Vincent Lawson keeps the debt scroll at the base of the Obsidian Spire. The runes along his forearms mark him as the one who will collect. The ancient blood debt binds his fate to Kate's. The ritual it demands will claim her body and power to preserve the coven from ruin.

Kate's yielding form belies the sharp defiance in her eyes, a contradiction that threatens the warlock's authority even as it ignites the hunger he refuses to name. Every spell circle multiplies their reflections, promising the intimacy that will strip away control and expose the dread each hides beneath the necessity.

The bond requires they surrender to what neither acknowledges, leaving the question of how long they can pretend the ritual is merely debt before it consumes them entirely.