Chapter 38

“We should be resting,” I tell Minnie, who’s currently jumping on the bed, squeaking with happiness. Which, granted, is pretty justified. She’s been holding onto this hope for so long, that she deserves to express her joy however she wants.

Katrina insisted that we spend the night at her house so we can recoup our strength and prepare for what is to come. She let us use the attic to have more privacy, which includes a bedroom and a bathroom. She was a sweet lady, giving us food and everything else we needed for the night.

But while Minnie is happily rolling around on the mattress, I can’t help but think that everything was…too fortuitous.

How the hell did we get so lucky that some random person dropped two letters some fifty years ago that held the key to solving all our problems. Not only do we now know where the sanctuary is, but we also have the potential weapon to destroy that Azerius dude.

It’s all too…neat.

And I can’t help but feel that we’re missing something.

Who wrote those letters and what was their goal? We don’t even know that.

But I can’t say anything to Minnie now since I don’t want to ruin her moment of happiness. I’ll have to find a later time to broach the subject and suggest we tread carefully—that this might be a trap.

I dry my hair with a towel after a long-awaited shower and place my clothes on a chair to dry for tomorrow.

As I take off the towel from around my waist to climb into bed, Minnie suddenly stops me.

Her eyes flare with shock as she slowly takes in my body.

She releases another squeak, but this one imbued with her maidenly outrage.

“Yo-you aren’t wearing clothes.”

“Fine of you to notice,” I reply drily.

I’m still wearing my underwear, though it’s only semi-dry. Her maidenly sensibilities should thank me for that since I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable by sleeping in the nude.

“Uhm…” she murmurs as she stares at my dick. She wiggles to the edge of the bed, rolling on her belly until her face is almost at the same level with my crotch.

Fucking hell.

“Soon. I’ll see you soon,” she whispers to my dick as she gives it a small poke. Then she giggles.

“What the—” I startle.

She smiles lazily, her attention still fixed on my dick.

“Look, Marlowe. It knows we’re going to mate soon, too,” she exclaims as she points to my rapidly hardening cock. “It’s so big, too.” She gasps. “You’re going to break me in two, aren’t you?” she coos at it.

Of all the things she could have said…

Jesus Christ, this woman is going to be the death of me. Now I won’t be able to stop thinking about shoving my cock into her cunt so hard, she’ll scream in both pain and pleasure as she stains my shaft with her virgin blood.

“Minnie.” I take a deep breath. “Go shower.”

“But I’m too happy. And this is exciting,” she says as she tries to touch my dick again.

Oh yes, something is excited all right. Perhaps overly excited might be the term.

It’s official. I require sainthood. I’m performing a miracle right here and now by not spreading her legs and breaking her in half just as she wanted. Hell, with how close her mouth is to my crotch, I’m surprised my dick isn’t already down her throat.

See? Saint material.

Saint Marlowe of the Hard Cock.

I berate myself for my stupid thoughts as I grab her wrist before she touches me. I suppose it’s the exhaustion. It must have gotten to my brain.

“No, it’s not fun.” Oh, it’s way too much fun, but my control is too strenuous as it is. “You need to shower. Wash your hair too.”

She blinks, then looks at me with puppy eyes.

“Now?”

“Now.”

She pouts.

“But I was talking to?—”

“Don’t fucking say you were talking to my dick or I’m going to lose it.”

“But I was,” she protests, her expression the picture of innocence.

Goddamn it all to hell. This is too much, even for my herculean restraint.

“Minnie, you need to wash the demon grime off you.”

“Can’t I do it a bit later?” She gives me a smile.

I shake my head.

“Now.”

“But your?—”

That’s it.

I give up.

Swooping her in my arms, I carry her to the bathroom. I rip the dress off her body—it’s torn anyway. She’s left in her bra and underwear, and I step into the shower with her. I turn on the cold water—the only remedy for me at this point, no matter how much I might hate it—and I start washing Minnie’s body.

Minnie whines and pouts and wiggles to get out, but eventually, I get her to stay still so I can carefully scrub her clean.

“Calm down, you dirty little girl,” I say with a chuckle when she struggles to leave while I soap her body.

“Why are you doing this to me?” she cries out.

“Because you need to be clean. Remember our deal?”

“But, Marlowe?—”

“No. This is out of the question. Now sit down so I can wash your hair.”

She looks as if she’s about to argue, but eventually, sits down on the shower floor so I can shampoo her hair.

It’s grimy and dirty and a little tangled. I take my time lathering it in shampoo, then slowly detangling it as I rinse that off.

All the while, she has a pout on her face as she mutters something under her breath.

“What is it with you and water? You’re a goddess princess. Shouldn’t royals wash more often?”

She shrugs.

“It’s wet,” she mumbles.

“It’s water, Minnie. Of course it’s wet.”

She screws up her face in disgust but stops trying to run away.

I rinse her hair thoroughly before washing her body again.

This time, she holds her hands up and stands still, letting me do the work.

To say it’s torture to have her semi-naked and at my mercy like this is an understatement. Especially since I get to touch all parts of her body.

Ah, the sacrifices I make for my little heathen.

When I’m satisfied with how clean she is, I step out of the shower.

She’s watching me intently but doesn’t make to move.

“You should…erm, wash your private parts,” I mutter.

Her cheeks redden.

“Oh.”

“You will wash, all right?”

She takes a moment to think about it then says, “Can’t you do it for me?”

I blink.My own body heats up.

“That would not be wise, Minnie.”

“But it would be nice,” she whispers.

“I’m sure it would be. But I don’t trust myself with you completely naked.” I take a deep breath. “Wash up and I’ll meet you back in the room.”

She eventually nods, and I leave, although that might actually be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

While she’s finishing up, I tidy up the bed and make sure everything is in order.

Minnie comes out with a towel wrapped around her body. She’s suddenly shy as she surveys the room.

“Come. We need to rest. We’ll be waking up early in the morning,” I tell her as I slide between the clean sheets. Ah, I missed the smell of fresh laundry.

She nods and gets into bed too, a distance away from me.

I turn off the light, but neither of us goes to sleep immediately.

“Uhm, Marlowe?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry about my outburst from earlier today. You’re right. I shouldn’t have suspected you.”

“It’s fine.”

“No. It’s not fine. I…” She turns to her side to look at me. “I’ve been so suspicious of everything and everyone for so long that it’s become second nature. But I want to clear something up.”

“You really don’t have to, Minnie,” I tell her.

It happened in the aftermath of a trying event. Adrenaline ran high, and for a moment, we actually feared for our lives. Not to mention the little surprise of what my blood can do. All things considered, I understand why she said what she said.

“It wasn’t you directly that I was suspicious of,” she mentions, sliding closer to me. “It’s the House of Moirai. They’re all sneaky bastards, and I wouldn’t put it past them to do this to you to get back to me.”

“You keep mentioning the House of Moirai. But why would they want to do anything to you?”

“Because I messed with the natural order of things,” she adds slowly.

“By getting involved with a human?”

She hesitates.

“You could say so,” she murmurs.

The sheets rustle as she moves closer until she’s stuck to my side. I put an arm around her shoulders, and she rests her head on my chest.

“Soon we’ll be together,” she whispers.

I press a kiss on her forehead.

Soon cannot come soon enough.

Katrina surprisesus with breakfast and a small bag full of food for our travels. She also gives Minnie a dress to wear since hers was destroyed.

“Thank you so much for everything. You have no idea how much it means to us,” Minnie murmurs after we finish eating and get ready to leave.

“There’s one more thing,” Katrina mentions. “You said demons were after you,” she says as she turns to me.

I nod.

“We don’t know why. But it seems they were sent there to capture me.”

She nods thoughtfully.

“I might have something to help.”

Going to one of her cabinets, she takes out a feathered pen.

“There’s a rune that might help keep you hidden from the demons,” she explains. “If you’ll allow me.” She points to my arm.

I look at Minnie.

“What rune?” she asks.

“It’s a protective rune that keeps one safe from demons. It’s been in my family for generations.”

Minnie appears skeptical about it, but I shrug.

“Okay. If that’s going to help, then please.”

I shrug my sleeve up and present her my arm.

She presses the tip of the pen into my skin, digging it inside. A yellow light emanates from it as she traces a small symbol on my forearm.

Minnie comes closer to have a peek, her brows knitted together in confusion.

“I’ve seen that before,” she mentions. “Our priestesses use it.”

“It is an ancient symbol.” Katrina smiles.

“As far as I know, it means release not protection,” Minnie continues as she places her hand on my arm, stopping Katrina from finishing it.

“Yes. It is a release of the energy the demons might be using to track him.”

I glance between the two of them. Minnie doesn’t seem particularly impressed with the explanation.

“Why would your family have something like this?” She probes.

Katrina doesn’t seem rattled by the question.

“We’ve been exorcising demons for as long as I can remember. We’ve also been hunted for that very reason. This symbol has offered protection to countless of people in my family.”

“Maybe you remember it wrong?” I say to Minnie.

She frowns. “I don’t know…”

“You saidyou’re only marginally familiar with the work of the priestesses. Perhaps they use it for defense too.”

“I’d never do anything to harm either of you,” Katrina interjects. “It is my duty to make sure you get where you’re meant to be.”

“I suppose so,” Minnie relents. “Fine. Go ahead.”

Katrina finishes the design, and once she lifts the tip of the pen off my skin, the etching sears itself into my flesh. There’s a pricking sensation followed by a light hum before the symbol disappears as it gets absorbed into my skin.

“Thank you.” I incline my head.

Minnie grabs my arm and inspects it thoroughly, her eyes narrowed. She traces her fingers along the area where Katrina tattooed the design onto my skin.

“Does it meet your approval?” I ask jokingly.

She makes a deep sound in her throat, but her attention is still on my arm.

“It’s similar to what I saw at the Temple, but there’s something different. I cannot tell,” she adds in annoyance.

Katrina brings out a map of the area and hands it to us.

“I’ve marked the spot where the portal is as well as the path you should take to avoid detection. It’s in the marshes, so the environment isn’t the most welcoming. But I trust that you’ll manage just fine.”

“Thank you,” Minnie says absentmindedly as she takes the map to study it.

There’s an X where the portal is located, and a red line that leads from our current location to the portal.

“This is very helpful.”

We take the food bag and the map, and we head to the exit. Katrina follows behind, a gentle smile on her face.

“May you find what you seek,” she says as she waves goodbye.

We wave back and set out on our journey.

It’s early in the morning. The air is humid and the temperature is in the high fifties. Not bad.

We take a cab to the marshes after which we rent out a boat to follow on the path Katrina outlined.

All the while, though, Minnie has a troubled expression on her face.

“What’s wrong?” I ask after I pay for our boat rental and we get inside.

She purses her lips.

“I don’t know. I should be happy we got all this information but?—”

“You can’t help but feel it’s too fortuitous?”

She nods.“Last night I got too excited when I heard about the location of the sanctuary. But the more I think about it, the more I question it. Who could have written these letters?” She muses as she takes out the sealed envelope from her pocket. “And who would have known we’d come here? That we’d be looking for the sanctuary or the tincture? It all seems too…convenient.”

“You think it’s a trap?”

“I don’t know. I’m itching to open this, but there’s also a part of me that wants to wait and see—the part of me that still hopes this is all real and not a ruse. I mean, vanquishing Azerius? That’s just hard to imagine.”

“How come he’s so powerful?”

“His identity is a mystery. But for thousands of years, he has served as the Commander of the Aperite forces.” She pauses. “And the executioner for all deities that misbehave. He’s not called the God Killer for nothing. Every single deity in Aperion fears him. The demons too. When the Sons of Tenebreis will break out of Tartareia—they’re bound to do so at some point—he’s the one everyone is counting on to lead the war against them. And from what I hear, he’s also set to become the new Polemos Supreme.”

So he’s the most feared guy in the universe. Damn. Now I’m curious about the contents of the letter too. How does one manage to defeat someone so strong?

“You mentioned that term before—supreme. What does it mean?” I ask.

Minnie purses her lips.

“It’s difficult to explain since most mythologies in the universe that have a pantheon consider their deities to be absolute. In reality, no deity is absolute. As I told you before, we might be immortal, but we are not eternal. The position itself, however, is eternal. A Supreme is the representation of a god for a certain designation.” Her brows pinch in concentration. “Take the gods in Anthropas mythologies. Like the god of water. Or the god of earth.”

“Right.” I nod.

“In reality, those are just designation. There’s no one god of water, or god of earth. There’s the Supreme position that is the equivalent. But the people who fill that position come and go. Of course they usually hold onto their positions for thousands or tens of thousands of years,” she explains.

“It’s strange to hear that even gods can be replaced.”

“Yes. The strongest deities in a House are nominated for the Supreme position when it becomes vacant. It’s why the entire Aperite society operates on power and prestige. And every clan within a House competes to have as many Supremes from their families as possible. It’s not at all that different from your world, actually.”

“Who is the Ice Supreme?”

“Krisaides. He’s not from my branch of the family. I know of him, but I’ve never met him. He’s been a Supreme for far longer than I’ve been alive.”

“And your first fiancé?” I ask in a sharp tone.

She rolls her eyes at me.

“I’ll have you know I only met him a few times and always in the presence of a chaperone. He’s the heir to the King of Pyros, but from what I hear, he’s not as strong as the current king. I don’t know how he’s going to be received when he takes the throne. Although, after he repudiated me—very publicly I might add—he gained some sort of a reputation for being an honorable and upstanding Aperite.”

“Honorable and upstanding because he abandoned you?”

She sighs and nods. “It is what it is. No one in my world would accept a female who’s had an affair, let alone an affair with a mortal,” she adds flippantly.

“Still, it must have hurt to have everyone turn against you.”

“I was hurting about other things at that time to care much about what others thought of me.”

I grind my teeth to stop myself from asking if she was hurting about Lucien. But I have no doubt she was hurting about his death. Jealousy bubbles inside of me and I do my best to keep a leash on it. The last thing we need is another argument—especially after I promised her we would not broach that subject again.

I take a deep breath and look at the map instead.

Inhale. Exhale.

It appears that not even desecrating that fucker’s corpse was enough to curb my rage.

I pretend to look around to orient myself. There’s a strip of land not too far from us, and I try to cross reference it with the map.

“I think that’s where we need to get off,” I mention.

Minnie nods.

She’s sitting primly in the boat. The dress Katrina gave her gives her a sophisticated look. It’s a navy blue with frilly lace around the collar and four pearl buttons on the chest.

She looks damn good, but that’s something else I try not to notice.

Just sleeping in the same bed with her last night was torture enough. Her almost naked body was flush against mine, and I’d be lying if I said I got a proper sleep.

All I could do was take a trip to the bathroom every few hours to get some relief, but at this point that doesn’t even work.

Soon—I tell myself. Soon, we’ll be able to be with each other in every way imaginable, and perhaps some that I can’t quite imagine—yet.

I smile at the thought.

We reach the shore and I get out first, then help Minnie too.

“That way,” I tell Minnie as I spot a sign that matches the one on the map.

We only take a few steps, though, when I’m hit by a debilitating headache. I groan aloud as I rest my arm against a tree to get my bearings together.

“Marlowe?” Minnie frowns. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” I mumble.

I try to look at her, but my vision is clouded. I reach for her, blinking repeatedly.

“You don’t look well,” she says, worried.

“I don’t feel w-well,” I barely get the words out when my knees buckle and I fall to the ground.