28. Chapter 28

28

Chapter 28

Soren

I 'm scowling as I stride down the hallway to my quarters. What happened with Mia put my head in a spin, and the hours I just spent going over security protocols with the team didn't take the edge off my mood. Normally, I can settle my mind when I occupy myself with mundane tasks. Probably a throwback to my human life, when I could spend days poring over scrolls and tomes and ancient texts. Many of those still fill the shelves of my library back home.

Home.

There's a joke. It's been a long time since anything felt like home to me. Although, now, as I close the distance between myself and the infuriating woman in my rooms, something inside me feels like it's settling into place.

I key my pin into the access pad beside the door and take in a breath, bracing myself for what I'll find on the other side.

It's not what I expect.

I freeze in the doorway, my vampire senses immediately picking up on Mia's distress. Her scent is sharp with fear and anguish, a jarring change from her usual defiant fragrance. My eyes lock onto her huddled form on the couch, taking in every detail of her distraught state.

"Mia?" I ask as I cross the room. "Mia, what's wrong?"

Mia's face is streaked with tears, her eyes red and puffy. Her hands tremble as she clutches a pillow to her chest like a shield. The sight of her so vulnerable sends an unexpected pang through my chest.

"Hey," I say softly, approaching her with caution. I've seen her angry, frustrated, even scared before – but never like this. Something is terribly wrong.

I kneel beside the couch, fighting the urge to gather her into my arms. "What happened?" I ask, keeping my voice low and gentle.

She doesn't answer; just shakes her head and buries her face deeper into the pillow. Her shoulders shake with silent sobs.

Concern floods through me, surprising in its intensity. I've spent so long guarding my emotions, yet this witch has somehow burrowed past my defenses. Seeing her in pain affects me more than I care to admit.

"Mia, please," I murmur, tentatively reaching out to touch her arm. "Tell me what's wrong. Let me help."

The moment my fingers make contact, she flinches away. The rejection stings, but I push the feeling aside. Her well-being matters more than my wounded pride right now.

I remain kneeling beside her, torn between giving her space and wanting desperately to comfort her. The urge to protect her wars with my duty and everything I've believed for centuries. Yet, as I watch her shoulders shake with each ragged breath, I know I'd do anything to ease her pain.

"Speak to me," I say more firmly, raising her head with the tip of my finger under her chin. Her eyes are lakes of emerald misery when I look into them.

"They're taking her," she finally chokes out.

"What are you talking about? Who's taking whom?" I press for more details, but I'm starting to get a sinking feeling.

"My sister." Her shoulders heave with more sobs. "They're taking her and bringing her here. Like me."

By Blood!

"Who told you that?" I ask sharply.

"Heath. He came here and—"

"Heath Moonshadow was here?" I interrupt her.

She nods, chewing her lip. She's clearly been doing it a lot because she's nicked the flesh; it's raw and bleeding. "He came to tell me."

Anger burns hot in my chest, threatening to consume me. How dare that traitorous weasel come here and torment Mia?

"He said they're going after Rowan next," Mia chokes out between sobs. "That they don't need me anymore because her power is stronger."

Motherfucker!

I fight to keep my expression neutral, but inside, I'm seething. Heath has no right to reveal such information, true or not.

"What am I going to do?" Mia sobs, her eyes shimmering with tears as she looks up at me. "I don't know what to do! I can't let them take Rowan, too."

Her desperation claws at me. I want nothing more than to reassure her, to promise that I'll keep her sister safe. But I can't. I'm bound by my duty, by the blood bond that compels me to follow Maxwell's orders. And yet…

I take a deep breath, forcing myself to think rationally. "Mia, I… I don't know why he did that. He may have been trying to manipulate you." Even as the words leave my mouth, I know they offer little comfort.

"It's not true, right? It can't be," she says suddenly. "Tell me it's not true. He was just trying to scare me."

When I don't reply, she curls in on herself, pulling her knees up to her chest. Her entire body is shaking. "Oh God. Oh, my God. They're going to do it, aren't they?"

"I'm so sorry, Mia," I murmur because I can't deny it. Maxwell already told me as much just yesterday.

"So, it's happening," she whispers. "They're really going to take her."

My silence is all the answer she needs, but I nod anyway.

Her face crumples again. "Why? Why would they do that?" she wails. She's looking at me as if waiting for answers.

"Because…because these men are evil," I hear myself saying. "Because they will stop at nothing, hurt anyone to get what they want. And because they're a bunch of heartless, soulless fucks," I add with venom.

Mia stares at me. "But…but you're one of them."

I shake my head. "I am nothing like them, Mia. Nothing at all." At least, I pray I'm not. Being in league with these pigs feels like sleeping with the devil.

"Then how do you explain what you did to Sabine and Jemma?" Her eyes narrow on me. "That bastard told you to get rid of them, and you did. You killed them!"

I purse my lips as I look at her, wondering how much to tell her.

Fuck it.

"I didn't kill them."

"What?" Mia stares at me.

"I didn't kill your friends, Mia. Lucien told me to dispose of them, but he didn't directly command me to kill them."

I found a loophole. Maxwell was right when he said that I could defy the bond by working around it. Of course, if Lucien had directly instructed me to end their lives, I would have been faced with a different dilemma entirely.

"So…so they're alive?" She's staring at me in disbelief.

"Alive and well," I add.

"But where? How? How do I know I can believe you? If it's true, you have to tell me what happened to them."

"I can't tell you that. It might put lives in danger. I shouldn't have even told you this much."

"Why not?" Her jaw tightens. "Are you saying I can't be trusted? Because that's rich, coming from you!"

"That's not what I'm saying at all. But if that information got out somehow, Lucien would start looking for them. As it stands, he thinks they're dead, which means that they're safe. For now."

Mia exhales a shuddering breath and leans back against the backrest of the couch. "This is too much to take in."

"I know. And I'm sorry."

"So then, where are they? Surely you can tell me that much?"

"I can't." I shrug. "I have no idea where they've been taken, and it's better that way. Just be assured that they're with someone who is sympathetic to what you've been going through here."

Mia is silent as she thinks on this, still gnawing at that little raw spot on her plump bottom lip. Her eyes spark. "Dr. Chen," she whispers, the words so soft I can barely hear them. "She helped."

I say nothing. I'd sensed the doctor was a sympathizer the first time I met her. I still don't know what Lucien has over her to have her working in this place. Whatever it is, she set it aside in order to help. Thank God.

"But if you would do that, if you would save lives, then why are you here? Why are you doing this?"

I take in a long breath. "It's a long story and one that I doubt you could understand." I barely understand it myself.

"I'm a witch." She gives a ghost of a smile. "Understanding strange things is wired into me."

"Well, it's not important right now. What's important is your sister."

Her eyes pool with tears again. "Rowan! Oh, God, Soren, we have to do something. You have to help me. Please!"

I stand up abruptly, pacing the room as my mind races. Mia's desperate plea echoes in my ears, tugging at something deep within me. For my entire immortal life, I've followed orders without question, burying any moral qualms under layers of duty and loyalty. But now, faced with Mia's anguish and the thought of her sister suffering the same fate, I can no longer ignore the wrongness of it all.

I can't allow this. Not anymore.

The decision forms in my mind, crystallizing with a clarity that both exhilarates and terrifies me. I will help Mia escape. I will save her sister. The consequences be damned.

I pause by the window, staring out at the night sky without really seeing it. This isn't just about breaking rules or defying orders. This is treason against my own kind, a betrayal of everything I've stood for. Resisting my maker's bond would be unprecedented. If I'm caught, the punishment will be severe. I could lose my position, my freedom, maybe even my life.

That's if I can even do it. Already, I can feel the power of the bond tightening like a fist around my heart.

But as I turn back to look at Mia, her eyes still shimmering with tears, I know it's worth the risk. Something has changed in me since she came into my life, awakening feelings and doubts I thought long buried. I can't stand by and watch as more innocent lives are destroyed.

I take a deep breath, steadying myself. I can't tell her my plan, not yet. I need time to figure out the details. But the decision has been made, and I feel a subtle shift inside me.

"Mia," I say, my voice softer than before, "I promise you, I will look into this." It's a dangerous promise to make, one that could put me at odds with my own kind. But as I look into her eyes, I know I'll do whatever it takes to keep it.

"You will? Really?" As if the floodgates have been opened, Mia's composure crumbles entirely. Her shoulders shake with silent sobs, and she buries her face in her hands. The sight of her so broken tears at something deep inside me.

Without thinking, I move closer and wrap my arms around her. She stiffens for a moment, then collapses against my chest, her tears soaking into my shirt. I stroke her hair gently, murmuring soothing words I haven't used in centuries.

"Shh, it's alright," I whisper, even though we both know it's a lie. "We'll figure this out."

Mia pulls back slightly, her tear-stained face inches from mine. Her eyes, usually so defiant, are filled with a desperate vulnerability that makes my chest ache.

"I'll do anything," she says. "Anything you want, if you'll just help my sister." As she speaks, her hand slides down my chest, tugging at the buttons of my shirt.

The implication in her words is clear, and for a moment, my body responds traitorously. I've wanted her since the moment I first saw her, a fact I've been trying to deny even to myself.

But not like this. Never like this.

"Mia," I say gently, cupping her face in my hands. "I would never ask that of you. You have too much pride to offer yourself like this, and I respect you far too much to accept."

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I see the embarrassment flood her features. She tries to pull away, but I hold her gently in place.

"In different circumstances, maybe we…" I trail off, realizing I've already said too much. "But you're not thinking clearly now."

"I feel so helpless," she chokes out.

I stroke the tears off her cheeks with the pads of my thumbs. "I won't let any harm come to your sister if I can help it. I promise, Mia."

"Thank you," she whispers, still sniffling. I try for a smile, but I don't really succeed. Because I know I just made a decision that could end me. And if Maxwell's secret is as bad as he says it is, I may drag everyone down with me.