“Everything is coming together,” Magnar agreed. “You did well today.”
“Let’s just hope it’s enough. I can feel us drawing closer to Montana. It’s like my soul is wired to hers. I’m only worried that we could still be too late to stop Erik Belvedere from forcing himself on her...”
“We won’t be,” Magnar replied firmly. “We will save her from that monster.”
The inch of space between us felt like a chasm that couldn’t be breached but I shifted my hand closer to him all the same. The urge to move away again battered against me but I fought it, ignoring the ache in my muscles as my hand slowly slid closer.
My fingertips brushed against his for the briefest moment and he turned to look at me in surprise.
Idun’s power hit me with more force and I snatched my hand back, sagging against the wall as exhaustion washed over me.
Considering she was supposed to be helping us, that goddess really was an asshole.
I yawned widely and leant my head back.
“You should sleep,” Magnar said gently and I appreciated the fact that he hadn’t commanded me to do so.
It had been a long day and my body was crying out for rest. When we made it to New York we’d have so much to do that we couldn’t guarantee the next time we’d get to sleep. This might be the best chance we had.
“So should you,” I replied as I yawned again.
“I’ll keep watch.”
“Mmmhmm.” There was no point in trying to argue with him. If he didn’t want to sleep then that was his business but I on the other hand was going to take as much rest as I could get.
My eyes fell shut and sleep came for me like a tide. I gratefully fell into its embrace and let my problems slip away for a little while.
Daylight.
A storm of noise.
Hands on my shoulders.
“We need you! Brother stand up, get to your feet!” The voice was Fabian's and for a moment I wondered if I was imagining his arms around me. After all my years in solitude in this cave, his touch was as alien to me as the heat of the sun.
He clutched my face, forcing me to look at him. “Speak to me!” he begged and I met his wild eyes and took in his bedraggled hair.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out, the hunger had stolen the last of them.
He lifted me, dropping me over his shoulder and carrying me through a hole in the wall. How was that possible? The gods had sealed it long ago.
I gazed back into the darkness and Andvari's voice drifted into my ears. “Time to go.”
I shook my head, reaching out a hand as I tried to hold onto the edge of the rocks, but Fabian dragged me away.
He ran with me and I squinted against the blinding light of the world despite the dark clouds hanging above. My ears rang and a thousand forgotten smells clutched my senses.
The forest was a blur of dark green. The rush of the river faded away: my constant companion.
I tried to make my mouth form a word, but nothing came. I was a starving husk.
When Fabian eventually placed me on my feet, the roar of a battle found me. My eyes sharpened and I took in a sprawling field of wildflowers, cut down under the feet of nearly a thousand slayers.
Clarice swept through them like a tornado, killing tens of men with claws and sharp teeth, ripping bodies apart. Miles stood beyond her, wielding a shining blade and spilling guts as easily as slicing open the flesh of fruit. Other vampires joined our ranks, fighting tooth and nail, turning to dust before my eyes when slayers' blades found their hearts. Fabian raised his hands and a dark cloud swept closer over the hill. A swarm of ravens descended on the slayers, pecking at their eyes and bare skin.
I absorbed the sight in less than two seconds. And I cared about none of it. The only thing present to me in that battle was blood. The sweetest thing I'd ever smelled after two hundred years without it. I lost all control and gave in to the thirst, flooded by the desperate longing to sate this need.
I sprinted toward the nearest slayer, ripped his head sideways and drank deep. Casting him aside, I dragged the next one close, tearing out her throat.
Blood. Kill. Blood. Kill.
I saw red. It stained my whole world. It rained down on me as my body moved, becoming stronger than I'd ever imagined was possible.
Andvari was close, cackling in my ear and I felt his strength reaching into my body and lending me the power I needed to devour a whole army.
The horrified cries of men and women drummed in my ears. I never stopped. I barely saw them fall as I found more necks, more skin, more blood.
Rip. Slash. Drink.
Over and over. I made a path through the battle like a hurricane devouring the land. Not one blow found me. Not one blade touched my skin. I was too fast, too strong. The curse pounded through my veins and created a monster so fierce that the slayers didn’t stand a chance.
One hundred, two hundred. I couldn't count how many fell at my feet. Soon I was climbing over mounds of bodies, desperate for the next throat, driven by this single need and nothing else.
Three hundred, four hundred.
The rest of my kind pressed their advantage, but I could have done it single-handed. The battlefield ran red with the blood of the slayers and I waded through it towards the final man still living.
His unruly hair hung around his shoulders. He was dripping in the blood of his comrades, his eyes haunted, but still determined. He was on his knees, clutching a gaping hole in his stomach.
The only vampires who remained alive were my family. Clarice, Miles and Fabian closed in until we were ringed around the slayer. My family's wide eyes turned to me as I approached.
Blood dripped steadily from my body and the tang of it surrounded me.
As the final slayer looked to me, he lifted his sword, ready to die for his cause.
Andvari's strength withdrew from me and I gasped, shuddering as I bent forward.
The hunger was gone. I was whole once more and yet more broken than I'd ever been.
I lifted my head, gazing across the massacre I'd caused with a suffocating wave of guilt.
I shook my head as Fabian slammed a hand to my shoulder. “Brother, you can finish the last. You have saved us all.”
“No I...” I shook my head again, pain flaring through my chest. I had risen the debt on my head by a thousand lives. I was more than a monster. I was an abomination.
I stepped back from the final slayer who was glancing between us as if trying to decide who to lunge for. Even in his injured state, he hadn't given up.
I drew closer, lowering to my knees before him.
“Erik!” Fabian barked at me.
The slayer slashed his sword toward me and I caught his wrist, crushing it in my grip. The blade made a thunk as it hit the ground and Clarice hurried forward to kick it out of his reach.
I gazed into the golden eyes of the warrior and reached out, pressing a hand to his warm cheek. Though he was growing colder and the light in his eyes was fading, life still thrummed in his veins like a hummingbird. As I held him, he crashed backwards onto the ground, groaning in defeat. I crawled over him, frowning as I drank in the last of the life in his eyes.
“Freya,” he whispered, his eyes distant. “I love you, dear wife. I wish I could come to you now.”
“You won't make it off of the battlefield,” I said. “You've lost too much blood.”
He reached up with a shaking hand and gripped the back of my neck, but he didn’t seem to see me. “My sons, my boys. Magnar...Julius, take care of your mother.”
“Finish it, Erik,” Fabian growled.
Andvari drew near and I shuddered as his presence slipped over me. “Warrior born and monster made.”
Shock flooded me as I found new meaning in the words. Was this the answer? Turn a slayer into one of us? Was that what the prophecy meant?
I'd never sired a human before, but I'd seen the others do it. And if this was the answer, I had to do it. Lifting my wrist to my mouth
, I dug my fangs in deep then held the wound to the man's lips.
He choked and spluttered but was too weak to fight me off. When I was certain he'd swallowed, I lifted his wrist and slid my teeth into it, releasing my venom into his veins.
He gasped, turning pale beneath me, trying to pull his arm free of me. His eyes glazed as the venom took root in his body and I extracted my fangs from his skin.
“Is this it?” I asked Andvari but he only chuckled in response.
My kin were moving closer, muttering as they watched.
If I was right, the curse would be broken. This slayer would be a vampire and perhaps that meant he would be given back his life too.
I took hold of the man's head and his eyes widened as he realised what I was about to do. A sharp crack cut through the silent air as I snapped his neck. He fell still and I looked to my family, finding concern in their eyes.
“A slayer, Erik? Is that a good idea?” Miles asked, moving closer. His blonde locks were drenched with blood and his usually soft features looked hard for once.
I shrugged, reaching out to Andvari for an answer but he gave me no confirmation.
The slayer beneath me jerked with life and I stood above him, watching as the wound on his stomach knitted over. He reared upwards, his eyes wide as he clutched his throat, the first moments of blood lust finding him.
I knew how hungry he'd be so quickly pulled a body closer for him to feast on. The man fell on it like an animal, drinking the blood of his comrade before regaining his senses and lurching backwards. His beard was thick with blood and his eyes wide with horror.
“You can go home now,” I said as he rose to his feet.
He gazed at me with a burning intensity, then lunged toward his sword on the floor. I was surprised he could still touch it. The four of us tensed but he didn't fight us. He fled, running across the battlefield at high speed and I turned my face to the grey sky, praying Andvari would show himself.
“Is this enough?!” I roared, but no answer came. Only the low whispers of my family reached my ears.
“Good idea,” Fabian announced. “He will kill his entire clan.”
My throat tightened as I turned to my brother, fear stroking my heart. As Andvari's taunting laughter reached me once more, I realised I'd been tricked by the god.
No...what have I done?
I gazed out of the bell tower with trepidation in my heart. Although it was almost morning, the moon was still out and the stars were still twinkling. We had to leave early. The cover of darkness was the only advantage we had to get into the city.
It had been hard getting sleep crammed under the blankets next to Julius’s huge form, but even harder with my thoughts caught in a whirlwind.
I needed to go back to Erik on my own terms. Walking into his household wasn’t something I was going to take lightly. I refused to be a prisoner again. The plan Julius and I had come up with was not only reckless, but downright dangerous. But if we pulled it off, Erik would have to abide by the rules I laid out for him.
Julius was busy packing his belongings into a bag. When everything from his steel blades, to the smoke bombs and food was tucked inside it, he lifted it onto his back then strung his bow over his shoulder. “We won't be able to come back here after today,” he said.
“Why not?” I asked.
“It's only a matter of time until the Familiars locate this place.” He held out his robe. “Here, you’ll get cold. I don’t tend to feel it as much.”
I took the black material, wrapping it around my shoulders. “Thank you.”
“And you’ll be needing this.” He took Nightmare from his belt with a sideways smile.
“I can have it back?” I asked with a flutter of joy.
“It is more loyal to you than me. Besides, I have my bow. And maybe I’ll get my old sword back today if Valentina decided to keep it.” He chuckled and I couldn’t help a laugh.
“After she pulled it out of her stomach?” I teased.
“Yes. By the gods, I doubt she will forgive me for that.”
“Do you think you can handle her if she decides to fight?” I asked with a trickle of concern.
“Absolutely.” He grinned, saying no more as he headed across the space toward the stairwell.
I followed, tucking Nightmare inside a pocket in the robe. “How are we going to get back to the city without the Familiars spotting us?”
“We’re not,” Julius said simply and my heart doubled its pace.
“But if Fabian sees us, he’ll send an army to catch us,” I pressed as we headed down the dark staircase.
“Trust me, damsel,” he urged.
“I will if you stop calling me that,” I said airily.
“Deal.” He strode toward his bike as we arrived in the room below the tower and steered it toward the door.
“On you get,” he said, patting the leather seat.
I raised my brows. “What? I don’t have to ride draped over your lap today? What a shame.”
He chuckled lightly. “You can if you prefer it.”
I fought a grin as I swung my leg over the seat. He unlocked the door before rolling me outside on the bike then took his bow from his shoulder.
“Twist the throttle back when I tell you.” He pointed to one of the handles and I gazed at the wall opposite with unease. “You won’t go anywhere, it’s not in gear.”
“Okay…” I said nervously, unsure what he was planning.
He kicked his foot down on a pedal and the engine rumbled to life. Julius swung his bow from his shoulder, placing an arrow into it in a fluid motion. “Now!” he shouted and I twisted the right handle hard.
The engine roared and smoke billowed from a pipe at the back of it. I gazed at Julius in alarm but he gestured for me to continue, aiming his bow toward the sky. A shadow swooped overhead and Julius loosed his arrow. It plunged into the chest of the enormous owl and the animal exploded into dust which rained down on us.
“Keep going!” Julius cried just as the sound of howls picked up in the distance.
My pulse drummed in my ears as I continued to make the engine thunder with noise.
Another shadow sailed overhead and Julius shot two arrows at it in quick succession. The small finch avoided the first, but the second hit home and it burst into grey ash.
A bark caught my ear and I turned sharply to face the noise, spotting a huge brown dog at the end of the street. “Julius!” I shouted and he turned toward it, releasing another arrow. The dog dodged it as it sprinted toward us, gaining speed by the second. Julius was calm in his movements as he pressed another arrow to his string, but my heart beat out of control.
I gasped as the dog came within a foot of him, launching itself into the air, its sharp teeth bared. The arrow slammed into its chest and it crumbled to dust, showering over Julius as he turned to me.
“Enough.” He knocked my hand from the bike handle and the engine softened to a purr. “The birds would be here if there were any more of them.”
My heart stumbled as three more dogs rounded onto the street, charging toward us at a ferocious pace.
Julius threw his leg over the seat in front of me, forcing me back. I clutched his waist as he pulled the throttle and turned us violently in the opposite direction to the hounds.
Their howls fell behind us as we took streets left and right, tearing down roads littered with bricks and chunks of concrete. Julius dodged them with incredible agility, swerving between the debris.
I gripped his waist tighter, holding on for dear life as the wind pulled my hair out behind me.
“What about the dogs?” I yelled in his ear.
“Forget them. They won’t keep up!” Julius shouted.
“But Fabian will know where we are!” I called.
“Not for long!” he laughed, taking a ninety-degree turn at a terrifying speed. The bike tilted hard to one side and I clung fiercely to Julius as my right knee nearly brushed the concrete.
The bike swung upright as he s
ped down the shadowy alleyway and I started to relax my body so I fell in sync with his movements, adrenaline flowing through my veins. A thrill went through me and a laugh escaped my lips.
We closed in on the ruins of a building which had a huge hole in the front of it. Julius didn’t slow as we approached and I flinched as we sped up a slab of concrete jutting from the ground, jumping over a mound of rubble and landing with a thump in the dark building. The sound of the engine echoed off of the walls and my stomach flew upwards as we descended down a steep ramp into a pitch black space.
We slowed to a halt and Julius kicked a stand down before dismounting the bike, lifting me off of it and planting me beside him. I didn’t have a moment to ask questions as he took my hand and started leading me deeper into the impenetrable darkness.
After a beat, a light illuminated the room and I spotted a flashlight shining on Julius’s phone. The bright blue glow lit up what seemed to be an underground parking lot. Ancient vehicles sat around the space, left to rot after the Final War.
“This way,” Julius urged, his hand still around mine as he guided me through the rusted carcasses of cars and trucks, leading us to the back of the lot. It should have felt awkward but I found his presence weirdly reassuring. I wondered if it was a slayer thing? Like something in my blood recognised our shared ancestry.
We arrived at a crumbling wall with a hole at the base of it. Julius crouched down, crawling into the gap and squeezing his broad frame through it.
I bent low, gazing after him with a flicker of anxiety.
“Come on,” he called from beyond the wall and I steeled myself, dropping to the floor and belly-crawling through it.
Julius helped me up and I took in the dank tunnel ahead.
“What is this place?” I asked, my face scrunching as a smell of decay entered my nostrils.
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 61
