chapter fifty-three

[ IN WHICH SHE IS THE HUMAN SACRIFICED ]

“Hold it.”

My nose scrunches as Luca hands the wooden bowl to me. I am reluctant at first to take it out of his hands. There are smudges of blood on the sides of the bowl, and I do not want to touch that, because it is the blood of an innocent human. But if I want to find my way back to Alkhemi, I need to follow Luca's orders through to the end. I fight the intense urge to throw up on the floor as I slowly grab the bowl. My fingers graze his thin, long fingers as I proceed with the action, which disgusts me even further.

I quickly glance at the body laying beside me. “Would you at least bury the body?”

Luca squints. “Why would I do that?”

“Because you should. He didn't deserve to die.”

“Gosh, not this again.” He rolls his eyes, adjusting his huge-sized, black cloak. “You really should stop talking. You're ruining the sacrifice.”

I grit my teeth. “I know that's a lie. Nothing is getting ruined.”

“Oh, wow, I am so proud of you,” he says, layi