Chapter 32

Running away with a wanted goddess might not have been on my bingo card for the new year, but I can’t complain. I get to keep Minnie all to myself, and that in itself is a win.

I leave a voice message to Giles to take care of my mother and then I direct my focus to the most important part.

The actual running away.

Since we’ll be leaving together, we need to find those plants Minnie mentioned that will allow me to go to other worlds. That means we must first find a witch who has those plants—though seeing how my last meeting with a witch went, I don’t think they’ll easily hand over the plants.

Alas, we’ll just have to apply a little force.

“And this is…” Minnie blinks as she assesses our new vehicle.

“A van. It’s fully equipped too,” I add, proud of myself.

Perhaps I got ahead of myself when she told me she’d have to leave eventually, but I’ve been scouring the internet for the perfect car for a while now, and as it happens, it got delivered to my place a few days ago.

“I can see that. But when did you get it?”

I shrug.

“It’s always good to be prepared for the worst,” I say. “You have to look inside. There’s a tiny kitchen and a bed!” I exclaim as I open the door and invite her in.

I might have had an ulterior motive in choosing this minivan. Since we’ll be traveling in it for a while, we’ll be forced to share these close quarters. That also means sharing that tiny bed. Sure, it might be uncomfortable for my frame, but at least Minnie’s body will be plastered against mine.

I might even get another kiss. Maybe somewhere other than my cheek…

A man can only dream.

“That’s… Impressive?” She mentions with a strained smile. She’s tired. I can tell.

Tired and hopeless, going by the way her smile doesn’t even reach her eyes.

She’s wearing a long hoodie and a pair of leggings that she’s changed into a few moments ago. Over her shoulder is a bag full of clothes and shoes for the road. I have a similar one at my feet that I prepared in advance for such emergencies.

“I also stocked the drawers with canned food and protein bars. They should last us a while.”

She’s skeptical as she gets inside, dumps her bag on the small bed, and looks around the van. She opens the drawers to inspect the contents, nodding at my choice of food and snacks. Of course I had to stock up on the chocolate cookies, though I expected a more enthusiastic response from her part.

“This is fine. We should leave now.”

I stare at her.

No praise for my foresight? For my effort? Nothing?

“Right,” I mutter.

I place my own bag inside the van, then go around to the driver’s seat and put on my seat belt. Minnie joins me in the passenger seat, and I start the car.

She’s awfully quiet as I head onto the freeway, and no matter how much I’d like to have a serious conversation with her—aka find out if she’s forgiven me yet—we have other pressing matters to tend to.

I mean surely she can’t still hold a grudge after I was so close to being killed by a demon, no? Danger should make the heart grow fonder not colder. Though since she’s a goddess of ice, perhaps hers is perpetually cold.

I scowl.

It wasn’t cold for fucking Lucien.

I still haven’t forgotten her proclamations of love when she couldn’t be bothered to say the same words to me. Granted, I haven’t said them to her either, but isn’t it obvious how I feel about her? Perhaps it’s not love in the traditional sense since what do I know about that type of love? But it’s something far deeper, far more obsessive, and far more potent than that.

“Where are we going?” I ask her once we cross the state lines.

“I don’t know,” she mentions with a shrug.

I slowly turn to her.

“You don’t know?” I raise a brow. “We need to find those plants, don’t we?”

Another shrug.

“Yes. We need to find a witch who has them first.”

“Well, shouldn’t you know where to go then?”

She presses her lips together.

“Witches aren’t particularly fond of gods,” she says with a sigh. “My kind tried to exterminate them a long time ago, so I’m not sure how we’re going to find a witch amenable enough to part with precious plants.”

“And you’re telling me this now?” I grit out. “Minnie!”

“What?” she grumbles.

“You’ve known about the fact that we might leave sooner or later. I prepared everything in advance. The least you could have done was to research who might have those plants.”

She mutters something inaudible under her breath, and I’m struck by a sudden realization.

She might not have wanted me to come with her. If she did, surely she would have already had a plan in place.

My nostrils flare at the thought that her plan might have just been sneaking out in the middle of the night and leaving me behind.

Fucking hell.

“Then think about it now. Where might we find someone with those plants?” I ask, making an effort to keep myself under control.

But I’m not pleased. Oh, I’m far from pleased. But this is not the time to get into another argument.

“Can’t you look them up on that internet of yours?”

“I’ve looked enough into witches on the internet to know that ninety percent of them are fake. It’s not going to help. Why would they hate gods anyway? Shouldn’t they worship you or whatever?”

She shakes her head. Looking out the window, she takes a deep breath before she speaks.

“Witches are the offspring of minor deities and humans, something that’s forbidden in my world. In fact, interspecies mating is not only prohibited, but most often than not impossible. Witches and a few other hybrids are the exception to the rule.”

“How so?”

“It all comes down to energy levels. Each being is born with a certain energy level. In my world, the higher deities have the most advanced energy levels, while minor deities are at the bottom. To ensure a viable offspring, the energy levels of the parents must be similar. So even within my society, a higher deity can never procreate with a minor deity. It’s the same with other species, too, especially mortals. But as I said, there are exceptions to the rule. Some mortals are born with exceptional energy levels. It’s rare, but it happens. If one such mortal mates with a minor deity with slightly more elevated energy level, the offspring may be viable.”

“So we could never have children?” I frown.

I’d never given much thought to my own offspring, but then again, before Minnie, I’d never given any thought at all to women.

She tilts her head to glance at me, her smile tremulous.

“Chances are that we won’t,” she admits. “I’m not sure if a true bonding might change that, since there’s never been one between a deity and a human.”

“I see.” I nod tightly.

“It’s why most marriages are arranged in my world. A powerful deity must have an equally powerful mate. It’s both political but also driven by our biology.”

“What about demons? Could you, theoretically, have children with a demon?”

“Marlowe! Don’t even think about it!” she exclaims in outrage.

“I’m just curious, Minnie. Trust me, after that encounter with demon Cara, the last thing I want to do is turn into a smelly ugly thing. No, thank you.”

She stares at me for a few seconds before she scoffs.

“With made demons, no. Even a twelfth level demon, which is the highest, only has similar energy levels to a minor deity. They could, of course, have offspring with other minor deities or even some extraordinary mortals. But it’s unlikely since they’re always controlled.” She shrugs. “The Sons of Tenebreis are a different matter, though. Since we’re both directly descended from the Primordials, we’re technically the same species. It’s just that they feed on souls for nefarious reasons and we don’t.”

“Is that why your brother was so concerned with you consuming those souls?”

She nods.

“An Aperite deity can turn into a demon too. If I consume even one soul, my energy signature would change forever.”

A shudder goes down her body.

“But I’d never do that. Never…”

“You’d never do what?”

Both Minnie and I jump in our seats at hearing Molokai’s voice coming from behind.

“What the fuck?” I exclaim, my heart pounding from the jump scare.

“Kai!” Minnie appears to be equally rattled.

“A heads-up might have been nice, dude,” I mutter under my breath, adjusting my mirror so I can see him better.

He’s leaning against the back of the seats, resting his elbows on the top of the chairs behind us.

“The soldiers have been dispatched,” he says, giving his sister a long, hard look. “They’re probably at your last known location as we speak.”

“There was a demon situation,” Minnie mumbles.

“You should have called me.”

“There was no time for that, Kai.”

He releases a loud humph.

“I hope you’re going toward a portal to leave this world,” he then adds.

“Not yet. Marlowe won’t survive it unless he gets the aqü tincture.”

“He doesn’t have to survive,” Kai mutters.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I say with a roll of my eyes.

Who even invited him here? I don’t like the dude. Now, I know, I know, when you’re marrying someone, you’re marrying their family, too. But perhaps I can find a way to kill two gods…

Hmm, the idea is rather appealing.

“He’s coming with me, Kai. That’s not negotiable.”

He glares at Minnie, then turns and glares more violently at me.

I lean back and flutter my lashes at him since we’ve already decided his only language is non-language.

He scowls at me.

I scowl back.

“Stop it, you two,” Minnie grits out.

“I didn’t say anything,” I say innocently.

She raises a skeptical brow at me.

“We need to find the plants for the aqü tincture, Kai. Do you have any idea where we might get them on Anthropa?”

“Witches,” he replies, his tone dripping with disgust.

It seems no one is a fan of witches around here.

“Yes, I know that too. But how do we find a witch that has those plants? Anthropa isn’t exactly a small world.”

His lips flatten. Before I can blink, he’s gone. And before I can blink again, he’s back, now holding an old book in his hands.

“There are a few clans that are purported to be the most powerful,” Molokai muses as he flips the book open. “But there’s only one of them currently in the US and A.”

He passes the book to Minnie, pointing to an open page.

“Stuart,” she reads. Glancing at me, she shows me a genealogical tree. “There’s only one living Stuart witch listed here. Katrina Hale.”

“I don’t suppose you could work your magic and find out where she is?” I ask Molokai.

“Don’t push your luck, human.”

“And here I thought we were becoming best buds.” I sigh dramatically. “We’ll be family soon, Kai. This is no way to treat your brother-in-law.”

His eye twitches. A vein protrudes around his temple as the temperature suddenly drops in the van.

“Kai. Stop it!”

“You are not marrying a human, Minerva,” he growls. “I’ll never allow it.”

“You don’t have to allow it,” Minnie grumbles.

“Oh, come on, Kai! Imagine all the good times we’d have together. We can go fishing and demon killing. Of course you do the demon killing and I do the fish killing—and occasional human killing. Bro bonding style.” I wink at him.

“You will not marry this human,” he amends.

He’s as starchy as Minnie suggested. No sense of humor.

I shake my head in disappointment.

“Both of you. End it. We need to find this Katrina Hale of the Stuart clan.”

Molokai and I glare at each other some more. His nostrils flare. So do mine.

A few moments pass, and once we’re both satisfied with the amount of glaring that has occurred, we finally break eye contact.

“Hand me my phone,” I tell Minnie.

She rummages through one of the drawers and gives me my phone.

“At least use your mighty powers to ensure we don’t crash,” I tell Molokai since Minnie shouldn’t use any more of her powers.

He looks about to argue, but as I take my hand off the wheel, the car remains on a steady course.

I quickly do an advanced search for the name Katrina Hale. It’s useful that the genealogical tree has a date of birth as well, so I’m quite confident I have the right person.

Damn, she’s in her eighties but looking decades younger.

“New Orleans,” I state. “She has a shop in the French Quarters.”

Minnie bites her lip.

“How far is that from here?”

I plug in the coordinates in the GPS and show her.

“Twenty hours of driving?” Her eyes widen. “That’s so far, Marlowe…”

“We’ll drive for another five to six hours until it gets dark. Once we find a good place to park, we’ll sleep the night and be back on the road in the morning. As long as I get a good sleep, I’ll be able to drive nonstop tomorrow.”

Minnie purses her lips.

“Can’t you teleport us, Kai? With the car? Pretty please?” she asks in a sugary sweet voice. But as she turns to look at her brother, her mouth drops open in shock when she realizes he’s no longer there.

I tsk at her.

“Your brother is an odd one.”

“Tell me about it.” She shakes her head. “He might be willing to help me, but that doesn’t mean he’ll make things easy for me.”

“At least we have a name. It’s a start. So what if it’s twenty hours away? Think of this as a road trip. Me, you, one bed.” I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively at her.

She gives me a pointed look as if she just remembered she’s still supposed to be mad at me.

“I’m not talking to you,” she suddenly says and turns with her back to me.

“But you’ve been talking to me until now,” I protest.

She shrugs. “It was necessary. Now it’s no longer necessary.”

“Minnie,” I groan. “What the hell…”

“But if you’re going to apologize… Maybe I can find it in my heart to forgive you,” she murmurs, though she’s not looking at me. She’s gazing out the window. “Then I’ll be more amenable to me, you, and one bed.”

Goddamn it. She’s playing a tough, tough game.

How the hell am I supposed to resist the temptation of me, you, one bed when it’s all I’ve been dreaming about? Even so, I cannot bring myself to ask for forgiveness for something I’m categorically not sorry.

Fuck you, Lucien! If I could stomp on you again, I would.

I clear my throat.

“I’m sorry I was insensitive,” I say, choosing my words carefully. “I didn’t think about your feelings, and for that I apologize.”

She turns briskly to me, her eyes narrowed.

“Are you really sorry?”

I swallow.

Nope. Not sorry. I’d kill, desecrate, kill again, and desecrate again that fucker.

“I’m sorry I made you sad. It wasn’t my intention. I hope you know that,” I speak in a low voice. That much is true. The mere fact that she shed tears because of something I did tore me up on the inside, and for that I can’t even forgive myself.

“I don’t like to see you cry, Minnie,” I reluctantly add. “It physically hurts me when you cry.”

She blinks, probably surprised to hear that.

“Then why did you do it?” she asks in a small voice.

“Because I’m a fucking jealous bastard who wants to be the sole object of your affections,” I grit out roughly. “I want to be the only one for you, Minnie. Past, present, future. Hell, an eternity to come. The mere fact that you were in love with someone else before… It guts me,” I admit.

A frisson goes down my back as I feel myself more vulnerable than I’ve ever been. I don’t even dare look at her, keeping my eyes on the road for fear I might see pity in her eyes—pity that she’s never going to feel the same about me as she did about Lucien.

Fuck that. I don’t want the same. I want more.

I want her to love me more, want me more, need me more. I want her to only draw her next breath because I am by her side. And yes, I want her to choke if I’m not there.

I’m sick, aren’t I?

I sigh.

“Marlowe… You have to know some?—”

“You know what? Why don’t we make a pact,” I suddenly state.

Her brows bunch together in confusion. “A pact?”

“We won’t talk about Lucien ever again. I won’t bring him up. You won’t bring him up. It will be like he never existed.”

Yes, that’s a mighty idea. This way I can pretend she’s never looked at another man before—that I’m the only one for her.

“But—”

“We shouldn’t let him cause a rift between us, Minnie,” I continue.

“You’re right.” She sighs. “I’m not going to bring up the past anymore as long as you don’t.”

“Deal,” I say and give her my best smile.

She rolls her eyes at me, but slowly, she returns my smile.

We look at each other for a few seconds before we both burst into laughter.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t get to be jealous of other men,” I feel compelled to add. “That’s the fun type.”

“The fun type?” she repeats. “What does that even mean?”

“Well…” I give her a sheepish smile. “You’re the most beautiful woman all those men will ever see in their lives. But you’re mine. So it gives me pleasure to see them realize that you’re taken. It gives me even more pleasure to beat the shit out of them to make sure they understand that you’re taken.”

Her expression sobers up.

“When are you not thinking of murder?” she mumbles under her breath.

“It’s murder for you, darling. That’s what I call a special type of murder.” I wink at her.

“And not too long ago you wanted to murder me,” she fires back.

“I’m still considering that,” I murmur seductively as I lean into her.

“W-what?” she sputters. “You still want to murder me?”

I smile. “Because I know you’ll come back.”

I cup her cheek, stroking her lips with my thumb.

“Because you’ll always come back to me, right, Minnie?”

Her eyes flash at me, her features tense.

She gulps down hard.

“Right, Minnie?” I repeat.

“Right…” she whispers, suddenly averting her gaze.

“Good girl.” I chuckle.

She flushes a deep red and turns to look out the window.

She hasn’t said she’s forgiven me yet.

But even as her eyes stray from me, her hand seeks out mine, wishing to be held. Even as her words might be absent, her body tells me everything I need to know.