CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
I smiled politely as I opened the front door. “Hello, Poppy.”
She charged right inside and past me, mumbling over her shoulder. “Hey, Mina. Where’s Finn at?”
“In the kitchen.”
She marched off in the direction of the kitchen, her black boots eating up the ground quickly.
I shut and locked the door and scrambled after her. For someone so short, she could really move fast. I finally caught up with her as she entered the kitchen.
I was breathless.
She was not.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have had that last hamburger.
Poppy continued to march into the room, but she slowed and turned in a circle. “He’s not in here.”
“But I am,” Cassander stated. He walked into the far doorway and stared directly at Poppy. “Will you do something for me if I ask it? A favor to me?”
“I don’t really have the time for it right now. But if it’s not tonight, I can do it. You know all you have to do is ask,” Poppy stated gently. “Can we talk about it tomorrow? I’m going with you guys tonight. I don’t care what you say or what God says. If they’re letting Mina go, another mate, then I am going too.”
Cassander took a step forward. “What if I told you if you go tonight, God is going to die?”
She snorted. “Have you seen that man fight? Nothing will bring him down.”
“I urge you to reconsider.” He took another step forward. “If you go, God will die.”
“There are only two people who can actually kill him. And you and I would never do that.” She shook her head, her brows puckered. “I’m going.”
“Please.”
Her lips thinned. “You thought I was going to die today. And now God. Have you been sleeping? God says that you have problems sleeping occasionally.”
He sighed heavily and ran his finger through his hair. “We’ve run out of time. Jimble-Wamble-Boom.”
“What?” she asked, utterly confused.
She didn’t even see him coming.
Her back was to him per their plan.
Finn moved so fast through the doorway behind me that the wind whipped against my face as he passed. His short sword gleamed under the interior light as it arced through the air.
I shut my eyes. I didn’t want to see it.
I’d hoped she would have listened to what Cassander was saying. She might have even been getting there. But she wasn’t fast enough.
The thud of her head hitting a wall across the room caused my stomach to roll. Finn had decided head and arms. Those extremities would give us until we got back tonight. I flinched as the floor vibrated in front of me as her body fell.
The two final hacks for her arms had me turning and running to the bathroom with my right hand over my mouth. Hearing it had been enough.
* * *
“What do you need me to do?” I asked, my entire body stiff with anxiety. “I can help with the cleanup if you’d like.”
Finn had a rolled up clear tarp over his shoulder, the blood inside it smeared and Poppy’s torso and legs filling it. Apparently, when immortals come back to life after they die, the magic that regenerates them starts with the heart and works its way out.
Finn was going to place her ‘body’ in one of the guest bathtubs while it healed itself.
Cassander was burning her head and arms outside in a fire pit.
I wasn’t sure who had the worse job.
Finn cocked his head, asking bluntly, “Still think I should have done it?”
My lips pinched. “If it saves God’s life, then yes.” I shook my head. “I just don’t see why Cassander couldn’t have told God not to go, instead of doing all of this.”
“Have you met God?” Finn snorted. “He’s worse than Poppy is with his stubbornness. He wouldn’t have listened.”
“How often are his visions correct?”
“Almost always.”
“But not every time.”
“No, not every time.”
“Well, I still think this was the best option. If I were in that situation, I’d rather die.”
“I’m sure Poppy would have too. But we were in a time crunch.” He tipped his head to the cabinets. “There’re cleaning supplies in there. We only have twenty minutes before we need to leave. And we all have to take a shower before we go or God is going to smell her death on us.”
“I’ll be ready.”
Finn bent and kissed my lips softly. “Thank you.”
There was a butchered body hanging over his shoulder, and all I could do was stare into his eyes.
I had issues too.
“You’re welcome.” I smacked his butt. “Get moving.”
“Yes, my precious Mina.”
I snorted and walked into the kitchen.
It was a forensics unit nightmare.
The bile that rose in my throat quickly swallowed down, I walked carefully through the blood…and bits. The cleaning supplies were right where he said they would be.
I grabbed the gloves, bleach, and paper towels.
The tiling was hard and cold on my knees, but the closer I scooched to the blood, the tiling warmed. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and started pouring bleach and scrubbing the floor of Poppy’s blood.
A tear fell from my cheek into the mess.
“Let’s go, people! We need to stop by my dad’s so I can drug him,” Cassander hollered and charged into the kitchen. His voice quieted when his eyes ran over my features. “That’s enough for now, Mina. It’s okay. Go take a shower.”
I kept scrubbing. More tears fell.
“Finn, you better get in here,” Cassander said, not raising his voice. “Your mate needs you.”
A brush of air touched my back and then gentle arms were wrapping around me from behind. He had come for me. His large hands landed on top of mine as he murmured softly, “Let it go. She’s not actually dead. We didn’t really kill her. Remember?”
I sniffled, sobbing, “I’m not cut out for this stuff. I tried to be strong for you. I knew what you needed to do. It was right. But this? The actuality of it? I can’t handle the aftermath of butchering a woman. It’s not right.”
Finn’s grip on my hands tightened, coaxing, “Then drop the rags. Leave it all behind. You never have to do this again.”
I nodded and shoved it all away from me.
My gloves went flying across the room.
Then I turned and wrapped my arms around the white tiger, sobbing against his chest. “Get me out of here.”
He lifted me into his arms and held me tight, speaking over my head. “We’ll take a shower together and be ready in time.”
“Do what you must,” Cassander said softly.
Finn ran down the hallway with me in his arms and crooned to me the entire time. Then he asked, “Do you want to go ahead with this tonight?”
“Yes.” I rubbed my eyes against his shirt.
“Okay, we’re going to catch a bad guy tonight.”
“We damn well better.”