Page 144 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“Of course,” she murmurs in a sultry voice.

Tommy’s eyes glaze over with a type of adoration bordering on obsession.

Oh no. This is not good.

His ghostly signature continues to flicker in and out, and within seconds, his ghost is gone.

“Demon,” I grit out.

Some demons are known to take the form of an innocent ghost to lure people to their deaths and thus consume even more souls. It’s a strategy that works in a lot of worlds. If only I had my powers…then I would have been able to sense his demonic energy.

And now poor Tommy’s fallen prey to this blasted demon.

“We can still save his soul,” I tell Mine. “But it will prove difficult.”

The girl’s features contort and morph until the true form of the demon is revealed.

“This stink will never get old,” Mine mumbles under his breath.

“They’re made up of decaying energy. Of course they’re going to smell not so pleasant.”

The demon roars, opening its mouth to reveal two rows of sharp, canine-like teeth.

“Is there no demon dentist? Or at least demonic toothpaste. I rather think that would be an easy business venture, what with all these demons and their nasty cavities…”

“I don’t think it’s the right time to talk about demon cavities, Mine. Especially not when we are about to become this demon’s next meal.”

He scrunches his nose in distaste.

“Does he need to bite me to take my soul? Because why else would he need all those sharp teeth if he can just absorb the energy?”

“He can only absorb the energy when your soul is out of your body,” I explain with a roll of my eyes. “Until then, he will use his sharp teeth to make sure the soul gets out of your body.”

“Ew. He’s not putting that stinky mouth anywhere near me, Minnie. You won’t let him, right?” He flutters his lashes at me. I can’t tell if he’s genuinely afraid or if he’s mocking me. Sometimes I don’t know if Mine is joking around or is being serious, and that is rather annoying.

“I will protect you,” I assure him.

But as I face the demon head-on, I realize I have no idea how to fight him without my powers.

As if reading my mind, Mine dashes to the side and brings his elbow down upon a glass case, then takes something out of it.

“Here,” Mine mentions as he brings me one long bone. He’s holding on to another identical one as he assumes a fighting stance, looking quite proud of his quick thinking.

I look at his great find and release a long sigh. If this demon doesn’t eat us today, I’ll never live down this shame. Hear that. Fighting with a bone.

“Are you serious?”

“I’m not touching that demon with my bare hands,” he says with a look of disgust.

Rolling my eyes, I take a step in front of him, shielding him with my body as I wait for the demon to strike. Be it what may, but I can still heal—albeit much, much slower. Mine cannot. I suppose I can deal with a little pain as long as this demon is destroyed.

As I grasp onto the bone, however, my palms start sizzling and I feel the latent energy inside it. Eyes wide, I focus on thatenergy, drawing it out until it envelops my entire body, making it glow a deep blue.

“Minnie…” Mine whispers in awe.

“Energy. The bone has energy,” I whisper.

He gives me the other bone, too, and I hold on tightly to it, siphoning all the remaining energy until I feel a strong burst of power.

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