“Are you sure it's a good idea to let him near Callie?” I asked Erik.
“We need his help,” he said. “We can't risk Valentina getting away again.”
“Wolfe's with her,” I whispered, hatred boiling in my chest. Fear ran through my blood at the thought of seeing him again. But I wasn’t the weak human he’d known before. I was his equal. More than that. I was Erik’s wife. A countess. And I had the strength of my friends behind me too.
Erik nodded, taking hold of my waist. “His death is yours. I owe you it.”
A smile curved up my lips as his words started a fire in my belly. “Together?”
“Together,” he agreed with a smirk, pecking my lips and sending a shiver darting down my spine.
I didn't know if I was ready for this fight, but with Erik by my side I felt unstoppable.
I rounded the corner of the massive house and placed my hand on Fury as adrenaline began to pound through my limbs. This was the nightmare I’d had every night for as far back as I could remember. Vampires breaking into the Realm and hunting humans like we were wild animals. But in my nightmares I’d always been terrified, a victim, unable to defend myself or anyone else. That wasn’t the case now.
Magnar walked beside me with Venom and Tempest strapped to his back and I looked up at him, my heart swelling with appreciation for what he’d done for me. He’d done so much more than just save me when he’d found me. He’d given me something I never could have dreamed of; the ability to fight back. Too long had humans lived subject to the vampires’ rule, used for their blood and given little attention beyond that.
I never would have imagined that I’d be heading to save them with a group of vampires helping me either. Somehow my whole world had been flipped on its axis and I was left hurrying to adapt. But I wouldn’t have changed a moment of it.
The van and a black car sat on the drive in front of the house and I stilled as the car door opened and Fabian stepped out.
His eyes were locked on me and Magnar released a feral snarl, pulling Tempest from his back as he shifted into a defensive position.
I drew Fury too and glared at the creature who called me his wife.
“By the gods, Fabian,” Erik cursed as he shot into the space between us in a blur of motion. “We have bigger problems than your broken heart at the moment.”
“I just need to talk to her,” Fabian breathed, his eyes never leaving me.
“Not now,” Erik said through gritted teeth but Fabian wasn’t giving up. He took a step towards me and Erik grabbed his shoulder to halt him.
Everyone else just stood watching, wondering what Fabian was going to do as tension coiled through the air.
“Please, Callie,” Fabian begged. “I don’t understand. I don’t know why you won’t even talk to me. I know I did a terrible thing but I just, I can’t-”
“You can’t stop wondering if she’s alright?” Julius suggested with a barely concealed snigger.
“Don’t,” Erik warned as Fabian’s eyes narrowed.
“Maybe he needs some water,” Julius added, ignoring Erik. “To put out that fire in his burning loins.”
Magnar laughed tauntingly as he raised Tempest higher and Fabian lunged at him.
“Shit!” Erik wrapped his arms around his brother and Clarice shot forward to help hold him back too. Fabian snarled with a promise of death in his eyes as he tried to fight his way out of their grip.
“We don’t have time for this!” Montana shouted angrily. “The people in Realm A need us right now!”
“You fucking savages should have died nine hundred years ago with the rest of your people!” Fabian spat, glaring at Magnar and Julius as he continued to fight against his siblings’ hold on him. “We had you beaten yesterday and you know it!”
“Well I’m one of those savages you hate so much,” I growled, stepping between him and Magnar. “So you must hate me too.”
His face fell and he stopped fighting as he shook his head. “No. No, I love you. I just need you to hear me out. I need you to see-”
“That she has no flaws? And that she smells like sunflowers and apple sauce?” Julius cut in with another bark of laughter.
“We need to go!” Montana insisted and I agreed with her but it was obvious Fabian wasn’t going to let this drop any time soon.
“Fine,” I snapped. “I’ll talk to you if that’s what it takes to get you to stop.”
“Truly?” Fabian asked, his face written with hope. “Now?”
“You can ride in the car with us,” Clarice offered. “No one would question seeing you with your husband.”
I bristled at the word but let it go in favour of us getting the hell out of here. “Okay, let’s go.”
“No,” Magnar snarled. “I’m not leaving you alone with him.”
I turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “I thought we’d gotten past you telling me what to do?”
“I’m not letting you put yourself at risk,” he replied dismissively.
“Well that’s where you don’t have to worry,” I said, rising onto my tiptoes so that I could press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Because you don’t ‘let’ me do anything. I’m not a possession and I make my own choices.”
I took a step back but he caught my wrist to stop me. Fabian hissed angrily but I ignored him as I held Magnar’s eye and waited for him to release me.
“Just... be careful,” he said eventually and I could tell he really hated this idea. “And feel free to stab him if you have to.”
His fingers left my skin and I gave him a small smile before moving towards the car. I got into the back and Fabian followed me. I slid across the seats and he pulled the door shut behind him as he stared at me.
Clarice got into the front and started up the engine.
We pulled away and the silence stretched until I was forced to speak first.
“For someone who’s so desperate to talk to me, you don’t seem to have much to say,” I growled.
“I don’t know where to begin,” he said, leaning towards me across the space which divided us.
I stabbed Fury into the seat between us and left it impaled in the leather. “That’s a line. Don’t cross it,” I warned him.
“Oh for the love of the gods,” Clarice swore from the front seat. “Do you know how difficult it will be to get that repaired?”
“Shut up, Clarice,” Fabian snapped. “I’ll buy you a new fucking car. Just don’t interrupt us again.”
Clarice scowled at us in the rear view mirror but she didn’t say anything further and I looked back at Fabian.
“So, what did you think of my letter?” he asked me and an amused smile tugged at my lips.
“This is precisely what I keep trying to tell you; you don’t know me at all so there’s no way you can love me,” I replied.
“I don’t understand,” he said with a frown.
“I can’t read. Which to be honest you should be well aware of anyway as apparently you’re the one who designed the Realms to be the way they are. So you obviously know we don’t have schools. And there are hardly any books either.”
Fabian’s mouth fell open and he went to reach for me before eyeing Fury between us and dropping his hand. “I’m sorry. That was so thoughtless of me.” He smacked his palm into his forehead and I blinked at him in surprise. “So who did you ask to read it for you?”
“Well... I figured you wanted me to know what it said so I asked Erik to read it aloud.”
Fabian nodded like he understood but I could see that it made him uncomfortable.
“And... the others were listening too,” I added, figuring I might as well be honest. “Sorry.” Now that I was looking him in the face I felt a bit bad about us all laughing at it earlier.
Anger flashed in his eyes, quickly followed by humiliation as he scrambled for what to say to me. I realised this whole thing might go a lot easier if I just used the ring on him.
“I want to show you something,” I said hesitantly. �
��To prove to you that you don’t really love me-”
“But I do! You’re the only thing I can think about, I can’t get you out of my head. I keep trying to sleep hoping that you’ll find me in my dreams again and-”
I held up a hand to stop him, embarrassment clawing at my cheeks. “Please stop saying that. It’s so unbelievably awkward. You don’t know the first thing about me and you’re only acting this way because of what Idun did to us. But I can block her sway over you for a little while to prove to you it’s not real. You just have to promise not to attack me if I do.”
“Attack you? I’d sooner cut out my own heart, rip off my limbs and-”
“Holy shit just stop it!” I twisted the ring on my finger and pushed against the bubble of protection it was offering me until it surrounded Fabian too.
He fell unnaturally still. His eyes continued to roam over me but instead of the desperation that had been there a moment ago, I saw confusion.
“I... you...” He shook his head like he didn’t know where he was.
“It’s gone now, right? You don’t look at me and feel like you have some weird insta-love connection to me anymore do you?”
“I still want you,” he breathed and I frowned, shaking my head in refusal. How could he still feel it with the ring blocking the bond? “But I don’t... I don’t...”
I fished his letter from my pocket and held it out to him. “Read that. And tell me if you were sane when you wrote it.”
He took it from me hesitantly as if he didn’t want to remember the words he’d put down. I watched as his eyes darted over the page, his face scrunching up in disgust before he finally shredded the whole thing into a thousand tiny pieces and let them fall to the floor.
“Dammit Fabian,” Clarice growled in response to the mess but he ignored her.
He stared at his lap for several long seconds then turned his eyes to me again and I almost flinched from the rage I found there. “Did you say that you let my brother read this aloud to those fucking slayers?” he hissed.
I recoiled a little as I nodded and I eyed Fury, wondering if I’d be able to grab it before he could reach me.
“You should be angry at Idun,” I whispered. “Not me.”
His frown deepened and his gaze trailed over me. I wished I’d worn something which hid my body instead of this stupid thin vest.
“You’re still my wife,” he said, his voice low.
I snatched Fury from the seat between us and pointed it at him. “No. I’m not,” I replied fiercely. “And you don’t love me. So why don’t you just forget about me?”
“Just because I was forced to love you, doesn’t mean I didn’t want it,” he replied. “I haven’t felt like that in... I don’t think I’ve ever felt like that.”
“Love is the most wonderful thing in the world,” I said slowly. “But you don’t get to take it. You have to earn it.”
“But I can take it,” he replied, his eyes falling to the ring on my hand. “I only have to remove that and you’ll feel it again too.”
He lunged at me so quickly that I didn’t manage to react in time. He caught my wrist, twisting it sharply so that I dropped Fury, his other hand grabbing my throat as he shoved me back against the window.
I gasped, dragging the ring’s power away from him as Clarice shouted at him to stop from the front of the car.
Fabian blinked heavily as his emotions were thrown into turmoil again and his love for me returned. His face was inches from mine and his hand still clasped my throat but he released me as soon as he comprehended what he was doing.
I stared into his eyes in shock and realised he was about to kiss me a second before he tried it. I managed to kick him off of me before his lips could find mine and he slammed back into the opposite window, shattering it before falling back into his seat.
“You’d better keep you word and get me a new car after this you asshole,” Clarice snapped as the car sped along the highway behind the van carrying the others.
“I’m so sorry!” Fabian gasped, reaching towards me but I was done playing nice with him. I snatched Fury from the floor and pressed it to the skin above his heart as I leaned over him.
“I’ve tried telling you how I feel. I’ve tried showing you how you feel. But none of it is getting through to you, so I’m going to spell it out. I am not your wife. I am not your girlfriend. Hell, I’m not even your friend. My heart belongs to Magnar. It will never be yours. I will never be yours. And if you ever lay a hand on me like that again, I’ll fucking kill you.” I shoved him away from me and climbed into the front of the car, dropping down beside Clarice and looking out of the window while ignoring her shocked expression.
“You know Fabian, I can actually see what you like in her,” his sister murmured and I ground my teeth as I refused to acknowledge the comment.
“I don’t like her,” Fabian replied sadly. “I love her.”
I let out a huff of irritation and kept my gaze fixed on the view beyond the window. This whole thing had been a colossal waste of my time.
Erik drove down the highway at a fierce speed, overtaking cars with incredible agility. My eyesight picked out every movement of the vehicles around us and I wondered what it would be like to drive something like this. The tension in Erik's jaw told me of his anxiety and I reached over to rest a hand on his knee.
He threw me a small smile, taking a road off of the highway and speeding along into the city. We took a turn left and the huge river appeared before us, its water dark under the heavy clouds. Lightning speared through the sky on the other side of it, causing my heart to tighten uncomfortably.
“That's the Realm,” Erik growled. “She's there. I just hope we're not too late.”
I knotted my hands together as Erik pulled up to a huge bronze bridge, stopping at a line of guards barring the way forward. One of them hurried to the side of the van, shifting a large gun strapped across his chest. Erik opened the window a crack and I realised the glass was tinted, hiding us from view.
“Count Erik,” the man said in surprise.
“Valentina is attacking Realm A. Send your men to help,” Erik commanded and the man bowed his head, looking alarmed as he ran back to the line of guards and ushered them aside.
We pulled onto the massive structure, tearing over it at speed. Huge cables reached up to towering stone archways above us and my mind swirled with how such a thing had been constructed.
We met the road with a bump on the other side and I glanced over my shoulder, spotting Clarice's car following us across the bridge. I hoped Callie was alright with Fabian...
Thunder boomed through the air and hailstones hit the windshield in a torrent.
We took streets left and right and suddenly the large wall surrounding Realm A came into view ahead. I toyed with Nightmare in my hand, nerves running through me in a wave.
Erik slowed the van to a halt outside the metal gates. They were closed and there was no sign of any guards manning them. I gazed up at the empty lookout point above and my gut coiled into a tight ball as I spotted a pile of clothes there.
Erik stepped out of the vehicle and I swiftly followed. The hail had turned to a downpour of rain and it slid over my skin, drenching me instantly. Despite the thin dress I wore, I couldn't feel its icy embrace. It ran off of me like I was made of stone, the cold unable to penetrate my skin.
Julius and Magnar exited the back of the van, holding their swords ready.
“Let's break the gate down,” Magnar growled.
“Wait,” Erik hissed. “We should see what we're dealing with first.” He gazed up at the high wall and I moved to his side.
“Can you toss me up there?” I asked and his eyes glittered with the idea.
Clarice's car arrived, skidding to a halt and splattering mud up Julius's legs.
“Argh,” he snapped as Callie sprang out of the car and Clarice stepped out of the driver's seat a second later.
“Oops,” Clarice said with a devilish grin.
&nb
sp; “Oh the Golden Whore is working really hard to get my attention, isn’t she?” Julius taunted.
“You fucking piece of-” Clarice started but I got between them, shaking my head.
“Please, stop, we have to focus.”
Fabian exited the car and I noticed an immediate difference in Erik's brother. His jaw was ticking and he moved swiftly away from my sister as if he was ashamed. I wondered how their discussion had gone, but I figured now wasn’t the right time to ask.
Erik took my hand. “I'll throw you up there. Just have a look and come straight down.”
“I'll go too.” Callie moved to Magnar's side, seeming anxious to get away from Fabian.
Magnar brushed a thumb over her cheek in greeting, eyeing Fabian with a glare. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. He’s still not listening to me though,” she murmured.
“Up you get then.” Magnar linked his hands together and Callie stepped onto them.
Erik moved behind me, guiding me towards the wall. His mouth moved to my ear. “Be careful.”
“I’ll be fine,” I whispered. I had to do this for the humans. I was in a position to protect them now and I was more than willing to take on that responsibility.
Thunder cracked overhead and my stomach dropped dramatically. Erik took my waist and with a powerful lift of his arms, threw me above his head. My heart soared into my throat as I was propelled upwards and I caught the top of the wall with surprising ease. Callie was already there, offering me an encouraging smile as I joined her.
We crouched low, gazing down into the huge town that spread out before us. All was quiet apart from the rain pounding the streets.
“This is how the humans live here?” Callie asked in awe.
I nodded, throwing her a sad smile. “Yep, this is Fabian's lie to the other royals.”
“Asshole,” she snarled, taking Fury from her hip.
“I’m fixing it!” Fabian called but Callie ignored him.
“Where is everyone?” I breathed, searching the streets for any signs of life. No blood, no screams, nothing.
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 116
