My heart was pounding as I approached Magnar again and his brow furrowed as the sound of it reached him too.
“You’ve always made my heart race,” I said, trying to make light of it. “Now you can just hear how you affect me.”
Magnar frowned as he watched me drawing closer again and he stilled in that eerie way which only the undead could manage. He made no movement at all. He wasn’t even breathing and the sight of it filled me with unease.
It wasn’t the fact that he was a vampire that frightened me. It was the fact that this was so far from who he was. It went against the essence of his soul. He was never meant to undergo this transformation and I had no idea how he would come to terms with it. Or even if he would. His own father had begged for death in his position and I feared that Magnar would feel compelled to do the same.
He reached for me and I gave him my hand. His thumb shifted over my flesh as if he’d never felt it before and he moved his other hand to touch me too. His fingers trailed along my arm, raising goosebumps across my body as he stared at my skin.
I shivered beneath his gentle caress and he lifted my hand to his face.
I looked up at him as he tilted my arm in his grasp and he pressed a kiss to the inside of my wrist, right above the flickering beat of my pulse.
Erik inhaled sharply behind me as if he expected Magnar to attack me at any moment and I could feel all of their eyes on us.
“Brother,” Julius murmured. “Think how much it would wound you to hurt her. Be careful...”
Magnar inhaled deeply and he kissed my wrist again. I felt the brush of his teeth against my skin and my muscles tensed.
His gaze flicked up to meet mine and he released me suddenly, stepping back.
“I won’t hurt you,” he said firmly.
I nodded in agreement but I didn’t move any closer.
“Drink, Magnar,” Clarice urged. “You can’t trust yourself around Callie or your brother until you do. We have bottled blood, you won’t have to bite anyone-”
“The moment I give in to the bloodlust will be the moment I plunge my blade through my heart,” Magnar snarled.
My heart thundered at his words and tears prickled my eyes. I knew he wouldn’t want to live like this but hearing him confirm it aloud terrified me. If we couldn’t break the curse before the call of blood got too much for him then I was going to lose him.
“We’ll head for the mountain,” I said. “We’ll break the curse before you have to feed and you’ll be human again-”
“That’s a long journey for a hungry vampire with two mortals in tow,” Clarice murmured and I could tell she didn’t think he could do it. “Especially ones who smell as good as you both do.”
“I would never hurt my brother or the woman I love,” Magnar snarled and Clarice recoiled a little as he turned his heated gaze her way.
“You don’t have to!” Erik said in exasperation. “Just drink the bottled blood. It’s only a matter of time until-”
Magnar shot towards him in a blur of motion and wrapped a hand around his throat, lifting him into the air as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Erik struggled and a faint rumbling cut through the soil at my feet.
“If you try to force my hand in this again, I’ll rip your head from your body,” Magnar threatened before releasing his hold on Erik just as quickly as he’d gained it. Erik stumbled back and Montana gripped his arm fearfully.
Magnar's eyes trailed to Julius’s hand which had made it to the hilt of his blade and I could see the pain that act caused him. He shook his head and turned away from all of us, shooting into the trees at the top of the hill so quickly that his movement sent my hair flying around my shoulders.
“Fuck,” Erik snarled and I could tell he was about to follow him.
“Don’t,” I said quickly. “I’ll go.”
Fabian groaned behind us as he regained consciousness and I turned to see Chickoa moving away from him as he began to rise.
“It’s not safe,” Erik protested.
“I hate to admit it but I think he might be right, Callie,” Montana breathed.
A harsh sob escaped Clarice’s throat and she sank to her knees in the mud as the last of the shock from the battle slid from us and the weight of everything that had just happened poured in on her. Erik’s features were filled with pain too but he kept his eyes set on me as he struggled to decide what to do.
“Let me go to Magnar,” I urged. “You said yourself he’s kept his gifts. He’s Clan of War; he was already stronger than you and now that will only be compounded tenfold. None of us are a match for him if he wants to hurt us and at least I know he will fight against the desire to harm me with everything he’s got.”
Erik nodded in defeat, his eyes moving to Clarice as Julius laid a hand on her shoulder.
“At least bring him some bottles of blood,” he murmured and I nodded, biting my lip as I looked towards the truck where they were stored.
Fabian pushed himself to his feet and made his way back towards us. I offered him an apologetic look as I skirted him and headed to retrieve the blood.
For a moment I thought he was going to protest again but Clarice’s sobs grew harsher and he dropped to the dirt beside his sister, pulling her close as their grief at losing Miles and Warren overwhelmed them.
Montana drew closer to Erik as a hollow look filled his eyes.
My heart was heavy with their deaths too but I couldn’t face it yet. Magnar needed me. I wouldn’t let him deal with this alone.
“I’m coming with you,” Julius murmured as he fell into step beside me.
I nodded my agreement as we drew closer to the truck. Of course he was. He wouldn’t let Magnar deal with this alone any more than I would.
Julius took a large bottle of blood from the back of the truck and I caught his arm before he could move away.
“He’ll be alright,” I breathed, my voice trembling as I tried to convince myself as much as him.
Julius avoided my eye, his thumb brushing over the top of the silver bottle.
“Callie...” He looked at me then away again as he chewed in the inside of his cheek. “Magnar is his father’s son. When we find him, he may ask me to-”
“No,” I gasped, realising what he was saying. “We’re so close to solving the prophecy. He’ll be human again in a matter of days! You can’t agree to it if he asks you-”
“Weren’t you the one who was just convincing your sister that you’d never want to spend a single day as a vampire?” he asked me sadly. “What happened to ‘I want to die a mortal death no matter what’?”
“I know,” I hissed. “I’m a fucking hypocrite alright! But I don’t care. This isn’t the same - no one chose this for him. I never would have forced it on him and you know it. But now that it’s done can’t we at least agree to get to the mountain first? Before we have to make any decisions-”
“Callie, if he asks this of me-”
I slapped him and his head wheeled sideways from the force of my gifts. His jaw clenched and he looked down at me darkly.
“If you kill him Julius, I swear on everything that I am that I will-”
“He’s already dead,” Julius growled and he gritted his teeth as his eyes glimmered with emotion.
My rage turned to pain in a heartbeat and I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck as my tears burst free like they were breaking past a dam.
Julius wrapped his strong arms around me and being in them felt so like holding Magnar that my heart broke all over again. Julius was warm and his heart beat fiercely alongside mine. Magnar wouldn’t feel like this now. He was cold and solid, his heart lying still in his chest. He was dead. But he was still alive too and as selfish as it was, I couldn’t bear to let him leave me.
“Go to him first,” Julius breathed and I felt his own tears spilling into my hair. “He needs a reason to live. And you’re the best one he has.”
“Thank you.” I released him and stood on my tiptoes so that I could press a kiss to
his cheek. His tears met with my lips and he caught my hand before I could withdraw, pressing the bottle of blood into it.
“Try to get him to drink it,” he muttered and I could tell the idea repulsed him. “I can’t imagine the pain it would cause him to lose control with you.”
I nodded, glancing down at the silver bottle as I backed away. I needed to convince Magnar to do it for all of our sakes.
I turned and headed up into the trees, leaving Julius by the trucks and the Belvederes mourning their loss alongside my sister.
I wiped the tears from my face as I went. Magnar needed me to be strong for him. He needed to see that this didn’t change anything about the way I felt for him. And he had to agree to stay undead until we could break the curse once and for all.
I stood beside Erik, trembling over what had just happened. Magnar was a vampire. And he clearly wasn't handling it well. I cursed Idun for everything she'd done to us, even in death she'd lingered long enough to be vindictive in her final act on earth.
Clarice was wrapped around Fabian on the ground as she came apart, sobbing into his shoulder over the loss of her brother and his husband.
I took Erik's hand, willing my body to stop shaking as I turned to him, knowing he needed me to be strong more than anything right now. His face was stoic and his expression distant. Loss poured from his gaze and a crease had formed between his eyes that I couldn't imagine ever going away.
I slid my arms around him, wishing I could offer him more than just comfort. That I could bring Miles and Warren back. But they were gone. And there was nothing anyone in the world could do to fix it.
Erik slowly came back to his senses in my arms, sliding a hand onto my back, but despite being physically close I felt so distant from him that I couldn't bear it.
“Erik,” I whispered, cupping his cheek as tears built in my eyes. I tried to make him look at me, but his gaze was fixed over my head in the direction Magnar and Callie had taken. I didn't know what to say. It was pointless asking if he was alright when I knew he wasn't. He was broken. Hurt and grieving. But his silence was something I didn't know how to bridge.
“The truck...” he murmured vaguely then pulled away from me, heading toward the vehicle up the hill. I gazed after him as the tears fell from my eyes, spilling down to the cracked earth at my feet.
I spotted Chickoa hunting through the rubble, plucking out a shattered picture frame from under a stone. She took the photo from within it and discarded the frame on the floor as she tucked the picture into her pocket.
She turned her gaze to the house which was still burning, the powerful flames reaching toward the sky as it devoured her home. Smoke and blood and death carried on the wind, surrounding us all in a cocoon of despair.
“It's alright,” Fabian murmured to Clarice, rubbing her back in soothing circles.
“It's not, nothing's ever going to be alright again,” she croaked and he shut his eyes, his grief clear in his expression.
Julius moved to my side, gazing at the two Belvederes as their pain filled the air around us. He took my hand, squeezing. And that was enough to help my heart grow a little stronger. The slayers and the royals were my family now. And I'd do anything I could to try and soothe them.
“Do you think Callie's safe with Magnar?” I breathed to Julius. I knew my sister would never have heeded my warnings, but Magnar would be starving. What if he lost control around her? The thought made my stomach churn with worry.
“Yes,” Julius said quietly. “No curse on earth is strong enough to make him hurt her.”
I nodded, a sharp lump growing in my throat as I thought about what Magnar must have been going through. His whole life had been pledged to ending the vampires. Despising them. Though he'd made his peace with Erik and his family, I doubted he could make peace with his own body being tainted in that way.
I glanced up at Julius as I forced away the last of my tears. His face was ashen and I could sense a darkness looming over him like a shadow. I laced my arms around his neck as I realised how much Magnar's curse must have been paining him too. He held me tight and his pulse thrummed in my ears as he released a shuddering breath.
“We'll break the curse,” I promised and he nodded against my shoulder.
“That's all that matters now,” he growled, stepping back and glancing behind him as if he hoped to see his brother approaching.
Erik drove the truck down the hill, pulling up the parking brake and remaining inside as he waited for everyone.
“You should go to him,” Julius said softly and my heart splintered as I gazed toward the vehicle.
“I don't know what I can say,” I admitted. “He's so hurt...I'm afraid I'll make it worse.”
“You're his wife, he'll want you with him. Even if he doesn't say it,” Julius said, his brow lowering.
I nodded, wiping the dampness from my cheeks, not wanting to break down again. I had to be there for Erik. I just wished there was something more tangible I could do.
I parted from Julius, walking to the passenger side of the truck and tugging the door open. Erik didn't look at me as I climbed in and shut the door behind me. The thunk sounded deafeningly loud in the quiet space. My mouth grew dry as I reached across the seats and rested my hand on his arm.
He was as still as a statue, his gaze set on the hill beyond the windshield. He seemed to have withdrawn into himself even more and I couldn't be sure he was fully aware I sat beside him.
“I'm sorry,” I whispered. He shook his head, but remained silent. “I'd do anything to bring them back.”
He continued to stare at nothing and my heart broke for him as the air was weighted with his anguish.
“You're in shock,” I said gently, but still he didn't answer.
I settled for taking his hand and holding it firmly. After a beat, he retracted his fingers from mine.
“We should get on the road soon,” he said flatly.
“Erik...” I tried again, leaning forward and wishing he'd just look at me. He refused to meet my gaze and it was killing me.
“There's enough blood in the trunk to last a few days at least,” he continued.
“Talk to me,” I begged and he turned half way toward me as if to meet my gaze, then looked away again.
“Whatever you need, I'll do it. We'll get through this together,” I promised, fighting back another wave of tears.
He finally looked at me and his eyes were as cold and as hard as steel. “I need to be alone for a while,” he said, his tone hollow.
I nodded, hurt lancing through me as I retreated into my seat. I took hold of the door handle, but a wave of hesitation stayed my hand. Before I could think better of it, I lunged forward to hug him.
I shut my eyes when he didn't hold me back. His hands balled into fists and I sensed him tensing in my arms. I was desperate to help him come to terms with this, but I knew how difficult that was. I'd only recently lost my father and I was still coping with that loss every day. I knew everyone dealt with these kinds of things in their own way. But leaving him alone was the hardest thing he could ask of me.
“Go,” he growled and I withdrew from him sharply.
His jaw was clenched as I gazed at him, unsure how to react to this. He'd always gotten angry over his emotions in the past. But this felt like a wall I couldn't break through.
I bowed my head, slipping out of the truck without looking back. My soul crumbled as I shut the door and walked away. I made it three steps before I sank down to the ground and hugged my knees to my chest.
He doesn’t want your help because you can’t make this better.
I set my eyes on the trees Callie and Magnar had disappeared into, praying to see them returning. Fear trickled through me at knowing she was off alone with him in his current state.
I felt so helpless to everyone I loved. I couldn't right the terrible wrongs that had befallen us. I couldn’t do anything but sit here and watch the world buckle around me.
Dark clouds hung above me in
the sky, hiding the sun and threatening rain. I wished it would come and wash away last night. That we could go back in time and do things differently. Find Callie so that she could have hidden us with the ring before Idun ever showed up...
I clenched my jaw, knowing that reality would have meant Idun still lived. But what was her death worth if it had cost us two of our friends’ lives and placed Magnar under the vampire curse?
I spotted Chickoa heading across the valley to where some of her cows were huddled together under a tree; they must have been terrified after what had happened right at the edge of their fields.
I rose to my feet and headed after her, wanting to do something useful. Anything to take my mind off the pain slicing through my body.
I started jogging, then running until the wind whipped through my hair and I felt some semblance of relief just from moving. I caught up with Chickoa as she clucked her tongue at the four cows and they moved toward her with tentative steps.
She spotted me approaching and nodded to one of the cows as it started to break off from the group. “Get round that side. Keep her in the herd.”
I jogged forward to comply, moving around the large black and white animal and waving my hands to get her back into the group.
Chickoa spoke to them in soothing words and soon they followed her, their movements more reassured. I walked at the back of the herd to keep them moving as Chickoa led the way toward the barn.
“I'm sorry about your farm,” I said, glancing at her house and seeing the roof had caved in as the fire started to die down at last.
“It's not your fault,” she said with a sigh. “I'm glad that goddess is dead.” She turned to look at me over her shoulder with a deep frown. “I'm sorry about your friends.”
I nodded stiffly, wanting to talk about anything other than that.
“What will you do now?” I asked gently. She couldn't stay here with the farmhouse in ruins.
“I'm still going with you to the mountain. I have a friend who will look after the farm,” she said as we reached the barn and she ushered the cows inside.
I followed her and set about helping to feed and give water to the cows in a stall. When we were done, we headed back outside where a drizzle was starting to fall from the heavens.
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 166
