Page 85 of Blood Freed

Finally, her grip loosens. She sags in my arms, head falling back. The scent of burning fills my nostrils, bringing back memories I’ve tried centuries to forget.

Her body is still charred, still broken. Fear claws at my chest.

Please. Please let this work.

“Oh, this is rich.” Lucien’s laughter echoes through the church. “Getting it wrong again, Daire? First, the witch trials, now this? You really should learn from your mistakes.”

I ignore him, focusing on Mia’s face, searching for any sign of change. Her eyes remain closed, her body motionless.

Come on, my love. Fight!

My arms tighten around Mia’s lifeless body. The silence in the church is deafening, broken only by Lucien’s satisfied chuckle. Ipress my forehead to hers, ignoring the stench of charred flesh, the way her skin crumbles at my touch.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “I failed you. Just like I failed her.”

My chest constricts with a pain that has nothing to do with physical wounds. Without Mia, there’s nothing left. The sun may not be able to end me anymore, but I’ll find another way. Maybe the Maker’s sword – the ancient weapon said to be able to kill even the oldest vampires. Or perhaps—

Mia’s body jerks in my arms.

I pull back, hardly daring to hope. Her skin… Something’s happening to her skin. The burned layers begin to crack and peel, but underneath isn’t more devastation – it’s new flesh, pale and perfect.

“What?” Lucien’s voice sharp with shock. “That’s impossible.”

Yet again, I ignore him, transfixed by the transformation. The blackened remnants of Mia’s body are falling away like a snake shedding its skin. Her hair regrows in a cascade of auburn waves. Her chest rises with a sudden, desperate breath.

Her eyes snap open – still that brilliant green, but now with rings of silver around the pupils.

“Mia?” My voice breaks on her name.

She gasps, her back arching as the last of the burned flesh falls away. Her hand clutches mine with impossible strength.

“Soren,” she breathes, and her voice is both familiar and somehow different – deeper, richer, laden with power.

Mia rises, her form shifting before my eyes. The remnants of her charred body dissolve into radiant skin that glows with an ethereal light. I feel an electric current coursing through us as she takes my hand, pulling me up alongside her. When I look down, I realize we’re no longer touching the floor; we float just above it, surrounded by a shimmering aura that pulses with power.

“This can’t happen.” Lucien backs away, his expression a mix of shock and fury as he clutches the sphere. It glints ominously in his grip, but I barely register it. My gaze is locked on Mia.

I stare in awe as Mia hovers before me, her transformation complete. Power radiates from her, making the air swirl with energy. Her hair floats around her face like a living flame, and those eyes – those incredible green eyes with their new silver rings – lock onto mine with an intensity that steals my breath.

“What have you done?” Lucien’s voice cuts through my wonder. He’s still backing away, but his fingers tighten around that crystal sphere. “This isn’t possible. The dark magic should have consumed her completely!”

Mia’s head snaps around to look at him. “You…!” she snarls. Her power crackles around us like lightning, making my skin tingle. Those silver-ringed green eyes dart between Lucien and me, torn between vengeance and love.

“Mia,” I whisper, reaching for her. “Mia, look at me.”

She turns to me fully then, the magic settling around her like a cloak as she makes her choice. My heart swells as she drifts closer, her feet still not quite touching the ground.

“I thought I’d lost you,” I say, my voice rough with emotion. “When I saw you burning… I couldn’t bear it. Not again. Not you.”

“I’m here.” Her voice carries new depths, rich with power but still unmistakably Mia. “I’ll always choose you, Soren.”

“I love you,” I tell her, meaning it more than I’ve ever meant anything in my centuries of existence. “With everything I am.”

“I love you too.” She smiles, and it’s like watching the sun rise.

When our lips meet, the world explodes with light. Her mouth is soft against mine, but there’s nothing gentle about this kiss. It’s fierce and claiming, filled with all the fear and love and desperation we’ve both felt.

The magic surrounds us, lifting us higher, creating a cocoon of pure energy. I taste power on her tongue, feel it coursing through her body where she presses against me. Our bond pulses with each heartbeat, growing stronger until I can’t tell where I end and she begins.

---