7. Montana

Isat on the bed in silk pyjamas, watching as Erik pulled on clothes after his shower, still feeling wide awake despite still being in the depths of night. I couldn’t get enough of him. I didn’t know if it was our time apart which drove this passionate, insatiable desire for him, or if it was always going to be like this.

Reuniting with him had healed my shattered heart, and despite all the reasons I’d had not to claim him in the past, I found them paling in the face of all the good that we were building between us now.

Erik walked toward me with a grin, tugging down the hem of his long-sleeved t-shirt to conceal his defined muscles.

“Want something, rebel?” he mocked, and I bit down on my lip as I smiled. “Did I not satisfy you well enough?”

“Not even close,” I taunted, though even the thought of how much pleasure we’d found between us had my skin tingling.

“You seemed sated enough when you were moaning my name. Maybe you need a reminder.” He smirked and a hungry shiver darted down my spine. “Perhaps I will keep you here in my room until I have wiped all memory of other men from your body.”

“Well that might not take all that long,” I admitted, tucking a lock of dark hair behind my ear. “In fact, it wouldn’t take any time at all.”

Erik frowned at me then released an arrogant laugh. “All the better then. And if you fuck me that well without practise, I look forward to seeing you learn from me.”

“Oh wondrous sex guru, teach me your ways,” I scoffed and he reached out to grip my throat, smiling darkly at me.

“Gladly.”

My mirth fell away, the taint of sin in his eyes filling me with a twisted kind of desire. I had the feeling I hadn’t seen the most depraved side of him yet, and I was far too curious for my own good. Luckily for me, I wasn’t a cat, or I would have been dead a long ass time ago.

He dropped his hand from my neck and my gaze dropped to Nightmare beside me, my thoughts shifting to Callie and the slayers. They’d be on their way here now, but we had hours to kill before they arrived. There was only one thing I wanted to do with that time, but an even more pressing issued filled me.

“Could we talk?” I looked up at Erik and his brow furrowed.

“Of course.”

“Could you fill me in on this whole vampire thing? I feel like my soul has been planted in a loaded gun and I have no idea how to adjust to it.”

He took my hand, pulling me up with ease and twirling me under his arm. My feet moved with grace as if they knew what to do before I did. I’d never been so assured in my movements before. My body reacted before my mind did.

“Well, your dance moves have improved,” he jibed, and I rested my hand on his shoulder as I raised a brow.

“I was always a wonderful dancer.”

He laughed. “That is painfully untrue.”

“Do you miss my clumsy human ways?” I asked.

“No, because now I get to do this.” He twirled me again then moved fast and shoved me back against the wall, my spine colliding with it, though no pain found me.

I glared at him. “You’re happy you can push me around without hurting me? How very gentlemanly of you.”

He caught my waist, tugging me close again. “I never said I was a gentleman and you knew that well enough before you fell in love with me.” He grinned in amusement, eyeing my mouth, but I darted out of his arms, spinning back to face him with a triumphant smile.

“You’re only turning me on more by running away. Remember what fleeing from me resulted in earlier,” he said with a lustful glint in his eyes.

“You’re getting greedy,” I teased, retreating as he hounded after me. “I think you’ve had quite enough of me, Erik Belvedere.” My toes curled against the floorboards as I stopped moving, knowing I was just as desperate for more of him too, but I loved this game of cat and mouse.

He halted, folding his arms with a sideways smile. “Alright, dear wife, perhaps you have a point. We should focus on something more constructive.”

“Good, because I need some pointers on how to be a monster.”

He winced minutely at that word. “Montana, you will never be a monster. Not like me. You are too pure. But you’re right, you need to learn how to handle that body of yours,” he said. “In some other ways,” he added with a devilish expression.

“Then tell me how.” I waited for him to go on and he moved forward, taking my hands. The runes on our palms met and electricity pounded between us, setting the hairs rising on the back of my neck. “Your nails are one of your best weapons. They’re razor sharp against your enemies.” He slid his hand up to my biceps. “And you might still look fragile, but you’re strong. You’re my sireling. Meaning you’re an Elite - more powerful than any vampire sired by another Elite or less.”

I nodded, eyeing my pristine skin with awe, trying to absorb the fact that I was really stronger than so many of the vampires I’d been pushed around by in my life.

“Wait, does this mean I have to call you master now?” I asked dryly.

“Only in the bedroom.”

“Not unless you call me your highness.” I jutted up my chin, enjoying the way his eyes roamed over me.

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” He slid a hand to my face, sliding his thumb into my mouth and brushing it over my canines. “These are your best weapon of all.”

I pulled back from him, revulsion darting though me. “I can’t bite someone,” I said in horror. “I won’t.”

“If it came down to a fight with an enemy, you would have to,” he said, his eyebrows pinching together.

I glanced at Nightmare where I’d left it on the bed. “I have my blade, that will always protect me.”

He pressed his lips together. “The thirst is your biggest enemy anyway. You cannot resist drinking. If you do, you will succumb to it and sink your teeth into the nearest human neck you can find.”

I knew he meant the slayers and my gut knotted at the thought. “I’ll drink the bottled blood,” I said firmly. “I’ll do anything to stop that from happening.”

“Good,” he said, his tone softening. “Have you had any more thoughts on the prophecy? You seem to be pretty good at figuring it out.”

“Nightmare helps sometimes,” I said thoughtfully. “The blade seems to know the answers. Or at least...it guides me toward them occasionally.”

Erik nodded as his gaze fell on the slayer blade. “Then ask it,” he urged and I didn’t miss the longing in his voice. He wanted this curse broken as much as I did, probably far more considering how long he had been trapped in his immortal form.

I headed to the bed, dropping onto the mattress and folding my legs beneath me as I took Nightmare into my palm.

Moon Child, it purred happily as I caressed it.

“What more can you tell me about the prophecy? What is the debt paid?” I asked.

A debt paid rights wrongs of old.

“But what is the debt?” I pleaded.

In a holy mountain the Earth will heal. Then the dead shall live and the curse will keel.

I sighed heavily, looking to Erik as he stood at the edge of the bed with a desperate hope sparkling in his gaze.

“It’s just reciting the prophecy to me.”

“Make a guess. Maybe it can answer if you’re right,” he prompted, looking like I held all the answers he’d ever needed. And I wished I did.

“I don’t know.” I gazed down at Nightmare with a frown.

Erik crept onto the bed, kneeling before me. “My parents spoke of a ring. Andvari was hunting for it. I believe the one Callie possesses is the one he was looking for. They stole his treasure and hid it in a mountain. But when my siblings and I sought it out, we couldn’t enter.”

My frown deepened as I tried to find the answer hiding within his words. “So the debt could just be returning the ring to Andvari at the holy mountain?”

Erik’s eyes glazed with thought. “It seems too simple.”

“What else could it mean?” I begged of him, but he didn’t have a response.

I turned my attention to Nightmare, pressing my will into it and attempting to search out the secrets it held.

“What’s the debt?” I whispered again.

The debt is that which will be lost.

“The ring?” I asked. “The ring was lost.”

The debt is that which will be lost, it repeated and I gave up, placing the blade on the bed beside me.

“I hate riddles,” I muttered. “My dad always loved them. He’d be great at this.”

Erik rested his hand on my knee with sorrow in his gaze. “I’m sorry he’s not here to help. It kills me the way he was taken from you. Callie showed me how it happened when she came to me in my dreams.”

I blinked hard, fighting away tears. “He suffered so much,” I said on a deep breath.

I’d forgiven Erik for trusting Wolfe with my father’s life, but the sting of his loss still cut me deeply. The curse hadn’t taken that pain from me, and I was glad. Grief was the only way he was still present with me. That and the precious memories of him.

“You have dealt with too much death in your life. And I hate that I can’t make it right.” Erik’s eyes dropped and guilt consumed his expression. “Callie also showed me your home in the Realm. She replayed the moment your mother was taken,” he said tentatively. “The Blood Banks were only ever supposed to be for law-breakers. But blood supplies waned over time...the laws changed and I was just happy to keep my people fed with a constant supply. There was always the greater fear that if the empire grew hungry, the humans wouldn’t be safe. It is a fragile balance and one Valentina and her Biters are a threat to.”

I ground my teeth at the mention of her, but my thoughts returned to my mother. She had been taken to feed the vampires. How long had she lasted in the blood bank? I’d seen visions of its interior when my mind had connected to Callie’s at the choosing ceremony. The humans were kept in pods, alive...almost as though they were sleeping. Mom had been in so much pain with the disease that had claimed her. I knew she’d have died one way or the other, but our final days with her had been taken from us. Was it better she’d slept peacefully in one of those tanks?

I shook my head, horrified that the thought had even crossed my mind. She should have died at home in her bed, surrounded by her family. More tears slid from my eyes and Erik pulled me against him, murmuring his apologies. Nothing could bring her back. Nothing could change the past, no matter how much I wanted it to sometimes.

The scent of cypress and rain caressed my senses, and I sighed as I pulled myself together, leaning away from Erik and absorbing the sight of his pained expression. I didn’t want to dwell in pity and the sadness of my old life. It was time to face the new dawn.

I ran my thumb across his jaw, a question sliding into my mind. “What is it you actually do in the empire? I never see you working.”

He released a rumbling laugh. “I’ve been rather distracted of late.” He squeezed my waist and a slow smile crept over my face, wiping away the ache in my chest.

“So?” I pressed.

“I have jurisdiction over several areas of the empire. My main focus is on clearing the ruins in the south. Miles runs the farmlands that my people clear for him to grow food for the humans. The rest of my efforts are focused on expanding the city, building wind and solar farms in the desert. My sirelings can only work at night there, but the projects have ensured that our entire empire runs off of renewable energy.”

“What’s that?” I asked, fascinated by his knowledge of the planet.

I’d been kept in the dark in the Realm. There was so much I didn’t understand. My dad’s stories had provided limited knowledge of the life humans had once led. Most of his stories of before had focused on his favourite memories.

Erik continued, “Before the war, the land was pillaged by humans for other means of creating electricity and fuel. There were so many humans in the world, the need for it was great and the cost to the planet was nearly catastrophic. When I gained power over the lands after the Final War, I pledged to improve this world. My life has held too much destruction in it, I wanted to build an empire that could withstand the test of time. One that could live in harmony with nature.”

“That seems awfully noble of you,” I teased, tugging on his sleeve.

His lips twisted at the corner. “I try.”

“Oh do you? How modest you are,” I said playfully, slipping my hands under his arms in an attempt to tickle him.

“That won’t work on me. But you, however-” He flipped me back onto the bed, tickling my sides and I cried out, laughter tearing from my throat.

He pressed his weight onto me and I fell still as his hands stopped their torment. He brushed his nose against mine, his eyes boring into my own, that wild connection flaring between us and casting our souls in starlight. I felt like he was staring right into the depths of my being, and my heart almost beat with how much it wanted to get closer to him.

No words passed between us as he took my wrists, pinning them to the bed and grinding his hips against mine in a demand. He started tearing my clothes off as well as his, and I wondered vaguely if we were going to destroy the entire contents of our closets.

When we were skin on skin, his hard cock rutted between my legs and I lifted my hips, our bodies aligning perfectly as he slid inside me in a slow, torturous movement.

His mouth came down on mine, his kisses filled with an intensity that spoke of his love for me. We moved in a slow, rhythmic dance as he possessed me in a new way. One that made me feel like we were a single being, as if he was knitting my soul to his with an unbreakable thread. And I knew without a doubt, that this was the kind of love that could never die.

* * *

I lay at Erik’s side, still thoroughly awake even though I should have been exhausted after how much sex we’d had. His skin called to me over and over again and I wondered at what point I was going to burn out of energy, if ever.

A sweet scent floated from his skin from the shower he must have had hours ago now. Dawn had spilled into the room, but clouds were veiling the sunlight and raindrops tinkled against the balcony. It seemed I was in the most blissful dream of my life.

I ran my fingers across Erik’s chest in slow circles, thinking about the slayers as I eyed the bandage on his shoulder. They’d be on their way here now and Erik was going to fetch them as soon as they got close to the city. A riot of nervousness coursed through me, but I was certain I wouldn’t hurt Julius when I saw him. There was no way I’d bite one of my friends. No matter what Erik thought. And as soon as he realised I could handle myself, he’d let me see my sister.

Fabian was watching television downstairs and I was pretty sure it was a romantic film from the emotional music that reached us. Every now and then, he would release a lament at the characters’ actions, demanding they find a way to be together. I blew out a breath of amusement as Erik’s hands brushed over my spine, making me arch into him like a cat.

“We have to break that bind between your brother and my sister,” I whispered, turning his right palm over to trace the lines of the silver cross there. My own mark throbbed hungrily and I pressed it gently against Erik’s, making him groan. Our souls seemed to connect at that very point our palms met, like we were an extension of each other. It sent a rush of energy through me that made me want him all over again, but we couldn’t lie here all morning. I had to get dressed, prepare for the slayers arriving.

“I think only the gods can break it,” Erik said thoughtfully, his eyes growing darker.

“Callie’s bound to Magnar too. He’s her mentor, but they love each other and their bind stops them from being together,” I revealed. “It’s so cruel. The gods have no hearts.”

“Hm, the last I heard he was betrothed to Valentina,” he said thoughtfully and I wrinkled my nose, certain Magnar had no such intentions toward her now.

Fabian shouted at the TV downstairs, “If you love her then tell her, you asshole! She’s going to marry Kyle! Fucking Kyle!”

“Fabian’s acting like a psycho,” I said with a frown. “He can’t be here when the slayers come.”

“He won’t be, I promise.”

“How are you going to make him leave?” I asked curiously.

“I’ll ask him nicely, then order him if he says no. And if he still refuses, I’ll call Miles and Clarice to take him home.” At the mention of his brother and sister, his brow creased with lines. “I haven’t spoken to them yet. They’re going to start wondering where we are soon. But they’ll listen to me about the gods, I think, it’s Fabian I’m concerned about.”

“Why?”

“Because he has no interest in breaking the curse. He enjoys being immortal. And while that mark drives him toward your sister, he’s only going to have one task in mind.”

“We can’t let him near her,” I said urgently.

“We won’t.” He leaned up to kiss me and I slid my hands across his shoulders. He winced as I accidentally touched the wound Callie had given him.

“Sorry.” I bit into my lip.

He caught my waist with a dark grin, pulling me up to straddle him, holding my wrists in one hand.

“It’ll heal,” he growled. “But I do have something else you can tend to-”

“Erik.” Fabian strode into the bedroom, shirtless but freshly-washed with his brown hair loose about his shoulders.

Erik sat upright with a snarl, pushing me down onto the bed and shielding me with his body. I clutched the covers with a growl, dragging them up to my collar bone as Fabian walked toward us.

“Ever heard of knocking, asshole?” Erik snarled. I shot him a look. Erik had never been one for knocking either.

Fabian was disregarding our nudity, clearly not giving a shit about it. But I sure as hell did. I’d been bared to the world when his brother had walked in.

“Callie is on her way,” Fabian said with a whine in his tone. “And I know you’re going to tell me to go before she arrives but hear me out. I’ll just talk to her. She can come here and we’ll go to my room. Just the two of us, no other slayers, no trouble.”

“You’re not seeing her,” I snapped before Erik could answer.

“Exactly,” Erik agreed. “And this is my house. You don’t own a single room in it.”

“Callie tried to kill you the last time she saw you,” I pressed. “And you hurt her when you tried to kill Magnar.”

Fabian frowned deeply, taking something from his pocket. “Alright...” He gave in with a heavy sigh as if he’d known we were going to refuse. “But give her this, please.” He held out a folded piece of paper and I reached for it, unable to fight the pity his sad expression sparked in me.

I started unfolding it, but he shook his head.

“It’s for her. Don’t read it.” Fabian’s eyebrows pinched together and I gave him a terse smile.

“Okay.” I placed it down on the nightstand and he seemed to relax.

“I’ll go then.” Fabian backed up to the door slowly as if he expected us to tell him he could stay and see Callie after all.

“You can take the Ferrari,” Erik said. “The keys are in my desk in the office.”

“Thanks.” Fabian lingered by the doorway like a dog who wanted to be taken for a walk.

“Bye Fabian,” I said, unable to fight a snort of amusement as he drifted out of the door with a look of defeat.

Erik turned to me, shaking his head. “At least he’s behaving better now he actually gives a shit about one of the women he’s pursuing.”

“You guys seem like you have some issues,” I said tentatively as he stretched his arms above his head and moved toward the closet. I eyed the flexing muscles on his back and the firm planes of his ass, losing my train of thought.

“We have our differences, but I still care about him. He’s my brother.”

I got off the bed and followed him to the closet. He picked out a blue dress and handed it to me with a slanted smile. “For you.”

“Choosing my clothes, Erik? Old habits die hard, huh?” I wafted the dress away, reaching for a long black one and taking some underwear from a drawer.

“Ever the rebel, princess,” he murmured, tugging on some jeans and a shirt.

When we were dressed, I moved to the mirror on the wall. It hit me that I hadn’t seen myself since I’d been turned. I hadn’t dared to look in the bathroom mirror last night, but now, I couldn’t shy away. I had to know if I was still me on the outside, just like I felt I was on the inside.

I swallowed hard as I approached the oval glass and took in my reflection.

My lips parted in shock. I looked just like the vision Andvari had shown me back in the ruins. Ethereal, captivating. I was me and yet not me at all. And I didn’t know if I liked it. As I approached the pane, I ran a hand over my smooth cheek. My skin was pearlescent, near-glowing. I was radiant and yet I shouldn’t have been anything of the sort after a night rolling beneath the sheets. Even my hair was barely affected. It hung in loose curls, silky soft and seeming even longer than it had been before. The black dress I’d chosen hugged my figure which was thankfully the same. Although perhaps I was slightly fuller in places. As if the venom had washed away any sign of the starvation I’d faced in the Realm.

I slid a hand across my stomach in awe. I was remade. But I didn’t like the idea that my human life was lost completely. I was still the same girl beneath this veil of beauty and I didn’t want this change to take that from me.

Erik appeared behind me, brushing the hair from my neck and placing a kiss beneath my ear.

“Do you find me more attractive now. Like this?” I asked, a knot of concern tying in my chest. What if this was an improvement on the human Montana that Erik knew? What if he had seen my human flaws and found them lacking?

His mouth skated to my ear. “I have no idea what you mean,” he purred, sending a shiver down my spine.

I reached back to cup his neck and pulled him around to look at the mirror. “You know exactly what I mean.”

Erik gazed up and down my reflection, then shrugged. “You’ve always looked like this to me.” He turned to me and though I expected to find mirth in his gaze, I only found a shining honesty.

“Oh,” I breathed, my heart squeezing at his words. “Really?”

He took my hand, pressing it to his shirt where his quiet heart lay beneath it. “If you could see what I saw the first day I met you, the first time I kissed you, and the moment you woke beneath the stars, you would see the woman that holds my heart. And she is the same woman in every single one of those moments, and all of them in between.”

My throat constricted and a smile crossed my features. Before I could respond to his beautiful words, the phone rang and anticipation spilled through me.

Erik released me, heading across the room and answering the call. “Hello?...right, see you soon.” He hung up and turned to me with an anxious frown. “Ready?”

I nodded firmly and he moved toward me in a flash of movement, pressing a lingering kiss to my lips. When he stepped back, he pushed a hand into his hair, revealing his concern. “There’s blood in the refrigerator. Drink some. You’ll want to be as well-fed as possible before you see Julius. I’ll bring him here within the hour.”

He stepped out of the room and my shoulders dropped as the weight of what he’d asked seeped over me. I didn’t feel hungry but at the thought of blood, a small fire lit at the base of my throat, urging me to drink. And I sensed that now that my mind had moved to that desire, it wouldn’t be purged of it until I’d answered its call.

The front door sounded as Erik left and I moved toward the door, hating the thought of what I was about to do. But if it would ensure I didn’t hurt Julius, I had to do it. I liked to think that even if I was a starving husk, I wouldn’t lay a hand on my friend. But it was better to be safe than sorry.