Siouxsie keeps her eyes fixed on the homo sapien. The creature smells like a human, talks like a human, and acts a little strange. But it's her fourth brother who is acting even more strangely. The way he looks at the homo sapien is so… so… not like him at all.
"You don't have to cook." Her fourth brother stands in front of the homo sapien, blocking her path. "Your hand is hurt. I am your husband now. Leave everything to me."
"I told you." The homo sapien pulls up her sleeves. "Since I told Siouxsie that I would make something good for her, I would make it. I don't need your help."
"Siouxsie doesn't eat vegetarian dishes." Her fourth brother tells her, "Let me do it."
"I can make non-vegetarian dishes." The homo sapien looks a little annoyed. She looks at Siouxsie. "Do you want my food or his?"
Siouxsie is surprised. She's been ignored for the rest of the way. Why are they dragging her suddenly? To eat the food cooked by her fourth brother? Oh, she doesn't dare. She would rather trust the homo sapien. "Sister-in-law, I want yours."
The corner of his lips curls down. Her fourth brother crosses his arms and narrows his eyes on her. Dark shadows emerge from his shoulders, reaching up and curling toward her. Siouxsie trembles and points at her brother. "Y-You…"
Nell turns around and sees Eli smiling down at her. There are no dark shadow or any sign of threat. Does his sister want h
"My sweet addiction, I don't want anyone else to eat anything cooked by you." He puts his arms on her shoulders and bends down. "Please reserve yourself for this little marshmallow. He can get easily jealous."
"You are not going to ever let it go, are you?" Nell lets out a sigh. "I give up. Do whatever you want."
"A kiss for luck?" He turns his cheek toward her. Asking for a kiss on his lips might be too much for her now.
"Why do you need luck with cooking?" She moves her head back. "Don't be greedy. I already gave you two kisses earlier."
"I am addicted to your kisses." He moves his face closer. "Just one more."
"STOP!" Siouxsie has seen and heard enough. That's her fourth brother begging for a kiss from a homo sapien shamelessly. If she sees more, her brother's image would be ruined forever from her mind. "Go to the bedroom and get it out of your system. I will make food for myself."
His sister is finally talking sense. Eli points at the refrigerator. "Meat is in there. Clean after you cook. Don't make anything for us. We will go to the bedroom since you told us to."
"Doctor Sanguine, you are being…" Nell presses her palm on his chest and pushes him away with a deep frown. By now, she knows that it's futile to fight this man. "This is not how you should be acting in front of your sister."
These two… Siouxsie is having trouble digesting this side of her brother. "How long has it been since you have been married to her, Fourth Brother?"
"We got married yesterday." Eli lifts his wife in his arms. "I will head to the room now and make love to my sweet addiction. You can leave anytime you want."
"Doctor Sanguine!" Nell yells at him. "What are you saying? Put me down at this instant."
Her fourth brother doesn't reply to his wife. He carries her to the bedroom and closes the door. Siouxsie squats down and holds her head. What the hell did she just see?
***
He settles me on the bed and asks me with a straight face, "Let's make love."
Did he drink the wrong medicine? What's wrong with him? No, I should be asking what's 'right' with him.
"Nope." I raise my hand. "Keep your distance."
"My sweet addiction~" Eli bends down on his knees and holds my knees. "Why are you nice to Siouxsie? I am very jealous. You met her today and invited her to the house. I was never invited. We have known each other for more than two years."
You barged into my house and my life. Compared to you, Siouxsie is a decent person.
I am too tired to say those words. Even if I do, he won't be affected. He puts his face between my knees. I stare at his head. His hair is a mess. I want to touch his hair. "I am nice to her because she's your sister. She's not a stranger because she knows you."
"Don't be nice to her." He lifts his head. I can only see half of his face. He is looking at me with clear eyes. "Be only nice to me. I don't want anyone else to notice... My sister might take you away from me. I don't want to be single again. Who will call me little marshmallow if you are gone?"
Damn! Even his jealousy is cute.
But how many clingy men died before he was born? He didn't react this way when I talked to Belinda.
"Wife, if you give me a kiss, I will feel better." He lays his head on my lap. "This little marshmallow has been craving his sweet addiction's attention for a long time."
I didn't go to the mental asylum, but I am living with a crazy person. Why did I call him a marshmallow out loud? "Why should I make you feel better?"
"Pity me, wife." He climbs on the bed, leaning over me. "I told my sister that we would make love. If we don't do that, my words would become a lie."
"Who told you to say that?" I scowl at him.
"I was jealous because you said that you would cook for her." He sounds heartbroken. "Wife, I want all of your attention on me. I can't stop myself from becoming greedier. I want all of you. What should I do?"
It feels like I have a pet who is demanding my attention. Pushing me down on the bed, he lays over me and hugs me tightly. I pinch my lips together and inhale sharply when I hear his sighs, his hot breath tickling my ear. He asks me with a teasing voice, "Is my body really soft and squishy like a marshmallow?"
I take deep breaths. I know that I am attracted to this guy. If he keeps doing these things, how long can I hold myself back? I am not made of stone. "You aren't soft."
"But my wife is soft," He whispers to my ear. "I want to love her a lot."
"Doctor Sanguine, I told you. We won't do that." I want to push him away, but my body isn't listening to me. He lets out another soft sigh close to my ear. He strong arms tighten around me. He becomes still. "Doctor Sanguine?"
"Let me stay like this." He mumbles, "I want to hold you like this for eternity."
"You are too honest." I don't move, afraid that my hand might embrace him back instead of pushing him away. "What about your sister?"
"She will get bored and leave if we don't leave this room." He rubs his nose on my throat. "Until then, let's stay like this."
"..."
Suddenly, he raises his head and widens his eyes. He searches for something in my face. He's not going to do something impulsive again, is he?
Surprised, I ask. "What's wrong?
"Stay here." He climbs off the bed in a hurry. "Don't come out."
"Doctor Sanguine, what --" When he opens the door, I see a glimpse of Siouxsie and someone else. The door closes before I could see who it is.
"Who came at this hour?" I go to the door and find it locked.
***
Siouxsie stares at the door and clicks her tongue. It's too quiet. They are not loud, are they? She never thought that her brother would get married. This is the man who rejected nearly everyone from their world. She didn't think that he was capable of falling in love. A ghoul falling in love for a homo sapien who smells and looks like a human? Is he not confusing hunger for lust?
In the refrigerator, she can't see what she wants. It's lamb and chicken meat stuffed inside boxes. She slams the door of the refrigerator. This won't do. Why are they not coming out? Has it not been long enough?
She should go out and hunt a human down. The scent of homo sapien is driving her nuts. She stretches her arms. She wants to taste a piece of her. If she asks for a finger, would it be too much? Her brother is still scary. He's only nice to the homo sapien.
Siouxie wears her heels while thinking whether she should come back later. Absentmindedly, she opens the door to a dark-robed figure. The figure raises its arm and reaches for Siouxsie who takes a step back into the room. She widens her eyes, looking at the thing from top to bottom. "Did fourth brother invite this creature?"
"Who sent you?" Siouxsie turns around when she hears her brother's voice. So, it's not her brother. She steps away from the messenger's way. It glides toward her fourth brother who is eyeing it with animosity.
"Doctor Sanguine, open the door now." Nell pounds the door. "Who is here? I want to see that person."
Messenger stares at the bedroom door with its gleaming purple eyes. When it takes a step toward it, Eli stands in its way.
"Doctor Sanguine?" Nell presses her ear to the door, but she can't hear a thing. She wiggles her finger in her ear. Why can't she hear anything? On the floor, a pair of hands are covering the ears of her shadow.
"Using cheap tricks to make her come to you and sending these puppets…" Eli sneers at the thing. "You can't come to this world on your own, can you?"
A low maniacal laughter comes out of the dark messenger. "Why is a creature like you hanging around my Nell?"
"Since my wife is so beautiful inside out, it can't be helped if has some creatures like you admiring her. However, you should know your place. " Eli puts his hands in his pockets and walks toward the messenger. "Have a good look at this face. Nell Solomon has chosen this person as her guardian and husband. She is not 'your' Nell. I won't say it again. Next time, I will visit your place and inscribe these words on your brain by myself. Nell Solomon belongs to Eli Sanguine."
"So, she has another one now." The messenger tilts its head to the right as if it's talking to itself. "The previous one looked a lot like you. What was his name again? That idiot also acted like this in front of me… Hahaha… If you want to live, leave her side. She may have forgotten, but her owner has always been me."
As the messenger's voice trails off, it disintegrates slowly, leaving black dust on the floor. Siouxsie and Eli stare at the remains of the messenger. Eli clenches his teeth. What has Nell forgotten? Was this person behind Baek Joon-Woo's death? It was a leprechaun on other night. Tonight, it's a puppet. If that person can't come into this world right now, how did he compel Robert Emerson and killed that cat?
"Fourth Brother, what's going on?" Siouxsie frowns at him. "Who sent this creepy messenger?"
"I don't know." Little can be found out from the dust on the floor. All he knows is that it's related to someone from Fae. That world is nothing less complicated than the human world. "Keep this a secret."
"You don't want her to know." Siouxsie bends down on her knees and touches the dust with her finger. She licks her finger and grimaces. "Ugh! This is Unseelie magic. It tastes dreadful."
"Why are your tasting their crap?" Eli raises his brow. "Clean the floor."
"Why are you ordering me around?" Siouxsie creases her forehead and glares at him. "This is not even my house."
"If you are not going to clean, get the hell out of here." He exhales. The Unseelie court is involved. It seems like someone is obsessed with his wife. This won't be the last time. Where could he keep her safe? He also stalked his wife a little, but he wasn't this crazy
That thing mentioned that he looked a lot like someone from his wife's past? Was it Baek Joon-Woo? Is that why she looks at him as if she's looking at someone else? The way she kissed him after she woke up earlier at his office...
So, it was meant for Baek Joon-Woo, her starry sky.