102. Maximilian's POV
MAXIMILIAN'S POV — "My Brother Is Ruining My Sanity."
Dinner had barely started when I sensed something was off.
Not danger.
Not the entity.
Not anything supernatural.
No.
Aiden.
Aiden was the threat to my peace.
He sat two seats away, staring at nothing with a stupid, dreamy smile on his face—
the kind of smile a man gets only when he wins the lottery or meets the love of his life.
I set my fork down.
Oh great. The boy is in love.
God help this family.
Chloe poked him. He didn't blink.
Kyron threw a pea at his forehead. He didn't react.
Aunt Liana served him food. He didn't notice.
I watched all of this in quiet, growing horror.
Chloe finally exploded.
"Aiden! WHY are you smiling like a pregnant butterfly?!"
A pregnant—
I closed my eyes.
sometimes I wonder if I'm adopted.
Aiden answered with full scientific accuracy:
"Butterflies don't get pregnant…"
The table fell silent.
I opened my eyes again and stared at him.
He was hugging his phone like it contained his soul.
Aunt Liana leaned in like a gossip journalist.
"You saw something beautiful today?"
Aiden nodded softly.
"She was… perfect."
She.
I straightened in my chair.
So it IS a girl.
I didn't say anything at first.
I just watched him—
the blush, the awkward smile, the way he tried (and failed) to hide how emotional he was.
Then he started rambling about hair, sunlight, her scent—
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
He's gone. He's completely gone.
Chloe gagged.
Kyron teased.
Uncle Adrian laughed.
But me?
I studied him quietly.
His eyes weren't playing around.
The softness in his voice…
that wasn't infatuation.
That was real.
And it caught me off guard in a way I didn't appreciate.
When he said softly— "She makes the world stop…"
My chest tightened unexpectedly.
Love.
This idiot actually fell in love.
Then Aunt Liana delivered the ultimate blow.
"Invite her for dinner, darling."
Aiden nearly DIED on the spot.
I almost choked on my water.
He stammered, blushed, screamed, denied—
And then, very quietly, he whispered:
"…Someday. Yes. I will."
I stared at him for a long moment.
He wasn't joking.
He wasn't confused.
He meant it.
My brother is serious about this girl.
For a moment—
a very brief, unguarded moment—
I felt something warm beneath my ribs.
Then Chloe ruined it.
"He's in LOVEEE!"
Aiden hid behind his hands again.
I sighed.
My family is insane.
And Aiden is leading the parade.
---
LATER THAT NIGHT — THE ENTITY RETURNS
I was in my study when the air shifted.
The lights trembled.
The house trembled.
A cold pressure swept over the walls like a wave of death.
I stood immediately.
It's here.
And stronger.
My senses sharpened.
My heartbeat slowed.
The thing inside me stirred, ready to fight.
I moved fast.
But the moment I reached the stairs—
I froze.
Because what I saw…
made absolutely no sense.
The entity—
massive, monstrous, hungry—
was hovering inches from Aiden's face,
And Aiden—
That idiot—
Was staring at his phone.
Smiling.
Muttering,
"She waited for me outside…"
The demon screamed at him.
The house shook.
Aiden giggled.
I grabbed the railing.
Is he—
Is he ignoring a demon because he's thinking about a girl?
The entity roared louder.
Aiden waved a hand lazily.
"Yeah yeah later…"
Later.
HE SAID "LATER."
I watched the demon glitch in confusion.
It looked at Aiden.
Looked at the ceiling.
Looked at Aiden again.
Then let out the most defeated demonic groan I had ever heard:
"…no fear… no fear… idiot…"
And vanished.
Just left.
Because my brother was too lovesick to be scared.
I pressed a hand to my forehead.
I don't need enemies.
I have Aiden.
Chloe threw a cushion at him.
"You SCARED AWAY a DEMON!!"
Aiden blinked at us, clueless.
"What happened?"
I didn't even hesitate.
"You're grounded."
He gasped like I stabbed him. "For WHAT?!"
"For existing like that."
Aiden pouted.
Chloe kept yelling.
Kyron laughed so hard he almost fell over.
And me?
I just stared at Aiden quietly.
Because beneath all the chaos…
all the idiocy…
all the headache-inducing drama…
He whispered,
"…She's worth it."
And something in me paused.
Something I didn't want to look at too closely.
Because those words…
that devotion…
that softness…
reminded me—
of the woman with glowing eyes.
The one I can't forget.
The one I'm still trying to understand.
But I shut that thought down immediately.
There was too much at stake.
Too much danger rising.
And now…
On top of supernatural threats,
I had to deal with a brother whose love life was powerful enough to repel demons.
Fantastic.
Just fantastic.
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