“Callie, please,” Fabian begged. “At least let me see that you’re alright!”
“What?” I asked in confusion. “How can you see me?”
“He means to turn the camera on,” Montana explained quietly.
“Please,” he asked again and I could hear the desperation in his voice.
“Oh why the hell not?” Julius said with a dark smile. He slammed his thumb down on a button at the bottom of the screen as he pointed it towards me and Montana.
Suddenly I was looking back at an image of the two of us with the statue looming in the background. There was no mistaking where we were and I wondered what the hell Julius was playing at. He must have known the Belvederes could find us now.
I glanced at him in confusion and he shrugged innocently as the picture of us shrank and Erik and Fabian appeared.
I stared at them in surprise as Montana gasped in horror as she realised he’d done it intentionally.
“You bastard!” she swore as she lunged for the phone but Julius only laughed as he swung it around to face him and Magnar.
“See you at sunset, assholes,” Julius said before hitting another button and ending the call.
“You said you wouldn’t fight them!” Montana shouted angrily.
“No. We said we wouldn’t offer you as prizes. However, we made it clear we have every intention of killing them,” Julius shrugged.
“But what about the prophecy?” she asked.
“Our quarrel with them wouldn’t end if they stopped being immortal. They’re still the reason our people were wiped out. Erik still murdered our father,” Magnar replied.
“So you didn’t even care what we said?” I asked. “You always planned on fighting them?”
Magnar glanced at his brother and shrugged. “I don’t know why that would surprise you.”
I stared at him in shock, wondering what the hell I was supposed to say in response to that.
“I can convince Erik to stay away,” Montana breathed. “I can go to him and keep him from coming. Or we can just leave here, get as far away as we can before they get here-”
“No chance, damsel. We aren’t running from them and you can’t swim so you’re stuck here too,” Julius said stubbornly.
Montana stared between the two slayers hopelessly but it was obvious that their minds were made up.
“Callie?” she asked, looking to me for help.
I was torn, unsure what the best move was. I hated the idea of going anywhere near Fabian but if we let this fight take place then one of us was going to end up with a broken heart. And despite all my misgivings about her and Erik, I couldn’t willingly put her through that.
“You’re sure you can trust him?” I asked, my heart beating faster as I considered doing the unthinkable.
“I swear it Callie. You know I’d never risk you getting close to him if I wasn’t sure.”
I glanced at Magnar but he didn’t say anything, clearly not concerned about the fact that I was considering leaving with her. His arrogance made my jaw tick and pushed me to make a decision I hoped I wouldn’t regret.
“I’ll take you then. So long as he doesn’t let Fabian anywhere near me.”
“He won’t,” she promised, her eyes lighting with hope.
“Callie?” Magnar asked and my heart stuttered as I looked back up at him.
“I can’t let you fight them,” I began but he cut me off.
“You must not wear your mother’s ring.”
“What?” I frowned at him in confusion as his command fell over me and I knew I wouldn’t be able to so much as raise a hand towards the ring.
But that was all he said to me. No pleas for me to stay with him. No begging me to reconsider. Did he even care that I was planning to leave him here while I headed towards our enemies? He hadn’t even asked if I was planning to come back!
Magnar glanced at Julius and they exchanged a knowing look but made no move to stop us from going. They didn’t even try and convince us to stay.
Anger and hurt prickled at me but I refused to let him see it. I turned away from them, grabbing Montana’s arm and steering her towards the water.
“You're actually agreeing?” she asked in surprise and I let my anger fuel me as I reached for my gifts so that I would be ready to swim across the river back to the city.
“Yes,” I growled. “Hold onto me and I’ll pull you across.”
I glanced back at Magnar and Julius but they hadn’t moved. They both stood watching us with folded arms and barely concealed smirks on their faces like they thought something was hilarious.
I turned my back on them as Montana laced her arms around my neck and I crouched to dive in.
I took a deep breath and propelled myself forward but instead of diving into the water I crashed into something immovably solid and fell forward onto the floor with Montana on top of me.
Magnar and Julius started laughing behind us and I scowled at them as I scrambled back to my feet in confusion.
“You can’t leave remember, novice?” Magnar said.
I glanced at Montana in alarm as I realised he was right. The stupid vow which bound me to him stopped me from abandoning him or my cause. So if he wanted to stay on this island and wait for the Belvederes then that meant I was stuck here too. He’d stopped me from using the ring so that I couldn’t block his power over me.
“Sorry, Monty,” I breathed as I realised this fight was going to happen whether we liked it or not.
Her face fell and she looked back out towards the city desperately, as though she was hoping she might see Erik standing there so she could convince him to stay away.
I stormed back towards Magnar and Julius, half wanting to punch both of their stupid faces.
“You know, sometimes, I really fucking hate both of you,” I growled.
I was so angry with Julius and Magnar that I couldn’t bear to look at them as I stormed back into the museum. Callie’s shouts carried after me as she tried to talk them out of this fight, but their minds were clearly made up.
I wasn’t going to give in though. I’d find a way to reach Erik and stop this from happening.
As I moved through the dusty room, I searched for what I needed. Crossing the river with my feeble swimming skills was impossible. But maybe I didn’t need to swim the whole way. I just needed something to keep me afloat.
I moved to one of the wooden shelves on the wall, sweeping the contents off of it to the floor and taking Nightmare from my hip. Jamming the blade between the wall and the bracket holding it up, I wrenched it sideways and the shelf came loose. With a thrill dancing in my chest, I yanked the other bracket free and took the wooden plank in my grip. All I had to do was lay it on the water and kick my legs. I could make to shore. I had to. Because there was no way I was going to let Erik come here and risk his life for me.
I wouldn’t get far with the slayers watching me so I headed to the broken window and used the plank to clear the shattered glass from the sill. Tossing the shelf first, I took hold of the window ledge and launched myself over it. I hit the ground and stumbled, managing not to fall as I picked up the plank and tucked it under my arm.
I circled the statue away from the slayers, spying the city in the distance. I started jogging, then running flat out toward the river, knowing I was screwed if they realised I was missing.
I ran into the shallow waves, placing the plank down and making sure it floated. I watched as it bobbed on the surface, digging deep for my courage. The city suddenly seemed a hell of a lot further away than I’d banked on. But I could make it that far for Erik.
I lowered myself into the icy water, gripping onto the wood and kicking out my legs. I started moving further into the river and a grin gripped my features as I managed to gain some speed. I was fighting against the current, but a strength was growing inside me, helping me to battle it.
I can do this. Just keep going. Don’t give up.
A splash sounded behind me and I glanced back, my heart scre
aming as I spotted Julius powering toward me.
“No!” I shouted at him, kicking harder, willing my legs to get me away from him. But he was closing the distance fast and I was sure I couldn’t outpace him.
His arms seized me and emotion swallowed me up. I started hitting him, losing my grip on the shelf as he dragged me against his body.
“Stop,” he groaned, but I couldn’t. I was so angry. So hurt that he was willing to put us through this.
He cupped my cheeks, forcing me to look at him. “Stop, just stop.”
I fell into a pit of despair as tears sailed down my cheeks. “Don’t take him from me,” I begged, clinging to his shoulders as the plank sailed away down the river and I had no choice but to hold on to him.
He started swimming us back to shore and I fell limp in his arms as he sealed my fate. I’d have to watch them fight. I’d either have to see them kill Erik or be killed by him. And neither option was bearable.
My feet met the shallows and I stood upright, pushing away from Julius but he caught my hand. I couldn’t look at him as he tried to turn me toward him. I didn’t want to face whatever he was going to say. I didn’t want to hear it.
“Listen to me,” he said gently and I finally found it in me to lift my eyes to meet his. Water trickled steadily down his furrowed brow. “This fight between the slayers and the vampires is nothing to do with you and Callie. We’ve clashed a hundred times, we’re made to fight each other. This battle was always going to happen, whether Erik knew you or not.”
I ground my teeth, struggling to accept his words.
He went on, “I don’t want to hurt you, Montana, but this is going to happen. If it wasn’t today, it would be tomorrow, or next week, or next year. It’s already been put off too long. So today is as good a day as any.”
I tugged my hand free of his, sensing a wall building between us. I nodded, accepting it but despising it at once. I was stuck here and the slayers were going to fight Erik and his brother whether I liked it or not. And when the sun rose again tomorrow, my heart would be shattered one way or the other.
“I care about you as well,” I whispered. “I don’t want you to think Erik’s the only one I’m trying to save here. But if he dies, there’ll be no place in my heart for you anymore.”
A heavy weight seemed to hang over him at my words. “I wish things could be different…”
“Me too,” I said stiffly, setting my eye on the statue as I headed back onto dry land. The cold was nothing. I was too numb to feel it.
The sun was already arching through the sky toward the horizon. Time was slipping away too fast as if the day was anxious to give way to dusk. And the moment it did, the moon’s eye would rise to watch our fates be written in blood.
The sun fell lower in the sky and my gut clenched as I watched it dipping towards the horizon. I sat beneath the statue, my eyes straying to the sunset over the river more than once.
Magnar and Julius were sparring but I didn’t join them. I could feel Fabian drawing closer to me as if the missing part of my soul travelled with him too. I fiddled with my mother’s ring, wishing I could put it on to block out the part of me which cared about him. I didn’t want to be thinking about the colour of his eyes or hoping he might arrive earlier than expected...
Magnar laughed as he knocked Julius on his ass and I forced my attention onto them. Julius leapt to his feet and Magnar flexed his muscles as he stood his ground and absorbed the blow when they collided. The ground trembled at the force with which they hit each other and my lips parted in astonishment as they moved so quickly that it was hard to follow.
“What if I offered to leave with Erik when he gets here?” Montana asked as she finally stopped pacing and took a seat beside me.
The slayers had insisted we stay within their sight and she’d been raging about it all afternoon. My own anger had begun to wane and a heavy kind of acceptance hung over me. Magnar and Julius had been waiting for this fight for a long time. Nothing we could say would discourage them now.
“Once the slayers see him they won’t let him go without a fight,” I replied softly, knowing it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.
“Then what if I can convince Erik to discuss the prophecy before it gets to a fight?” she suggested hopefully and I could tell the alternative terrified her. If they couldn't find some middle ground no matter how tenuous, it was obvious the whole thing would end in violence.
“Honestly? I don’t think the slayers care about the prophecy. They want justice for their father. I understand that well enough.” I started chewing on my thumbnail then stopped it. The old habit irritated me and I wasn’t going to keep doing it every time something was worrying me.
“Then we need to have a plan to stop them if it comes to it. Because there isn’t a way that the fight can end without at least one of us having our heart’s broken,” Montana said desperately.
“Well as much as I don’t want to admit it, I think my heart will be broken either way.” I let out a heavy breath as Fabian dominated my thoughts once more.
Magnar glanced over at me and my gut clenched with guilt as I realised he’d heard me. Julius slammed into him and knocked him to the ground, using the distraction to his advantage.
I half considered stepping in to make up for it but Magnar landed a boot in Julius’s chest and sent him flying before I made up my mind.
“Do you think there’s a way to break your link to Fabian?” Montana asked, dropping her voice to try and keep our discussion private.
I shrugged, glancing at the silver cross on my palm. “Maybe... if I killed Idun.”
The wind chose that moment to pick up and swirl around us. Montana eyed it warily as if she thought the goddess might be responsible. And maybe she was, but I was beyond giving a shit anymore. If she hadn’t realised I hated her yet then she was deluded. And if there was any way to kill a goddess I’d be more than tempted to try it.
“Or if Fabian dies?” Montana wondered, but she didn’t seem to be saying she wanted that.
My heart leapt with panic at the mere thought of it and I almost snapped at her just for suggesting it. I clenched my fist tightly, trying to wrangle my emotions so that I could give her a sane response.
“That’s obviously what Magnar thinks. But I still can’t bear to imagine it... and it’s not even like that’s all because of the mark.” I took a deep breath, unsure of how much to tell her. I didn’t want her getting her hopes up about how much I was able to understand what she was going through but she deserved to know that I was trying. “I listened to what you were telling me about Erik yesterday, but it’s still so hard for me to imagine that he could be...” I couldn’t quite make myself say good. “Not evil.”
“And?” Montana asked hopefully.
“I wanted answers, so I visited Fabian in his dreams again last night.”
“You did?” she asked and her eyes widened with surprise. “What did you ask him?”
“Lots of things, but mostly I just wanted to try and see what you can see. The men beneath the monsters.”
“And did you?” she asked, desperation lacing her tone as she snatched my hand and gazed into my eyes.
“Callie!” Magnar snapped and I looked around to find him glaring at me. Julius was standing beside him with his arms folded. “Come here.”
I gritted my teeth as I tried to remain where I was. Montana’s grip on my fingers tightened as though she wished to help me break his control too. It was only a little command but the fact that he was wielding his power over me so soon after our night together sent anger coursing through my bones.
The seconds dragged and sweat started to bead on my temple but eventually I caved. My fingers slipped through Montana’s and I stalked towards Magnar with a scowl on my face.
“What?” I asked angrily as I came to a halt before the two brothers.
“Did I hear that right?” Magnar demanded. “Have you been cavorting with vampires again?”
“Cavorting?” I as
ked, raising an eyebrow at him irritably.
“Do I need to spell out to you the laws of our people? Did you think that when you swore to destroy all vampires there was a loophole which encouraged you to try and understand them?” he asked, his tone dark.
“Well you didn’t seem to mind me breaking the rules so much last night when it came to cavorting with you,” I replied evenly.
Julius snorted a laugh then quickly schooled his expression.
For a moment I could have sworn Magnar was trying not to smile too.
“That is a separate issue,” he said eventually.
“Not really,” I replied. “I see it all as the same issue. I don’t like being bound to rules that I didn’t choose for myself. I don’t like being told what to think without being given the opportunity to question it. And I don’t have any intention of playing along willingly. So if you feel the need to bind me to your will then do it but just know that I will fight it and fight it until I break it and I will remember what you did.”
“Shit Magnar, you couldn’t have chosen a more compliant woman?” Julius teased. “There is so much fire between the two of you that I’ve no idea how you don’t just burn up in it.”
My lips twitched with amusement and Magnar sighed.
“I hope we will clash less once I no longer have to be your mentor,” he said, his tone softer. “And I’m glad that you are so determined to break my hold over you because I would like nothing more than for this bond between us to be gone. But in the meantime, I swore to protect you. So I have to do what I think is right, even if you don’t like it.”
“I’m pretty sure you don’t have control over my dreams,” I replied, wondering what he was trying to get at.
“No, I don’t. But I do have control while you’re awake. Give me you mother’s ring.” He held his hand out and I stared at him in total confusion. Why would he take it away when he’d already commanded me not to use it?
“Once Fabian arrives I’ll be drawn to him. I assumed you’d let me use it once they got here,” I protested in confusion as I pulled the chain which held the ring over my head. “Without the ring, how am I supposed to stop myself from going to him? Why would you want to risk that?”
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 97
