Page 40 of Blood Freed

This is blood magic. She’s using blood magic to strengthen our connection, to keep me from blocking her out again.

“Mia,” I gasp, torn between desire and growing alarm as I pull out of her. “What have you done?”

She meets my gaze without shame, her eyes glowing with an unearthly light. “Whatever it takes.”

Grasping her shoulders with both hands, I lift her, setting her beside me. “This is dangerous, Mia. You have no idea what you’re risking.”

“I know exactly what I’m risking.” Her eyes flash. “And I’d risk more to save you.”

“Save me?” I laugh bitterly, running a hand through my hair as I stand abruptly. “I don’t need saving. I confessed because I’m guilty.”

“Stop lying!” She pushes off the bed, advancing on me. The blood magic swirls in her wake. “I was there, Soren. I know what really happened.”

“You know nothing,” I snap. “Everything was calculated. Every moment between us—”

“Was real,” she cuts me off, reaching for my face. The blood magic intensifies, trying to forge a deeper connection.

“This has to stop,” I growl, fighting against the pull of her power. “The blood magic, these dreams – you’re only making things worse.”

“Then tell me the truth.” Her pulse races beneath my fingers. “Tell me why you’re really doing this.”

“The truth doesn’t matter anymore.”

“It matters to me.” Her voice breaks slightly. “Youmatter to me.”

The raw honesty in her words tears at my resolve. I close my eyes, fighting against the urge to pull her close, to tell her everything. But Lucien’s threats echo in my mind – what he’ll do to her, to Maxwell, if I don’t play my part.

Reaching deep inside for the ice within me, I turn away, fastening my trousers. “You need to go.”

She shakes her head. “I’m not letting you do this.”

“I asked you to leave.” I keep my voice cold, distant, even as the blood magic pulses around us, trying to draw me back in. “This changes nothing.”

“Nothing?” Mia’s voice cracks. “We just shared something incredible, and you’re telling me it means nothing?”

I look away, unable to bear the hurt in her eyes. “What we just did proves my point. I used you, just like I’ve been using you all along. Your blood, your body – it’s all just a means to an end.”

“That’s not true.” She reaches for me, but I step back. “I felt what you felt. The connection—”

“The connection is nothing but blood magic and lust.” The words rise like bile. “You’re so desperate to see good in me that you’re blind to what I really am.”

“Stop it.” Her fingers brush my arm, sending sparks of electricity through my skin. The crimson mist swirls thicker, responding to her emotions.

I grab her wrist, my grip firm but not cruel. “I planned your sister’s abduction. I helped drain witches of their blood. I’m exactly what your family thinks I am – a monster.”

“Then why save me?” Her eyes bore into mine, challenging. “Why help me escape?”

“Because you were useful.” The lie burns my throat. “And now you’re not.”

Tears well in her eyes, but there’s something else there, too – a steady resilience that makes my heart ache. “You think pushing me away will protect me? You’re wrong.”

The dream begins to fade around the edges, the blood magic weakening. Mia’s form grows translucent, but her voice remains clear.

“I know what you’re doing, Soren. And I won’t let you sacrifice yourself for nothing.”

The crimson mist dissipates, taking her with it, but I can still feel the echo of her power in my veins, a reminder of what we shared. Of what I’m trying so hard to deny.

I’m just going to have to fight harder to destroy it.

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