Blood Oath and Moonlight

eady rhythms, the sound echoing through tunnels carved centuries ago when Virelia was still

out a torch, she seemed to see perfectly. Kael had to rely on the faint glow from the la

thief," Kael sa

m. "You walk like you'r

"Occupatio

old one, and half the ink had faded, but he knew this spot - it led toward

her eyes narrowing sl

got a better

in a faint smile

ng it. Kael caught himself glancing at her more than once - the way her gown shifted a

. She was dangerous in ways he

idn't stop

st ate at its bars, but it was still locked. Kael set d

nd twisted - not with brute force, but with a slow, deliberate pressure. There w

d me not to shake y

sed. "Don't worry. You'

barrels slumped against the walls, their contents long since seeped into t

denly, her gaze snappin

asked, his hand g

d the corner, her steps slower now

. Male, dressed in fine clothes now stained dark wi

deep slashes across the chest, like M

ed. "One of ours. H

ien

r eyes betrayed something else - a

be nearby. Kael led them back into the tunnels, but his mind was working.

ending a

rooftops silver. They were in the noble quarter now, though "noble" was a loose term. M

ivy strangling its stone walls. "This was one of our safehouses," she sai

he empty street. "Mea

o him. "Means he's

t a lamp while Liora moved to the windows, pulling the curta

e now," she said. "An

running type,

"No. You're the type who gets hims

ll tight between them. "And you're the ty

rved faintl

s aware of how close she was - close enough that he could see the faint lines of veins beneath he

told hims

ye

ering glass snappe

the broken window - fast, inhumanly fast. It hit t

lood

like smoke, sidestepping and swiping at him with

s, but with speed and precision, her hands clawed like talons. For the fi

ince's strikes coming too fast to block. Liora drove him back

ke steam on hot metal, then l

and falling, her eyes still glowing fa

you were planning to fig

her voice steadier than h

here was something in it Kael couldn't name. Not qu

said quietly, "