Page 234 of Mayhem and Minnie

“Marlowe, you’re not helping!”

“Right,” I say as I realize. “I should be cheering you on instead. Go, Minnie!”

Her eyes connect with mine and she gives me a deadly stare. In her empty hand, she materializes another ice sword and launches herself at the demon. She cuts some of the tentacles while evading others and in a matter of seconds, she’s in front of the demon, slashing at its midriff.

It’s a clean cut. The monstrous creature splits in two, the upper half falling to the floor and turning into a puddle of black ooze.

Disgusting.

“I think the words you’re looking for are thank you, Minnie.”

I smile at her as I finally inhale properly. There’s still some lingering smell but much more doable.

Minnie’s still holding on to her ice swords, and since her hands are busy and she can’t push me away, I grab onto the front of her dress and pull her toward me.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

My lips connect with her cheek, awfully close to her mouth. God, the temptation is debilitating—even in such a grimy environment and after almost being killed by a demon.

I press my lips harder against her skin, and a small sigh escapes her.

Her lips part, and I trace my tongue along the edge of her mouth, tasting her.

“Marlowe…” she whimpers. “This… It’s not right… We shouldn’t…”

She can’t bring herself to tell me to stop, so I don’t.

I keep my mouth on her cheek. Her sweet scent drifts to my nose and I inhale greedily. She’s a literal breath of fresh air in this fucking putrid world, and I cannot help but become intoxicated on her.

As I slowly draw back, I note the stunned expression on her face.

Her sword disappears from her right hand and she brings it to the place where I just kissed, touching it reverently.

“You’re welcome,” she murmurs, her face flushed.

I smirk at her.

“It’s not so bad to be a damsel in distress if I get that,” I add with a wink. In fact, being the boy toy of a goddess has never sounded better. I get to watch her slay shit—hot. I also get to reap the benefits—also hot. It’s a win-win situation.

Goddamn it, I’m a lucky bastard.

But no sooner are the words out of my mouth than the black tar that’s staining every corner of the room pools together in the center. Every drop gathers around, forming a big black pond. It swallows the corpses, almost like a black hole that’s absorbing everything in its proximity.

And when it’s done pulling all the organic matter inside of it, it starts growing vertically. The black tar swirls around, building blocks that resemble something slightly humanoid, but with misshapen features.

“What the fuck is that?” I exclaim.

Minnie swivels, her eyes growing wide.

“I was too late. It’s ascended,” she whispers.

The demon releases a mighty roar that shakes the entire house, sending a wave of energy straight at us. Minnie puts her shield up just in time to evade the brunt of the attack, but the surrounding area doesn’t stand a chance.

Two holes appear in the wall behind us, one on each side. The cold air of the night seeps inside. As I look back, I note the fallen debris has now blanketed the backyard.

Fuck.

“We need to evacuate everyone. Now,” Minnie says in a tight voice.

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