Chapter 37

This might be a gamble, but I roll on the floor to the place my broken blade had landed and I use it to cut my hand again. And just as a demon makes to grab me, I press my bloodied palm onto his face.

He screams, falls, and disintegrates.

It…worked?

I don’t have the time to wonder why my blood might act as poison to those demons. Clutching onto the blade, I make more cuts along both of my palms and run to where Minnie is currently fighting six demons.

Six demons at once.

Damn.

“Marlowe, stand back,” she grits out as she parries a blow, then another. With her attention on me, she fails to dodge one of the blades and it cuts her across the chest.

A faint gasp leaves her lips, but she keeps fighting, not letting the pain slow her down.

I reach her side and despite her continuous protests, I place myself in front of her.

“Are you mad?” she asks.

“Perhaps,” I answer noncommittally

The demons stop fighting, too. They share a look and speak a few words in a language I cannot decipher.

“Alive,” Minnie echoes. “They’re saying they need you alive.”

“Me?” I blink.

She nods numbly.

“We can worry about that later. First—” I grab her swords, one in each hand, and I smear my blood all over the blades. “Hit them now.”

She frowns at me, but the moment she’s no longer behind me, the demons try to attack again.

Not me. They don’t swing their swords at me. Only her.

Minnie parries a couple of blows before she manages to cut a demon across his back.

I hold my breath as I wait for the process to repeat itself, and sure enough, it does.

Scream, fall, disintegrate.

Her brows bunch together in confusion. But she knows time is of the essence, so she quickly recovers from her shock and swings her swords again.

More demons fall after they make contact with my blood. But with how many of them there are, it’s still not enough.

I press my lips together as I think of something that might help.

Then an idea comes to mind.

“You can freeze anything, can’t you?”

She nods.

“Here,” I cut a fresh wound in my palm, “use my blood as bullets.”

“I don’t under?—”

“Trust me, all right?”

There are nine more demons still inside the church.

Minnie gives me a nod, and swiping my blood on her fingers, she blows onto it until the drops become solid. She shoots them at the demons.

A few manage to do avoid them, but half are not so fortunate.

Scream, fall, disintegrate.

Minnie’s eyes widen, but she grabs my hand and swipes more blood that she turns into bullets.

The remaining demons, having seen the effects of the ice bullets, summon energy shields to block the blows. But it seems even those are useless as the bullets pass straight through, reaching the intended target.

One by one, they fall. One by one, they’re all gone.

We’re both breathing hard as the last demon disintegrates. The wind sweeps away the last remainder of that grayish dust.

We’re alone.

Minnie slowly turns to me, her expression indecipherable.

“What was that?”

“What do you mean?”

“The blood. How did you do that? How did you know how to do that?” she asks in a tight voice.

“I didn’t. I just saw it worked and?—”

My words are cut off as she slams me against the wall of the church. The sharp icy blade digs into my neck as she stares at me intently.

“What are you?” she grits out.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“That’s not normal. I’ve never seen anything like that before. So tell me. What are you?”

“Human,” I answer drily. What else does she want me to say?

She shakes her head.

“Impossible. If you were just a human, that would have never happened.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Minnie. I’m as confused as you are.”

She narrows her eyes at me.

“They sent you to mess with me, didn’t they?” she asks, her cheek twitching. “They knew I was coming here to find you and they sent you to mess with me.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Minnie?”

“Not even a Supreme can destroy a demon like that—a high demon, too. This doesn’t make any sense,” she murmurs to herself.

Her blade is still against my throat, and while the pricking of the sharp edge is uncomfortable, I can’t deny that this is rather hot.

Damn it, Marlowe! Stop being a horndog at the most inappropriate times!

Yet the images come unbidden. It doesn’t help that her dress has ridden up her ass and I get a tantalizing peek of creamy flesh through her ripped tights.

I swallow hard, and the blade digs deeper into my skin.

The pain is a welcome distraction, but it does little to relieve the ache in my balls. My cock hardens the more I watch her determined stance and the way she tries to be all serious and intimidating. Too bad that it does the opposite.

God, I have it bad.

We’ve barely escaped a demon attack with our lives intact and all I can think of is Minnie, barely clothed and ready for murder. It doesn’t even matter that it’s my murder she’s preparing for. That makes it even hotter.

My fingers itch to pull my zipper down and ask her to move her blade to my cock; press it against my shaft until it becomes bloody and messy. Then, maybe she’ll take pity on me and heal me up with her tongue again. Maybe spit on it and make it even more messy so then she’ll have to clean it up with her mouth.

Don’t do this, Marlowe! Don’t think about her mouth on your cock. It’s only going to make things worse.

“What are you, Marlowe? Answer me,” Minnie repeats.

“Human, Minnie. I’m very much human,” I reply, clearing my throat in an attempt to dispel all those dirty images going through my mind.

Her nostrils flare at my answer.

“The demons… They were after you, too, weren’t they? They didn’t even bother with me until I was in your way. What are you hiding, Marlowe?”

She has a point with that. The demons barely looked at her when they entered the cathedral and only wanted to get to me.

“I’m not hiding anything. Come on, Minnie. You know better than that.”

“Do I?” She raises a brow. “Because everything has been rather fortuitous until now. You killed those sentinels. Now the demons. There are also no wandering souls in your house…” she muses. “And you…”

“Me?” My lips curve up.

“Stop smiling at me!” She jabs her knife deeper into my flesh. “You’re messing with my focus.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Minnie. I had no idea my blood could do that. I’m just as confused as you are.”

“Are you?” she asks skeptically. “Why offer to use your blood in the ritual? We could have easily used mine. But it wouldn’t have had the same effect now, would it? Because you’re not human.”

“I offered because you were already weak. I didn’t have any ulterior motives,” I explain with a sigh. “How would I know that it would have that effect on the demons?”

“I don’t know. You tell me. How did you know?”

“Minnie, this is absurd?—”

“It’s not. I’ve never heard of someone’s blood acting as poison to demons before. Never. How do you explain that?”

“Maybe it’s something I ate?” I offer.

She kicks my leg.

“It’s not the time to be funny, Marlowe.”

“I’m telling you I don’t know. What more do you want?”

“To know what you are,” she says. “And who sent you.”

“No one sent me.” I roll my eyes. “We’re getting into conspiracy theory territory here and I don’t like it.”

“Because it is a conspiracy,” she cries out. “Of course it is. They probably knew I’d come here, after you, and they laid me a trap,” she continues, not making much sense.

“Who is they, Minnie?”

“The House of Moirai. They control everything. They must have…” She closes her eyes to think. “They must have done something. I know it.”

“Minnie, this is getting out of hand. I’m the same person as before. And I’m human.”

She tilts her head to the side.

Taking the sword from my neck, she swipes her hand over the flat surface of the blade and chants something in a low voice. Then she presses it against my skin again.

I wince at the sudden searing sensation.

Her eyes widen. “No, it can’t be…”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, more confused than ever.

“I don’t know,” she whispers. “I don’t know anymore. But this… Whatever this is…” She takes a deep breath.

I cover her hand with mine, lowering the blade.

“Trust me that I don’t know anything about this. I swear it to you.”

She presses her lips together as she regards me.

“Those demons were sent to capture you. Alive. The question is why.”

“Hey, maybe I have some funky mutation that makes my blood poisonous to demons and they wanted to study me?” I add jokingly. Although that doesn’t seem too farfetched considering what transpired.

She stares at me. Then she brings the blood-stained blade to her lips. She licks the blood off it, smacking her lips together as if trying to determine if there’s something wrong with it.

Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, I grab her by the neck and switch our positions. Pushing the back of my palm against her hand, I kick the sword to the side. It falls to the ground with a thud and disintegrates.

Minnie’s eyes widen as she gazes up at me.

“You know fully well who I am, Minnie,” I murmur. “Does it really matter what’s in my blood?”

She licks her lips.

“Aren’t you the least curious?”

I shrug. “Maybe. But I’m more concerned with you believing me rather than knowing what’s wrong with my blood. And frankly, I don’t appreciate your lack of confidence in me.”

She shakes her head. “No. You don’t understand. They’re not to be trusted.”

“Fuck them and fuck everyone else,” I grind out. “Does it look like there’s anyone here beside you and me?”

Her lashes flutter.

“I don’t care about your gods or your demons or whatever fucking else. I only care about you and our relationship. I care about the fact that you fucking doubt me.”

“But, Marlowe?—”

“Shh,” I whisper and press my finger against her lips. “No more words, Minnie.” I lean in and press my forehead against her. “You can think anything of me, but the fact that you would doubt my loyalty to you guts me.”

She inhales sharply.

“Do you think I’d hurt you?” I ask her softly.

“No.”

“Do you think I’d betray you?”

“No.”

“Do you think I’d ever keep secrets from you?”

She gulps down and hesitates.

“No,” she finally answers.

“Good. Then that’s settled.” I nod and pull back. “As far as whatever the fuck happened here, we’ll have plenty of time to figure that out while we’re away from this world. You used your powers, so I assume they already have your location.”

“You’re right,” she murmurs. “I’m sorry.”

I step away from her and take a deep, calming breath.

She’s right that this is all strange, but I don’t like that her first thought is to suspect me of having lied to her about my identity.

I don’t know why the fuck those demons were after me, but we don’t have the time to dwell on this. Not when the soldiers after her are probably heading to our location as we speak.

I pat my pockets for my phone. Pulling it out, I note that the screen’s cracked.

Great.

I mutter a string of curses under my breath and squint to make out the address of Katrina Hale.

“Let’s go,” I tell Minnie and head toward the exit.

She follows after me, her head bent down.

As we get out of the church, she quietly slips her hand in mine.

“Are you mad at me?” she whispers.

“I’m not,” I start. “Perhaps a little disappointed.”

“Oh.”

“We’ll talk more about this later.”

She appears as if she wants to say more but eventually nods and follows me in silence.

We get to the Main Street and hail a cab.

Since she doesn’t have her veil anymore, Minnie buries her head in my shoulder.

The driver regards us suspiciously. Especially since our clothes are torn and bloody.

“Costume for the festival,” I mention with a fake smile.

He narrows his eyes but doesn’t comment.

It takes us some twenty minutes to reach the designated address. I pay and we get out of the car.

“This is it?” Minnie asks as we identify the house number.

It’s an old gothic manor with vines intertwined all over the facade. Three stories with an attic that has seen better days and with windows covered with pieces of wood.

A crow caws from the yard. Perched on a tree branch, the bird stares at us.

A shiver runs down my back.

Eerie.

But I suppose after everything that has already happened, a crow stalking us is the last of our worries.

I push the gate open. It releases a loud screech, making the crow caw again. But this time, when I look at it, I note it’s flown on the top of the fence.

It’s watching us, tilting its head from side to side.

As we step into the yard, the crow flies off the fence, perilously close to our heads.

“What the fuck?” I curse, swatting the bird away.

Its caws become more insistent as it surrounds us before finally flying away just as the front door of the house opens.

“I don’t like this,” Minnie whispers as she huddles closer to my side.

I grunt and hold on to her tighter.

I may have been a bit annoyed with her for her accusations, but I find that I cannot ignore her for too long. Already I have an insane urge to hug her and kiss her and just feel the warmth of her skin against mine, which is odd considering the fact that she should be the one consoling me.

Alas, after we leave this world, we’ll have more time for that.

I’m already thinking of the different pouts or cute expressions I can make to prompt her to console me, perhaps with a few kisses. And preferably a little lower down my body.

Now I know she said we can only kiss, but she didn’t specifically say kisses on the lips.

Already, my mind is conjuring up other types of kisses, with me on my back, her cunt in my mouth while she’s on top of me sucking on my cock—erm, kissing.

Goddamn it. Why did those Primordials have to create males with such a primitive brain concerned only with mating?

I groan the moment I think about the word mating because that invokes a whole other slew of images that go far beyond kissing.

Fuck! Those demons don’t even need to try to hurt me since I’ll likely die of blue balls if we don’t find that sanctuary.

“Marlowe?” Minnie whispers, gazing up at me.

Her eyes are once more a dark color, but there’s something awfully vulnerable and frail about her expression that tugs at my heartstrings. Funny, until a few months ago, I would have sworn up and down I didn’t have a heart. Now? It fucking sings.

“What?” I ask, sharper than intended.

She presses her lips together and flutters her lashes.

“Before we go in,” she starts hesitantly.

I raise a brow at her to continue.

“Promise you’re not mad at me?”

She peers at me from beneath her lashes as she huddles closer, pressing her entire body against mine.

“I’m not mad at you,” I murmur.

She gives me a tentative smile.

And to show her the truth of my words, I cup her cheeks and lean in to press a kiss on her forehead, then her nose before finally reaching her mouth.

I let my lips linger on hers for a few seconds before drawing back.

She puckers her lips, waiting for more, and I chuckle.

“Later,” I whisper and tap her nose.

She lets out a disappointed sigh but graces me with a dazzling smile.

Not even the crow cawing in the distance can ruin the fuzzy feelings that smile gives me.

We step inside the house.

The foyer is fully lit, leading into an antique but well-maintained living room. There are two couches in the middle of the room facing a fireplace. Bookshelves are built into the walls, and they’re all littered with books.

Witches and books. Seems to be a common theme.

As we step deeper into the room, the entrance door suddenly closes.

Minnie startles and clutches my arm tighter.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared,” I tell her.

She licks her lips. “Not…scared.”

“But?”

“I watched a lot of horror movies while I was living at the cinema. They all had creepy houses like this.”

“Minnie, you hunt demons. I’m sure there’s nothing that can scare you.”

“Well…not exactly.”

I frown. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Zombies,” she squeaks. “I mean, have you seen them? They’re so ugly and decomposed and they want to eat your brains and?—”

“Zombies are real?”

“They could be,” she points out. “I haven’t been to every realm out there. There are thousands upon thousands of species. Zombies could be one.” She shrugs.

I chuckle.

The sound of the floor creaking has both of us abandoning the mirth and focusing on our surroundings.

“Hello?” I call out.

The house echoes a hello back.

Right. Not creepy at all.

The floor creaks again.

We both turn to look at the staircase. But just as we head back to the foyer, a voice speaks from behind us.

“Welcome.”

Turning, we come face to face with a middle-aged lady—based on looks alone, since her age would put her in the old category. There are very few lines on her face, and the only indication that she’s past her youth is the gray hair she keeps tightly in a bun at the back of her head.

She’s wearing a long cream dress belted at the waist. She’s a little taller than Minnie, but she’s still a small lady.

“Hello. We are?—”

“I know who you are,” she interrupts me.

“You…do?” Minnie blinks.

Katrina smiles.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“What? How?” I ask.

“Come with me. Let us have some tea and we’ll talk.”

“We don’t really have the time to linger, I’m afraid,” I add politely.

She waves her hand.

“The house has wards. No one will find you here.”

Both Minnie and I share a look.

“Let’s go,” Minnie whispers.

Katrina winks at her. “Good choice.”

She leads us to the back of the house, into a spacious kitchen with a long, wooden table in the middle.

“Take a seat, please,” she mentions.

We do, and that’s when I notice that the water is already on the stove, boiling. Katrina busies herself around the kitchen, placing three tea cups on the table, milk, and sugar. She pours tea in each of our cups before taking a seat.

“You must be Marlowe.” She nods to me. “And you Minerva.”

“Do you have the sight?” Minnie suddenly asks.

When she sees my confused expression, she explains, “The ability to see the future.”

“No.” Katrina smiles. “Unfortunately, I don’t have that gift. My great-grandmother did, though. She was one of the most accurate seers to ever walk this earth.”

“Is that how you know who we are?” Minnie probes.

“No. I never met my great-grandmother, though I’m told she was a fine lady.”

“Then how?” Minnie frowns.

“Please, drink your tea. I’ll be right back.” She rises from her seat and leaves the room.

I take a sip.

“This isn’t bad,” I mutter. It’s hot, pepperminty, and with a hint of spice. After the demon debacle, I find myself rather thirsty, so I quickly empty the cup and help myself to a second one.

Barely a few minutes pass and she’s back, holding a couple of letters in her hands.

“I moved to New Orleans in nineteen sixty-five, after my grandmother died. She was the one who taught me everything about witchcraft. Back then, I didn’t want anything to do with witches and demons and all those things anymore. Not after my brother’s death anyway.”

She places the letters on the table, resting her palms on top of them.

“No one knew who I was or what I was. I wanted to start fresh.” She smiles. “But one day, a lady knocked on my door and handed me these.” She points to the papers. “She said one is for me to read, and one is for me to keep for its intended recipient.”

Katrina separates the letters. One is opened. The other is still sealed.

“Who was this lady you speak of?” Minnie asks.

“I truly don’t know. She didn’t introduce herself. She only told me that I’d know what to do once I read the first letter.”

“And? What was inside it?”

Katrina takes out a sheet of paper from the envelope.

“The first part of the letter is dedicated to me. It has some…private information, all meant to ensure I believe in the contents of the letter and the intentions of the sender.” She pauses. “The second has instructions.”

“Instructions?” I frown. “For us?”

“Indeed.” Katrina turns to look at Minnie. “I know what you seek, Minerva, and I have spent the last fifty years gathering all the necessary ingredients.” She glances at the tea cups. “You’ve had a taste now. Did I do a good job?” she asks with a mischievous smile.

Minnie’s eyes meet mine as it dawns on us what she means.

The tincture. She’s talking about the tincture.

“I don’t understand. Why? Why would someone care about this? About us?”

“Because everyone plays an important role in the big scheme of things.”

Minnie tenses.

“Was it the House of Moirai?” she asks on a whisper.

“No. It was not. The person who penned these letters is not your foe, Minerva. On the contrary, she wants the best for you. I have followed every single instruction in the letter. The house has strong wards that prevent both gods and demons from peeking inside. The tincture is made from the best ingredients in the entire universe. And then there’s this.”

She pushes the unopened letter toward us. Minnie grabs it, about to open it when Katrina stops her.

“You are not to open it now.”

“What? But when?”

“When a mark appears on your chest. Right here.” Katrina points to the area right above Minnie’s heart. “When that happens, you will open this letter and find the answer to everything.”

Minnie frowns. I squeeze her hand under the table in comfort.

“Is this about the sanctuary of the Primordial Goddess of Fate? Is the location inside?”

Katrina shakes her head.

“I’m only allowed to tell you this. Inside, you will find the way to vanquish the being named Azerius. But only if you follow the instructions and open it when that mark appears upon your chest.”

“W-what? Vanquish Azerius?” Minnie utters in shock.

“I gather you know who that is?” Katrina asks.

Minnie nods numbly.

“The most powerful being in the universe,” she whispers.

Katrina doesn’t seem fazed. She simply smiles at Minnie and pats her hand.

“You vow to open the letter only when that mark appears on your chest?”

“I-I vow.” Minnie nods.

“Good. Then my duty here is done. You may eat, sleep, and replenish your strength. There’s a portal not far from here that will take you to your desired destination.”

Katrina rises from the table.

“Wait! How do you know our desired destination?” I ask.

Even we don’t know our destination. It was supposed to be random, no? Somewhere to blend in and lose ourselves in the crowd.

Katrina slowly looks up.

Both Minnie and I follow her gaze, where a large painting covers the entire ceiling. It’s a portrait of a couple, their faces painted with a myriad of colors. The man has long, white hair, a stark contrast to the paints on his face. His eyes are a light shade of blue. The dark-haired woman next to him is smiling brightly at the artist, some of the paint cracking around the corners of her mouth.

Minnie releases a loud gasp as she grasps onto my sleeve to keep herself upright. She squeezes my arm, her mouth opening and closing.

“What? I don’t get it?” I whisper.

“But you do, don’t you?” Katrina addresses Minnie.

“That’s it, Marlowe. The sanctuary,” she says as she points at the painting.

I frown, unable to understand what she’s talking about.

“Behind the couple. Look. It’s the same as the drawing,” she continues as she materializes her book in front of us and points to the page with the illustration of the sanctuary.

I look at the painting on the ceiling, then at the illustration.

There’s the same stone formation in the back, down to the discoloration of the wall and the placement of the stalactites.

“Where is it? Where do we need to go to find that place?” Minnie asks excitedly.

Hope shines in her eyes, and she’s barely keeping herself from jumping up and down. Her cheeks are red with joy and optimism, and it slowly dawns on me that this is it.

We can finally be together.

I grab her hand, squeezing it tightly.

Katrina glances from Minnie to me, her lips tipped up in a pleasant smile.

“Arkgor. The place you’re looking for is in a realm called Arkgor.”