Page 61 of The Blood Moon Oath

Slowly, quietly, I begin to trace my curves, my fingers grazing my skin. I let my body move slightly, making sure he’s watching, though I know no one else can see me. He’s still speaking with a few people, but I know his attention is divided now, on me and on them, though I can feel it—his focus is slipping.

I push my hand higher, my thumb grazing the bottom ofmy exposed breast. I catch his eye, just for a second, and the tension between us tightens.

I know what I’m doing.

The heat in the room starts to change, swirling between us, and I’m aware of every inch of my body. The power I’m using, not just in the way I move, but in the way I’m making him feel, makes me feel...alive. I’ve never been so aware of myself, so confident in my own skin. Every movement feels like it’smine.

Kael’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t break. He doesn’t move, not yet. But I know he’s reacting. His breath, just a little unsteady. His gaze, intense and unwavering, even as his voice remains calm and authoritative, handling the last of the affairs in court.

I slide my hand down my body now, just enough to tease, to make him aware of every movement. My fingers graze my lower lips, playing with myself as I tilt my head back. I open my legs wide. He can't miss the sight now.

He’s still trying to maintain control, still trying to hold court with a face of steel, but I can see it in the way his body tenses. I can feel the pull between us, like a thread that’s about to snap.

When the last of the petitions are over, and the room is all but empty, Kael’s posture shifts. His gaze turns to me with such intensity, I almost feel it before I see it.

“Court is adjourned,” he says, his voice deep and strained, but he doesn’t look away from me. His eyes lock onto mine, and there’s something dark there. Something he’s barely holding back.

The room empties, the sound of footsteps fading as the last of the people file out, leaving us alone. But I’m not ready for this moment to end.

Kael stands abruptly, his movement fast, purposeful. Before I can react, his hand is on my wrist, pulling me towardhim. “You’ve had your fun, little huntress,” he growls, the words a mix of warning and desire, both dark and tempting. “But I’m done with games.”

The intensity in his voice sends a thrill through me.I’ve pushed him to the edge.

He drags me quickly from the grand hall, my feet barely touching the ground as he leads me back toward his chambers. His grip tightens around my wrist as he moves with purpose, and I know—this is just the beginning of whatever happens next.

Chapter

Thirty-Two

KAEL

Every step I take toward my chambers, my grip tightens around Sable’s wrist, dragging her with me through the halls. I can feel her there, beside me, but it’s not the weight of her body I feel. It’s the weight of herintent—the deliberate, maddening way she toyed with me during court.

She knew exactly what she was doing. Her movements, her glances—every little thing she did was calculated. She wanted a reaction, and by the gods, shegotone.

The whole time, I was holding court, I couldn’t focus. I could barely breathe. Every word spoken, every petition raised, every decision I made was harder than the last, because her presence—her soft, subtle movements—kept calling my attention back to her. The way she slowly moved, knowing damn well I was the only one who could see her.

And she knew it.

She had to have known the effect she was having on me. I could feel my cock stiffening every time she shifted, every timeher hand slid a little lower on her body. She was trying to get under my skin. She was trying to make me crack.

And it worked.

I’m furious with myself for allowing it to go on for so long. But now? Now that we’re here, I won’t let her get away with it.

I open the door to my chambers and don’t even hesitate before I throw her inside. She stumbles onto the bed, bouncing once before sitting up with that fucking smug look on her face, like she knows she’s won. Like she’s already beaten me.

But this? This is where I take control.

I close the door behind me, my gaze never leaving her as I stand there, my fists clenched at my sides.

“Don’t play games with me, Sable,” I growl, the frustration evident in my voice. “You weretestingme. The entire time we were in court. You were trying to get a rise out of me, weren’t you?”

Her lips curl up in that damn knowing smile. She knows exactly what she’s doing to me. “What if I was?” she replies, leaning back, her hands resting casually on the bed as she looks me over, sizing me up.

The audacity of her.

To lay there naked on my bed and look so smug.

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