Page 30 of Blood Freed

“Yes. A little. The vampire blood affliction that can only be controlled once a vampire finds a witch who can sustain him. A match.” My brows pull together. “You think that’s what he has? And that I’m his match?”

Gran pauses before answering. “I can’t be sure, Mia.” She purses her lips thoughtfully. “He would have to drink from you to confirm it. But there have been stories about natural affinities between certain witches and vampires. Rare cases where their magic resonates without the need for blood.”

“You think that’s happened to Mia and this…this Soren Daire?” Dad looks like he’s battling to come to terms with this.

“I don’t know, son. We’ll need to research more to be certain. But you know the responsibilities our line carries.”

“Responsibilities?” I look from one to the other.

“It’s a long story, darling.” Gran remains thoughtful.

“But one you’ll be telling me, right?”

“If necessary, Mia. But right now, it may not be relevant.”

“Is it like what I have with Darick?” Rowan interjects. She’s standing close enough to the ex-vampire that their shoulders are brushing.

“Similar, darling,” Gran says to Rowan. “You could hear Darick before he tasted your blood, yes?” When Rowan nods, she continues, “Then it could be the same. Or at least a variation.” She heaves a breath. “Things are seldom simple for us Blackwoods.”

“Is someone going to tell me what’s going on here?” I ask.

“Darick and I started the same way.” Rowan turns to me. “I could hear him in my head. He could come into my dreams.” Her cheeks turn pink and I get a pretty good idea of what might have been happening in those dreams. “Then, when he started to drink from me, it made my magic stronger.”

“You have magic now?” I pause. “I mean…stronger magic?”

“Oh yes, my dear,” says Gran. “Rowan’s grown extremely powerful in your absence.”

As if to prove it, Rowan’s fingers begin to glow. She looks down at them quickly, and the light dims.

“Why has nobody ever told us about this?” I ask, looking from one to the other.

“We were never certain that it would manifest,” says Dad. “It doesn’t affect every generation. Although in some instances, entire families have experienced it.”

This is so frustrating! Clearly, half the family knows about this stuff but nobody is willing to explain anything to the rest of us.

“I understand that this is troubling, Mia,” says Gran. “I will tell you everything once I have a better idea of what we’re facing. But for now, let’s handle this crisis, shall we?”

She has a point. We have to get him out. I’ll worry about the rest later.

“First things first,” Gran continues. “We need to know what we’re dealing with here. What we’re up against.”

“The vampire political structure is complex,” Darick chimes in. “Lucien’s been positioning himself carefully for decades. He has dirt on half the Council members and favors owed from the other half.”

“And Morgan?” I ask, remembering the coven leader’s cold demeanor during my meeting with Soren. “He seemed…off.”

Darick’s jaw tightens. “Marcus suspects Morgan’s been working with Lucien.”

My jaw drops.

“No. That’s not possible,” Dad says firmly. “Morgan Shadowmaster has been a respected elder for decades.”

“Which makes him even more dangerous,” says Gran.

Mom’s shaking her head. “This…I can’t believe this,” she says. “You’re telling us that the Conclave has been infiltrated by vampire sympathizers at the highest levels?”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Kara joins in. “There are plenty of reasons why Morgan might have issues with Soren. Let’s face it, we just uncovered a network of vampires who have been abducting witches and keeping them locked up in huge prisons to drain their blood!”

“That’s true, Kara,” Gran acknowledges. “I wouldn’t be surprised if many of our elders would like to see the culprits meet a nasty end.”

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