Blood Match

Chapter 54: From This Day to My Last Day

Tonight’s chapter slows the fire to a steady flame. After judgment and upheaval, this is a moment of healing, legacy, and choice. Bonds are affirmed, secrets from the past come to light, and the true heart of the Crown of Fire is revealed in words that will echo through the story:

From this day to my last day.

Leo and Liam entered the drawing room. It was the same room where they had met Don Antonio and his entourage the first time. Joseph, Tristan, Mercy, Kara, Edward and Diana, Maria, and Alexi were already there. Leo and Liam went and sat on one of the leather couches. Tristan looked at Mercy, and she simply pushed him toward them.

Tristan sat down on the floor, cross-legged, his back resting against one of Leo’s and one of Liam’s legs. Almost unconsciously, Liam placed his hand on the back of Tristan’s neck while Leo rested his hand on Tristan’s shoulder. It was as if the three of them needed this contact to reassure themselves that they were still bonded.

Liam sat quietly, Leo a strong, comforting presence both in his mind and next to him. Tristan trembled slightly under his hand; he stroked his neck to provide comfort, silently acknowledging the pain Tristan had gone through in the attack. Tristan glanced up at Liam, and then at Leo, as if to reassure himself they were truly there. Liam understood—Tristan’s world had been shattered and remade in a matter of hours. It would take time for his emotions to settle. Now, the only thing Liam and Leo could do was be that calm, enduring presence.

As Liam was lost in thought, he became aware of whispered conversations just outside his conscious perception—like the low hum of voices in another room. He took a moment and allowed himself to center, plunging deep within, by instinct, finding his core. Then, suddenly, he could hear and see: ghostly images of Don Fernando and Lady Genevieve, moments spent in quiet companionship in this very room. Moments of joy, and moments of heartbreak.

It was a misty tableau of memory.

Liam instinctively shared his sight with Leo and felt Leo’s breath catch as he witnessed the scenes of his father and Genevieve—glimpses of their everyday lives, when the manor house was still the residence of the Sanguinis Divina.

Liam felt Leo almost reach out for his sire. He grasped his hand, allowing his warmth to ground Leo. A single tear ran down Leo’s cheek. Liam reached up and brushed it away.

Thank you for this, my love.

Liam heard the thought clearly in Leo’s strong tenor voice. He looked into his eyes, not speaking but still communicating.

They are here with us—in this place where they lived and loved each other. In you, in your blood and bone. They will always be here, whispering in the backs of our minds, the constant refrain of their love.

Maria got up from her place, grace in silence. Moving over to where Don Fernando and Lady Genevieve’s portrait hung on the wall, she took a moment to light the small vigil candle that sat on the credenza beneath the painting. Looking up, she spoke solemnly:

“Nando, your son has come home, and he is everything you wished him to be. Genna, your blood has awakened once more, and the crown of fire has been found.”

As Maria spoke, Tristan took a moment to reach for Liam’s hand while resting his head on Leo’s leg. He simply allowed himself to feel the love that flowed between them—to ground himself in the steady strength of Leo, who had been a presence in his life since birth, and to appreciate the overwhelming, quiet love of the man who had brought his beloved Leo out of darkness.

At that moment, Liam understood.

“It’s okay, Tris. We are here, and we will never leave you again. We are family, and you are loved.”

Tristan looked up at Liam, unshed tears in his eyes.

After a moment of silence, Alexi quietly called Leo’s name.

“There is something I have carried for the last four hundred years, and it is time I pass the responsibility to its rightful owner.”

Leo looked at Alexi, quiet, waiting.

“It is time that the Corona De Fuego pass to its true leader. I return—”

Leo spoke quietly. “Alexi, the Corona De Fuego is yours and always will be. I have no intention of taking leadership of the coven from you.”

Alexi smiled and shook his head slowly. “No, Divina—you misunderstand me. The Corona was never yours to lead. It belongs to Liam.”

In that moment, Liam looked at Alexi, silent, waiting.

“Four hundred years ago, in this very room, I spoke with a Divina I loved with my whole heart. He had given me a task, and I obeyed without question. He said…”

“You have done what I asked, yes?” Fernando said, as he sat behind his desk. Genevieve was at her desk, going over the household account books. Fernando looked over at her as she concentrated, his heart full of love for this woman who had become mother to him—and the most important person in his life. His Blood Match.

Alexi broke him out of his reverie with his answer. “Yes, I have started to build the new coven as you requested. But Don Fernando, why is it called Corona De Fuego? Why not something that connects it to the Sanguinis Divina legacy?”

“Alexi, let me tell you a secret. The power that the Divina holds is a partnership. We ascend when we find that one mortal who is fated for us. In all the world there is only one, and when they are found, it is not the Divina who makes the choice to be bonded. It is the mortal. The Divina bloodline is a partnership—but not an equal one. The Divina is subordinate to the Blood Match. Genevieve is the mistress in this relationship, and I, in love, serve her.”

Genevieve looked up at that moment, and the look of love she gave Fernando—the love she had for her precious son—would have caused the sun to rise.

“Nando, how could I not say yes to you, my precious boy? My heart is full, and you are the center of my world.”

Alexi waited until Fernando chose to speak.

“In the future, I will not be here, and mi pequeño León will need the power of a coven at his back. Corona De Fuego will be that coven—but it will not belong to him. On the day he ascends, you will understand why Genevieve chose the name of your new coven. I entrust you with Leonidas. Watch his back, support him from the shadows, and when he calls, answer as you would me.”

“Yes, Don Fernando. My loyalty—always.”

Alexi bowed and left the study. There was much to do, and the years would stretch long. The crown would blaze across the centuries.

For a moment, no one moved or uttered a sound. Then, in a quiet voice, Liam spoke.

“That was what they meant when they asked, ‘Will you choose him?’ ”

“Who, sunshine?” Leo said, looking over at Liam.

“The Weird Sisters—Hecate and Theia. They said I had to make the choice. They said, ‘Return, time is running short,’ and that was when I woke up and found Leo. And I told him I chose him. I would always choose him—from this day to my last day.”

Leo pulled Liam to him and planted a kiss on his head. “I love you, sunshine. Now and always.”

Maria spoke up from where she was standing by the portrait. “So it is the mortal who must choose the bond—and by doing so, the Divina receives their power.”

“Yes,” Alexi said, “this is how Don Fernando explained it to me those many years ago.”

✨ Author’s Closing Note ✨
This chapter marks a pause in the storm—a moment of healing, revelation, and choice. The bond between Leo, Liam, and Tristan has reached its full shape, and the truth of the Blood Match has been spoken at last.

The flame burns brighter now, and the path ahead will demand even more.

Until then, protect the flame.