Set You Free, My Lord

I am Prince Dorian's fated human mate. He hated me for ten years, yet died saving me from a silver bomb.

The coven drove me to suicide. Now, I’ve woken up in the past. Back to the night the Bond paired us.

"A human?! A pathetic mortal is my mate? What kind of sick joke is this!"

Dorian’s roar echoed through the dark gothic hall.

I froze, my heart pounding.

I was back. Ten years ago.

The night our fates intertwined.

The legends were clear. A vampire prince and a human are fated only once a millennium. It’s the call of the ancient Blood Bond.

Reject it, and a deadly curse backfires on you.

Unless the human willingly sacrifices everything.

"My Prince, the ancient Bond has chosen," the Head Elder warned softly.

"To hell with the Bond!" Dorian ripped the black rose—the symbol of our tie—from his chest. "I will never accept a filthy mortal as my mate!"

The vampires around us whispered.

Cordelia, his pureblood childhood sweetheart, stood nearby. A smug smirk played on her lips.

I took a deep breath.

I’m not making the same mistake this time.

"I request an Unbinding." My voice rang out, loud and clear.

The hall gasped.

Dorian froze. Disbelief flared in his crimson eyes. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." I looked him dead in the eye. "I want to sever the Bond. I ask the Elders to let Dorian and Cordelia take the Blood Oath instead to strengthen the coven."

Chaos erupted. This was unheard of. A fated mate asking to break the Bond?

"Hah. So you do know your place."

His words were a dagger to my heart. But I refused to let the tears fall. A voice from my second chance echoed in my mind:

You have one day. Fix his three greatest regrets to change his fate. But every rebirth has its price.

Regret number one: Mating with Odette.

Consider it done.

"An Unbinding requires preparation," the Head Elder said, his brow furrowed. "It will take three days."

"Then don't waste time." Dorian glared at me, turning to leave.

I reached out and grabbed his jacket out of habit. "Wait..."

"What now?" he snapped, turning around.

"Before... before we officially break it, can you take me to the top of the tower? Just to see the city at midnight?" I asked.

It was my biggest regret from my past life. He had never said yes.

Dorian frowned, looking confused.

I knew what he was thinking.

Why play so nice, ask for an Unbinding, and then want a date?

Surprisingly, he nodded. "Tomorrow night. Don't make me wait."

I stood there watching him walk away.

"You foolish girl." A soft voice came from behind.

The old Blood Witch. The coven's seer.

"Why do you say that?"

"Your eyes betray you," she whispered. "You sever the Bond, but your heart is still his."

I couldn't lie.

"His father told me to prep the ritual for tomorrow," she sighed. "They've wanted this for a long time."

"I know."

She handed me an ebony box. "The scrolls and herbs you'll need. Study them. The ritual takes absolute focus."

"Thank you." I took the box.

Leaving the hall, I heard the whispers behind me:

"At least she knows her place..."

"A mortal ruling us? Please."

"The Prince and Cordelia belong together."

I walked faster. The tears finally fell.

Late that night, I opened the box. Looked at the dark runes.

"An Unbinding... No, I'm not doing an Unbinding," I whispered. "I'm doing a Blood Blessing instead."

The Blessing would let Dorian forge a political alliance with Cordelia’s family without me.

He gets everything he wants. Without me in the picture.

I pulled a fake passport and a ferry ticket from the bottom of my suitcase. Got them the second I woke up in this life.

Looking at my tired face in the mirror, I whispered, "Tomorrow, it’s over."