Page 139 of Mayhem and Minnie

Then again, up until a few days ago, she was still claiming to be an orphan and an ex-con.

“Brother, eh,” I mutter, narrowing my eyes at them. “Introduce us,” I demand.

Minnie appears conflicted as she looks from her brother to me. She’s standing between us now to prevent another conflict. Too bad for her, I’m still contemplating how I can use my surroundings to teach this man a lesson.

Brother? And he left her like that, on the streets? Homeless, with no clothes and no money? Something is not adding up.

Minnie clears her throat.

“Marlowe, this is Molokai, my older brother. Kai, this is Marlowe, my…” She bites her lip as she pauses to think of a proper term. “My friend.” She smiles.

What?

Friend?

I’m her friend?

Once more, a red haze covers my sight.

“Boyfriend,” I correct.

Minnie gives me a look.

Molokai, on the other hand, frowns.

“I’m not familiar with that term. Is he your human guard, Minerva?”

“Uhm, you could say so?”

He takes a deep breath.

“I would have thought you’d stopped messing with humans after the last disaster.”

“It happened. Marlowe is a great guard, though. He’s been protecting me against the males in this world,” Minnie adds.

“He has?” Molokai narrows his eyes at me, his tone suspicious.

“He’s immune to my charms. It’s why I asked him to be my guard in the first place,” Minnie continues.

Their discussion is…odd. I have no fucking clue what they’re talking about. Why am I suddenly her guard?

“And what does he get in return for guarding you?” Molokai asks. “You have nothing to offer in Anthropa. Unless…”

Anthropa? What the hell is that?

“Kai! You’re being offensive.” Minnie scowls. “I make food for him. It’s a fair exchange.”

Her brother freezes.

“You…cook?” he asks in a disgusted voice. “For a puny human?” The mood changes as his voice thunders through the hall. “You forget your position, Minerva.”

“You know my position very well, Kai. And it’s not as bad as it seems. I happen to enjoy it.” She shrugs. “I really am fine. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. At least not for a while.”

He glares at her, then at me.

“I don’t approve.”

“And I don’t care if you approve or not,” she quips. “Now go. It’s not safe for you to be here either.”

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