I kept going, my progress drawn out as I half expected Idun to notice what I was doing and force me to stop at any moment.
My fingertips skimmed across his collar bone and danced over his neck and the warmth of his skin made me tremble just a little. His throat bobbed beneath my thumb and his gaze burned through me like I was made of nothing but sawdust, waiting to be consumed by the heat in their depths.
I had no idea how the ring was doing this but I was finally free. Finally myself again and in charge of my own choices. And I chose him. I would always choose him no matter how many obstacles stood between us. No matter what Idun or any of the other gods tried to throw in our way.
He was meant to be mine and I was meant to be his. It wasn’t fate or divine intervention. It was just real. And I wasn’t going to let anything take it from us.
Barely a heartbeat divided us and I wasn’t sure I was even breathing as his presence devoured every other thought. I was a moth before a flame and I danced closer hoping he wouldn’t be my end. Because he was power and danger and hope and safety and everything I’d never realised I’d needed so desperately.
My lips met his and I was consumed by the fire raging inside me. It burned through my blood, heating every inch of my body and catching light to everything it touched. And I knew I was going to fall apart beneath the promise of his caress.
Magnar stilled for a moment as though he was unable to believe this were real or perhaps he was afraid that if he tried to claim it for himself then it would be stolen away again. But I wasn’t going to let that happen. I’d put up a shield against the outside world and here and now there was no one and nothing else but us.
His hesitation didn’t last long as his hands found my waist and he pulled me against him, his thumbs skimming over my hips. His lips were soft and teasing like he wasn’t sure if he should dare to offer them. He pulled back for half of a moment, looking at me as though he had to be sure I was real.
Then he kissed me again and it was anything but gentle. Like he had to have me or the world would stop turning.
Oh hell.
I groaned with longing as I devoured his kisses and he pushed me back against the wall. It was like he’d lost me to the darkness for a while but now he’d found me. We were bathing in sunlight together and he would never let me go again.
His hands shifted beneath my shirt and he lifted it higher as I arched my back, feeling his desire as keenly as my own. His fingertips drew a line up my spine as the material was hoisted free and we broke apart just long enough for him to pull it over my head.
I gazed up at him as the moonlight shone in his golden eyes, reflecting a perfect silver crescent back at me.
“I love you, Callie,” he breathed and my heart bloomed with the words he hadn’t spoken before. I’d felt it in all the things he’d done for me but hearing him say it had me undone. “I was afraid to say it in case she took you from me. I was afraid to feel it too.”
I placed my hand on his cheek, feeling the rough bite of his stubble against my palm and aching to feel it on the rest of my body as well. “I used to be afraid of so many things,” I replied steadily. “But you make me brave. And if we have to be brave to love each other then that’s what we’ll do. I won’t deny my heart any longer and you shouldn’t hide yours.”
Magnar held my eye for several long seconds and anticipation throbbed through my body as I waited for him to take me hostage again. Because that’s what I was with him; captivated by everything he did. Bound to him in ways that had nothing to do with being slayers or fulfilling vows. I was entirely at his mercy because he held my heart in his palm and I held his in mine too.
He smiled in a way that made my toes curl and he grabbed my thighs, hoisting me into his arms as I wrapped my legs around his waist. He pushed me back against the wall and his mouth slammed into my own as he drove his hips between mine.
I moaned as he shifted his attention from my mouth to trail a line down my neck and a desperate ache began to build inside me.
More, I need more.
My hands fisted in the material at the back of his shirt and I yanked on it, pulling it over his head so that I could feel the heat of his skin against mine.
His mouth made it to my collar bone and I leant back as he travelled lower, his movements filled with urgency like we were running out of time and forever wouldn’t be long enough. His mouth moved across my skin, finding every inch of space and marking it with his lips. His breaths came harder, faster, matching my own as the need in our bodies grew desperate to be sated.
His hand skimmed across my throat before tugging my bra strap from my shoulder and releasing my breast so that his mouth could claim that too. I groaned with longing as a knot tightened in my gut and my nails dug into his broad shoulders as my body begged for more.
Shit, I was out of my depth with him but I’d dived in feet first and there was no way I was swimming for the surface yet.
He pinned me against the wall with his hips and his hands moved over my skin, raising goosebumps along my flesh as I ached for more and more of his touch. He was toying with me, keeping me in the moment between then and now where he knew I was falling apart with my need for him.
I pushed him back, using my gifted muscles as he tried to refuse my command and drawing a deep laugh from him as he dropped me to my feet.
He drank in the sight of me as he backed up and the look in his eyes made me want to drown with him.
“You’re so beautiful, Callie,” he breathed and my skin flamed as I took in the utterly perfect sight of him.
I kicked my boots off as I advanced on him again and he pulled me against him as he sat on the iron floor. I straddled him, running my hands over his muscles as I leant in to kiss him once more. He was so strong and solid, like this immovable force of nature which was somehow bowing to my desires. His hands continued to explore my body and I gasped as he caught the back of my bra and tore it off of me.
He moved his hands to my breasts and a growl of desire built in his throat as he kissed me harder. My fingers found his belt and I fumbled with the buckle as I started trembling from a mixture of nerves and anticipation. I’d never wanted anything like I wanted this. Like I wanted him.
I pulled his belt off and threw it away from us as I slid my other hand beneath his waistband.
Magnar inhaled sharply and I gasped as he lifted me again, flipping me beneath him as his mouth left mine once more. The cold, metal floor chilled my skin as he pressed me onto my back but the heat of his body made up for it.
He carved a line across my flesh with his mouth, his stubble grazing my sensitised skin as he marked every inch of my body as his own.
I surrendered to him as he removed the last of my clothes and his mouth kept moving lower. I wasn’t sure if I could take any more of it but I knew I never, ever wanted him to stop.
His hands were on my thighs and my body felt more alive than seemed possible. He kissed the lowest part of my stomach and a moan of desire escaped me. His kisses moved to my inner knee, inching higher and higher and I wasn’t sure if I could take what he was about to do to me but I had no words left in me to even try and halt it.
Magnar didn’t stop and I was sure I was making enough noise to wake every vampire in the city but I didn’t care. I was at his mercy and I came apart beneath the pressure of his tongue.
The world divided and broke apart then slammed back together as I realised he wasn’t done with me and his mouth was moving back up my body again.
I arched my back, my fingers twisting in his hair as I pulled him back on to me, needing to kiss him again. His weight pressed me down onto the cold floor but it wasn’t enough.
My hands travelled the broad slope of his shoulders and the arching curve of his back before finding his waistband and shoving it down.
He made a noise which set my bones trembling as he gave in to my command and removed the last of his clothes.
Before I could catch my breath, he moved back on top of me and
I gasped as he hooked my knee beneath his hand and merged his body with mine.
He silenced me with more kisses as my breathing came in heavy pants and my hands fisted in his hair.
His body pressed against mine as I wrapped my legs around him and I realised I’d never felt anything like this. I’d never felt anything as sharply or intensely as I did when I was with him. His touch was electric, lighting me up from the inside out and binding me to him in a way that would never be undone.
I knew the world was still spinning out there but it was hard to remember that anything existed but him. His eyes blazing, his skin moving against mine and his perfect body which had captivated me mind, flesh and soul. I was his, all his and unbelievably he was mine too.
“Magnar,” I groaned and his grip on me tightened at the sound of his name on my lips.
I was caught between begging for more and crying out for him to release me from this torment when he finally did. The world burst with colour and my body dissolved into nothing and everything as he took each piece of me and gave it back renewed.
His weight pressed against me as he found his release too and I drew him closer as we both tried to catch our breath.
His forehead pressed against mine, the tip of his nose touching my nose and our heavy breaths heating the space between us. I bit my lip, unable to quite believe what we’d just done.
“How?” he breathed finally when we were able to think clearly again.
He rolled off of me and I smiled up at him shyly as he brushed my hair out of my face.
“My mother’s ring,” I replied with a small shrug. I had no idea how it had worked, I’d only known what I wanted as soon as it had.
Magnar took my hand in his, turning it so that the ring caught in the moonlight. He brushed his finger against it and a surge of energy pulsed through the bubble which surrounded us.
“That’s no ordinary ring,” he said, withdrawing his hand as a frown gripped his features. “Where did your mother get it?”
“I just know it’s been in her family for as far back as anyone can remember. Passed down between daughters to wear as their wedding rings. After she died, dad hung it from his neck. I’d never put it on until today.”
“That ring was not made by mortals,” he said quietly as though he were afraid we might be overheard. “It has a presence. Like the blades. Or the stones the vampires use. It was created by a god.”
“A god?” I frowned in confusion. Why would my mother have had a ring created by a god? Where would her family have gotten it?
“Yes. And a powerful one at that. You see how it hides us? I’d wager they cannot see us at all while you wield its power. That’s why their rules can’t hold you.”
“So if I keep it on I can be free of them?” I asked hopefully.
“I doubt it is as simple as that. The gods know of your existence; you’re already caught up in their games. If you were to just disappear they’d know something powerful was being used to hide you. And I’d imagine the god who created that ring is missing it. If they figure out you’ve got it, they’ll do everything in their power to take it back.”
“But if they’re looking for it then why haven’t they found it?” I asked in confusion. It wasn’t like my mom had tried to hide it. And I couldn’t remember her ever saying anything about it holding any kind of power either. But we knew my dad wasn’t the one who had given us our slayer blood so that meant it had to have come from her. How long had her family kept this hidden? And where had they gotten it in the first place?
“I doubt the power in it could be awakened by anyone who hadn’t taken their vow. But you are touched by the gods; enough so that you’re able to tap into their power and wield their own creation against them.”
“So we can do this any time we want?” I asked, biting my lip as my gaze travelled over his body.
Magnar hesitated before he answered and I could see a war taking place behind his eyes. “We should be cautious with using this; if the gods were to find out-”
“But, now for example, we’re already hidden...” I grazed my fingertips across his jaw and left the suggestion hanging between us.
His resolve shattered quickly as a wicked smile lit his features. “Well I suppose you’re right about that.”
He propelled me on top of him and I squealed in surprise before giving myself to him again. Maybe the gods wouldn’t like it but I didn’t really give a shit what they wanted.
I watched from the window as the sun rose slowly on the horizon, struggling to penetrate the thick clouds. I wondered if Valentina was keeping the weather this way so her Biters could remain out in the city. Was she was still hunting for us right now? I didn’t understand why she wanted Magnar. Was it just out of revenge? But if that was the case, why wouldn’t she have tried to kill him when we’d encountered her before?
Julius had mentioned that Callie and Magnar were upstairs and as the scent of cooking oatmeal filled the air, they appeared.
I glanced over at Callie and her cheeks flushed as she stepped away from Magnar's side. Her shirt was torn at the hem and I was fairly sure she didn't have a bra on. She wouldn't meet my eye as she hurried to the fire and took a bowl from Julius.
Magnar took one too, sitting beside Callie and wolfing the oatmeal down.
Julius eyed them curiously. “Hungry Magnar? I only ever see you eat that quickly when you've worked up a real appetite.”
Magnar shrugged and Callie's cheeks turned scarlet.
“What's going on?” I asked, moving away from the broken window and dropping down in front of the fire.
“We'll talk later,” Callie whispered to me as Julius's gaze swung between them, seeming confused and excited.
“You're both still bound by the vow, but if I didn't know any better, I'd assume you'd just screwed each other's brains out.” Julius grinned and Callie's eyes widened in alarm.
“Well you do know better so shut the fuck up and eat your breakfast,” Magnar said, but his eyes danced with mirth.
Julius smiled casually, scooping a spoonful of food into his mouth.
The phone rang and I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound.
Julius plucked it from his back pocket, scowling at the screen. “Fuck off Belvedere.” He stamped his thumb down to cut off the call and I scowled.
“How do you know it's a Belvedere?” Magnar demanded as the phone started ringing again.
I ground my teeth as Julius looked to me. “Because someone's been calling her vampire husband.”
“You didn't!” Callie gasped, staring at me.
Heat poured through my veins. “Yes, I did. And can you just answer the damn phone, Julius? Erik might have something important to say.”
Julius didn't respond, but Magnar nodded. “Answer it.”
“Why?” his brother balked.
“Because I said so,” Magnar snarled. “He might spill some information that allows us to go find him and rip his head off.”
I rose from the floor, furious at both of them as I strode toward Julius and held out my hand for the phone. He didn't pass it over, but tapped a button on the screen and Erik's voice sounded out loudly through the speaker.
“I assume this is one of my enemies answering and not my beloved wife?” he asked casually and a ripple of heat spread through my stomach at his reference to me.
“You assume right,” Julius growled. “And if you're hoping to speak to her again, permission denied.”
“Stop being such an asshole,” I snapped at Julius and Erik's low laughter filled the room.
Magnar bristled, rising to his feet with his hands curling into fists. “What do you want, parasite?”
“I want to offer you something you can't refuse,” Erik said and my heart started beating wildly in my chest.
“Your head on a silver platter?” Julius asked.
“Better,” Erik said.
“All of your family's heads on four silver platters?” Julius suggested and my scowl grew.
&nb
sp; “Or in a sack?” Magnar added and the temperature in my veins grew out of control.
“I am thoroughly amused,” Erik said dryly. “Even decapitated, I am sure my wife would still prefer me to you, Julius Elioson, so how about you listen to someone she actually gives a shit about?”
Julius fell unnaturally quiet, glaring at the phone.
“Go on,” Magnar hissed.
“I'm offering you the chance of a duel. Man to man. The two of you against me and Fabian.”
“No way,” Callie snapped. “If you're fighting, I'm fighting too.”
“No deal,” Erik said smoothly.
Magnar and Julius shared a glance.
“I sense there's more to this offer?” Julius asked.
“There is,” Erik confirmed. “Whoever wins – as in whoever kills their opposition first – takes the girls. If I win, I get my wife back and her sister, too. If you win and we die, then your vendetta against me is done.”
My mouth literally dropped open. “What?” I gasped. “No way-”
“Silence,” Magnar commanded and I stared at him in disbelief.
“You can't actually think we're going to let you agree to that?” Callie half-laughed, but she looked concerned when the brothers didn't join in. “We're not some fucking trophy to be won.”
“I'll give you an hour to decide. If you agree, we fight at sunset,” Erik said then the line went dead.
I folded my arms. “Well that's not happening.”
“Exactly,” Callie agreed, moving to my side.
Magnar ignored us, staring at his brother. “We have waited a thousand years for this fight. We will win it.”
“Um, hello? Are you not listening?” I demanded. “You are not fighting Erik.”
“I know, Brother,” Julius answered Magnar, ignoring me entirely. “We shall drive our blades into their hearts and finish this at last.”
“Excuse me,” Callie growed, planting her hands on her hips. “We aren't agreeing. We're not allowing this.”
“I am glad it’s Fabian joining Erik, he has wronged you deeply, Magnar. And when they’re dead, we'll finish the rest of their siblings.” Julius nodded firmly.
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