Blood Freed (Vampire-Cursed #4)

18. Chapter 18

18

Chapter 18

Mia

I lean against the heavy beechwood table in the conservatory as everyone files in. Mom fusses with her crystals, arranging and rearranging them on the windowsill. Dad paces, his jaw set in that way that means he’s holding back words he knows won’t help. Kara slips in last, settling beside Rowan.

“We need to act quickly,” I say, breaking the tense silence. “Lucien’s already eliminated Maxwell. Soren could be next.”

Dad stops pacing. “Or maybe Maxwell’s death proves Soren’s guilt. Tying up loose ends—”

“Lake,” Mom warns softly.

“What? We’re supposed to just trust this vampire? He confessed, goddammit!”

“He protected me,” I snap. “He did all of that because he thought it would turn Lucien’s attention away from us.”

“Or that’s what he wants you to believe.” Dad runs a hand through his hair. “Blood bonds can manipulate emotions, create false attachments—”

“It’s not false.” I touch my neck where Soren’s marks still tingle. “And the bond goes both ways. I feel what he feels, and he feels what I feel.”

Mom wrings her hands. “That’s what worries me, sweetheart. If he dies, you might…”

“Die.” I meet her anxious gaze. “I will. The bond is sealed.”

“What?” Dad barks.

“Oh, Mia! No! Why? Why would you do that?” Mom looks stricken.

“Because it was right.” I fold my arms over my chest. “And I needed to.”

“So you gave yourself a death sentence on a whim?” Dad is livid.

“It’s more complicated than that,” Gran speaks up from her seat by the window. “The Blackwood bloodline has always been connected to vampires. It’s part of an ancient curse – or prophecy, depending on how you look at it.”

“What do you mean?” Kara leans forward.

“It’s a long story.” Gran purses her lips, tossing her cream silk scarf over her shoulder. “But it’s time that I told it, so here’s the abbreviated version. Our ancestor was a powerful witch who fell in love with a vampire. When he betrayed her, she cursed his bloodline with the Bloodbane.” Gran’s eyes meet mine. “But she also bound our bloodlines together. Only witches who are related to her can truly satisfy a vampire of his line. And Blackwoods are direct descendants of her.”

“Holy shit,” Kara whispers, understanding dawning. “Is that why Mia and Rowan have both become blood matches to vampires?”

Gran nods. “The curse ensures that our bloodlines will always be drawn together, for better or worse. It’s why Lucien wants control over our family so desperately. We’re the key to controlling vampires afflicted with the Bloodbane.”

Kara turns to Dad, whose face has set into grim lines. “Did you know this, Dad?”

He grimaces. “Only the parts that your grandmother has seen fit to tell me.”

“Don’t get scrappy, son,” Gran says calmly. “I told you what was necessary for you to know, and you know why I had to do that.”

“To protect the family.” His expression is dark. “Sure. I get it. I just wish you’d trust me enough to share this burden with you.”

“The fewer who knew the details, the better. As it is, Lucien Marlowe has learned our secret and look where that has gotten us.”

“Oh God,” Mom sighs, sinking onto a seat beside the table. “Is this going to keep happening? Are all my girls going to be in danger forever?”

“Over my dead body,” Darick growls, pulling Rowan closer.

“We’re going to put an end to this,” I say firmly. “Not just to save Soren, but to save all of us. Lucien has to be stopped.”

“Damn right,” Dad mutters, taking a seat beside Mom and sliding an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s talk about what we need to do next.”

“I’ve already started the ball rolling,” says Darick. “I hope nobody will mind that I asked Marcus Nightshade to join us? He has been my second-in-command for centuries. Took over my seat on Clan Sanguis when I stepped down.” He looks around at us. “He’s a good man.”

“Sure,” I tell him. “We need all the help we can get.”

I’ve barely said the words when a sharp rap at the door makes us all jump. Darick moves to answer it, and I catch my first glimpse of Marcus Nightshade.

He’s tall and lean, with short black hair and striking violet eyes that sweep the room with military precision. His khaki combat pants and snug black T-shirt look almost tactical, at odds with our homey conservatory.

Kara straightens, her fingers curling into fists. “Another vampire? Really?”

Ignoring her, Darick nods at Marcus to join us. “Marcus, meet the Blackwoods, Rowan’s family.”

The towering vampire gives us a curt nod before addressing my parents. “Sir, Ma’am,” he says curtly. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”

“Thank you for agreeing to help,” I tell him. “We need every possible advantage right now.”

“It’s my pleasure, Miss Blackwood.” His nod is oddly formal.

“Mia,” I tell him.

“Of course.” He inclines his head before smiling at Gran. “Dame Blackwood,” he says warmly. “We’ve met at some of the meetings between our kinds.”

“I remember you well, Marcus.” Her smile is equally warm.

“Can we get back to the important stuff now?” Kara interrupts.

Marcus’s eyebrow arches. “And you must be the charming Kara Blackwood. Your reputation precedes you.”

“Funny, you don’t have a reputation at all.” Kara’s voice oozes false sweetness.

“Children, please,” Gran interrupts, but I notice the slight curl of amusement on her lips.

Poppy chatters from her perch on the windowsill. “Ooh, someone’s fur is getting ruffled. And I don’t mean mine.”

Marcus turns to the squirrel with obvious surprise. “A talking rodent. How…quaint.”

“Better a talking rodent than a walking corpse,” Poppy shoots back, flicking her tail. “Though I must say, for a dead guy, you’re not entirely unfortunate looking. Right, Kara?”

My sister’s cheeks flush pink. “Shut up, Poppy.”

“Just saying what everyone’s thinking.” Poppy preens. “Those sparks aren’t going to ignite themselves, you know.”

“There are no sparks,” Kara snaps, but her eyes keep darting to Marcus, who’s watching her with undisguised interest.

“If you’re quite finished,” Darick cuts in, “perhaps we could focus on the matter at hand?”

The tension crackles between Kara and Marcus as they take seats at opposite ends of the table. I notice how they keep stealing glances when they think the other isn’t looking. Poppy’s right – there’s definitely something electric in the air, and it’s not just my mother’s crystals.

Marcus leans forward, resting his forearms on the table. “Lucien’s been systematically placing his allies in key positions within the High Council. The recent ‘retirements’ of three senior members? All replaced by vampires who owe him favors.”

“Convenient theory,” Kara cuts in, crossing her arms. “Any actual proof?”

His eyes narrow; they’re framed by particularly thick lashes. “I’ve tracked their financial records. Each of Lucien’s new allies received substantial property transfers just before their appointments.”

“That could mean anything,” Kara argues. “Maybe they’re just good at business.”

“All three properties were shell companies traced back to Lucien’s holdings.” Marcus pulls out his phone, sliding it across the table. “See for yourself.”

As Kara glances at the screen, Gran looks over at Marcus. “This is interesting. Darick says you’ve spent some time looking into Lucien’s dealings.”

He nods. “I’ve never liked the motherfu— the man,” he says. “Darick and I had our suspicions about him for some time. We recently started working with other clan leaders who have similar concerns.”

“Selene and Elias,” Darick says. Marcus nods, and Darick goes on, “Have they found anything new?”

“Only more information that supports our theories.”

“What are these theories?” Dad asks.

“Firstly, that there are more elders entangled in this than we’d initially realized,” says Marcus. “And there are additional details on the blood consumption of certain clans. It’s how we determined that Lucien was very likely feeding his people illegally sourced witch blood.”

“All witch blood is illegally sourced,” Kara mutters.

“Let him finish, darling,” Mom says. She turns to Marcus. “So, this all connects to the facility where they held Mia?”

“Ultimately, these are all pieces of the puzzle, Mrs. Blackwood,” Marcus says.

“A puzzle we should put together as soon as possible,” says Gran. “Let’s look at what we could do next.”

“First prize would be to get the Blood Assembly to drop the charges against Soren,” I say.

“I can work on that from the vampire side,” says Marcus. “I still have enough influence to get us face time with High Council members who might listen. Particularly those who’ve shown resistance to Lucien’s suggestions in the past.”

“And I’ll work with Selene and Elias,” Darick adds. “They’ve been gathering evidence for months. Financial records, witness statements, patterns of suspicious deaths among those who opposed Lucien. There has to be something concrete we can show to the Grand Elder by now.”

“What about Maxwell’s death?” Rowan asks. “Could that help prove Lucien’s involvement?”

“If we can find evidence it wasn’t suicide,” Marcus says. “I’ve already got people looking into it.”

“There has to be something more we can do from our side,” Rowan says.

“I have an idea. Something I discussed with Gran, that we think might work.” I look around at the others. “When I was imprisoned, Lucien ordered the execution of two witches who tried to escape with me. He told Soren to do it.”

“Oh, my God.” Mom sucks in a breath.

“He didn’t do it,” I say quickly. “He sent them someplace safe instead. If we can find them, they could testify that Soren tried to help. I doubt they’d speak to the Blood Assembly after what they’ve been through, but if we take them to the Coven Conclave, maybe the High Priestess will speak to the vampires about it.”

Mom squeezes my hand. “That could work, sweetheart.”

“I just have to figure out how to track them down.” I frown. “I’ll reach out to Soren again. I’m sure he’ll tell me now.”

“I can help too,” Kara offers, though her eyes keep drifting to Marcus. “I know some tracking spells that might work.”

“The timing has to be perfect,” Darick warns. “If Marcus can present everything during the trial – the evidence, the witness testimonies, Maxwell’s death. It needs to be overwhelming enough that even Council members loyal to Lucien can’t ignore it.”

“And what happens if Lucien figures out what we’re doing?” I voice the fear we’re all sharing. “He could get to the witnesses before we do.”

“That’s why we need to move fast,” Marcus says grimly. “And keep this between us. The more people who know, the higher the risk of information reaching Lucien.”

Gran nods solemnly. “We’ll need to be extremely careful about how we conduct our search for the witches. Any obvious magical tracking could alert Lucien’s people.”

“Then we’ll have to be subtle,” I say, determination filling me. “We don’t have a choice. This is our only shot at saving Soren.”

“Not only that,” Poppy, who has been strangely quiet through it all, suddenly joins in, “it’s your only shot at saving yourselves.”

We all turn and stare at her in silence for a moment because, although nobody wants to admit it, we all know that she’s probably right.