Age of Vampires- The Complete Series

by Caroline Peckham

  We pushed through the trees and suddenly the warmth of the burning wreckage washed over me as we found ourselves in a wide clearing created by the helicopter when it had crashed.

  Splintered tree trunks lay everywhere and the wreckage blazed angrily as the fire consumed it.

  Miles shot into the space in a blur of motion, his eyes widening as they fell on me.

  “You’re alive?” he asked in surprise, his gaze shifting to his brother. “Nice work, Fabian.”

  “It was nothing,” Fabian said dismissively. “We need her help with the prophecy so I couldn’t very well let her die.”

  I frowned at him, nudging him with my elbow. “Don’t do that,” I said, annoyed that he was falling back on his asshole ways so soon.

  Fabian gave me a faint frown and sighed in defeat. “And maybe I didn’t want her to die because I... just didn’t,” he added and Miles raised an eyebrow.

  “Where’s Warren?” I asked, scanning the trees around us for any sign of Miles’s husband. The fiery wreckage was sure to draw Valentina our way and we really needed to be getting the hell away from it before she found us here.

  “Bit of an issue with that,” Miles replied with a frown. “I can’t find all of him.”

  “What do you mean all of him?” I asked in confusion.

  “I mean his body didn’t fare too well in the collision with the ground and so far I’ve only found his legs and his head,” Miles replied tersely. “And this damn smoke is making it impossible to follow his scent to track down the other pieces.”

  “That’s... really fucked up,” I said, unable to hold it in.

  Fabian snorted a laugh.

  “Less judging, more searching if you don’t mind, little slayer,” Miles replied irritably. “We could be under attack at any moment and I’d like to have Warren back on his feet by then.”

  I nodded and he shot away from us to continue his search amongst the trees. I turned in the opposite direction and Fabian moved towards the wreckage.

  My heart was still alive with fear for the others. I guessed that Montana and Clarice would have survived but what if they’d ended up like Warren? Immobilised and in several pieces? And what about Julius? I couldn’t bear to face the fact that he might not have made it but how could I believe that he’d live through that fall?

  “What if one of the pieces of him is completely destroyed?” I asked, unable to hold back my curiosity as I frowned into the space between the trees, hoping to spot a torso buried in the snow.

  “It would heal once reattached,” Fabian replied.

  “But like, if I cut off your arm and then burned it, so that there was nothing left. Then what?” I pressed.

  “Are you planning on doing that to me?” he asked, a trace of amusement in his tone.

  “Maybe. If you won’t answer my questions about it then I’ll have to to find out,” I replied teasingly.

  “If it was entirely destroyed then the stump would just heal over. But any flesh can regrow so all I would need to heal would be the bones.”

  “Wow,” I replied, a shudder racing along my skin. “That really is fucked up.”

  Fabian chuckled. “You should have been there when we discovered all of this if you want to know about fucked up.”

  I imagined them toying with ripping off limbs and attempting to destroy them beyond the ability to heal and my stomach turned. Maybe it was better if I didn’t ask for any more details on that particular story.

  Fury tingled at my hip and I was struck with a sudden idea. I pulled the blade from its sheath and reached for its ability to sense the vampires.

  The blade boiled with rage at the proximity of Fabian and Miles but I forced it to dismiss its knowledge of them and focused instead on hunting for the heart of the Elite we were searching for.

  I smirked as the blade urged me into the trees across the clearing and I hurried to follow its directions.

  I squinted through the blizzard as it swirled around me, making it almost impossible to see what lay ahead. My foot caught on something, almost sending me sprawling face first to the ground and as I righted myself, I spotted a hand sticking out of the snow.

  I brushed the snow aside and found Warren’s torso beneath it.

  “Here!” I called, keeping my voice fairly low in case Valentina was within earshot.

  Miles darted between the trees with Warren’s legs and head in his arms and I fought a grimace as he placed them on the snow-covered ground. Fabian drew close behind me and I backed up a step as Miles realigned Warren’s torso with the rest of his body parts and they began to fuse back together.

  “Come on, baby,” Miles muttered, brushing his fingers through Warren’s dark hair as he waited for him to heal.

  Warren’s eyes snapped open and I flinched in surprise as he took a shuddering breath. He shoved himself into a sitting position and gripped the front of Miles’s shirt, kissing him fiercely as he saw that he was okay.

  I looked away from them to allow them some semblance of privacy and found Fabian watching me with interest.

  “Was it quite as abhorrent as you thought?” he asked.

  “I never said it was abhorrent,” I replied. “It must be pretty handy to be almost invincible - but it’s still fucked up.”

  Fabian’s lips twitched with a smile. “So it doesn’t tempt you to join us in our immortality?”

  “No,” I replied firmly. “I’ll take my chances with my fragile body just the way it is, thanks.”

  Miles heaved Warren to his feet and the two of them exchanged a heated look as the shock of what we’d all just survived began to sink in.

  A faint buzzing reached my ears and Fabian slid a cellphone from his pocket.

  “Clarice?” he sighed as he answered the call, his tone laced with relief. “Yes we’re all okay... I jumped with her; she’s fine... Well that’s good I suppose...” his face darkened and he nodded firmly. “Alright, we’ll keep them busy while you attempt it… Good luck, Sister.” He ended the call and I waited for him to explain.

  “Clarice is with Montana and the slayer,” he said.

  “Julius is alive?” I gasped, my heart soaring at the prospect. “Is he okay?”

  “It would seem Clarice saved him much as I saved you,” he replied. “So he’s fine. But the more pressing issue is that we’ve got company on the way: Erik and Magnar are coming to make sure we’re all dead.”

  My mouth parted in horror and I glanced between the rest of my small group, wondering what we should do. I guessed we needed to flee but without Montana and the others I wasn’t sure where we’d head to.

  “So do we run from them?” Miles asked, voicing my question.

  “No. Clarice wants to use us to keep them distracted while they head after Valentina. If they can kill her and destroy that damn necklace then hopefully our brother and the slayer will be returned to their right minds,” Fabian replied.

  My heart fluttered with hope at the prospect and Fabian raised an eyebrow as if he could hear it.

  “And how are we supposed to stand against them in this state?” Warren asked and I frowned in confusion, not understanding what he meant.

  “We’ll just have to hope we can manage it. It’s four against two after all,” Fabian replied.

  Warren’s gaze slid to me and Miles nodded as if he’d asked a question.

  “What?” I demanded, knowing I was missing something in their words.

  “Nothing,” Fabian growled, glaring at his brother and Warren. “We will make do as we are.”

  “You know that fall took too much out of us,” Miles replied. “They’ll kill us if we face them like this.”

  “What are you talking about?” I demanded. The three of them looked perfectly fine to me but they were talking as if they were all unfit to face this fight.

  “Nothing,” Fabian snapped again.

  “We need to feed,” Miles replied, ignoring his brother. “Healing from wounds like the ones we just survived takes a lot out of us. It weaken
s us. If we face my brother and Magnar in this state then I don’t know if we’ll be strong enough to hold them off.”

  “We outnumber them,” Fabian repeated angrily as I realised what Miles wanted from me. “We’ll be fine.”

  My heart pounded and I took a step back from the hunger I could see glimmering in the vampires’ eyes. There was no way in hell I was letting them bite me.

  And then we can all die here and your blood can feed the trees instead.

  “Is there any chance the stock we brought from the base survived the crash?” Warren asked, looking over his shoulder towards the flaming wreckage.

  “No,” Miles replied, his gaze flicking to me then away again.

  I could tell they weren’t just making this up; they really needed to feed and here I was, standing before them like a pitcher of water in the middle of a desert. And yet none of them had made a move towards me. They were fighting their desire for my blood in favour of my feelings on the matter. Miles may have been willing to ask it of me but I could tell that none of them were going to force me to submit to this request.

  My lips parted in preparation of the refusal I was going to make. But then what? I could keep my blood safely in my veins and allow Erik and the man I loved the advantage they needed to end us all. Or...

  “Fine,” I breathed and I wasn’t entirely sure how the word even left my lips.

  Fabian’s eyes snapped to mine and I could see that he was about to decline.

  “No,” he growled. “We’ll manage.”

  “I don’t think you’d have brought it up at all if it wasn’t a major issue,” I replied tersely.

  “It is,” Miles agreed and his gaze dropped to my neck for a moment before he looked back at my eyes guiltily.

  “How much do you need?” I asked. Those bottles I’d seen them drinking weren’t too big and I was fairly sure I could manage losing that much blood without it affecting me too severely.

  “It’s not an option,” Fabian snarled. “We’re too hungry, it could easily become a frenzy and I refuse to risk-”

  “We’re big boys, Brother,” Miles interrupted him. “We are well able to control our appetites so that that doesn’t happen and you know it. Besides, you’ve gotta admit how good she smells.”

  Warren bit his lip against the hungry smile which tugged at his mouth and I shifted uncomfortably.

  My nose wrinkled as they discussed me like I was a freshly baked pie on a plate.

  “Just do it,” I snapped. “We don’t have time to keep discussing it; Magnar and Erik will be here at any moment.”

  Miles took a step forward but Fabian caught his shoulder.

  The three of them were eyeing me like a wolf pack who had just discovered a lamb in their midst. I took a deep breath as I banished the fear which was threatening to take me captive.

  I stepped towards them, wanting to take control of what was about to happen. I kept my eyes fixed on Fabian as I pulled my hair over my shoulder and rolled my sleeves up.

  He shook his head at me again and I rolled my eyes at him.

  “This is a one time offer,” I growled, half of me still not quite able to believe that I was going to do this. “So you might as well take advantage of it.”

  I held Fabian’s eye as I gave my wrists to Miles on his left and Warren on his right. Their cool hands gripped my skin and I had to fight against the tremble which wanted to rock my flesh. But I had to do this. I couldn’t back out now. I thought of Magnar coming for us and the pain it would cause him if he killed me whilst he was under this spell. A steely determination fell over me and I straightened my spine.

  I looked into Fabian’s dark eyes and I could see the hunger which he was trying to fight off. He’d risked his life to save me in that crash and had paid the price for his actions with this thirst. This was me repaying that debt.

  “I trust you,” I murmured as I tilted my chin, exposing my throat to the creature from my nightmares.

  His resolve crumbled and he moved to cup my face in his hand as he dipped his mouth towards my neck.

  “I’m sorry,” he breathed and I gasped as his fangs sliced into my throat.

  Warren and Miles bit down on my wrists at the same moment and the pain of their combined venom immobilised me as they fed.

  Fabian dragged me against him, gripping my hair in his fist as the beast within him was let loose. If they fell into a frenzy now I knew I would die. Each of them held me so tightly I knew I had no chance of fighting them off.

  My heart pounded as these three monsters played out the nightmare that had haunted me since childhood. And I surrendered to the desire of their thirst.

  I headed further west while Valentina returned to her clan with the promise of killing Magnar and his brother. A night with her had sated years of pent of frustration in me and though I still wouldn't trust her until she brought me proof of their demise, I was quietly satisfied by what she'd given me so far.

  She had handed her body over to my needs and had spent hours fulfilling me until it was all I could think about. Impossibly, a slayer had sparked a hunger in me I knew would want to be satisfied over and over again. Perhaps she knew that. Perhaps that's why she'd tried so hard to please me, to gain my trust. But if she wanted me dead, she'd had more than enough opportunity to try and kill me. No, I had to admit I believed she truly sought to aid me in my fight against her betrothed. But I wasn't going to let my guard down until I was sure Magnar and his brother were dead.

  The plan was for her to follow me west when the task was done. She'd strike lightning from the sky to alert me to her whereabouts and I'd go to her on my own terms.

  For now, I needed to focus on finding a new village, a new blood supply. I prayed the next people I discovered would be more willing to worship me than the last. I had no desire to hide in the shadows again. I wanted to live a freer life, one where I could come and go as I pleased. Perhaps even interact with mortals again.

  As I reached the edge of the thick forest I'd been charting a path through, I caught the scent of a fire on the breeze. Humans were close. A settlement, or a group of nomads. I hoped for the former, needing to put down roots soon. But a wandering group would be easy prey for my next source of blood if it came to it. Then I could move on, continuing my search for a town.

  I descended through thick brush, cutting along a rocky path as I followed the scent of smoke. Voices pricked up my ears and satisfaction sprawled through me. There were lots of them. And as I crept to the edge of a boulder and gazed down into a sweeping valley ahead of me, I spotted the village. It was small, but big enough to sate my needs. Thirty or so animal skin tents were gathered at the top of the hill on the other side of the valley. The grass rustled in a gust of wind and the scent of their blood carried to me with it. I ran my tongue over my canines, sighing a breath of relief as I moved into the valley under the cover of the moon.

  A rush of wings swooped overhead and I stilled, sensing something unusual about the creature. My mouth parted as I gazed up at the huge owl as it began to circle me.

  “Surely not...” I breathed, turning left and right as I hunted for him. My brother.

  “Erik!” a voice called from up on the hill and I spotted Fabian sprinting out of the village.

  “Brother!” I cried, racing to meet him. He met me half way and we crashed together, embracing hard.

  We weren't meant to meet again for nearly a hundred years, but pure chance had brought us together again.

  He clasped the back of my neck and I rested my hands on his shoulders as he grinned at me. His hair was overly long, hanging loose around his shoulders and there was brightness in his eyes I hadn't seen in years.

  “Did you come looking for me? Is everything alright?” Fabian asked.

  “Everything's fine, I came here on luck alone. The gods have brought us together again.” I grinned broadly and he pressed his forehead to mine.

  “I've missed you like I miss my heart beating,” he growled and my smile widened.


  “I shouldn't stay long, but perhaps a while?” I asked, my throat aching with the need for blood.

  “The villagers will adore you,” Fabian said keenly. “Stay as long as you wish.”

  “You know I can't,” I said with a heavy weight in my chest as his eyes grew sad. “But I'll stay a few days.”

  “Yes.” Fabian nodded firmly. “You must come and meet someone.”

  “Blood first,” I rasped and Fabian frowned darkly.

  “Are you in trouble, Erik? What brings you this way?”

  I shook my head, hesitating to voice the news I carried with me. I wasn't sure how Fabian would take it, so I decided to wait until I'd fed and cleared my thoughts. “The slayers came too near to my last town so I had to move on. But there's more...I'll tell you everything soon.”

  “Blood,” he said, nodding easily. “Come then.” He slid his arm around my shoulders, guiding me up the hill to the border of the village.

  People's eyes fell on me curiously, but with no fear. I released a bemused breath as a child pulled on her mother's dress and pointed me out with obvious excitement.

  “My brother has come to stay!” Fabian announced as we reached a fire pit at the heart of the village. Several drunken men and women jumped up from around it, releasing a cheer.

  “Praise be!” a man yelled. “The gods have answered our prayers again. They have delivered us another Night Warrior to defend our village!”

  “Night Warrior?” I murmured to Fabian.

  “Just go with it.” He elbowed me then jogged toward the fire and clapped a hand to the man's shoulder. He stumbled forward, laughing as he spilled his tankard.

  “My brother requires a drink,” Fabian said, gazing around at them all.

  A young woman stood from the group, her caramel skin and long raven hair like a vision as she moved toward us. “I'll gladly offer it,” she said, eyeing me keenly.

  Fabian offered me a wink, leaning closer to whisper in my ear. “The women in this village are the most beautiful I've ever seen.”