Page 19 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

It drops to the ground, lifeless.

I blink. The demonic essence fizzles out and vanishes without my ritual.

What?

I stare in shock at the fallen carcass.

“It’s not safe for a girl like you to be alone at night, darling.” A deep drawl sends shivers down my spine.

My gaze snaps up to the person who did this—the hands that snapped the neck.

He slowly walks past the fallen body and heads toward me. He’s dressed in a military uniform too, but the number of medals on his blazer are far more numerous than any of the ones I saw tonight.

He might be a higher-up? I’m not too familiar with the human military to say for certain, but I think they take their distinctions as seriously as we do.

One thing is for sure, though. He is the tallest human I’ve ever encountered. Quite easily among the tallest males I’ve ever seen, too.

Green eyes sparkle in the darkness. Full lips smile lazily at me.

But there is something else.

Half of his face is badly scarred. A harsh, jagged line starts from his temple and goes down his cheek and neck, hiding into his uniform.

There’s something about his presence. Something…imposing.

My brows knit together in a frown.

Is he an Aperite? A deity? Who is he that he can so easily kill a demon—granted, a low level, but they’re resilient bastards.

I swallow hard, a little taken aback by his presence. Especially as he continues to advance toward me.

“Who are you?” I whisper.

FOUR

Whoever he is,he killed a demon, and that immediately makes me suspicious.

I don’t detect any Aperite energy from him, nor demonic. He screams human to me, but he’s a human who doesn’t mind taking another’s life. If it’s so easy for him to kill, then he’s well on his way to becoming a corrupt soul and eventually a demon.

Doesn’t matter. Whoever he is, he willnotsteal my kills.

They’re mine.

All the ones in this area.

I’ve laid claim to them and he willnotkill a demon under my watch!

He already did kill one, Minerva. And you know better than to claim otherwise in your report.

Damn it!

“Who are you?” I demand again, this time louder.

“Lucien de Vitry. At your service,” he says with a bow.

There’s a wicked glint in his eye that I do not trust.

“You killed a man,” I note as I slowly inch away.

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