Page 129 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

SEVENTEEN

The morning lightstreams into the shed. I stretch in my bed and let out a yawn. But I stop mid-stretch when I realize something is wrong.

The light shouldnotbe streaming into my side of the shed. There’s a curtain for that.

I dare pry my eyes open, and at first, the light is blinding.

But moments after, I note the lack of curtains. But that’s nothing compared to the fact that there’s currently a bed attached to my own.

Mine’s eyes are wide open. He’s on his side, his arm tucked under his head as he watches me.

“Morning,” he whispers.

I blink. Once. Twice. On the third blink, I let out a loud screech and scoot back, seeking distance from him. Unfortunately, these beds are far from luxurious or big. And in less than a second, my body makes contact with the hard ground. A loud groan escapes my lips as pain ricochets through my bones.

“Minnie?” Mine asks in a worried voice. “Are you all right?”

He shuffles closer and peers down at me over the edge of the bed.

“What are you doing there?” I ask in outrage, momentarily forgetting the pain.

“What do you mean?” He frowns.

“We agreed on something. You’d stick toyourside of the room, and I would have mine. Why is your bed suddenly next to mine?”

“Ah, that.” He sighs. “I did not mean to break our agreement. But you see…”

“What?” I narrow my eyes at him.

“There was something odd when I got back last night.”

I wait for him to continue. After an unsuccessful conversation on the subject of the demon, he’d left to dowork. By the time I went to bed, he hadn’t returned. And that was around midnight. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him where he was—and with whom—and what he did. But it’s more important to ascertain the reason behind this blatant violation of rules.

“I was returning from the cantina and I felt that someone was following me. Even when I entered the room, I kept having this feeling that I was being watched.” He lets out a shudder. “I tried to fall asleep but couldn’t.”

“I still don’t see why you got rid of the curtain and put your bed next to mine?”

“Because you’re the strong one,” he states suddenly. “Where else would I have felt safe if not close to you?”

I stare at him for a moment.

“You…”

“I was afraid it was a demon or something watching me from the shadows. But they wouldn’t have dared to do anything with you close to me. Right, Minnie?”

“Right.”

“Because you’re a strong demon slayer.”

“Right.”

“And I’m just a puny human.”

“Right, right,” I mutter.

“So you see, it wasn’t a breach of rules, per se. Isn’t your role as the badass goddess in this relationship to protect your weak human?” He looks at me sweetly.

I open my mouth to agree but then stop.

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