Chapter 37
THIRTY-SEVEN
Mine’s name is called and he grabs my hand to go with him.
Sensing a shift in the air, I tell him, “Go ahead. I will be with you after I check something out.”
He glances at me but doesn’t ask what. Instead, he only says, “Vow you will come back to me.”
“I vow it.”
With a slow nod, he heads to the crowd forming in the courtyard. I watch his retreating figure just as a mass of energy materializes next to me.
“What in the Source do you think you are doing, Minerva?” Molokai demands in an angry voice.
I should have expected he would follow me since I disappeared from his side. But I was too concerned with Mine’s well-being to worry about that.
“I have something to take care of here,” I answer.
“With a human? I saw you.”
I slowly raise my eyes to meet his. “And what did you see?”
“You were embracing,” he spits out in disgust.
I shrug. “Are you going to tell on me?”
He presses his lips together, and there is my answer.
“Someone else will find out.”
Knowing how strong Kai’s sense of justice is, his reply surprises me in a way I hadn’t dared hope before.
“Not if I’m careful. At least not for a period of time.”
“You are playing a dangerous game, Minerva. How long has this been going on?”
“Long enough to know his intentions are genuine. As are mine.”
He snorts as if he could never fathom such a thing. But I wouldn’t expect my brother to understand things of a sentimental nature. He’s too frigid for that. Yet the mere fact that he’s not forcefully taking me away gives me a modicum of hope.
“You have no idea what will happen to you?—”
“On the contrary,” I interrupt him. “I do, and I am willing to face the consequences.”
He tilts his head to the side, studying me.
“I do not understand you.”
“It is not for you to understand, Kai. But I would appreciate it if you did not tell anyone.”
His lips are pursed, but he gives me a tight nod that must have cost him a lot given his strict adherence to the rules.
“Do you sense something odd about this place?” I ask and change the subject.
Another thing I’d noticed the moment I got here but couldn’t analyze further because my entire focus was on Mine.
Kai frowns. Looking around, his nostrils flare as his eyes shine a dark blue. Suddenly, he flashes himself to the barbed wire fence and traces his hand over its surface.
Then he’s back.
“Runes,” he states quietly. “Not Aperite.”
I nod slowly. I’d suspected as much.
Pressing my palm against the wall of the barrack, I reveal even more such runes.
“This is a prisoner camp, but there are also rumors of extermination camps. Do you think?—”
“That these Nazis are using demon magic to harvest the souls?” He completes my thoughts.
I nod.
“It is possible.” He sighs. “I will report this back and go around the other camps to investigate. If demons are working together with humans to harvest souls, then?—”
“This war and wars in other worlds could be a result of demon interference.”
“It would not be regular demons either. Elite Sons of Tenebreis, since only they have the power to make such bargains. But the question remains if they’ve made their way to Anthropa or if they communicate with humans through other means.”
“High-level demons. It’s possible.”
“Or those high-level demons could be in positions of power to dictate the terms of the war. We’ve been so focused on opportunistic demons who might come across the carnage and feed on the souls that we did not even look at the people ordering that carnage. That would change everything.”
He has a grim expression on his face as all the implications become clear.
“These demons… they might be far more powerful than we gave them credit for.”
“Perhaps you should head back and let the commander know,” I tell him, hopeful he would get the hint and leave.
“I’m not done discussing this madness you’re engaging in.”
“And what do you think is left to discuss? I’ve already made up my mind.”
“That is?—”
He stops. His entire body freezes as his eyes glaze over. Shimmery particles appear around him, almost like a cloak.
In the blink of an eye, he’s gone.
I stare at the place he just vacated in shock, knowing fully well what his sudden departure means. His sigil was used.
And if it’s the faerie who did it…oh my, Molokai will be so angry with me!
Why did it have to happen just now when he promised he would keep my secret?
Muttering a string of curses under my breath, I go in search for Mine.
The prisoners are all forming a long line to the gates, ready to depart.
Mine is in the middle, and as I squeeze next to his side and grab his hand, a slow smile curves up his lips.
“You came,” he whispers.
“I promised I would.”
He squeezes my hand tightly and keeps me flush against his body so I don’t touch any of the other prisoners.
We walk slowly until we reach the woods he mentioned, at which point I shield him with my powers and we make our way surreptitiously out of line and away from the marching soldiers.
I tug him toward the cover of the trees, but he keeps glancing back toward the men marching forward.
“Do you want me to help them?” I ask, noting the worry lines etched on his face.
He shakes his head.
“You cannot mess with that many fates.”
“For you, I will. If you want me to…”
“No.” His answer is clipped. “History must go forward. I’ve already done too much.”
“What do you mean?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he murmurs, finally following me deeper into the forest. “I suppose I feel bad for those men. With nothing else to do in all these months, we got to know each other and…they’re good men.”
“I can?—”
“No,” he states again. “Some will survive. Others won’t. It’s life.”
I accept his reasoning, but I can’t help but feel the sadness seeping out of him.
It makes me wonder what truly happened in that camp while I wasn’t there for him. But I can do something now. I can ease his suffering…somehow.
We walk for a few hours in a perpendicular direction so we don’t meet any other soldiers.
“We’ll need to find a place to sleep for the night. It’s late and you must be tired,” I tell him when I note he’s gone too quiet.
He takes a deep breath and looks around.
“We won’t find anywhere warm or anywhere that they won’t try to kill us on sight.”
I snort at him.
“You happen to be traveling with a goddess, in case you haven’t noticed. Come.”
I look around for a spot that’s both hidden by the trees and has even ground. When I find a good one, I nod to myself and kneel down, pressing my open palms against the frozen ground.
Particles of ice meld together and rise forth, slowly knitting themselves into a solid structure in the shape of a small cabin. I fortify the roof and floor with two thick layers and add a second one for the walls so they can conserve heat.
When I’m done, I blow the hair out of my face and turn to Mine.
He’s staring at me in shock, or rather, admiration?
“This is…”
“Eternal ice. It will not melt if we make a fire inside. It is also impenetrable in case of an attack. I think this should be a nice place to sleep for the night, no?”
“Nice? Minnie, you’re a queen,” he says as he swoops me in his arms and lays a loud kiss on my lips.
“Princess,” I correct.
“Maybe princess by birth but a damn queen in your own right. This is spectacular.”
Pink spots dot my cheeks. Well, if he says so…
Giddiness erupts inside of me as I pull him inside the small ice cabin so I can show him what more I can do. If he thinks this is amazing, he should wait and see my other tricks.
After we go inside, I move one block of the eternal ice over the entrance. It seamlessly blends together with the other walls, giving the impression that the entire cabin is just one big block of ice.
The inside is not too big—I did not have the best space to play with. But this should be enough for us to sleep and move around comfortably.
It’s also tall enough for Mine to stand up without slumping his shoulders, and he notices my attention to detail as he walks casually around.
I preen under his silent praise.
“Let’s get you warm,” I mention and manifest coal from the camp and wood from the forest. They appear laid out in the middle of the cabin and I move them around until they’re in the best position. With a snap of my fingers, a fire comes to life, both lighting and heating up the enclosure.
Mine gives me a wide grin before he shrugs off his dirty shirt, which I promptly manifest away. Then he crosses his legs and sits in front of the fire.
Ah, but this is just the beginning! I must show him I can do more.
Focusing on the objects in our hut at the base, I first manifest some clothes for him and my nice dress. But as I think on what else to get him, I realize there’s only one thing that would make him truly happy.
To be clean.
Manifesting the tub across such a distance is no small feat, but for him I do it.
The tub fits quite well at the end of the cabin, and while Mine stares in shock at the items that keep appearing in our little space, I transport some ice from outside, dump it in the tub, and melt it.
Since heat is directly opposite to my ice abilities, it takes me almost three times the amount of energy to get the ice melted and turned into nice warm water.
“Minnie,” he breathes out in wonder.
Oh, the effort is well worth it as his previous morose expression turns joyful.
He wastes no time in shedding the rest of his clothes and getting inside the tub, releasing a loud sigh of satisfaction as the hot water touches his skin.
I will the rest of his dirty clothes away and remember to grab some soap from the military base. The back and forth of teleporting items is also quite draining, but to see that smile on his face, I’d do it all over again.
Even his nakedness no longer bothers me, though I only got a short glimpse before he dunked himself in the tub.
“I fucking love you, Minnie,” he suddenly says. “This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”
I smile happily. “Of course. Who knows you better than me?”
He chuckles.
“You’ll have new clothes to change into, and—” I pause as I locate one mattress and a thick blanket and teleport it inside the ice cabin, then place it flush against the other end.
“See, now I’ve thought of everything.”
“That you have. You’re so strong, tiny darling.”
“See? I told you! You’re probably falling even more for me now, no?” I bat my lashes at him, for the first time succeeding in doing this odd gesture. “My supernatural charms must be overwhelming your feeble human mind.”
“How did you know?” he asks. “I do find myself rather speechless. I didn’t know it was your supernatural charms…” His lips curve up.
It takes me a moment to realize he’s making fun of me.
“Mine!”
“I’m more in love with you today than ever before. Is that better?” he asks with a wiggle of his brows.
I huff aloud, though the words please me immensely. And to show him how magnanimous I am, I roll my sleeves up my arms and go behind him to wash his hair.
He leans into my touch, sighing as my fingers massage his scalp.
His eyes are closed, and he hums a low melody.
I smile as I lean forward and press a kiss to his forehead.
His eyes snap open, his irises a light green that sparkles with intensity. He suddenly grabs one of my hands and holds me in place.
“How long will you stay in Anthropa this time?” His voice is no longer playful.
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “I will do my best to stay as long as possible.”
He’s quiet. Wrenching himself from me, he turns around in the small tub so he’s facing me.
“Will you stay with me until my last days?” he asks quietly.
My brows furrow in confusion.
“What do you mean your last days?”
A sad smile touches his lips. “I am still ill, Minnie. Though your blood can heal the immediate manifestations of the disease, it cannot cure me. Now more than ever it is slowly festering inside of me.”
“W-what?” I mutter in shock.
“It is the truth. I don’t know how much longer I have left.”
“Don’t say that!” I cry out. “Don’t even think it, Mine. I’m warning you.”
“It is not up to you, or me, though I am thankful I lasted this long so I could meet you.”
“You’re not dying! I am not going to allow you to die, Mine. You hear me?”
“I hear you, Minnie,” he replies softly. “But if it happens… Will you stay with me for the time I have left?”
“I would never leave you willingly.”
“Good.” He nods, then resumes his bath as if nothing happened, as if he didn’t just stab a dagger through my heart with his words.
He finishes washing and dries himself before putting on the clean clothes.
Though still troubled by the notion of him dying—no, he will not die. But the fact that he believes he will… It makes me wonder if he told me everything about his illness. If he omitted some information.
As I ponder how to approach the situation and learn more about his condition—it is the only way I can find a way to help him—I realize this is not the best time to open the discussion again.
He’s tired and in pain. Who knows what type of torture he experienced at the hands of those nasty Nazis? In Aperion, enemies are pushed to the brink of death if they are captured. I can only assume humans do the same in times of war.
Closing my eyes, I mentally search some of the venues I’ve been to in Anthropa and find a high-end hotel with good food. This is technically stealing, but what’s one more rule broken?
Mine audibly gasps when he notices an array of fine foods appear in front of him.
“I told you I can do a lot of things,” I tell him.
“I can see,” he notes drily. “Half of this is dessert.”
“Well, you can have the meat, and I’ll have the cakes. But first, the appetizer.”
He raises a brow at me as I extend my arm and materialize my dagger, making a small incision over my wrist.
“You need to heal.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice as he pulls my wrist to his mouth and wraps his lips around my flesh. He sucks on the blood until the skin starts to mend, after which he slowly laps at the dwindling incision.
“More?”
He shakes his head. “You’re going to turn me into an addict, Minnie.”
“So? I don’t think I would mind it if you were addicted to me,” I add pensively. “You’d never stray.”
He blinks. “I’d never stray?” he repeats in shock.
“Yes. You’d be so thoroughly addicted to me you wouldn’t be able to function otherwise.” As the words are out of my mouth, I realize I would rather like that.
“Minnie, are you blind?”
“What?”
“Are you blind? It’s the only explanation as to why you would not see that not only would I never stray—truthfully, the implication that I would is offensive—but if you looked well enough at me you’d realize I am already that addicted to you and I cannot function without you.”
I purse my lips. “You functioned well enough while I was away,” I counter. “You think I don’t know you were out carousing with your friends while I was gone?”
“W-what? Carousing with my friends?” he sputters.
“Yes. Don’t think I don’t know that.” I place my arms across my chest and glare at him. “You were supposed to be missing me, not having fun with other people.”
“And how would you know that?” He raises a brow.
“I spied on you, of course.”
“Of course,” he repeats drily. “As if that is normal.”
“It is very normal. You are mine. Of course I have the right to spy on you at any moment. Since you are mine, your time is mine too, as is whatever you do in that time.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yes,” I state firmly. “You could have missed me more, by the way. I did not see any tears,” I accuse, remembering the way he’d smiled with those friends of his while I was suffering because I was away from him.
“You did not see any tears…”
“Why do you keep repeating my words?” I narrow my eyes at him. “Don’t think of changing the topic. I want to know how much you missed me.”
His lips tremble, and I wonder if he’s angry at me.
“What exactly did you see me doing while you were spying on me?”
“Well, for one you were spending time with a male and a female. And don’t think I did not see you hug that female and put your hands on her.” I point threateningly at him. “The only reason you’re still intact is because the other male was clearly her lover.”
“By intact you mean…”
“You know what I mean,” I add with a harsh stare.
“I don’t think I do.”
My eyes slowly dip down to his pants.
“That thing. I may not be able to kill humans, but I can certainly maim them.”
His brows shoot up. “You would have…” He points to his crotch.
I nod gravely. “I would have,” I confirm.
“Damn, Minnie. You’re more bloodthirsty than I thought.”
“You have no idea what I am capable of, Mine, which is why you’ve been warned.”
“I don’t think I needed that warning, but it’s duly noted.”
“Good.”
“And you don’t have to worry about those people. They happen to be related to me.”
“I assumed so. The male looked rather like you.”
“That’s because he’s my father.”
Now it’s my turn to gawk at him in shock. “Your father?”
“And the female was my mother.”
My lips part open in shock.
“Your…mother…?”
“Indeed. So you see, I was not carousing with them. I was just spending time with my family.”
“But they’re so young…”
“They had me young.” He shrugs.
“But…” I swallow. This changes things. If those were his parents, then he was not doing anything bad, and I can hardly reproach him for hugging his mother. Although with how young and pretty she looked…
It’s his mother, Minerva!
“That still does not erase the fact that you did not seem to miss me overly much,” I add with a huff.
“I should have shed some tears, no?”
“Correct.” I nod.
“And because there were no tears you think I did not miss you enough.”
“Correct again.”
“Ah, Minnie. Did you not see my heart weep?”
“No, I did not. And don’t you Minnie me with that poetry language stuff or whatever.”
“Poetry stuff?” He chuckles.
“Hearts do not weep. At least not while they’re still inside the body. Now if I were to cut you open and squeeze the blood out of it, maybe then—” I don’t get to finish my words before he pulls me into his arms.
His hot breath is on my lips as he stares intently into my eyes.
“Bloodthirsty again,” he whispers, dragging his nose over my cheek. “Is that what you want, Minnie? To cut my chest open and see if my heart weeps for you?”
“It’s a figure of speech,” I point out wryly.
“Perhaps. But what if it wasn’t?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You seem to be having some doubts where I am concerned. First you imply that I could ever stray and that I can function just fine in your absence—both of which are false, by the way. Then you say I did not miss you enough because you did not see any tears. Now I am not a male who is prone to emotional displays. I keep my feelings close to my chest. But for you”—he licks the lobe of my ear—“for you I’d make an exception and show you inside my chest.”
“Mine… I think this talk has gone a little too far and?—”
He pushes me from him, and before I can say anything more, he takes off his shirt and places it to the side. He’s bare-chested now and I gulp down as my eyes slide over his hard, rippling muscles.
Why does he have to be such a beautiful specimen of a male? It’s not fair.
“Your sword. Give it to me,” he commands. And though I could very well deny him, I find I am unable to do so. I am the power, but I am not in power.
Almost mechanically, I manifest my blade and place it in his waiting hand.
“If this is what it takes for you to stop doubting me…” He brings the blade to the center of his chest.
“Mine, stop,” I finally snap out of my trance. “You’re wrong. I don’t doubt you.”
“Oh, but you do, tiny darling. If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have spied on me. You would have simply known that I would never stray. But you doubted me. Is that not so?”
I bite my lip and give him a small, barely perceptible nod.
“You doubted me and you still doubt me.”
“I—”
“No lies.”
I take a deep breath.
“I suppose I am used to betrayal. Or perhaps I am far too used to people disappointing me.”
“And you thought I would, too.”
Another nod.
“Minnie, Minnie,” he chides in a low voice. The tip of the blade sinks into his skin.
“Stop! You don’t have to prove anything. This will only hurt you.”
“Maybe. But you can heal me, can’t you?”
“I can, but?—”
“No buts.” The blade cuts deeper in his skin. He drags it down his sternum until he reaches his belly button. His hand is steady, the cut straight. There is no trace of hesitation. No trace of pain.
“Mine, this is insane,” I say and call back the blade to me, manifesting it away.
Blood pools down his stomach. He’s already tired and weary. This wound would only make everything worse.
“You need more of my blood to heal,” I start, but he ignores me.
With his bare hands, he grabs onto the cut he made upon his sternum and pries the flesh apart. He pulls on each side with such force and determination that his muscles and rib cage become visible.
“Mine, this is too much. Please stop.”
“No. Not yet. Not until you see my heart weep .”