Page 121 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“Good. You should feel good.”

I narrow my eyes at him.

“It makes you unique since not much else can make me laugh,” he adds.

Well…that changes things. I nod, doing my best not to show my pleasure at his words. He does not need such an ego stroking.

I huff aloud and move tomyside of the shed, quietly inspecting that everything is in place. I may not have too many items, but I happen to cherish the ones I have. Particularly the pretty dresses I bought with my allowance money—back when I had some. I kept them, though perhaps I could have sold them to buy some food. But I couldn’t find it in me to part with them and I did not think that with war raging people would be clamoring to buy pretty clothes.

Two of the dresses, I have still not worn. They are far too fancy for walking around the base. But they will not go to waste. I plan to take them with me when I return to Aperion.

“You arranged everything nicely,” I add approvingly as I move around the shed, inspecting every little corner.

I’d offered to do my side, but Mine had insisted that he can do everything. In fact, he’d made me promise not to come inside until he’d had the time to arrange everything. His side, too, is neat and organized, with all his clothes folded to perfection and laid in his chest of drawers. I have never heard of a neat male before, but what do I know? This is my first time sharing such close quarters with a male.

“I am glad you approve.” He inclines his head. “The bathroom is in the back. Let me show you.”

I frown and follow him. He passes through my side of the shed and opens a door that I didn’t realize was functional. The bathroom is small. There is a toilet and something resembling a mix between a bath and a shower, though considering we are on a military base where tens of people shareonebathroom, I cannot complain. Once more, I’m reminded of Mine’s influence.

All the other soldiers shower in a common area while he gets to have a personal bathroom. Not even all the higher-ups get this type of treatment.

Are his parents very rich? Is he, like Tommy said, royalty?

But of course he must besomethingspecial. Otherwise, I—a goddess—would not have deigned to allow him to court me. It stands to reason that there must be something special about him.

“We should discuss the demon situation now,” I tell him as he closes the door to the bathroom.

There is still the small issue that to get to the bathroom he must crossmyside of the shed, but I suppose we can set the rules about that later. Now, the most important thing is the demon.

Mine smiles.

“Here”—he goes to his desk and removes a small vial from the drawer—“I managed to get this.”

I move closer to get a better look.

It is a vial the size of my palm, and it is only half-full.

“What is it?”

“Holy water.”

“We’ve already tried that and it did not work,” I remark drily.

“This isspecialholy water. Straight from the Vatican.”

“The Vatican?” I frown. I think I might have heard the term before, but I do not know what it means.

“The highest Church authority. It should work better, no?”

I shake my head and sigh.

“There is no such thing asbetterholy water. The blessing chant used on it is the same.”

His face falls.

“I spent a fortune on it, though,” he mutters under his breath.

“A fortune?”

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