Page 33 of Shifting Hearts 1
“I said move,” Kieran snaps, voice edged with fire.
There’s a shuffle, a muttered apology, and then the door swings open.
He fills the frame like a shadow made of flame; tall, broad, eyes burning gold, and jaw locked tight. His presence hits me like a wave, and for a second, I forget how to breathe.
“You’re pacing like you’re ready to tear the walls down,” he says, voice low but sharp. “You want out?”
I nod, chest heaving. “I don’t know where I am. I don’t know you, and I don’t know if I’m safer here or back with the ones who tried to break me.”
His gaze doesn’t waver. Doesn’t soften, but something flickers behind it, recognition, maybe. Or restraint.
“You’re not a prisoner,” he replies. “But you’re not ready to walk out that gate either.”
I step forward, defiant. “Then what am I?”
He looks at me like he’s trying to decide whether to tell me the truth or protect me from it.
“You’re the reason everything’s about to change,” he says quietly. “And I don’t think either of us is ready for what that means.”
FIVE
Kieran
The mansion exhales as I push open the front doors, the wards humming low beneath the stone. Midnight clings to the walls like fog, and Raven’s steps falter just inside the threshold. She’s bone-tired, I can see it in the way her shoulders sag, in the way her eyes flicker over the shadows like they might bite.
I don’t blame her. This place has teeth.
“Come on,” I command, keeping my voice low. “You need rest.”
She doesn’t argue, just follows me through the main hall, past flickering sconces and portraits that shift when you’re not looking. The house is quiet tonight, but not silent. It’s listening. Italwayslistens.
I lead her up the stairs, past the east wing– sealed since the last blood moon, and down the corridor that doesn’t always stay straight. The guest room waits at the end, warm and untouched, the fire already lit. The house prepared it. That’s a good sign.
I open the door and step aside. “Here.”
She hesitates, eyes narrowing. “You’re not going to show me around first?”
I shake my head. “Later. The house is... temperamental after midnight, and you’re exhausted.”
She steps inside slowly, gaze sweeping the room like she expects it to vanish. The firelight paints her skin in gold and shadow, and something in me tightens.
“I know you don’t trust me,” I state, leaning against the doorframe. “But I need you to hear this. I’m not here to hurt you.”
She turns, arms crossed, chin lifted. “Then why do I feel like I’ve walked into a trap?”
I step forward, just enough to feel the edge of her energy brush mine. It’s wild. Unsettled. Familiar.
“Because something inside you woke up,” I whisper. “And it’s drawing things to you, things that don’t care if you live or burn.”
Her breath catches.
“I swore an oath to protect what’s sacred,” I continue. “And whether you like it or not, Raven—you’re sacred now.”
She doesn’t speak, she just watches me like she’s trying to decide if I’m the monster or the shield.
I nod toward the bed. “Sleep. The house will keep you safe tonight, and I’ll be just down the hall.”
I start to turn, but her voice stops me.
