1. Callie

My lips parted in horrified wonder as I stared at the transformation which had taken place in the man I loved.

I reached for him, my hand landing on his chest above his heart and my fingers trembled as I failed to feel any movement. His skin was too cold. His features too perfect.

He looked into my eyes and I could see the dawning realisation there.

“It’s alright,” I breathed. “It’ll be alright.”

“He needs blood,” Erik hissed urgently.

“There’s still some in the truck we took from the base,” Clarice replied, and I saw her speeding away from me toward the armoured truck from the corner of my eye.

“Step away, Callie,” Fabian growled.

“He won’t hurt me,” I replied faintly.

“Brother? Can you hear us?” Julius asked as he moved closer and Magnar’s eyes wheeled towards him.

This couldn’t have happened. There was no way it could be real. How could the goddess have done this to him?

It doesn’t change anything. He’s still the man I fell in love with.

My heart began to race in fierce denial of the truth and Magnar tilted his head as if he could hear it. With a jolt, I realised that he could.

I took a step closer, reducing the space between us to inches as I slid my hand further up his chest, trailing it over his neck until I cupped his jaw. I looked deep into his golden eyes and I could see the torment that raged there as he struggled to accept what had happened to him.

“It’s okay,” I said again. But it wasn’t. I knew it. He knew it.

“Here,” Clarice said and she pressed close to me, holding out a silver bottle. I eyed it with a little fear as she twisted the cap free and pushed it under Magnar’s nose.

“No,” he snarled. And his voice was his but not, like the rough edges of it were gone and a deeper, more seductive note had taken their place.

“It’ll be worse the longer you resist,” Erik said firmly.

“No!” Magnar slapped the bottle out of Clarice’s grip and the blood was spilled across the ground beside us, sinking into the dirt by our feet.

I flinched back a step, withdrawing my hand and Magnar’s face crumpled as he took in my reaction.

“Stay back, Callie,” Fabian urged again, gripping my arm and drawing me away from him.

A feral anger grew in Magnar’s eyes at the sight of Fabian’s hands on my flesh. The look on his face was primal, animal and suddenly I feared what he might do to keep me away from Fabian.

“Release her,” Magnar growled, his posture dipping so that he looked as if he might spring forward at any moment, the threat of violence clear in his stance. He was like a wild beast, poised to attack, his hands curling into fists as he glared at Fabian in a clear threat.

“He’s only concerned for her, Brother,” Julius murmured, moving to take my place before him.

Magnar’s gaze stayed locked on the point of contact between me and Fabian and he bared his fangs. A tremor raced through me as I spotted them. Any feeble hope that I’d been clinging to fled me at that final bit of proof. He was a vampire. The man I loved, whose whole life had been devoted to destroying the undead was now one of them himself.

Holy shit.

Fabian hissed in response, pulling me closer possessively. Magnar shot forward so quickly that I barely had time to cry out before his fist collided with Fabian’s jaw.

Fabian was thrown away from me with such force that I heard his bones breaking from the impact.

I scrambled back and Montana wrapped her arms around me protectively as my heart pounded adrenaline through my body.

Clarice cried out in panic as Fabian failed to rise from the spot twenty feet away where he’d landed.

“By the gods,” Erik cursed as he moved to stand before me and Montana. “He’s kept his slayer gifts like Valentina did: he was immeasurably strong before, but now...”

“He’s fucking invincible,” Julius murmured as he moved in front of me too.

They were all eyeing Magnar like he was a stranger who might hurt any one of us and my heart shattered at the sight. I knew in my soul that wasn’t the case. He was still him. No matter what changes had been forced upon his body.

Clarice moved closer as well, trying to push Julius back too but he shrugged her off and she was forced to take up position at his side instead. The vampires were afraid that Magnar was going to hurt me and Julius and pain flooded me at the idea.

Magnar glared at Fabian until he was convinced that he wasn’t going to rise again. He turned his attention back to me and Chickoa scrambled over to see if there was anything she could do to help Fabian while he was unconscious.

Magnar frowned as he noted the group of people standing between us.

“Callie?” he murmured. “Don’t be afraid of me... I won’t...you know I’d never hurt you-”

“I know,” I agreed, pressing Montana’s arms down until she released me.

“Be careful,” she breathed. “He still hasn’t fed yet.”

I glanced at my sister and I could see how much this was scaring her but I knew Magnar. And just as I’d trusted her when she was turned, I knew I could trust him too.

I stepped around Erik and he eyed me like he wanted to make a protest but I guessed what had just happened to Fabian was making him hesitate.

My heart was pounding as I approached Magnar again and his brow furrowed as the sound of it reached him too.

“You’ve always made my heart race,” I said, trying to make light of it. “Now you can hear how you affect me too.”

Magnar frowned as he watched me drawing closer again and he stilled in that eerie way which only the undead could manage. He made no movement at all. He wasn’t even breathing and the sight of it filled me with unease.

It wasn’t the fact that he was a vampire that frightened me. It was the fact that this was so far from who he was. It went against the essence of his soul. He was never meant to undergo this transformation and I had no idea how he would come to terms with it. Or even if he would. His own father had begged for death in his position and I feared that Magnar would feel compelled to do the same.

He reached for me and I gave him my hand. His thumb shifted over my flesh as if he’d never felt it before and he moved his other hand to touch me too. His fingers trailed along my arm, raising goosebumps across my body as he stared at my skin.

I shivered beneath his gentle caress and he lifted my hand to his face.

I looked up at him as he tilted my arm in his grasp and he pressed a kiss to the inside of my wrist, right above the flickering beat of my pulse.

Erik inhaled sharply behind me as if he expected Magnar to attack me at any moment and I could feel all of their eyes pinned on us.

“Brother,” Julius murmured. “Think how much it would wound you to hurt her. Be careful...”

Magnar inhaled deeply and he kissed my wrist again. I felt the brush of his teeth against my skin and my muscles tensed.

His gaze flicked up to meet mine and he released me suddenly, stepping back.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said firmly.

I nodded in agreement but I didn’t move any closer.

“Drink, Magnar,” Clarice urged. “You can’t trust yourself around Callie or your brother until you do. We have bottled blood, you won’t have to bite anyone-”

“The moment I give in to the bloodlust will be the moment I plunge my blade through my heart,” Magnar snarled.

My pulse thundered at his words and tears pricked my eyes. I knew he wouldn’t want to live like this but hearing him confirm it aloud terrified me. If we couldn’t break the curse before the call of blood got too much for him then I was going to lose him.

“We’ll head for the mountain,” I said. “We’ll break the curse before you have to feed and you’ll be human again-”

“That’s a long journey for a hungry vampire with two mortals in tow,” Clarice murmured and I could tell she didn’t think he could do it. “Especially ones who smell as good as you both do.”

“I would never hurt my brother or the woman I love,” Magnar snarled and Clarice recoiled a little as he turned his heated gaze her way.

“You don’t have to!” Erik said in exasperation. “Just drink the bottled blood. It’s only a matter of time until-”

Magnar shot towards him in a blur of motion and wrapped a hand around his throat, lifting him into the air as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Erik struggled and a faint rumbling cut through the soil at my feet.

“If you try to force my hand in this again, I’ll rip your head from your body,” Magnar threatened before releasing his hold on Erik just as quickly as he’d gained it. Erik stumbled back and Montana gripped his arm fearfully.

Magnar’s eyes trailed to Julius’s hand which had made it to the hilt of his blade and I could see the pain that act caused him. He shook his head and turned away from all of us, shooting into the trees at the top of the hill so quickly that his movement sent my hair flying around my shoulders.

“Fuck,” Erik snarled and I could tell he was about to follow him.

“Don’t,” I said quickly. “I’ll go.”

Fabian groaned behind us as he regained consciousness and I turned to find Chickoa moving away from him as he began to rise.

“It’s not safe,” Erik protested.

“I hate to admit it but I think he might be right, Callie,” Montana breathed.

A harsh sob escaped Clarice’s throat and she sank to her knees in the mud as the last of the shock from the battle slid from us and the weight of everything that had just happened poured in on her. Erik’s features were filled with pain too but he kept his eyes set on me as he struggled to decide what to do.

“Let me go to Magnar,” I urged. “You said yourself he’s kept his gifts. He’s Clan of War; he was already stronger than you and now that will only be compounded tenfold. None of us are a match for him if he wants to hurt us and at least I know he will fight against the desire to harm me with everything he’s got.”

Erik nodded in defeat, his eyes moving to Clarice as Julius laid a hand on her shoulder.

“At least bring him some bottles of blood,” he murmured and I nodded, biting my lip as I looked towards the truck where they were stored.

Fabian pushed himself to his feet and made his way back towards us. I offered him an apologetic look as I skirted him and headed to retrieve the blood.

For a moment I thought he was going to protest again but Clarice’s sobs grew harsher and he dropped to the dirt beside his sister, pulling her close as their grief at losing Miles and Warren overwhelmed them.

Montana drew closer to Erik as a hollow look filled his eyes.

My heart was heavy with their deaths too but I couldn’t face it yet. Magnar needed me. I wouldn’t let him deal with this alone.

“I’m coming with you,” Julius murmured as he fell into step beside me.

I nodded my agreement as we drew closer to the truck. Of course he was. He wouldn’t let Magnar deal with this alone any more than I would.

Julius took a large bottle of blood from the back of the truck and I caught his arm before he could move away.

“He’ll be alright,” I breathed, my voice trembling as I tried to convince myself as much as him.

Julius avoided my eye, his thumb brushing over the top of the silver bottle.

“Callie...” He looked at me then away again as he chewed the inside of his cheek. “Magnar is his father’s son. When we find him, he may ask me to-”

“No,” I gasped, realising what he was saying. “We’re so close to solving the prophecy. He’ll be human again in a matter of days! You can’t agree to it if he asks you-”

“Weren’t you the one who was just convincing your sister that you’d never want to spend a single day as a vampire?” he asked me sadly. “What happened to ‘I want to die a mortal death no matter what’?”

“I know,” I hissed. “I’m a fucking hypocrite alright! But I don’t care. This isn’t the same - no one chose this for him. I never would have forced it on him and you know it. But now that it’s done can’t we at least agree to get to the mountain first? Before we have to make any decisions-”

“Callie, if he asks this of me-”

I slapped him and his head wheeled sideways from the force of my gifts. His jaw clenched and he looked down at me darkly.

“If you kill him Julius, I swear on everything that I am that I will-”

“He’s already dead,” Julius growled and he gritted his teeth as his eyes glimmered with emotion.

My rage turned to pain in a heartbeat and I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck as my tears burst free like they were breaking past a dam.

Julius wrapped his strong arms around me and being in them felt so like holding Magnar that my heart broke all over again. Julius was warm and his heart beat fiercely alongside mine. Magnar wouldn’t feel like this now. He was cold and solid, his heart lying still in his chest. He was dead. But he was still alive too and as selfish as it was, I couldn’t bear to let him leave me.

“Go to him first,” Julius breathed and I felt his own tears spilling into my hair. “He needs a reason to live. And you’re the best one he has.”

“Thank you.” I released him and stood on my tiptoes so that I could press a kiss to his cheek. His tears met with my lips and he caught my hand before I could withdraw, pressing the bottle of blood into it.

“Try to get him to drink it,” he muttered and I could tell the idea repulsed him. “I can’t imagine the pain it would cause him to lose control with you.”

I nodded, glancing down at the silver bottle as I backed away. I needed to convince Magnar to do it for all of our sakes.

I turned and headed up into the trees, leaving Julius by the trucks and the Belvederes mourning their loss alongside my sister.

I wiped the tears from my face as I went. Magnar needed me to be strong for him. He needed to see that this didn’t change anything about the way I felt for him. And he had to agree to stay undead until we could break the curse once and for all.