Page 60 of Tethered Fates

Emma’s already shaking her head. “For any other spell, it would give her more power. Not this one. Only ancient vampire blood will do. The tome, too.”

“Summer might be powerful,” Luc remarks, “but not powerful enough to capture any of us.”

“You’re too young. It’d have to be Vidar or you, Sen,” Emma corrects. Then her little smirk reappears. “Oh, I forgot to mention, she’d also need your heart. Not just piercing it. She’s gotta rip that sucka straight from your chest. Which—” she taps her chin. “I believe even an ancient vampire can’t survive.”

“You’re lying!” Luc shouts, causing Mickey to start up his whimpering again.

“I’m not.”

Some other words are shouted back and forth, my brother’s voice enraged. But all I can think about is Bran’s taunting voice ringing in my mind as he says his prophecy. ‘A sacrifice for the first.’ Is this what he meant? I sacrifice my heart so Teagan can live?

“Them’s the breaks.” Emma winks. “Summer refused to believe me, too, and look what happened to her?” she scoffs derisively. “Big spells, boys, require a body count, and no foot stomping will change that fact.”

“There must be another way!” Lucero snarls.

I think about walking away.

Teagan’s my soulmate, but that doesn’t make him my responsibility.

I imagine turning my back like I did ten years ago.

It would be so simple.

So easy.

I don’t. I never could’ve.

Because he is my everything.

I reach for the soulmate connection, and wish with my whole selfish heart it was something strong and unbreakable like Luc and Golden. Wish Teagan and I had more time to make it so.

There is so much to this vast world I want to show him, and how badly I wanted to see everything we’d experience through his eyes. We would never be bored, or maybe being bored wouldn’t be so exhausting with him by my side.

It isn’t fair.

But I’ve been alive for over nine hundred years, and Teagan’s had my heart for every second. So, if giving it to him one final time means he gets to live, then it’s a sacrifice I’ll take every time.

“Just to make sure I have this right,” I say, my voice steady and my resolve strong. I am a selfish man; I have no problem admitting that. But for my soulmate, I will do whatever’s necessary. And while I’ll fight to the bitter end, if I must die, then I’ll do so with my fangs bloody and a smirk. “We need an ancient vampire’s heart, the First Blood Mage Tome and a mage to perform the spell that’d cut Teagan and Summer’s tether?”

Emma nods, smug.

“She’s lying to us, Sen,” Luc growls.

“Maybe,” I let loose a sigh, and with it, release the tension in my body.

I do love having a plan, and soon I’ll have Emma’s blood on my hands.

“Ah, there’s something I forgot to mention,” I say with a self-deprecating shrug and a ‘silly old me’ smile.

Emma frowns.

“Your son, Elio.” My smile sharpens at her dawning horror. “He really fucking hates you.”

Her lips peel back as I bolt forward, pulling back my elbow to punch my fist through her chest. But I don’t get too far. The blood ball in her hand expands within the second it takes me to get to her, transforming into a transparent red glass-like shield, blocking me.

“I might not be at full strength,” Emma sneers. “But don’t you dare ever count me out.”

Emma’s other hand shoots out, but not to Luc or me—but to Mickey.