Page 35 of Blood Freed

The front door opens downstairs. My heart lurches at the sound of footsteps – too ponderous for good news. I grip the edge of my bed, bracing myself.

Mom appears first in my doorway, her face drawn and pale. Dad follows, jaw clenched so tight I can see the muscle ticking. Gran comes last, and my stomach drops at the sorrow in her eyes.

“What happened?” My voice sounds thin, desperate. “What did they say?”

Gran sinks into my reading chair, suddenly looking every one of her years. “Oh, my dear…”

“Just tell me.”

“Your Soren… He confessed to the Blood Assembly,” Mom says quietly. “To everything.”

The room tilts sideways. “No. That’s not possible.”

“He claimed full responsibility,” Gran continues, each word careful and measured. “For organizing the witch abductions. For running the blood farming operation. All of it.”

“He’s lying!” I surge to my feet, ignoring the wave of dizziness. “You know he’s lying! Lucien was behind everything – Soren helped me escape!”

“Mia, honey…” Mom reaches for me, but I step back.

“No! This is wrong. He wouldn’t…” My voice breaks as understanding hits. “He’s protecting someone. Maxwell maybe, or…”

“The High Priestess said that he was very clear,” Dad says flatly. “Very detailed in his confession to the Assembly.”

I shake my head, tears burning. “Then he’s being coerced. Or threatened. Or…”

But I can feel it through our bond, even through his walls – that stubborn, noble determination. That willingness to sacrifice himself.

“Damn you, Soren,” I whisper, pressing my fist against my heart. “What are you doing?”

“You need to consider that this may be true, Mia,” Dad says carefully.

“That’s ridiculous! You don’t understand the lengths he went to get me out of there.” I pace the room, my legs shaky but my voice strong. “You saw what happened to him when he defied the Maker’s Bond.” I turn to them. “There was blood everywhere when he got me out of there! You must have seen it.”

Mom makes a pained sound, but I press on.

“And what about the security footage? There has to be footage of him helping me through those hallways.” I pause, trying to remember the route we’d taken. “There was a short period where the cameras weren’t being monitored, which is how we got out. But surely the footage was recorded?”

“Mimi, sweetheart…” Dad starts.

“No, listen to me! If Soren was really behind everything, why would he have taken all those chances? Why risk everything to get me out?”

I turn to Gran, desperate for her wisdom. “You saw him in that cell. You felt our connection. Does that feel like the bond of a captor and victim?”

But their faces show only sad acceptance. Even Gran looks resigned.

“He confessed,” Mom says softly. “In detail.”

“Because he’s protecting someone! Don’t you see? Maxwell must be forcing him through the Maker’s Bond, or Lucien is threatening him with something.” My voice rises with frustration. “How can you all just accept this? After everything I’ve told you about what really happened?”

The crystals on my dresser start vibrating with my agitation. A glass of water near my bed trembles, then cracks. Water splashes. We all ignore it.

“You’re choosing to believe a confession given under obvious duress over your own daughter’s testimony?” I stare at them in disbelief. “After everything we’ve been through as a family, how can you doubt me now?”

“Wedobelieve you, darling. All of us.” Gran shoots a look at Dad. “But it’s not just you anymore. Now that the facility has been stripped and the other survivors rescued, more accounts are coming out. And they all point at Soren as the one who ran the place.”

Shit! Shit, shit, shit!

“Well, of course they’d say that,” I say, hating the desperation in my voice. “It’s not like he’d tell everyone that he was actually one of the good guys.”

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