Chapter 35

We reach New Orleans the following day, a little before 10:00 p.m. I’ve been driving almost nonstop since dawn. But despite my exhaustion, there’s a bright side to all of this.

Finally, there’s no more snow and cold.

The weather is in the high sixties, and I’m ready to burn my winter coat and go bask in the sun.

“Let’s find a world that isn’t very cold,” I mention as we enter the busy city.

“You forget I’m an ice deity,” Minnie mumbles drily.

“You might manipulate ice, but your body’s hot all the time.”

“Pervert,” she whispers.

She’s dressed in a pair of yoga pants and an oversized black T-shirt with a skull illustration on the front. Ah, how I miss her maid uniform. It was the best thing that’s ever happened to me—without including the kiss, of course. Even better, I could kiss her from now on when she’s also dressed in the maid uniform.

Fuck. That’s hot.

But also concerning.

Do I have a maid fetish?

I think so. I don’t know where that comes from, though, since we never had any maids growing up—at least none I personally knew.

Maybe I just have a Minnie Maid fetish. Yeah, that sounds about right.

“You know what I mean.” I chuckle. “Your body temperature is off the charts—which by the way, is amazing. You’re so warm and cute and cuddly,” I murmur as I glance at her.

“That’s how you’d describe a pet,” she mumbles, giving me a death stare.

“Well…”

“Don’t say it, Marlowe,” she threatens. “Don’t you dare call me your pet again.”

“I wasn’t.” I pout. “Well, not a pet exactly. You’re my cuddly companion,” I say with a wink. “That I also kiss.” I sneak in a kiss on her cheek. “And whom I also hug to my chest when I sleep. Actually…” I stop when it dawns on me. “You’re more like my own teddy bear.”

She narrows her eyes at me.

Did I say anything wrong?

“Teddy bears are cute. Although you don’t look exactly like a bear. Maybe a little cat? A cute, tiny, cuddly cat?”

“As in a pet?” She raises a brow.

“Minnie! You’re not listening. It’s a plushie not a pet.”

She glares at me.

“Warm, cute, tiny, and cuddly,” she repeats. “That’s how you see me?”

“Don’t forget beautiful and smart and sometimes annoying, but that’s only when you don’t wash your clothes or shower regularly. And you’ve improved a lot since you moved in with me, so it’s not very often that I find myself annoyed with you anymore. Although… You left your clothes from yesterday on the floor of the van and I had to put them in the laundry basket. You must be careful,” I drone on, becoming very excited about getting a hotel room and doing laundry.

“Weirdo,” Minnie mutters, but her lips are curved up in a smile.

I wink at her.

The traffic is intense as we enter downtown. There’s a procession of cars that won’t end, and loud music blares from speakers all over the block.

I frown and poke my head out the window to look.

Despite it being so late and dark, there are lights everywhere. A hundred or so feet away, the traffic is only allowed to proceed right or left. The road up ahead is blocked, with police cars and officers monitoring everything.

“What is it?” Minnie asks as she strains to see.

“I think it’s some festival,” I say.

Behind the police barricade, I note a crowd in costumes, dancing around and moving up the restricted block.

“A festival?” Her eyes sparkle. “I’ve never been to a festival before.”

“Not even in your own world?”

She shakes her head.

“We have some formal parties where everyone important gathers, but I wouldn’t call it a festival. It’s more like…a business meeting.”

“Business meeting for what?”

She bites her lip.

“Marriage. I had my debut a few hundred years ago, and that was to introduce me into society and for me to meet eligible males. Since I didn’t receive an offer at that event, I was forced to attend a few others until my parents agreed on a match,” she explains. “But other than that, I never went to any fun parties, let alone a festival.”

The urge to be snarky about her first engagement is overwhelming. But I hold my tongue. I’m finally in her good graces. I don’t want to mess this up, no matter how I’d like nothing more than to ask what those parties included. How much did that first fiancé of her see or touch? Did she dance with him? Talk to him? Flirt with him? Laugh with him? All of the above?

It doesn’t matter that it was an arranged marriage. All those things should never have happened. They’re reserved exclusively for me.

I grumble something under my breath and pinch my leg.

Don’t screw this up, Marlowe…

“Oh, really?” I force myself to say. “Then what did you usually do for fun over there?”

“Fun?” She frowns. “Not much. I worked under my brother, and we killed demons. I suppose that was fun.”

I stare at her. Then shake my head and smile.

Of course I’d get the only girl in the entire universe whose idea of fun is to slay demons.

Not that I mind it.

Seeing her in action was on a whole other level.

She could slay me all day long if she wanted and I’d merely thank her. Especially if she does it in that sexy ice costume of hers. I’ll even forgive the cold.

“Why don’t we check out the festival then? I’ve never been to one either.”

She turns to me, her face lit up with excitement.

“Can we?”

“Why not?” I shrug. “We can park around the corner and go.”

“Oh, yes, Marlowe. Please,” she says as she clasps her hands together. “I’m so excited.”

I smile at her. How could I ever say no to her?

We slowly get out of the traffic and I pull up on an adjacent street where, to my luck, a car is just leaving the parking lot.

I take off my seat belt, but Minnie suddenly stops me.

“Wait. I want to change my clothes.” She pauses as she scans me. I’m wearing a rather comfortable fleece shirt and pants combo. Not something very fashionable. “You should, too.”

“All right,” I say.

We get in the back of the van and Minnie quickly takes off her shirt and leggings and dumps them on the bed. I, of course, grab them and fold them nicely to the side.

She remains in her bra and panties, and I do my best not to stare too much, otherwise I’ll get overly excited.

“What about this?” she asks as she pulls a black dress from her bag. It’s a bit wrinkly, but I note it’s not too short, so no one would be able to ogle her legs—that’s only for me to do.

“That’s perfect,” I tell her as I put on a pair of dark jeans and a white button-down shirt.

And since we’re going out in public, she dons her black lace veil to cover her face.

Once we’re both ready, we get out of the van and head toward the source of the noise.

The music is blaring loudly in the air, together with excited screams from the crowd.

As we get there, it’s pretty clear this is some sort of masquerade party. Everyone is wearing costumes, some more outrageous than others. Like that Snow White and the seven dwarves surrounding her.

Ah, well, at least Minnie won’t stick out too much with her mask.

I grab her hand and pull her in front of me so I can hold on to her midriff as we make our way through the crowd. The edge of the street is full of people watching a dance performance, and we stop for a moment, too. But soon we see there are a lot of other things to do.

There are stalls with food and games littered on every side of the street, and they’re all full.

“Marlowe…” Minnie whispers in awe. “This is like in the movies!”

“Movies?” I chuckle. “What movies?”

“Well.” She licks her lips. “We used to watch a lot of movies in the forties. It helped the morale of the troops for when they had time off from the war. And one in particular had a scene with a fair. It looked so fun,” she explains excitedly.

“In the forties, huh?” I raise a brow at her. “Is that where you picked up that accent?”

Her eyes widen.

“How did you know?”

I laugh.

My mother was onto something for sure. It is an Old Hollywood accent that Minnie has going on, but it’s only because she tried to mimic those movie stars. I suppose that’s how she learned some of the language too.

“It’s cute,” I simply say.

She blushes and looks away.

We walk around the different attractions and stop at a cotton candy stall.

Minnie regards the pink cotton candy curiously and I buy her one.

“Come on. Try it.”

She licks her lips and grabs a small piece of the cotton candy. Placing it in her mouth, she frowns as she slowly chews it. Her eyes grow wide and she gives me a pointed look.

“Marlowe! This is so good!” she exclaims, grabbing a bigger piece and shoving it into her mouth. “Have some, too.”

With how much gusto she’s eating, I don’t dare take a piece. Instead, I sneak my arm around her waist and pull her into me. Lowering my mouth to hers, I kiss her and taste the sweetness on her lips.

“Good indeed,” I murmur against her lips.

She freezes. But then she surprises me when she shoves another piece of cotton candy in her mouth and raises herself on the tips of her toes to give me another taste.

She does this repeatedly.

Every time she takes a mouthful, she kisses me and shares it with me.

By the time she’s done, I’m at my sugar limit but not at my Minnie limit.

But she’s too excited about the rest of the attractions to think about kissing me some more.

I’ll forgive her this time.

We walk around, and she can’t stop marveling at the atmosphere and the way people are having fun. She’s basically skipping with happiness. Now, I may not be the skipping type, but I follow stoically behind her, keeping her close to me so no one can get any ideas.

Her face might be covered, but in that dress, she’s a bombshell anyway.

I scowl just thinking about anyone ogling her and I scan the area to see if I need to beat the shit out of anyone.

“I want to try that,” she says as she points to one of the booths where people are shooting balloons for the chance to win a prize.

I nod at her and go to the booth. After I pay, Minnie takes her position behind the rifle and points it at the balloons. She shoots the first one and hits the target.

She repeats the process until there are no balloons left.

The booth keeper gives her a harsh stare—he probably hadn’t anticipated that a tidbit of a girl would have such a good aim.

“Good girl,” I whisper in her ear as she goes to choose her prize.

There are a lot of plushies on display. Since she got all the balloons, she gets to choose one of the bigger ones. To my surprise, she opts for a tiny red teddy bear with a rather wretched expression on his face but with a heart in the middle of his chest.

She grabs it with both hands, her eyes wide with wonder as she stares at it.

“Why didn’t you pick a bigger one?” I ask as we leave the stall.

“Because this reminded me of you,” she mentions.

“Of me?” I frown.

“Yes! See.” She points at his scowling face. “This is you most of the time.”

“Now, Minnie, I’ll have you know that’s a certified condition called resting brooding face. You wouldn’t understand,” I mumble.

“You didn’t let me finish.” She pouts. “You might scowl a lot, but you also have a big heart,” she says and points at the heart in the middle of the bear’s chest.

“Oh.”

I can’t argue with that. Especially since that heart of mine that I didn’t even know I possessed before her beats only for her.

Heat travels up my neck and I feel myself flush awkwardly.

Oh, Lord. This is worse than I thought. Not only do I suffer from resting brooding face, but also from the lovestruck flush.

Who would have thought that I, one of the most prolific uncaught killers in the history of the country, would become a fool for a slip of a girl?

I glance at her from the corner of my eye and my heart skips a beat. She’s even more beautiful when she smiles with joy. I gulp down.

My chest is tight and uncomfortable. I grab her shoulder and pull her flush against my body.

That’s better.

I might be sick with love, but I have my cure right here, next to me.

We keep walking, and Minnie buys a few more sweet treats before we reach a crowded area.

There’s a live band playing in the corner, and people are dancing right and left. The fact that they’re doing this in costume makes it even more hilarious. You can spot some Marvel villains twerking—which isn’t exactly an image I want in my mind. There are also all sorts of horror halloweenesque types of costumes, with blood and gore and open wounds.

While I’m silently judging people for their costume choices, Minnie finishes her caramel apple and with sticky fingers, grabs my hand and pulls me toward the middle of the crowd.

She could have at least wiped her fingers on a napkin.

But instead of grumbling about it as usual, I do something better. I grab her hand and lick it clean.

Her eyes widen in surprise, but then she giggles as she helps me clean her up with my tongue.

That sounded way dirtier in my mind.

“I’m not exactly a dancer,” I say and clear my throat.

“I’m not either, but we can try. Come! The music is so nice!” she exclaims as she pulls me deeper into the crowd.

I can’t say no to her, of course.

Instead, I try to find a roomier spot so no one accidentally touches her. But that’s rather hard when everyone bumps into each other.

I grind my jaw in annoyance.

But then I spot her hopeful expression and sigh.

I won’t ruin it for her.

So I swoop her into my arms. She wraps her legs around my waist while hugging my neck with her arms.

Her face is so close to mine, I can smell the particles of sugar still on her lips.

“We can dance like this,” I murmur softly.

Her lips curve up, and she threads her fingers through my hair.

I sway from side to side with her in my arms. I’m sure I’m not doing justice to the rhythm, but I don’t care about that when my attention is wholly focused on her.

I sweep her veil to the side so I can see her face better, and not for the first time, I beat myself for not realizing what a beauty she was from the start.

Gazing into her big black eyes, I can’t help myself from telling her, “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

She smiles at me indulgently.

“That’s nice of you to say, but I know there are other women far more beautiful than me.”

“There are?” My brows go up. “Where? I don’t see anyone else.”

She shakes her head at me.

“You’re such a flatterer.”

“You know I’m not. I’d never tell you falsehoods, Minnie. You’re the only woman I see.”

Her cheeks are tinged with red, and her lashes flutter in embarrassment.

I cup her jaw, tracing my thumb over her lips before I lean in to kiss her.

Her lips are pump and soft, and oh so inviting. I nibble on her lower lip before I dive deeper, exploring her mouth and tasting all the sweetness she has to offer.

We sway to the music and kiss.

The world fades away until nothing else matters but me, her, and this kiss.

She’s the first to pull back, her eyes glistening with unfulfilled desire. But there’s also restraint. Her body is trembling with want, but she keeps herself still, putting an invisible barrier between us.

“I hope you’re not going to regret every kiss we share from now on.”

She swallows, then musters up a smile.

“We can kiss. As long as kissing is all we’ll do,” she whispers. “I just pray the Primordial Goddess will understand.”

“If she won’t, then we’ll make her. I’m not going to let anyone stand in our way, Minnie,” I tell her firmly.

“I appreciate the thought but?—”

“No buts.” I press my finger against her lips. “You’re stuck with me forever now, Minnie.”

She rolls her eyes at me.

She doesn’t seem to understand how serious I am about this. I made a promise to myself and I’m going to keep it no matter what—I’m not going to die like that bastard Lucien and leave her alone.

No. Minnie is mine. I don’t care what I have to do to ensure we’ll always be together.

The song changes to a slower one and she places her head on my shoulder.

We move to the beat of the song just as our hearts beat in sync with one another.

Her body suddenly tenses, and she pulls back.

She frowns and looks right and left.

“What?”

She tilts her head to the side, her eyes narrowed.

“I sense something.”

“Sentinels? Soldiers?” I ask, already getting ready to make a run for it.

She shakes her head.

“Demons. Tens of them…” She trails off as she focuses on a point behind me. “They’re getting close.”

“Tens of them? Is that normal?”

“No. It’s entirely abnormal. Demons have their own hunting grounds and they don’t share. For this many to be in the same area, it can only mean one thing. Their master sent them here.”

I quickly sober up.

“They’re after you, aren’t they?”

She purses her lips.

“I don’t know. This has never happened before. And they don’t usually go after deities, unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Their master got wind that Aperite deities are hunting me and decided to hunt me first. A deity’s soul is an enormous source of energy. There’s no telling what a demon could do with that much energy. And if it were to get to a Son of Tenebreis…” She gulps down hard, her features shrouded in worry.

“How many demons can you fight at once?” I ask as I wade through the crowd, making my way back to where we left the van.

“If I use my full powers, I could take on maybe four, five depending on their level. But that would give away my location again.”

“Four or five? Didn’t you say you felt tens of them?”

Her lips flatten.

“High level too, from what I can tell.” She pauses. “They’re getting closer,” she whispers.

“We’ll get to the van in no time,” I add as I increase my pace.

We bump into people in our hurry, and some are not pleased about it, shouting curses at us as we try to make our way out of the crowd.

Minnie continues to look over my shoulder and study the crowd for any potential danger.

“Four are less than a hundred feet away. A couple behind them, too. And…” She pauses to concentrate. “Marlowe,” she whispers, her voice trembling. “There are three of them at the end of the block too. We’re surrounded.”

“No. We’re not. We just have to get to the van and get the hell out of here.”

“If only it were that easy.” She takes a deep breath. “With this many demons in one place, Aperite soldiers are bound to show up too. It’s just a matter of time before?—”

“It’s either the demons or the gods,” I complete her sentence.

She nods.

“What about your brother?”

“I don’t want to put him in danger. They’d dispatch more than one soldier to deal with the demons and I don’t want anyone to suspect that he’s been helping me. That would brand him a traitor and he’d be arrested too.”

“Damn it,” I mutter.

As we reach the edge of the crowd, Minnie jumps out of my arms and scans the area for demons. Sure enough, three of them are heading toward us from the direction of the traffic.

Minnie’s eyes flash a light blue before a loud bang erupts from the direction of the demons. The police in charge of traffic safety step in, giving us enough time to make a run for the van.

Except…

We both stop in front of the empty parking lot.

There’s no van. At least not anymore. Either someone purposefully stole it, or we somehow got on the wrong side of the law. Of course I no longer believe in coincidences, so the former explanation makes more sense.

Either way, we’re trapped.