Age of Vampires- The Complete Series

by Caroline Peckham

  She fizzled out of existence and I flinched as I found Magnar sitting beside me once more. He was no longer lost to the memory but sat looking at me expectantly.

  “Why didn’t you want to marry her?” I asked carefully, not wanting him to clam up on me.

  “Many reasons. But the main one was that I didn’t love her.” He shrugged and looked away from me.

  “So when you tried to warn me about the fact that taking my vow might have meant I had to take a husband I hadn’t chosen, it was because you knew how that felt?”

  “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, Callie. Your heart should be your own to give. No matter what path you choose to follow in this life.”

  The wind picked up and he caught my hair as it blew across my face. He swept it aside, catching my cheek in his calloused palm. The fire disappeared and the tent sprang up around us once more.

  “If I was allowed to choose, I’d pick you every time, Callie.” He leant in and kissed me again. The feelings he ignited in me grew like blossoms in the spring, breathing new life into a part of my soul which I’d never dared to dream of filling. He was everything I’d never believed I could have. The secret hope I’d harboured in the dead of night which could finally bathe in sunlight.

  Every fiber of my body came alive beneath the touch of his lips against mine. And I ached for more of him, consumed by the desire to give myself to him. I was standing on the edge of a precipice and it took everything I had not to fling myself off.

  I slid my fingertips across his jaw, smiling as his stubble grazed my skin.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and he pulled me into his lap. His hands slid beneath my leathers, skimming the flesh at the base of my spine and I arched my back, moulding my body to his.

  I pulled back and sighed as I looked into his eyes.

  “None of this is real though is it? I can’t really say your name or do this...” I trailed my hand down his chest and his grip on me tightened.

  “It feels pretty real,” he countered.

  I bit my lip, resting my fingertips on his belt buckle. “It’s just that if we keep going, I want it to be more than a dream.”

  His gaze slid over me and he sighed in acceptance. “You’re unlike any slayer ever born, Callie. If you can master your connection to your gifts you won’t need me to teach you for long. Once you aren’t my novice this can be real.”

  My mind reeled with the implications of what he was saying. If it was true then maybe I would be able to break free of his control over me sooner than I’d hoped.

  His thumbs brushed across the curve of my hips and his gaze travelled over me in a way that made me feel like he was about to test my resolve in halting this. A knot of longing tightened my muscles and the temptation to change my mind pulled at me.

  I forced myself to reject it and a thick coat formed over my body. Magnar’s battle leathers returned too and he released a breath of disappointment.

  “This dream is turning into a nightmare,” he teased.

  “Let’s just hope it’s worth the wait,” I countered.

  He leant forward and kissed me one last time, his hands pushing through my hair and igniting a flame in the pit of my stomach.

  “It will be,” he promised and my body trembled with the insinuation as the dream slipped away and I was drawn back to our confined hiding place on the train.

  I walked along the quiet streets, sensing eyes on me from the surrounding windows. The wind picked up, tugging my hair out behind me and Julius’s cloak fluttered around my legs.

  As I closed in on the castle grounds, a dark car sailed towards me with blacked-out windows.

  A feeling in my soul told me Erik was inside it and as the vehicle rolled to a halt before me, he stepped out of the driver’s seat.

  My heart pounded wildly at the sight of him.

  He winced against the beating sun and dark veins spread out around his eyes. “Rebel?” he asked in a desperately dry voice.

  I sucked in a breath, my thoughts abandoning me as I ran toward him. He darted forward to meet me, crushing me in his arms.

  I breathed in the achingly perfect scent of him, tilting my chin up. Before I could form a single word, his mouth slammed against mine and all the air in my lungs compressed.

  I gripped his lapels, pulling him closer, my heart crying out for him to be nearer.

  He stumbled and guilt bled through me. “You have to get out of the sun.”

  Nodding stiffly, he caught my hand as if he was worried I’d run away, guiding me to the passenger’s seat and planting me inside the car.

  He dropped into the driver’s side a second later, slamming the door with a breath of relief.

  “What the fuck is Valentina playing at?” He gazed out at the sky with concern then turned to me with dark eyes. “How are you here? How did you escape?”

  I swallowed, a ball growing in my throat. “We should go somewhere private. To talk.” I tore my eyes away from him, gazing firmly out of the windshield. I had to stick to my plan. I couldn’t let him rattle me.

  “What does that mean?” he growled.

  “It means we need to talk,” I said simply.

  “I need to go to Valentina's apartment,” he said firmly and I shook my head.

  “She's not there. And you won't find out where she is until after we talk.”

  He muttered something under his breath before turning the car around and speeding up the road, the momentum pressing me back into my seat.

  He didn’t drive to the castle as I expected but headed onto a highway, driving at a terrifying pace, avoiding the cars which had been abandoned. When I realised we were leaving the city, my breath snagged in my lungs.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To our place in Westchester,” he said, his jaw ticking with frustration. “You want privacy, you’re about to get it.” He reached into the pocket of the door, taking out sunglasses and sliding them on.

  My heart tripped over itself as we tore along the road toward a patch of green in the distance.

  I refused to say another word until we rolled up to the gates of Erik’s property in the suburbs. A guard stood outside with a black umbrella above his head.

  Erik rolled his window down a crack as the vampire jogged over, wincing as he moved.

  “By the gods, what are you still doing out here?” Erik demanded.

  “It’s my duty, sir,” the vampire replied in a dry voice.

  “What’s your name?” Erik asked.

  “Henry, sir.” He bowed low then gasped as the sun fell over his backside.

  “Report to me after your shift. You deserve a fucking promotion.”

  Henry’s eyes widened with awe. “Absolutely, your highness. Thank you, thank you.” He stood upright, scurrying over to the gate and punching in a code on a keypad.

  The gates parted and Erik drove us up the gravel drive toward the large, red brick house.

  The sun shone down on the garden, bringing the green grass out in a vivid colour. I’d nearly forgotten what it was like to see the sun in full force. It was dazzling. Freeing. And gave me a strength I never wanted to be rid of.

  Erik parked as close to the house as possible and yanked up the handbrake, tossing his sunglasses onto the dashboard. He gazed out at the sunlight with a flicker of unease in his eyes. Shoving the door open, he moved around the car in a blur, yanking my door open before I had a moment to do it myself. He lifted me into his arms and my stomach lurched as he took off at the same impossible pace.

  In seconds, we were inside and my head spun as he planted me on my feet. He steadied me with a dark frown.

  “What’s going on?” he demanded.

  I wet my lips, gazing around the quiet hallway.

  “Come,” he growled, dragging me further into the house.

  We arrived in the living room and he nudged me down onto the couch but remained on his feet, staring down at me. I ground my teeth, irritated by his attempt to intimidate me.

  Rising, I gl
ared up at him and mustered my courage. “Julius and I have taken Valentina hostage.”

  Several painful seconds of silence rang out as he absorbed those words. His eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared. Then his fury unleashed full-force. “YOU DID WHAT?!”

  I fought a flinch at his ferocious tone, planting my hands on my hips. “I will not be your prisoner again, Erik. I needed some leverage on you. And now I have it. The sun.”

  His mouth parted and he gazed at me in utter disbelief. His anger dissolved in an instant and he started laughing so hard I thought he’d lost his mind. He grabbed me by the shoulders, staring right at me with his penetrating eyes. “How many more times are you going to surprise me? Fuck calling you Rebel. You’re a hurricane. A goddamn mercenary. You’ve taken on the whole city single-handedly.”

  A grin pulled at my mouth as pride swelled inside me. “Not quite single-handedly.”

  His mirth fell away in an instant. “Julius Elioson.” He plucked at the robe around my shoulders then tore it from my back, throwing it to the floor. “You’re going to tell me where he is.”

  “No I’m not.” I folded my arms and his right eye twitched with agitation.

  I could see I had him right where I wanted him and it felt damn good.

  “By the gods, what am I going to do with you?”

  “Firstly, you’re going to tell me about the prophecy.” I jutted up my chin and his brows arched in surprise.

  “You know?”

  “I know,” I replied with a nod. “And Julius and I have some theories that I need to discuss with you. And Andvari too.”

  He rubbed his temples as if this was giving him a headache. “Can you stop mentioning that slayer as if he’s your damn partner?”

  “Well in a way, he is,” I said airily, unable to resist the chance to poke at him some more.

  He pursed his lips. “You’ve clearly had a lot to say to each other.”

  “Yep,” I said, popping the P.

  He scowled. “Well Rebel, this really is quite the stand you’re making.” His tone dropped to a dangerous level and a shiver ran down my spine. “I suppose you have more demands you’d like to air?”

  “Yes.” My mouth was dry as I tried to gather my thoughts from the floor and realign them into the correct order. I had to say this right. To stand my ground and make Erik bow to my wishes. “I’m giving you until sundown to take me to Andvari. To tell me everything you know about the prophecy and…” I took in a breath, readying to reveal the final blow. “Then you’re going to let me return to Julius, no questions asked.”

  Erik looked like he was about to spontaneously combust. Anger flowed through his eyes like magma. “You expect me to let you go back to a slayer? An enemy of the state? A man who has killed my people, murdered them in cold blood. Sabrina was my best guard for over four hundred years and now she lies in an urn. I am not someone to be blackmailed.”

  “But you had no problem blackmailing me. Hanging my family over my head. My dad-” I choked on the word and turned sharply away from him, determined not to let him see me come undone. “My dad is dead because you sent a bloodthirsty monster to retrieve him.”

  “I know,” Erik breathed and I sensed he was centimeters behind me. “I’m so sorry, Montana. So deeply sorry I cannot even begin to express it.” He tentatively slid an arm around me and I fought the urge to lean into his embrace.

  I pulled away, taking a deep breath before turning back to him. “The sun stays out until you’ve given me what I asked for.”

  His brows lowered and sadness crept over his features. “I will. But you never needed to force me, Montana. I would have given you anything you wanted regardless.”

  “Even letting me return to Julius?” I scoffed.

  His eyes clouded. “No…not that.”

  “Then here we are,” I announced, pushing my shoulders back. “So are you going to tell me about the prophecy?”

  He visibly swallowed, reaching for my hand. I let him take it and he intertwined his fingers with mine. “I’d prefer we discussed this without you looking at me like you hate me.”

  A knot tightened in my belly and some of my bravado fell away. “I don’t hate you,” I breathed and he squeezed my hand, a breath of relief passing his lips.

  “You’re still my fiancée,” he muttered.

  I ground my teeth, tugging my hand away. “I’m not a willing fiancée. And I don’t intend on going through with the wedding.”

  He released a feral growl which sent electricity right down to my toes. “You still picked me.”

  “Because you told me to,” I said coolly. “I never wanted to pick anyone.”

  “And when did you start listening to me?” He cocked a brow.

  “I don’t normally listen to you. That was the only time,” I said in a harsh tone.

  “Can you do what I say one more time?” he asked, his voice softening.

  My heart turned over and over as I gazed up at him. “Depends what it is.”

  “Answer a question for me…honestly.”

  I swallowed hard, nodding.

  His brows pulled together, forming a deep v between them. “Are you going to leave forever when you return to Julius?”

  It struck me hard that he was truly going to let me go, and even deeper that he didn’t want me to.

  I hadn’t thought about what would happen once I left Erik again. I had to hear what Andvari said first. But if the prophecy didn’t actually involve me, what then? I could run. Leave the city and go in search of my sister.

  My silence stretched on too long and Erik took it as his answer, nodding stiffly.

  “Let’s talk about the prophecy,” he muttered, dropping onto an armchair, his mood sullied.

  “Okay,” I agreed, not wanting to dwell on that question or what my choice would be if I had to make it.

  “What did Julius tell you?” he asked and I noted his discomfort at speaking his name.

  “You really hate him,” I stated and he nodded stiffly.

  “Julius and his family terrorised me and my siblings for years, hunting us like animals with the sole desire of ending our lives. So forgive me if I am not more delighted by his reappearance.”

  “Well maybe he had reason to considering you turned his father into a vampire and sent him back to his camp to kill his people.”

  Erik’s eyes turned to stone. “That’s not how it happened. And I’m not going to waste my breath on discussing an event that occured a thousand years ago. Tell me what the slayer said to you about the prophecy.”

  I sighed, relaying what Julius and I had discussed. Erik listened patiently, his hands clasped together on his knees. If he was concerned, he didn’t show it. But when I revealed our suspicions that the prophecy wanted me to become a vampire, he leapt from his seat.

  “Never,” he snarled. “I will never place this curse on you.”

  “Why do you care? You said that’s what happens to the wives anyway,” I said.

  “I never intended to do that to you.” He glanced away and relief ebbed through me at his admission.

  I knotted my fingers together. “It’s not like I want to do it. But I need to know…I need to speak with Andvari. You have a way, don’t you?” I gazed at him with longing.

  “Yes,” Erik said. “I can speak with him through mirrors.”

  I sucked in a breath as a memory rippled through my mind of the mirror I’d seen in his bedroom. The voice that had seemed to come from it…

  I got to my feet, but Erik shook his head firmly. “I’ll do it alone.”

  “No,” I said immediately. “It’s my fate too. I want to hear it for myself.”

  He ran a hand down the back of his neck. “Rebel…”

  “Erik.” I folded my arms.

  A glimmer of hope flickered in his eyes. “Fine, but you must promise me something first.”

  I nodded slowly, my eyes narrowing.

  “That today will not be the last day I ever spend with you.”

 
My throat closed up and a part of me longed to throw myself into his arms and promise him more than that. I wanted every day to be spent with him. Not just one more. But not under these circumstances. The city was suffocating and all of their rules and tricks were too much to bear.

  I dropped my head, knowing I couldn’t do it. Because I didn’t know what would happen after we spoke with Andvari. “I can't promise that.”

  “Then at least tell me this…” He stepped closer, taking my hand. “Do you want to go? To forget about me forever?”

  A burning sensation grew in my throat. My heart bashed against my ribcage, trying to fight its way toward him.

  I dipped my head. “No. I don’t.”

  His mouth hooked up at one corner and he nodded, seeming satisfied. “Let’s go talk to Andvari. But I warn you, he’s no fun to be around.”

  I kept my eyes closed despite the fact I’d woken as soon as I’d left Magnar’s dream behind. The place between our minds felt separate to who we were. Had I just been kissing him or not? Did the fact that we’d just shared a dream change anything about how we acted going forward?

  “You’re you again,” Magnar said, his voice low so that it wouldn’t carry.

  I opened my eyes and looked up at him from beneath my lashes. “What do you mean?”

  “Your face is no longer that of a vampire. Idun stuck to her word for once.”

  I raised a hand to my face, my thumb brushing over my bottom lip as I tried to figure out if I felt any different. I wasn’t sure if Idun had actually done anything to me physically or if it had just been a mirage. Either way I was pleased to be myself again. Resembling a vampire was enough to make my stomach turn.

  “You didn’t think it was an improvement then?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow in amusement.

  “Their type of beauty isn’t appealing to me in any way. A stone may be filled with colour but it will never hold warmth or life. I would sooner have your face precisely as it is.”

  “You’d just like my breasts to be bigger then?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I never said that.” He frowned at me in confusion and I rolled my eyes.