“I’m sorry, Callie, but you can’t use the ring when the Belvederes are here. I’ve no doubt the gods will be present and you cannot wield its power while they are watching.” He placed the chain over his own head and I could see how much it pained him to have to allow my connection to Fabian to remain in place.
Magnar hesitated and Julius laid a hand on his arm. “Do what we discussed, Brother; it’s for the best,” he urged.
“Do what?” I asked, gazing between the two of them in confusion.
“Julius, why don’t you give us some privacy?” Magnar asked and his brother tipped his head to me in farewell before walking away from us to join Montana.
I watched him go and waited for Magnar to answer my question.
“I’m sorry about this, Callie,” Magnar breathed. “But I hope you understand why I have to do it.”
“Do what?” I demanded again, my heart fluttering as I sensed a trap.
“When it comes to a fight between us and the Belvederes you must not intervene in any way,” Magnar commanded and I felt the power of his words binding me. “And if at any point it seems that we may lose... run.”
I shook my head as the force of his words washed over me and I realised the other reason why he’d taken the ring from me. He wanted to maintain his control over me. He was making sure I had no choice but to bow to his commands in this.
“You think I could run from you if I thought you might die?” I breathed in horror. The idea of being forced to do such a thing made me feel sick to my stomach.
“No. Which is why I have compelled you to do so.” His eyes burned with a desperate intensity and I could feel how much he wanted to protect me from this fight but it shouldn’t have been his decision to make.
“And how would you expect me to live with myself if I’d run from you when you needed me?” I asked, anger replacing some of the horror in my tone. “If I left you to die alone?”
“If that were to happen and you didn’t run then Fabian would claim you once more. And I could not bear to die leaving you in his hands,” Magnar growled.
“But you could bear to die?” I spat. “What about trying to figure out the prophecy?”
“Do you really think you’ve figured out the prophecy in the space of an afternoon when others have tried and failed for over a thousand years? Your answers are little more than guesses. This day can’t end in any other way than bloodshed.” His voice was soft and I could tell that he truly was sorry for the fact that doing this would hurt me. But I knew he had no pity in his heart for the vampires he was planning to kill.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I breathed. “Are you really willing to die for this? When we could be so close to finding another way?”
My words hung between us and Magnar dropped his head as if he knew what his response would do to me. “All men must die, Callie. I do not wish to leave you, but if my time has come then so be it.”
Pain spiralled through my chest in a never ending torrent which filled me up and overflowed until all I could see were stars dancing before my eyes and a chasm of despair waiting to swallow me whole.
I stepped forward and slapped him as hard as I could before turning and storming away.
Montana jumped up as I reached her and she fell into step beside me as I marched away from the statue to the far side of the island where I could scream or curse or rage without Magnar breathing down my neck.
How could he talk about leaving me so casually? How could he even consider that possibility after everything we’d been through?
The wind picked up again and my hair whipped around me as my anger grew into its own storm within my chest.
It took me several more minutes of furious pacing before I realised that there was more to the breeze than was natural. A heaviness had filled the air and my lungs began to struggle with the effort it took to breathe the tainted oxygen. It felt like trying to inhale syrup.
Montana caught my hand and we looked about wildly. The waves lapped the shore before us in a rhythmic pattern which began to sound wholly unnatural.
I turned back to see if Magnar and Julius had noticed it too but they weren’t there. The door to the room beneath the statue was closed and I was fairly certain they were inside.
“What’s happening?” Montana breathed and I gripped her hand more tightly.
A thick mist built above the waves, growing into a swirling cloud which blocked out our view of the city.
Oh no no no, Idun’s seductive voice purred on the crest of a wave. This won’t do at all.
Montana cried out as heated raindrops began to splatter over us, scalding our skin as they struck our bodies.
My feet were glued to the ground and I wrapped my arms around my sister as we were trapped in the maelstrom Idun had created. We clung to each other as the rain grew heavier, burning away our clothes and painting us in new ones.
I scrunched my eyes shut as the acidic rain pummelled us and fear washed through me. Not for myself but for Montana. I tried to shield her with my own body but the rain drenched us both regardless.
It took me several long seconds to realise it didn’t hurt. Though I could feel the scalding heat of it, no pain raced over my skin. In fact, I felt weirdly...dry.
I opened my eyes and blinked a few times as I realised the rain had stopped falling.
We slowly pulled away from each other and I stared at Montana in surprise. Her clothes had been replaced with a white Grecian dress. It clung to her body, revealing her curves and dropping to her feet. Around her waist was a silver rope with a crescent moon hanging from it. Nightmare hung from her hip in a leather sheath and I wished I had Fury by my side too.
Her dark hair was no longer lank and dirty from her dip in the river but hung in perfect tumbling curls. Upon her head was the crown she’d been given at the wedding days ago.
It took me another moment to realise I was dressed exactly the same as her. It reminded me of when we were tiny and our mom had liked to try and make us match. But the rope around my waist was golden and a sun hung from it instead.
I reached up to touch the crown upon my head and my lips parted in wonder at the power the deity held.
“What on earth...” Montana murmured as she stared at my transformed appearance too.
Prizes must be worth fighting for, Idun laughed and the air around us seemed to tremble. Prepare to greet your husbands, ladies. I felt her presence withdraw, though I was sure she was still close enough to observe us.
A dark speedboat broke through the mist and Montana gasped as she spotted Erik standing at the wheel, guiding it towards us. Fabian was at his side, the two of them dressed in black outfits which matched the darkness in their eyes.
My heart stilled as I looked at the man I’d been forced to marry. No, not man; vampire. I ground my teeth as the power of my bond with him began to whisper false feelings through my body.
The boat spun about and a wave washed over the shore as Erik cut the engine.
Though I felt drawn to look at Fabian, my eyes snagged on his brother. Erik was staring at Montana like she was the reason the world kept turning, his relief in being reunited with her clearly plastered over his face. And though a part of me still wanted to blame the mark which bound them, in my gut I knew it was more than that.
Somehow, impossibly, she’d been right when she’d said he loved her. I could feel it in the air like a living thing.
I was pushed aside, Montana’s hand wrenched from mine as Idun’s power separated us. The mist swept towards the shore, swirling into the space which divided us and hiding my sister from view.
Fabian leapt off of the boat and reached out for me, snaring my attention. As soon as he left Erik behind, the mist swallowed him too so that we were left alone. I could feel Idun’s amusement on the wind as Fabian advanced on me and she waited to see what would happen.
The warring halves of my soul disagreed on what to do but I managed to step back before he could lay a hand on me.
“D
on’t,” I breathed. I felt totally unprepared for the closeness of him. I’d forgotten the pull I got when I looked into his eyes. Or how my blood heated when my gaze fell to his mouth and... I wanted to punch him in his stupid jaw.
I closed my hand into a fist and forced my face to cooperate so that I could glare at him. I ignored the piece of me which was begging me to reconsider and throw myself into his arms.
“Even when you visit me in my dreams you do not look so captivating as you do in the flesh,” Fabian said in a low voice, filled with desire.
“I hope you don’t think I got dressed up for you,” I replied, trying to put some venom into my voice and failing. “You can thank Idun for this nonsense. And you can have this back too.” I took the crown from my head and tossed it to him. I’d left it behind on purpose the last time I’d taken it off and I certainly didn’t want it back.
Fabian’s face fell as he caught it and I reached towards him as if I might try to comfort him before managing to force my arm back down again.
“I... I brought you something,” he said, seeming to lose his composure for a minute. I hated how easily I could disarm him. It seemed to go against his nature and whether I thought he was a monster or not, I didn’t like having that power over someone else.
“I don’t want anything from you,” I replied. Except to feel your mouth against mine and the touch of your-
I clenched my fists so hard that I was sure my nails were drawing blood from my palms. But I didn’t care; the pain helped me to force out the desires I refused to recognise.
Fabian hesitated again then raised a box I hadn’t noticed him holding. It was heavy, made of lead inlaid with carvings of runes. I tried to decipher them and got the feeling they were designed for containment and protection but before I could look too closely, he flipped the lid open.
I gasped in delight and a wide smile lit my face as I grabbed the golden blade from inside it.
Hello, Sun Child, Fury purred and I could have kissed it.
I leapt at Fabian, wrapping myself around him before I could consider what I was doing. His arms closed around me and he held me tightly, inhaling deeply as he pressed his face into my hair.
“I’m so glad you like it,” he whispered, nuzzling into my neck.
I felt his lips brushing my skin as my pulse raced and I froze, suddenly terrified. His fangs were so close to me, it would take nothing at all for him to bite down. And there would be nothing I could do to stop him.
I was at his mercy.
A tremor rolled through my body but I didn’t dare move. He seemed to notice and his grip on me loosened ever so slightly.
“What’s wrong?” he asked gently, like he was afraid he might scare me away.
I felt the movement of his lips against my neck and a whimper escaped me. He was the monster who’d haunted my dreams since I was a child. I felt so out of control with him and now I’d managed to put myself into the most dangerous position imaginable. This wasn’t like a dream. I had no power here and even with Fury in my hand I didn’t think I’d be able to stop him if he gave in to the basest part of himself.
“Let me go,” I breathed, hoping that his false feelings for me outweighed the call of my blood.
Fabian recoiled as if my words had been a blow to the face. He released me and I stumbled back, raising Fury between us as I regained some sense of myself.
“You thought I was going to bite you?” he asked, a sad frown pulling at his brow.
Yes! No! I didn’t even know anymore. Being around him was the sweetest form of torture.
“Why couldn't you just leave me alone?” I asked and my hand shook as I tried to draw on my ancestors’ strength and failed.
Fabian seemed so lost and confused, like he couldn’t understand what I was saying. But our bond was different for him. He hadn’t grown up fearing and hating me. He wasn’t in love with someone else. Perhaps from his perspective, it did seem simple. And I doubted there had been many things he’d wanted during his long life which he hadn’t just been able to take. But I would never surrender to my feelings for him. I’d keep fighting no matter what it cost me.
Before he could answer me, a strong wind pushed against us and I was forced back as Idun grew bored of watching us.
The mist surrounded me and I lost all sense of my place in the world for several long seconds. It moved away just as quickly and I found myself beside the statue in a glimmering golden cage. I moved to grip the bars and waited for Idun to release her hold on my sister and Erik. Once she’d had her fun with them, the real challenge would begin.
As Callie and Fabian were forced out of view behind a thick mist, I was suddenly gifted a moment alone with my husband.
My desperate heart was yearning.
My fractured soul was remending.
And my frantic thoughts were tumbling, diving, free-falling-
“Erik!” I screamed, sprinting to the water's edge and wading into the river as he dropped from the speedboat.
A wave crashed against me, forcing me back, but I didn't stop moving, my skin thirsting for his touch. He pushed through the waves with more force than the tide, his jaw gritted and his metallic eyes locked on me like a missile.
I jumped through the fierce pressure holding me back from him and caught his hand. Flesh on flesh. He yanked me into his arms and hoisted me above the waves. I wrapped my legs around him, clinging to him with all my might. Our lips crashed together as fiercely as the tide around us. He released a primal growl as I tasted the salt water on his mouth, savouring every delicious part of this moment. I gripped his hair, kissing him until I was sure my soul was going to burst.
He pressed his cool forehead to mine, his expression pained as he clutched me tighter and the turbulent river raged around us. I realised it was more than the usual pull of the tide, Idun was moving the waves in a roiling storm. The water parted around us and I gasped as the pebbly shore became visible beneath Erik's feet. The water swirled up higher and higher, forming a sheer vortex that moved around us, cocooning us within the waves.
Fear scratched at my heart as Erik dropped me to my feet and my bare toes sunk into the tiny wet stones. He clutched my hand, gazing up at the dusky sky above us.
A moment of privacy for the lovers, Idun's velvet voice filled my ears.
I turned, trying to spot her in the murky water that circled around us like a tornado, expecting her to appear at any moment.
When she didn't, I faced Erik with one furious thought in mind. “Don't fight Magnar and Julius, we're so close to figuring out the prophecy. If we work together, we can finish it.”
“You are?” he asked with hope flaring in his iron gaze.
I nodded, hurriedly explaining what my sister and I had come up with. How the ring had shown us the way to a mountain far in the south.
When I was finished, Erik shook his head, his eyes darkening. “We can't do anything until we're sure, Montana. And I won't ever turn you into a vampire. I can't place this curse on you.”
I coiled my fingers in his damp shirt as desperation clawed at my insides. “If it's the answer, you have to.” Tears pinched my eyes as Erik pushed a tendril of hair away from my face.
“I've been tricked too many times by Andvari.” He ran his thumb over my bottom lip, a fire simmering in his gaze. “I cannot risk this being another lie.”
“Please, just talk to the slayers,” I begged, locking my fingers around the back of his neck.
He nodded slightly. “I will try.”
“Thank you.” I crushed myself against him, resting my cheek to his chest.
“What doubts you have,” Andvari's voice sent a tremor through to my core. “I have never tricked you, Erik.” He appeared from the waves, stepping out of the tempestuous water like a phantom. He drew closer, wearing earthy robes which were somehow entirely dry. “You made your own choices.”
Erik ground his teeth, holding me tighter as Andvari advanced.
“A world of possibilities is so close...an
d yet you shy away from it.” Andvari waved a hand and I blinked heavily as the air rippled around me.
The water faded away, revealing a garden of wildflowers before a stone cottage on the hill.
My thoughts seemed to crack and were reformed. Memories filled me of a life in this place. I knew it well. This was my home. And right now...I was alone, but completely at peace.
I relaxed as some strange darkness lifted from my mind. I had no need to worry. This was where I lived and it was the most tranquil place in the world.
I gazed down at the bunch of purple flowers in my hands, continuing what I must have been doing just moments ago and picking more of them. I gathered them into my fist and smiled serenely as I headed up to the house.
I pushed through the wooden door and the sound of a child's laughter filled my ears. My smile stretched wider as I moved through the warm hallway into the kitchen which was filled with cream cabinets and wooden furniture. Erik had a little girl on his shoulders; he was wandering around the room and pretending to look for her. She giggled wildly, tossing her head back as she held onto his neck, her dark hair cascading like a waterfall down her back.
Erik stood upright as he spotted me, a slanted smile on his face. “Have you seen our daughter? I can't find her anywhere.”
I tapped my lips, sweeping my eyes across the room. “Hm, no I can't see her anywhere.”
The little girl laughed her delight, patting Erik on the shoulder. “I'm right here, Daddy!”
He swung her down into his arms and started tickling her. She screamed through her laughter, wriggling to try and escape. Twirling her upright, he planted her on her feet and she scampered out of the kitchen, crying, “You can't catch me!”
I turned to chase her, but Erik caught me by the waist, spinning me back to face him. “Where have you been hiding?”
“I was picking these.” I waved the flowers under his nose and he grinned, cornering me against the table. He took the bunch from my hand, placing them down and sliding a finger under my chin. “I don't need flowers to light up the house; I have you.” He propped me up on the table and stepped between my thighs, capturing my mouth with his.
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 98
