Page 12 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“I will deal with them. I’ll take the punishment. I’ll even tell them I forced you. Just please…”

I’m close to tears as I realize he may very well send me home. Only a few seconds separate me from this place to my home should he decide to teleport there. And once my parents find out… They will lock me away for good until the wedding. I will not be able to go anywhere. They might even bind my powers to ensure my cooperation.

“One last mission,” I whisper.

Kai stares at me, deep in thought.

“You will behave?” he asks eventually.

“I willonlykill demons. I’m good at what I do. You know it. And as Commander Azerius said, you need everyone to be extra careful. I can be helpful, Kai.”

He doesn’t reply.

Taking his hands off me, he steps back and paces around.

I swallow hard in an attempt to ignore my rising anxiety. He can’t send me home. Not yet.

“Please,” I whisper again.

Once more, he doesn’t say a word.

If anything, he looks pissed.

His entire body is tense. His features are tight and scary.

He stops his pacing.

Swiveling, he marches toward me, stopping suddenly.

I instinctively take a step back, ready to run if he’s decided to return me home. I cannot go back yet. And if he won’t let me join his regiment, I suppose I can try to sneak into Anthropa on my own.

Pulling something from his pocket, he thrusts it toward me.

I blink, not sure I’m seeing this right.

“This…”

“You will need it to assess the demons,” he mentions in a low voice.

I take the crystal from him with both hands and carefully cradle it against my chest. I’m so scared of doing or saying the wrong thing and have him send me back that I simply stand still as a statue, my lips firmly shut.

“One last mission,” he finally says. “Go get ready.”

Not one to take my good luck for granted, I give him a wide smile and jump up to kiss his cheek.

His brows go up in surprise, and a small smile pulls at his lips as he watches me leave.

I did it.

I convinced him.

My heart beats wildly in my chest.

For a moment, I truly thought he was going to send me back.

But Kai isn’t my favorite brother for nothing. He might not say it outright, but I know he’s not exactly thrilled about my parents’ plans for me or the fact that I had to quit the military when I was doing so well.

He knows how much I love to be on the field and how dedicated I am to my job.

---