“Take another item off Rebel and you'll regret it!” Erik bellowed at me and I planted my hands on my hips, not remotely surprised.
Hypocrite.
Magnar pointed at Callie mouthing, “Don't do it,” and she burst into laughter again.
“It's not like I want to get naked, but I would love to see their faces if we did,” I said then tugged my bra strap down my shoulder in an effort to wind Erik up.
“Montana Belvedere!” Erik roared, wading back toward the beach.
I threw my head back with laughter, pulling the strap back up and sprinting toward the sea. Callie chased after me and we held hands as we rushed into the water. As my feet hit the sea, energy flooded me. I forgot about blood, about Valentina, the holy mountain and the gods. The waves crashed against my stomach and I delighted in the swirling mass of water as it pushed me back then drew me out into it as the tide receded. I lost my grip on Callie's hand and she dove under the water, resurfacing in front of Magnar.
“I hope you didn't open your eyes underwater,” he joked, glancing over at Fabian who was swimming past them.
Callie laughed in response, winding her arms around his neck as he lifted her against him.
I waded toward Erik and he hounded forward to meet me, cutting me off from the group. He caught my waist, dragging me into his arms and I folded my legs around him as our lips met. Salt mixed with the sweetness of his skin and I sought more of that divine taste, pressing my tongue into his mouth.
I inhaled as his arousal grew between my thighs and leant back from his kiss with a wild grin. “Now how are you going to walk out of the sea without everyone seeing how much you like me?”
“You may have to make sure I'm finished liking you before we leave,” he teased and I slapped his chest.
A huge wave splashed over us and I fell under the waves with Erik, wheeling my arms and pressing my feet to the sand to get up.
Magnar stood there with a wide grin on his face. “That should sort out your problem, Erik,” he laughed and Erik grinned at him in a challenge, throwing up a huge wave with his hands. It crashed over Magnar and Callie and my sister squealed in delight, splashing us back.
Clarice swam toward us, standing upright and Erik frowned as her breasts were revealed.
“Do you have to be naked?” he demanded, shielding his eyes. “Julius is trying really hard not to stare.” He pointed to the slayer who was swimming a few feet away, his eyes fixed on his brother, then slipping to Clarice for half a second before returning to Magnar.
Magnar laughed and my mouth parted in surprise at his casual reaction to the idea of Julius being interested Clarice. He waved his brother over but Julius shook his head and dove under the surface.
Clarice moved into a deeper part of the sea and Erik dropped his hand from his eyes as he peeked out.
Fabian popped up beside us, his eyes so much brighter after his drink. I smiled serenely, ignoring the dull ache in my throat. I didn't want the curse to spoil this moment. It was too perfect. And after everything we'd been through, a night in this beautiful place was just what we needed.
I lay in the last of the sun as it dipped towards the sea, soaking in the feel of it against my skin as I trailed my hands through the soft sand.
We hadn't seen a Familiar in days and there were hundreds of routes we could have taken since we left the mountain pass. We'd all agreed we were safe enough from Valentina for now to afford one night in this place and with our slayer's weapons, we'd be able to detect her if she got close again.
Montana was beside me and we were drinking in the warmth of the sunlight together while our skin dried.
Magnar and Erik were setting up camp a little way along the beach while Clarice, Fabian and Chickoa hid from the sun within the tents. I’d felt a little sorry for them when the sun broke free of the clouds and they were forced into hiding once again. The sun on my skin was one of the best feelings in the world and happiness was building in my soul just because of the light it cast down on me. I couldn’t imagine having to hide from it for a thousand years. It was a cruel twist to their curse which seemed to serve no purpose other than to punish them.
Julius had taken charge of building a fire and though I’d initially offered to help him and the others with their tasks I didn’t feel particularly bad about it when they’d refused. I watched as Julius tracked up and down the beach collecting driftwood to build the huge bonfire and I was looking forward to sitting around it once the sun dropped and the warmth was stolen from the world once again.
My stomach was feeling a little empty but I was fighting off the urge to find food; Magnar had promised to cook for me and Julius tonight and I wanted to keep as much space in my stomach as possible for whatever he made for us. Every meal he’d cooked when I was travelling alone with him had set my tastebuds alight with joy and I wanted to truly appreciate my dinner tonight.
Erik had suggested that Montana and I enjoy some time on the beach like our dad would have wanted and I got the feeling that he was feeling incredibly guilty about our lives in the Realm. And despite the fact that I’d gotten past my hatred for him and his siblings over that, a part of me still agreed. They should feel bad about us never seeing a beach before: We should have come here with our parents and played in the sand as children. So if I got to lay in the sun now as payment for his guilt then I wasn’t going to refuse. But I guessed I had to forgive him for it now too.
“I can’t believe we’re really here,” I sighed, keeping my eyes closed as I listened to the crashing waves against the shore.
“Dad would be so happy if he could see us now,” Montana agreed.
I twisted the chain our father had given me around my finger, tugging it close to my throat. It felt empty now that it didn’t hold our mother’s ring anymore but I hadn’t taken it off. It was the last thing I had left of his.
“Maybe he can,” I sighed. I’d never been religious but I had to admit that now we knew the gods existed it made sense for there to be some kind of afterlife too. “Maybe him and Mom are watching us now and thinking ‘I wish they didn’t have to go through so much shit to get there but I’m so damn pleased they’re at the beach’.”
Montana laughed and I smirked as I turned my head towards her.
“I imagine he’d be more concerned about the men we’ve chosen for ourselves than about us finally having the opportunity to build sandcastles,” she teased.
“Monty - is that a vampire you’re stepping out with?” I demanded in my best -which admittedly was pretty shocking - impression of our dad.
“And Callie, does that man have a sword in his pocket or is he just pleased to see you?” Montana responded and I laughed.
“Do you remember when he caught you sneaking out to meet that boy... what was his name?” I asked.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Montana replied airily.
“Yes you do. It was Peter. Or Terrance or something like that. The one with the dodgy eyebrow-”
“He did not have a dodgy eyebrow!” she replied indignantly. “And Dad made sure I never did meet him anyway.”
I sniggered in response and she flicked sand at me.
The silence stretched as I bathed in the sunlight with a smile tugging at my lips.
“Do you think...” Montana began but she stopped before finishing her thought.
“What?” I asked, opening my eyes again.
“I’m worried he might be ashamed of me... of who I am now, what I am. Who I love...”
I reached out to grab her hand, forcing her to look back into my eyes.
“Never, Monty,” I growled. “Don’t ever think that, even for a second.”
She looked like she was on the verge of tears as she went on. “But he hated the vampires so much. He taught us to hate them. To fear them. He dreamed of getting us as far away from them as possible and yet I ended up falling in love with one of the men responsible for all of our suffering. And becoming a vampire myself-”
“
He would be so proud of you, Monty,” I said firmly. “I never could have seen Erik the way you did... as the man he was before the curse. I never would have realised that it wasn’t their fault. That the gods were the ones to blame in all of this. Your heart is so big and you’re so forgiving. Without you none of us would be here now. We’d have no hope of undoing this curse and stopping Valentina. Dad hated us living in a prison but he never questioned why the vampires felt they had to put us in one. And I know that Fabian was an ass and that mistakes were made but I can understand the idea of the Realms. Especially now we’re in this situation...” I pulled my hand from hers, turning my arm over and eyeing the cuts and bite marks on it. Montana frowned uncomfortably as she looked at my damaged skin.
“Being drained for the sake of a bunch of vampires helps you to sympathise with them?” she asked disbelievingly.
I snorted in amusement. “Yes. Because I can see how the bloodlust works. That they can’t control it and how it controls them. And if they’d left the humans free after the Final War and allowed their kind to hunt us then I think there’s a good chance that the humans would have been wiped out in the end. There weren’t enough survivors after the bombs fell to feed all of them and the Belvederes did their best to protect our lives by taking our blood in a way that wasn’t fatal. It makes sense. Even if I hate it.”
“And none of it will ever stop unless we end the curse,” she murmured.
“Which we will,” I said firmly. “And then Fabian can give me that damn divorce, Valentina can die in the most horrible way imaginable and we can live out our lives in a house with a view of the sea surrounded by a bucket load of kids.”
“A bucket load?” she laughed. “And can you really see Erik and Magnar living in the same house as each other?”
I glanced over at the two of them as they built the camp, setting up tents and hanging out our wet things to dry in the sun. They were working together pretty seamlessly and as I watched, Magnar laughed in response to something Erik said.
“Actually, on second thoughts, maybe we should get houses side by side,” I said. “Because otherwise I’m worried that the two of them might get so friendly that they’ll cut us out of the equation all together.”
Montana bit her lip against her own laughter as she watched them. “I know it’s really not funny, but when Erik told me about Valentina forcing them to kiss each other-”
I laughed too. “Do you think we should ask them for a re-enactment?” I joked.
“I dunno if I’d dare,” she admitted. “If they go through with it then they really might leave us for each other.”
I burst out laughing at the idea and Monty caught my fingers between hers again.
“This is why Dad wanted us to come to the beach,” she murmured as our amusement died away. “To have fun. Just sit in the sunshine and laugh for once.”
“Not a care in the world,” I teased.
“How about we make a deal,” she offered. “For one night only, nothing else exists. No Valentina, no Biters, no Andvari or Odin. No ring and no fucking mountain.”
My mouth fell open as she swore and she smirked knowingly.
“Just us,” she said firmly. “The people we care about. No walls around us, no tomorrow.”
“Just the sea and the sand.” I grinned, liking the idea.
The sun was just touching the horizon and I pushed myself up to watch as it shimmered above the waves. Montana rose too, holding her hand out for mine and we sat together in silence as the sky turned orange and the blue water glimmered on eternally.
My heart felt lighter from our time together. Just being in her presence made my soul hum with satisfaction. We were two halves of the same whole and no matter our choices or curses, our vows or our loves, in the end we still completed each other.
In all my life I never could have imagined a moment as perfect as that. Just sitting with my hand in my sister’s as the waves rolled in and the sun disappeared.
I knew it couldn’t last. We had so much to do to free the world from the curse that the gods had laid on us. But for one night only we let that all go.
And I allowed myself to bathe in that peace.
Hand in hand with the truest love in my life.
I was bathing in bliss an hour after the sun had set, lying back in the sand beyond the fire beside my husband. Julius had given us more blood and I finally felt whole again. My priorities had changed entirely; I didn't give a damn about blood right now.
I rolled toward Erik, sliding a hand up his bare chest. He'd replaced his pants but nothing else and I delighted in the hard planes of his stomach beneath my roaming fingers.
“Move an inch lower and I'm gonna lose it,” he muttered, pushing a hand into my hair with a roguish grin.
The others were chatting, not paying us any attention but a cool blush still crawled into my cheeks.
His hand skated across my bare shoulder. I'd put a vest and shorts on after our dip in the sea and Erik caressed my exposed flesh hungrily.
“Let's go for a walk,” he said suggestively and my mouth hooked up at the corner.
“We've done a lot of walking today,” I teased, circling my finger through the hair that led beneath his waistband.
He released a low growl. “I like walking,” he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He placed two fingers on my side, marching them up to my shoulder. I giggled, leaning forward and bracing my hands in the sand on the other side of him.
I brushed my lips over his and he caught the back of my neck, groaning as his tongue invaded my mouth.
“Get a room!” Clarice called and someone threw something at us. I laughed as Erik picked up the empty bottle and tossed it back at the group.
“There's no rooms out here,” I said, burying my face in Erik's chest.
“Come on.” Erik pushed me up, hauling me to my feet as he stood. “Worth a look,” he murmured against my ear.
“Go a mile at least,” Fabian begged. “I don't wanna hear it.”
“You're just jealous you haven't got anyone to play with.” Julius aimed a teasing kick at Fabian's shin.
“Neither do you, slayer,” Fabian said with a smirk, but Julius only shrugged.
Erik snared my hand, dragging me away from the fire and we headed across the sand, running shamelessly into the night.
Anticipation built in my chest and my body hummed with how much I wanted Erik. It had been so long, but he finally seemed himself again. And I was aching with how much I needed my body to reunite with his.
When we'd run far enough, he released my hand. I could barely even see the fire in the distance, the orange glow of it vaguely flickering on the horizon. Erik moved in front of me and the light of the moon peeking through the clouds illuminated his mischievous expression.
“I'm owed a strip show,” he said thoughtfully.
I halted, fighting a grin as I tapped my chin. “I'm pretty sure you told me not to strip earlier.”
“Not in front of the others,” he agreed. “But now they're not here and I've been thinking about you in that underwear all day.”
“What about it specifically?” I teased, taking a step forward but he backed up. We always played cat and mouse like this and I adored it. He looked so happy, as if no darkness could find us tonight. And I wanted more than ever for that to be true.
“I've been angry with it,” he said, his lips twitching with amusement. “Getting to touch you in all the places I want to touch you.”
“You can.” I stepped closer again, biting into my lip as I reached for him but he retreated once more.
“Strip,” he popped the P and I giggled, my shoulders dropping as I gave into his demands.
I pushed my hair back from my face then caught the hem of my vest and dragged it over my head. His eyes lit with excitement as he took in the lacy bra I'd gotten from the mall. I'd found it in a store full of nothing but lingerie and this one had sparked excitement in me. It was a garment I only wanted him to see. The way it pushed up
my breasts and the thin material which gave him a glimpse of what lay beneath.
I tugged my shorts off, kicking them away from my feet and he took in the matching panties with equal desire. He released a low growl in his throat and the noise sent heat coursing through my veins. He was the key to all the desire in my body and his gaze alone unlocked me.
“More,” he begged and I took pleasure in the power this gave me, reaching behind my back and unhooking my bra.
I shrugged my shoulders and let it fall to the sand at my feet. “Enough?” I asked and he shook his head, his eyes wanton.
I hooked my fingers in my panties, tilting my head as I awaited confirmation.
“Off,” he commanded and I rolled them slowly down my legs, slipping them over my feet and dangling them on one finger as I stood upright before him.
His gaze scraped hungrily down me, so penetrating it was like his hands were on me already.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he said in a rumbling tone that made my skin skitter with pleasure.
I stepped forward and he didn't move away this time. He let me approach and press myself against him. His cool chest was flush to mine and the feel of his muscles tensing made me inhale a breath.
“What is it I do to you Erik?” I asked lightly, slipping my hand between us and running it down his chest to his waistband.
I spread my fingers and dragged them lower, brushing my tongue over my fangs as I felt him swelling beneath my palm.
He moaned hungrily then pushed me back a step. I pouted and he released a chuckle. In a surge of movement, he swept me off my feet and I dropped onto the sand with him holding my waist. He pushed my legs apart and I released a desperate whimper as his mouth immediately dropped to my breasts. My nipples hardened under his torment as he moved between each of them, nibbling and sucking before blowing cool air onto them. I rolled my head against the sand, digging my nails into his shoulders as he continued to pleasure me.
He ran his tongue between the valley of my cleavage, licking all the way down to my belly button. I inhaled deeply, my hips rising to meet the wetness of his lips.
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 181
