Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
By the time the new shed is ready for us to move in—three days later, to be more precise—the greed demon has become stronger. The atmosphere at the base has changed, too. There’s a heavy undercurrent, an invisible tension that has formed between people due to the overwhelming effect of greed .
Although the manifestations of greed are most evident when it comes to the desire to own physical objects, there is a strong indication that the most sought-after thing on the base is power. And that has caused quite a few conflicts between soldiers and their superiors.
Alas, as I have been observing these changes, I have been unable to come up with a way to defeat the demon. The usual blessed items I’ve managed to find do not work on it, and every time the demon sees me or Mine, he just…laughs.
I ball my hands into fists.
Have I really become a demon’s laughingstock?
Unacceptable.
“Does this not please you?” Mine asks when he sees me frowning.
“It’s fine. But you must keep to your side of the shed.”
At my request, he’d installed a curtain in the middle of the room to divide it in two. This way, our sleeping arrangements are separate and I don’t have to constantly think about whether he will get an extra eyeful of naked flesh.
The shed is not too large. I believe in human size it is about twenty square meters. That means I have ten, and Mine has ten.
Each half has one small bed, a chest of drawers, and a chair. His side has his desk and his many possessions. Since I don’t have much, my side is rather…bare.
But the best thing about this shed is that it is warm. I have come to appreciate warmth far too much considering I’m supposed to be made of ice.
Mine smirks.
“I promised I would behave.”
“So you should. Otherwise, I will make your life a living hell,” I warn.
“Really?”
I nod.
“Humans need sleep. I will not let you sleep until you become crazed with sleep deprivation. I have heard it is a tactic of war and I’ve decided to borrow it—should you not behave, of course,” I tell him squarely.
His only response is to laugh.
I frown.
Once more, he shows that he is not scared of me. Even after I broke his nose—though it does appear to have healed quite well—he still won’t take me seriously.
“Stop. Laughing,” I grit out.
“You are amusing.” He shrugs. “I have not laughed much in my life, so think of this as me catching up.”
“I am not sure how I feel about being the source of your amusement.”
“Good. You should feel good.”
I narrow my eyes at him.
“It makes you unique since not much else can make me laugh,” he adds.
Well…that changes things. I nod, doing my best not to show my pleasure at his words. He does not need such an ego stroking.
I huff aloud and move to my side of the shed, quietly inspecting that everything is in place. I may not have too many items, but I happen to cherish the ones I have. Particularly the pretty dresses I bought with my allowance money—back when I had some. I kept them, though perhaps I could have sold them to buy some food. But I couldn’t find it in me to part with them and I did not think that with war raging people would be clamoring to buy pretty clothes.
Two of the dresses, I have still not worn. They are far too fancy for walking around the base. But they will not go to waste. I plan to take them with me when I return to Aperion.
“You arranged everything nicely,” I add approvingly as I move around the shed, inspecting every little corner.
I’d offered to do my side, but Mine had insisted that he can do everything. In fact, he’d made me promise not to come inside until he’d had the time to arrange everything. His side, too, is neat and organized, with all his clothes folded to perfection and laid in his chest of drawers. I have never heard of a neat male before, but what do I know? This is my first time sharing such close quarters with a male.
“I am glad you approve.” He inclines his head. “The bathroom is in the back. Let me show you.”
I frown and follow him. He passes through my side of the shed and opens a door that I didn’t realize was functional. The bathroom is small. There is a toilet and something resembling a mix between a bath and a shower, though considering we are on a military base where tens of people share one bathroom, I cannot complain. Once more, I’m reminded of Mine’s influence.
All the other soldiers shower in a common area while he gets to have a personal bathroom. Not even all the higher-ups get this type of treatment.
Are his parents very rich? Is he, like Tommy said, royalty?
But of course he must be something special. Otherwise, I—a goddess—would not have deigned to allow him to court me. It stands to reason that there must be something special about him.
“We should discuss the demon situation now,” I tell him as he closes the door to the bathroom.
There is still the small issue that to get to the bathroom he must cross my side of the shed, but I suppose we can set the rules about that later. Now, the most important thing is the demon.
Mine smiles.
“Here”—he goes to his desk and removes a small vial from the drawer—“I managed to get this.”
I move closer to get a better look.
It is a vial the size of my palm, and it is only half-full.
“What is it?”
“Holy water.”
“We’ve already tried that and it did not work,” I remark drily.
“This is special holy water. Straight from the Vatican.”
“The Vatican?” I frown. I think I might have heard the term before, but I do not know what it means.
“The highest Church authority. It should work better, no?”
I shake my head and sigh.
“There is no such thing as better holy water. The blessing chant used on it is the same.”
His face falls.
“I spent a fortune on it, though,” he mutters under his breath.
“A fortune?”
“Never mind.” He chucks the vial back in his drawer. “If holy water blessed by the pope himself won’t work, then what will?”
“Who is this pope?”
“The head of the Church,” Mine explains. “He resides in the Vatican.”
“I have never heard of him. He must not be very good then.”
Mine blinks. “What?”
“I would have heard of such a person if he were important enough to the fight against demons. But I was not briefed about any pope or Vatican. That means they are useless.”
“Right. Well, if the pope and the Vatican are useless, then what is useful?”
“I don’t know,” I reluctantly agree.
Letting out a loud sigh, I take a seat on the bed and fist the material of my skirt.
“The special division is the only one who’d know how to deal with a greed demon. This type of literature was not in my curriculum.”
“Then where can we find that type of literature?”
“Aperion.” I take a deep breath. “I wasn’t planning on going back anytime soon, but I might have to.”
“What do you mean?” He frowns.
“The demon is getting stronger. Every single day, he’s one step closer to gaining a physical body. Once he’s no longer reliant on Holloway, there’s no telling what he might do. The military base is only the beginning.”
“But surely there are other ways?—”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’ve tried to make contact with my brother again, but he’s done something to block me from accessing his sigil. I can’t contact anyone else to ask for help because I don’t have any spiritual energy left. With how fast the demon is getting stronger, I must go back and notify the special division.”
There is also the fact that not only will I not get a commendation if I don’t do my best to stop the demon, but I might even get punished for not trying hard enough to stop him—or at least aid those who can stop him.
It would become negligence on my part, and that is punishable under both the Aperite law and the military one. I would be getting two sentences. And though they might help me avoid a match with that clown, it will also ruin my professional reputation—so much so I might never be allowed to fight demons again.
That is simply unacceptable.
“What happens if you go back without your powers?” Mine asks.
I startle. I hadn’t thought about that.
“It would be best if it’s not found out,” I add slowly as I consider the issue. If my parents find out I’m powerless, they will certainly lock me away someplace until the wedding. The clown himself might decide to pay me a visit and teach me a lesson for the way I publicly embarrassed him last time. And the other warriors…they would laugh at me.
And I hate it when people laugh at me.
Damn it! I’ll get in trouble if people find out about my lack of powers, but I’ll get in even more trouble if I don’t do anything and let the demon run amok.
This is quite the conundrum. And I…don’t know what to do.
“Can you even go to Aperion in your state?”
“I can if I find the portal to go back.”
“Find? You don’t know where it is?” He stares at me.
I clench my fists.
“There are very few immutable portals. Most are always changing locations. I can detect their energy signature when I have my powers. But without them…”
Mine sighs and joins me on the bed.
“Then how do you propose we get to Aperion?”
“I can—” I stop and turn toward him. “We? We? ”
“We’re a team. Of course I won’t let you go alone. Especially since you’re vulnerable now.”
“W-what?” I sputter. “Vulnerable?”
“Don’t take this personally, Minnie. I know you’re a force to be reckoned with—when you have your powers. But without them, you’re just…human.”
I curse under my breath. He has a point.
“Mortals can’t just go to Aperion,” I tell him. “Not only that, but you wouldn’t last there.”
“What do you mean?”
“If a mortal travels to a world that is not his native one, he will get sicker and sicker until he will die in approximately a fortnight. The only way to prevent that is to get a special tincture that would allow you to withstand the atmosphere of other worlds, but I wouldn’t have the first clue on how to procure that.”
He nods pensively.
“I suppose we’ll just have to notify that special division in less than a fortnight.” He gives me a wide smile.
I roll my eyes at him.
“And you think the special division will take it kindly that a human is in Aperion?”
Mine shrugs.
“We won’t tell them. I’ll accompany you there and wait until you notify them. Then I’ll take you back here. You promised me two months, Minnie. I’m not about to waste any day.”
“You…” I grit out in annoyance.
“Now, now, Minnie. Will you renege on your vow?”
“I don’t remember vowing anything,” I mutter drily.
“You gave me your word.”
“You’re impossible.”
“ Persistent ,” he corrects.
“But why?” I suddenly ask. “I don’t understand why this sudden interest in me.”
“It is far from sudden, trust me.” He smiles.
“May I remind you we’ve only known each other for a few weeks?”
“So? A few weeks might be nothing for your immortal self, but for a puny human like me, it is quite a long time. Long enough to decide you’ll do, anyway,” he adds happily, scooting closer to me and draping one arm across my shoulders.
I should remind him of the no touching rule, but I am momentarily too confused by his words to do so.
“I’ll…do? What does that mean?”
“That you are mine,” he answers blithely.
I blink. But as I open my mouth to speak, he continues.
“And I am yours, of course. I am all about equality, you see. I am yours and you are mine.”
“There is nothing equal between us, human,” I grit out. I decide to ignore the rest of his statement because I find it rather charming and it makes me feel better about still calling him Mine. Though it’s not because he is mine, of course. It’s only because…well, he feels mine. My temples throb. This is more complicated than I expected. I cannot believe that I am having such difficulty with one paltry pronoun.
“You’re right,” he adds with a nod. “You are far superior.”
An unwitting smile pulls at my lips. At least he knows that.
“As a mere mortal, it is my duty to worship you. From that perspective, you are right. We are not equal.”
My lashes flutter in surprise.
“Worship…me?” I whisper.
He smirks.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it. You’re a goddess, after all. Wouldn’t you want to have a male at your feet”—and to prove his point, he slides off the bed and onto his knees in front of me—“worshipping and adoring you?”
“What are you—” My words are cut off abruptly as he places his head in my lap, nuzzling his face against me.
“I can do that and so much more, Minnie,” he rasps. His breath travels through the material of my dress until it reaches my skin. It makes its way inside of me, warming me in a way that makes me shudder with pleasure.
“This isn’t appropriate,” I croak. “We should?—”
“But it wouldn’t be just your body that I would worship,” he continues. “I would worship your soul, too.”
My eyes widen.
“I would pleasure you day and night, until your body is a bastion of pleasure, until your soul?—”
“Stop.” I place my fingers against his lips. “Please don’t say any more.”
He grabs my hand and kisses the inside of my palm before turning it and kissing the back of my hand.
“As you wish, my goddess,” he murmurs.
He gets up, dusts his suit, and walks around the room as if nothing happened. As if he didn’t just make my heart stop in my chest with his nearness and his honeyed words. Low tremors that I’m having a hard time controlling rack my body.
“Back to the issue of the demon,” Mine says. His voice and demeanor are both steady and calm—as if he’s completely unaffected by what just happened while I’m barely hanging on by a thread.
“Yes,” I croak. “The demon…” I take a deep breath and try to settle my nerves. “In order to get to Aperion, we must find the portal first.”
At my mention of the word we , he gives me a dazzling smile.
My breath hitches.
“You need spiritual energy for that, no?”
I nod. “My own energy flow is blocked. But that doesn’t mean I cannot siphon some. The only issue is that there isn’t much I can siphon energy from in your world.”
“The demon?” He offers.
I shake my head.
“With how strong he is now, I will never get close enough.”
He makes a tsk sound.
“What about souls? You said they’re the purest form of energy. Would absorbing a soul work?”
“Absolutely no,” I burst out and jump to my feet. “It is forbidden.” At his confused expression, I continue. “If I consume a soul, I will become the same as a Son of Tenebreis. My energy signature will change forever and I will be branded both a traitor and the enemy. And there is only one fate for that…” I squeeze my eyes shut as I remember the first execution I ever witnessed. “Death.”
“Death? Even for an immortal?”
I nod.
“I might be immortal as far as time goes, and I might even withstand most injuries. I might even die and be reborn if my energy is depleted to the point that my body fails me. But the type of death that awaits anyone who breaks the law is the permanent type. There is a sword in Aperion that has the power to exterminate a god’s essence. And the owner of that sword happens to be ruthless when it comes to meting out justice.”
“Who?”
“He is called Azerius, and he is my commander. But he is also…as scary as he is fascinating and strong.”
Mine’s features tighten.
“Fascinating? Strong?” he repeats.
“He is thought to be the strongest deity alive. Everyone looks up to him just as everyone is afraid of him.”
“Let me guess. You look up to him, too,” Mine adds drily.
“Of course. He might be ruthless, but he is just. And I’ve never seen someone with a more admirable work ethic than him.”
His nostrils flare.
“You seem to hold him in very high esteem.”
I nod excitedly.
“And if this mission goes well, I’ll get a commendation from him. You have no idea how valuable that is in my world. And then I won’t have to mar—” I promptly stop myself when I realize I’ve said too much.
Mine narrows his eyes at me. In two thudding steps, he’s in front of me, towering over me with his impressive height.
“You won’t have to do what?” There is something different about him. It’s not just the chilling quality of his voice, but there’s also something else. Something that makes the hairs on my body stand up.
“Go ahead, Minnie. Finish what you were about to say.”
“Nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing.” His eyes glint dangerously. “Go on. Tell me.”
“Mine…”
“Tell. Me.”
“I won’t have to get married,” I whisper.
“And when were you planning on telling me about that marriage of yours?” he asks in a low voice as he moves closer to me.
My breathing intensifies from his nearness, drowned only by the incessant drum of my pulse.
“W-why should I have told you?” I muster in a shaky tone. “It does not concern you. We’re nothing to each other. I’m a goddess and y-you’re a puny human.”
“We are nothing to each other?” he sneers. “So it does not concern me that I am courting you while you’re promised to another?”
“I didn’t mean that. I just…” I take a deep breath. “It’s an arranged marriage, Mine,” I hurry to say. “I was not consulted about it.”
“I will ask you again, Minnie. Do you think it does not concern me that I am courting an engaged woman?”
He takes a step toward me. I take one back. Our bodies are in motion, but our gazes are stagnant.
My eyes are on his, trapped by an ineffable intensity.
I back away, and he charges forward.
Until my back hits the wall. He’s in front of me, crowding me with his body. Placing his hand above my head, he leans in, his eyes narrowing at me.
He doesn’t speak again, though.
He just waits.
“I…” I close my mouth. He’s right. Maybe before this would not have concerned him. But I did agree to give him two months to court me—a lapse in judgment on my part now that I think better of it. A human courting a goddess. It would be laughable if I wasn’t in such a dire position. The position being the fact that I am not unaffected by said human.
Even now, my heart beats so wildly in my chest, it might just leap out of it. Yet it is not fear.
Here I am, trapped by the massive body of a male who’s seen war, who can not just best me but also subdue me, and I don’t feel the slightest bit afraid.
There is something else, though. A tremor low in my stomach—one that worms its way through my entire body until every single cell hums with awareness.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I should have told you. But you have to understand that though I may be engaged to him in name only, I do not see myself as such. In fact, I’ve been doing everything in my power to evade the match. It’s just that in my world?—”
He presses a finger against my lips and shushes me.
“I know your virtue is intact,” he starts, and I’m shocked at the cadence of his voice. It’s rough and barely subdued, with a hint of malice. “But I must know what else happened between you and that fiancé of yours.”
“What?” My brows shoot up. “What do you mean? Nothing happened, of course.”
He isn’t mollified by my words.
“Did he kiss you?”
“Of course not!”
“Hm.” He clicks his tongue. “How could he resist the temptation?”
“Temptation?” I snort. “Trust me, there is no temptation on his part,” I mutter, annoyed at the mere thought of that clown.
“More the fool he is then,” Mine scoffs.
“Right…”
“What else, Minnie?”
“I don’t know what you mean?—”
“Did he touch you in any way?”
“He doesn’t see me that way, all right? He hates me as much as I do him. I bet he’s only going through with the marriage because his mother told him to.”
“Did he touch you in any way?” he repeats.
I frown at him. What does he want me to answer?
“You’re being ridiculous, Mine. He probably only grabbed my hand once.”
“Your hand…” He nods to himself. “Which one?”
I blink. What?
“Do you think I remember?”
“Which. One?”
“Left?”
He nods.
Grabbing my left hand, he brings it to his lips. He blows hot air on my knuckles before he asks, “Which fingers did he touch?”
“Now you’re just making fun of me,” I add under my breath as I attempt to pull my hand back. But his grip is too strong. And considering my position between him and the wall, my movements are rather limited.
“Doesn’t matter,” he mentions right before he places his lips on my big finger. He kisses the entire length of it, slow, languid kisses that make me break out in goose bumps. When he’s done with that finger, he moves on to the next. He does this until he’s kissed every single inch of my hand.
“W-what’s gotten into you? Why are you behaving like this?”
He stares at me for what seems like forever before he releases a long, tired sigh.
“I am courting you, therefore you are mine , Minnie.”
“But—”
“No buts. This is the way of my world and you are now in my world. If I am courting you, it means I am laying claim on you. You will not look at other males. You will not touch other males. Hell, you will not even think of other males.”
I blink in shock.
“Did you just say I cannot think of other males?” I repeat in outrage.
“Damn right. And your nursing duties will be reserved only for me. You will not attempt to treat any male who is not me. Is that clear?”
I am waiting for him to laugh and say it’s a joke. Because how can it be anything but a joke?
But as the seconds pass, his gaze only intensifies, his breathing even more so. His nostrils flare—in and out—almost as if he’s doing his hardest to control himself. But control himself for what ?
I don’t understand this, or him, or the customs of this world. I agree that I should have told him about my clown of a fiancé, though I don’t even claim him as such, but other than that, I’m stumped as to what he’d have me do or how to behave.
“Surely you realize how absurd this is, no?” I ask when he doesn’t show any hints of amusement.
He merely shrugs.
“There is nothing absurd about this, Minnie.”
“You’re telling me I cannot even think of another male? Do you realize how absurd that is? You cannot control my thoughts?—”
“Oh, but I can,” he cuts me off.
I stare at him. “What?”
Slowly, his lips tip up. But it’s not the usual carefree smile I’ve come to expect from him. No, it’s something more menacing, something almost sinister.
“I can occupy every second of your day so that you have absolutely no time to even think of another male.”
“Are you…serious?”
“Why would I not be serious?”
“Because I’ve never heard of anything as outrageous as this before.”
He shrugs again.
“It’s because you are not familiar with my world. But rest assured, Minnie, that I am here to teach you everything about it. Including the fact that once a male claims a female, there can never be anyone else for him.”
“Oh. Really?”
He gives me an assured nod.
“In Aperion, there are so-called blood bondings or true matings that happen between two people whose threads of fate are irrevocably linked. This type of territorial behavior happens between true mates, though those pairings are exceedingly rare. I did not realize that humans engaged in it, too,” I add pensively.
Though extremely rare, true matings are incredibly romantic. The fates are the ones who assign true mates, and some sources state that every single being in this universe has an assigned true mate—or a linked thread of fate, as others refer to it. But to find one’s true mate, one must exchange blood to trigger the bond. Otherwise, both beings continue to go through life oblivious to their one true mate—which is why the phenomenon is so rare.
Yet once two beings have been blood bonded, they are completely in tune with one another. Accounts differ on how the bonding manifests, with some claiming that each bonding is unique. But the mates are extremely territorial of each other and they can never desire or lie with anyone but each other.
Ah… Blood bondings are as romantic as they are taboo in Aperion, though. Aperites are prohibited from sharing blood with anyone . It is an offense punishable by death if found out. It’s almost as bad as consuming a soul and it’s reported that it has a similar effect in tainting one’s spiritual energy. Perhaps it’s because both things are characteristic of the Sons of Tenebreis—soul sucking blood drinkers.
My own theory is that the Houses prohibited blood sharing because they were afraid people would be finding their true mates left and right. If they did, there would be no more advantageous marriages, no more selective breeding or political alliances. Everything would be left to…fate. And as much as the House of Moirai likes to believe it’s in charge of everything, so do the other Houses like to prove that is not the case.
“But wait,” I suddenly say. “What about those humans at the party? Or those soldiers bragging about the many women they slept with? How can they do that if they are territorial?”
My question throws him off as he scowls.
“I did not say that everyone is like that,” he mumbles.
“But you implied it.”
“I did no such thing,” he counters. “I just informed you of a custom I happen to engage in. And since I am in this world, then this custom is automatically characteristic of this world.”
I go over his words, growing more confused the more I replay them in my mind.
“What type of logic is that? I did not understand a word of what you said.”
He smiles at me.
“And that is all right, Minnie.” He pats me lightly on the shoulder. “I will guide you. Just remember the main rule—I am the only male you can ever think of, look at, touch, or desire. Ever.”
“That’s more than one rule,” I grumble.
“It’s a combined rule.”
Once more, I find myself very confused. How did we get here? We were talking about the demon, weren’t we?”
“What happens if I don’t?” I ask innocently.
His expression darkens.
“That is the issue, Minnie. I am doing this for your own good.” He presses his lips together, looking at me with sudden concern in his eyes.
“What?”
“If you don’t follow the rules, then I will be forced to kill any males involved. And you cannot kill humans, can you?” he murmurs sweetly as if he’s reciting poetry, not telling me about his murderous intentions.
“But I wouldn’t…”
“They would die because of you, Minnie. It’s just as if you killed them. And we cannot have that, can we?”
“N-no.”
“Good girl.” He winks at me and ruffles my hair. “Now back to that demon…”
And just like that, he’s back to his previous laid-back self.
Me? I’m more confused than ever.