Page 29 of The Blood Moon Oath

His grin spreads, slow and sharp. “You should keep it,” he whispers back. “But I’ll come anyway.”

Straightening, I look to Kael, expecting to be escorted. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll try to escape?” I challenge.

Kael smirks, holding up his own wrist where the faint shimmer of the binding mark matches mine. “Not anymore.”

His words, calm and final, send a shiver down my spine as I turn and make my way out of the room, the weight of their gazes lingering on my back.

Chapter

Eighteen

FINN

The door clicks shut behind her, and the tension in the room thickens, swirling in the air like smoke. Kael leans back in his chair, his posture deceptively relaxed, but I know better. The subtle flex of his jaw and the way his fingers tap once against the polished table betray the storm beneath his calm exterior. I fold my arms, staring at him across the table, willing myself to keep my voice level.

“You bound yourself to her,” I say finally, the words heavy.

Kael doesn’t flinch. “It was necessary.”

“Necessary?” My voice rises, incredulous. “Kael, completing the binding isn’t just some minor detail. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

Torin, lounging in his chair with his boots propped on the edge of the table, chuckles. “Relax, Finn. Maybe he just wanted to feel close to her. Who wouldn’t?”

“Shut up, Torin,” I snap, my eyes still locked on Kael.

Kael lifts a brow, unbothered. “She tried to escape. This ensures she won’t. Practical. Efficient.”

“Practical?” I scoff, leaning forward, my voice hard. “You’ve tied yourself to her now, Kael. Permanently. And don’t tell me you don’t feel it—the pull. She’s not... normal. There’s something about her.”

Kael doesn’t flinch, but his calm façade feels too deliberate. I press on, my frustration rising. “The binding isn’t just some convenient tool to keep her in check. It’s ancient magic, Kael. Powerful and dangerous. You know what it means—what itdoes.”

Torin perks up, his grin turning sly. “Ah, the binding. Where the mighty Alpha puts his neck on the chopping block for a woman. Isn’t that romantic?”

I ignore him, my focus locked on Kael. “Do you even remember the risks you’ve taken? A warlock can only bind themselves to one partner at a time. One. You’ve made her your equal in this—her pain, her fear, herdeath—you’ll feel it all as if it were your own. There’s no undoing it, Kael. It’s a vulnerability no one practices anymore for a reason.”

Kael’s gaze sharpens, but he remains silent. The firelight catches the edge of his profile, casting shadows across his features, but even that can’t disguise the weight of what he’s done. The binding mark on his wrist—a faint, shimmering band of light etched into his skin—seems to pulse subtly, as though it’s alive, tethered to something far greater than either of us.

“Do you know what this means for you? For all of us?” I continue, my voice rising. “Anything that happens to her—anything—can affect you. If she dies?—”

“She won’t die,” Kael interrupts, his voice low and calm, but there’s a steel edge to it.

Torin grins, tilting his chair back dangerously far. “You’re all wound up because she’s hot. Admit it.”

I glare at him, my patience wearing thin. “This isn’t about how she looks. And wipe that smug expression off your face. You let her steal your knife, Torin.”

He drops his chair back onto all fours, his grin not faltering for a second. “She didn’t steal it. She earned it.”

I scoff. “Earned it? You practically handed it to her.”

“Oh, come on.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “You saw her. She didn’t hesitate. Quick hands, sharp reflexes—I respect that.”

Kael exhales sharply, shaking his head. “Respect it? You let her disarm you. You might as well have handed her a weapon.”

“And wasn’t it hot that she took it?” Torin fires back, his voice low and teasing, unrepentant as ever. “Admit it, Finn. She’s got guts.”

I lean in, my voice sharp. “She’s got more than that. She’s got power. And you were careless enough to give her an edge.”

Torin’s grin only widens. “Careless? Or curious? You have to admit, she’s worth keeping.”

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