Age of Vampires- The Complete Series

by Caroline Peckham

“Well they were definitely bigger in your dream and I wasn’t the one who made them that way.”

  Magnar laughed. “I am yet to see your breasts so I’ll have to wait to pass judgement on that.”

  I reached out towards him but my hand landed on the wall beside him instead. “You might be waiting on that for a while,” I said with a sigh.

  “It seems like too long since I could touch you already and it’s been little more than a day,” he replied, his irritation at our predicament clear in his voice.

  “In the meantime you’ll just have to make do with admiring my perfect face,” I teased, reminding him of what he’d said about me before.

  Magnar let out a deep breath. “You’ll never let that go will you?”

  “It’s highly unlikely. I’d prefer it if you don’t hog-tie me to a horse this time though.”

  “I could command you never to speak of it again,” he reminded me.

  “You could. But I think you secretly like me teasing you.”

  “Just as you secretly like being told what to do.”

  I scowled at him in response to that. “I’m sure you wish that was true. It would make me so much better suited to you.”

  “I think you’re well enough suited to me as you are.” He looked at me with enough intensity to draw a blush to my cheeks and I gave him half a smile before looking away.

  Now that we were back under the restrictions Idun had placed upon us, all I could think about was the promise he’d made to me before I woke. And the fact that I was unable to lay so much as a finger on him only made me want him more.

  I shifted slightly, trying to release the tension in my shoulders from spending hours sitting up, jammed against the wall. My neck was stiff too and I longed to climb out of our uncomfortable hiding place and stretch my limbs. Heaven only knew how bad Magnar was feeling; he was twice my size and had spent over an hour packed into a crate before joining me here.

  The train coasted to a stop and I held my breath as silence fell over everything.

  I leant to my left, looking through the small gap between the crates as I waited to see what would happen now. Ideally we wanted to make it off of the train unnoticed but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if we were seen. I was doubtful that they’d have any suspicions about the blood being tainted; no poison should have been capable of killing a vampire so they’d have no reason to fear it. But if we wanted the element of surprise on our side when we staged our rescue attempt on Montana then it would be better if they didn’t know we’d crossed the country.

  I wanted to ask Magnar what to do but I was afraid to disturb the unnatural silence. I strained my ears, trying to hear some sound of the vampires disembarking. This train was stacked with valuable cargo. Why wasn’t anyone coming to unload it?

  A heavy hiss sounded and a door slid open on the opposite side of the train.

  Magnar leant close to me so that he could peer through the gap too.

  Blazing sunlight poured inside and longing stirred within my gut. It was like my soul ached for the sun’s warmth on my skin.

  Still no sound came. No vampires appeared to unload the cargo. Nothing.

  “Do you think they’ve discovered us somehow?” I breathed as the seconds dragged. “Maybe they’re waiting for us to come out of hiding?”

  “Perhaps,” Magnar replied slowly. “Either way we can’t stay here all day.”

  He shifted forward and began to shove the crate out of our way. My heart seized as it scraped across the floor, the noise sounding a hundred times louder in the deathly silence.

  Magnar crawled out and stood in the centre of the carriage, looking around carefully before beckoning me to follow him.

  He gave me his hand and pulled me to my feet. My muscles tingled in a way that was close to painful as the blood flow returned to them after hours cramped in the tiny space.

  Magnar raised his arms above his head, stretching his limbs and releasing the tension from his muscles.

  I placed a hand on Fury but the blade was surprisingly calm... almost happy. It was like it knew something I didn’t.

  “What’s going on?” I whispered.

  Magnar removed the lid from the crate which hid our supplies and handed me my blue coat. I pulled off the red one I’d been using to disguise myself as an Elite and threw it into the crate in its place. He wrapped his fur cloak over his shoulders and replaced Venom and Tempest in the sheathes across his back.

  Finally he lifted the pack filled with our waning supplies onto his shoulders. He shoved the lid back onto the crate before sliding it back into line.

  I eyed the open door at the end of the carriage with mistrust. Where were the vampires? Why would they leave the cargo sitting here like this?

  Magnar stepped in front of me, drawing Venom as he headed for the door on silent feet. I stayed close behind him holding Fury ready too and reaching for my gifts.

  As he made it to the door he paused and then a soft laugh fell from his lips. “The gods are smiling on us,” he said happily, stepping aside so that I could see past him.

  Blazing sunlight brighter than I’d ever seen poured from the heavens, filling every shadow. It heated the air so that it was impossibly warm for the time of year and my coat began to feel like a prison for my skin.

  “What does this mean for the vampires?” I asked as I peered up at the periwinkle blue sky. The colour woke something primal in my blood and I could feel it flowing through my limbs, energising me and filling me with the desire to act. I wanted to run, stretch my legs and push my body to the edge of its limits. A smile tugged at my lips as I realised what I yearned for: I wanted to hunt the vampires.

  “They cannot function in the sunlight. It weakens them immeasurably. The lesser vampires will be reduced to little more than breathing husks if they are caught in it. The Elite and the Belvederes can resist it a little but they will be slowed to the point of causing us no challenge at all. They will not be released from its power until the sun sets or the clouds reclaim the sky.”

  “So that’s why no one has come to unload the train?” I asked. “They can’t face the sunlight?” The idea of it almost forced a laugh from my chest. We were surrounded by vampires and yet they couldn’t make a move towards us. They all cowered inside, hiding from the the thing which gave everything life. It was as though the sun highlighted what they were; there was no place for the dead beneath its rays.

  “Come, we should get away from here while the gods are feeling generous.” Magnar stepped out into the sunshine and I followed him.

  I tilted my chin up, taking a moment to bathe in the heat which washed over my skin. My coat was stifling and I pulled it off, wanting to be free of it to feel more of the sun’s touch.

  The platform stretched out on either side of us and I turned, trying to figure out what way we should go.

  To our left, sparkling skyscrapers reached up towards the sky. They glinted in the dazzling light, promising wealth and luxury beyond their walls. I had no doubt that that was where the vampires lived. We would only need to locate the most ostentatious building of all to find the Belvederes and my sister.

  I took a step in that direction but Magnar caught my arm, halting me. A deep frown had formed between his brows and his grip on Venom was so tight that his knuckles were turning white.

  “It can’t be...” he breathed.

  “What is it?” I asked, glancing around nervously at the abandoned platform.

  Magnar didn’t reply. He turned away from the glimmering city, tugging me along for a few steps before releasing me. He moved quickly, his stride lengthening until he fell into a run. I began running too, adrenaline surging through my veins as I tried to figure out what the hell he was doing.

  He leapt from the platform, landing on a patch of moss-covered concrete beyond the tracks and started sprinting.

  I looked around uneasily, trying to understand why we were running.

  “Elder!” I called as the distance between us increased. “What are
you doing?” I jumped from the platform and jogged after him as he ran towards a tall, wire fence.

  He glanced over his shoulder for the briefest moment, taking in the wide space which had opened up between us.

  “Keep up!” He turned away from me and yanked the fence high so that he could slip beneath it. His command fell over me and my legs started to move faster through no desire of my own.

  Motherfucker!

  I gritted my teeth in anger as I reached the fence and pulled it up so that I could follow him. As I ducked beneath it, my coat got caught and was tugged from my arms. I tried to turn back for it but Magnar’s power over me wouldn’t allow it. He had moved further away, ducking into the ruins which lined the city.

  Disappointment surged through me as I left the coat behind. I’d spent my whole life without the warmth of such a garment and the piece of clothing had become immeasurably important to me. It was a symbol of my freedom from the vampires. And I knew I’d miss it once this sunshine relented and winter reclaimed the sky. Thanks to him I’d be shivering again come nightfall.

  I sprinted after him, cursing him between each breath as my legs moved faster and faster. The crumbled remains of old buildings stood around me and I weaved between them like the wind carried me.

  A small part of my brain marvelled at the speed at which I was moving. I’d always liked running in the Realm but I knew I’d never have been able to move this fast before. My gifted muscles urged me on and despite the distance we were covering, I still wasn’t growing tired.

  Magnar scaled a sheer wall ahead of me before dropping over it on the other side and disappearing from view. I gasped as my legs carried me straight towards it and suddenly I leapt into the air. I slammed into the wall at a point which had been way above my head and somehow my fingers found gaps in the brickwork to cling to. I scrambled higher, climbing the wall like a spider before finding myself at the top of it.

  The drop on the other side must have been ten meters but Magnar was already tearing across the fractured street beyond it.

  The urge to jump filled me and I fought against it as terror licked along my spine. That fall would kill me. I locked my muscles in place, gritting my teeth as a bead of sweat ran down my back. I wouldn’t do it. There was no way in hell that I was going to-

  A scream escaped my lips as I leapt from the ledge. The wind whipped my hair out behind me as I fell towards the tarmac and certain death.

  I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead. This is really going to hurt-

  My feet hit the ground and I tumbled into a roll, springing upright again easily. My heart pounded as I turned to look back up at the wall I’d just dived from.

  Before I could process the insanity of what I’d just managed, my feet began to move once more.

  A deep howl sounded somewhere further within the ruins and Fury grew hot in my hand.

  Hide, Sun Child, it hissed but I couldn’t hide. I couldn’t do anything but bow to Magnar’s command to keep up with him and he was still well ahead of me.

  More baying howls met with the first and a fresh fear swept into me. Something was coming our way.

  I swung around a corner, chasing Magnar as he ducked out of view. He ran like the wind, dragging me behind him on an invisible chain. When I caught up with him, I was going to kill him. How could he murmur sweet promises to me one moment and bind me to his will the next? My soul bucked against the control he had over me. I’d yearned to be free for as long as I could remember and I’d break myself out of his servitude if it was the last thing I did.

  A dark shadow fell over me and I glanced up, spotting a huge owl circling overhead.

  Kill it, Fury begged but the Familiar was too far above my head even if I could have stopped running for long enough to try.

  “Elder!” I called angrily, wondering why he was ignoring the bird. Whoever controlled it had certainly seen us now. It wouldn’t be long before they found a way to get to us. The blazing sun was likely the only reason they weren’t here already.

  He ran on, circling a building which was mainly intact and moving out of sight again.

  Watch out! Fury hissed as I raced after him but I couldn’t do anything other than run. A huge shape leapt from the shadows and collided with me.

  I screamed as I was thrown to the ground. My back hit the concrete hard and the wind was knocked from my lungs as I reached for my gifts.

  The huge black dog fell off of me as we hit the ground but it quickly regained its feet, leaping at me again.

  I swung Fury forward but I missed its heart, the blade only slicing into its shoulder as Magnar’s command forced half of my attention onto regaining my feet.

  The dog leapt at me again and I kicked out, catching it in the side of its jaw and sending it flying away from me.

  I took a step towards it with Fury raised to finish the beast but the command jerked me to a halt.

  Fear flooded me as I turned my back on the snarling dog and I began running again.

  The dog howled as it raced after me and the voices of its companions joined it from the surrounding streets as they drew closer.

  “Elder!” I bellowed as I sprinted after him and the dog snarled dangerously close to my back, its breath washing over my skin. “Release me!”

  The howls of the other beasts closed in and I threw a glance over my shoulder, spotting six of the huge dogs right on my heels.

  Fury begged me to turn and face them but I was powerless to stop the pounding of my feet as they closed in. I might have been moving like the wind but those dogs were faster.

  I leapt over a low wall and began to run on but heavy paws collided with my back, knocking me from my feet once more.

  I managed to twist beneath it, raising Fury as the dog’s weight slammed into me. It collapsed into dust as I found its heart.

  I scrambled backwards, the urge to chase Magnar colliding with my desperate desire to survive.

  The pack of dogs leapt towards me and my heart thundered as I tried to break Magnar’s command and focus on fighting them.

  A snarling brown beast made it to me and I kicked it, forcing it back before its teeth could find my flesh.

  Suddenly the urge to catch up to Magnar disappeared as he leapt between me and the rest of the pack, swinging his blades as he fought to keep them off of me.

  The huge brown dog pounced again, its weight slamming me back onto the concrete.

  I stabbed Fury into its side as its teeth snapped at my face. I stabbed it again and again, missing its heart. I forced its neck back with my other hand as it snarled and bared its teeth. Wide jaws lunged for my throat and I struggled beneath its weight.

  Suddenly, the monstrous dog stilled, its bulk pinning me down as it stared into my eyes. For a moment I was sure I could see the vampire who controlled it gazing down at me. Dread filled my gut as the vampire continued to watch me through the beast’s eyes. The watcher knew me. He would come for me.

  The animal burst into dust and I scrunched my eyes shut as its remains tumbled over me. A wooden clatter reached my ears and I rolled upright, noticing an arrow carved with runes laying on the ground beside me.

  Magnar still fought with one of the huge dogs. He drove Tempest through it as I moved towards him and the ruins fell silent around us once more.

  He looked up at me as I closed in on him but I didn’t give him a chance to defend himself before my fist connected with his jaw.

  He stepped back, surprise flashing through his eyes a moment before I swung at him again.

  “Callie,” he began as he managed to block my punch.

  I released a growl of pure rage as I ducked beneath his arm and aimed for his face once more. “You nearly got me killed!” I spat.

  He deflected another hit and I twisted away from him before sending my foot crashing into his chest. He stumbled back, raising his hands between us as if I might be convinced to stop, but I was too pissed at him to even consider it.

  “You know I didn’t mean for you to-”

/>   “I don’t care what you meant to do! You have no right to do that to me! I could have died because you decided to go on some power trip instead of just explaining why the hell you ran off like that!”

  I swung at him again but he caught my fist. He grunted with effort as I pushed against his hold with the full force of my gifted muscles. With a surge of effort, he spun me around and pinned me against a crumbling wall, catching my other wrist as I tried to swing Fury at him.

  “This is what you signed up for, Callie,” he reminded me angrily. “I didn’t want you to take the vow. I never wanted to have this power over you, so you should remember that every time you let your anger get the best of you like this. I’m not the one who did this to you.”

  He glared at me and my chest rose and fell heavily between us.

  “Fuck you,” I spat.

  Magnar looked like he might just murder me and I was pretty sure I was throwing the same look right back at him.

  “Nice to see your skill with the ladies hasn’t improved in the last thousand years, brother,” a voice called from beside us.

  An icy calm washed over Magnar and he turned his head to look at the stranger who approached us. My mouth fell open as I recognised him and Magnar’s hands fell from me, our quarrel forgotten as Julius approached.

  “I thought I sensed your blade here, but I didn’t think it was possible that I’d find you too,” Magnar breathed in astonishment before running to embrace his brother.

  They clung to each other fiercely and I felt like a splinter had been pulled from my heart as I watched them reunite. My anger melted away in an instant. A terrible wrong had been righted in the world and nothing made me happier than seeing the sadness lift from Magnar's eyes at long last.

  Erik led me through the house and my thoughts clashed together. How could I have admitted that I wanted to be with him? A vampire. My dad would be turning in his grave if he knew I held such feelings in my heart. It went against everything I believed. And yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling no matter how hard I’d tried. I yearned for Erik in a way that wasn’t possible to control.

  I followed him to the bookcase in the hall with anxiety rippling through me. I didn’t feel remotely ready to face a god. But if I was going to get answers, I had to be brave.