Chapter 13 – Blood and Starlight
337 Words
The fire crackled in the hearth, but the warmth didn’t reach Amara. Her thoughts were tangled — Moonborn, hunted, danger. It felt like every answer only gave her more questions.
The old woman — who Kayden called Maelis — moved to a dusty shelf and retrieved a small, silver box. She placed it between them with quiet reverence.
“This,” Maelis said, “belonged to your mother.”
Amara’s breath caught. “My mother? But she—”
“—was not who you think she was,” Maelis interrupted gently. “She was one of us. One of the last.”
Hands trembling, Amara opened the box. Inside lay a pendant, shaped like a crescent moon with a sapphire at its center. The stone glowed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Kayden stepped closer, his eyes on the pendant. “It responds to her,” he murmured.
Amara looked up at him, searching his face. “You’ve known all this time?”
His jaw tightened. “I suspected. But I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure.”
“Why?” she asked, voice breaking. “Why hide it from me?”
Kayden’s gaze softened, and for a moment, all the danger in the room faded. “Because once you knew, Amara… there would be no going back. And I wanted to give you just a little more time before the world tried to take you away from me.”
Her heart stuttered, the meaning in his words hitting her like a storm. She didn’t know whether to feel anger or something far more dangerous — longing.
Maelis cleared her throat, shattering the moment. “The pendant will protect you, but only if you accept what you are. And be warned — wearing it will make your enemies see you.”
Amara closed her fist around the cool metal, a spark running up her arm. For the first time, she wasn’t sure if she was ready… but she knew there was no turning back.
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