Page 233 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

Once the introductions are over, my parents find some of their acquaintances and they strike up a conversation. Maledo has surreptitiously disappeared from our side, and as I scan the crowd, I see him a distance away, talking to a couple of young ladies.

I roll my eyes.

A servant carrying punch glasses stops by my side and I take one glass, planning to nurse it for the rest of the evening.

As my parents continue to get lost in their conversation, I slowly move to the side, hiding behind a pillar to avoid detection in case Cerenios is looking for me.

Tapping my foot against the floor as I wait for the time to pass so we can finally head home, I find my mind drifting to Mine once more. It’s been days since I’ve last been able to survey him. The mirror simply stopped working one day. It was already only working a few minutes per day, but now that it’s completely out of power, I’m left not only speculating the worst but also bored out of my mind.

Spying on Mine gave me something to look forward to every day, even though it enraged me to no end to see him go about his days without sparing me a thought. He never once even glanced at the sheet of paper I left him with my seal.

My absence barely seemed to affect him. It’s almost like he completely erased me from his mind.

The only positive aspect is the fact that he never met with another female—as far as I’ve been watching. He spent some more time with that couple, but since that pretty female is mated and seemingly happily so, I’ve decided she is of no threat to me.

At least he’s been a good male in that regard.

I’ve also gotten a front seat to some of his missions and I’ve been watching his with pure astonishment and bated breath as he operated his airplane, skillfully evading any incoming flak or fire.

He truly is an amazing male. So competent.

I may be mad at him for not calling on me yet, but I must admit I have greatly enjoyed secretly watching him. Of course no one needs to tell me how great he is, but it is quite nice to see him in action, kicking Nazi butt.

If he were an Aperite soldier, I have no doubt he would have easily made general in no time.

I sigh dreamily as I remember his lips on my own, the taste of his blood on my lips… I’ve found myself craving it more and more. Perhaps this is why it’s so forbidden. Not only is the sharing of blood the height of eroticism, but it’s also the closest one can be to another being—bar mating, though I cannot speak of that. Yet.

I squeeze my eyes shut. When did my regard for rules crumble that I am now contemplating mating with that male at some point? But the truth is that I know it will happen once I see him again.

I want him. That much is clear.

But do I want him so much that I would forsake all the rules that have been drilled into my head since I was naught but a fledgling?

Yes!

My skin suddenly pricks with awareness as my entire body grows cold with fear. It’s immediate as if my body recognizes the danger before my mind can process it. Shaking myself from my thoughts, I look right and left, scanning my surroundings.

There he is.

Cerenios.

He’s staring at me from across the ballroom. Dressed in a white suit with his family’s insignia embroidered in golden thread across his chest, he is both handsome and terrifying as he holds himself completely still. His eyes are on me, and when he sees me take notice of him, his lips curve up in derision. He holds up a gobbet with punch and mockingly inclines it toward me.

My face falls.

He seemingly derives pleasure from my discomfort, his smile becoming wider. But it never reaches his eyes.

Looking for an opening, I seek to escape his unflinching gaze. But just as I move, he moves, too.

The room is surrounded by runes. He cannot do anything here, can he?

But it is his home. He may have hidden advantages I know nothing about. I cannot risk the encounter, though I knew it was going to happen the moment the duchess insisted on my presence tonight.

I wade my way through the crowd, keeping an eye on him as the distance between us dwindles. He’s on my heel, about to catch up with me at any point.

And I have nowhere to run to.

Unless…

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