5. Callie

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, feeling certain 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 gaze 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.”

“I’m sure you’d sooner drink bottled blood than-”

“Unhand her!” Magnar snarled as he looked back at us and spotted me in Fabian’s arms.

My heart pattered with surprise and I pushed myself out of Fabian’s grip while he stilled beside me.

“She nearly fell from exhaustion,” Fabian snapped. “Which you would have seen for yourself if you truly cared for her the way you claim to.”

Magnar stalked closer, his eyes wild with fury as he closed the distance parting us.

“He’s not lying, Magnar,” I said, placing myself between them and holding a hand out to halt him. “I haven’t eaten in over a day and we’ve been walking for thirteen hours-”

Magnar stopped before me, taking my outstretched hand in his and yanking me towards him. I stumbled against his chest and his nostrils flared as he breathed in deeply.

“Callie is mine,” he snarled and the way he said it wasn’t like the way he said it to me when we were alone. It was commanding and possessive. Like I was an object that he could control.

I tried to pull my wrist out of his grasp but he was holding me so tightly that it was beginning to bruise.

“Stop it, Magnar,” I urged as I tried to prise his fingers from my skin.

“You’re hurting her,” Fabian hissed, baring his fangs.

The act was like waving a red flag at a bull and Magnar launched himself forward to attack, throwing me aside as he did so in favour of his fight.

I hit the ground hard and Montana was at my side in seconds, dragging me to my feet fearfully.

Fabian leapt back as Magnar rounded on him and the two of them fell into a desperate dance as Magnar fought to get his hands on the Belvedere.

“Stop!” I shouted but Magnar either couldn’t hear me or didn’t care.

His foot connected with Fabian’s chest as Clarice raced forward to help and he was sent crashing into her.

Erik swore as he launched himself at Magnar’s back, hooking an arm around his neck as he fought to disable him.

Magnar barely reacted to the attack on him and he reached over his shoulder, snatching Erik by the back of his shirt and slamming him to the ground beneath him.

The whole hillside quaked beneath us as Erik collided with the ground and my heart leapt in panic at the ferociousness of Magnar’s attacks.

“He’s fucking lost it!” Fabian snarled as he scrambled off of Clarice and Julius raced forward to intercept his brother.

“Stay away from him!” Clarice shrieked in warning to the slayer.

Magnar’s head turned sharply, his nostrils flaring as he looked towards his brother with hunger burning in his eyes.

He abandoned his fight with Erik as he sped towards Julius instead and I sprang to my feet, racing forward to stop him.

If he hurt his brother I knew he’d never forgive himself but he was so lost to the bloodlust that I wasn’t even sure he could see who stood before him in that moment.

“Magnar!” I screamed as Julius’s eyes widened in realisation and Magnar slammed into him.

They crashed to the ground and tumbled through the dust before Magnar managed to pin Julius beneath him.

He stared down at his brother, baring his fangs in animalistic desperation as his gaze slid to his throat.

“Shit,” Julius breathed as Magnar lunged forwards.

“Stop!” I cried and a deep power flooded through my chest, burning along my limbs and flying out of my body before slamming into Magnar’s.

He toppled forward before his fangs could breach his brother’s skin and Julius released an oomph of discomfort as Magnar’s weight fell on him.

Silence reigned and everyone stared at Magnar in total disbelief.

“What the hell just happened?” Clarice breathed as she moved closer.

Julius grunted with effort as he shoved Magnar off of him and he rolled onto his back unconscious.

“The Dream Weaver put him to sleep,” Julius explained. “Good thinking, Callie.”

“It wasn’t intentional,” I muttered. I hadn’t even known that I could do such a thing. “I just wanted him to stop before he did something he’d regret.”

“And you couldn’t have managed that before he caved in half of my ribs?” Fabian wheezed as he drew closer too. Magnar’s dusty boot print stood out on his black t-shirt and he hissed through the pain of his injuries as his body fought to heal them.

“She said she wanted to stop him doing something he’d regret,” Chickoa said. “And I don’t think he’s going to feel too bad about hurting you.”

Fabian scowled and Montana released a breath of laughter. I almost joined her but I felt like if I started I wouldn’t stop and before I knew it I’d be sobbing.

“I told him this would happen,” Erik growled, clearly not finding any humour in the situation.

“He’s just over tired,” I said defensively. “We all are. He’ll be okay as soon as he’s had some rest.”

“He won’t,” Fabian replied tersely. “Every moment he goes without blood is another moment he draws closer to losing his mind altogether. You saw what he almost did to his own brother. If he refuses to drink then we should force him now, while he’s unconscious.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Erik muttered.

“Don’t you dare!” I moved to stand before Magnar and Julius bared his teeth as he drew his blade too.

“Look at what he nearly did to both of you,” Fabian protested. He caught my hand and lifted it so that everyone could see the red fingerprints marking my wrist where Magnar had grabbed me.

I snatched my hand back. “He didn’t mean to do that,” I said defensively. “He just lost control for a second.”

“And he’ll do it again,” Erik said darkly. “Until he feeds, we can’t trust him. And he’s too strong for us to take chances with. We should do it now while he’s subdued.”

“This has to be Magnar’s decision,” Julius growled. “And if any of you try to force it on him then you’re going to have to get through us.”

Fabian shared a look with his brother and my skin prickled as once again we found ourselves standing against the Belvederes. I wondered if a time would come when these lines would never have to be drawn between us.

Montana seemed torn about what decision was for the best but Chickoa drew closer to us.

“I stand with the slayers. I understand the hell of being turned against your will,” she snarled, looking Fabian right in the eye. “And if he isn’t ready to drink yet then that’s his choice. Callie can subdue him when the bloodlust gets too much for him to bear. That’s good enough for me.”

“And me,” Clarice agreed, glancing at Julius as her cheeks grew pale with embarrassment. “This should be Magnar’s decision.”

“Brilliant,” Fabian growled sarcastically. “And who’s going to carry him while he can’t be trusted to stay awake?”

“I will,” Erik muttered, stepping closer so that he could draw Magnar into his arms.

I watched him cautiously as he slung the man I loved over his shoulder and Magnar remained oblivious to all of it while he slept.

Clarice still carried the bag with all the bottled blood in it so I didn’t have to worry about Erik tricking us and feeding him in secret.

We continued down the road and Montana drew closer to me, lacing her fingers through mine.

“I know it’s hard to see him like this, Callie,” she breathed. “But he won’t be able to keep fighting the urge forever.”

“It doesn’t have to be forever,” I murmured stubbornly, wanting to respect Magnar’s wishes in this. “Just until we reach the mountain.”

Monty pursed her lips like she didn’t think he would last that long but I didn’t say anything further. If Magnar needed to feed before we got there then I wasn’t the one stopping him. But it was something he had to figure out for himself.