Page 69 of Blood Freed

There’s a rush of footsteps as guards swarm in front of the doorway that leads to where they’ve tethered him.

“Move! Now!” The words tear from my throat, but it’s not my voice anymore. The sound seems to resonate with otherworldly power that makes the air vibrate. A sweep of my hand has guards tumbling like skittles.

The assembled vampires recoil en masse, their faces contorting with fear. Several try to flee, but my magic lashes out, tendrils of crimson energy wrapping around throats and limbs. I fling them aside like dolls, their bodies crashing into the stone walls.

“Get out of my way!” I scream as more guards rush toward me with weapons drawn. The magic responds to my rage, exploding outward in a wave of devastating force. Their bodies explode, showering the room with blood; fragments of flesh and bone shower down like macabre rain.

“Impossible,” someone whispers in horror. “No witch has this much power.”

But I do. I can feel it coursing through me, wild and uncontrollable, feeding on my desperation to reach Soren.

I fling myself forward toward the protective barrier that keeps the sunlight at bay. My feet splash through pools of blood as I race across the chamber. Vampires scatter before me, their faces masks of terror as they flee. Some slip in the gruesome carnage I created, stumbling over each other in their desperation to escape.

None of that matters. All I can see is Soren.

And the sunlight.

Bursting through the doorway, I cover the distance between us so quickly that I’m certain my feet don’t touch the ground.

Too late…I’m too late.

I swallow down sobs, my heart shattering at the unfairness of it all. Because now he’s completely surrounded by light.

“No!” The word is torn from me, my throat raw, my breathing ragged. I throw myself onto him, trying to shield his body from the deadly rays with my own. “No, no, please no…” The words tumble from my lips as I press against him, expecting to feel him crumbling to ash beneath me.

But his body is solid. Warm. Alive.

I pull back slightly, confused. The sunlight bathes us both, and Soren…he’s glowing. A soft, golden radiance seems to emanate from within him, making his skin luminous in the dawn light. I stare into eyes that are unnaturally blue as we stand together. They’re filled with the same wonder I feel.

“How?” I whisper, touching his face with trembling fingers. The chains that bound him lie broken on the ground, shattered by my magical onslaught.

He shakes his head. He looks as stunned as I feel. The sunlight plays across his features, highlighting the impossible truth – he isn’t burning. He isn’t dying. The dawn’s rays seem to strengthen him instead of destroying him.

Oh, my God. Thank you…thank you!

Around us, the remaining vampires press against the far walls, as far from the light as possible. Their shocked murmurs fill the enclosed chamber as they witness something that should be impossible – a vampire not just surviving in sunlight but thriving in it.

The rush of relief makes me dizzy as I touch Soren’s face again, hardly daring to believe he’s real, that he’s alive. The sunlight continues to pour through the opening, bathing us both in its warmth. His skin glows with an otherworldly radiance that takes my breath away.

But even as my heart soars with joy, I feel something dark and dangerous stirring inside me. The magic I unleashed to get here pulses through my veins like liquid fire. My hands start to tremble as the full weight of what I’ve done crashes over me. The chamber floor is slick with blood, the walls splattered with evidence of my rampage. Bodies – or what’s left of them – litter the ground.

I did that. Me. The magic responds to my horror, coiling tighter, hungry for more.

My vision blurs, tinged with red. The power I’ve tapped into doesn’t want to be contained again. It wants to consume everything, starting with the vampires still cowering in the shadows. I can feel their terror, smell their fear, and some primitive part of me revels in it.

“Mia.” Soren’s voice cuts through the haze of bloodlust. His hands cup my face, forcing me to meet his gaze. Those impossible blue eyes ground me, but I can see his own shock at what I’ve become. “Are you okay?”

It’s ironic that he should be the one asking me this, but before I can answer, slow clapping echoes through the chamber. Lucien steps forward from the shadows, his face a mask of cruel delight.

“Oh, this is perfect,” he purrs, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “The Conclave will be very interested to see what their preciousBlackwood witch is capable of. Tell me, my dear, how many did you kill to save him? Shall we count the bodies?”

The magic surges again, responding to his taunt. Red mist swirls around my feet as darkness floods my vision. I feel Soren tense beside me, but it’s too late.

This monster hurt the man I love. And now he’s threatening me.

There’s hell to pay…and Lucien Marlowe is going to pay it.

25

---