Blood Hounds

Kael didn't move.

Neither did Rhia.

The ruins breathed around them, the air thick with something ancient—a force older than words, older than time. The shadow still lingered, its presence curling around them like a serpent, watching. Waiting.

"You are bound by more than fate."

The words pulsed through Kael's bones.

Rhia's fingers tightened on his wrist. A silent anchor.

She wasn't afraid. Not of him. Not of this.

And for the first time in a long time, Kael didn't know whether that was a blessing or a curse.

Garran let out a sharp breath. "If you're done staring into each other's souls, we have bigger problems."

Kael's jaw clenched, but he didn't pull away from Rhia.

Not yet.

The moment shattered as the ruins shifted again, the flickering torches struggling against the encroaching dark. The shadow moved, its burning gaze locked onto Kael.

"You have not answered."

Kael's heart pounded. He knew what it wanted.

An oath. A price. A surrender.

Rhia stepped forward before he could speak. "He's not giving you anything."

The shadow paused.

Then, it did something that sent a chill through Kael's spine.

It laughed.

Soft at first, then deeper, richer—like the echo of something long dead but never forgotten.

"And yet, he already has."

Kael's stomach dropped.

Because the moment Rhia had spoken for him, the air around her had changed.

The darkness was touching her now.

And it had claimed her, too.

Kael grabbed her wrist, his voice sharp. "You shouldn't have—"

"I wasn't going to stand there and let it take you." Her voice was steady, but he could feel the slight tremor beneath it.

Not fear.

Something worse.

She had made a choice. And now they were both bound.

Garran swore under his breath. "Damn it, Kael. Do you even know what you've done?"

Kael turned back to the shadow. His grip on Rhia tightened, but this time, she didn't pull away.

His voice was calm. Certain.

"Name your price."

The shadow's eyes burned brighter.

"Blood. Oath. Fire."

Kael exhaled.

He had known, deep down, that it would come to this.

That there was no escaping it.

And that, for the first time in years, he wouldn't be facing it alone.

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