“I’m sure you’d sooner drink bottled blood than-”
“Unhand her!” Magnar snarled as he looked back at us and spotted me in Fabian’s arms.
My heart pattered with surprise and I pushed myself out of Fabian’s grip while he stilled beside me.
“She nearly fell from exhaustion,” Fabian snapped. “Which you would have seen for yourself if you truly cared for her the way you claim to.”
Magnar stalked forward and his eyes were wild with fury as he closed the distance parting us.
“He’s not lying, Magnar,” I said, placing myself between them and holding a hand out to halt him. “I haven’t eaten in over a day and we’ve been walking for thirteen hours-”
Magnar stopped before me, taking my outstretched hand in his and yanking me towards him. I stumbled against his chest and his nostrils flared as he breathed in deeply.
“Callie is mine,” he snarled and the way he said it wasn’t like the way he said it to me when we were alone. It was commanding and possessive. Like I was an object that he could control.
I tried to pull my wrist out of his grasp but he was holding me so tightly that it was beginning to bruise.
“Stop it, Magnar,” I urged as I tried to prise his fingers from my skin.
“You’re hurting her,” Fabian hissed, baring his fangs.
The act was like waving a red flag at a bull and Magnar launched himself forward to attack, throwing me aside as he did so in favour of his fight.
I hit the ground hard and Montana was at my side in seconds, dragging me to my feet fearfully.
Fabian leapt back as Magnar rounded on him and the two of them fell into a desperate dance as Magnar fought to get his hands on the Belvedere.
“Stop!” I shouted but Magnar either couldn’t hear me or didn’t care.
His foot connected with Fabian’s chest as Clarice raced forward to help and he was sent crashing into her.
Erik swore as he launched himself at Magnar’s back, hooking an arm around his neck as he fought to disable him.
Magnar barely reacted to the attack on him and he reached over his shoulder, snatching Erik by the back of his shirt and slamming him to the ground beneath him.
The whole hillside quaked beneath us as Erik collided with the ground and my heart leapt in panic at the ferociousness of Magnar’s attacks.
“He’s fucking lost it!” Fabian snarled as he scrambled off of Clarice and Julius raced forward to intercept his brother.
“Stay away from him!” Clarice shrieked in warning to the slayer.
Magnar’s head turned sharply, his nostrils flaring as he looked towards his brother with hunger burning in his eyes.
He abandoned his fight with Erik as he sped towards Julius instead and I sprang to my feet, racing forward to stop him.
If he hurt his brother I knew he’d never forgive himself but he was so lost to the bloodlust that I wasn’t even sure he could see who stood before him in that moment.
“Magnar!” I screamed as Julius’s eyes widened in realisation and Magnar slammed into him.
They crashed to the ground and tumbled through the dust before Magnar managed to pin Julius beneath him.
He stared down at his brother, baring his fangs in animalistic desperation as his gaze slid to his throat.
“Shit,” Julius breathed as Magnar lunged forwards.
“Stop!” I cried and a deep power flooded through my chest, burning along my limbs and flying out of my body before slamming into Magnar’s.
He toppled forward before his fangs could breach his brother’s skin and Julius released and oomph of discomfort as Magnar’s weight fell on him.
Silence reigned and everyone stared at Magnar in total disbelief.
“What the hell just happened?” Clarice breathed as she moved closer.
Julius grunted with effort as he shoved Magnar off of him and he rolled onto his back unconscious.
“The Dream Weaver put him to sleep,” Julius explained. “Good thinking, Callie.”
“It wasn’t intentional,” I muttered. I hadn’t even known that I could do such a thing. “I just wanted him to stop before he did something he’d regret.”
“And you couldn’t have managed that before he caved in half of my ribs?” Fabian wheezed as he drew closer too. Magnar’s dusty boot print stood out on his black t-shirt and he hissed through the pain of his injuries as his body fought to heal them.
“She said she wanted to stop him doing something he’d regret,” Chickoa said. “And I don’t think he’s gonna feel too bad about hurting you.”
Fabian scowled in response and Montana released a breath of laughter. I almost joined her but I felt like if I started I wouldn’t stop and before I knew it I’d be sobbing.
“I told him this would happen,” Erik growled, clearly not finding any humour in the situation.
“He’s just over tired,” I said defensively. “We all are. He’ll be okay as soon as he’s had some rest.”
“He won’t,” Fabian replied tersely. “Every moment he goes without blood is another moment he draws closer to losing his mind altogether. You saw what he almost did to his own brother! If he refuses to drink then we should force him now, while he’s unconscious.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Erik muttered.
“Don’t you dare!” I moved to stand before Magnar and Julius bared his teeth as he drew his blade too.
“Look at what he nearly did to both of you,” Fabian protested. He caught my hand and lifted it so that everyone could see the red fingerprints marking my wrist where Magnar had grabbed me.
I snatched my hand back. “He didn’t mean to do that,” I said defensively. “He just lost control for a second.”
“And he’ll do it again,” Erik said darkly. “Until he feeds, we can’t trust him. And he’s too strong for us to take chances with. We should do it now while he’s subdued.”
“This has to be Magnar’s decision,” Julius growled. “And if any of you try to force it on him then you’re going to have to get through us.”
Fabian shared a look with his brother and my skin prickled as once again we found ourselves standing against the Belvederes. I wondered if a time would come when these lines would never have to be drawn between us.
Montana seemed torn about what decision was for the best but Chickoa drew closer to us.
“I stand with the slayers. I understand the hell of being turned against your will,” she snarled, looking Fabian right in the eye. “And if he isn’t ready to drink yet then that’s his choice. Callie can subdue him when the bloodlust gets too much for him to bear. That’s good enough for me.”
“And me,” Clarice agreed, glancing at Julius as her cheeks grew pale with embarrassment. “This should be Magnar’s decision.”
“Brilliant,” Fabian growled sarcastically. “And who’s going to carry him while he can’t be trusted to stay awake?”
“I will,” Erik muttered, stepping closer so that he could draw Magnar into his arms.
I watched him cautiously as he slung the man I loved over his shoulder and Magnar remained oblivious to all of it while he slept.
Clarice still carried the bag with all the bottled blood in it so I didn’t have to worry about Erik tricking us and feeding him in secret.
We continued down the road and Montana drew closer to me, lacing her fingers through mine.
“I know it’s hard to see him like this, Callie,” she breathed. “But he won’t be able to keep fighting the urge forever.”
“It doesn’t have to be forever,” I murmured stubbornly, wanting to respect Magnar’s wishes in this. “Just until we reach the mountain.”
Monty pursed her lips like she didn’t think he would last that long but I didn’t say anything further. If Magnar needed to feed before we got there then I wasn’t the one stopping him. But it was something he had to figure out for himself.
We finally reached a small cluster of ruined buildings that were still standing, though their exteriors were battered
by the bombs that must have fallen here. The light was growing brighter in the sky and though I could see a whole host of houses on the horizon, no one made any complaint about heading into the first one we reached. The roof and walls were intact but the door was lying on the floor inside. Dust coated every surface of the bungalow, but it was dry and gave us shelter from the coming dawn. So it was certainly good enough.
Callie sagged down to the floor with a groan, pulling off her boots and massaging her feet. Erik carefully placed Magnar down beside her.
“Thank you,” she said and he nodded stiffly before moving away.
There was a bunch of wooden furniture about the space and Erik and Julius started breaking it up for firewood.
We'd all agreed Valentina couldn't be too hot on our trail for now and we had a view in every direction beyond the house anyway, so if she did show up we could run for it before she ever got close enough to cast a storm.
Julius and Erik set about building the fire while Callie sat across from me, stroking Magnar's cheek as he laid under her spell. I helped Clarice fix the door back into place and drew a filthy pair of curtains across the blown out window to shield us from the coming dawn.
Erik headed outside in a blur of motion, returning a second later with two flints in his hand. He knelt in front of the firewood, striking them together while Julius tried to encourage any spark that caught on the dry bark.
“I still say we force feed Magnar a bottle,” Fabian grumbled as he stalked back and forth in front of the slayer. I knew he was just protective of Callie, but my sister was right. This needed to be Magnar’s decision. And we all had to respect that.
I dropped down opposite my sister, my mouth dry from the dusty air and the desire for more blood.
“That's not an option,” Callie snarled, shifting closer to Magnar to defend him.
“He nearly killed us!” Fabian shouted, shaking his head.
“Well he's asleep for now.” Clarice caught his arm, giving him a hard glare. “So drop it.”
Fabian sighed, sitting down beside me and I spotted Chickoa giving him an awkward glance from the other side of the room.
Fabian rubbed his forehead with a heavy frown as he turned his gaze to the wall. I was sure his grief was as keen as the other Belvederes over Miles and Warren's death, but he buried it deeper, keeping his cool exterior in place. Clarice was the only one who had truly let her emotions out. When the tears fell, she allowed them to fall until they stopped. But the men were obviously dealing with it in their own way.
My eyes strayed to Erik as the fire got going and he rose to his feet, backing away from it. He moved to sit beside me, dropping down without a word and I was glad of his company, even if he didn’t want to talk.
Julius took a seat beside Chickoa, picking up a bottle of milk and swigging it down. He passed it to Callie but she shook her head, her gaze fixed on Magnar as he slept.
“We should get some rest while we can,” Clarice suggested.
“And wake up to Valentina breathing down our necks?” Fabian said anxiously. “What if she uses this time to catch up?”
“We’ll keep a lookout for Valentina, but Callie and Julius need to rest,” Erik said as he scored a line in the dirt before him. “And we’ll have to scout the area for supplies while they do.”
“Food,” Julius groaned longingly. “I've already drunk most of this milk. And we're not gonna survive on dust and air.”
“The blood's going to run out in a few days,” Fabian said in a low tone. “We have to consider that too.”
I eyed Callie, my gut clenching at the thought of what he was suggesting. How were we going to get to the mountain without drinking from the slayers? The idea was unthinkable.
“I won't drink from them even if they offer it,” I whispered so low that only the vampires could hear me.
“Now you're sounding like Magnar.” Fabian stood up, kicking the dusty floor as he marched off to the corner of the room.
Callie huddled closer to the fire and I spied goosebumps lining her flesh. It must have been freezing in this place and I was grateful we'd found enough wood to last the night.
Erik continued to strike lines in the dust with his hand. As I watched, the lines seemed to grow deeper under his touch and a faint tremor ran through the concrete. He lifted his head with a frown and I brushed my own fingers through the lines he'd carved in the dirt lining the floor, wondering if I'd imagined it.
“I'm gonna go keep watch.” Clarice got to her feet, brushing the dust from her jeans.
“I’ll go with you. I can use my swords to sense for Familiars before I get some sleep,” Julius said, springing to his feet and they headed out of the door.
I wondered if the two of them had any idea of how much they were drawn to each other. It was as clear as day to me how much they cared about one another. But their pride wouldn’t allow their barriers to fall, even though they always ended up following each other around anyway.
Erik took my hand and my brows raised in surprise as I glanced at him. “Come for a walk with me.” It wasn't a request and I was half tempted to roll my eyes at him for falling back on his old habits. But if that was what he needed to get through this then I had to suck it up.
I rose to my feet beside him and his hand stayed firmly around mine as he guided me out of the bungalow into the expanse of dry land beyond. Clarice and Julius were heading up the road, gazing up at the sky.
We moved away in the opposite direction, walking on in silence. I wondered how far away Valentina was in this vast expanse of land. Hatred clutched me as I thought of that woman coming after us. I didn't know who I despised more: her or the gods. But I supposed it was Idun who'd hurt us the most so far...
Erik's fingers wound between mine and he tugged me to a halt as we arrived at a huge boulder jutting out of the ground. He leant against it and I moved to perch beside him, his hand falling away from mine.
I waited for him to talk, sure anything I said was wasted air anyway. He had to open up to me first so I could try and find a way to make this better. But until then, I remained silent.
“Blood is our main issue right now,” Erik said and I frowned, having expected him to bring up Miles and Warren. “I'm not going to see you go hungry.” His tone was cold and demanding.
“Well you might have to,” I said with a shrug. “Until we find another way.”
“You know we only have one option,” he said in a low voice and I shook my head at him.
“There is no way in hell I'm asking my sister or Julius for blood,” I insisted.
“They will offer eventually, because they will have to or else watch us go mad and attack them,” Erik snarled and the hairs rose on the back of my neck. I'd never do that. It wasn't a choice I was going to make even if they did give it willingly.
I folded my arms with a sigh. “I can't do that, Erik.”
“It's not about what you want!” he shouted, sending a jolt through me.
He moved to stand before me with a glare. His upper lip curled back to reveal his fangs. “They'll offer it anyway and you'll say yes. I'm not going to watch you starve. I've already-” He pressed his fingers into his eyes, turning away from me.
A lump of emotion swelled in my throat and I moved toward him, resting my hand on his back. His muscles relaxed under my touch and I was achingly glad he didn't step away.
“You don't have to drink from the vein, we'll siphon it into the bottles,” he said heavily. “And when they offer, I don't want this argument. We already have to deal with Magnar. I don't want to have to force you to do anything but-”
“Force me?” I blurted, retracting my palm from his back as if he'd physically scolded me. “You'll do no so such thing. I know you're hurting right now, but you can't just push me about, Erik.”
He snapped around again and the darkness in his gaze killed any more words on my lips. I backed up and his expression softened a fraction as he took in the sight of me retreating.
He clawed a
hand through his hair, shutting his eyes for several long seconds. “Just...promise me you won't go hungry.”
“We'll find another way,” I insisted.
He shook his head, his tongue pressing into his cheek. He turned as if to head back to the house, but I caught his arm.
“Erik, please...”
“Please what, Montana?” he growled and it somehow hurt me more than his cruel tone that he didn't call me Rebel.
“Talk to me,” I said gently, desperate not to let the tears fall which were clouding in my eyes.
I will be strong. I can be strong for Erik.
“What do you want me to say?” he spat. “That I fucked up? That I was sitting in that truck for long enough to drive it half way across the farm and reach the influence of that ring before Idun showed up? That I could have saved my brother if I hadn't convinced myself we were actually safe for five fucking minutes?”
My heart bled for him. I clutched his shirt, not letting him escape me as he tried to turn away again. “How can you even think that?” I begged. “It wasn't your fault. How could you have known Idun was going to appear?”
“Because we're always in fucking danger! That's how it is for my family. And I shouldn't have let my guard down!” His face contorted with rage and so much agony that I desperately longed to take it away.
The tears betrayed me, falling from my eyes as I clung to Erik's shirt, refusing to let him walk away.
“Listen to me,” I demanded, finding my strength when I least expected to. I held his cheek and forced him to look at me, moving into his personal space. Because he was my husband. And he was hurt and probably felt more alone now than he ever had. But he didn't have to. Because I was right here and he needed to know that I wasn't going anywhere. “It wasn't your fault,” I repeated, slower this time as I tried to make it sink in. His jaw ticked as he surveyed me and his eyes watered, his hard shield almost cracking. “It was Idun. And she's dead for it. I know it doesn't take back what she did, but it's something. Their killer is dead. And you never had a hand in their deaths.”
Erik groaned and I could see him on the verge of coming apart. He ground his teeth and started shaking his head as he tugged away from me again. He turned, sprinting out into the darkness and I stumbled forward from the ferocity at which he'd left.
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 169
