30. Erik

Power was leaking from my body from every bone, every fibre, every sinew. The thirst was growing, demanding I pay it attention as I weakened under the use of my immense gifts. But I wouldn’t bow to it, I wouldn’t buckle to it before this was done.

Magnar cut through the Biters as they closed ranks in front of Valentina. Shoulder to shoulder, fangs bared, faces contorted and snarling.

Nothing but determination filled me. This battle would be my last and I would bathe in the glory of its victory alongside my family.

A yell of fury cut the air apart as Clarice ripped through our enemies’ bodies with nails and teeth alone. Fabian and Chickoa worked as a unit in my periphery, tearing through the masses like demons sent straight from the pits of hell. Valentina had come to this fight prepared, but she’d underestimated the force of our combined strength.

They were baying for our deaths and nothing else, while we fought with the yearning, screaming hunger of a thousand years under the gods’ rule. We were done losing to anyone and no matter how few of us there were. We. Would. Win.

I wielded my gifts to take hold of the forest at Valentina’s back as she conjured another storm. The clouds rumbled with her rage and lightning flashed menacingly in the rippling darkness above. The roots of the trees tore from the ground under my will, shooting toward her and catching her legs before she could bring another lightning strike down on our heads.

She yelped in fright as she hit the ground and I battled to hold her down, the tangle of roots gripping her limbs.

Magnar slashed and ripped through the onslaught of Biters, cutting a path toward her. I stepped forward with a roar of might, the ground shuddering ferociously beneath my feet. A ripple of energy passed across the land as the goddess’s gifts lent more power to my body. I curled my hands into fists, drawing blood on my palms as my nails sliced my flesh open. The vines around Valentina grew tighter, tighter, tighter.

Four biters slammed into me at once and I dug my heels into the earth as I absorbed the blow. I smashed my fists into their faces. Teeth broke, blood spewed. The ground tore apart around me and a chasm slashed the earth open at my feet in a ring, creating a platform at the heart of it where only I could stand. My assailants fell to their deaths, tumbling into the belly of the earth with wails of horror.

I fell to one knee, gritting my teeth while I willed my body to hold out as I tried to regain control of Valentina. The biters hauled her out of the net I’d created and she fell against them, stumbling back with the promise of retreat in her eyes.

“Magnar!” I yelled to him as he launched a male vampire into a tree and impaled him on a broken branch.

He turned to me with blood pouring down his brow, but it wasn’t his.

“She’s going to run!” I bellowed, pointing to Valentina as she struggled to heal from her injuries. The sky lightened, her powers ebbing away.

Magnar nodded stiffly, swinging his swords as red and gold flashed on the blades.

I shuddered as my throat burned and a haze drifted into my mind. The bloodlust fell on me like a ravenous beast and I willed it away with all my heart.

Not now!

Magnar fought with all his strength, but the sheer numbers held him back, giving Valentina a chance to flee into the forest.

“No!” I roared my fury as she darted between the boughs.

I ground my teeth, trying to rise but finding myself immobilised by the pain that racked my body. My senses shifted to something purely animal, the hunger growing in me and begging to be sated.

A waft of the most delicious scent in the world drifted under my nose and my muscles seized up as I fought off the urge to seek it out. Because there was only one person left that it could belong to. And I would not hurt Julius. I refused to drink ever again.

The blood drew closer and a heavy grunt sounded as the platform I knelt on trembled with the impact of someone’s feet.

His scent slammed into me all at once and I looked up to find Julius there, his brow dripping sweat and his face flecked with the blood of our enemies.

“No – get back!” I begged, lurching away, but he fell to his knees before me, lifting his wrist under my nose.

“One last drink, Erik. End this,” he begged.

My eyes locked with his and I knew what he was sacrificing, how much he was willing to give to win this fight.

“NOW!” he commanded and I dug my fangs into his wrist, feasting on his blood.

I took mouthful after mouthful, far too much, enough to flood energy into my veins. Julius hissed through his teeth, placing a hand on my back.

“Take all you need,” he growled. “Take it and finish this!”

I swallowed again and again, the sweetness intoxicating me, setting my body on fire like pure sunlight was pounding through my blood.

I yanked my fangs free, rising to my feet with all the strength of the gods tearing through my limbs. Julius sagged to the ground, clearly woozy. Clarice ran toward us, diving onto the platform and snatching hold of his hand.

“Go!” she hissed at me and I didn’t hesitate, knowing I had to make use of the incredible offering Julius had given me.

I ran forward, diving off of the platform and hitting the ground on the other side. I caught a Biter by the throat, forcing jagged rocks up from the dirt beneath us and slamming him onto them. He turned to ash as the sharp stones ripped through his body and I ran on, speeding toward the masses Magnar was fighting alone.

I sprinted into battle at his side, slamming my fists through chests and crushing hearts between my hands. Blood coated us and the sky grew dark once more as Valentina gathered another storm as she sped away from the fight. The clouds swirled above us in an ominous coil and with every passing second I knew she was getting further away. Abandoning this fight and throwing her force into the cosmos to try and finish us off as she left.

Lightning poured from the sky, the electricity in the air making every hair on my body stand on end. I killed another biter with my bare hands, gathering the dirt around our feet, weaving it around Magnar and me as I tried to protect us from what was about to come. The lightning flooded the ground around us, taking out biters so they exploded to dust, creating a fog of death.

I brought huge vines up from the ground, shooting them into the air so they absorbed the lightning. They charred under the force of the electrical current running through them, falling to ash. The scent of burning flesh, bone and foliage snared my senses.

I spotted Fabian on the ground, crawling backwards as he nursed a searing wound on his arm.

The biters closed in again, their faces dark and twisted. Our deaths sparkled in their eyes as more and more of them surrounded us. An endless army. And no matter how strong we were, I feared how long we could hold out against so many.