“Come on,” said Malcolm, speaking directly to her. “What would your sister think of this?”
“I don’t have a sister,” whispered Leah. “The star touched do not have family.”
Malcolm rolled his eyes.
“You don’t see how parts of this philosophy are a little weird and senseless?” asked Malcolm. “Are Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden dosing you guys with something? Maybe drugs in the ceremonial punch every…”
Zoe pushed her bra clad breasts into Malcolm’s face, and he suddenly forgot what he’d been saying. Rion was unzipping his jeans and pulling them down. Leah was running her hands through his hair. It was altogether more sensation than Malcolm knew how to resist.
Rose did tell me to play along. Maybe just for a minute or two. I doubt they’ll take this all the way…
All three of the young women had a similar smell, and it reminded Malcolm of the scent of fresh mint. Zoe brought her lips to his and gave him a kiss, just a quick peck. Malcolm chuckled as though it was the first one he’d ever been given, and then was almost bowled over by her passionate follow-up.
Zoe moaned as she pushed her lips against his, slipping her tongue into his mouth. She tasted of strawberries. Malcolm could feel Rion, or possibly Leah, pulling his boxers down. He was too engaged with the kiss to suggest that they stop,
Just… playing along.
A soft hand took hold of his growing erection. Malcolm pulled back from Zoe and glanced down. Rion was slowly fondling his shaft, wearing the same smile on her face that she had while giving her sermon. Leah watched from a similar vantage point, though her cheeks were crimson red.
Zoe unhooked her bra and let it fall to the side. Malcolm stared at one of the most amazing sets of breasts he’d ever seen in his life. He reached out as though in a trance, and Zoe obliged him, lowering them into his hands.
Something hot and wet ran along the side of Malcolm’s shaft. Rion had taken things to the next level, using the tip of her tongue to give him focused pleasure in the same way a barber might use a razor to get at a tricky length of hair.
“Okay…” breathed Malcolm. “I think… we should take a step back.”
Zoe took a step back, and then a step down, and then she was kissing Malcolm down there, too. Leah was the only one holding back and Malcolm was fine with that. Explaining the details to Rose would be a lot less fun than whatever pleasure she could offer him.
This feels way, way too good.
Rion and Zoe seemed to pick up on his weakness to their offensive and took it even further. Rion focused on sucking, while Zoe kissed and licked relentlessly with her lips and tongue. Malcolm bucked his hips up into the air several times, gripped his hands against the pillow underneath him, and then totally lost control.
They kept at it, even after he’d come, slowly cleaning up the mess he’d made. Malcolm tried to separate the pleasure from his feelings for the cult. He thought about what they’d said earlier, about how Rain Dancer had “cleansed” each of the women in turn, and suddenly felt dirty and complicit to something horrible.
Rain Dancer cleansed Leah, too, no doubt. I wonder what Rose would think of that?
“We can meditate in peace now,” said Rion. “Without having to worry about the toxins interfering with our focus.”
“Totally,” said Malcolm. “But before we do that, I need to grab something in my room.”
“Zoe can show you the-”
“No, I think I can find it!” Malcolm stood up quickly, pulling his pants back into place, and tried to act casual as he hurried out of the meditation room and into the hallway.
CHAPTER 22
Malcolm moved through Underworld as stealthily as he could, staying crouched as he moved across the wall of the main chamber. Most of the Awakened Children had gone off to do something else, giving him more leeway than he would have otherwise had.
He only cared about one thing: finding Rose and getting out. They’d spent too much time amongst the cult for his liking. If he and Rose could find a way to liberate Leah while they were at it, all the better. But first and foremost, Malcolm needed to get Rose and himself to safety.
I need to find her. That’s the only thing I care about, right now.
Malcolm took a slow breath, remembering everything Shield Maiden had told him about using the wind to listen. It was far from easy, knowing that he could be interrupted at any time, but he forced himself to calm down and empty his mind.
Reaching out for the wind, Malcolm felt for small disturbances in it, first nearby, and then pushing outward into the many hallways and chambers of the facility. It felt a bit like putting water into a bowl, the inside surface area slowly being covered as it filled up.
“It will be our little secret,” said Rain Dancer, in a deep, soft voice. “Nobody else needs to know.”
Malcolm gritted his teeth, immediately losing focus. Luckily, he was able to discern direction from just those few words. He hurried down the hallway toward where Rain Dancer’s voice had come from, cushioning his steps with the wind to silence his movement.
It was the same hallway Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden had imprisoned him and Rose in originally. Malcolm paused before one of the doors, which was open a crack. He carefully leaned out just far enough to catch a glimpse of what was inside.
A teenage boy, nor more than thirteen or fourteen, sat on the cell’s concrete floor. Rain Dancer towered over the boy with a stern expression on his face, waiting for something.
“I told you, I don’t know,” said the boy, in a soft, high pitched voice. “I only just discovered my… my gift.”
“There were other champions with you,” said Rain Dancer. “Who were they?”
“Melt…” whispered the boy. “And the other one was… Greenthumb, I think.”
Malcolm recognized the names. Melt and Greenthumb were two field champions who had paid him a visit shortly after he’d joined the Champion Authority. They’d been looking for Rose, and at the time, she’d been hiding in his apartment. It had taken Malcolm a while to assuage their suspicions, but somehow, he’d managed it.
I guess they also find and locate the newly gifted, probably to train as champions.
“Come clean,” said Rain Dancer. “I can tell that you’re lying. Tell me what you know of the local champions, or things are going to stop being fun for you, you know.”
“I swear I don’t know anything!” cried the boy. “Please! I don’t know! I’ve never seen their base. They didn’t tell me where we were going. I was just walking with them, and then… you guys attacked us… and…”
Rain Dancer looked furious, but Malcolm could tell from the demon’s breathing that he was trying to keep himself under control.
“…So be it,” said Rain Dancer.
“Are you… going to torture me?” asked the boy.
Rain Dancer chuckled.
“Do that thing again,” he said.
Malcolm leaned a little further into the doorway, watching as the boy extended his hand and wiggled his fingers. A small chunk of concrete had broken loose from the floor in one spot, and it lifted on its own, hovering up a couple of inches. It looked as though it was taking the boy a great deal of effort to maintain it, and after a couple of seconds, he sighed and let it drop to the floor.
Telekinesis, maybe? Interesting…
“Teddy, I want to give you a choice in what comes next, ya?” said Rain Dancer. “But the only way you get one is if you show us how strong you really are.”
“I… can be strong,” whispered the boy. “Just please, don’t kill me.”
“I’m not going to kill you, Teddy,” said Rain Dancer. “Just a test.”