Page 65 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

His amusement fades as he takes in my bleeding arm.

“What in God’s name happened to you?” he demands. In a few strides, he’s in front of me, grabbing my arm to inspect it.

“Why isn’t it healing?”

“W-what?”

“Why isn’t the bleeding stopping?” He clears his throat.

“I… Well, I was looking for a bandage,” I admit.

“This looks grisly,” he mentions with a grimace. “Come.”

I don’t have time to protest as he seats me on a chair at the back of the room so we’re far away from the patient ward. He looks through the cabinets until he finds a roll of bandage and some disinfectant and then he’s back at my side.

“How did this happen?” he asks as he pours the disinfectant over my wound.

I purse my lips as I think of what lie to concoct. The wound is clearly in the shape of an odd symbol, so it’s not as if I can tell him I accidentally cut myself. It looks on purpose.

“I was playing with a knife and didn’t realize how sharp it was,” I lie.

Then again, I also did not realize how slow my healing would be now that I’m without my spiritual energy.

“You dummy,” he mumbles. “You could have hurt yourself so bad.”

“Dummy?” I narrow my eyes at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

His lips quirk up.

“It’s nothing bad, tiny darling.” He winks at me.

“Stop calling me that,” I grumble.

He smirks.

“What should I call you then? Minerva or… Mina?”

“M-Mina,” I say and gulp down uncertainly. “It’s Mina.”

“Mina?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with it?”

“Doesn’t really suit you,” he mentions.

What? It doesn’t suit me?

I glare at him.

“Now don’t take this the wrong way, tiny darling.”

“How am I supposed to take it when you’re telling me my name doesn’t suit me?”

It’s a pretty name. Prettier than Minerva anyway. But now his words are making me doubt it.

He chuckles.

“Mina is much too tight-laced and somber when you’re anything but that.”

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