Page 137 of Mayhem and Minnie

I take a deep breath.

“Mother. I know what I’m doing. Please don’t interfere. And by that I mean don’t ask Giles to spy on us, and most importantly. Do not try to hurt her.”

“How could you think that of me, dear?” Her eyes widen in affected shock.

I roll my eyes.

“Don’t try anything. I’m serious. I’m not in the mood to argue with you. Just know that I will not allow anything to happen to her.”

“My, my! Is that a threat, dear?”

I shrug.

“Marvelous! You do like her.” She chuckles. “Fine, fine. I will not meddle as long as you bring her to my birthday party.”

“Done,” I reply.

“And,” she continues, a mischievous smile appearing on her face. “I want a spring wedding.”

“W-what?” Did I hear her right?

“I’m not getting any younger and I do want to see you settled down. Minnie is a wonderful girl and perfect for you. I approve. Now we can move to the wedding. If Minnie doesn’t mind, I can help organize it…”

“Now, wait a minute. Who said anything about a wedding?”

“That’s right. You haven’t even asked her to be your girlfriend, yet you live with her. Shame on you, Marlowe! You need to rectify that immediately so you can move to the next step. Preferably within the next month so we can set a date.”

And just like that, once my mother gets something in her head, it’s very hard to dissuade her. She continues talking about this fantasy wedding, describing everything she envisions for the occasion.

I look at my watch and note that Minnie’s been gone for a good ten minutes now.

“I’ll be right back,” I tell my mother as I suddenly stand up.

Getting out of the room, I find a server and ask where the women’s bathroom is. There are still people around here—men in particular—and that means my Minnie is not safe.

A server points me in the direction of the bathroom, but just as I reach the hallway, I spot Minnie at the corner. She’s standing with her back against the wall. Only half her body is visible.

What the hell is she doing there if she’s going to the bathroom?

I stride toward her. But I only get midway before I see she’s not alone.

There’s a man dressed entirely in black with her. A man resembling the one in the snow from a few days ago.

From this distance, I can see him better.

He’s around my height, putting him at a foot taller than Minnie. But the man is packed. His forearms alone are stacked, his muscles bulging through his fitted shirt. His hair is a dark brown, cropped around the sides and longer at the top. There are two swirling tattoos on each side of his scalp.

“You don’t understand,” he tells her in a rough voice. “You need to leave. It’s not long before they find you.”

She shakes her head.

“I can’t. Not yet. I let you convince me to leave two years ago and I’ve regretted it ever since,” she murmurs. “There has to be a way, Kai. I’ve been good about keeping my shields up.”

“Minerva,” he rasps and takes a step closer to her. “For now, it’s only sentinels. But next, it will be Commander Azerius. And no shield will keep you hidden from him?—”

“But I just started to live again, Kai. How can I leave now? How can I abandon everything…”

“You don’t understand what’s at stake. I’ve done my best to cover for you, but even my influence can only do so much.” He grabs her arm, his fingers tightening over her flesh.

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