Page 301 of Mayhem and Minnie

“Don’t touch her,” I call out with all the strength I can muster. “Don’t fucking touch her!”

Azerius glares at me. With a wave of his hand, my voice is gone.

I try to scream, but no sound comes out.

What the fuck?

“That’s better,” he comments in a bored tone. “You didn’t mention the human was obnoxious, too, Molokai.”

“Apologies, Commander.”

“Mortals,” Azerius mutters. “Obnoxious lot, all of them.”

Rage bubbles inside of me. Wait until this mortal can move and disintegrate you with his poisoned blood. At least then something good will come out of this dreadful situation.

“They are, indeed, quite bothersome,” the man in the red uniform agrees.

“Detail your findings, soldier,” Azerius says.

“Permission to show you?” Molokai asks.

“Permission granted.” Azerius nods and steps back.

Molokai leaves Minnie in the care of the two other soldiers and he makes his way toward me. He takes out his knife, but instead of cutting my arm as he’d done before, he brings the blade to my chest, cutting a straight line from my sternum to my abdomen.

Fuck. That hurts. And I can’t even make a sound.

Black blood oozes to the surface, dripping down my chest.

Molokai is careful not to touch it as he swipes some of it and repeats the experiment with his blood, showing Azerius how mine destroys his.

Azerius watches intently, his expression inscrutable.

“And you say this happened to the demons as well?” he asks.

“That’s what my sister said.”

“I see,” Azerius replies.

The soldier in blue shares a look with their commander, and it appears that an unspoken conversation passes between the two.

“You will honor our deal, Commander?” Molokai asks.

Azerius turns to him.

“Minerva An’yan committed a grave sin, soldier. She’ll be tried accordingly.”

“But you will not execute her, right?” Molokai continues, doing his best to temper his hopeful tone.

Azerius narrows his eyes.

“What do you think this is, soldier?” he asks as he points toward me.

“A poison. I have never seen its kind before,” Molokai replies.

“A poison?” Azerius raises a brow. Then he smirks. “This is no poison. It is the result of a crime against nature.”

Molokai frowns. “What do you mean?”