Even in death, they are bound to each other.
Mia Ardent was dead.
Of that, Elliott was sure. He felt it as if her death was his own. Now, he wants his revenge on those who took her from him. But will he be able to end their lives without losing himself in the process?
Elliott Pierce is lost to her.
At least, thatâs what Mia believes. Now awakened as a vampire, she must learn how to live as one of the undead. Yet, she stills yearns for her old life. When the threat of disappearing supernatural creatures draws her and her newfound family far away from Oak Creek, is there any chance of her ever getting back home?
Even in death, they are bound to each other.
Mia Ardent was dead.
Of that, Elliott was sure. He felt it as if her death was his own. Now, he wants his revenge on those who took her from him. But will he be able to end their lives without losing himself in the process?
Elliott Pierce is lost to her.
At least, thatâs what Mia believes. Now awakened as a vampire, she must learn how to live as one of the undead. Yet, she stills yearns for her old life. When the threat of disappearing supernatural creatures draws her and her newfound family far away from Oak Creek, is there any chance of her ever getting back home?
Elliottâs throat was on fire, and his head felt like it was about to split in two.
She was dying. Mia was dying, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. His brain was pounding in his skull as white blotches filled his vision. He found it difficult to breathe or even speak.
He intensely needed to scream, to howl, to make any noise at all, but his own body betrayed him. His throat was closing up. It was like he was choking on something. What had they done to her?
âLucy!â he screamed in his head, hoping his half-sister was near enough to hear him.
It wasnât long before she was by his side, screaming something he couldnât understand. His ears were ringing, and nothing made sense. She shook him, desperately trying to get him to respond.
Her eyes quickly filled with understanding, and tears pricked their corners. She blinked them away and, when she realized he wasnât coming to anytime soon, shifted into a wolf and ran back into the woods. She returned a few moments later, holding their bags in her teeth.
She shifted back and changed into the clothes from her bag before walking to the nearest tree and sitting by the trunk. She wrapped her arms around her knees and brought them to her chest, watching her brother with dread-filled eyes.
He rocked back and forth, trying to steady his breathing.
âPlease, Mia, donât leave me,â he whispered to himself.
As the last of her life force gradually drained, Elliott could feel the breath returning to his lungs. Although the pain had dissipated, there was now an emptiness he could feel in his very soul. Whatever connection they had before was gone, and the tears wouldnât stop falling from his eyes. There was now a piece of himself missing, and that hole could never be filled.
He would never again see that embarrassed smile she gave him after they kissed or feel her melt into his touch when he stroked her hair. Never hear that melodious laugh when he joked with her or smell her sweet cinnamon cookie scent.Â
He uncurled himself from the ball he was stuck in and sucked in a huge gulp of air. It tasted stale in his mouth. Lucy jumped at the noise and was immediately by his side again, dropping his bag next to him and hovering her hands over his shoulders.
âElliott?â she said hesitantly, the sound no more than a whisper escaping her lips.
He turned his head slowly towards her, a dull pain still resonating in the back of his neck. He let his tears overflow down his cheeks as he took in his sisterâs worried face.
âElliott⌠tell me sheâs notâŚâ she begged, her voice wavering as she was on the verge of tears.
He shut his eyes tight in pain as he remembered Lucy was there for Avaâs death, too. She knew what this was the moment she ran up to him.
He couldnât form the words as he rolled over into her arms and sobbed.
She hugged him tight, tears escaping her eyes as well.
Why would they suddenly kill her after all this time? It made no sense to him. Was it because he had come after them? Was he that close to finding her, that their only option was to kill her? What did they have to gain from that? Surely they would know heâd be out for blood now.
âWhy⌠why would they do this?â Lucy asked through her sobs, her thoughts echoing his own.
âI donât knowâŚâ he whimpered. After a few moments of silence, he caught his breath again and sat up, wiping his tears off on his arm. âBut thereâs no way they got away from us in time to kill her. You went after the redhead, right?â
âY-yeah. I almost caught her when I heard you scream.â Lucy sniffled.
âAnd that boy didnât seem like the type to kill, soâŚâ
âThereâs more than three of themâŚâ Lucy said with wide eyes.
He nodded at her.
âWe have to go after themâŚâ she said after they sat in silence for a few moments. âWe canât⌠we canât just let her death go unavenged.â
He moved out of her arms and attempted to stand. Pain radiated throughout his body, and he fell back on the ground. He lay on his back and placed his arm over his face in defeat.
âI canât, LucyâŚâ he gasped, still trying to regulate his breathing. âMy whole body still feels like itâs on fire.â
âThen when youâre ready.â She nodded.
âWe need Mom and Tristan if weâre going after a whole group of vampiresâŚâ he thought aloud. His mother and brother would surely help. Then he thought of his friend and said, âMaybe even Zeke.âÂ
He tossed his arm off his face and stared up at the starry night sky. There was no moon to light up the forest. Just darkness, like he felt inside.
âWeâve got to find where theyâre hiding first,â Lucy said, following his gaze up towards the stars.
âAnd when we do, I swear Iâm going to kill every last one of them,â he growled and sat up. âAnd then Iâm going after my father.â
It's been a while since I last read a book like Intertwined Souls by Marissa A, so when I read the synopsis I knew I had to pick it up. It reminded me of the books I used to read in my teen years and I wanted to revisit that genre. Since it has been a while since I read a book like this, I wasn't sure what to expect but Intertwined Souls was a fun read.
I did have to read book one, Mismet Souls, beforehand to understand what was going on in Intertwined Souls, since book two jumps right into the action. From page one, things are happening, and if you haven't read the first book in the series you will be a little bit lost. Marissa A's writing is good, I did struggle a little with the pace in some places throughout the book but it didn't happen that often to stop me from enjoying the story. It also improves from book one to book two, and I love to see writers improving their craft through their series. The characters are nice, but of course, since this is the second installment of the series, you do have to read book one to get a full picture. The plot itself is interesting, I won't be mentioning any spoilers because I don't want to ruin the story for anyone, but I will say this, I was genuinely surprised by some of the things that happened. In a positive way. From what I understand, there will be a third installment, I don't know when but I can't wait to read it. I had fun reading this series and I'm looking forward to the big finale.
The only thing left to say is that Intertwined Souls by Marissa A was a fun read that you should add to your TBR list if you like paranormal romances. If you like the genre, I'm sure you will enjoy this book.