Page 109 of Into The Light

“I’ll see you soon, friend.” Thorne gave me a confident nod.

“Please come back to us, Aiden,” Annella said, fighting back tears.

The death that came next would either be the end of me or a new beginning. I would either watch Emilia thriving from afar, or I would watch her from above. No matter what, I would watch over her. Even if heaven didn’t exist for someone like me, death couldn’t keep me away... not even the deepest grave could keep me from crawling out back to her side, even if just to check on her and ensure her safety and happiness.

I took one last breath filled with Emilia’s sweet smell. “I’m ready, Lothaire.” Closing my eyes, I waited for his blood to pass my lips.

“Wait!” Catrain’s voice shook through the room. “Please wait.”

My eyes fluttered open, and I saw her staring at us with tears in her eyes. She turned to Liùsaidh and spoke. “They have soul tie, Liùsaidh. You see it as I can see it. I know you can. And because of this I know you can save them. Please, for me... your daughter, I beg you to save them.”

The silence settled over the room and Emilia pulled her head from my chest. Her swollen red eyes locked with mine.

“I see it,” Liùsaidh said, her accent thick, but her English clear.

“She speaks English?” Thorne stepped forward.

“Yes, but she not want to speak directly to you. She thinks you a blight on humanity... a mistake to be fixed and unworthy of her words,” Catrain answered.

Thorne looked right at her. “Please, Liùsaidh. I know our people have bad blood with yours. But Aiden is a good man. Save them.”

“Mother, I know you see in them what I see with my gift. They are special, true soulmates. It is bond that should never be broken and bond that can anchor them. You have power to save them.”

Liùsaidh’s eyes roved over Emilia and I, her face stern and unyielding.

“You should not be here.” She glowered at me and spoke in even better English than Catrain. “Your people betrayed us and then took our gift and turned it into evil. A blight on humanity we have regretted for over six hundred years. None of you should be here.”

“Please,” Emilia sobbed. “Please save him.”

Liùsaidh drummed her fingers together and looked between us with a contemplative gaze.

“I have searched inside you both and my daughter is not wrong. You are true soul mates. You’re connected together. And he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness for your life. It is a noble man who would give up his own desires for that of another... for that of the one he loves.”

“Then save him,” Emilia breathed. “Please.”

“There is only one way to save him,” Liùsaidh answered.

I felt my heart clench at her words... there was hope.

She turned her stare to Emilia. “And it is dependent on you.”

“Anything,” Emilia begged. “I will do anything for him.”

“The gift placed upon them that gave them immortality was bound by a powerful magic.” Liùsaidh started. “When the gift was removed due to their betrayal, they discovered that feeding on others and absorbing their life force could sustain them. Without feeding on blood, Aiden cannot survive. The magic within him has gone.”

“But you can save him?” Lothaire stepped forward.

Liùsaidh lowered her head in a nod. “I can.”

“And will you save him?” Annella asked, her eyes soft and pleading. “Will you save my brother?”

Liùsaidh looked to Emilia and I held my breath while I awaited my fate.

Our fate.

She gave another slow nod. “Yes. I will try to save him. His actions tonight show me he is a good man. Not a soulless monster like so many of your kind. But whether I save him is up to her.” She lifted a crooked finger to Emilia. “You are already bonded by your special soul tie, two halves that make a whole. Because of this I can tie his life-force to yours, and as long as your heart beats, so will his.”

“Yes, do it, please!” Emilia begged.