Page 266 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

With his bare hands, he grabs onto the cut he made upon his sternum and pries the flesh apart. He pulls on each side with such force and determination that his muscles and rib cage become visible.

“Mine, this is too much. Please stop.”

“No. Not yet. Not until you see my heartweep.”

THIRTY-EIGHT

The shockat seeing him cut himself with my blade is slow to fade. I’m staring at him wide-eyed, not knowing what he’s going to do next.

I have the power to stop him—to coerce him to stop hurting himself. But even knowing that, I cannot seem to move.

Shame eats at me as I realize that deep down, I want to see his heart weep for me. I want him to show me how deep his love for me runs, no matter how crazy that demonstration might be.

He meets my gaze with his determined one. His fingers plunge deeper inside the incision he made, pulling harder at the skin. It slips off the ribcage with ease, but even more surprising is the way he looks at me unflinchingly.

The pain must be unbearable, especially for a human. Yet he does not back down.

Digging his fingers inside his own chest, he presses hard against the bones until they snap, the sound a loud echo in the small enclosure.

He just…broke his own bones, his own rib cage? For what? To prove what?

Yet more importantly I ask myself: why am I not stopping him?

He bangs against his sternum, each time harder than before until that bone breaks into a myriad pieces that fall onto his lap.

“You…” I whisper. Surely this is too far. Surely I should stop him now.

His breathing is harsh but even. He doesn’t look down at the bloody residue of bone falling from his chest or the rivulets of scarlet liquid dripping onto his lap.

He’s only looking at me.

His fingers dig deeper and deeper until his entire rib cage has been broken. I may not be an expert in human anatomy, but if it’s anything like a god’s, then it would take enormous strength to break those bones.

But he did it with such ease. Without flinching. Without a grimace of pain.

He slowly peels away flaps of skin and bone until he reveals the top part of his heart. It thuds against what’s left of his ribcage, the sound almost deafening.

“Do you see it, Minnie?” he murmurs as he brings one bloody hand to my cheek. “Do you see how this poor heart of mine beats only for you?”

“What have you done?” I whisper in awe. “How could you even think to do this?” My eyes move from his earnest expression to the painful image of his wide-open chest. It’s a complete dichotomy; one I cannot even begin to understand, not as a deity and certainly not from the perspective of a human.

Mortals, defined by their finite lifespans, are driven by a certain self-preservation even more so than deities are. They avoid pain and hurt and any type of injury that might pose a danger to their lives.

So as I look into Mine’s eyes, I cannot understand how he is able to do this, go against his very nature to prove something to me.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that not even a deity would have ever willingly done something like that. Though immortal, some injuries can prove fatal even for the strongest of us. No one would risk the danger such a weakened state would pose since an enemy could attack at any moment.

He isn’t just enduring immense pain to show me his love and loyalty. He is also leaving himself completely vulnerable and at my mercy. I could strike him down, but he knows I would never. I could refuse to heal him, but he knows I would never.

By trying to assuage my mistrust, he showed me how fully he trusts me. And that realization floors me more than anything in my life.

Tears prick at my eyes as a wave of emotion builds inside of me, threatening to spill over. I’ve never been the demonstrative type, always keeping my emotions in check because outbursts were frowned upon.

But if Mine can go against his biology and self-preservation to prove something to me, then I can only repay him by shedding my inhibitions and showing him the real me, too.

The tears fall, this time unbidden.

The blade materializes in my hand and bringing it against my throat, I cut a straight line down my chest. The material of my dress falls to the sides to reveal my naked breasts. I dig the blade deeper, emulating Mine’s cuts.

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