Chapter 19
“He’s my brother, you idiot!”
Her voice echoes in my brain and it takes me a few moments to digest the new information.
Brother.
He’s her brother.
That means they’re related. Which further means he’s not interested in her, nor does he want to hurt her.
I stare at him. He stares at me.
Minnie pries my fist from his hand, but I barely register that as I’m busy staring down this man that she claims is her brother. It’s not that I don’t believe her. But I don’t think I like him touching her regardless of whether they share blood or not.
I narrow my eyes at him. Now that I see him up close, I suppose I can see the similarities. They have the same dark eyes.
But she never mentioned a brother, did she?
Then again, up until a few days ago, she was still claiming to be an orphan and an ex-con.
“Brother, eh,” I mutter, narrowing my eyes at them. “Introduce us,” I demand.
Minnie appears conflicted as she looks from her brother to me. She’s standing between us now to prevent another conflict. Too bad for her, I’m still contemplating how I can use my surroundings to teach this man a lesson.
Brother? And he left her like that, on the streets? Homeless, with no clothes and no money? Something is not adding up.
Minnie clears her throat.
“Marlowe, this is Molokai, my older brother. Kai, this is Marlowe, my…” She bites her lip as she pauses to think of a proper term. “My friend.” She smiles.
What?
Friend?
I’m her friend?
Once more, a red haze covers my sight.
“Boyfriend,” I correct.
Minnie gives me a look.
Molokai, on the other hand, frowns.
“I’m not familiar with that term. Is he your human guard, Minerva?”
“Uhm, you could say so?”
He takes a deep breath.
“I would have thought you’d stopped messing with humans after the last disaster.”
“It happened. Marlowe is a great guard, though. He’s been protecting me against the males in this world,” Minnie adds.
“He has?” Molokai narrows his eyes at me, his tone suspicious.
“He’s immune to my charms. It’s why I asked him to be my guard in the first place,” Minnie continues.
Their discussion is…odd. I have no fucking clue what they’re talking about. Why am I suddenly her guard?
“And what does he get in return for guarding you?” Molokai asks. “You have nothing to offer in Anthropa. Unless…”
Anthropa? What the hell is that?
“Kai! You’re being offensive.” Minnie scowls. “I make food for him. It’s a fair exchange.”
Her brother freezes.
“You…cook?” he asks in a disgusted voice. “For a puny human?” The mood changes as his voice thunders through the hall. “You forget your position, Minerva.”
“You know my position very well, Kai. And it’s not as bad as it seems. I happen to enjoy it.” She shrugs. “I really am fine. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. At least not for a while.”
He glares at her, then at me.
“I don’t approve.”
“And I don’t care if you approve or not,” she quips. “Now go. It’s not safe for you to be here either.”
“But—”
“Kai…” She gives him a pointed look. “Next time, only make contact if you find something. Otherwise, it’s too dangerous.”
He purses his lips as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“Minerva, this is unacceptable.”
“I think we’re long past what is acceptable, Kai. I’m no longer the naive little sister you knew, nor are my circumstances what they were before. Now please… Don’t make this harder than it already is.”
He doesn’t move, still staring at her.
“Please?” she repeats.
He releases a deep sigh.
“All right. I shall return if there are new developments.”
Minnie nods and gives him a shy smile. But as she goes to give him a hug, I stop her and pull her back.
“Goodbye, Molokai,” I grit out.
He gives me a mutinous look, but as Minnie nudges him, he eventually retreats and leaves.
Then we’re finally alone.
“Brother, huh?” I add skeptically.
“Yes! You didn’t have to be so violent.” She shakes her head at me.
“Maybe I would not have been if you had told me you had a brother,” I argue. Though of course I would have been just as violent. I don’t care if they’re related. He put his hand on her. That’s all I need to know to act.
“We rarely talk.” She shrugs. “He lives abroad.”
“He has a different accent than you,” I note. After Mother’s comments, I paid more attention to her speech, and as a consequence, to her brother’s. Where hers is what my mother would call a Mid-Atlantic accent, her brother’s is a very standard American one.
Odd.
Then again, what isn’t odd about Minnie?
Her cheeks redden.
“That’s… Well…” she stammers. “As I said. We live in different countries.”
I narrow my eyes at her.
“I’m getting tired of all this secrecy. Who is after you?” I demand sharply.
She takes a deep breath.
“It doesn’t matter. Not now,” she says with a smile as she turns to go back to the dining room.
I follow after her and grab her arm.
“It matters to me. I need to know who you are, Minnie.”
She raises her eyes to meet mine.
“Your girlfriend.”
My eyes flash at her statement.
“You were the first to say it.” She smiles, fluttering her lashes at me.
“You—”
“I’m glad you’re coming around. I was wondering how long it would take you to realize how perfect we are for each other,” she whispers. Raising herself on the tips of her toes, she brushes her mouth against my cheek, rendering me speechless.
A flush climbs up my neck and I suddenly feel too hot.
“We are?” I repeat awkwardly as my heartbeat intensifies.
“Oh, yes,” she murmurs seductively. She blows hot air on my cheek and a shudder goes down my back. “You’re my murderous Marlowe and I’m your mischievous Minnie. See how well we fit?” She trails her lips all over my cheek.
Her lips are soft. Hot.
I gulp down.
“I suppose so,” I mumble, my mind going blank.
The only thing I know is that her body is flush against mine, her mouth on my skin. Her scent is assailing my nostrils until her presence overtakes my entire universe.
Girlfriend.
I repeat the word in my head, unused to the ring of it.
She’s my…girlfriend?
Flashes of being near her, of exploring her lush mouth and naked body assail me. Because that’s what couples do, no? They share everything.
Hmm. The idea is more appealing than I would have thought.
I’ve never dwelled much on what couples do since I’ve never really felt drawn to the institution. But I suppose there are perks to it.
And as my mother noted, we’re already living together and doing the mundane things couples do. All that’s missing is physical intimacy.
Fuck.
The moment I open that door, a barrage of images assaults me.
Minnie, naked, in my bed.
Sweat pebbles on my forehead the more I think about the countless things we can do.
Damn it, but I can’t wait to trace my lips all over her body and find out how she tastes everywhere. I have a feeling she’s going to be even more addictive than her food.
And then I’ll be truly in trouble.
I’ve been thinking of this for far too long, and now that my fantasies are close to being fulfilled, I’m worried I might not…be good at it.
Fuck. Double fuck.
I need to watch some porn. Maybe read some romance novels.
While I’m lost in my head, I barely realize that Minnie has stepped away from me and is now looking at me with an amused smile on her lips.
“I think you need to take care of that before we go back to your mother,” she murmurs seductively.
I look down at where she’s pointing and I’m not surprised to see that she’s referring to my erection.
“Now?” I ask.
“Of course now!” She chuckles. “Come, the bathroom is over there,” she says as she grabs my arm and steers me toward the men’s bathroom.
I didn’t think my fantasies would come to life so quickly, but damn…
My excitement increases with every second as I picture Minnie’s small hands wrapped around my dick as she tries to take care of it. But then, the picture morphs into her on her knees, those pouty lips of hers parted over the tip of my cock…
Fucking hell.
At this rate, I won’t make it to the bathroom. The mere idea of my cock in her mouth has me close to coming already.
In fact, I’m so lost to lust that I forget about wanting to question her further about her brother or her identity. All I can think about is my impending release. And the fact that she looks so fucking hot in that dress.
I picture what she looked like naked.
I was a fool for telling her she should keep her clothes on. She wouldn’t have objected to working naked around the house.
Back then, unacceptable.
Now? It would be heaven.
I mentally berate myself for my previous uptightness—not that I’ve shed much of it, and only when it concerns Minnie.
We reach the bathroom, and I’m happy to see it’s single use. I’ll make sure to put paper towels on the ground so Minnie won’t sully her knees or her dress.
Normally, I’d question the cleanliness of a random bathroom and I’d never see myself setting foot inside it.
But this will be an exception.
I might have nightmares about it and I might over-scrub my skin tonight in the shower, but a little pain is nothing compared to the bliss that awaits me.
I open the door to the bathroom and motion for Minnie to go in first. I do my best to not seem overly eager, but it is what it is.
We’re boyfriend and girlfriend at this point, no?
“Why won’t you go in?” She frowns.
“You go first,” I mention. Can’t she see I’m being a gentleman? Does she have any idea how hard it is to remember to be gentlemanly when your dick is about to go off?
Her frown deepens.
She stares at me, then at the bathroom, then back at me.
“You…” She swallows, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red. “You want me inside? To help you…”
I nod. Why is she suddenly playing coy? It was her idea.
She balances herself from one foot to another.
She doesn’t seem so sure anymore.
Before I can ask her to clarify, she shoves me inside the bathroom and closes the door.
“Pervert,” she squeaks, then giggles as she runs away.
I can hear her heels clicking against the floor at a very high speed.
I stare at the bathroom mirror, confused.
Goddamn it.
There goes my fantasy. I knew it was too good to be true.
I stand there for what feels like an eternity as I think of the most boring things imaginable—though even that proves difficult when my mind keeps flashing me tantalizing images of Minnie.
Even my organized thoughts about cleaning are now marred by her presence. Instead of going over the different steps to disinfect my basement, all I can think about is Minnie in her maid outfit, on her knees, thrusting her ass backward…
Fuck.
This won’t work.
I turn on the faucet and spray water all over my face.
This would be the perfect time for a cold shower.
I could, of course, take care of the issue as Minnie suggested. But my hand would be a paltry imitation for her touch. And it’s her I want.
It takes me about ten minutes of breathing exercises to get my erection to go from a full mast to a half mast. Still uncomfortable, but not nearly as noticeable.
As I head back to the private room, I note that Minnie hasn’t gone inside. She’s standing by the door, waiting for me.
“Done?” she asks as she rakes her eyes over my body. Her cheeks are stained with a deep red.
“Not thanks to you,” I mumble.
She flushes again and averts her gaze.
“I…” She wets her lips. Her hands are behind her back and she balances herself from one foot to the other. She appears…uncertain?
“Was it…good?” She has the gall to ask. She’s biting on her lip, looking like a goddamn siren. The sight of it alone sends another jolt to my cock.
Damn it. It’s the proximity. It’s messing with my head.
Of course that’s not to say that my loitering around the house and watching her twenty-four seven didn’t send me into a sexual frenzy, which I have yet to quench. But it’s nothing compared to the feel and smell of her in front of me.
Have I been bewitched? Or have I simply fallen into…lust?
I fear it might be a combination of both.
“No. It was so bad I may have caused permanent damage to my cock,” I reply wryly.
Her eyes flash at me in alarm. She blinks repeatedly before she launches herself at me.
“W-what? Are you all right?” she quickly asks, her voice tinged with worry. “Please tell me you didn’t break it…” She’s close to panicking as she pats her hands all over the front region of my pants.
She accidentally touches my dick, and it immediately twitches under her palm.
She freezes but keeps her hand in place.
Blood rushes down to my cock at her touch, so it moves. Again.
She draws back, her eyes wide.
“Oh my! It’s bad, isn’t it?” She continues, almost frantic. “Now it’s moving on its own!”
While she’s getting increasingly agitated, I can only stare at her. Does she not know that’s how dicks work? I suppose she doesn’t.
And that pleases me. Immensely.
“It’s all your fault,” I continue, somehow unwilling to end her torment. “If you had helped me…” I sigh, feigning a forlorn expression.
“But… I don’t understand…”
“You made it hurt. You should have taken care of it, Minnie. It’s only right.”
She swallows hard.
“But we aren’t bonded yet. I can’t do that…” she mumbles to herself.
“Bonded?” I frown. “What does that mean?”
“Joined by a vow,” she explains, her tone even more serious.
“You mean married?” I croak, once more surprised. When will this girl not shock me with her behavior?
She nods.
“We must be bonded to touch each other, of course. But now that you’ve damaged it… Oh, Marlowe. What are we going to do? I was quite looking forward to it. After we bond, of course.”
Her expression is one of pure horror and she appears to be close to tears.
What the fuck…
“It was a joke,” I quickly say before she sheds any tears. “Nothing’s broken.”
She raises those big and beautiful eyes and stares at me.
And stares.
Moments on end, she stares.
“You…made a joke?” she inquires in a small, disgruntled voice. “You?” she repeats as if it’s absolutely out of the ordinary for me to make a joke.
It’s not, is it?
I frown as I think on it. When was the last time I joked with her? With anyone, for that matter?
The answer comes to me easily.
Never.
I don’t joke around. Just like I don’t go to public restrooms with a fucking hard-on caused by a little heathen who won’t even take responsibility for it.
I don’t get to reply to her as she takes me by surprise and stomps her heel on my foot.
Fuckk! That hurt like a bitch.
“You wretch!” she cries out. “How can you joke about that? I really thought I caused you permanent damage!” She starts pacing around. “But it was just a kiss on the cheek! It wasn’t anything lewd,” she continues as if trying to make sense of it.
“Have you thought that a kiss on the cheek might be just as potent?” I ask in between pained breaths.
“But it wouldn’t break your…thing…” She trails off.
“My thing?” I raise a brow, amused at seeing her so disconcerted. “You seem overly concerned with my cock, pet.”
She reddens even more.
“I d-don’t. That is to say I… It’s n-not like that.” She takes a deep breath to compose herself. “I merely wanted to make sure you aren’t hurt,” she mumbles.
“You wanted to make sure my cock works before you married me. Do I have that right?”
“Well…” She bites her lip.
“Good God, Minnie. You’ll only marry me if my cock works?” I ask in feigned outrage.
Our waitress just rounds the corner when she hears me. Mortified, she immediately turns to leave.
“Keep it down, Marlowe. You can’t keep saying c-c-c…”
“Cock?”
“That. Stop saying it.”
“Or what, you won’t marry me?”
Her eyes flash at me, shooting me daggers.
“Perhaps I won’t,” she quips.
“I didn’t ask.” I shrug.
“You will ask.”
“I have no plans of getting married.”
“Yes, you do,” she states more emphatically. “I’m your girlfriend now. The next step, the obvious step for you humans, is marriage. You will bond with me.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself, pet,” I say with a chuckle. But the truth is that her words leave me a bit flustered too—just a bit, though.
So she wants to marry me, huh?
This time, the prospect isn’t as daunting. In fact, it might prove to be quite exciting.
She’ll be mine then. On paper. In front of the law.
No one would be able to take her away from me.
“You’ll bond with me, Marlowe,” she continues, straightening her back. “If you want to get in my dress, you’ll have to bond with me.”
“I think you mean in your pants,” I add dryly.
“I’m not wearing pants.” She narrows her eyes at me.
I open my mouth to point out it’s an idiom but then remember idioms aren’t her strong suit anyway.
“So that’s it? If I want to fuck you, I must marry you?”
“Precisely.” She pushes her chin up in defiance.
“Why?”
Not that I’m averse to marrying her. Perhaps I should look into that today. But there’s still the matter of her muddy past. And now that aloof brother of hers. Just who the hell is her family?
And more importantly, do I care?
Surprisingly, not really.
“Because a true bonding is sacred,” she adds with a small smile. “And if we do it right… The fates might look favorably upon us.”
I stare at her for a moment. Then I sigh and shake my head at her. I knew she was a strange girl, but I never realized how strange. Next, she’ll talk about astrology and zodiac signs.
As I think on a reply that will not offend her or her belief system—she might be a Wiccan or pagan or that type of shit for all I know—the door to the room suddenly opens.
My mother comes out, already wearing her coat.
“There you are, dear. I fear I must leave you two now. There’s a matter that requires my immediate attention,” she says apologetically.
She hugs me, then does the same to Minnie, who happily returns the hug.
“What happened?” I ask.
“Julius is ill. His fiancée is worried about him.”
I click my tongue against my teeth.
Julius has always been an attention whore. I bet he heard about Mother’s dinner with me and didn’t like being overlooked.
“He’s a fucking doctor. He can take care of himself,” I mutter under my breath.
“Marlowe! You’re swearing again.” She tsks at me.
I shrug.
“He can’t stop himself,” Minnie quips, giving me a look.
“I knew I liked you, Minnie.” My mother chuckles. “I’m sad to cut this meeting short, but I’ll see you soon at my birthday party.”
“Of course.” Minnie nods and smiles.
A few more platitudes and my mother leaves.
Fucking Julius. He’s thirty-five not five.
Then again, he’s never liked when the attention was on me instead of him.
With Mother gone, I settle the bill and ask for some dessert to-go for Minnie. That done, we leave.
We get in my car and I start driving home.
Ten minutes into the ride, though, I note that she’s pouting at me.
“What now?” I ask with a roll of my eyes.
“You might have noticed I’m a little dense when it comes to some things,” she starts. “Not dumb. I’ll have you know I came first in my theoretical classes,” she makes sure to add.
“I know you’re not dumb, Minnie.” Sure, there seems to be a bit of a language barrier between us. But aside from that, she’s a bright girl.
“Good.” She nods, pleased.
“That’s it? You wanted to make sure I don’t think you’re dumb?”
“Well, partially,” she answers sheepishly. Wiggling in her seat, she turns toward me, her expression excited. The movement, however, hikes up her skirt and gives me a good eyeful of her shapely legs.
I gulp down. Is she doing this on purpose? Does she want to drive me insane?
She just told me she’s not going to sleep with me unless I put a ring on her finger, so at this point, I can only conclude she’s trying to torture me.
Alas, it’s my fault for being such a weak soul.
Once upon a time, I thought myself above such temptation. But now I realize I’m just as weak as any other man.
I see her, I get hard. It’s that simple.
I suppose I’d better start shopping for a ring.
“Why partially?” I clear my throat, doing my best to focus on the road and not on her legs.
Goddamn it, I want her. So much so I’m willing to risk my holy bachelorhood for her.
“I need you to clarify something for me. It’s life and death, Marlowe, so don’t think to lie to me again,” she adds in a serious voice.
“What is it?”
“Your body score.”
“Body count,” I correct.
“Whatever. It’s only dead people, right?” she asks, nibbling uncertainly on her lip.
“Yes, only dead people,” I confirm.
“And by that I mean that you killed those dead people, you didn’t do other…things with them, right?” She continues.
I blink, fearing I haven’t heard her right.
“Did you just imply I’m into necrophilia, Minnie?” I ask, barely holding my laughter in.
“N-no. I mean… Just tell me the truth, will you?” she cries out in frustration. “Have you slept with any person, dead or alive?” She stares at me intently as she waits for my answer.
“No, I have not slept with anyone,” I reply.
A smile tugs at her lips, but before she can breathe in relief, she frowns.
“No, no. I will not let you mislead me again,” she mutters. “Marlowe! Have you f-fucked anyone, dead or alive?” she asks again.
I’m close to bursting out laughing, but I know that will only offend her further. I’m already in her bad books for my previous behavior, so I might as well give this round to her.
“No, Minnie. I have not fucked any person, dead or alive.”
Finally, a big smile explodes on her face. She brings her hands together in front of her chest and she claps her palms repeatedly in excitement.
“Good. That’s good,” she whispers to herself.
Fuck. If I had known that would bring her so much joy, I would have told her the truth from the beginning. Then I wouldn’t have had to withstand her cold behavior for weeks.
But then I wouldn’t have known she was jealous either…
Ah, such a dilemma.
“And kissing. You said we were even. Clarify that for me, too,” she adds, even more excitement echoing in her voice.
“It means exactly what you think it means, Minnie. I have not kissed anyone else, dead or alive. Unless you count kissing my mother on the cheek.”
She waves her hand.
“Doesn’t count.”
She’s so chirpy and happy, she starts humming to herself and dancing in her seat.
Cute. She’s so damn cute.
“Now it’s my turn,” I find myself saying.
She raises her brows in question.
“That soulmate of yours. Are you still waiting for him?”
I brace myself for her answer.
“Nope,” she replies, surprising me. “I’ve decided you will do.”
My lips curve into a satisfied smile.
But I don’t get to enjoy this victory as a dark shadow appears in front of my car, obstructing my view of the road. I pull on the steering wheel in an attempt to find some visibility, but it only makes it worse.
Minnie grabs my arm, her expression one of pure terror.
A loud bang erupts in the air and the car starts spinning uncontrollably.
I reach for her, pulling her in my arms to protect her. At the rate we’re spinning, we’re likely going to roll over. She’s so fucking small and frail, the impact will undoubtedly injure her badly.
And I’m powerless to stop it.
I can only watch it happen in slow motion as I hold her tightly to my chest.
Her breathing intensifies.
“It’s okay. It will be okay,” I whisper in her hair, praying to all fucking known and unknown deities that my words will not become lies.
Her arms are tightly wrapped around my midriff, her head on my chest as she holds me just as tightly. We’re jolted around a couple of times, but nothing too bad.
The trunk of the car collides with what I can only hope is a tree. The impact releases the airbags into our faces and stops the car from moving farther.
“Minnie? Are you all right?” I ask as I gently caress her face.
She nods slowly.
A howl resounds from outside, and we both turn to look in front of the car.
The dark shadows start to recede, but from their depths, a gray, ghost-like figure appears. Behind it, more of its kind follow until there’s nothing else in the horizon but these ghost-like figures.
What the fuck…
“They have arrived,” Minnie whispers in a low, ominous voice.