Page 87 of Fading Sun

Blaze stares at me, his eyes wide in horror.

I can’t look at him.

If I do, I fear I might break.

Or be sick on the polished marble stone. From the way my stomach is rising into my throat, I’m betting on the latter and not the former.

Swallowing it down, I step forward, holding the chunk of inked skin over the sacrificial bowl.

“This tattoo represents my bond with my sisters,” I say, trembling, but strong. “A bond they shattered when they chose power over family. I’m done holding onto them. Done holding onto the past.”

With that, I drop it into the golden liquid.

The bowl glows fiercely, the light almost blinding as it consumes the offering, as if it’s hungry for this irreplaceable part of my soul.

Even though it’s healing, the pain in my neck intensifies. But I stand tall, my heart racing. I will not let this break me. I will be stronger for my sacrifice. I will focus on the future, and not the past.

“Accepted,” the Buddha says, and I release the breath I was holding, not realizing how anxious I was that the offering would be rejected until this very moment.

Blaze steps forward and reaches for me, pulling back at the last second. “Morgan,” he says, his eyes settling on the wound that’s already starting to heal. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” I say slowly, since I feel like I’m in haze, like this is happening to someone else and not myself. “But I will be.”

Damien nods, respect in his eyes. “We’re all making sacrifices,” he says. “But we’re stronger because of it.”

I nod, taking a deep breath. He’s right. We’ve made it this far, and we’ll continue to push forward, no matter the cost.

The wall behind the Buddha opens, the door’s hinges creaking as it reveals the way to the next chamber.

“Let’s move on,” I say, refusing to look back at the sacrificial bowl. I fear I’ll break if I do. “We have two more chambers to go.”

As we step through the passageway, the weight of our sacrifices lingers. But so does the strength we’ve gained from them.

We’re one step closer to our goal, and we’ll face whatever comes next together.

From the Author

Hi! I hope you enjoyed Fading Sun, the third book in the Vampire Bride series. I’m currently working on the final book in the series—Blazing Sun—and will release it as soon as it’s ready. (Sometime in late early fall 2024.)

In the meantime, if you enjoyed Fading Sun, I’d love if you wrote a review. (One or two sentences is fine!) Reviews are extremely important to authors, because they encourage more readers to pick up the book. Plus, I read every review I get, and they motivate me to write faster!

A review for the first book in the series is the most helpful.

Here’s the link on Amazon where you can leave your review ? mybook.to/vampirebride1

VAMPIRE BRIDE 4: BLAZING SUN

The final book in the Vampire Bride series, Blazing Sun, will be out soon.

Pre-order it now:

mybook.to/vampirebride4

THE VAMPIRE WISH

Love vampire books? Then you won’t want to miss my *completed* vampire series, The Vampire Wish.

In The Vampire Wish, Annika’s life is flipped upside down when she’s abducted by vampires to their secret kingdom of the Vale. Her plan? Seduce the mysterious vampire prince, Jacen, to escape. It’s risky and dangerous, but so is Jacen. Will she get out, or will she lose her heart to him in the process?

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