Chapter 29
TWENTY-NINE
My eyes grow to the size of two saucers as I gawk at him.
“What are you doing?” I squeak and jump back.
Once his chest is bare, I note that his scars are an angry red, far worse than before.
“Minnie,” he says my name in a harsh voice.
“What do you need?”
“Blood,” he states simply. “Your blood.”
I don’t need to ask why he needs it because I can see it in the way his scars threaten to split open. They’re raised and jagged, almost like a dress whose seams cannot hold it together any longer.
I grab a knife from the table and press the blade to my forearm. The pain is swift and sharp. I extend my arm to him and he’s in front of me in two strides, fitting his lips to the bleeding wound.
He sucks it in greedily, his throat bobbing up and down.
Warmth spreads through me as I push myself into him, urging him to take more until he’s sated.
With a low, guttural sound, he wrenches himself away from me. He’s breathing hard, but the scars on his body are no longer as threatening as before. The redness has now dulled to a light pink.
He lets out a sigh as if a massive weight’s been lifted off his chest. He takes a few second to compose himself before he moves to his dresser and takes a small box from the top shelf. He quietly wraps a bandage around my arm before laying a kiss to my inner wrist.
“What happened?” I ask
“We were hit hard,” he replies.
“But you said it was a good mission.” I frown.
He shrugs.
“The end result was good. We didn’t have a lot of planes go down. But for that we had to make certain maneuvers.”
“We or you?” I raise a brow.
Another shrug.
“I did what I had to do for my men.”
“Mine!” I grit out. “You promised you’d be careful.”
“I’m here, aren’t I? And a lot of good men will live to see their families. My mission isn’t only to bomb German factories but also to take care of the men under my command.”
“So you exerted yourself too much, didn’t you?”
“Come, Minnie, don’t be mad, all right?” He lifts his lips in a smile as he gathers me in his arms. “I missed you,” he whispers against my hair. “It feels good to have someone to come back to, something to fight for.”
My heart skips a beat, and I blush furiously at his words. He certainly knows how to make his case. And the fact he’s such an honorable soldier makes me even more proud of him. I might be mad that he’s putting himself in danger, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect his choices.
Good male.
“Now I just need a bath to wash off the sweat. Help me?”
“W-what?” I stammer. “I’m certain you can b-bathe yourself.”
“Usually, yes. But I find myself quite tired. And I won’t be able to wash my back properly. Will you do it for me?”
When he puts it like that…
“All right,” I accede.
“And my hair, you can wash my hair too.”
“Fine.” I roll my eyes.
“And—”
“That’s enough. Don’t push your luck,” I warn.
He chuckles.
On the way to the bathroom, he sheds the rest of his clothing before turning on the water and getting inside the tub.
It’s a small one, not really meant for lying inside, especially for a big male like him. But he makes do, sitting with his knees to his chest, which makes it much easier for me to ignore that growing part between his legs.
Turning in the faucet, I take a small bucket and fill it to the brim. First, I pour it over his head and back before I lather some shampoo in his hair. I work my fingers through his locks, massaging his scalp.
He lets out a long sigh of contentment as he leans into my touch.
“I hate the war,” he admits quietly. “I hate that so many innocent people have to die.”
“And I hate that you’re always in danger. Do you think it will end anytime soon?”
“It will. But by that point too many will have died.”
“I know your intentions are noble, Mine. But you can’t save them all.”
“That’s what guts me.” His voice is low and broken and something shatters inside of me. We’ve never talked much about the emotional side of the war and the toll it takes on him, but I can only imagine.
I might have only known him a few months, but it was evident from the start that he was an honorable male.
Our first encounter briefly flashes through my mind and how he’d heroically run toward the site of the bomb, intent on helping anyone he could.
I lean in and press a kiss against his jagged temple.
“Tell me something good. What do you plan to do when the war ends?” I change the subject so he can take his mind off the bloodshed for a moment.
“You mean we,” he corrects.
I roll my eyes, though a pang of sadness reverberates through my chest. I will like not to be here when that happens. But I will not ruin this moment by reminding him of that.
“Fine. We.”
He smiles.
“I’ll take you out on a real date, to the fanciest restaurant, and I’ll feed you delicious cakes.”
My brows go up.
“Delicious cakes, you say?”
“I bet you’ve never had an eclair.”
“I have no idea what that is, but if it’s sweet and delicious, I’m all in.”
He leans back to look at me.
“And I want to take you somewhere.”
“Where?” I frown.
“It’s a place I used to call my own in the past, waiting for time to go by.”
“That doesn’t tell me too much about it,” I add drily.
“It will have to be a surprise then. A little haven for the two of us.”
I bite my lip so hard I draw blood, anything to stop myself from imagining what that haven would look like when I know our future is precarious. We might not even have a future.
Yet is it so bad if I let myself dream about it?
“I can’t wait,” I tell him softly.
I continue to wash his hair, pouring more water over his head to rinse the shampoo out.
Silence descends between us, the only sound that of the water splashing. He doesn’t move, merely letting out small sighs of contentment when I massage his skin.
There’s something oddly satisfying about this and the way he trusts me so implicitly, lowering his guard in my presence.
I’ve been around too many military men to know that this is a rare thing.
“I will need to head out for a debrief with my CO after. It shouldn’t take too long. But after I get back, we can plan how to tackle the greed demon.”
“I…might have done some investigating of my own,” I admit sheepishly.
He sharply turns to me.
He still has shampoo clinging to his hair, and the bubbly foam slowly dripping down his face makes his scowl amusing rather than intimidating.
“Really, Minnie?” He raises a brow at me. “What did I tell you?”
“Did you really expect me to follow your orders?” I huff aloud. “I am not foolish, Mine. I know the dangers and I was careful.”
He shakes his head.
“You’re right. I didn’t expect you to do as you’re told, but a man can at least hope, no?”
I glare at him.
He stares back, his expression the definition of stoicism.
Seconds pass as we engage in a rather odd staring contest before we both concede at the same time with a rather well-timed bout of laughter.
“Good on you that you know,” I add with a giggle.
One corner of his mouth tugs up and he regards me with amusement. He’s so handsome when he smiles. Especially when he smiles at me. There’s something magical about the way his green eyes light up.
My gaze glides over his features, and a shiver goes down my spine.
He is too handsome for his own good. And despite what he might think, the scars only enhance his allure. Although his slanted eyes are big and clear, with long dark lashes that I can only characterize as beautiful, the rest of him is sharp and rugged, all angles and muscles, all male. He is an odd combination of beauty and strength, and not for the first time, I feel proud to call him mine.
He notices the change in my demeanor and a smolder enters his eyes. His nostrils flare, and a twitch appears in his cheek.
Before I can utter another word, his arms are around my waist as he effortlessly picks me up and deposits me in the tub with him, in his lap.
I straddle him, my dress getting wet as I press my palms against his naked chest.
One breath. One independent breath and then we’re breathing together.
His lips press against mine hard, his tongue pressing past the seam of my lips. His attack is merciless, frenzied. But as I dig my nails into his shoulder, holding him close, I welcome the aggression rolling off him, rolling onto me.
He tugs and bites my lips, consuming me, devouring me. The taste of him is as maddening as I remember, and I wonder why, since our first kiss, our lips haven’t been glued together. Yet as he continues to stroke his tongue against mine, to make me shiver from a mix of want and anticipation, and then even more want, I realize how dangerous this is, how addictive it could become.
It might be too late, though.
Desire unfurls inside of me as I press myself closer to him. That hard part of him is nestled between our bodies, growing even harder by the second.
His hand glides over my back before settling on the nape of my neck, his big palm encircling the entire surface before pressing lightly.
Our mouths are fused together, moving wildly, in a maddening chaos. There’s only instinct as I swipe my tongue over his lips and cheeks before returning to his mouth, tugging on his tongue with my teeth and biting hard on it, drawing blood. He does the same with me, plunging in my mouth deeper and deeper until the chaos becomes a coordinated mess.
His blood flows into my mouth, filling me. The eroticism of it makes my heart stop in my chest.
Am I still breathing? I don’t know. My body might have forgotten how to. The only drive I have right now is to be as close as possible to this male, to feel his big hands on my naked body, to do things to me I should have never thought about.
There’s an ache inside of me that’s becoming more and more painful with each passing moment and the touch of his lips against mine only further stokes the fire.
His other hand moves to my chest, cupping my breast through my soaked dress. He finds the hardened bud in the middle and pinches it between his fingers. A shot of electricity travels through me, and I let out a moan against his mouth.
He swallows the sound. Reaching for my neckline, he rips the buttons at the bodice, pulling the material aside until he has access to my almost naked breast, now covered only by a flimsy brassiere.
“Mine,” I whisper.
“Just a little. Please.” The words are wrenched from his mouth, low and tremulous.
My reply is to kiss him again, peppering his jaw with small kisses while he reaches inside my brassiere and finds my flesh.
My back arches instinctively as I lean into his touch.
He strums my nipple between his fingers. I’ve never imagined my body could achieve such sensations, but every time he caresses my breast, a flash of light travels through me. Everything converges in the spot between my legs and the ache intensifies.
“Fuck, Minnie. You drive me crazy,” he rasps against my lips. “So. Fucking. Crazy.”
He draws back until our lips are barely touching, our breaths mingling together. I stare at him. He stares at me.
“Fuck!” He groans. His eyes shut close and small tremors rack his body. His hold on me tightens, both at my nape and over my breast.
His hips push into me. Once. Twice. The third time, he lets out a moan and he smashes his lips against mine again.
His hips push into me. Once. Twice. The third time, he lets out a moan and he smashes his lips against mine again. He moves lower, down my chin and neck, and when he reaches the top of my breast, he bites onto my naked flesh.
“M-Mine,” I whimper, digging my nails into his shoulders. He bites harder, a mix of pain and pleasure crashing onto me.
“Harder,” I tell him in a voice I barely recognize. “Take my blood.”
He follows my instructions, his teeth surprisingly sharp as he bites again, this time breaking the skin. The blood flows to the surface and into his waiting mouth, and a wave of euphoria envelops me. Everything tingles. Everything is overstimulated.
He continues to thrust his hips against me, that hard male part of him brushing against my soaked dress. There might still be a barrier between us, but I can feel the heat radiating from him as if we were body to body.
His breathing becomes harsher. His hand is still on my breast, massaging my nipple while his mouth feasts on the blood pouring from me.
For the first time, I understand why this is forbidden—why demons do it despite being prohibited. Although it borders on eroticism, it’s so much more than that. It’s the exchange of life, of one’s own essence. I don’t think there’s anything more intimate than this.
With a last lick, he gathers all the remaining blood and kisses his way back to my lips again.
Resting his forehead on mine, his eyes swirl a dark green as he’s trying to catch his breath.
“You…” I trail off as I note the dark stains on his stomach. His seed. “But how? You said you needed your hands.”
He lets out a small chuckle.
“I don’t need anything when you’re so close to me,” he murmurs. “When you’re such an erotic vision come to life.”
My eyes widen and a flush envelops my cheeks. I never realized males could spill their seed so easily, but I am flattered he finds me so attractive that he doesn’t even need to touch himself.
“I suppose I wouldn’t mind helping you like this again in the future.”
He’s taken aback by my words, but as his lips tug up into a smile, he leans forward and gives me a sweet kiss.
“This is all I needed to feel refreshed,” he tells me, nuzzling his cheek against mine.
“More than a bath?” I ask cheekily.
“Darling, as long as I have your kisses, I can spend an eternity without washing, though I very much doubt you’d want to kiss me then,” he adds, amused.
I pull back and pretend to be scandalized for a moment. But then I give him another quick peck and whisper, “I think I might be persuaded to kiss you even then.”
His laughter echoes in the small bathroom.
Truth to be told, if he could be mine for an eternity, I wouldn’t mind anything else.
Mine goes to his debriefing session while I wash his clothes and hang them to dry alongside my dress. When he comes back, he brings me a couple of donuts, some M&M’s, and a chocolate croissant. Ah, this male certainly knows how to treat his lady right.
While I eat, I explain what occurred with the greed demon and what my suspicion is about the charity rule from the book.
“So you’re saying not everything counts as charity?”
I nod, popping another M&M in my mouth.
“You can give him plenty of things, but it seems his power only decreases when he receives something that means something to the owner. All the other times, nothing happens. In fact, he even recovered some of his strength when I gave him something I didn’t care for.”
“That’s…interesting. It would make sense, though, since true charity is giving something you yourself need or covet.”
“We should make a list of things we care about that we might offer to the demon,” I say, though right as the words come out of my mouth, I realize there aren’t too many things I’m personally attached to.
Mine, though, surprises me when he takes a piece of paper and starts writing. Curious, I scoot over and peer at his paper.
The first thing is, of course, soap. I roll my eyes. He could have written Minnie—not that I want him to give me to the demon. But why shouldn’t I be at the top of the hierarchy anyway?
I surreptitiously watch him fill out his list with pretty mundane stuff, still waiting to see my name written in that pretty script of his. He does have nice handwriting. But I suppose it is to be expected of someone as perfect as him.
When he still doesn’t write my name, I decide to probe a little and give him a slight nudge.
“What did you write? Let’s compare lists.”
His brows go up. I am so close to him I can see everything, and he knows it. But he decides to indulge me as he reads off his list. When it’s my turn, I start with the obvious, “Lucien de Vitry,” I say pointedly.
His eyes widen.
“Me? You’d give me to the demon?” He blinks.
“It’s the list of the most important things to me. You are first,” I say with a huff.
“I appreciate that, but I hope that doesn’t mean you’re ready to relinquish me to that nasty demon.”
I roll my eyes at him. “Of course not, Mine. But you are first on the list nonetheless.”
“So you don’t plan to sacrifice me?” He wiggles his brows.
“No. I would never give you up, not even to destroy a demon.”
“My, my, but that’s high praise indeed,” he adds in a satisfied voice. “Am I to understand I am more important to you than defeating the big bad?”
“Of course.” I don’t see how that’s not evident. “There are countless other people who can defeat the demon, but there is only one of you.” I pause to look at him. He has a dreamy look on his face, his chin propped on his hand as he stares at me with a languid smile.
“Would you make the same decision if people’s lives were at risk?” he asks quietly.
I shrug. “It doesn’t matter.”
He purrs his approval. He actually purrs.
“So now you know my position. Why am I not first on your list?” I ask directly since he can’t seem to take a hint. “Am I not the most important for you?” I narrow my eyes at him.
He’s taken aback by my outburst.
“Ah, Minnie.” He chuckles. “You are far too important.” Getting out of his seat, he comes before me, drops to his knees, and takes my hands in his. “I don’t need to make a list for that. And the reason your name is not first is because I would never entertain giving you up for any reason at all.”
“Not even to save innocent lives?”
“No. You see, there are millions of innocent people out there and only one of you. I will always choose you.”
“You…would?”
“Without a second thought.”
“Good male.” I pat him on the head. He gives me a brilliant smile before he stands up and starts poring over his sheet of paper again.
After most of the camp has gone to sleep, we sneak out of our cabin and head to where Holloway is being held. Mine has a few of his precious items with him, including his favorite soap, a shirt his mother gifted him before he went to war, and a letter from his parents. Since I have very few belongings in this world, I decided to opt for the fancy items of clothing I bought with my allowance, though I am a little sad to see them gone. But I suppose that is the entire purpose of this so-called charity.
Like before, a soldier guards Holloway, but with one word from Mine, he allows us inside.
Holloway is in between states of consciousness due to the medication the doctor prescribed. And this seems to make the demon even angrier. When he spots us, he starts shouting at us—though that is not anything new either. He tends to be a rather loud and belligerent creature.
“We’ve come bearing gifts,” I tell him as we stop in front of Holloway’s bed.
Despite his anger, the demon’s interest is piqued when he hears about gifts, his greed reflected in the way his beady eyes sparkle with want.
Ew.
I wonder how previous Aperite warriors discovered that a greed demon’s weakness is charity. To have noticed that, someone must have given one a gift, no? And not just any gift, but something that mattered to them. Who could have been inclined to do that to a demon, the enemy?
Alas, their knowledge is useful to us.
Mine takes out his soap first and hands it to the demon.
“Now I’ll have to go to town to grab another bar. This is custom, you know?”
“Why would you need a custom soap?”
“I have sensitive skin, all right? And I also have a very sensitive nose. I am very particular about the fragrances used in soaps.”
“Right,” I mutter drily. He’s certainly a fussy male. But he’s been a good boy, so I suppose I can gift him one of those soaps when I get my next pay.
The demon grabs the soap with urgency. With donuts, I expected him to eat them, though it was rather strange considering he is only semi-corporeal. But I am curious what he’s going to do with the soap. Mine is, too, watching him intently.
The demon throws the soap into his big mouth and munches on it. I cringe internally, but he seems quite gleeful about it as he smacks his lips together in pleasure.
“More,” he demands at the same time as his energy signature flickers in and out, and he dwindles in size.
“You were right,” Mine whispers in awe. “This is spectacular.”
I preen at his praise.
“I am a good soldier,” I simply state.
“You are a hell of a soldier, Minnie. You did this in one day. That’s commendable.”
I was already blushing, but now I’m blushing some more. It’s quite nice to have my achievements recognized, especially by someone whose opinion matters to me.
“Let’s see with the next one.”
Mine takes out his shirt and gives it to the demon, who like before, stuffs it into his mouth. As he munches on it, he releases moans of pleasure as if it were the tastiest morsel of food. Odd demon.
He dwindles again.
When it comes to the letter, Mine is a bit apprehensive to hand it over, but it is that reluctance that makes the demon shrink sizes twice as much as before.
“Damn,” Mine whistles after the demon’s finished eating the letter.
He’s now a little bigger than a garden gnome.
Since it’s my turn, I hand him one gown at a time, anxiously waiting for him to become smaller and smaller. And while that happens, by the time I’m out of items, he’s still there. Small, but still present.
“Do you have anything else?” I ask Mine.
We’re both in a rather peculiar situation since we are both away from home and possess very few items that truly matter to us.
He shakes his head. “You?”
I purse my lips, thinking. “Maybe we can give him another donut?”
“I doubt that’s going to make him disappear.”
At hearing our conversation, the demon starts to shout again, though this time his voice is high-pitched and sharp, almost that of a toddler.
“There is something else…” I trail off, unsure. Digging into my pocket, I take out the pin. It only has a bit of energy left, but it could make the difference between a life-and-death scenario.
“Minnie, no,” Mine immediately interjects. “It has spiritual energy within it. It might feed him and make him stronger.”
“I know.” I sigh. “But compared to the dresses, this is far more important to me.”
“We can’t take any chances that he might regain his strength. We have nothing left to give him.”
I think on it for a moment. “Charity is also about trust.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. You’re giving a person something that matters to you and you hope they will prize it just as much. There are beggars in Aperion as I presume there are here as well. A lot have become addicted to Zantrax, and they’ve lost everything while trying to fund their addiction. Most people don’t want to give them money because they fear they will just buy more Zantrax.”
“In this world that is true as well,” he mentions thoughtfully.
“So when you’re giving the charity, you’re doing so on a basis of trust. Trust that they will use the money, or the items, in a beneficial way, but at the same time, you leave it up to them to make their own decisions.”
“He’s a demon, not a regular beggar, Minnie.”
“Aren’t demons a form of beggars, too? They are so empty on the inside, they can only thrive by draining others.”
“That might be so, but?—”
Before he can voice out another objection, I hand the pin to the demon. “It is freely given,” I say.
“Minnie…” Mine groans.
He grabs my hand and pulls me back as we watch the demon stare at the golden pin for a moment before popping it into his mouth, glee written all over his features.
“Foolish female!” He laughs as he absorbs the pin and its energy. But his words turn into a screech as his energy starts flickering at the speed of light , followed by a blinding light.
Mine pulls me to his chest and covers me with his body.
Once the light is out, we both slowly turn to look at the demon.
“I’ll be damned,” Mine mutters. “You were right. You did it, Minnie.”
The demon is gone, no trace of him left behind.
“I…was?” I ask in disbelief.
Perhaps now I will get my much-desired commendation and my powers back. But with that realization also comes the sad reality that when that happens, I will have to leave Mine behind.
“I guess I did it,” I whisper softly, sadly.