Age of Vampires- The Complete Series

by Caroline Peckham

  “Callie,” he breathed and I knew he was begging me to give in to him and keep going in the same breath.

  “Magnar,” I murmured in response but I didn’t give in. He would have to break first.

  As my lips made it to a sweeping scar which curved over his hip, he caught my chin and dragged me back up into his arms with a groan of longing.

  I gasped in surprise but he didn’t give me a second longer to toy with him. He was done waiting and the look in his eyes set my blood alight.

  He hoisted me into his grip and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He spun us around and slammed me back against the wall, joining our bodies as he silenced me with his mouth.

  I groaned against his lips as he took my body hostage and I was lost to the intensity of this feeling. Somehow, impossibly, this man was mine.

  My nails dug into his arms as he held me up and the feeling of his body against my own set a fire blazing in my veins. He was all I wanted. All I needed. And I knew I’d never, ever get enough of him.

  There was an urgency to our kisses which yearned to be satisfied. It was a greedy, desperate ache which drove us together with the force of the wildest storm. He wasn’t careful with me and I didn’t want him to be. I just wanted more and more of everything he was offering. I was aching for this, starving for it, for him. Each moment in his arms driving me towards the sweetest of conclusions.

  His breathing grew harsher against my lips and I felt myself falling apart in his arms. He was the only thing keeping me in one piece. I was sure if he wasn’t holding me, I’d break apart and dissolve into the endless spiral of pleasure that was waiting to devour me whole.

  I cried out, finding my release in time with him and his kisses grew less demanding and more gentle as he lowered me to the floor and I forced my trembling legs to hold me up.

  “Marry me, Callie,” he breathed as he pushed my wet hair over my shoulder. “Fuck the gods and their rules. Fuck Valentina and Fabian and every other thing that might want to get between us. I want to be yours forever and I want you to be mine. You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”

  I gazed up at him in surprise, running my fingertips along his jaw as I studied his achingly perfect face and the intense desire which simmered in his eyes.

  “Of course I’ll be yours,” I breathed. “I already am.”

  An engine growled as it pulled up the drive and I rose from my seat in the lounge, having continued with Fabian's movie to occupy my mind. I'd never seen anything like it, though Dad had told us about such things. A story told by people pretending to be other people. Strange. Though weirdly entertaining. And Fabian had been right. Kyle sucked.

  An empty bottle of blood stood on the coffee table and I eyed it with a niggle of guilt. Snatching it up, I carried it to the trash can and dropped it inside, my hands beginning to shake.

  What if I can't control myself?

  You will. You can do this. Just remember how much you care about Julius. You'll never hurt him.

  The front door opened and my heart clenched. I didn't know where to stand, suddenly panicked as heavy footfalls approached.

  “Nice house. Being an asshole clearly pays well,” Julius's voice reached me.

  “Definitely better than being a giant fuckwit does,” Erik replied.

  I moved to the couch, gripping the back of it, half tempted to duck down and hide behind it. But I had to keep it together. I had to do this.

  They approached the door and I smelt it. Blood. Thrumming through Julius's veins. His rampant heartbeat called to me, telling me he was as nervous as I was.

  I won't hurt you, I swear it.

  The door opened and Erik entered first, seeming concerned but Julius shouldered past him, his eyes landing on me. His mouth opened and I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling horribly scrutinised. Did he see a monster standing here? A vile creature he longed to kill? Did Menace scream my death in his ear?

  “Hey, damsel,” he breathed as if I was a frightened animal he needed to draw closer.

  His blood smelled even sweeter than the bottled stuff and I felt a tingle in my canines that frightened me. Taking a breath, I shifted closer and Erik looked ready to jump between us.

  “Hey,” I said, breaking a smile when the urge to kill Julius didn't come. I could sense the curse pushing at my will, but it wasn’t remotely strong enough to make me act on my thirst. In fact, after my recent drink it was surprisingly easy to stand before him.

  “You're looking...um,” Julius struggled for the word.

  “It's okay,” I sighed. “I know you must hate this.” I dipped my head. “If it's too hard...”

  “It's not,” Julius said firmly and Erik took a step forward as if he was still afraid I might lunge at my friend. “I'm just glad you're okay. You know, not dead. Or not not dead. If you know what I mean.” He ran a hand down the back of his neck and I nodded, breaking a smile.

  “I know what you mean.”

  He frowned and a moment of tension passed between us.

  “Screw it,” Julius muttered then strode toward me, dragging me into his arms.

  Erik was at our side in a second and I shook my head to warn him off. I wrapped my arms around Julius and the scent of his blood rolled over me in a delicious wave. My fangs ached, my tongue scraped the roof of my mouth. The curse pushed at me, telling me to feed. But as I concentrated, I started to will the sensation away until it reduced to a quiet throb in my throat.

  I sighed heavily, clutching onto Julius and delighting in the pounding of his heart against my chest.

  I could actually manage this. I’d really done it.

  “How's Callie?” I asked as he released me.

  “Well I've left her alone with Magnar so I imagine she's really good right now.” He winked and I grimaced.

  “Ew.”

  He laughed, gazing over me with a look of awe. “I didn't think it'd be like this. I mean, you’re still you. You don't even have that monstrous air the others have.” He glanced at Erik with a pointed look.

  “Better than the caveman look you and your brother exceed at. Has Magnar ever heard of a haircut?” Erik taunted.

  Julius released a laugh and my brows shot up.

  “I'd try mentioning that to him but I think I'd end up with a broken jaw for it,” Julius replied.

  “I've been trying with my own brother for years, but Fabian insists on walking around like a hillbilly.”

  Julius snorted. “Scissors, right? Not hard to find.”

  My mind spun at their casual interaction. I couldn't believe the difference in them. They'd been trying to rip each other limb from limb just yesterday.

  “So can I go see Callie now?” I asked Erik hopefully. “I'm fine. See?” I gestured at Julius to prove it.

  “No,” Erik growled. “We'll wait a couple of hours. Give yourself time to adjust.”

  “I've adjusted. Come on, look at me.”

  He did and his eyes trailed right down to my toes, making my insides squirm. “I don't know how you're doing it. Even I'm tempted to eat this idiot.”

  Julius cocked a brow. “I knew you'd come back for more.” He gestured to the wounds on his neck and I frowned. “You can't get enough of my sweet nectar.”

  “That's disgusting.” I wrinkled my nose and Erik scowled.

  “I'm quite content never to taste your nectar again,” Erik muttered.

  Julius shrugged, dropping down onto the couch and planting Menace and his bag on the floor. He picked up the TV remote from the arm of his seat. “What are we watching then?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Can't we just go? I want to see my sister.”

  “Have you seen Bone Breaker?” Erik suggested, sitting in an armchair and turning his attention to the TV.

  “Er, hello?” I folded my arms as they put on the movie.

  “Shh it's starting.” Julius patted the seat beside him and I huffed my frustration, giving in and sitting down next to him. He opened his bag between his knees and took out a pile of food, peeling op
en a block of cheese and taking a huge bite out of it.

  I looked to Erik pleadingly but he just offered me a wink and turned his attention back to the screen.

  I sat back in my chair as Julius gulped down a whole pint of milk and a smile took over my face.

  Well, if I was going to be stuck here a while longer, at least I was in the company of two of my favourite people in the world.

  As the movie drew to a close– which had contained practically nothing but blood, gore and guts – a knock came at the front door.

  Erik stood in a flash, charging across the room. “Stay here,” he commanded before exiting and slamming the door.

  Julius raised his brows at me, swallowing a mouthful of food. He reached for Menace beside him and I strained my hearing toward the front door.

  “Fabian just came to my house with a very strange story, Erik. He said Montana is a vampire and you've teamed up with the slayers. What the hell is going on?” Clarice's voice carried to me and I rose from my seat, feeling uneasy.

  Julius got up too, lifting Menace into his hands.

  “Don't,” I hissed, but he didn't lower his weapon.

  I heard Erik explaining about the gods and what had happened at the statue. When he was finished, Clarice sucked in a breath.

  “What's that smell?” she demanded.

  “Wait-” Erik snarled, but the door flew open and Clarice appeared beyond it dressed in a low-cut pink dress that hugged her figure and amplified all of her curves.

  Her bright blue eyes fell on Julius and she bared her fangs. “Slayer,” she snarled, but Erik caught her arm before she could advance.

  “We're working with them now,” Erik said to her. “Accept it.”

  Julius rolled his shoulders, lowering his sword slightly as he drank in the sight of her. He lifted a bag of chips from the couch and held them out to her. “Snack?”

  “What the fuck?” Clarice snarled, looking ready to rip him apart.

  “Oh sorry,” Julius said with a mocking grin, dropping the chips and holding out his wrist instead. “Snack?”

  Clarice released a feral snarl and Erik pulled her back a step.

  “How can you trust him?” Clarice bit at her brother.

  “I told you, we have a common enemy now: the gods. And we're uniting against them,” Erik insisted.

  Clarice's eyes whipped to me and her expression softened. “Oh Montana, you look beautiful.”

  “Er- thanks,” I said, taking Julius's arm and squeezing as I tried to make him drop Menace.

  “Ow,” he murmured, attempting to shake me off, but I didn't let go.

  “But Erik, what about the prophecy?” Clarice looked to him. “If Montana's a vampire now, she can't bear any children.”

  I ground my teeth at her words. “I wouldn't have done that anyway.”

  “And neither would I,” Erik added. “Besides, I told you the prophecy doesn't mean that. You have to trust me, Clarice. I know what I'm doing.”

  Clarice scowled as she shifted her attention back to Julius. “Are you sure? Because this looks insane to me. Shouldn't we just kill him while he's outnumbered?” Her eyes glittered dangerously and a flicker of concern ran through me.

  “Bring it on, whore,” Julius said with a wicked smile.

  “Let's all take a breath.” Erik planted himself between Clarice and Julius. “We must try to set aside our differences.”

  Clarice looked to Julius with a grimace. “The last time I saw him, he tried to cut my head off.”

  “Foreplay.” Julius shrugged and I bit down on my lip to hold my laughter back. How could he be so damn calm right now?

  Clarice very-nearly broke a smile at his tone, then schooled her expression and scowled again. “You don't know what real foreplay is, slayer boy,” she said coolly.

  “I'm sure you're desperate to show me your version, but I don't go for blood-sucking parasites who like their men weak and abiding. Not really my thing, Clarice. So you can stop eye-fucking me because we need to go.”

  “I am not-” Clarice started but Erik held up a hand to stop her.

  “Enough,” he snarled. “You can stay here. We're leaving.”

  Clarice caught his arm. “Fabian's in the car. He insisted on coming. He said Callie's here too and he's not allowed in the house.”

  Erik pressed his fingers into his eyes. “She's down at the cottage. Don't let him follow us.”

  Clarice nodded, giving in although she still seemed uncomfortable with the situation.

  Julius sheathed his blade and I released his arm as we moved across the room toward Erik. Clarice still barred our way to the door and her lip peeled back as Julius got close.

  “You've got something in your teeth,” Julius muttered and Clarice threw a hand to her mouth in horror. “Oh don't worry I think it was just bullshit.”

  Clarice glowered, lunging forward but Erik shoved her back before she could reach the slayer.

  “Ignore him,” I said to her and she threw me a glance, her eyes suddenly swimming with emotion.

  She stepped around Erik and moved toward me, pulling me into a hug. “I'm so glad you're a part of our family.”

  I gave her a smile as she released me. “We're going to break the curse. We'll figure it out.”

  “Do you really think so?” she asked, looking desperate for that to be true. I wondered why she longed for humanity so much; it seemed like she had everything she wanted in this life and more.

  “Yes,” I promised, squeezing her hand.

  “Come on then,” Erik encouraged and I moved to his side, poking Julius to get him moving. The sooner he was away from Clarice, the better.

  She watched us walk from the room with a mixture of discomfort and disbelief. I hoped she'd come around to this idea soon, because if we were going to take on the gods, we needed all the help we could get.

  I laid on the impossibly soft bed and looked up at the ceiling as Magnar brushed his fingertips over my skin. His movements were getting more intentional again and I turned to smile at him as he eyed my exposed body like I was something he wanted to eat.

  “You’re insatiable,” I murmured as he placed a kiss on my shoulder.

  “You’re irresistible,” he countered, his mouth against my skin.

  “Well that may be. But we’re also out of time.” I smirked at him as I rolled away and sat up on the edge of the bed. “And though you may have been a good distraction, I’ve got somewhere to be.”

  “A good distraction am I?” he asked as he followed me over the bed and I had to stand before he could snare me in his arms.

  “Fairly good,” I agreed teasingly as I moved across the room and opened the drawers filled with clothes.

  “Fairly good?” He raised an eyebrow at me and got to his feet, stalking after me as I hurried to pull on some underwear. His eyes fell on the garment which pushed my breasts up and I realised it wasn’t doing anything to tame his desire.

  “Above average,” I said, biting my lip as I tossed a pair of boxers at him.

  He caught them and pulled them on but didn’t slow his pursuit. Adrenaline bubbled in my gut as I backed away, smiling at the game.

  “I think it was a bit more than above average,” he said. “And I think you’re going to say it.”

  “Okay,” I breathed as I hopped up onto the bed and looked down at him. “It was a bit more than above average.”

  Magnar laughed as he lunged for me and I squealed, leaping from the bed and sprinting for the door. He chased me and I ran as fast as I could, feeling him closing in on me with each passing second.

  I made it to the front room and he tackled me, knocking me to the ground and trapping me in his arms. I laughed as he flipped me over beneath him and he pinned my wrists above my head.

  “So, tell me how it was again?” he asked, dipping his head to my neck.

  My traitorous body ached with desire for him once more and I pulled in a heady breath. “Good,” I whispered.

  His mouth trailed lowe
r and his weight pressed me into the soft carpet. “Just good?” he teased.

  “Really good,” I agreed as he moved his mouth to mine and I melted against him. “Really fucking good,” I sighed.

  An engine sounded outside and we stilled. It cut off and the sound of three doors opening and closing quickly followed.

  I laughed as Magnar dragged me to my feet and we ran back to the bedroom to find some clothes.

  I snatched the first thing I found and pulled on some faded blue jeans and an emerald green vest as I heard the front door opening.

  I turned to Magnar and found him in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. He rolled his eyes as I stared at him in the modern clothes. It made him look so...

  “Callie?” someone called from the front of the house and I stilled at the sound of my name. No, not just someone, it was Montana. Her voice was the same but entirely different.

  Suddenly my feet were fixed to the ground. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t go out there and see what stood in place of my sister. I didn’t know if I could face the changes brought on by her transformation.

  Magnar moved closer and took my hand in his. “Come on,” he breathed. “You can’t leave her waiting forever.”

  I nodded, stealing some strength from him as I inched towards the door. I padded silently along the carpeted corridor on my bare feet, closing in on her with fear gripping my heart.

  Please still be you. Please be the same. Please just be my Monty.

  I stepped into the front room and released Magnar’s hand. I was vaguely aware of Erik and Julius watching me but I didn’t spare them any attention. Montana stood looking out of the window at the view, her back to me and her dark hair coiling down her spine.

  “Hi,” I breathed, so gently I wasn’t sure the word actually left my lips.

  She stilled and not in a human way; she ceased moving entirely. She was a statue filled with life and my heart leapt in fear at that one difference. If that much terrified me then how was I going to cope with the rest?

  She turned towards me slowly and I felt my mouth falling open.