The Devil pulls the strings which make us dance;
We find delight in the most loathsome things;
Some furtherance of Hell each new day brings,
And yet we feel no horror in that rank advance.

-Charles Baudelaire

I glare at Jessamine when she drags me back into the room.

Despite the bipolar weather break, now it being sunny and the snow all melted we're staying the night anyway. None of our parents expect us home, it's officially the weekend and we got the best news: Along with the good weather the carnival is in town. 

If the weather doesn't turn to shit again we're going tomorrow.

We all agreed to play Epic Would You Rather, where you have to do the thing you would rather do. 

Jessamine asked me, "Would you rather let me or Julian dress you." 

Obviously I picked my best friend, thinking she would go easy on me.

I was wrong.

Little shit made me wear a pair of her lace panties and bra, both of which are too small on me. They're more like thongs at this point and the bra shows everything, which Jessie instantly approved of.

When I threatened to titty punch her she let me put on a tank top and booty shorts, but I know with the people I'm playing with they won't stay on very long. 

Great.

Horny teenagers.

Bah.

"I hate you." I spit, digging my heels in as the darkness that the living room is consumed by pops into sight. To add a little something we're playing with the lights off, to add a creep factor. "Like seriously hate you. What about all those blind people huh? You're lucky it's dark in there. Everyone's pupils would literally catch -Fuck!" I yell out when she forces me to fall straight into the center of the living room.

I'm surprised when I stumble and land on another body, instantly I groan and try to move off them only for them to push me first.

"Ew, I touched it." Julian complains, I stand straight and tense.

I hate the dark.

"That's my line." I reply, earning myself a sharp slap to my hip. I try to step away from him only to step into a cold chest, hands grab my waist and I hear someone inhale sharply. 

"Unless your waist suddenly got much smaller or you're not Jess." Calum says, I move back and I'm sure he winces. "That's a no."

"Thanks for letting go." I say, wanting nothing more than to run away.

"Of course." Cal, the Angel, replies. "Anything else would have been wrong."

I smile at this. "I'm glad someone sees it that way."

Hot hands grab me, trailing under my tank top to hold my ribs. One of Xavier's thumbs move over my belly piercing. "I didn't know you had a piercing there until you woke me up with it." He whispers, warm air hitting my ear.

He's so tall, I know he's hunching over just to hold me as I feel his bent knees against the backs of my thighs. 

I shiver, his body the only thing holding me up over my weak knees. 

"It's your turn Emma." Jessamine reminds me, snapping me out of it at the same time.

"Right, right." I repeat myself, now flustered. "Calum would you rather ask Xavier out and get punched while I record it or ask Jessie out and have that over with?"

"You'll pay for this Emmeline." Jessamine says, her voice deadly.

"It had to be done man, watching you two is pathetic." I say, Xavier nods into the back of my curls.

"Grow some fucking courage man, I'm tired of you calling me and whining about your non existent but clearly there love life." The Devil growls.

I turn my face towards him, even though he can't see me.

"He does that to you too?" I ask, seeing as my best friend does the exact same thing to me.

"Enough chit chat!" Snaps a nervous Jessamine. "Decide already." 

Feeling pressured I see Calum snatch Jessie's figure through a small beam of moonlight. Clearly the decision was made. "Jess will you please be my girlfriend? I know it feels like I'm just doing this because of the dare but I'll ask you the same thing every day as long as you'll say yes."

Jessamine squeals and I hear the sound of him jumping on him, then his body connecting to the ground a second later. "That's a big fat yes!" She gets up, pulling a stumbling Calum after her. "Don't follow us." She shouts.

I make a face, twisting in Xavier's hold.  "Thank god she had that sound proofed."

Seeing the glint of his teeth I shrink in his hold, not scared but worried with Julian in the room.

"My turn." Julian chirps, annoying as ever. "I'll sub in for Angel boy." 

"His name is Cal." Xavier says, sounding cold.

"Shush Devil boy." He snaps, and I know he will live to regret it. "Emma-"

"No." I interrupt him.

"Would you-"

"No."

"Rather-"

"I said no."

"Would you rather-"

"No."

"Have me-"

"Do nothing."

"Would you-"

"No."

"Rather have me or-"

"No one."

"Devil-"

"No."

"Me or Devil boy-"

"Do nothing."

"If you interrupt me one more time I'll throw you outside and let you suffocate in the mud." I grin, loving I've agitated him so much.

"Is that a threat?" I ask. "Because it's really not doing you wonders."

"Would you rather," Julian begins, testing the non-existent waters. "Have me or Devil boy bite you."

Xavier snickers for reasons only known to me and him.

"Depends," I say, making his snickering stop as I'm sure his head snaps to me. If anything Julian is intrigued. "Where would I be bit?"

"Hmm, I'm gonna keep this interesting. Stomach." I cringe and roll my eyes.

"Why are you doing this? What if I don't like being bit?" I ask, making a regretful face when Xavier snorts slightly.

"You do."

"Ooo," Julian says, and I hear him step closer. "And how would you know this?"

"I think the answer to that is obvious." Xavier replies smugly. "Do you want details because-" I elbow him in the gut, causing him to laugh but shut up none the less. 

"I'll make a deal with you." My head snaps up at Julian's voice. "I won't enforce the game rules if you two just go to bed. I need to do something y'all can't be around for."

I grin slightly, putting two and two together. "Pranks?"

"You bet your sweet ass they are. I have to hide from Jessie tomorrow."

"Good luck in this storm." Xavier sneers. "You do realize you live with her, we literally have plans to-"

I shush him, not wanting Julian to know not to do this. I need my entertainment somehow.

Grabbing around his arm I tug on it, he lets me pull him away. Soon I'm shutting the door of the guest room and flicking on the lights. 

"Damn," Xavier growls, suddenly I'm being tugged straight into his chest. I gasp as his hands roam me, clutching onto my ribs. "This-" He pulls up on my tank top so he can meet my bare skin. "Isn't doing anything."

"Why do you enjoy this," I motion between us. "So much?" 

He grins, and it's feral.

"With your body I don't see how anyone couldn't enjoy it." He says, instantly my cheeks flame up my I'm sure he saw the momentary hurt in my eyes. "We're not doing this, I'm not doing this simply because I like how you look."

I raise a eyebrow and cross my arms defensively over my chest. "Then why are you doing this?"

"I'm not sure exactly. All I know is it feels right, I enjoy it and we can be good for each other. I think you're worth it, and it's not like we're both not getting something out of it. We can enjoy each other and figure each other out at the same time. Kissing is the easy part, you taught me that." The Devil says, holding onto my hips in a crushing grip. 

I slip my arms behind his neck, burying my hands into his hair. "It's a good thing then, that I love doing things the easy way." His lips quirk up before our lips meet.

Once again I don't know who made the first move.

On instinct I jump up, he catches me making my legs able to wrap around his waist. I grin as he presses me into the wall, hips fitting into my own. 

I tug him closer and kiss him back with a bruising force, his fingers knead into my thigh and waist. He bites my lip when pulling away, resting his nose against my cheek before he looks at me.

I meet his startling blue eyes and realize how dark they got.

"Do you want to do this?" He asks, and I remember he does that too.

Ask when not a lot of people would.

"Yes. Of course." I reply, kissing him again. 

He grins into it, turning to lay me on the bed. 

-

I tsk in annoyance as someone shifts me in my sleep, clutching my arms around Xavier's shoulders tighter as I realize it's him. "Stop moving."

"Not the greeting I was looking for," He says, his voice husky with sleep. "But when it's you anything would do."

"Cheesy Wolf, real cheesy." I chuckle, lifting my head off his chest to meet his eyes.

After last night I almost expect him to look different somehow, but he just looks like himself and just very very attractive without a shirt on, and also very very comfortable to lay on naked. 

He smirks, showing off one side of his sharp teeth. "Well Carter, you're the one that likes it."

At this I begin to flush and bury my face again, he laughs lightly and tugs me closer to him. 

I sigh and relax into him. "What time is it?" I mumble, still feeling tired.

"Nearly twelve." At this I completely straighten up, exposing myself. He smirks wider before groaning, realizing that I'm leaving while scrambling for clothes.

Thanks for this being a second home to me I have tons of clothes in the guest room, so I can pull on underwear that actually fits me just fine. 

Thankfully I have a pair of sweatpants too, but I quickly pull on Xavier's shirt making him scoff at me. "That's mine."

"I noticed." I grin, picking at the front of it. "This is bigger than my normal shirts, which is saying something." I attempt to tease him.

He snorts lightly, twisting over in bed before hanging his feet over the side. "That's because I have all this muscle, not because I'm large and fat." He pulls on a pair of boxer shorts and leans back onto his elbows.

"Right," I stand in front of him. "Definitely not large."

He grabs my hips, pulling him straight onto his chest. I squeal as he buries his face in my chest, exhaling slowly as his arms keep me crushed too him.  

I huff out as he rolls over, trapping me under him. With a grumble he tugs my shirt down, and I know he could probably smell himself a bit too much as he stuffs his face in my now exposed cleavage. "Having fun down there?" I ask. He hums in reply, shifting slightly. "My boobs aren't pillows."

He doesn't even reply, just curls himself against me. Fire instantly pools into me, I remind myself of how warm he always is. He's as hot as he looks. 

"What am I supposed to do? Everyone is going to be awake -Julian will be in mortal danger the second Jessie wakes up." My eyes widen, knowing she has her weekend alarm sent for one. She always does. "We have a hour left before someone is murdered."

"That doesn't sound like a me problem. It sounds like a you problem, but you have a bigger one." He responds, lips moving against my skin.

"Which is?"

"You're trapped under me, which is quite pleasant if you ask me. Which means you can't go anywhere." He explains, making my jaw drop. "Hence a you problem."

I scowl, but find myself relaxing under him and falling asleep once again.

A piercing scream is what wakes me up, I jerk awake making the person on me growl lowly and clutch onto me tighter. "Xavier," I gasp. "Wake up."

"No." He refuses, wrapping his arms tighter around my middle. 

"But my best friends are going to kill each other." I complain, moving my hands to either side of his cheeks. "If I get in the way that won't happen."

"I'm sure as long as you help hide the body she won't kill you as well," He mumbles, clearly giving all the credit to Jessamine. Smart man.

"You're such a ass," I tell him. "If you don't wake up, I'm going to make you." He just huffs, trying to sleep again. 

Rolling my eyes I lift his head again, making him groan. With a small smirk I instantly kiss him, even in his sleeping state he responds to me. I start kissing down his jaw, quickly finding the sweet spot he has below his ear I work there before blowing on it. He tenses beneath me and I make a split second decision and clamp my teeth around his ear lobe.

He clenches his jaw and his hands tighten on my hips, making a small grunt of pain. 

I pull away and grin at him, seeing his closed eyed tightened expression. 

"Emmeline." He growls, I bite my lip. That's a full first name right now.

"I'd ask if you don't like being bit back." I say, wrapping my arms around his neck. "But we'd both know that would be a lie."

"I hate you so much right now," He says, voice stiff. "So, so much."

"But you're awake now, and you hate me. So let me go." I tell him, seconds before another scream ripples through the air, this time added onto a male grunt.

Multiple pranks.

And the Angel got hit.

Julian is a dead man.

Thankfully Xavier releases me this time, grumbling under his breath as we both get out of bed.

He pulls on sweatpants, following me to the door.

I smile lightly, realizing the fact he's shirtless would help cheer up Jessie. 

She did ask after all. 

I'm almost knocked off my feet as Julian barges past me in the hall, swinging around the corner and squishing me into the wall. I squeak in pain, catching his attention. 

"Emma! Thank god." He yells, letting Jessie know where we are.

"You idiot." I hiss, shoving him off me. "Now we're both dead."

"Get back here you idiot!" His sister screams, I gulp as he grabs my arms, holding me against his as a active human shield. Jessamine runs into the hall, stopping short as she sees me. "Let her go you asshole!"

"You're just making this worse for yourself," Calum says, following his girl. "Just apologize and let her punch you."

"You don't know where she'll punch me." Julian whines, I tense as he leans for over me. "I will use her." He warns. 

"Oh I know," Xavier says, a cold look on his face. "And I'm going to kick you there if you don't drop her."

"Jealous, Devil?" I ask, regretting it as he shoots me a look that makes me turn sheepish under his gaze. "Just concerned then?"

Julian rolls his eyes, which makes a argument spark between the Thatch siblings again. This time Cal joins in, angry all the same. Even I start to yell at Julian when he won't let me go, adding a bruising grip to my arms.

"Everyone stop!" Xavier yells, his deep voice demanding the silence that quickly follows. "Let her go Thatch, Jessamine calm down, Cal just fucking leave it you don't really care and you," He meets my eyes. "Come here." 

Instantly Julian's grip slips off me, I shoot towards the Devil and bury myself in his side. Jessamine silently fumes, but I can see her anger quickly fading. Cal looks completely unbothered, and I realize he was arguing for the shake of arguing.

Alpha wolf, just like his name.

"That's settled." Xavier smirks, glancing at me then Jessie. "What do you have to eat around here?"