Page 73 of The Blood Moon Oath

“I’m an idiot, huh?” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “Is that what you think?”

Torin crosses his arms, leaning against the wall with a casual ease that only he could pull off. “You know what I think,” he says, his voice dropping to something more serious now. “I think you’re scared. You’ve been running from the one thing that actually matters—feelings. And now you’ve got her, and you don’t know what the fuck to do with her.”

I glare at him. “I know what I’m doing.”

He snorts. “Sure you do, Kael. Sure you do. Just keep lying to yourself. It’sadorable.”

I roll my eyes. “You don’t get it.”

Torin steps closer, his tone dropping, but there’s a certain weight to his words now. “No,youdon’t get it. You’re letting your past turn you into a present asshole, Kael. You can’t keep running from this. Not with her. You want her, don’t you?”

I freeze, my chest tightening at the truth in his words. I hate that he’s right.I do want her.More than I want to admit. But it’s complicated, twisted in ways I’m not ready to face.

“She fell asleep, Torin,” I say again, my voice low, almost defeated. “I didn’t want to wake her up and make her think this was... a mistake.”

Torin stands there for a moment, watching me closely. “And what aboutyou? What do you think, Kael? You think she’s a mistake?”

I shake my head, the frustration building again. “No,” I say firmly. “I don’t think she’s a mistake. But I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, alright? Is that what you want to hear? I’ve never done this before. You found the one thing I'm not skilled at.”

Torin chuckles, the sound rumbling from deep in his chest. "You're not good at a lot of stuff, you big narcissist."

I laugh, the tension in my chest easing somewhat.

“You don't need to be perfect. But, if you care about her, like I think you do, then you’re going to have to step up. You can’t keep pulling away.”

I know he's right. I don’t respond, but the tension in my shoulders loosens, a little piece of me finally accepting the weight of his words. It’s not about perfection, about having all the answers. It’s about doing something with the mess that’s in front of me.

“Alright,” I mutter, rubbing the back of my neck. “I’ll talk to her.

Torin leans against the doorframe, crossing his arms, his usual cocky grin still firmly in place. “You need to do more than talk to her, Kael,” he says with that signature drawl, “you should probably go make it up to her.”

I glance over at him, raising an eyebrow. “Make it up to her?” I ask, my tone dripping with skepticism. “How the hell am I supposed to do that?”

Torin shrugs, still grinning. “You’re the one who left her alone afterher first time, my brother. Youoweher. Don’t think you can just walk away from that.”

I wince at the reminder, but I know he’s right. “Yeah, well... she seemed fine. I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”

Torin rolls his eyes. “Yeah,of courseshe’s fine. She’s not going to cry about it. That's not who she is. But that doesn’t mean you didn’t fuck up. She’s been training her ass off for the Trials. She's going up against Rothgar tohelp us. But she wants to know how to use her powers. You know, like magic and shit.”

I nod slowly, processing his words. “I know she’s been working hard. She’s more determined than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

Torin’s grin widens. “Well, here’s the thing. I think youshould help her figure out how to use those powers of hers. It’ll be good for her. And for you. And for... all of us.”

I stare at him for a second, confused. “How do you expect me to help her with her magic? You know I don’t have the answers for that.”

“True,” Torin admits with a half-shrug, his eyes gleaming with that mischievous spark. “But Finn would be the one who knows. He’s the magic guy in the family. He probably knows a lot more about what she is than he's letting on and could help her harness it.”

I lean back against the wall, letting the thought marinate. “Yeah, I’m aware. Finn’s always been the one with the knowledge, the skills. But he's never going to volunteer to work with her.”

Torin lets out a low laugh, a sound that’s just a little too satisfied. “Well, that’s where you come in, Kael. You tell Finn to do it. If you tell him, he’ll do it. He listens to you more than he likes to admit.”

I glance at him, surprised. “You think I can just tell Finn to teach Sable? You really think he’s gonna listen?”

Torin looks at me like I’m the one being slow on the uptake. “Absolutely. You’ve got a way of making people listen, even if they pretend not to. So get Finn to teach her, and maybe you can stick around too. You know, make it a group effort. It’ll be good for all of us.”

I pause for a moment, chewing over the idea. Sable’s been through so much already, and if she really wants to learn how to use her powers, I should make sure she gets the best guidance possible. Not to mention turning her into someone that doesn't kill our kind but rather takes out traitors like Rothgar might not be such a bad deal. Maybe I can find a way to patch things up, to make things better between us, before theTrials.

I nod slowly, finally giving in. “Alright. I’ll talk to Finn. But only because you’re making me.”

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