Page 81 of Vampire's Hearth

The words hit me like a punch to the stomach, knocking the breath from my lungs. Amara was right—but she had also been the one to tell me to follow my heart. Was that just part of her plan? Had she only encouraged me so I would bring him here? Was this what Amara wanted all along?

And what did an O’Cillian need with me? Was the story about finding the Cure just a lie, a convenient excuse so Mac could kill him?

The warmth of Mac’s love flickered through me, struggling to thaw the place where doubt had frozen my heart solid. His love had always felt pure, undeniable... but now, I wasn’t sure if it held any truth to it at all.

My voice was small as I forced out the words. “But I did what you told me to do. I followed my heart, and he came with us—willingly. He’s given us everything the O’Cillians stole from us.”

“He’s given you almost everything,” she said, pressing the ceremonial dagger to his wrist.

A hiss curled through the air as the silver blade melted through his skin. It peeled open slowly, blood welling up along the edges, a large drop hanging on as if by magic. It shimmered as it caught the moonlight before splattering onto the O’Cillian knot. Another drop followed, then another, each one falling in an almost mesmerizing rhythm. Soon, a dark pool of blood spread, covering the symbol in a slick, maroon sheen.

Lyra stepped aside, giving me an unbroken view of the ritual’s horror. The sight of Mac’s blood, stolen from him like a vampire feeding on its prey, twisted something deep inside me. I met his gaze, his eyes wide with fear and apology. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed.

A crushing guilt wrapped around my heart. I had brought him to this place, yet I couldn’t even protect him from my coven—my family. My love for him warred with the questions I couldn’t silence. Even at this moment, with everything at stake, I wasn’t sure if I had lost him already—or if I was losing him now.

“Now watch, child,” Amara commanded as she stepped aside. I now knew the spell she had used. If Mac was part of a different family, the blood would run off the north edge of the map, away from the crest.

The sound of my heart pounding rang in my ears. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the spectacle in front of me. The pool of blood spread across the map, with one tendril snaking towardthe Faroe Islands and another stretching to Savannah. When it stopped, Mac’s gaze caught mine for just a second, pleading for forgiveness, causing my heart to clench.

I gasped as a third trickle crept across the paper to New South Wales, Australia. I bit my lip as one more rivulet of blood traced a path toward Charleston, South Carolina. I didn’t even have to look to know that the final thread would end in Waterford, Ireland. My heart sank; his secret was revealed.

“Hello, Cormac O’Cillian,” Amara drawled. Mac’s eyes dropped as he looked at the map, at the places where his brothers and parents were. Pain etched itself into his face as he met my gaze. My knees felt like they would no longer hold me up, my world collapsing around me. Was everything about us a lie?

“I love you,” he whispered before he fell toward the table, clutching his head in pain, punishment as Amara’s eyes focused on him. The words seared my heart. I wanted to grasp onto them, but it felt like nothing was there. He could have told me. He should have.

Mac forced his head to rise, desperation etched across his face. “Amara, please. I can help you. I haven’t lied to you, not once.”

His voice trembled with sincerity, but it was the look in his eyes that struck me hardest—raw, vulnerable, pleading. It tore at me, making my heart ache.

“You haven’t told us the truth either,” she shot back.

“Amara, behind you!” Mac’s voice cut through his pain, his eyes wide with fear.

I tensed and spun, catching a dark shape moving toward us just as something hit me like a boulder, launching me through the air. Pain exploded across my body as I slammed into the ground. Jade’s scream echoed nearby as she crashed down close to me. Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself up.

Horror gripped me as I spotted Mac. His head was barely visible over the table. Chaos surrounded him. Four vampires I didn’t recognize writhed on the ground, clutching their heads, as the witches unleashed their magic. Willow stood between Mac and another vampire, but she wasn’t fighting Mac anymore. She was protecting him.

My heart lurched. This wasn’t a battle we were prepared for. The vampires came at us like a wave, relentless and fast. Why? Why attack us? Then it hit me. This was Cormac O’Cillian—they weren’t here for us.

The vampires moved as one in a way that should have been deadly and efficient. Willow raised her arm, her magic surging. One vampire crumpled to the ground, incapacitated, but more kept coming. Panic clawed at my chest as I frantically searched for something—anything—we could use.

“Jade, with me!” I shouted, my pulse hammering in my ears. The witches could hold them off for now, but their power wasn’t infinite. As soon as they tired or slipped, the vampires would overrun us. We needed weapons—stakes.

We dashed into the woods, my breath ragged as fear and adrenaline warred inside me. My eyes darted to Mac. He was weak but still fighting. I hated leaving him behind, but I knew I had to act.I’ll come back for you. I swear it.

“Grab anything that looks like a stake,” I called to Jade as we reached the tree line. I grabbed two fallen branches, the end sharp with splinters. The makeshift weapons felt pitiful in my hands, but we had no choice. Jade dove on a branch of her own.

My heart sank as I led her back to the coven. The vampires were closing in. Willow’s magic was faltering, her exhaustion clear in every strained movement. The vampire she had been holding down sprang to his feet and lunged for her.

“No.” I screamed, charging at him with a stake raised, fear tearing my stomach because I would never get there in time. Atthe last second, Willow dodged from his grasp, grabbing a candle and setting his clothes on fire. His screams pierced the night air, barely heard above the din of the fighting.

Feet away from me, the female vampire Evangeline had been focused on broke free. She vaulted toward Jade’s mother, knocking her to the ground. My breath caught in my throat as I sprinted toward them, my heart pounding. I kicked the vampire as hard as I could in the side, forcing her off Evangeline, but before I could strike again, another vampire grabbed my wrist, squeezing it with brutal force.

Pain shot up my arm, my fingers going numb as I dropped the stake. I gasped, struggling against his grip.Focus. Fight. Evangeline, still on the ground, regained her strength and sent the vampire holding me to his knees just as Jade charged in and finished him, driving a stake deep into his heart.

My breath came in quick gasps before my gaze locked on Mac again. His face was twisted in agony and fear. “Are you okay?” My voice trembled with desperation. I needed him.

He shook his head, his voice weak. “I can’t help you.” A wave of helplessness slammed into me. Mac, the one I relied on, was now defenseless. And I had to protect him. But before I could move, one vampire leaped onto his back.

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