He painted two new runes into the stone that blocked the cave before straightening and glaring at Valentina.
“Leave this place,” he boomed, his voice making the rocks around us tremble as if they were made of liquid. “You shall never find it again.”
Valentina fled and the memory fizzled away from me as I stood transfixed by what I’d learned.
“She forgot to hide Julius’s resting place from me too,” Valentina muttered as she reappeared, chained at my feet. “And I hoped that he would lead me to Magnar. It didn’t quite go to plan but I have everything I desired now either way.”
I stared at the wretched woman before me at a total loss for what to say. No matter how much Magnar may have neglected her it couldn’t possibly equal the level of wrong she’d done him in turn. He’d been devastated by the death of his father and then she’d taken his mother’s life too.
“You’d better enjoy this power while it’s yours,” I snarled as I stepped closer to her. “Because I’m going to destroy each piece of you before this ends.”
I filled every inch of her dream with monsters, weaving the nightmare to my command as she started screaming for mercy.
I left her there, trapped in the confines of her darkest fears as I stepped out of her dreams and back into my own. And I hoped that she would suffer there for a very long time.
I remained in the village with Fabian for days. Then days turned to weeks and I knew I should leave, but I enjoyed their way of life so much that I couldn't bear to go.
There had been no sign of Valentina returning and I wondered if she'd failed in her task of killing Magnar and Julius, or if she had never planned to do it at all. Either way, I was content to prolong moving on from this village for as long as possible. We weren't drawing the attention of the slayers as far as I knew. The tribe had never heard of such a people and I prayed it would remain that way.
Nirell had pledged herself as my own personal blood source and she had become more than that since.
I lay in a bed of furs with her, running my hands over her gleaming skin as I savoured the bliss running through me after my night with her.
She adored me, and though I couldn't find it in my heart to love her, I certainly held a fondness for her. She was life and beauty combined. She gave my body everything it needed and I coveted her for that fact alone.
Fabian's voice called to me beyond the tent. “Erik, the clouds are out today!”
I smiled, rising from the bed and tugging on the clothes I'd been offered by the people of the tribe.
“Stay a while longer.” Nirell pulled a fur off of her body and I gazed down at her with a slanted smile.
“That's very tempting.” I lowered down, brushing my mouth over hers.
“Erik – come on!” Fabian called. “We're going for a swim!”
Lightness filled my chest and I brushed my fingers through Nirell's hair then turned away from her and headed out of the tent.
I felt her disappointment press into me as I closed the flap behind me, but I longed to spend some time with my brother and his wife to be. They hadn't yet set a date for the ceremony, but the village had been harvesting the fields in preparation for it.
“Good morning,” Chickoa said brightly.
I nodded to her, clapping Fabian on the shoulder.
“You and Nirell are close,” Chickoa commented then lowered her tone to a whisper. “I think she might be hoping for a proposal soon.”
Guilt wriggled through my veins as I glanced back at the tent. I liked Nirell, but I didn't have any intention of taking things further with her. I didn't want to love someone in this body and I didn't think I was capable of it anyway. I'd only have to watch them fade under the pressure of time and lose them forever. Although I knew Fabian thought to turn Chickoa. I wondered when he planned on discussing it with her. I'd promised to keep my mouth shut on the subject, but it still bothered me. Why would a human wish to give up their life to live like this? Dependent on blood and nothing else?
“Let's head to the river,” Fabian encouraged and I fell into step beside him as the three of us walked out of the village and down into the valley.
Chickoa laced her fingers through Fabian's, eyeing him from time to time and he did the same to her. The two of them were so obsessed with each other I wondered why they'd invited me on this trip at all.
“So we have something to ask you,” Fabian said, throwing me a grin.
“I thought there must be a reason for you bringing me along,” I said as we headed through the long grass of the meadow.
“We like your company too,” Chickoa laughed.
“So what is it?” I asked them.
“I'd like you to be my guardian,” Chickoa said and I frowned, waiting for her to go on. “It's custom in my village for any bride to have a guardian for three days before the wedding to ensure her virginity is intact.”
“And is it?” I blurted without thought, glancing at Fabian who I knew all too well was not likely to have kept such a promise.
“It is,” Fabian answered for her and Chickoa blushed.
“Oh,” I said, surprised. “Well then, of course I'll be your guardian.”
Chickoa beamed, darting around Fabian to embrace me. “Thank you. You'll need to keep watch outside my home for the next three nights.”
“So you're marrying in three days time?” I asked.
“Yes, the celebrations will last a week,” Fabian said proudly. “We've harvested enough honey for mead to last twice as long. I've taught a brewer how to make it in the ways of our people, Erik.” He grinned at me.
“With the way some men drink in this village, I hope the amount will be sufficient,” Chickoa said.
Fabian laughed and I joined in, a lightness filling me as we wandered into the forest at the bottom of the valley.
The river called to me and I stripped down as we arrived at a rocky pool, stepping into the icy water as the weight of the world seemed to fall away.
I guarded Chickoa's tent every night, perched on a seat she'd brought out for me. The first two nights went by without a stir, but the third, Fabian arrived seeming jittery.
“What's the matter?” I asked.
“It's time Erik. We'll be wed tomorrow. She wishes to be with me forever. And I want to make it so before we are married.” He moved toward the tent flap and I stepped into his way.
“That's a bad idea,” I said, shaking my head. “Are you sure she's ready for that?”
“Of course,” he said brightly. “She said the words herself. She wants to be with me for all eternity.”
“You're certain, brother?” I asked anxiously. “Turning someone is not something to take lightly.”
“I'm not taking it lightly,” he said harshly, trying to move past me once more. “She wants this.”
“Perhaps on your wedding night?” I suggested.
“No, it must be now,” he begged. “Tomorrow she'll rise to her immortal life and we'll be joined as man and wife the same day. What could be more perfect than that?”
I ground my teeth, unsure what to do. “Fabian, promise me you'll speak to her first.”
“Yes yes, now move aside.” He elbowed me out of his way and ripped the tent flap open.
I hesitated in the entrance, my instincts telling me to follow him. This didn't seem right. I'd never heard Chickoa say she wanted to be one of us. But if Fabian was sure...
A scream ripped through the air and I darted into the tent in a panic. Fabian was kneeling over Chickoa, his bloody wrist pressed to her mouth. I could see the fear in her eyes and terror sped through me as I charged toward him.
“Brother -stop!” I caught his shoulder but he ripped her head sideways and she fell still in death beneath him. “She was frightened!” I shouted, dragging him off of her.
“She'll be okay when she wakes,” he insisted, shoving me away to get close to her again. He cupped her cheek, smiling serenely. “Come back to me, my love. Let's start our eternal life together.”
“Fabian...” I scraped a hand through my hair, anxiety pooling in my gut.
Chickoa's eyes flickered open and Fabian promptly took a leather canteen from his furs, handing it to her. She snatched it, gulping down the blood inside.
She cast it aside when it was empty, then looked to Fabian in horror. “What have you done to me?”
“You're like me,” he said softly. “Immortal. You can stay with me forever now.”
She shook her head in fear, then slapped him across the face. He hit the ground and she leapt upright, gazing at the open tent flap.
“Wait,” I begged, moving into her path as tears streamed down her cheeks.
She turned to Fabian as he rose to his feet, backing up from him and holding out a hand. “I accepted what you are but I never wanted to be like you! Take it back!” She clutched her heart, searching for a beat which wouldn't come.
“Fabian, you idiot,” I snarled at him. “You said she wanted this.”
“Chickoa, you said you'd love me for all eternity,” Fabian begged of her. “I thought this was what you desired.”
“It's a figure of speech!” she yelled, grabbing a chair and launching it at him. It smashed to pieces against his body, but he remained still, staring at her with the light going out of his eyes.
“Please, please take it away.” Chickoa rounded on me, clutching the fur around my shoulders and begging me with her eyes.
“I...can't,” I breathed, my heart breaking for her.
She fell still, her eyes wide and full of pain. She turned to Fabian, baring her fangs and pointing at the exit. “Get out,” she demanded.
“Chickoa, please-” he pleaded but she cut him off with a shout that made the walls tremble.
“GET OUT!”
Fabian bowed his head, moving past her and heading out of the tent.
“I'm so sorry,” I said and Chickoa shook her head, tears tracking down her cheeks.
“Just go,” she whispered and I followed Fabian out into the night where he was waiting for me.
“She'll come round,” he said, though the fear in his eyes told me he was worried she wouldn't. “She just needs time.”
“Time is all she has now,” I murmured and he shot me a desperate look.
He nodded firmly. “Yes, and she will forgive me. She must.”
I rested a hand on his shoulder with a deep frown. “For you sake, I hope she does.”
The days slipped by and the wedding never came. Chickoa refused to come out of her tent and would only allow her friends in to feed her. Fabian stalked up and down outside her home, never straying more than ten feet away from it. He begged her through the wall of her tent and she yelled at him to stop. I couldn't see how they were ever going to fix things between them. I prayed the love they felt for each other might overcome it. But with every passing day that seemed less likely.
I sat at the edge of the village on my own, knowing it would soon be time for me to move on. Word of the slayers drawing nearer had finally reached us, but Fabian refused to leave without Chickoa.
My heartstrings pulled for him, but I was angry with him too. And furious with myself for not acting on my instincts and stopping him from turning her.
Thunder rumbled above and the crescent moon disappeared as thick clouds drew over it. A lightning strike hit the valley far below me and my brow creased. As the lightning struck the ground again in the same spot, I rose to my feet with hope growing inside me.
Valentina stepped out of the forest far below and I eyed the trees, praying the slayers didn't hide in their midst as I started running down into the valley to meet her.
As I approached, a spied a haunted look in her gaze. I slowed to a halt as my eyes adjusted to the darkness and picked out the blood that soaked her clothes. She raised a sword in her hand and the scent of more blood sailed to me from it. I paused, drinking in the powerful smell rolling over me. I knew it well. It was the blood of the Eliosons.
“You did it?” I gasped and she hurried forward to close the distance between us.
She fell against me and wept. I tentatively held her, aware of the sword in her hand and the way my fangs tingled from the scent of all that slayer blood. She dropped her weapon to the ground and clung to me tighter, revealing how loyal she was to me now.
“Hush, what's wrong?”
“It was just a very hard thing to say goodbye to Magnar,” she breathed. “Despite all he did to me.”
I cupped her cheek, seeing the truth in her eyes. He was gone. And my heart sparked with so much relief that it almost beat again.
“You have been very brave,” I said and she nodded then fell to her knees before me, clutching her chest with a yelp of pain.
“I've broken my vow,” she croaked. “Idun will kill me.” She groaned again as some plague racked her body and I knelt down before her, unsure what to do.
Her eyes locked with mine as dark circles encased them. “Please,” she rasped. “Turn me.” She clutched my hand. “I want to live by your side. I want to be immortal.”
I shook my head, rearing back upright, afraid after what I'd witnessed between Chickoa and Fabian.
She pawed at my feet, gazing up at me in desperation. “I fulfilled my part of the deal. Do as I ask, Erik,” she pleaded. “Make me like you.”
My throat tightened as the scent of slayer blood enveloped me. Hers, Magnar's, Julius's. It was almost too much to resist.
A war took place in my chest as I stared at her.
“You won't ever have to hide from the sun again,” she promised, her eyes wild with desperation. “I'll give you clouds wherever you go. You'll be free.”
I dropped to my knees again, her words offering me something I longed to have with all my heart. Never having to wait out the sun in caves or dark tents. I could spend every day outdoors for all of time with her by my side.
She fell into my lap, grasping at my furs. “Now, do it now. There's...no...time.”
I took her wrist, making my decision as I bit deep into her veins. I took a drink, unable to help myself before I released the venom into her blood. She cried out, wailing as she rolled onto her back in the grass.
I extracted my fangs, digging them into my own wrist instead before holding the bloody wound to her mouth. “Drink,” I commanded, excited and terrified of the decision I was making. But this wasn't like Chickoa. Valentina wanted this. And she could offer me so much in return.
Valentina jerked as Idun's power flooded into her, ending her life in payment for breaking her slayer's vow. She fell still in the grass, her beautiful features growing smoother and the circles around her eyes disappearing.
I waited, gazing up at the heavens as the clouds retreated, revealing the moon once more.
Valentina bolted upright, her eyes locking with mine. She gazed down at her body in awe, turning her hands over as she inspected them. “I'm one of you.”
“Yes,” I whispered, taking her wrist and guiding her to her feet. “And you need blood.”
She nodded, her hand flying to her throat as the thirst gripped her. The slayers' blood on her clothes was caked and drying, but she licked at her dress anyway, desperate for nourishment.
“Come with me.” We took off across the field at high speed and she laughed at the new ability she had to race over the land like the wind.
We approached the village and I kept my arm locked around her waist so she didn't attack any of the village people. Most of them were asleep so I led her to Nirell's tent, hoping she would be as willing to help Valentina as she was me.
I pulled the flap to her tent back and Nirell stirred in her bed, sitting up and blinking heavily.
Valentina sucked in air as her scent found her and I gripped her tighter as she thrashed in my arms.
“Nirell...would you be willing to give blood to my friend?” I asked gently.
Nirell's eyes flickered with a little fear as she took in Valentina's hungry form. She nodded tentatively and my heart went out to her for what she w
as willing to do.
“Gently,” I commanded of Valentina, guiding her to Nirell's bed.
The girl sat up, offering her wrist and Valentina fell on it like a starved animal.
I watched anxiously, ready to step in if she went too far. When I'd deemed she'd had enough, I yanked Valentina away from Nirell and turned her in my arms.
She fell still, battling away the last of the bloodlust as it tried to keep her chained. Her eyes locked with mine and she sighed, brushing her hand down my chest. “Thank you,” she whispered, then turned to Nirell. “And thank you as well.”
“You're welcome,” Nirell said, seeming concerned as she glanced between us, her eyes straying to the blood staining my companion's dress.
Valentina shifted out of my arms, dropping down onto the edge of the bed and resting her hand on Nirell's bare ankle. The slayer looked to me with a new kind of hunger in her eyes. “Perhaps we should show her our gratitude together?”
I looked between the two women in the bed before me and a slow smile took over my face. “Yes, that would be polite.”
I moved toward Valentina, cupping her chin and making her look up at me. “You call me master now.”
She nodded eagerly and power dripped through my body, serving me a head rush. Magnar and Julius Elioson were dead. And now I had his betrothed in my bed willing to offer me anything I wanted.
The future was mine for the taking. And my family would soon be able to come out of the shadows and spend their days under the protection Valentina could cast for them.
But right then, all I wanted from her was her flesh.
I gulped down two bottles of blood before I felt remotely right again. I couldn't believe Callie had given blood to the others – right from the vein! It made my heart float to think how far she'd come in trusting the Belvederes. But actually offering them her blood...it was incredible. She'd made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure we won that fight today.
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