by S. L. Knight
At the end of the corridor, my mates charged towards us, their fangs bared. I shook loose from his grip, shouting a Repelling spell, and he went flying backward, landing hard on his back.
Noel leaped onto Edelnar, leaning down to tear out his throat with his fangs, but Edelnar rolled out from beneath him. Shards of light shot from his palms, hitting my mates and sending them tossing back. But they were on their feet in a flash, fighting with Edelnar in rapid-fire movements.
I moved forward cautiously. They were fighting in front of a window. If I aimed my spell just right, I could hurl Edelnar out the window.
Raising my hand, I focused on Edelnar in the blur of fighting bodies and started to cast a spell. But in an instant Edelnar was in front of me, pulling me close to his body as he darted with me towards the window. I heard the horrified cries of my mates as he leaped out, still holding me in his arms. Shards of glass cut into my skin as we went flying out of the window; I kept my eyes shut to avoid the glass, my heart thundering with panic.
When I opened them, I realized that Edelnar was flying, hovering in mid-air. He tore me away from his body with one hand, holding me aloft. I tried not to look down, but I knew I wouldn’t survive a fall from this height.
“You and your parents are unworthy of your royal bloodline,” Edelnar spat. “Goodbye, Liana.”
And he released me.
As I hurtled towards the ground, towards my death, I managed to remember something through my panicked haze. Something I had done when Edelnar had first kidnapped me in New Orleans. It was the first time I’d used my magic. Magic propelled by fear. I could use it again; to save my life and to kill Edelnar. Only this time, my magic would be propelled by more than fear. It would be propelled by love, and my determination to live my life with my mates.
I lifted my hands, recalling a spell that Nya had taught me. It was the most powerful Repelling spell I could think of.
A burst of light exploded from my hands, halting my descent. The force of the spell propelled me upward, at a rapid pace. Edelnar still hovered above me in mid-air, probably eager to watch my death. As I got closer to him, I could see the disbelief on his face, then the anger, then the fear. I focused my magic towards him as I rose through the air, and I felt my entire body vibrate as more light exploded from my hands, striking Edelnar in the chest. He convulsed, struggling to breathe, but I clenched my fists, allowing the force of my magic to envelop him until his face went white. I could see his life draining from him, and his power, as he plummeted toward the ground, still struggling to breathe.
I watched from the air as his body slammed into the ground at an odd angle. I was too far above to clearly see his face, but from the stillness of his body, I knew that he was dead.
Relief and fatigue filled me; the powerful spell had drained me of all my energy. Now my body was hurtling back towards the ground, and I didn’t have the strength to break my fall.
But I felt strong arms wrap around me as I approached the ground. I looked up, dazed.
Gabriel had caught me. Noel, Xavier, and Adrian crowded around us, tears in their eyes as they gazed down at me.
“You did it,” Gabriel whispered, his blue eyes wide with admiration and love as he reached down to stroke my hair. I had never seen him look so vulnerable. “Our strong, brave Liana.”
As I wearily met each of their gazes, I tried to smile, to bask in the glow of victory, of hope and love, but my magic had taken every trace of energy from me, and my world went black.
Chapter 6
I stood in front of the full-length mirror, taking in my reflection. I wore a long satin white gown, paired with a lace veil. Though I had been looking forward to this day for weeks, my heart still fluttered with nervousness.
“You look amazing,” Sera murmured, stepping forward. “God, Liana. I can’t believe this. Any of it.”
I met her gaze in our reflected images in the mirror and smiled.
It was a few weeks after my confrontation with Edelnar at the Council headquarters. Rinela had been arrested, along with several other corrupt members of the Council. The remaining members of the Council had worked with Bastien, Elijah, Carina, and my mates to start anew, and had even drafted a brand new alliance of peace between vampires and fae. Because I had destroyed Edelnar, my mates had pulled some strings and persuaded the new Council to allow me to return to my world to wrap up loose ends. I had gotten rid of my apartment and told the boss at my museum I wouldn’t be working there, giving her a vague excuse about finding a different job that was better suited to me. What I didn’t tell her was that my new job was turning the library of the estate I shared with my vampire mates into a museum where I would work as a curator, preserving the history of Velar for the locals.
I saved my visit to Sera last—she was who I had really come back to see. She was my best friend and the closest thing to family that I had.
I told her everything that happened since discovering my mates were vampires from another world, not leaving anything. I don’t think she would have believed me if I hadn’t been allowed to take her back to Velar. Only then did it seem to sink in that all I had told her was true.
I was glad I was able to bring her here, even if it was only for a brief visit, because she could witness my official bonding ceremony with my mates. We didn’t have the time to have a proper ceremony when we were on the run from Edelnar, and I wanted to celebrate my union with my mates. They had told me that bonding ceremonies were very similar to weddings in my world.
Now, Berenzi entered the room with a bouquet. She handed them to me, taking in my reflection.
“These are from your mates,” she said. “They know brides usually carry bouquets back in your world.”
“Thank you,” I said. Now my outfit felt complete. I felt a sudden pang, wishing Alice or my parents were here to see this.
“They’re all here in spirit,” Sera said, reading my momentary sadness in my eyes. I smiled and nodded, her words giving me some comfort.
“Are you ready?” Berenzi asked.
“Yes,” I said. I was more than ready to start my life with my mates.
Sera gave my hand one last squeeze before leaving with Berenzi. I took one last look at myself in the mirror before turning to head out.
We were back at Gabriel’s estate; we had officially made it our home. The guests were all in the back gardens where our ceremony would take place.
I made my way down the stairs and out the back doors. Fifty guests turned to face me as I stepped out. The guests included Council members, our servants, my mates’ families, and Carina and her four mates. I had been nervous to meet the families of my mates, wondering if I would live up to their expectations, but they had all expressed kindness.
But my entire focus wasn’t on our guests—it was on the four vampires who stood in the center of the gardens, their eyes filled with love as I made my way towards them.
My gaze remained locked on each of theirs as we vowed to honor our bond and love each other for eternity. After we spoke our vows, I gave each of my mates a lingering kiss, the guests cheered, and the official celebrations began.
The reception was in the ballroom—Noel had hired musicians, and they played as I danced with each of my mates. Joy danced in my heart as I saw how happy my mates looked; it was the happiest I’d seen them since first coming across them in New Orleans.
We snuck out of the festivities early, making our way to our new shared master bedroom. We made love slowly, my eyes locked on each of them as we kissed and rocked together until we were spent, collapsing onto the bed in a mass of entwined limbs. As I took in Gabriel, Adrian, Xavier, and Noel, warmth coursed through my body. Years of uncertainty, loneliness, and feeling like I didn’t belong had faded away. With my mates, there was only certainty, hope and love. I had found my home.
THE END
A Message from the Author
I hope you enjoyed HER VAMPIRE FATE, the third and final episode of the Vampire Bond serial. I will bundle all
three episodes into an omnibus and release it separately.
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About the Author
S.L. Knight enjoys writing romantic fantasy novels with fierce, intelligent heroines and strong, handsome heroes. When not writing, she enjoys reading, hiking, watching old movies. . . and perhaps fantasizing about her very own harem. Perhaps.
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