🩸 Crimson Moon Oath
A Fantasy Romance by Chizzy
Chapter Nine – The Bond That Shouldn't Be
Dawn crept in through the shattered windows, pale and trembling after a night of red light. The storm had passed, leaving the air wet and heavy with the smell of rain and ash.
Avaline stirred. The fever that had burned her from the inside was gone, but something else had taken its place—a hum beneath her skin, deep and steady like another heartbeat that wasn't hers.
She blinked into the soft light. Kael sat against the wall near her, his cloak draped over her legs. His head was bowed, his dark hair falling over his face, but she could tell he hadn't slept.
Across from them, Lycian leaned by the fire, sharpening his blade. He looked too calm for someone who had nearly lost her hours ago.
"You're awake," Kael said quietly.
His voice was rough, the kind of rough that came from long worry. He rose and knelt beside her. "How do you feel?"
Avaline searched for words. "Different. Like… the world sounds louder. The air smells sharper." She hesitated. "And both of you—I can feel you. Even when I don't look."
Lycian's knife paused mid-stroke. "That's the bond," he said. "The moon tied you to us when it rose."
Kael's expression darkened. "It wasn't supposed to happen yet."
Avaline looked from one to the other. "What does it mean?"
Neither spoke at first. Then Kael said, "It means our fates are now entwined. If one of us dies, the others will feel it."
Lycian added softly, "And whatever you feel—pain, fear, desire—we'll feel it too."
Her breath caught. "That's impossible."
"Maybe," Lycian said with a half-smile. "But it's real."
The fire popped, sending sparks into the morning air. Kael reached for her wrist. "Your pulse is steady again," he murmured. His thumb brushed her skin. It shouldn't have felt intimate, but it did.
Avaline met his gaze. The world narrowed to the space between them—his stillness, her racing heart, the warmth of his hand.
Then Lycian's voice cut through it. "Careful, vampire. She's not yours."
Kael looked up sharply. "And she's not yours either."
Avaline sat up, her cheeks flushed. "Enough. Whatever this is—whatever the bond did—it doesn't make me your possession."
Lycian's golden eyes softened. "No. But it means you're no longer just human, princess."
Kael turned away, jaw tight. "She shouldn't have to bear this."
"I'll bear it," Avaline said quietly. "If it keeps both of you alive."
Neither answered. The silence that followed was full of everything they didn't say—fear, guilt, longing.
Outside, the sun rose higher, cutting through the mist. In its light, Avaline's skin shimmered faintly, as if moonlight still lingered beneath her flesh.
She didn't know what she was becoming. Only that whatever it was… it was changing them all.
To be continued....