Age of Vampires- The Complete Series

by Caroline Peckham

  The vampire moved inside and I followed her, making an effort to keep my features neutral as I was surrounded by more luxury than I’d ever seen.

  Red carpet led the way down a long corridor and we began to pass smooth white doors with gold numbers hanging on them. The vampire kept going until she reached door nine and slid it open for me. The room inside was bigger than the one I’d shared with Montana back in the Realm. A double bed filled the space to the left of the door covered with a thick duvet. A blue curtain was pinned back beside the bed which could be used to conceal it. To the right was a table with two padded armchairs and an open door which led to an ensuite.

  I stepped in, frowning at my surroundings. I had to work to hide the anger I felt. The vampires travelled in better conditions than those I’d been given to live in for my entire life. This place was just another reminder of why I was so determined to see them fall.

  “I can have a chalice of Realm A delivered,” the vampire offered. “Warm if you prefer?”

  My lip began to curl back and I forced it to stop before she noticed I didn’t have any fangs.

  “No,” I snapped, wanting rid of her as quickly as possible. “That won’t be necessary, I intend to rest a while. Just make sure I’m not disturbed.”

  “Of course, mistress. We should be all set to leave within the hour. Just call me if you need anything before then.” She bowed her head and backed out of the room, closing the sliding door between us.

  I let out a long breath as I sank down onto the bed.

  So far so good. Now all I had to do was wait. Then I’d have to figure out how to release Magnar on a train full of vampires...

  The slayer eventually slowed the bike enough that I could see the world more clearly. We’d entered a ruined part of the city. The buildings close by were crumbling to dust and we had to weave through debris on the road as we moved.

  “Let me down,” I snarled, trying to push myself upright.

  We went over a bump and my face slammed into his crotch. “Gah!” I exclaimed, clinging to his legs as I tried to steady myself.

  “Whatever happened to damsels in distress?” the man asked, chuckling softly.

  “I am in distress.” I pushed him as he veered the bike down a dark alley, darting between fallen pieces of mortar.

  “You’re not a damsel though. You kept punching me throughout my valiant rescue.”

  The bike slowed and we finally came to a halt. The slayer pulled me upright, keeping hold of my wrist as he dismounted the vehicle. He was frighteningly large with dark eyes that seemed to bore into my soul. My heart pounded unsteadily, but I refused to let my fear overwhelm me.

  I spotted Nightmare tucked into his belt and lunged for it. He batted my hand away, shaking his head. “That’s mine for now.”

  “Give it back,” I demanded and he grinned, raising a brow.

  “You need to calm down, Montana.”

  I stilled at my name. “How do you know who I am?”

  “I’ve been watching you since you arrived in the city. And if I recall rightly, you didn’t seem so happy about being the vampires’ little pet, so why don’t you relax and take a breath of free air at last?”

  I gazed around the ruins, looking up at an old bell tower beside us which stretched toward the sun glowing behind the clouds.

  “Let’s get inside and we can talk,” he offered and I eyed him suspiciously, thinking over my options.

  On the one hand, he was right. He had just helped me escape from the rule of the vampires I’d been fighting against since I got here. On the other…I didn’t want to part from Erik. But maybe that was foolish. Maybe I should have been glad about what this man had done for me.

  “I’m going to take that as a yes,” he said, steering me toward the entrance to the bell tower. The slayer moved toward the door, pushing it open. He nudged me into the dark space then rolled the bike into the room.

  Dust rose in my nostrils and I gazed around the cold place, wondering what to do. One solid answer came to me. I had to hear this guy out. He was a slayer, and he had technically saved me…

  He rested the bike against the wall and started locking the door with large deadbolts. When he was finished, he turned to me in the near-darkness. “Up.” He pointed toward the only door in the room. A small wooden thing that was barely taller than me. He took my hand, guiding me after him as he ducked through the small doorway. We emerged in a stone stairwell and he led me up it, climbing higher and higher until we arrived at the top of the building.

  Stone archways looked out across the city. Hanging above us was a huge bronze bell which must have been hundreds of years old. A pile of blankets was laid out to one side of the space and beside it was a stash of food. Tin cans and plastic-wrapped items were amongst the hoard and beyond them was a pile of weapons. Steel blades, even a couple of the vampires’ swords. How long had he been living here?

  The slayer released his bow from his shoulder, placing it down with his quiver of arrows. He took Nightmare from his belt and turned it over in his palms with a soft sigh. “Hello beautiful.”

  “Hey, that’s my knife,” I insisted, striding toward him.

  He turned away from me, his eyes on its golden hilt. “Did you miss being with a true slayer?” he cooed, stroking the hilt as if it was a pet. I reached for it and he shouldered me away. “By the gods, I’ve longed for my old sword. You’re not quite the same as Menace, but you’re very pretty.”

  “Stop it.” I tried to get around him, but he looped a leg around mine and knocked me to the floor with irritating ease, his eyes still on Nightmare.

  I glared up at him, a fight growing in me. Nightmare was mine. It was like a piece of me he was pawing with his meaty fingers. I lunged upward and my hand brushed the hilt.

  Friend of Moon Child, it whispered and the slayer’s brows rose in surprise.

  “Friend?” I asked aloud. Was this man someone I could trust? I hoped so. And I was far beyond ignoring Nightmare’s guidance these days.

  “Hm.” The slayer chewed the inside of his cheek as he contemplated the weapon. “It appears Nightmare is loyal to you.”

  I opened my mouth, shocked that he knew its name. “Then give it back,” I snarled, reaching for it again.

  He eyed me with a smirk. “No.” He pocketed the blade and I glowered at him.

  Reaching down, he snatched my hand and pulled me upright with a powerful strength. He kept my hand in his grip and kissed the back of it. “I’m Julius. It’s nice to meet you at last.”

  I nodded, but my eyes narrowed as I pulled my hand away. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

  “That is a very, very long story,” he said, gesturing for me to sit on his makeshift bed.

  I lowered myself onto it, tucking my knees up to my chest. He dropped down beside me with a slow smile growing on his face. “First things first. I want to know why you’re scowling at me like I didn’t just save your neck from a bunch of parasites.”

  “The vampires?” I guessed.

  “Yes, bloodsuckers. Cursed nightwalkers, fanged scumbags-”

  “I get it,” I cut him off then sighed heavily, trying to think of how to explain myself. Or even if I should. All of the changes I’d been through recently seemed so hard to voice. How could any human understand that perhaps…maybe some of the vampires weren’t all bad? Even as I thought it, I cringed internally. Hell, even I was starting to doubt if I hadn’t just been beguiled by Erik. Surely I was mad to trust him? To like him? To kiss him?

  I groaned, hiding my face in my hands.

  “You’ve been through a lot,” Julius rumbled in his deep tone. “I have observed some of the things you’ve been forced to do. I’ve seen you in the arms of that monster, Erik…”

  I lifted my chin, my heart thundering at his words. No, I knew Erik. And he wasn’t like the others. I had to have faith in him. “Erik is…different.”

  Julius’s face contorted. “What do you mean by that?”

  I shook
my head. “It’s hard to explain.”

  “Then try,” he growled, his voice holding a deadly edge to it.

  “Erik’s the only one in this whole city who’s attempted to help me. I know he’s not all good but…” I trailed off, having no real answer that could possibly convince a slayer of a vampire’s good nature.

  “He murdered my father in the worst way imaginable,” Julius spat and a rocket of fear went through me. “He is the lowest of all of them. A soulless beast, a creature with a heart as black as coal.”

  I turned away from him, gazing around the bell tower, eyeing a glimpse of the city beyond the archways. “He killed your father?” I asked, my voice quavering a fraction.

  “Yes…a thousand years ago there was a great battle between the slayers and vampires. My father was the only survivor and your fiancée turned him into a vampire and sent him back to my village, hoping he would kill the rest of us. My own brother had to end his life. To rid him of the vile curse he’d been infected with.”

  My heart tripped over itself. I didn’t know what to say, what to believe. Erik’s demeanour didn’t add up with such a terrible act.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  Julius sighed wearily. “As am I. One day I’ll bring justice down upon all of their heads. If only my brother were here to see it…”

  I turned to him, finding his eyes dark with sorrow.

  “Is he dead?” I asked and he nodded.

  “I believe so…I am the only slayer left. At least I was. But now there is you.” His dark eyes sparkled with hope. “I have been spying on the Belvederes for months. This last week I’ve heard whispers…some of the vampires say you have slayer blood. And now I know it is true.” He reached for my arm, pushing up my sleeve to reveal the mark there. “We’re all that’s left.”

  I released a breath, shaking my head. “We’re not,” I gasped. “My twin sister is like us. And she’s with another slayer called Magnar Elios-”

  Julius grabbed me, tugging me closer by the collar of my shirt. “What did you say?”

  “Magnar…Elioson?”

  He gaped at me, pulling me so close his face was just a few centimetres from mine.

  “By the gods.” A smile grew on his face, wider and wider until he pulled me into his arms and crushed me into his chest in a fierce hug. “Shit!” He started laughing, rocking me from side to side as my face was pressed into his shirt.

  I pushed away from him with a question in my eyes. “You know him?”

  “He’s my brother,” he announced, rising to his feet and moving to an arched window, gazing out toward the city. He glanced back at me with a smile tugging up his lips. “Do you know where I can find him?”

  I shook my head. “I think my sister is still on the west coast…”

  He nodded, but a determined look filled his eyes. “Well there is no doubt he will come here. My brother will want the Belvederes’ heads and we will sever them together.” Pride filled his tone and my gut spiralled with concern. I couldn’t let them hurt Erik, even Clarice and Miles had shown me some kindness. I felt like a traitor to my own kind as I ran my thumb over the slayer mark on my skin.

  What’s happened to me? Why don’t I want them all dead anymore?

  Because Erik has gotten into your blood. He runs in your veins like a life force. And nothing you do can rid you of him.

  “What’s your plan?” I asked, shaking off the confusing thoughts. “Why did you bring me here?”

  Julius rounded on me with a grim look. “I only wanted to save you but now I wonder…” His eyes glazed with thought as he approached me, kneeling down at my feet. “Montana we are the last slayers. And when Magnar arrives, there will be enough of us to take on the royals. You must take your vow.” He snatched my arm and I tugged away from him in fright.

  “What vow?”

  “The vow to become a true slayer, to pledge yourself to the cause to end the vampires. To bring them to their knees. I can train you. I will train you.”

  I shook my head, panic seizing me. “No,” I asserted. “I won’t.”

  “You won’t?” He looked baffled, his gaze scraping over me. “Why not?”

  “Because...” The words snagged in my throat. Because I’ll never take an oath to hurt Erik. Never.

  He eyed me darkly then nodded. “You need more time. You can come with me on my next mission in the city. We will gather intelligence, prepare ourselves. And when the time is right, you’ll take your vow.”

  I glared at him, my brows drawing together. I wasn’t going to take his stupid vow. There was no way I’d be forced into it.

  Julius pointed at the food beside his bed. “Let’s eat and discuss our next move. Erik and his vile family will no doubt meet soon. And we will be there to listen in.” He grinned keenly and my heart pattered wildly in my chest.

  “We can do that?” I asked and he nodded.

  “Yes, Idun has helped me adjust to this new world. I now hold the knowledge which allows me to spy on them.” His grin grew as he snatched a couple of packets of food from the floor, passing one to me. After everything I’d been through, I wasn’t remotely hungry.

  “Who’s Idun?” I asked, thumbing the packet.

  “The goddess who created the slayers,” Julius revealed and I wondered if I believed him. Erik had spoken of the gods too. Did they truly exist? It was hard to deny the fact in the face of everything I’d seen.

  I lowered my eyes to the food in my hand. “I saw you at the castle. You killed a guard in the grounds.”

  His mouth skewed into a grin. “As a message to the royals.” He bit into the oaty bar he was holding, swallowing it down in two bites. “I’ve been picking off their men when I can, killing anyone I can get information out of. Mostly on Erik. I’ve hungered for a time alone with him but the bastard travels in packs. Today I had a choice…fight him or take you.”

  “And you chose me,” I whispered and he nodded.

  “I most-likely would have died standing against both he and Fabian anyway. But if Magnar is coming here, I will not run from a fight again with him at my side.”

  I took a shaky breath, absorbing that information. There was one thing he needed to know, and whether he judged me for it was out of my hands. “I won’t help you hurt Erik,” I said firmly and Julius stared at me in disbelief.

  “He was your captor,” he growled.

  I shook my head, then nodded, unable to deny it. “Yes he was. But I still won’t help you kill him.”

  “You’re confused,” he snarled, taking my shoulders and shaking me. “They brought you here. They want to violate you. Rape you and make you bear children for them. How can you care for a monster like Erik Belvedere?”

  “He promised I would never have to do that,” I said, digging deep for my faith in Erik. “And I am not confused. I know my own mind. And I have reasons to trust him.”

  “Like what?” he demanded, looking furious.

  I ground my teeth, realising there was only one way I might convince Julius to believe me. The truth. “Nightmare urged me to have faith in him. The blade told me to trust him more than once. It senses he’s different.”

  “Liar,” Julius spat, taking Nightmare from his pocket and holding it out before him. “Tell me this girl has been brainwashed.”

  I reached out, brushing my fingers over the hilt, needing to hear the answer it provided. When it did, Julius’s eyes widened and a dawning fear encompassed his features.

  Warrior born and monster made…Moon Child walks the path of salvation. Erik Belvedere walks the same path. A monster must be made, Julius Elioson. It is time.

  I sat in the plush armchair, peering out of the window at the platform as the train rumbled to life around me. A shiver raced down my spine as a soft vibration built beneath the floor at my feet.

  My heart fluttered with a mixture of fear and excitement. I’d never ridden in any kind of vehicle before and I had no idea what to expect from the train once it got moving.

  I
pressed my hand against the material at my thigh where Fury was now strapped to my leg. The blade’s constant anger at its proximity to the vampires flooded through me and I smiled. It was nothing if not consistent.

  I watched as lesser vampires hurried back and forth along the platform, double checking everything was ready for our departure. In the time I’d spent waiting, no cry had gone out to say that Magnar had been discovered and as the vampires closed the train doors I felt a knot of tension release in my gut. We’d done it. Both of us were onboard the train and the vampires were none the wiser.

  A silver clock hung on the wall beside the door and I glanced at it for the hundredth time. One minute to two. Idun said her gift would wear off at midnight so I needed to find Magnar before then. We would have to find a place to hide once we’d poisoned their blood supplies and my gift had faded. I was starting to long for that moment; spending time amongst them felt anything but natural and I couldn’t wait to separate myself from them as soon as I could.

  I got to my feet as my nerves made me too jittery to sit still. I paced up and down once then realised I could be seen through the windows if any of the vampires on the platform looked my way. I escaped into the ensuite and closed the door so that I could pull myself together without the risk of being observed.

  The bright lights illuminated my unnaturally perfect face in the mirror. I scowled at it and the girl who stared back at me looked terrifying.

  Despite how helpful my Elite features had proven, I was looking forward to regaining my own face. Nothing about the way I appeared seemed natural to me. I didn’t even think it was appealing. It was the face of a monster. And the sooner I was back to myself the better.

  I released a breath, pushing away the anxiety which had been trying to take a hold of me.

  You can do this, Callie.

  I left the bathroom and reclaimed my chair beside the window, looking out to find the platform almost abandoned. Only a few vampires remained and they were backing away from the train. The guards held their guns at the ready as if they still expected something to go wrong. Little did they know we’d already outsmarted them.