The Blood Witch, Sacrifice of the Unborn

I am the rarest Blood Witch from the Deep Smoky Mountains. I can nurture sacred parasites with my heart's blood to rebuild a person's life force.

The Crown Prince, Silas, was once declared dead after his heart failed. I used my own body as a vessel to raise the Twin Kings, the ultimate parasites, to restart his heartbeat.

But the first thing he did when he woke up was throw me into the Pit of Vipers. He watched as the poisonous snakes tore at my skin.

"Sienna risked her life to find the cure in the vipers' den for me," he hissed. "You stole her glory by using your dark magic first, causing her to suffer a terrible curse!"

In my moment of utter despair, my childhood friend, Sterling Pierce, rescued me. He gave me a grand wedding and took me into his home as his wife.

I thought I was happy until I was eight months pregnant. A gang of outlaws kidnapped me on my way to the chapel.

They used a cold blade to open my body. They ruthlessly harvested the miracle I carried, tearing it from my womb.

As I lay there dying, I heard a whispered conversation between Prince Silas and Sterling.

"The Blood Witch's power is only at its peak when she is about to give birth," Silas remarked. "But that was your own flesh and blood. You really have a heart of stone."

Sterling's voice was as cold as ice.

"I would do anything to cure Sienna's heart condition," he replied. "Nothing else matters."

At that moment, I finally understood. The happiness I thought I had was just a trap he set to steal the Essence of the Blood Mother inside me.

But they have no idea. Now that the Essence is gone, they are all dead men walking.

"What about Seraphina Vance?" Silas asked. "She can never have children again. She's essentially useless now."

Sterling glanced at me with a detached look. "I will take care of her. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her."

He paused, his voice growing sharper. "But if you ever mistreat Sienna, I will take her away from you."

The Prince snorted with confidence. "Don't worry. I would never fail her."

These two men stood before me. One was a man whose life I had saved, and the other was the husband I had loved with all my soul.

Now, they were discussing how to drain the last bit of value from me. All of this was to pave the way for the woman they both adored.

Grief crashed over me like a tidal wave. Tears I couldn't control escaped from the corners of my eyes.

A moment later, I felt a warm touch on my face. Sterling rushed to my side, panting, and pulled me into his arms.

"Seraphina, I finally found you!" he sobbed, his voice shaking with fake emotion. "Don't be afraid. I'm here now."

Watching him perform made me feel physically sick. I didn't expose him, choosing instead to fake a fainting spell in his arms.

When I finally woke up, the room smelled of rotting copper and blood.

I opened my eyes and saw several severed heads on the floor. They belonged to the outlaws who had attacked me.

"You're finally awake!" Sterling cried.

He pointed at the heads, his face twisted in mock rage. "I killed those animals for what they did to you. I've avenged you, Seraphina."

His eyes were red and swollen as if he had spent the night crying for me.

I turned my head away. I could feel the ancient power inside me becoming quiet and cold.

"Sterling, where is our baby?" I asked.

He let go of my hand, a flicker of guilt crossing his face before disappearing.

"The baby didn't make it," he whispered.

"We are young. We can have others later. Right now, you just need to recover."

Fresh tears spilled out. I bit my lip so hard that the taste of blood filled my mouth.

My child was a living soul. To them, my baby was nothing more than a discarded tool.

Sterling held me while I wept, acting like a grieving father. Then, a maid knocked on the door, announcing that the Princess had just given birth.

Sterling's breathing hitched. "Seraphina, I have some urgent business to handle. Rest for now."

I didn't stop him. As I watched his desperate, hurried exit, a mocking smile touched my lips.

Sterling, since you are so heartless, don't blame me for what comes next.

The next morning, I forced myself out of bed. I sat at the desk and wrote out a set of divorce papers.

I signed my name, Seraphina Vance, with every ounce of strength I had left.

This wasn't just to end my past. It was a practical move.

Sterling was going to die soon. I had no intention of becoming his widow.

I took the papers to his study to find him.

Through a crack in the door, I saw him beaming with joy. He was directing servants to move expensive wooden chests.

"These are thirty designer coats for the Princess," he ordered. "The autumn air is chilling, and her health is fragile."

"This is a rare jade set from the finest jeweler. Do not break it."

"And these are the deeds to thirty estates and ten luxury shops downtown."

He had never looked at me with such devotion. He had never given me anything even close to this.

When I was pregnant, he only sent me a bowl of noodles once. I had been so touched by that small gesture.

His lack of love had been so obvious. I had simply been too blind to see it.

My throat felt tight, and every breath felt like a serrated blade.

My hand trembled as I reached for the door. I wondered if I should even bother interrupting his happy moment.

"Seraphina? What are you doing here?"

Sterling pushed the door open, looking startled.

I pulled myself together and handed him the envelope. "This is a gift for you. Open it in seven days."

Seven days would be enough time for me to heal and leave this place forever.

Sterling didn't seem to hear me. He stuffed the papers into his coat and grabbed my hand excitedly.

"You're just in time. Come to the Palace with me to see Sienna."

"She just had a little girl. She's as beautiful as her mother!"

His usually stern face was soft. His eyes were crinkling with a genuine smile.

At the Palace, Sienna Quinn was surrounded by admirers while she held the infant.

Silas was laughing, playing with the baby. Sterling stepped forward and hung a custom gold locket around the child's neck.

I stood in the corner, a ghost at their feast.

I turned to leave, but a heavy jade ornament was suddenly hurled at my head.

It struck my forehead. I stumbled and fell to the floor, blood trickling down my face.

Sienna looked horrified, shrinking back behind Silas. "You monster! You tried to ruin me before, and now you want to hurt my baby?"

When she thought no one was looking, she pinched the infant hard.

The baby's screams echoed through the room. It was a pathetic, piercing sound.

Silas stood up in a rage. He slammed his boot onto my chest, pinning me down.

"Why didn't you die in the viper pit?" he growled. "Why did you come back to haunt us?"

He turned his glare toward Sterling. "Why did you bring this curse into my home? Are you trying to upset Sienna?"

The surrounding maids and guards began to hiss insults at me.

"She calls herself a Blood Witch, but she's just a homewrecker," one whispered.

"She deserves what those outlaws did to her. A woman like her would only give birth to a demon anyway."

I looked at Sterling, searching for a spark of the man I thought I knew.

For years, he was the only one who pretended to be on my side. He claimed to protect me from the world's hate.

Now, he just looked annoyed. He turned his face away as if I were an embarrassment.

"Forget it," he said coldly. "Just get out of here. You're an eyesore."

The last bit of hope in my heart died. I had forgotten that between me and Sienna, he would never choose me.

I crawled to my feet and wiped the blood from my lips. I began to walk away.

I hadn't gone far down the hallway when Sterling came running after me.

"Seraphina! Stop!"

I turned around, confused. He looked frantic as he grabbed my wrist.

"Sienna is hemorrhaging! Only your blood can save her now. Come back!"

I understood immediately. The Essence I once carried can only survive in a host body.

Once it was ripped out of me, it stopped being a cure. It turned into a lethal poison.

Sienna was dying, and her child wouldn't last much longer either.

I yanked my arm away from him. "Why should I give her my blood?"

Sterling's eyes darted around. "You're a witch, aren't you? Your blood has special properties."

He didn't wait for an answer. He dragged me back into the bedroom despite my struggles.

The floor was covered in blood. I could see faint black streaks swirling in the red puddles.

"Doctor! Use her heart's blood to make the medicine!" Sterling yelled.

"I won't do it!" I shouted back.

"You're the one who saved the Prince! You have to save her too!"

I started to laugh. It was a low, bitter sound.

Just moments ago, they called me a fraud and a monster. Now, they wanted to use my powers.

I opened my mouth to refuse again.

Suddenly, a sharp blade was driven into my chest.

I looked up in shock. I saw Sterling's face, which was filled with a hollow kind of regret.

"Seraphina, a life is at stake" he whispered.

This was the very dagger I had crafted for him. I had climbed a frozen peak to find the rare stone for its handle.

Now, it was the tool he used to pierce my heart.

He waited until he had filled half a bowl with my blood. Then, he pushed me aside and rushed to Sienna's side.

I collapsed like a discarded rag. The world went dark.

When I woke up, Sterling was kneeling by my bed. His eyes were bloodshot and wet.

"Seraphina, are you in pain?"

"It was an emergency. I didn't have a choice."

I looked at him silently. He looked pale and exhausted.

It wasn't just because he had stayed up all night with Sienna. It was the poison.

I had placed a Heart-Bind curse on him.

Years ago, after Silas betrayed me, I became cautious. On our wedding night, I put a drop of the curse into our wine.

If he remained faithful, he would be fine.

If he ever betrayed me, he would bleed from every hole in his face until he died.

I hid my thoughts and offered a gentle smile. "It's okay. I know you were just worried. I don't mind."

After all, why would I argue with a dead man?

Sterling's eyes widened in surprise. He wanted to say something, but a maid burst in.

"General! The twelve sets of pearl jewelry for the Princess are ready. Please come and inspect them."

Sterling's eyes lit up. He stood up immediately and tucked my blanket in.

"Rest well. I'll be back."

Outside the window, the autumn wind was howling. The tree we planted together had already withered.

I put on a heavy coat and pulled out a trunk from under the bed.

Inside were all our keepsakes. The matching pendants, the hand-woven sachets, the old letters.

I threw every single one of them into the fireplace.

The flames licked at the memories, turning them to ash in seconds.

"Seraphina? What are you burning?"

Sterling ran back into the room, reaching toward the fire.

I blocked his path. "Just some old letters."

He looked uneasy, but seeing my calm face, he let out a sigh of relief.

"The Palace is hosting a gala in a few days. You're coming with me."

"Sienna is touched that you gave your blood to save her. She wants to make peace with you."

Make peace with me?

I almost laughed out loud. I had never met anyone with such thick skin.

But the timing was perfect. That gala would be the day the poison finally claimed Sienna's life.

Sienna was the star of the gala.

She wore a gown made of gold silk and a crown shaped like a phoenix. Her skin looked flushed and healthy.

The high-society women were tripping over themselves to compliment her.

Only I could see the black veins crawling beneath her skin.

Most of her internal organs were probably already being eaten away by the parasites.

When Sienna saw me, she whispered something to her maid.

The maid brought over a plate of meat pies. "Mrs. Pierce, the Princess made these herself to thank you for saving her life."

I tried to decline, but Sterling took the plate before I could.

"Don't be rude. This is a gesture of kindness," he said.

He forced a piece into my mouth while Sienna watched with a smirk.

I felt a wave of nausea. I stood up abruptly, spilling wine on my dress.

"I need to clean up," I muttered.

I ran to a side hall, where I ran straight into Sienna.

Her smile was wicked. Her words were like venom. "So, Seraphina. How did your baby taste?"

I froze. I looked at her, my heart stopping in my chest.

"It was a girl," she whispered. "She was still moving when they brought her to me."

"I watched them chop her into pieces. I made sure they used the tenderest bits for your pies."

She looked down at my stomach. "She came from your body, and now she's back inside. Isn't that a lovely reunion?"

The pain was unbearable. I clutched my chest and began to retch violently.

"Sienna Quinn! I will see you in hell!"

I lunged at her, grabbing her throat with both hands.

As we struggled, her collar shifted. I saw a dark red rose-shaped birthmark on her collarbone.

It was like a lightning bolt struck me. My hands lost their strength and I let go.

It was her.

I finally understood why she had gone to such lengths to destroy me.

In my daze, a powerful kick sent me flying across the floor.

"Sienna!"

Silas rushed over and pulled her into his arms.

Sterling stepped on my hand, grinding his boot into my fingers. "Seraphina! Have you lost your mind? How dare you touch her!"

"She tried to be kind to you, and you act like a savage! Apologize to her right now!"

I looked up, my voice trembling with rage.

"I have nothing to apologize for!"

"Sterling, you are the monsters here! Do you have any idea what was in those pies?"

"Ah!"

Sienna screamed, cutting me off. Her face turned a sickly purple, and she clutched her chest, gasping for air.

"Silas! My heart! It hurts so much!"

A crowd gathered around her in a panic.

The poison was finally taking hold.

I started to laugh. "Sienna, you've done so much evil. This is your karma."

Slap!

The blow was so hard it knocked me to the ground. My face swelled instantly.

Sterling was shaking with rage. "You're disgusting! How can you be so cruel?"

"I regret the day I ever brought you home. Marrying you was the biggest mistake of my life!"

I swallowed the blood in my mouth.

Sterling, you won't have to worry about your regrets for long. You'll be dead soon anyway.

Maids carried Sienna away to a private room. Silas walked toward me, his face dark.

He raised his foot to kick me again, but Sterling stopped him.

"The Queen Mother is coming" Sterling whispered.

Silas glared at me, his teeth clenched.

"Guards! This woman cursed the Princess. Give her a hundred lashes to the face!"

Sterling turned pale. He grabbed the Prince's arm. "A hundred? She'll be permanently disfigured!"

"If you don't want Sienna to be angry with you, stay out of this."

Sterling hesitated for only a second before letting go. He turned his back to me.

I laughed. This was the man I loved. I must have been blind.

The guards grabbed my arms. One of them raised a heavy leather strap.

The first blow made my ears ring. My face felt like it was being branded with a hot iron.

Silas was screaming at them.

"Hit her harder! If I don't see blood, I'll have yours instead!"

The guard picked up a heavy wooden ruler and aimed for my temple.

"Stop!"

A deep, powerful voice echoed through the hall. The guards were suddenly kicked away by royal soldiers.

"I want to see who dares to touch my savior!"

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