Page 5 of Blood Bound

“Mia?” Mom’s voice is hoarse, disbelieving. “Our Mia?”

I nod, tears welling up in my eyes. I blink them away. “She was alive in the photos. But she looked…scared. And there was blood—” I stop, hating the vision it brings to my mind. I force myself to continue, “When I saw those photos, I just…I lost control. My magic…it just exploded out of me. I didn’t mean to, but I…I killed him.”

“Shit,” Kara whispers. “Holy shit!” She looks up at me. “Where are these photos? Can we see them?”

I shake my head, gnawing on my lip. “They…they disappeared with Darick’s phone when he…when he turned to ash.”

Mom slumps back into her chair. “Our Mia…she might be alive?” Her voice trembles.

Dad rushes to her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. But his eyes are fixed on me, flaring with a mix of emotions I can’t quite decipher. “Rowan, what exactly was Darick’s connection to Mia? How did he get those photos? Was he involved in her disappearance?”

The questions come rapid-fire, but I don’t have answers. How can I explain something I don’t understand myself?

“I…I don’t know,” I stammer, feeling utterly helpless. “We never talked about Mia. I had no idea he might actually be involved until I saw those photos.”

Dad’s jaw clenches, frustration evident in every line of his face. “But surely you must have suspected something? Why else would you be…involved with a vampire?”

Before I can respond, Gran interjects. “Lake,” she says, her voice firm but gentle, “I think we need to take a step back and look at this situation more carefully.” She turns to address the whole room, her eyes lingering on each of us in turn. “Rowan’s connection to Darick Drake was unusual, to say the least. It wasn’t just a simple attraction or a foolish dalliance.”

I flinch as she says this. Right now, I’m feeling more than foolish. I feel like a traitor to my own kind. But I need them to know that there was more to it. “He gave me magic,” I blurt. All eyes turn to me. “I told him he could…could drink from me because my magic was stronger afterward.”

At the mention of him drinking from me, Mom makes a little sound of distress.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I try to keep my voice steady. “I did it because I wanted to find Mia. I wanted to make the circle stronger.”

“Oh, Rowan.” She sighs out the words.

Dad’s face is still hard, though. “This proves it,” he says, his voice tense. “The vampires were behind Mia’s abduction all along. We need to take this information to the Conclave immediately.”

My stomach twists into knots at the thought of facing them, though I know I must. “You’re right,” I acknowledge. I should have known there’d be consequences for my actions. Now, it’s time to deal with them.

Dad’s pacing the room with nervous energy. “We can’t waste any more time. Every moment we delay could put Mia in more danger.”

I feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on me. But all I can think about is Darick’s face in those final moments – the shock, the pain, the betrayal. But now, something else has just occurred to me.

I may have destroyed our only lead to finding Mia.

“I think I may have made a mistake,” I say cautiously.

Dad whirls to face me. “You think?” he barks, then scoffs. “When did that occur to you? Before or after you had him in your bed?”

“Lake!” Mom’s voice is sharp.

“I shouldn’t have killed him,” I say. “I shouldn’t have lost control.”

Dad’s expression is incredulous. “Killing him is probably the only part of this thing that makes any sense, Rowan. Drake took her!”

I shake my head, frustration and guilt waging war inside me. “But what if he had information? He could have helped us.”

It’s probably something I should have thought of before I turned him into a pile of dust.

“What?” Dad scoffs. “Helped us? You’re talking about a vampire, dammit. Rowan, wake up!”

I watch as Kara’s eyes dart between Dad and me. She takes a deep breath, and I brace myself for whatever she’s about to say.

“Dad, wait,” Kara interjects. “Rowan might have a point. We don’t know how Darick got those photos. What if…what if he could have helped? This could have been our chance to find Mia.”

Our first chance in a year. Maybe our only chance…

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