CHAPTER FIVE
914 Words
CHAPTER 5: BLOOD OATH
(Damian’s POV)
The Oracle’s words clung to me like a second skin.
“The Crimson Moon will rise, and when it does, only one of you will survive.”
I had faced death before. War. Betrayal. The monstrous pull of the beast inside me. But nothing had ever chilled me like hearing that prophecy spill from the Oracle’s lips.
Because it didn’t just mean my death.
It meant Selene might be the one forced to end me.
I couldn’t let that happen.
She was already ahead of me, moving with that sharp, lethal determination that had always defined her. She didn’t speak as we left the ruined cathedral, didn’t look at me as we stepped back into the cold, rain-slicked streets of Ravenshade.
But I could feel the storm brewing inside her.
"You knew," I said finally.
Selene stopped walking. "Knew what?"
"That killing Devereaux is the only way to break the curse."
She turned slowly, her eyes flashing. "Of course I knew. But I wanted to hear it from her first."
Her voice was steady, but I wasn’t fooled.
I stepped closer. "And?"
She held my gaze, unflinching. "Then we do what we have to do. We kill Devereaux."
I exhaled, my fingers curling into fists. "You make it sound easy."
"It’s not. But it’s necessary."
I studied her face—the sharp lines of determination, the hint of something raw beneath the surface.
"It’s more than that, isn’t it?" I murmured.
For the first time, she hesitated.
Then—just for a second—I saw it.
The fear she wouldn’t name. The weight of what she might have to do.
I reached for her before I could stop myself, my fingers brushing against her wrist. "Selene—"
She pulled away.
"We don’t have time for this," she said, turning sharply. "If Devereaux’s men are already hunting the Oracle, then they’re not far behind us. We need to move."
I let her go.
But the sinking feeling in my gut didn’t fade.
---
(Selene’s POV)
We had to act fast.
The Oracle’s warning wasn’t just a prophecy—it was a countdown.
If the Crimson Moon rose and Damian was still cursed, I would lose him. Either to the monster inside him… or because I would have to be the one to put him down.
I couldn’t let that happen.
Even if it meant stepping back into the fire.
Even if it meant facing Devereaux before I was ready.
I pulled my hood up, keeping my steps quick as we moved through the city. The streets were quieter now, but not in a good way. Ravenshade didn’t sleep—it hunted.
And right now, we were the prey.
Damian kept close, his presence a solid heat beside me. I could feel his tension, the weight of the Oracle’s words pressing down on him just as hard as they were on me.
He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to.
The silence between us spoke louder than words.
"We’ll go to the undercity," I said. "Find someone who knows where Devereaux is hiding."
Damian frowned. "The undercity?"
I nodded. "If Devereaux is gathering artifacts, someone in the black market has seen them pass through. It’s our best lead."
Damian exhaled, but he didn’t argue. "Then let’s move before we get ambushed."
We turned down a narrow alley, cutting through the maze of backstreets toward the hidden tunnels that led beneath the city.
But we never made it.
The shadows moved.
And then—
Pain.
A dagger sliced through the air, and before I could react, it buried itself deep into my shoulder.
I stumbled, biting back a curse as warmth spread down my arm. Poison. s**t.
Damian was already moving, his body shifting, claws extending. "Selene!"
Figures emerged from the darkness—six of them. Black-cloaked, fanged, their eyes glowing red.
Vampires.
And standing at the center of them, watching us with cold amusement, was Lucian Graves.
Devereaux’s right hand.
His lips curled. "You’re a hard woman to track, Selene Vaughn."
I ripped the dagger from my shoulder, ignoring the burn of the poison. "Guess I’ll have to try harder next time."
Lucian smirked. "Oh, I don’t think there’ll be a next time."
Damian growled low in his throat. "Touch her, and I’ll rip your throat out."
Lucian’s gaze slid to him, curiosity flickering in his expression. "Ah. The cursed wolf." His eyes gleamed. "I see it now… the darkness eating away at you. How long do you think you can hold it back before it takes you?"
Damian tensed.
I gripped my dagger tighter, shifting into a fighting stance. "You should worry less about him and more about yourself, Graves."
Lucian laughed softly. "Bold. But foolish. You’re outnumbered."
I smirked. "I like those odds."
Then I moved.
I spun, slashing my dagger across the throat of the nearest vampire. He gurgled, blood spraying as he collapsed.
Damian was already shifting—his half-transformed form tearing into the others.
Lucian didn’t move.
He just watched.
And that’s when I realized—
This wasn’t an ambush.
It was a distraction.
Before I could react, the air shifted—and I felt it.
A presence. Cold. Powerful.
And then—
A voice, smooth as silk and sharp as a blade.
"Hello, Selene."
My heart stopped.
I turned—
And standing there, smiling like a king surveying his kingdom, was Lord Vincent Devereaux.
The man I had sworn to kill.
- Writer
