Erik started the truck, but he didn't drive forward and I noticed his gaze was lingering on the spot where Miles and Warren had died. I leant forward to rest a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged me off and kicked the vehicle into gear, speeding up the road.
I sank back into my seat as I fought away the hurt at his reaction and settled for gazing out of the window as the world sailed by.
I’m so sorry for what’s happened, Erik. Please come back to me.
Callie glanced my way with a frown, taking hold of my hand. I gave her a taut smile, blinking back tears as I returned my gaze to the road.
The rain started hammering down from the clouds and I watched as the droplets slid across the glass in swirling patterns. My heart hurt from the loss of Miles and his husband. I pictured their faces before they’d died and the tears spilled down my cheeks. They’d loved each other so much, how was it fair that they’d been taken like that?
A tense silence fell over us all as we left the farm behind and Erik headed south onto a long stretch of road. A road that could lead to our salvation or our demise. We had nothing left but each other and a single destination in mind. And I prayed we’d make it there soon.
The day went by at a painfully slow pace. The quiet hanging over us was rarely broken, but occasionally Callie and I would check the directions to the mountain with the ring and Erik would silently follow our instructions.
We'd already driven so many miles from the farm that the landscape around us was changing, growing more barren as we headed towards a huge mountain range on the horizon.
Evidence of the Final War was everywhere around us. Huge craters were all that remained of entire towns and we often had to weave off of the broken road and find a winding path forward. I absorbed the sight of the world I’d always wondered about in quiet contemplation. Under any other circumstances I would have been thrilled to explore the rolling landscapes that I’d dreamed about back in the Realm. But I couldn’t capture any of the excitement I should have felt at seeing such places for the first time in my life.
We finally made it back onto a stretch of road that was still intact and Erik picked up the pace again. We'd lost hours by diverting through a cluster of ruins and the sun had long since set, leaving us in total darkness.
As we rose onto a high mountain pass, I tried to get some rest, leaning back against the window and shutting my eyes. The thirst prickled at my throat and I couldn't ignore it. I'd been trying to refrain from drinking in front of Magnar, having forgotten to do so back at the farm like the others had. But now, claws were starting to rip at my tongue as my body demanded to be fed.
I took a shuddering breath, knowing Magnar must have felt ten times worse than I did right now. And Erik hadn't drunk anything either as far as I recalled. Since I’d been turned, I'd not had to weather out the thirst for longer than a few hours, but I was determined to wait until I could do so away from Magnar. If he smelled blood, he might lose control and I wouldn’t risk him hurting Callie or Julius.
The trail was long and winding through the mountains, but eventually we started descending from them once more, reaching a rocky plain of land beyond them. We continued on and on into the night and Callie fell asleep against my shoulder, rocking gently with each bump of the truck. Julius and Clarice had drifted off too, their shoulders holding each other upright as they sat side by side.
Fabian continually looked between my sister and Magnar and I had to admire his determination to keep watch despite how badly his intervention had gone last time.
Chickoa took the photo of her husband out of her pocket, gazing at it a while, her brow creasing with lines. “Thanks for getting me this,” she whispered to Fabian, glancing up at him.
He nodded stiffly. “Memories are all we've got in the end.”
She frowned at him, turning her gaze back to the picture and it suddenly pained me that I didn't have one of my father. I knew his face as well as my own, but the idea of having such a permanent reminder of him filled me with longing.
“Why did you do it?” Chickoa asked him, her eyes watering as she stared at Fabian, trying to decipher his actions.
“I just...knew how much it meant to you,” Fabian said, clearing his throat.
A clunking noise sounded beneath us and the truck juddered disconcertingly.
“No – fuck – no,” Erik growled, slamming his palm against the wheel.
The others jerked awake as the truck stuttered to a halt and Erik thumped his fist into the wheel again.
“What's wrong?” Magnar asked him.
“We're out of charge,” Erik revealed and my gut plummeted.
“How do we get...charge?” Magnar asked.
“We don't!” Erik snapped, throwing the door open and stepping outside before slamming it behind him. He gazed up at the sky and roared his anger and my heart squeezed with anxiety.
I glanced between the others, their pale faces angled toward me.
“You better go talk to him,” Fabian urged, sliding the side door open and gesturing for me to get out. “We'll work on a plan.”
I gritted my jaw, rising from my seat, but Callie caught my hand.
I glanced back at her, finding her expression desperate. “We'll figure this out.”
I nodded, taking a modicum of comfort from her words as I stepped out of the truck. Fabian promptly shut the door behind me and I threw a scowl back at him as he waved me on.
Erik had wandered further into the dusty field ahead of us, the land barren and stretching out endlessly in every direction.
He clawed his hands into his hair as he continued to stare up at the sky above, now sprinkled with stars.
I moved after him at a slow pace, trying to get my thoughts in line. What was I supposed to say? Did Fabian actually expect me to talk him down from this rage? We were stuck in the middle of nowhere and were still hundreds of miles away from the holy mountain. Even I was pissed off at our situation.
I chewed on my lower lip, moving across the field. My boots crunched on a plant which must have been dead for years and Erik turned, spotting me.
All the words in my head jumbled together until I found myself just standing there, totally useless and completely silent.
“I'm coming back,” he snarled. “Just give me a minute.”
I chewed harder on my lip and broke the skin with my fangs. The hunger in me was getting out of hand and even my own blood was starting to taste alright.
I gazed at his dark expression as he warned me not to approach. I took a slow breath to ease away the pain of his rejection, focusing on what he needed instead.
“Okay,” I said, turning to head back to the road with a crushing weight in my chest.
“Wait,” he called and I shut my eyes, basking in the hope that hung on that word.
I didn't turn back, but I halted, waiting for him to approach. I felt him closing in behind me and his fingers brushed my back, sending electricity darting through to my core.
He moved around me, reaching out to wipe away the blood staining my lip with his thumb.
He eyed me for a painfully long second then moved forward and wrapped me in his arms. He buried his face in my neck and I just stood there, holding him tighter and tighter, hoping it would help to piece back the broken shards of his heart.
We remained there for what felt like an eternity. I could almost feel the Earth turning beneath my feet and the night sky sweeping by overhead. We were the most solid place in the centre of the universe. And I just hoped we could hold onto that.
“Drink. No questions,” Erik commanded at last, stepping away from me, a dark mask sliding into place over his features. He turned me around, pushing me back toward the truck and it took me a few more steps to realise he wasn't following.
Fabian slid the door open as I arrived and everyone else spilled out of the truck after him.
“What's the plan?” I sighed, moving to the trunk and popping it open.
“We walk,” Clarice said with a broad yawn.
Though she'd gotten some rest, there was still a heaviness in her eyes that said she was exhausted.
I took a bottle of blood from the stash, glancing around to check if Magnar was watching me. He'd walked into the field, approaching Erik and I stole the moment away from him to down the contents of the bottle.
The other vampires moved forward eagerly, quickly drinking a bottle each, throwing wary glances over their shoulders at Magnar.
“He can cope,” Callie insisted.
“Not forever,” I said gently, my own worries niggling at me. I trusted Magnar, but we didn't know for sure if he could trust himself right now. And with his added strength...who knew what he was capable of?
Luckily the wind was blowing away from Magnar and he didn't look at us as we threw the empty bottles back in the trunk and closed it.
I realised it was the first time I'd drunk in front of Callie and I eyed her with a frown drawing my brows together. She didn't seem to notice, her gaze drifting to Magnar and Erik out in the field.
“So we have to leave the truck here, I guess?” Julius said, folding his arms.
Clarice looked at the vehicle with a sullen nod. “What other choice do we have?”
“We could search for a power source?” Chickoa suggested, though as her eyes dragged across the barren landscape, no one needed to mention that there was no chance of us finding any such thing out here.
Julius suddenly stiffened, reaching for Menace at his hip and Callie's hand went to Fury. I mimicked them as I touched Nightmare and a tingle ran through my hand.
Familiar!
I stiffened, searching the skies and the vampires caught on as they turned their attention to our surroundings too.
“Shit,” Julius snarled. “Hey Magnar!” he called. “Valentina's fucking watching us.”
Magnar and Erik started running back to meet us, appearing at the edge of the group in seconds.
“Do you think she's close?” Clarice asked nervously.
“It's just a scout,” Fabian growled, pointing out a large bird swooping through the sky high above. “She's not near or we'd know by now.”
“Can we take it out?” Callie asked, lifting Fury as if to throw it.
“It's too high,” Fabian sighed.
“Not for me,” Magnar growled, snatching Fury from Callie's hand. He leant back, launching it into the sky with such strength that it tore through the air like a bullet.
A faint screech sounded from above then Fury pelted back toward the earth.
“Shit!” Clarice cried, lurching aside as it plummeted toward her. Magnar leapt upwards and snatched it out of the air, flipping it in his palm and handing it back to Callie as he landed. His movements were so fluid, so graceful, it somehow didn't add up with his immense size.
“Thanks,” she breathed, her eyes wide.
“That was fucking...insane,” Julius said, his mouth going slack.
Magnar grunted then his eyes slid to the trunk of the car and he took a wary step back.
“Drink,” I urged but he shook his head harshly, his hair flying about his shoulders.
“You're gonna kill us all if you don't,” Erik snarled at him.
“He's fine,” Callie insisted. “Aren't you?” she asked him and Magnar nodded firmly.
“Come on, let's pack up and start walking,” Clarice said, popping the trunk again. She zipped up the bag of bottles, placing it on her back and Julius moved to carry the water and milk.
I took Nightmare into my grip, comforted by its presence now we knew Valentina was still hunting us. Fear slid through me as I wondered how close she was.
When we'd gathered everything onto our backs, Erik took the lead, heading down the endless road ahead of us. I steeled myself for the journey before us, knowing it was going to be rough. But there was a blessed gift waiting at the end of it. We just had to make it there as fast as we could, then everything would be right again.
We walked for hours and hours until my feet began to drag and my joints cried out for rest. I glanced about at the rest of our group and found them flagging a little too, though none of them seemed to be as exhausted as me.
The joys of being mortal.
The ruins were a barren landscape which seemed to sprawl on endlessly in every direction and I began to wonder if we’d ever find an end to them.
My stomach growled pitifully but there was nothing to be done about it. Julius and I had both drunk more milk than I could happily stomach but it didn’t compare to the nourishment of real food. And despite my gifts aiding me, I could feel my body getting weaker with every passing mile.
To our left the sky was just beginning to lighten, meaning daybreak was drawing close once again. I hadn’t eaten in nearly thirty six hours and though I was no stranger to starvation from my time in the Realm, I’d never pushed myself so hard physically while battling against the pangs of hunger.
Magnar had slowly been moving himself further from me as we travelled on and he prowled at the front of our group alongside Erik.
The two of them exchanged words from time to time but the rest of us were too far back to overhear them and any time we drew closer, they widened the gap again.
I chewed my lip sadly, feeling sure that Magnar was avoiding me because of the scent of my blood. There was nothing I could do to dampen that pull he felt towards me though. And after begging him to remain in his immortal form for me, I could only support his decisions about the way he wished to deal with the consequences of remaining with us as a vampire.
Fabian moved to my side, his eyes sweeping over me as he noticed my diminishing state.
“Did you manage to get much sleep in the truck?” he murmured.
“A little,” I replied with a shrug. “A few hours maybe.” Probably not enough, but my mind had been too full of everything that had befallen us for me to even attempt it before then.
“We’ll have to make camp at daybreak anyway,” he said, glancing at the clear sky overhead. “Most of us can’t travel in the sun.”
I nodded, glancing towards the lighter patch of sky in the east hopefully but it looked like we still had a few hours to wait until that would be the case. After seeing that Familiar hunting us, I was afraid to slow our pace but we didn’t have much choice. Julius and I needed to rest and even the vampires looked like they could do with a break. But we wouldn’t be able to rest for long; Valentina was hot on our trail and all we could do was keep moving towards the mountain and hope to reach it before she caught up to us.
“Are you alright?” I asked lamely. “I mean I know you’re not but... are you coping?”
Fabian shook his head, looking up towards the stars. His hair hung loose around his face, grazing his shoulders as he let out a long breath.
“Miles was my brother for over twelve hundred years. I don’t know how to begin to comprehend the idea of a lifetime without him in it.” His voice was so hopeless that my heart broke for him all over again. It wasn’t fair. Miles and Warren had seemed so happy, so full of life and Idun had just taken that from them on a whim.
I reached between us and took Fabian’s hand in mine, gripping his fingers tightly as words failed me.
He held onto me for a moment then extracted his hand, glancing at Magnar’s back with a faint frown.
“It hasn’t changed how you feel about him has it? Now that he’s one of us?” Fabian asked, clearly wanting to steer the conversation away from his grief.
“No,” I replied. “I’d love him no matter what.”
“And yet my nature always drove you away from me,” he murmured.
“Not your nature,” I countered. “Your past. What you were and are. I am not my sister; I could never forgive the things we suffered beneath the rule of the Belvederes enough to love one of you like that.”
Fabian nodded in bitter acceptance. “Then I suppose it was always hopeless for me.”
“I was never the one for you, Fabian,” I murmured. “Our differences far outweigh anything we have in common.” My ga
ze slid beyond Fabian to Chickoa as she walked to our left. She was speaking quietly with Clarice and our group had spread out enough for me to feel sure she wouldn’t overhear us. “Have you apologised to her yet?”
Fabian looked towards the woman he used to love and his shoulders slumped with defeat. “I don’t imagine she wishes to hear it.”
“Even if she doesn’t, she still deserves to. And you deserve the chance to say it too. Don’t live with regrets, Fabian, or you may end up dying with them too.”
Silence fell between us and Fabian’s gaze was drawn to Chickoa as we walked on companionably. It was strange to remember the hatred I’d once felt for the man walking beside me. We’d been through so much together since he’d forced me to be his bride. We’d killed for each other and beside each other. And now strangely, I knew in my heart that he was my friend. And after a hundred lifetimes of solitude I hoped that when we broke the curse he might be able to regain the last of his humanity and love again.
I stumbled on a rock as I failed to pick my feet up properly and Fabian caught my arm before I could hit the ground. He pulled me upright and hoisted me into his arms before I could protest.
“You don’t have to-” I began but he shook his head, ignoring me.
“Is it too much to allow me to help a damsel in distress?” he mocked and I couldn’t help but laugh a little at the ridiculousness of our situation.
“So you’re just going to carry me for the next few hours?” I asked incredulously.
“Give me some credit, slayer,” Fabian replied with a faint smile. “I swam across the great ocean with my siblings. The journey took months of our lives while we drank nothing but salt water. I can carry a slip of a thing like you for a few hours.”
I gave in, rolling my eyes at him as I hooked an arm around his neck. “Fine, but I owe you one.”
“Well if you want to keep your mule fed for the journey then I won’t object to it.”
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 168