Page 306 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

Why can he not tell me now?

The more I think about his vague words and musings since I met him, the more confused I become.

If he’s not human, doesn’t he realize that’s perfect for us? Not only would his life span be much longer, thereby giving us more time to be together, but we might also be biologically compatible. We could, in theory, become mated.

I might be mad at his lies by omission, but that doesn’t mean I am mad at the end result. So I cannot understand why he would hide it.

Unless…

I stop in my tracks.

He wouldn’t hide it unless he thought he should hide it.

Demon.

The possibility is like a punch to the gut.

But that cannot be. I’ve trained my entire life to be able to detect demonic spiritual energy. There is nothing about him thatsignals demon. By the Source, I drank his blood and I never sensed anything unusual about him!

I shake my head and mentally berate myself for even thinking something like that.

He cannot be a demon for the simple reason that he is good. He’s kind and heroic and the best male I’ve ever known. And he is mine.

So what if he technically lied and hid things from me? So what if he’s not ready to tell me what he is? He asked me to trust him, and that is what I should have done from the start.

I should have never left his home in the first place. Instead, we should have talked more until I understood more of his reasoning—even if he could not reveal everything.

He accused me of not trusting him before, and I fear I may have proven it to him this time that I, in fact, do not trust him. Even if that can’t be further from the truth.

I do trust him. If I didn’t, he’d probably be missing a limb or two right now.

I suppose I am a little miffed about not seeing the signs earlier. They were right in front of me, but unfortunately, I’m on the slower side when it comes to catching on. He was aware of this too, because he revealed just enough not to make me question him.

So I can see it from his perspective too. He did, in fact, not lie.

It’s getting dark. Winter in Anthropa means their days are much shorter while the nights are longer. Used my entire life to the ever-present light of Aperion, I find that I quite like the night.

Street lamps light up. The area is bustling with people coming and going from the many stores littered on each side of the road.

Once more, the smell of something sweet assails me. Should I get something to eat?

Though we just had dinner, my mood throughout the meal prevented me from enjoying the food even though it was delicious.

Materializing some coins—it seems thieving is much easier after you’ve done it a few times—I buy a chocolate croissant from one of the pastry shops.

The flavor is delightful and I slowly savor it as I look around the other shops.

Most of them seem to be clothing stores, and looking at the mannequins in the window wearing the latest fashions seems to take my mind off my dilemma for the moment.

Nibbling at the chocolate core, I stop in front of a different type of shop. My gaze is arrested to the white dress in the window. It has a tight bodice with thousands of shiny beads and a silk skirt.

It’s a wedding shop.

I’m staring at a wedding dress.

Since the topic of marriage has become so ubiquitous between us, I’ve learned a thing or two about traditions in this part of Anthropa. A white wedding dress is the standard, as is the sharing of rings on the wedding day to symbolize eternal love—or something like that.

In Aperion, there is no set color for a wedding dress. Instead, the bride and groom wear their family’s colors and insignia.

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