Page 78 of The Blood Moon Oath

Before Finn can respond, the door to the chamber creaks open.

I turn my head, and Torin steps into the room, looking like he’s just come from some wild, reckless battle. His eyes flick to Sable, and his smile widens in that maddening, carefree way of his.

“What’s this?” Torin asks, eyeing us with curiosity.

Finn’s eyes flicker to me, and I can see the brief amusement behind his gaze. “Perfect timing, Torin,” Finn says, as if he’s happy for the distraction. “Sable’s hungry, so maybe you can...feedher.”

Torin strides into the room without missing a beat, a predatory gleam in his eyes. “My kitten is hungry? Well, we can’t have that now, can we?”

Before any of us can react, he scoops Sable up effortlessly into his arms. She laughs, the sound light and carefree, and for a moment, the tension that has been building in me from the bond melts away. There’s something about seeing her like this—laughing, carefree—that makes me feel...almostrelieved.

But Torin doesn’t stop there. He lifts her over his shoulder, carrying her out of the room, completely oblivious to the runes or what just happened here. The energy in the air shifts with their exit, and I’m left standing there, feeling the weight of everything that just transpired.

Once they’re gone, Finn turns to me, his face more serious than before. “So,” I say, my voice low, “what do you think?”

Finn looks at me, his expression hardening slightly. He doesn’t speak right away, but I can feel the weight of his answer hanging in the air. When he finally speaks, his voice is clear, withouthesitation.

“There’s no doubt in my mind, Kael,” he says, his words solidifying the truth in the air. “She is a witch.”

Chapter

Forty

SABLE

Torin is carrying me through the keep like I weigh nothing, and I can’t help but roll my eyes at his antics. “You can put me down now, Torin,” I say, trying to sound firm, but I know he won’t listen. I already feel the warmth of his body against mine, and something stirs in me. I'm starting not to mind that it does, especially towards Torin. He's always been the nicest and most fun.

“Where’s the fun in that?” he says with that infuriating grin of his, one that I can’t quite ignore. He’s always soinsufferablyconfident. I envy it. While I'm growing into my own, I still have a lot of doubts about myself that can really mess with my head. I wish I could just cast it all off and be as carefree as Torin.

“Do you have food in your Chambers?” I ask, changing the subject to something I can focus on.

Torin chuckles, a low, smooth sound that vibrates throughhis chest. “Of course. I can always get food brought up if you’re hungry.”

I huff, crossing my arms over my chest even though I’m in his arms. “Why do I have to be kept away from everyone? Why can’t I just eat where everyone else eats?”

Torin’s expression shifts, and I see that mischievous glint in his eyes. “Do you remember what happened last time you ran around the keep? You got yourself a duel with Rothgar in the Trials. So, I'll be keeping youclose,kitten.”

I roll my eyes at the reminder. “If I get to fight and kill warlocks, then I want to run around more.”

Torin laughs again, and I can’t help but smile at the sound of it. He’s impossible.

He carries me down the winding hallways with ease, and I can’t help but notice that the more time I spend with him, the more I’m getting used to his presence. It’s...comforting.

We stop at his chambers, and I realize I’ve never been inside before. His door creaks open, and I’m met with a surprisingly intimate space. It’s not tidy, but it’s not a mess either. There are papers scattered across a desk by the window, books piled up in one corner, and clothes draped over the back of a chair. The scent of wood, something faintly herbal, and a trace of spice fills the air, and it makes the room feel... lived in, familiar.

There’s a low, plush rug in the center of the floor, and a large bed with a dark canopy hanging above it, the velvet fabric a rich shade of deep crimson. The lighting is soft, the glow of a nearby fire flickering warmly. The walls are adorned with dark tapestries, muted colors that seem to reflect his mood more than his personality, though there’s something about the room that screams Torin—chaotic but undeniably attractive, just like him.

It’s nothing like Kael’s or Finn’s chambers. Their roomsalways feel cold, formal, like they were designed to impress, not to feel. Finn's is filled with meticulously arranged objects, everything in its place—sterile, calculated, almost unnerving in its precision. Kael's has its own order, but it’s one born of distant practicality, with shelves of books and papers, yet always with an underlying air of somethingcontained. Torin’s space, though—this room—feels different. It feels alive. It’s a perfect reflection of who he is, untamed and wild, with just enough beauty to keep you coming back for more.

He sets me down on the edge of a couch near the fire and walks over to the door. “I’ll have food brought up,” he says, giving me a quick look. “Make yourself comfortable, kitten.”

I settle back, watching him for a moment before I finally let out a sigh. “Thanks,” I murmur, feeling a little off balance. I hate how comfortable he makes me feel, even in moments like this when I’m still not quite sure where I stand. There’s a part of me that wants to resist, that wants to pull away from the warmth of his presence, from the ease of being around him. It’s unsettling.

But then there’s another part of me—the part that’s been buried beneath all the anger, the hurt, and the years of my family’s destruction—that yearns for something like this.Comfort.I’ve spent so long focused on my oath to avenge my family, on the fire of vengeance burning through me, that I’ve put everything else aside. But these warlocks didn’t kill my family. They didn’t destroy my world, and yet here I am, surrounded by them. The betrayal of my family, my duty—it still weighs on me, and yet the more I see of them, the more they’ve become...something else.

Kael, with his moments where he lets down his ice, showing the fragility beneath the surface. Finn, with the way he’s determined to help me train, to help me understand my powers. And Torin—damn Torin, with his chaotic energy, withthe way he cares for me without needing anything in return. I feel myselffalling—more than falling. I feel like I’m starting to love them, each in their own way, and it terrifies me. I hate it. I hate that this thing, whatever it is, is growing inside me. It’s a weakness. It makes mevulnerable.

As Torin walks out of the room, moving toward the door to go and get my food—to care for me, something shifts again. I watch him leave, his broad shoulders filling the doorway before he disappears. The weight of everything hits me all over again.What am I doing?I should be focused. My oath should come first. But these warlocks, they’re not my enemies anymore.

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