Page 17 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

My gaze lands on the culprit just in time to see him deposit his glass on a nearby table. His face is contorted in pain that he tries to mask, but is unsuccessful.

The blessing chant works like a poison for any demonic energy. Though it is momentarily painful, depending on the level of the demon, it doesn’t take them too long to recover.

I watch his expression closely, counting down the moments it takes for him to shake the pain from his features. While this is not a foolproof method, it gives me an idea of what I’m dealing with.

Five, six…

Seven.

His face is back to a neutral expression as he shrugs off the last of the pain and puts on an affable smile.

Low level.

And seeing the way he ignores what just happened and continues to mingle around people, I realize he must be a really young demon, unaware of the power of a blessing chant—or the fact that it means an Aperite is on his trail.

Straightening my back, I make my way through the crowd, going straight for him.

The demon has possessed a tall male—well, at this point who isn’t taller than me? He has short-cropped black hair and brown eyes. He’s dressed in a military uniform like so many others in this room are, and his body language is just as sleazy.

As a young demon, I have no doubt that he still has ties to the physical realm. He might be little more than a corrupted soul, but he still remembers what it was like to be made of flesh—to use said flesh and enjoy all the perks that come with it.

Seeing the way he’s eyeing the dance floor and studying the females in a lascivious manner, I can tell his first intent is to get some of that touching action. Next is, of course, consuming the souls.

Not under my watch, demon!

I get in front of him, but he doesn’t see me.

Damn it.

His eyes are fixated somewhere above the top of my head, and with my size, it’s like I’m invisible in front of him.

He’s about to move through the crowd when I quickly improvise and throw myself against him.

“Oh, my,” I murmur, purposefully slurring my words.

He narrows his eyes at me.

“Hello, handsome,” I say and bat my lashes at him.

Ew! I’m about to gag the moment the word is out of my mouth, but alas, I am ready to sacrifice a little sweet talk for a future promotion.

He looks at me pensively for a moment before he smiles.

“Want to get out of here?” I whisper.

Say yes, please. Say yes and let’s go out where I can exorcize you or kill you—depending on whether the mortal soul inside you is still alive.

He raises a brow at me before his lips slowly curve into a smile. He nods to me to lead the way.

Giddiness suffuses me.

My first kill of the night. So what if it’s a low-level demon? It’s still something. I’ll add it to my killing collection so far and if I don’t win over Commander Azerius’ praise by quality, then at least I will do it with quantity.

I make my way through the crowd, keeping an eye on the demon to make sure he’s following behind me. We get to the hallway, and as we move past the male at the door, we’re finally out of the building.

“You have a place in mind?” he asks, his brows wiggling.

I nod and smile, beckoning him to follow me.

---