Consume (The Devoured Series) (21 page)

"Maybe I could go to a bank in the next town and make a large withdrawal? Get out quick and hit the road," he ventured.

"Too risky and you know it. We need to get out of Dodge, a.s.a.p."

Eli looked at me, knowing full well I had no idea what they were talking about. "Pit stop," he told me. I knew whatever it was would be important so I just nodded.

"Franz," Eli called and the man immediately stepped from the shadows. Eli chuckled without humor. "Wow. I really am a sucker, huh?"

"Not a sucker," Franz offered. "A winner. A winner who plans to make a load of money tonight, along with me."

"Fine. We're in, but the girl comes with us."

"Excellent," he said and led the way. Eli walked silently with his hand wrapped around my waist. Enoch walked behind us. I kept looking up to Eli looking at his face to gauge his mood. He seemed determined, but reluctant. I was getting an emotion of regret from him which seemed weird.

"I'm fine, love," he whispered and smiled down at me. "Look, where we’re going is dangerous. Franz is the leader of the rebels. They hold fights and games for betting."

"Fights?"

He nodded slowly. "Enoch and I use to come here to fight a lot. We were quite a spectacle back then." He smiled as he remembered. "We were an unbeatable match."

"Who did you fight?" I asked heard the horror in my voice.

"I said we were unbeatable," he said softly. "Don't worry. We used to fight anything that fought back. Elves, Trolls, Pixies."

"Pixies?"

He gave me a wry look. "They aren't all as sweet as they look."

"What else did you do besides fight?"

"Card games, dice, animal races. Basically anything that we could bet on, we did."

"What are you going to do now?"

"No idea. Whatever they have going on."

"Is this why you have so much money?"

"Mostly. I had to make my own after I left my parents and Enoch was all too happy helping me to beat on something for sport."

I shivered in disgust. I didn't know if I could watch him do this or not. The memory of Tate beating that guy at the match…over and over… I shook my head.

"Let's figure out what we're doing before we get distraught, ok?" he said gently.

Franz spoke then, condescending and mocking. "You are very sweet to that human girl. I wonder what you've gotten yourself into, Thames."

"I thought it was the rebel's motto to mind his own business?" Eli shot back, causing Franz to laugh.

"Indeed. No judgment here, Elijah.
That's
our motto."

Eighteen

We walked behind all the shops and I turned my eyes from the monsters prowling the corners. They left us alone and I was thankful. We arrived at the backdoor of a shack soon after we left and Franz held it open for us. The inside seemed bigger when we entered. There was a wide open space in the middle of all the bustling people looking for action.

The majority of the people present looked human, but so did Devourers so I took no stock in that notion. I knew…just knew…they were going to have to fist fight someone. The marked square in the middle, the gleam in people's eyes as they waited anxiously, the way money was changing hands at just our entrance.

Grrr…

I closed my eyes and felt his hands on my face. I peeked at him and he was smirking. He leaned forward to once again put his mouth to my ear. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t worry. It's pouring off of you, love."

"I don't want to watch you get pounded," I said and he raised his brow in insult, "or watch you pound someone."

"Love," he started, but I put my fingers over his lips.

"Will you just go do what you have to do so we can go?"

He smiled at some private joke. Then he took me in his arms and kissed the worry right out of me. I squeaked as he leaned me back and bent me as he kissed me harder, but held me to him easily.

The sudden cheers and claps made me blush, but he kept right on kissing me. When he asked for entrance, I couldn't help but give it to him. He swept his tongue in my mouth just once before pulling me upright. His smile was full of adoration and humor. I bit my lip to stop the smile on my own face. I was mad, wasn't I?

He waited, grinning at me. I rolled my eyes and let the smile go. He grinned wider and patted my thigh as he moved to my other side, causing me to gasp. He grabbed my hand and moved me to stand next to a tall man who was standing behind a small desk looking thing with a glass room divider. "Stay here," Eli said. "I mean it, Clara Belle. You move and I'll," he shook his head and laughed, "I'll spank you harder."

"That doesn't sound like punishment," I said coyly.

He groaned and pulled me to him. He kissed the spot under my ear and said, "You
are
a temptress." He kissed me once more and then pointed at me as he made his way backwards. "Stay," he mouthed.

I nodded once and smiled. Cavuto had made his way from Enoch to me and he perched on the side of the desk. I tried to ignore him.

The man next to me held a bunch of papers in his hands and took money as people passed it over the glass. He worked frantically with the numbers in his head and on paper, his pencil flying across the pages. I looked back up just in time to see Franz take center stage. He had removed his suit jacket and the cane was gone.

A girl came up to me and nudged my shoulder with hers. "Hey."

"Hi," I said, but didn't look at her.

"I'm human. You can calm down." She giggled and I looked over at her. Or down at her I should say because she was so short. "I'm Bridgette. I'm mated, too."

"Nice to meet you, Bridgette. I’m Clara."

"Well, Clara," she said as she took my hand. "Welcome to our world."

She walked off without another word.

I turned back to Franz as he swung his arms wide and turned a slow circle in the room. "Ladies," he bowed to me, "gentleman, Devourers, Weres, Elves, Trolls, Pixies, Pikes, Daywalkers, bookies, crooks, thieves, and feelers alike. Welcome!" He bowed and then straightened looking back at Eli and Enoch, who were standing off to the side, both with their arms crossed. "We have a special treat for you. The Thames brothers!"

The applause made me feel a spike of pride for Eli, though I wasn't happy about what he was doing. I saw Eli and Enoch put their heads together as Franz went on about the rules and last chance to place bets. They smiled at each other and grasped hands as they made a decision.

It was the first time I'd ever seen them act like real brothers.

The crowd parted for the competitors and I gasped when I saw the ones they were fighting. They were huge in the torso, muscles and bulging sinew everywhere. They stood at least three feet taller than Eli and Enoch, and even had to duck when entering the arena so as not to hit their skulls on the molding.

I threw my troubled gaze to Eli, but he was already watching me. He wore a smirk and I gawked. How could he not care that he was about to get his butt handed to him?

"Last chance for bets on the Ogres!" Franz yelled and I ducked as people started barreling money and yelling over the glass.

One of the Ogres came my way and banged his fist on the glass, making me jump and yelp. It wasn't glass, it was Plexiglas. He smiled in triumphant at my reaction. But when he turned back, Eli was practically melting him with a glare.

I just crossed my arms and watched as Franz shhed the crowd. The silence was terrible and anticipatory. Then he threw his arm down and the Ogres charged. I covered my eyes with my fingers, but wound up peeking through them anyway. The Ogre swung at Enoch, but he ducked and cracked his elbow into the Ogre's spine. He was down for the count.

Eli came at the one who banged on the window and smiled tauntingly. The Ogre did the same as the other and swung for Eli's head. Eli ducked back and gave him a motion to come at him again. The Ogre roared and swung, but this time Eli kicked the Ogre's feet out from under him. I winced as the bone jarring sound of his head hitting the floor carried over the room.

The Ogre groaned, but didn't get up. That was it? That was the whole fight? The crowd erupted in curses and yells.

I looked at Eli questioningly and he shrugged as he walked towards me. He ran around the glass and took my hand before speaking to the man beside me in another language. The man laughed and clapped Eli on the back handing him a rolled-up wad of cash. He held his arm out for Cavuto and let the bird climb up his arm to his shoulder.

Eli saluted the bookie, pulled me to follow him and the people around us groaned and complained. Franz stopped us at the door. He was angry.

"Elijah, you barely let them even put up a fight! I'm not going to have much business if that's the way fights are done here. It's all about the play out!"

"Everyone knows Ogres are slower than slugs. I'm in a hurry, Franz. Maybe next time."

Eli put me in front of him and pushed our way through the back door. I began to feel another headache coming, but I didn't say anything to Eli. He was worried enough as it was. So I just said, "I thought we were in a hurry? Why the pit stop?"

"The money was too easy," Enoch explained from behind me. "And we need it to keep going."

"We?" I asked, but he didn’t say anything else.

"Hey," Eli muttered and jerked his head to Enoch and then towards an old wood frame house. There was a white slash of paint above the doorframe. "A rebel camp."

"Well, we should have known there would be one if Franz is near," Enoch reasoned.

"Rebel camp?" I asked.

"A place where all of the rebels meet. They hide there and stay together."

I was intrigued. "You mean there could be other Devourers and humans who have bonded in there?" I whispered.

"Yes," Eli answered.

"Don't get any ideas," Enoch barked. "We need to keep moving."

When did he become the boss? As I was looking at him I saw a shadow move from the dark alcove. I narrowed my eyes at Finn, but Eli and Enoch had already seen him.

"Where've you been?" Enoch asked harshly.

"I've been playing, Mommy," Finn spouted. "Didn't know I had a curfew."

"It's really funny to me that you disappear the second we get here."

"Why's that funny," Finn asked. "You accusing me of something, Enoch?"

"Are you guilty of something, Finn?"

He opened his mouth to retaliate, but the door to the rebel camp opened and a young, pretty girl came out. She smiled and started to walk away, but turned. She cocked her head as she looked at me. "Clara?"

"How do you know her name?" Eli asked and pulled me closer to him.

"Bridgette told us all about you! She's waiting for you, you know," she explained calmly.

"Who?"

"You've been looking for Magenta, haven't you?"

"How do you know that?" Eli asked and again she refused to answer.

"She's in there," she said and motioned. "The attic." Eli and I looked at each other.
Attics are way creepy,
I remembered him saying.

"What are you bonded with?" Eli asked her suddenly as she tried to leave again.

She smiled and glanced at our wrist. Her smiled widened. "Ah," she said as though she understood everything now. "We don't get many Devourers who are bonded. In fact, I've only ever met one."

"Are you deliberately refusing to answer my questions?" Eli barked.