. He put his hands on his hips, folded his arms over his chest, tapped his foot, put his hands back on his hips again, like no matter what thinking position he got into, he simply couldn't accept the fact that Dev and I hadn't slept together. He finally settled for throwing his hands up in the air.

"Jesus Christ, Rave, are you blind? Sleep with him already!"

"Alaric!"

"What," Alaric exclaimed, turning back to the punching bag, only to hang on the chain holding it to the ceiling as he shrugged lightly, "I'm not stupid. Devereaux's the hottest thing on two legs. Everyone can see that. I'd of slept with him a long time ago."

"Alaric!"

"Oh, come on, Rave, don't be a prude. I'm not a baby," He added with an annoyed flicker in his eyes as he stepped away from the punching bag to put a hand on his hip, "I'm an adult. I sleep with who I want to sleep with. Well, if they want me back anyway, and Dev obviously doesn't want anyone, but you and I've respected that territory because you're my brother and there's this thing called a bro code. Don't sleep with the dude your brother's sleeping with... Are you guys really not sleeping together?" I nodded, passing him a scowl. Alaric whistled, shaking his head as he reached up to undo his ponytail so he could tie it back more firmly.

"Bro, you better tap that while you can. Someone might get to him first." He said. I glared at him.

"Not you." I said. Alaric made a weird face.

"Ah, no. See, Dev's known me since I was in diapers. That'd make sleeping with him twelve times worse. Nah, I just recognize the fact that he's sexy as fuck," Alaric drawled, sweeping his bangs out of his face before folding his arms over his chest, "Besides, I'm already sleeping with someone."

"Is it serious?"

"Nope."

"So..."

"I call him my friend with benefits. Many benefits."

"Alaric, that's just," I paused as Alaric gave me a warning glare as if daring me to call him a whore, something I would sooner swallow acid than do, "No, Alaric, it's not that. I just... I hope you're happy at least." Alaric flashed me a grin that made my insides crawl in disgust.

"Oh, trust me. I am more than happy," He gave me a wink, then paused to frown at something behind me, "Speaking of happy, there's a not so happy Sin headed our way." I frowned, confused by that before I turned to see Dev entering the training center, looking particularly peeved. A wave of apprehension went through me as I debated going over to greet him as I'd done for the past few days. It was rare to see Dev so upset and I didn't want him to reject me the way he had when I first arrived. I don't think I could take it... But I also didn't want him to think I didn't care.

"Cue concerned boyfriend." Alaric coughed none-too-discreetly, elbowing me. I shot him a dirty look before I moved toward Dev as he slammed his locker shut. I tried not to flinch at the loud sound that made my skin crawl.

"Morning." I greeted. Dev didn't answer. I nibbled my bottom lip, glancing around at the other soldiers that had slowly begun to arrive and take to their daily routines. I swallowed hard and looked back at Dev as he applied deodorant.

"Uhm, are we still going out for lunch?" I asked. Dev tossed his deodorant back into his locker and slammed it shut, making me flinch this time, before he turned to face me with a glare.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going after Julius?" He demanded. My blood turned to ice and I felt my breath hitch. A second later, the blood drained from my face and Dev pursed his lips and gave me a short nod, rolling his eyes.

"Course. Why should I bother asking? You won't tell me that either. I'd have better luck talking to a hamster." He snapped in frustration. I clenched my teeth at that, trying to focus on the anger that I tried to keep in reserve these past few days.

"Dev, it's not that easy. I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd try to get involved." I warned and Dev barked a sarcastic laugh at that.

"Yeah, no, that'd just be ridiculous of me. After all, you did totally disappear for an entire year, even after I told you to take me with you to face Julius the first time. Now you're going to do it all over again and what? You gonna take him on and disappear again?" He demanded. A wave of hurt rushed through me at that. He acted as if I had wanted to disappear.

"That wasn't my fault." I said, but my voice suddenly sounded small.

"You're the one who ran after Julius when everyone told you not to," Dev said angrily, "And then you disappeared. You think I can handle watching you get taken away again?"

"Sorry," I said, suddenly unable to control the rage bubbling up inside me, mostly born of the hurt his words caused me, "I didn't mean to inconvenience you." I shoved past him, slamming my shoulder into him and heading to my locker. Dev made a sound of frustration.

"Raven, I just want to talk about this. Why don't you trust me enough to tell me what's going on? I already saw you get taken away once. I can't do it again. I won't let it." He insisted, following me to my locker. I didn't speak to him as I snatched my jacket out and tore it on over my turtleneck.

"You won't tell me anything," Dev continued, in full rant mode now, "You won't tell me what happened to you. You won't tell me why you wear the gloves and that damned jacket all the time. You won't tell me why you move away whenever we start to get further than kissing. You won't even let me touch you below the belt. What the hell is up with that? Aren't we dating now? Isn't that supposed to be okay?"

"Just go to a brothel if you want some." I snapped at Dev, who in turn grew angrier.

"I don't fuck whores, Raven." He snarled. Pain shot through me so hard that it almost drove me to my knees.

You're not a whore. You're a soldier.

And yet, the chant suddenly seemed so insignificant now. Of course, Dev doesn't fuck whores. That's exactly why we couldn't sleep together. If it wasn't my new and sudden sexual abilities that triggered his suspicions while we slept together, it'd be the numerous scars. The way I'd flinch if he touched his skin to mine. The way my skin crawled when his lips touched my neck. The way I'd vomit if he came inside me.

I could feel sweat collecting at the base of my neck and hairline. My breath felt like it was coming out in short gasps. I swallowed hard against them, trying not to make a scene as I shrugged my jacket on and grabbed my cell phone out of my locker, slamming it shut.

"Maybe you should start." I said to Dev, who looked at me bewildered as I shoved him out of the way and quit the room. I still felt shaky and ill as I made my way down the hallway. My skin prickled with goosebumps and I shivered, reaching up to rub at the back of my neck before pulling up the collar of my jacket further, even though the turtleneck already hid the horrendous scars caused by that damned god killer's collar.

I already felt like it was back, constricting my throat. I could hear the chain dangling from the ring on it, feel the way Julius used to jerk sharply on it and drag me across the floor, use it to clip to my shackled ankles so as to bend me back and expose me to however many people he'd invited into his tent for the night. I swallowed against the lump in my throat, clenching my fists.

Get angry.

Don't get scared.

Get angry.

I focused on the rage and the humiliation of it all boiling my blood. I remembered what Hannibal had told me. To build on it. To build on what Julius had given me and twist it into something I could use against him. Turn it into a weapon to destroy him.

With that in mind, I left the training center and headed to the palace in Hell. The entire time, I made a mental note to kick the living shit out of Alex for spilling the beans to Dev. I should've known he'd do it, maybe not on purpose, but still. Damn it all. Having Dev trying to involve himself just made things a bit more complicated. I didn't want him to go after Julius.

If anyone was going to kill Julius, it was me.

And I didn't want Julius to go after Dev. No doubt that this time, Julius was going to make sure I would never get home. If that meant threatening Dev, he'd do it and more. I couldn't risk it.

I just prayed Dev didn't tell my family; otherwise, things were going to get infinitely more complicated.

I finally made it to the palace, and thankfully, Dev didn't randomly show up to continue our argument. I hoped he'd just decided to stay at the training center to sulk for a while before he decided to approach me again. I went to the office wing of the palace and went down the hallway in search of Alex with preparations to plant my fist so far down his throat, he'd have indigestion for a week. I came to his office and he looked up, probably expecting someone else judging from his cheery smile, but the moment he saw me, the blood drained from his face and he let out a girly squeal.

"Raven!"

"Alex," I said tightly, stepping in and slamming the door shut behind me, "I think we need to talk." Alex looked around frantically, then scrambled out of his seat and inched back innocently toward the corner of the office, holding a hand out toward me.

"Raven, don't get mad. It was an accident."

"Of course it was. It's always an accident with you, Alex."

"Hey, I resent that. I'm just an incredibly unlucky person."

"And Lady Luck is about to fuck you over sideways."

"Aw, come on, it really was an accident," Alex whined, ducking behind one of the desks when I went to grab him, "It was! Dev came in because he wanted a new assignment for the week and Minerva wasn't here to give it to him, so I said I'd do it and I had the files you wanted me to look up opened on the monitor and he saw it and-and- Come on, he's really persuasive. And I'm not even gay! How do you think all this makes me feel? To be seduced by someone as big and hairy as him? God, whatever manhood I had left was stripped when he laid hands on me." I stiffened at that.

"He what?" I asked. Alex blushed furiously.

"You're not really gonna make me relive it, are you?"

"Alex."

"He did that creepy nuzzle thing on my ear and was begging me to let me look at it and I couldn't help it. He's Lust! You can't say no to Lust. And that's the same part. Why couldn't Minerva be Lust? Why'd she have to be Sloth? I'm Sloth enough as it is without her around. With us together in a room, well, we're literally slothes. Except more attractive. At least me anyway."

"He was flirting with you?" I asked in agony. Pain spread through my chest and Alex looked paler now.

"Oh crap," He managed, "No, no. Raven, it wasn't like that. He did it because he was using me... Agh, now that just makes me feel bad. Listen, Raven, he didn't do it because he liked me. He just wanted to know what you were up to because he was worried about you. He knows people can't resist him and that's why he did it." For some reason, nothing he said made it any better. If anything, it just made it worse.

But what did I expect? Dev to be a one man... man? He was Lust. He couldn't help it. It was like he said to me before; he got boners for people he didn't even like. How could I be any different? I was just the only person who wouldn't sleep with him. And if I finally did?

I'd wake up in the morning.

Alone.

And miserable. Just like every other morning, granted, but at least I wouldn't feel cheap and used. Like another tally mark on Dev's score sheet.

Maybe he was worried about me, but obviously not as a boyfriend. Why did I ever think I was even boyfriend material? Where did that pathetic sliver of hope come from? A real relationship? With me? Dev would have a better relationship with... with a hamster even. At least the hamster wasn't a dirty whore.

"Rave, I'm really sorry," Alex apologized, inching towards me, "I didn't mean to make Dev to look like the bad guy. If it helps any, I'm totaly not interested at all whatsoever. I'm a total ladies man. Or at least, I'd like to be." He gave me a helpless shrug, but I couldn't be mad at him anymore. I simply couldn't muster up enough strength to. But I wasn't going to show Alex I was hurt, so I just gave him the most plastic smile I could come up with.

"Nah. It doesn't surprise me. Look, just please don't tell anyone else, all right? I can't risk my family getting involved with this. Especially them." I stressed. Alex nodded quickly and made a crossing motion over his heart to signify his sincerity. I stuck around for a few more minutes to review the data he'd managed to collect after he'd gotten the camera back online. As far as we knew, there was no activity going on in the mountain pass between Helheim and Hell. And after a quick phone call to Coyotl, he'd informed me that there was nothing suspicious at Lake Non. It was a bit troublesome.

Had Julius's call just been an attempt to spook me into coming to him willingly?

No, he knew I wasn't that pathetic.

Still, something about all of this felt wrong. Very wrong. And it only made me more paranoid as I made my way back to my bedroom.

"Raven!" I looked up to see Anza coming down the hallway toward me. I relaxed at the sight of her, then paused to see that she wasn't alone. Beside her was the pretty redhead from the diner she'd met; the girl named Maggie. She was curvy and small, her dark red hair done up in a wavy bun with bangs framing a pixie face and a little up-turned nose, her Cupid's bow lips painted a vibrant shade of pink that went well with her long sleeved white turtleneck under a tiny black and white star printed dress. A pair of tall Victorian style boots with black stockings, and a cropped black jacket with a hood and sleeves lined with fur, finished off her attire. She looked like a model, and the proud look on Anza's face instantly doused my crummy mood.

"Hey, bunny," Anza greeted me cheerfully, "Maggie, this is Raven. Raven, this is Maggie. I figured while I was here, I'd do some introductions." Maggie flashed me a model worthy smile, taking my gloved hand in a dainty handshake.

"Hi, Raven. It's a pleasure to meet you. Anza talks so much about you, I feel like I already know you." She said warmly. I took an instant liking to her and returned a smile.

"I could say the same about you. It's good to finally meet you," I said to her, then looked at Anza, who was looking at Maggie as if she were the brightest star in the sky, and it made me smile even more to see her so happy, "What're stopping by for?"

"I had a quick errand to run and Maggie and I were already headed out for lunch, so I'd figured I'd kill two birds with one stone." She answered. I nodded and Maggie flashed me another award-winning smile. Man, how does someone keep their teeth so white?

"How about you join us? I'd be great to get to know you some more." She said. I blinked, then looked at Anza for permission and she nodded eagerly.

"S'fine by me, you know that, bun." She told me. I smiled.

"Sounds good to me then. Where are we headed?" I asked.

"Le Petite Cafe. One of those cheesy cafes down on Brown Street," Maggie informed proudly, "They have the best mushroom sauteed burgers in the city, I swear. You'll love it. And their deserts are to die for. Nothing pleases this piglet more than a Devil's slice. No pun intended." Anza blushed, much to my surprise.

"You are not fat." She scolded. Maggie gave her a pout, poking her belly miserably.

"Are you kidding me? Look, I bet someone will think I'm pregnant."

"One raspberry tart, Mag. It wasn't a Chinese buffet."

"Might as well have been."

"I think you look fine." I offered. Anza gave me a grateful smile and Maggie blushed to the roots of her hair, covering her mouth with her fingertips.

"You're just the sweetest. No wonder Anza calls you bunny." She giggled. I blushed in return as Anza snorted.

"Nah, I call him that because his nose twitches when he gets mad, like a bunny."

"Bunnies get mad?"

"If you poke him enough." Anza offered and poked me in the ribs. I scowled and batted her hand away. Anza grinned and Maggie laughed. After a few more playful jokes, I followed them out of the palace and down a couple blocks to Brown Street. Thankfully, Maggie had been the one to suggest we walk so we had more time to talk and get to know one another.

No surprise that Maggie turned out to be a model. She modeled for several local magazines and a couple otherworldly ones as well as a few from the mortal realm. She wasn't a famous super star yet, but she seemed intent on getting her face on the big screen. She was definitely a woman that dreamed big, and I could tell by the way Anza listened so intently during her rambles of stardom that Anza appreciated a woman who dreamed big. Someone who was serious about their work and their aspirations and put in the hard work and effort to reach it. That was just the kind of person Anza needed to match her equally ambitious lifestyle.

And watching them flirt was oddly adorable. Something about their relationship was so sweet and sugary, like the kind you'd see on a fifties television commercial.

It was so new to see Anza act so sweet and gentle with someone who wasn't me. Heck, even with me she tended to get a little rough and masculine. Even her voice, I noted, was deeper around me, but around Maggie, her voice heightened with obvious pleasure and she smiled a lot more.

I found myself a little envious of their relationship. It was so honest and loyal, so sweet and caring. What would it be like to have someone look at you like you were the center of the universe? That nothing else mattered, but you?

"Sorry," Maggie said with a laugh, causing me to zone back in after she'd tucked a strawberry into Anza's mouth, "Anyway, so Anza says you're seeing Dev." I bit back the urge to frown and just gave her an awkward smile instead.

"Ah, no, actually. He's just overly friendly." I replied. Maggie appeared confused, as did Anza, but while Maggie's was an innocent confusion, Anza's was hostile.

"What did that little shit do now?" She demanded. Maggie gave her a gentle smack on the arm.

"What did I say about swearing?"

"Well, this is one of those exceptions I told you about," Anza assured her, then glared at me, "Spill, bunny, so I know if I should bathe in his organs." Maggie grimaced. I gave her an apologetic smile, then shook my head at Anza.

"Nothing, Anza. You know Dev. He's never really serious about anything. And I'm not really looking for a relationship right now anyway." I replied. Anza's expression darkened.

"Are you kidding me? Rave, I don't know what anyone's told you, but that whole year you were gone? Dev spent that entire year in a drunken haze. The bastard couldn't even form a proper sentence without goin' off on some spiel about how he was a terrible person because he couldn't save you. Hell, I'm willin' to bet he was guiltier than I was. And trust me, I was pretty guilty."

"Anza--"

"I'm serious, bun. Dev may not take work or training seriously, but when it comes to you? He's scary serious."

"Well, he has a crummy way of showing it." I deadpanned. Anza shrugged, leaning back in her seat and putting an arm around Maggie's shoulders, making Maggie bit her lip in an attempt to hide a happy smile as she scooted closer to her.

"Men are really crummy at showin' all sorts of emotions, bun. Ya really gotta squint and maybe, just maybe, you'll see a hint of a smile." She offered. I smiled at that, but I wasn't sure what to say to it. I didn't really want to tell Anza about what Dev did to Alex, or the fact that Dev had discovered my plans about Julius. That would simply be too dangerous and I wasn't going to risk Anza finding out about Julius... Not to mention, I knew Anza would run back to Dev and kick the shit out of him for flirting with Alex.

Instead, I brushed it off as if it were nothing and we changed the subject to Maggie and her modeling career. And yet, I still felt horribly uncomfortable. It was a strange nagging sensation at the back of my mind.

Once lunch was over, I returned to the palace and let Anza and Maggie go off on their own. I arrived in the palace foyer in time to find Alaric waiting there, looking jittery.

"Alaric?" I asked. The moment I said his name, he jumped in alarm.

"Raven! Where have you been? Jaques said he called your cell."

"Sorry, I had it turned off because I was with Anza and Maggie. What's wrong?" I asked confused. Alaric's eyes darkened and he clenched his fists, sneering at me.

"Hades's troops. They attacked the border between Helheim and Hell!"