Page 68 of Blood Freed

For a moment, absolute silence fills the Chamber. Even Lucien’s smug satisfaction feels muted in the face of what’s coming.

I lift my chin, determined to meet death with dignity. Five hundred years of existence, and it comes down to this moment.

The first rays break over the horizon, painting the sky in shades of amber and rose. Beautiful and deadly. My vampire instincts scream at me to run, to fight, to do anything but stand here. I hold my ground. It’s not like I have much choice in the matter.

I think of Mia. Of her incredible bravery and her huge, unwavering heart. Of the way she looked at me like I was worth saving, even after everything. The memory of her touch burns brighter than any sunrise.

The light grows stronger.

Any second now…

I look directly into the sun.

24

Chapter 24

Mia

Ihave to getout of here!

The rush of blood in my ears drowns out the sounds around me. There’s nothing to listen to here, anyway. Nothing they try to do now is going to change anything.

I can feel him. In brief flashes of consciousness, I can feel him being led to his death.

Time! There’s no time!

The magic burns through me, darker and more potent than anything I’ve felt before. The room dissolves into crimson shadows around me.

I feel it changing me, twisting something deep inside. The price of dark magic whispers through my bones, but I don’t care. Nothing matters except reaching him.

“Sorry, I…I…” I fumble for words as I push myself to my feet. “I need to do something,” I say, aware of my family’s eyes on my back as I rush from the room.

My blood feels hot in my veins as I sprint through the house, not sure what I’m looking for until I reach the kitchen. There’s a block on the counter that holds several cooking knives. Without thinking, I grab one, wielding the sharp tip over my palm and pressing down deep. Pain sears through my flesh, but I’m barely aware of it, my eyes fixed on the blood that pulses from the deep gash.

Footsteps pound in the hallway.

“Mia!” Gran’s voice is strident as she appears in the doorway, her eyes wild with concern. “No! Mia, don’t!”

But it’s too late. My lips are already moving as I chant incantations I barely recognize that seem to come to me from beyond.

As the last word swirls into silence, my consciousness fragments, scattering like drops of blood in water. The transportation spell tears reality apart, reconstructing it in flashes of red and black. Pain lances through every nerve as the magic reshapes space itself.

I have no idea where I’m going. I’m just following the pull of the bond that feels like it’s always been part of me. I don’t question it. I know that wherever this leads me, I’ll find him.

The air feels like it’s sucked into a vacuum as the red and black lights stop abruptly. I’ve materialized in a vast room. Ancient stone walls rise up, carved with runes that pulse with contained power. Vampires in formal black attire stand in tiered rows, their faces turned toward the eastern wall where…

My heart stops.

Soren stands in chains, head held high as the first rays of dawn pierce through the wall that’s opening in front of him. Openingto the daybreak beyond. Sunlight touches his skin, and my heart stops.

“Soren!” I scream. The sound echoes off the stone, raw and desperate.

The gathered vampires turn toward me in shock. Lucien’s face contorts with rage.

But I’m not looking at them. I’m hurtling toward my vampire lover, who’s bathed in sunlight.

Something breaks loose inside me. The fragile threads of control I’ve been clinging to snap, and the dark magic surges forward like a tidal wave. My vision turns red, blood-tinged, and pulsing with power that feels ancient and terrible.

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