Page 281 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

This should be fine—at least this. If he is meant to die, he can do it painlessly.

Moments later, Mine exits the building holding a little girl in his arms. Surprisingly, she doesn’t seem to be harmed.

The boy calls out her name and rushes out to her.

“Go to the river,” Mine tells them. “You should be safer there.”

The children run in the direction of the lake, as many others do, too. The streets are crowded with people running right and left, some seeking cover, others seeking their missing loved ones. Then there are those who are so injured they’ve lost all sense of space or time, wandering aimlessly around until they fall to the ground, never to rise again.

So many of those are children.

“You’re right. This is not right.” I take a deep breath. “But what can I do?” I ask as I glance up at him, tears building in my eyes.

“You’re already doing it, Minnie. You care, and that’s the first step.”

“But—”

“I know you can’t interfere. But I can. And maybe…if I am the one you’re helping, it wouldn’t be a direct interference?”

“But you’d be putting yourself in danger. And I would be interfering with your fate then…”

“I told you. It is not my time to die. But this… I can’t turn a blind eye to it, Minnie.”

“I know.” I sigh. “What do you want me to do?”

“Shield me. I’ll do the best I can, focus on the women and children.”

“Even if they’re the enemy?”

He raises a brow at me. “Women and children are never the enemy. But they’re always the victims.”

“You can’t save them all.”

“I can try.” He shrugs.

I glance at him. What an odd male. He’s on the other side of the war and yet his first instinct is to help the enemy. I’ve seen the way his side regards the Germans. They want to see them all destroyed.

Anyone else in his position would have turned a blind eye and derived joy from the fact that the Allies are bombing such a big city.

Not him, though.

Warmth spreads through me as I add one more item to the endless list of things that make him the perfect male.

Perfect for me, of course, and no one else.

“I’ll help you try then.”

His brows shoot up in surprise.

“You’re a gem,” he murmurs as he gives me a quick kiss.

Heading to the crowd of people, he instructs them to head to the river in perfect German. I did not realize he would be fluent in the language, but it makes sense since they’re the enemy. One should know his enemy.

I keep a shield over him so nothing can touch him. By extension, that applies to anyone who comes in contact with him.

Despite justifying it to myself that I’m not doing anything technically against the rules, I know that even this small intervention is having an impact on people’s lives. The mere fact that a fearless male rides into the raging fires to save and help people, the fact that he’s interacting with them and telling them where to go, all of those are interferences.

I cannot say how many people will be saved, or if others will die as a result of our actions. But I also cannot stand by and do nothing. Half of the reason is because I do hate seeing helpless people suffer thusly. The other half, however, is much more selfish, much more self-serving.

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