Page 5 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“But,Mamma, you’ll let a male treat your daughter badly?” I ask in an attempt to appeal to her emotional side.

She snorts.

“Perhaps it is high time someone did. Your father and I have been giving you too much freedom and it shows. By the Source, Minerva, you are aprincess! I don’t think there is anyone else with your status in Aperion who has such a disregard for manners and social protocol.”

“I didn’t exactly have time to cultivate manners in the army, Mother. I could hardly go to a demon and saypretty please, can I kill you?”

She glowers at me.

“And this is why you should haveneverbeen allowed to enroll. Goodness, Minerva. You’re little more than a heathendespiteyour royal upbringing.” She removes a handkerchief from her reticule and wipes away a fake tear. “I don’t know where we went wrong with you. I really don’t.”

“Have you ever thought that maybe I don’t want to get mated? That my purpose is not to be a paragon of decorum, but rather to keep the universe safe?”

She releases another snort.

“You?” she asks in disbelief.

“Yes, me. I did well in the army. You know that. I have the skills. I have?—”

“You have only opened your fifth gate, Minerva. I would not call thathaving the skillsas you put it. Look at your brother. By the time he was your age, he had already opened his ninth gate.”

“Because I was hardly given the opportunity to!” I cry out.

She shrugs. “You would have if you were good enough.”

“Good enough? What? I’ve had dozens of opportunities in the last few hundred years to take the next exams. Every time I registered, something happened and Inevermade it to the exam. As if I don’t know you and Father had a hand in that.”

“Males do not appreciate overly ambitious females,” she mutters. “It is for your own good.”

“What?”

“You already have your pedigree. The fact that you’ve opened your fifth gate is in your favor, of course, but your future mate will not care about that. Your job will be to deliver him strong children—stronger than both of you combined.”

“Mother!” I exclaim.

“We have arrived. This conversation is over. You must go to your room and craft a letter of apology to Olivia and Theron.”

“But—”

“No buts. You will apologize, Minerva.” Another harsh look and she’s gone from my side.

I hunch down my shoulders and stomp to my room, careful to avoid running into my father. The last thing I need is another lecture about how I amnot good enoughfor the military, only for popping out children.

The moment I’m in my room, I release a loud groan and kick the first thing I see—which happens to be a wooden table.

“Ugh!” I yell out in frustration.

“Am I to understand your outing with Mother did not go as planned?” a voice calls from behind.

I swivel and come face-to-face with my brother.

“Kai!” I call out and run to him. “I didn’t know you’re back!”

“Well, not for long,” he says with a chuckle, giving me a tight hug. “I was allowed one day at home before the next mission as it’s going to be a long one.”

“Next mission? What is it?” I ask excitedly.

He smiles indulgently at me as we take a seat at the table.

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