Page 15 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

I could, of course, teleport inside—or attempt to. But I can only teleport to a precise location if I’ve visited it before. Given that it’s a new place, the basement of a building nonetheless, I could end up falling from the ceiling in the sea of people.Considering the fact that I’m trying to keep a low profile, that would not be appropriate.

I knock on the door, and as it semi-opens, someone demands a password.

I frown.

Placing my foot between the door and the frame, I push it open and move past the person at the door. I wink at him as I erase my presence from his mind.

A long, winded dark corridor leads to the main room. There are no windows here, and the few in the back have been barricaded with pieces of wood so no light can sneak out. The light inside is strong, but the thick cloud of smoke from the cigarettes makes it uncomfortably irritating.

Everyone is smoking. Left, right. Males, females.

They’re puffing their cigarettes and blowing clouds of smoke into the air.

My nose twitches.

I inhale sharply. The tingle continues. My eyes water and I lose my way through the bustling crowd. Someone even blows smoke in my face—the last thing I needed.

The tingling intensifies until I can no longer contain my sneeze.

I release a loud wheeze, followed by a harsh cough. My throat itches.

I’ve seen people smoke before but not on this level. How can they breathe in this noxious air?

My lungs? They can heal. Their lungs?

T.S.

I smile to myself, proud of my new vocabulary that helps me assimilate with those humans.

Although good thing they like to use abbreviations because tough shit just sounds vile. T.S., on the other hand, is more palatable. Of course I have been taught not to swear in anylanguage I might speak. Not only is it highly disrespectful but it is also a sign of bad breeding.

My parents may have been rather autocratic, but they did provide me with a perfect education from my cradle—despite the fact that they are now bent on seeing me stop all my educational endeavors and simply devote myself to my future mate.

Ew.

I wave around the smoke in front of me in hopes I can help the air circulate better.

The signal from the demons is getting stronger. They must be here.

But there are just too many people, and it’s not as if I can visually determine whether someone is a demon. We have a hard enough time when these demons take on humanoid appearances without minding the fate of the soul within.

Now? Not only do I have to go around and bless drinks to see who is harmed by them, but I also have to touch them with my color-changing crystal to ensure the vessel’s soul has not been consumed yet. Add to that the fact that I may also encounter high-level demons that are already humanoid on their own and my chances of success in this crowd are looking…not good.

Of course I would never complain about finding a high-level demon. Defeating one of those pests is sure to get me some notice from the higher-ups. But they are also rather…strong. One would be fine. Two? Maybe stretching it. But more than three?

I bite my lip in concentration as I try to come up with a plan.

From the corner of my eye, though, I see that the fates have decided to smile upon me.

There is an entire bowl filled with a drinking substance on the table close to the exit.

My eyes follow the movements of the humans until I am sure that bowl is where they source their drinks from. I nod to myselfafter I note quite a few of them serve themselves from the bowl, and I decide to start there.

Elbowing my way through the crowd—which is quite hard, seeing as I am the smallest person in the room—I attempt to reach the exit. All the human females are wearing heels, while the males are significantly taller than me. They are not as tall as some Aperites I know, but they are still towering over most females.

Their sweaty bodies move to the music, swaying from side to side.

It’s…disconcerting.

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