Page 35 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

He lights up his cigarette and puffs it a couple of times.

The smoke immediately reaches me, and I barely suppress a cough.

Damn it all, but that is too much for my sensitive nose. It’s already making me tear up. The smell aside, the smoke itself is abrasive as it travels down my throat.

It happened before, at the party where everyone was smoking. But now, with the source of the smoke so close, it’s almost worse.

Reaching forward, I snatch the cigarette from his lips and put it out on the grass.

The smell still clings to the air, almost as if it doesn’t want to leave.

I wrinkle my nose in distaste. This is what I get for hanging out with humans and their disgusting pastimes.

“Good night, sir,” I mumble before I turn to leave.

He calls out my name repeatedly, but I give it no mind. And when I’m far enough that I’m out of sight, I teleport back to my lodgings.

Humans. Nasty bunch.

Good thing I’m never going to see that Lucien again or hear about his ducking ways.

SIX

Kissing.

That’s what they call the act of lip touching between two people.

Now I have a name for what was happening at that party. It was kissing. That is what people in love do—or at least according to the movieCasablanca.

The kisses on the screen are intriguing. Full of passion and yearning.

Ah!

The romantic in me can’t help but sigh dreamily at those scenes.

I’ve never seen people kiss before. Certainly not in Aperion. I wonder if mated couples engage in this activity or if it is strictly a human thing to do.

“Minerva,” my brother’s voice penetrates my mind. In a few seconds, he’s seated next to me in the empty movie theatre.

“Kai!” I squeak. “What are you doing here?”

He has a grave expression on his face that morphs into distaste as he glances at the kissing scene on the screen.

“By the Source, Minerva, what are you doing?” he asks in an outraged tone.

“They’re called moving pictures. They’re really nice,” I quip.

I don’t expect Kai to get it, though. He’s far too uptight for any type of entertainment. Me, on the other hand… How I love these moving pictures! It’s even better than reading a story because you can see it in motion. It’s rather fascinating, too, because I get to find out about more human customs and what life is like for people in different parts of the world.

There are plays in Aperion, but they’re nothing like this! They simply recount old and mythical events that no one cares about anymore—or at least, I don’t.

Where is the romance? The excitement? The thrill of action?

How can Aperionnothave something like this is beyond me. More people would be paying to see those plays, too. In fact, if there were more stories like this, ladies wouldn’t be going to their mates with absolutely no knowledge of what mating involves.

See? These stories are educational, too!

Kai bristles.

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