Page 79 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“But—”

As both Mine and I watch the fight unfold, the greed demon suddenly turns and glares at me.

“What are you looking at, you ugly female? This is mine. Mine. Mine. Mine,” the demon shouts, his tendrils swirling aggressively around Holloway, almost as if it was having a tantrum.

My mouth drops open in shock.

I blink.

Holloway is trying to grab onto the whiskey bottle with the demon encouraging him loudly.

“Nasty demon,” I mutter under my breath.

“Ugly female!” the demon retorts. His big eyes narrow at me and he opens his mouth to stick out a black, nasty-looking tongue.

Ew.

“You can’t talk like that,” Mine adds in a tight voice. I glance at him. Did he hear me cursing the demon? But then he continues, “If you insult Minnie again, I will wash your mouth with soap. At least then it won’t emit so many noxious fumes.” His nose wrinkles in disgust.

The demon shrieks.

“I will end you! Puny human! You dare to speak to me like that? I will cut you up and feast on your entrails. Both yours and that ugly female of yours. Just you wait. The moment I have enough strength, I will slaughter you both,” the demon snarls.

Mine rolls his eyes.

I am too shocked to react.

Did… Did Mine just talk to the demon?

Can he see it? Hear it?

I slowly turn to Mine, my eyes widening with horror.

Because if he did, then there’s only one explanation for it.

He’s dying.

“Oh, Mine,” I murmur in a low, sad voice.

He frowns when he sees my baleful expression.

Without a word, I rip his shirt off. Buttons fly everywhere. His eyes widen, but he doesn’t try to stop me, not even when I tear at his white cotton undershirt.

“Where is it?” I ask in a crazed voice.

Time is of the essence.

Maybe I can still save him if I can find the injury. Theremustbe an injury.

Humans can only see the spiritual world if they are on the brink of death—or, in some rare cases, if they have unusually high spiritual energy. But I met Mine before I was stripped of my powers, and I did not detect anything out of the ordinary then.

So that only leaves the first option.

He must be mortally wounded.

“What?” Mine asks, his brows furrowed.

“Your wound. Where is it? I must find it, Mine. I must?—”

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