Blood Freed (Vampire-Cursed #4)

26. Chapter 26

26

Chapter 26

Soren

I t’s odd to think how recently I was surrounded by the stench of death, when now, the scent of herbs and magic permeates Evelyn Blackwood’s study. I stand by the window, watching early morning light filter through ancient oaks – light that should burn me but doesn’t. My skin still tingles where the sun touched me during the Trail.

“The prophecy spoke of this.” Evelyn’s voice comes from behind me. She sits in a high-backed chair, her platinum braid gleaming. “A vampire who would walk in daylight, marked by witch blood.”

“I never believed the old stories about blood matches.” I turn from the window. “Or that the Bloodbane might be more than just a curse.”

“Few did.” She studies me with those sharp green eyes – eyes like my woman’s. “The Blackwood bloodline has always been…different. Our connection to vampires goes back further than most realize.”

The memory of Mia’s power in the Chamber of Dawn sends a chill through me. “What happened to her…that darkness…”

“Blood magic.” Evelyn’s lips tighten. “Combined with your blood bond, it awakened something dangerous. Something that’s been dormant in our line for generations.”

I pace the room, past shelves lined with ancient texts and crystalline artifacts. “I should have stopped her. The way she killed Victor—”

“You did stop her.” Evelyn rises, her cream-colored tunic flowing. “When no one else could have. That’s the true power of your bond.”

The connection pulses between us even now – Mia’s presence in my mind, a mix of exhaustion and lingering rage. She’s resting in her grandmother’s bedroom, but I can feel her fighting sleep.

“Lucien won’t stop,” I say. “Not after what he witnessed. The Blackwood blood is too valuable to him now.”

“No.” Evelyn moves to a cabinet filled with shimmering vials. “But neither will we. The question is, Soren Daire, are you prepared for what comes next? Standing with us means turning against everything you’ve known.”

I meet her gaze. “I turned against that the moment I chose to help Mia escape.”

“Good man.” She smiles. “Now you just have to convince her father of that.”

The front door swings open, and footsteps echo on wooden floors. Lake and Georgia enter first, followed by Kara, Rowan, and Daric. Within moments, the kettle is boiling, and everyone is settling into what looks like their regular seats in the older witch’s comfortable living room.

“God, when did you all get here?” Mia slips in, dark circles under her eyes betraying her exhaustion. Our bond thrums with her presence, stronger now that she’s near.

“You should be resting,” I tell her, but she shakes her head.

“Couldn’t sleep.” She moves to my side, her warmth seeping through my sleeve. The contact steadies something in me that’s been off-kilter since the Trail.

“It’s extraordinary.” Lake examines me with barely concealed fascination. “The sun should have burned you to ash.”

“Darick says that the Blood Assembly’s archives mention no other vampire surviving the Sun Trail,” Kara adds, her usual suspicion tempered by curiosity.

I flex my hands, remembering the strange sensation when sunlight touched my skin. “It felt…warm. Nothing more.”

“Because of the blood bond.” Evelyn’s voice carries that mix of authority and ancient knowledge that makes it impossible to ignore her. “When Mia shared her blood with you, it changed something fundamental in your nature. The Blackwood bloodline has always carried unique properties.”

“Properties that affect vampires specifically?” Georgia asks.

“Yes. It was the same when Rowan hit Darick with the sun blast.”

“Wait. What?” Mia stares at her sister. “You blasted him?”

“I found pictures of you on his phone. Chained.” She pulls a face.

“So she killed me.” Darick winks at her.

“Apparently not.” Mia shakes her head.

“Turns out the photos were from Lucien.” Rowan’s expression darkens. “Anyhow, lucky for me, the bond had strengthened Darick too by that point, or he wouldn’t be standing here now.” She lifts onto her toes and presses her lips to his cheek.

“Holy shit,” Mia mutters. She’s perched on the edge of a couch, and I move to stand behind her, resting my hands on her shoulders. It feels surreal.

Evelyn moves to the window, gesturing at the morning light streaming in. “Our blood doesn’t just satisfy the hunger of those with the Bloodbane – it transforms them. Makes them stronger. Different.”

Mia’s fingers find mine, squeezing gently. “That’s why Lucien wants our blood so badly,” she says. “He must have known.”

“Or at least suspected.” I remember his expression in the Chamber of Dawn – that mixture of fear and covetous interest when the sun failed to destroy me. “This changes everything he thought he knew about controlling those with the Bloodbane.”

“It changes everything for all of us,” Evelyn says, her eyes sharp as she watches Mia and me. “The bond between you has awakened something that’s been dormant for centuries.”

Lake clears his throat. “This is all very important, but there’s something else. We need to discuss what happened in the Chamber.” His eyes fix on Mia. “The vampires you killed.”

I feel her tension through our bond, the dark magic still simmering beneath her skin. My hands tighten on her shoulders.

“Victor Valmont attacked me first,” she says, her voice steady despite the turmoil I sense within her.

“You destroyed him.” Lake’s words carry no judgment, just concern. “And there were others. The Assembly is in chaos.”

“Good.” The word escapes before I can stop it. All eyes turn to me. “Victor was Lucien’s closest ally. I have no doubt he was in on it.

“That may be true,” Georgia says, “but the level of power our daughter displayed…” She trails off, glancing at Evelyn.

“I couldn’t let them kill Soren.” Mia’s voice cracks slightly. “I wouldn’t.”

“No one’s blaming you, darling.” Evelyn’s tone softens. “But we need to understand what happened, what it means.”

“The Assembly will demand answers,” I add. “Victor’s death alone would require explanation. But this…” I remember the fear in the other vampires’ eyes as they fled the chamber. “This changes the power dynamics significantly.”

“They’re afraid of me now,” Mia says quietly. The darkness in her voice raises the hairs on my arms.

“The Council will demand retribution,” I say, drawing closer to her chair. “Victor was well-connected.”

“They can try.” Lake’s jaw tightens. “My daughter was defending herself.”

Mia shakes her head. “No, I wasn’t. I just…I wanted to hurt them. All of them.” Her voice breaks. “I don’t know why. I didn’t want to stop.”

I stroke her hair as if soothing a startled animal. The fierce creature who tore through the Chamber of Dawn seems impossibly far from this shaken young woman.

“Let’s think this through,” Evelyn says, her tone gentle but firm. “I have connections in both communities that may help smooth this over.” She moves to her desk, pulling out a leather-bound journal. “Arabella Ravenscroft has always been a fair leader. I’m surprised she’s allowed herself to be swayed this much by that man. I will request an audience to see if we can resolve things somehow. And Lysandra Starfire witnessed enough of his manipulation to question the Council’s judgment. I’ll reach out to her, too.”

“What about the others?” Georgia asks. “The guards Mia…the ones who died trying to stop her?”

Mia makes a small, broken sound. I feel her pain spike sharply.

“Lower-ranking vampires,” I explain. “Their deaths won’t carry the same weight as Victor’s, but there will still be consequences.”

“Then we’ll face them together,” Evelyn says. “I spoke with Seraphina after our meeting yesterday. She’s already contacted several members of the Advisory Committee. They’re willing to hear our case about Lucien’s corruption. The deaths, while regrettable, happened during an official function – the guards died in the line of duty.”

“It wasn’t just self-defense, though,” Mia whispers. “I wanted to destroy them. The magic felt so good, so right. What kind of person does that make me?”

I kneel beside her chair, taking her cold hands in mine. “It makes you someone who was pushed too far. The magic may have amplified your anger, but the love that drove you to save me – that was all you.”

Even as I say the words, I wonder how true they are. I saw what she did back there. I know Evelyn did, too.

I watch Evelyn’s expression carefully as she shuffles through papers on her desk. Despite her calm demeanor, tension radiates from her. She’s not just worried about the political fallout from Victor’s death – there’s something else gnawing at her.

I feel Mia’s hands tremble in mine, feeling the dark energy still coursing through her veins. The others continue discussing political ramifications, but my focus narrows to the shadows dancing beneath her skin. I’ve seen this before, centuries ago – witches who tapped into powers they couldn’t control.

“You need to sleep,” I murmur, but she shakes her head.

“I can’t. Every time I close my eyes, I see…” She swallows hard. “I feel it calling to me, Soren. The magic. It wants more.”

My gaze meets Evelyn’s across the room. The ancient witch’s concern mirrors my own. She knows what I know – blood magic leaves traces, changes things. And Mia has used it multiple times now: during our dream encounter, when trying to reach me through the wards, and most devastatingly in the Chamber of Dawn.

Now, I sense the darkness writhing inside her, like ink spreading through clear water. It’s different from vampire darkness – more visceral, more hungry. The magic has taken root, feeding on her fierce need to protect, her rage, her love.

I brush my thumb across her wrist, feeling her pulse race erratically. Her skin burns feverishly, yet she shivers. The power that let her tear through vampire guards like paper still hums beneath the surface, waiting.

God, Mia…what are we going to do about this?

I’m afraid. I’ve just found her again…we’ve found each other, and already, there’s a new threat facing us.

This dark magic. It’s not just within her.

It’s becoming her.