Page 193 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“You wouldn’t have been born,” I stammer.

His dark chuckle echoes in the steam-filled room.

“Maybe for you, I would have.”

“What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense,” I say, struggling to get out of his embrace and take a look at his features. Is he getting more ill? Is that it? Because his words confuse me to no end.

He hugs me tighter. For someone who was on the brink of collapse just moments ago, his strength is rather remarkable.

“You have to thank my mother for this. I got my patience from her,” he adds.

“What do you mean?” I ask, frowning. He’s never mentioned his parents much before.

“I probably inherited my love sickness from her too,” he continues, once more not making any sense. “She is the type to love with all her heart and to only love once. One male. Her entire life, she’s only loved one male, even though it brought her far too much heartache.” He slides his lips across my shoulders in the lightest kiss.

“Your father?”

He nods.

“I wouldn’t be here if my mother didn’t have endless patience and too much forgiveness in her heart for everything my father put her through.”

“You sound as if you don’t like him,” I add warily.

For some reason, I’m curious about his family. No matter how many deep talks we’ve had, whenever the subject of family came up, he was always tight-lipped. Perhaps I’m taking advantage of the situation by probing, but I can’t help myself. I want to know everything about Mine.

Everything.

“I like him well enough.” He laughs. “I just don’t agree with some of the things he’s done and the choices he’s made in the past. If it were me… I would never allow anything or anyone to stand between me and my beloved,” he rasps. He emphasizes the word beloved in such a way that Iknowhe’s talking about me.

He trails up my neck until he reaches my ear. He parts his lips over my flesh and uses his teeth to nibble at the most sensitive part.

A shiver travels down my back, and I instinctively lean into his touch, seeking more of it.

“What happened?” I ask in a strangled voice.

Yes, please talk. If you continue this, I don’t think I’ll meet the next day with my virtue intact. And he won’t even have to askfor it. I’ll likely offer it on a platter as long as he can touch me more like this, elicit more of these foreign sensations from my body.

“My mother was very sheltered growing up. She was sent to an all-girls boarding school, but her education was mostly on how to be a good wife for her future husband. Her parents had a match for her already and they were waiting for her to reach her majority so they could announce it to the public.

“I think it happened some time before her graduation. My father ended up in the vicinity and they met. He was older, wiser, and I think that appealed to her at the time. She started sneaking around to meet him every time she could.”

“How old are we talking about?” I interrupt, not liking where this is going if she was still a schoolgirl.

“Old enough.” He lets out a dry laugh. “He might not look it, but he’s lived more than anyone I know.”

“Oh, all right.”

“It’s actually not what you’re thinking about. It was my mother who kept seeking him out, wanting to spend more time with him. From what she tells me, he was quite reluctant in the beginning. But he eventually fell in love with her too.”

“And that’s when you came to be?”

“No. Not yet. You’re quite the impatient little minx, aren’t you?” He chuckles.

“Fine, fine, go on.”

“He knew she was engaged, but he still slept with her. She soon got pregnant, but before she could tell him, he was gone.”

“What?” I burst out in shock.

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