The Ghost Bride

Chapter 2-1

2

"Why did you call me your fiancée?" I hissed once I was alone with him.

Martinus shrugged.

"Because you are," he said.

"I can't be!" I protested. "And I don't want to. You didn't even ask me."

"Why?" he asked. "You don't have a husband or fiancée, right?"

"No," I replied. "But that's not your business."

"That's good," he said. "Because I don't need to compete with anybody. Now, how could that not be my business? I'm your fiancée."

"You're not. You can't be. Because you can only marry a high magician you're compatible with, remember?" I asked. "And I'm none of those things."

"If you want to keep your anonymity," Martinus said. "That's OK. I don't care what your real name is. But I know you're a high magician. You regenerated your energy when your magic was depleted. The healers noticed it. I told them to keep it quiet, but I'm sure the Rector knows. He won't tell, though."

"And what about the compatibility?" I asked. "How would you know about it? It's not like we shared a kiss or anything."

"I knew it when you pumped your magic into mine and it saved my life," Martinus said, referring to the time I performed CPR on him after he saved me and was dying. I don't remember pumping my magic into him. I wouldn't even know how to do it. "I know we're compatible. But if you want to test it again, I don't mind. If you want to be sure, we can share a proper kiss."

He started approaching me. I looked around. I was the one who locked the room, and now I was trapped with him. I walked towards the door, but before I could reach it, his hands were around me, his body pressing me against the wall. He was wearing that necromancer's ring that made it possible for him to touch me, despite my ethereal form.

"It's time for the test," he said, whispering into my ear. "And you like passing tests, don't you?"

I shook my head.

"I don't want to pass this test," I said.

"Too bad," Martinus said, breathing into my ear. "Since you already did. But, if you want to see it for yourself, I'll show you."

He turned his head, about to kiss me, his hands on my waist now, but I put my hand on his lips.

"Wait," I said. "Before you do that… Will you accept it if it turns out you were wrong?"

Martinus raised his eyebrows.

"Sure," he said. "But I'm not."

He grabbed my hand, putting it on his shoulder.

I put my second hand on my mouth, covering it.

"Promise?" I asked.

"Promise," Martinus said, firmly nodding, and I put down both my hands, putting them on his chest, for when I'd push him away.

This kiss would show him we weren't compatible, whatever that means, and he'd leave me alone, I thought, before I felt Martinus' hot lips on mine. With that ring on his finger, I could feel his touch despite being an ethereal presence.

I'd kissed before, despite my overall lack of boyfriends. There was this cute guy who worked with me in the clothes and liked to buy me donuts and tell me how pretty I was. We shared a kiss a couple of times, back when I thought I would start dating him. But I never had such a crazy, exciting world-shattering kiss. I felt, as his tongue came into my mouth, caressing, dominating, his energy float inside me. I responded, playing with his tongue, my energy also going to him. It all sung inside me as if I'd find the missing piece of me, the part that made it perfect, the magic bubbling in my belly, despite a tiny voice that shouted none of it was real.

Suddenly, the hands I placed on his chest were trying to unbutton his shirt, while his hands climbed up under my shirt.

When we stopped to breathe, Martinus was the one that pulled away.

"As much as I like your enthusiasm," he said, "this is enough excitement for me. You said you want to wait for marriage, and I'll respect that."

I was so glad now that my body wasn't here. More than ever.

"Is this what you felt when you regained your conscience?" I asked, still breathing heavily. Although why would I be doing that, as a ghost, is a mystery. My ethereal form doesn't need oxygen, right?

"Yes," he said. "It was weird. I didn't understand it until the healers told me I had a lot of foreign magic in me. I've been suspicious of your identity for a while, but I kept my questions to myself. But now I had confirmation. And this explained why I got so interested in you from the beginning, despite thinking you weren't suitable for me. I'm quite used to a celibate life, after all. I don't usually l**t after just any girl. And you aren't even the prettiest girl I know."

"Gosh," I said, sarcastically, "thank you for the compliment. Why don't you find a compatible girl among the prettier girls you know?"

"You think I didn't look?" Martinus said.

"Do you mean you kissed all the girls?" I asked, with a slightly shrieky voice that surprised even me.

"Do I detect jealousy in your voice?" Martinus asked.

"No," I said. "But I don't want to be engaged to a guy who goes around kissing women indiscriminately."

"It wasn't indiscriminate," Martinus said. "I only kissed those who were positive on the pre-compatibility test. You're the only one who didn't go through that."

"Let's do that," I said. "Let's do that test."

"Why?" Martinus said. "The important one is this one, anyway. Or do you want a reminder?" he asked, getting closer to me.

"No, thank you," I said, sliding towards the door. I was regretting locking it more than ever. "So you won't change your opinion," I said, trying to gauge him.

"I won't," he said.

"Even if I say no," I said.

"You owe me," Martinus said. "And besides, you might change your opinion. I'll make sure of it."

"You can't ask me to repay you for saving me by marrying you!" I exclaimed.

"Why not?" Martinus said. "That's how the traditional hero rescue works. Save the girl, get the girl."

"Because I didn't agree to such an exchange," I said.

"I have five years to convince you," Martinus shrugged. "And I am insistent."

That he was.

"Why five years?" I asked. "What's so special about that?"

"Well," he shrugged. "That's how long the education in the Academy lasts."

"I don't think I'll be able to stay at the Academy," I said. "You've seen me. I'm doing terribly in all practical classes. And it's not like I'm doing that much better in theoretical ones. There's no chance I'll get the scholarship next year. Or even pass."

"I'd offer to pay for you," Martinus said, "but I know you won't accept that. So we just have to make sure you pass. I'll help you. I'll explain everything and make sure you are the best in your year. I have to make sure you stay in the Academy."

"That's a very tempting offer. The help with the studies, I mean. I'll think about it," I said, unlocking the door.

"Just don't do anything stupid," Martinus said to my back. "Because I always get my way."

* * * *

I ran out of the small room, feeling like a mouse that's being hunted by a fat, slow, playful cat. Feeling, knowing deep in my bones that there was nothing I could do to resist it, and yet determined to fight.

The kiss had been… Mind-blowing. Earth shattering. Magical?

When I came into the Magical Structures class, with Martinus slightly behind me, I felt all my classmates staring at us. Some with curiosity, some with contempt (what did he find in her? kind of stares). I bent my shoulders and tried to go unnoticed. It was impossible, so in the end, I just squared my shoulders and proudly sat next to Yllana.

"What happened there?" she whispered, as Professor Strasser came into the class.

"I'll tell you later," I answered, as the lecture started.

I ignored all the whispers and stares, trying to concentrate on the topic. It was hard, and I still struggled to understand even the basics of Magical structures.

At the end of the class, I run out with Yllana. Martinus didn't pursue me, thankfully.