Page 94 of Minding the Minotaur
Otis’ brows shoot up. “Two. Is that it?”
“Yeah. Me and Blondie here.”
“Shit, we’ll have to recruit more police, train up troops from the lower levels.”
I feel my shoulders sag, my happiness deflating like a burst balloon.
“I’m so sorry I’ve brought all these problems on you,” I mumble.
“No, Sammy, don’t apologize,” Otis says firmly. “Trouble was brewing long before you arrived. All you’ve done is bring it all to a head. Frankly, that’s what needed to happen. It’s galvanized us into action.” He looks at me with something akin to true affection. “You are one of the first humans in centuries to conceive a child with a monster. Which is nothing short of a miracle. You are one of us, and we will protect you with our lives.”
Arlo’s arm tightens around my shoulders, and he kisses the top of my head. “You heard Otis, babe. I’m so fucking proud of you.”
I let out a ragged breath, my chest swelling with emotion. Despite all the problems I’ve brought on them, they’re going to fight for me down here.
I feel so loved, so cared for in a way I never did in Sparkle.
Seen. For exactly who I am.
Cherished.
“Okay,” says Otis, back to his gruff self, “first things first. Arlo, you need to give me back that cape. That was your last trip to Sparkle. Period.”
Arlo gifts me his sexy lopsided grin, the one that makes my insides flip flop. “Fine by me. All I ever wanted from Sparkle is standing right here by my side. As for the cape… come to think of it, I haven’t got a clue where I left it. Maybe in the bedroom… or the kitchen…”
Otis groans. “You’d better find it. Now they’ve seen it in action, the humans will be desperate to get their hands on it. I need to get it safely under lock and key.”
The two of them disappear, leaving Jax and me alone.
There’s an awkward moment of silence. Finally, I clear my throat. “I want to thank you for saving my life. And getting me the job in the first place. Meeting Arlo has made me so happy.”
He looks at me, his green eyes guarded, as if compliments aren’t something he’s used to. “No big deal. To be honest, Blondie, I had a sense you’d fit in.” He smirks “Didn’t know just how well, though.”
We smile at each other—it’s the first genuine, open smile Jax has gifted me. It lights up his face, and softens his gaunt features. Makes him almost handsome.
I feel a twist of remorse for ever doubting him.
In my usual habit of blabbing before I’ve engaged my brain, I burst out, “I’m really sorry, but at one stage I thought you might be a… a spy, or a double agent—or something.”
I don’t say the wordmalefic, but I have a sense he knows what I mean.
He barks out a laugh. “You’re not the first, Blondie.”
“Is that how you got those scars?”
His lips twitch. “A few monsters didn’t like my face, I guess.”
I open my mouth to ask him more, but I know Otis and Arlo will be back at any moment. Besides, I have an inkling I wouldn’t get anywhere. Jax is a dark horse. And while I do trust him, knowing that Otis and Arlo respect him, that Clem’s allegiance to her brother runs deep, and that Tippy goes out of her way to concoct potions to stop him fucking up his health, I sense there are dark shadows in his past that he’s not prepared to discuss.
At least, not yet.
Jax grabs a rolled-up cigarette from behind his ear.
“Ah shit, can’t have one of these around you now, can I?” He tucks it back behind his ear. “Congratulations, by the way. Should have said that earlier. You’re going to be happy with that guy. He a daft fucking doofus, but hey, he’s got the biggest heart in the Labyrinth.”
I beam back at him. “I know.”
CHAPTER 30
