“Corbin!” Corey screamed and stepped in the line of fire. “What are you doing? Put that thing down!”
“No, I’m serious. I’d rather shoot you than feed you to a monster.” Corbin clicked on the hammer. “Get out of the way, Corey. You’re giving yourself to Milan too much. You’re just lucky he’s not yet married right now! It’s one thing to be devoted, but to give your life to him?”
Corey didn’t move. She even stretched her arms to the side to protect the two from the gun. Then again, she wondered what Milan and Owen were thinking about at this moment. Were they hoping to subdue Corbin? Would they hurt her brother?
Then, someone held onto both her shoulders. Corey looked behind her and saw how Milan moved her to the side. The young man was not even smiling at the other person; neither was there anger nor fear in those crystal blue eyes. Milan then walked closer to Corbin.
“Don’t make me shoot you.” Corbin’s hand was not shaking, but he could feel his finger locking. He really didn’t want to resort to violence.
“Shoot… if you can pull the trigger.” Milan reached out slowly to not spook Corbin. He held Corbin’s hand and raised the gun to his face. Rather than facing the gun, Milan placed the hand holding it against his cheek. He then leaned into it.
In a soft voice, he said, “Calm down, Corbin. I’ll take care of it.”
Corbin stared at the young man, who seemed to be morphing into someone else. Instead of that strange brat, Corbin felt like he was staring at a powerful lady boss of the underground. She wore a blank expression on her face, but the aura seeping from her body made it imperative for him to let her handle things. He didn’t have to trust her, but he shouldn’t meddle with it anymore.
The officer moved his gaze down slowly to nod a little. Milan gently pried the gun out of Corbin’s hand and reached to put it back inside the holster.
“…they allowed that bastard to get away from the ritual.” Milan then sneered, taking everyone else’s attention. He then spat at the side as if not letting any of them take on his anger. “What made them any better than any other family in this village? He brought the Internet, so he’s saved from losing a daughter? He’s rich, so he could just make someone else push their loved one off the cliff?
“If Lasair is a real deity, then he’s a weak-ass coward for succumbing to that gold-lined worm.” Milan huffed and eyed Owen. “You can go around with that little truck, right? Can I ask you for a favor? It might sound like you’re committing a crime against Lasair, though—no matter how puny he really is.”
Owen frowned. “Milan, don’t insult a god you don’t know. Regardless, what are you planning to do?”
Milan looked at Florence and walked back to caress her head. “Florence, get up from there. You need to be ready for tomorrow. Don’t worry, you just need to trust me. I won’t let you or Corey get in trouble for some stupid god who ran out of steam.”
No one knew who frowned deeper: Owen or Corey. However, they only stared at Milan’s smiling face. He looked like he had a plan, but he was not leaking any clues as to what it was going to be.
“Corbin, you should get Corey and Florence home for now. I can’t shoo away the people here. We’ll just go home after the wake is done for today. Don’t worry, Florence, Corey…” Milan’s smile deepened. “None of you will be served as the bride tomorrow night.”
Corey exchanged gazes with Florence, and she gulped down the lump in her throat. Then she smiled. “But we brought dinner here, Milan. We should look for a place to eat.”
…
At a big house surrounded by a huge lot, Esperanza got home with her brother. She just saw the island doctor and bought medicine for herself. Since she didn’t want to be bedridden, she chose to walk around.
Her brother, Augustus, held her hand until they reached the door. After all, they were hearing panicked voices from inside.
“Aliyah, Dad, we’re home.” Esperanza walked in first. She stopped at the doorway leading to their family room, soon seeing the island doctor packing up her apparatuses inside her bag. “Doctor, you’re here. Did something happen to Dad?”
“Nothing really. He just passed out from too much anger earlier.” The doctor glanced at Esperanza before looking at the married pair again. “Mr. Clifford’s blood pressure hiked too much that he lost consciousness. I’d recommend he refrain from doing exciting things.”
Esperanza gasped, but it was Augustus who glared. He said, “Doctor, why do you sound unbothered? That could have been awful for my dad.”
The doctor glanced at Aliyah and at Boris, who came with them. She then looked at the son again. “Lasair’s priestess cursed him not to speak or meddle with the wedding arrangements. You foreigners might not know, but Lasair is incredibly powerful. He can penetrate through one’s mind and body. If your dad begins thinking about hindering Officer Campbell, his body reacts to the curse.”
She picked up her bag. “This is not my first time dealing with Lasair’s curses. This happened a lot to some people who wandered nearby his shrine in the woods. He doesn’t like being disturbed, either.”
“What if he doesn’t return to normal after the wedding?” Aliyah asked in worry.
“You should ask the priestess. I can’t deal with things related to them.” The doctor left the place. “Don’t worry, Mr. Clifford still looks healthy.”
Esperanza and Augustus looked at their mother, who only glared at the doctor’s back. She then got up and saw off the sheriff as well. The two children only walked to their father, who could only lean back in his chair, phone at hand.
When Aliyah returned to sit next to Martin, she then turned to her husband. “They’re getting bolder. They have taken things for granted. We should do something about their attitude toward us. Just because we protected our daughter, we’re getting a cold shoulder from them.”
Martin huffed. “Let’s make an example out of that Milan Sheppard. For now, let’s see what will happen. I’m so sure they won’t let his sister be married to the deity as well.”
Aliyah nodded. She then murmured about what they should do to the others. Augustus joined his mother in sneering and huffing, while Esperanza only stepped back.
She turned away and found a seat for herself. That man saved her twice despite the circumstances. Was it right for her to kill him?