Bound by Blood and Moonlight
faced dea
etrayal, exi
-nothing, -fe
s skin. Same dark eyes, same blade-straight p
smile wa
ca
know
anci
in her body said again, voice
t move. Di
are
cil feared. What her mother tried t
d, claws
u hurt
e purred. "I've always
g split
whispering words Kael couldn't tra
he creature said. "But you gave
turned. "You
sed
a tree. His ribs cracked, breath knocked from his lungs.
, circling him. "Maybe broken. Maybe whole.
d her han
g inside Ale
lic
shift behind her eye
you," he said,
something feral. "She's trying. But I've
en
woods, another ho
wo
wi
hing
burst into the clearing-a boy no older than
lade. It dripped
was s
aid to the creature
turned.
. "Who the h
sed. "You'll find
he blade at
until the moon turns black. Th
d," the crea
said innocently. "And pro
ld respond, he
hrough
roa
's body shimmered, eyes going wi
mark on her ribs
curling in on itself, and for one
o the ground,
oring the pain, dragging him
catching her fac
k at me. St
yes o
ea
rif
ou," she w
xhal
boy wasn
them, blade still s
day," he said. "Be
his eyes. "A
oy sm
'm the one who kno
ke that, he
artbeat slow, then even out. Her body was trembling-not just from
nked. "
of blood off her c
"I was somewhere else. Deep
. "But you clawe
t think
her, steady
leaning her head against his should
ut the kind that shows up wh
oes tha
ans fate's in flux. And w
gain. But not the terrifyin
"I think the Council
flinch. "I th
u are. But because they
d at him.
t fully. But I believe i
if I can't choose? If the t
fight it.
d his. "I don't know
" he said. "We'll carr
e clearing, the win
egan t
, it wasn
t c
broken things stitche
in veins of forgotten magic,
tin
chi
lin
le wasn'
ven c