Mia Ardent has been cured.
Though it shouldn’t be possible, she finds herself finally on her way back home. She wants nothing more than to be reunited with her friends, her family… and Elliott. But with secrets piling up, and the finality of the cure brought into question, how can she go back to her life as normal? And will Elliott accept her for what she’s become?
Elliott Pierce’s dreams have come true.
Mia is finally on her way back to him. Though it shouldn’t be possible, she’s alive and coming home. But with her return once again comes the threat of his father. What will he do now that his plan to get rid of her has failed? And what will it take to finally stop him for good?
Mia Ardent has been cured.
Though it shouldn’t be possible, she finds herself finally on her way back home. She wants nothing more than to be reunited with her friends, her family… and Elliott. But with secrets piling up, and the finality of the cure brought into question, how can she go back to her life as normal? And will Elliott accept her for what she’s become?
Elliott Pierce’s dreams have come true.
Mia is finally on her way back to him. Though it shouldn’t be possible, she’s alive and coming home. But with her return once again comes the threat of his father. What will he do now that his plan to get rid of her has failed? And what will it take to finally stop him for good?
Home.
After a year and a half of torture and misery, Mia was finally going home.
After Garrett had left her hospital room, she tried to rest again. Erika practically insisted on it, saying that her parents would love it more if she was well rested when they arrived. But she couldn’t find the calmness within her to sleep. She was simply too excited to shut her eyes and lie there for the next two hours.
Though, sleep seemed to be no problem for Erika. After Jack came and went, her friend fell right asleep in the chair next to her bed. Mia couldn’t imagine how comfortable she could be with her body contorted in strange angles just to fit on the small chair, but she was snoring in a deep sleep anyway.
A light knocking had Mia turning her head to the doorway. There, the nice vampiric nurse who took her vitals earlier was standing.
“You have a visitor,” she said softly to not wake Erika. “He’s a very rugged-looking man. Smells like a wolf to me.” She crinkled her nose.
A wolf? Could it be the one who saved her from Dr. Harris? She wanted to thank him for protecting her all this time. But there was also a chance it was the one who wanted her gone in the first place.
She swallowed and looked at Erika. She didn’t want to put her in any danger.
“Would you like me to tell him you’re not feeling well enough for visitors?” she asked, noting Mia’s discomfort.
“Um.” Mia took in a breath and turned back towards the nurse. “Did he, uh, happen to leave a name?”
“Oh! Yes. I believe he said his name was Jay?”
Jay? Her heart beat excitedly in her chest. Jay, one of her only friends in that horrible facility, was alive!
“Yes! Please, let him in!” Mia said, sitting up excitedly.
Erika stirred in her chair, settling into a new position and drifting off to sleep again. Mia looked at her and then back at the nurse.
“I’ll tell him to keep it quiet,” the nurse said with a smile before disappearing again.
Jay snuck his way into the room a few minutes later. As soon as his eyes hit Mia’s, his face grew with a warm smile. “Hey, kid.”
“Jay!” she breathed. She couldn’t help it as her own smile crept over her lips. “You’re all right!”
“I am.” He walked towards the bed and placed his hand on the rail around it, his smile disappearing as he took in the bandage on her face. He looked off out the window and sighed. “Listen, Mia… Ramona and I are really sorry about leaving you behind. In the heat of the moment, that animal side just took over and—”
Mia put her hand on his. “Hey, it’s okay.”
He turned his gaze on her, his eyes filled with shame.
“There was a lot going on, I can hardly blame you guys for running off. Everyone was kind of going crazy in there.”
He nodded at her but didn’t speak.
“So… Ramona’s okay too?”
His eyes seemed to soften at the mention of her. “Yeah. We’ve been hiding out in a cave near here, waiting for Harris and his goons to leave the area. I’m sorry she isn’t with me; hospitals make her uncomfortable.”
“I understand how she feels.” Mia sighed. “How did you even know I was here?”
“We heard the commotion in the woods, I went to investigate and saw your friend over there”—he nodded in Erika’s direction—“crying for you as they loaded you into the ambulance. I told Ramona about it, and she agreed I should come see you.”
“Did you, uh, happen to see another wolf there?” It was a long shot to think he would’ve seen her mysterious protector, but she had to know. If he even got a look at his face…
“No, but I did smell one around. I almost missed it actually. Ramona’s scent seemed to be lingering there. I just figured it might’ve been another escapee, though.” He shrugged.
“Hm,” Mia hummed, looking away disappointed.
“Why the long face?”
“A wolf saved me from Harris, but I didn’t get a good look at his face. I was kind of hoping I could thank him.”
He nodded at her. “I hope you get the chance to.”
She absent-mindedly nodded back, staring down at her hands in her lap.
After a moment of silence, Jay asked, “Would you mind telling me how you ended up back with Harris?”
Mia turned to look at him. She hadn’t given much thought to everything that happened in that decrepit lab. Especially given how fuzzy her memory after being injected with Dr. Harris’s serum was.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he said. “I’m just curious, and I’m sure Ramona will be annoyed if she doesn’t get an answer.”
“No, it’s fine. I just—where to start?” She took a deep breath before telling him about getting shot in the leg, hit by a car, and spending her time at the cabin. “He found me there and forced me to go with him—”
“You were kidnapped… again?” He laughed.
Mia nervously looked at Erika, grateful that she was too exhausted to wake from Jay’s booming laughter. She shushed him, and he immediately quieted down.
“That’s, what, three times now? You know what they say about threes?” he joked.
“What, that three’s a pattern?”
“Exactly.”
“It’s not like I wanted to get kidnapped!” She smacked his arm and shook her hand out when it actually hurt her. He looked at her peculiarly.
“Okay, okay. Finish your story then, what happened next?”
Mia leaned back into her pillows. “He used me as a guinea pig for one of his serums.”
Jay raised his eyebrows at her.
“Turns out, Harris was hired to make a cure to vampirism for some guy’s wife. Clearly, he took it upon himself to do more than just that, but…” Mia shook her head in disbelief. “He did it. His cure worked, and I guess I’m human again.”
Jay’s eyes widened. “You’re… human again?”
Mia looked over at him. “As far as they can tell, yeah.”
“Shit,” he breathed out. “That explains the bandage then—” He gestured to her cheek. “I thought it was just for show.”
“We’re not sure if it’s permanent yet, though. So I have to go in for weekly blood tests.” She shuddered at the thought of being pricked with a needle again. “But I actually get to go home.”
She sucked in a breath, letting herself feel that sentence for the first time. She was going home, and nothing could stop her this time. She just had to wait for her parents to get here; it was as simple as that.
Jay smiled at her, and she looked over at him.
“What’re you smiling at?”
“You. This is the first time I’ve ever seen you happy.” He put his hand on her shoulder and gently shook it. “It’s good to see you smile, kid.”
“You know, I’m almost twenty-two, not exactly a kid.”
Jay laughed at her again. “I’ve got over ten years on ya, that makes you a kid to me.”
She laughed with him, really letting herself feel happy again. “I guess you got me there.”
He settled his laughter and sighed. “I should really get back to Ramona before she starts worrying I was taken again.”
Mia’s smile faltered.
“Hey, it’s not goodbye forever,” he said. “Why don’t you write down your address for me? I’ll send you a letter once I find my daughter again.”
“Of course, just ask the nurse for a pen and paper for me?”
He nodded and walked out the door, returning a few moments later, pen and paper in hand.
She wrote down her address and handed it back to him. “Hey, Jay?”
“Hm?”
“I hope you find her, and that she’s safe and sound.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Mia.”
They said their goodbyes, and she lay back in her pillows again. She was ecstatic to hear they both made it out safe and sound. Everyone was getting back to their normal lives again.
Mia yawned. Her meeting with Jay had worn her out more than she thought it would. Maybe she would finally be able to rest for an hour before her parents arrived to bring her home.
Her eyes fluttered closed, and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.
-
Mia slowly opened her eyes, blinking away the pain the fluorescent lights caused.
“Mia?” her mother asked. The chair she was in creaked with her movement.
“Mom?” Mia grumbled, wiping the last signs of sleep from her eyes as she sat up.
She looked to her left to see her mother leaning close to the bed. Her brown eyes were wide and filled with tears, her auburn hair in a messy bun, the strands sticking out haphazardly like it wasn’t brushed before she styled it.
She covered her mouth with one hand, while the other was shakily outstretched in Mia’s direction. Hovering over her bed as if touching her would suddenly make her disappear.
“Mom!” Mia breathed. She hastily moved to hug her mother but winced back when pain shot through her entire body.
Her mother looked shocked to see her in pain and bent over to hug her instead.
“Oh, Mia,” she said, kissing the top of her head. “My Mia, you’re finally back.”
She pulled away, wiping her tears. Mia smiled while her mother cupped her face.
Her mother’s eyes flicked to the gauze over her cheek and back to her eyes. “Oh, my darling, what’s happened to you?”
Mia shut her eyes and looked away. She hated that question with a burning passion. She couldn’t tell her parents the truth; they’d probably think whatever happened to her caused some sort of psychotic break, the stories she’d loved to read and write about blending together so she couldn’t tell reality from fiction. Or, on the off chance they did believe her, they would never look at her the same way again. Their only daughter, their precious baby girl was turned into vampire, a monster by their standards, and forced to endure countless tortures. How would they possibly see her the same way?
“Oh honey, it’s alright.” Her mother petted her head again. “You don’t have to tell us until you’re ready.”
Mia nodded at her.
“They didn’t have any flavored creamers, so I just got you—” Her father stopped in his tracks. He looked between Mia and her mother, his eyes filling with tears.
Her mother walked over and took the coffees out of his hands before he could drop them. As soon as they were gone, he was by her bedside, pulling her into a tight hug.
Her entire body screamed in agony at the embrace.
“Mia!” He sighed with relief, peppering kisses all over the top of her head. “My god, Mia! You’re okay. You’re really okay!”
“Dad, you’re crushing me,” she squeaked out.
He instantly let her go, wiping the tears from his eyes. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, we’ve been looking for you for so long. I just…” He choked on his tears again.
“I know.” She smiled at him, wiping at her own face. She looked around the room, noticing for the first time since she woke up that Erika was missing. “Where did Erika go?”
“Her boyfriend stopped by a little while after we got here and took her back to their cabin,” her dad said.
“But she says she’ll be back in town the day after tomorrow. She thought we could use the family time,” her mom chimed in.
Her father stood up and made his way towards the door. “And speaking of family time, how ’bout I find that nurse so we can finally get you back home?”
-
Mia had a long car ride ahead of her, and the nurse had given her heavy painkillers before they left so she would be more comfortable. She could’ve handled the pain, though; after everything that she’d been through, a little discomfort would be nothing.
Watching the trees fly by outside the car window was oddly comforting. It meant she was finally free; she was finally going home. Back to her family, back to her friends, and back to normalcy. Or whatever could be considered normal with weekly tests to make sure the cure was holding up and the knowledge that the supernatural existed out there.
There was so much she wanted to do now that she was free. She wanted to make sure Dawn, Isaac, and Katya were okay after Priscilla’s death. It seemed a bit strange to her, that she’d willingly return to her captors. But Dawn had become like a sister to her, and without Priscilla… she had to feel so lost.
She needed to let Peter and Nixie know that she was all right. They must have been so worried when she stopped writing to them. There was a chance Isaac might’ve filled them in on her disappearance, but it was a very slim one.
Then there was Thea, Zeke, and Elliott. She felt a tug in her heart at the thought of seeing them all again. She wished to know why Thea and Zeke were together that night she saw Elliott last. Were they in a relationship now? She smiled at the thought. They would make a cute couple.
And Elliott, she desperately wanted, no, needed to see him again. The closer she got to home, the more she felt that invisible string on her heart tighten in anticipation of seeing him again.
“Hey, Mom, do you think that, um… maybe we could see if Thea or… Elliott would want to visit tonight?” she asked hesitantly.
Her parents looked at each other for a moment but didn’t say anything, and her father turned his attention back to the road. Her heart dropped. Did Elliott give up on her? Had her fears of finding him with someone else come true?
“Mom?” she asked again.
She hesitated for a moment. “We… couldn’t get a hold of Elliott earlier, sweetie. Thea said she’d tell him when she saw him again, but…”
“We haven’t spoken to him in months. He seemed really broken up after your disappearance, but when we left to look for you ourselves, he didn’t bother to keep in contact with us,” her father said, finishing her mother’s thought.
“Oh,” Mia said sadly.
He hadn’t tried to keep in touch? Or even bothered to pick up the phone when her parents called?
She frowned. He must have given up on her then.
“It’s possible he was just asleep, though. It was pretty early when we called,” her mother said, attempting to cheer her up. “We can always try again after your appointment tomorrow. We’ll be in Oak Creek anyway. Apparently that’s where this ‘specialist’ you have to see is.”
“My appointments are all the way in Oak Creek?” she asked, surprised.
“Mhm,” her mother hummed.
“You won’t be wanting any visitors later anyway,” her father chimed in. “The nurse gave us some medication to give you once you get settled in. It’ll make you pretty drowsy, but it’s supposed to help you recover faster.”
“Right.” She leaned on her elbow and stared out the window again. She thought for a moment that she saw her wolf protector running through the trees beside them, but just as fast as she saw him, he disappeared.
-
The sense of happiness Mia felt when she entered her childhood home again was overwhelming. Tears crowded her eyes, and she wandered into the living room in a daze. She sat on the couch and just cried, hugging one of the throw pillows for comfort.
Home. She was home.
Her parents sat on either side of her, rubbing her back as she let it all out. When she finally composed herself enough, her father ushered her up the stairs to her room, suggesting she rested while her mother made her something to eat.
She stepped into her tiny bedroom, everything looking almost the same as she had left it. Her bed sat across from the doorway, still made up in her purple comforter with a knitted blanket she’d had since she was a kid. The duffel bag she had dropped on the ground when Katya took her sat on top of it, unopened.
She walked over and picked it up, tossing it onto the floor. Though she wanted to sort through it, to remember what she’d even packed in there in the first place, throwing it on the floor was almost too much effort for her still recovering body. She sat on the bed and looked around. Her parents had brought all of her things home from her dorm. The photos from her desk there were now precariously placed around the one across from her, and the small television was on top of the dresser at the end of her bed, just inches away from the bottom of the slanted ceiling.
“We wanted to make sure everything still looked the same for you, for when you got back,” her mom said from the doorway. She walked in and sat next to Mia, handing her a plate with a grilled cheese sandwich on it. “We never lost hope that we’d find you again.” She pulled Mia close, petting her hair. “Now eat up and get comfortable, I’ll put on a movie for you, and you just rest until tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay, Mom,” she said, smiling at her.
Her mother stood up and walked towards the door before stopping and turning around. “Oh, I also found these tucked away in the bathroom cabinet,” she said, pulling out a case from her back pocket. She handed it to Mia, and inside lay one of her old pair of glasses. They were big and round, nothing like the heart-shaped ones she hadn’t realized she’d missed so much. “They’re a few prescriptions behind, but I’m sure they’ll be better on your eyes than wearing nothing at all.”
Mia took them and hesitantly placed them on her face. Everything was blurry with them on. Even though she was human again, her eyesight seemed to have stayed as perfect as when she was a vampire.
“We can see about getting you new ones after your appointment tomorrow.” She kissed the top of Mia’s head and left her alone in her room.
After eating, she changed into the comfiest pair of pajamas she could find and snuggled down into her bed. It wasn’t long before her mother returned with her medication. She put on a movie, which Mia only saw about half of before her eyes fluttered closed and she was fast asleep.
Now that I’ve finished the entire Mismet Souls series, I can confidently express what a surprise this new-to-me author is!
I initially signed up for the ARC of Awakened Souls without realizing it was the third book in the series. This turned out to be a fortunate surprise, as it allowed me to experience all the intricate twists, dynamic characters, and emotional stakes from the very beginning. Book one was a bit hard to get through, but it captivated me enough to want to find out how the story ended. I'm so glad I stuck with it!
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Awakened Souls delivers an emotional and thrilling conclusion to the series, which had me hooked from start to finish. I'll admit, this took me a while to read since I had to start with book one. But it was so worth it, I completely fell in love with all the twists and characters that the author has created.
After that crazy book two ending, Mia’s return home is filled with hope and some tension. I also loved Elliott's perspective, which added another layer to the narrative. His dreams have finally come true; Mia is alive and coming back to him... but it's obvious that with her return comes danger. The looming threat of his father’s schemes creates suspense that runs through the entire story, forcing Elliott to confront challenges that are as emotional as they are physical.
I really liked their romance in this third book! Watching them grow, confront fears, and protect one another added depth to their romance.
I thought the story balanced all the supernatural elements, suspenseful threats, and the personal growth of the characters perfectly, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout. I also wanted to mention the pacing/writing of the book; it was a little fast for my liking, but I loved the short chapters! Reading this was like a breeze.
At its heart, Awakened Souls had everything I could have hoped for. It was more than just a romance or a young adult supernatural fantasy—it’s a story about resilience, trust, and the power of love in the face of overwhelming odds. Not to mention all the secrets, danger, and twists, plus the emotional core of Mia and Elliott’s relationship. But in all honesty, it was overall a very satisfying conclusion to the series! I'm going to miss all these characters.