15. Callie

“Wait here. I’ll deal with the Elite,” Magnar commanded as I tried to follow him out of the control room.

“But-”

“I’ll fight better if I don’t have to worry about you. You should find a way to free those humans from the coffins. We need to focus on moving fast and getting to your father. The best way to do that is through those vampires. I can carve us the path we require.” He gazed into my eyes and my resolve wavered. He was right. We needed to get to Dad and find Montana. This room was filled with controls, and there was a map pinned to the wall too. If I could study it, maybe I could make sense of where we were and where Dad was too.

“Okay,” I answered in acceptance. Magnar turned away, but I caught his arm and pulled him to me. “But promise me you’re coming back.”

His mouth quirked up at the side. “I’m coming back.”

He placed his palm against my heart for an impossibly brief moment, then winked as he turned and left me alone, closing the door between us.

That fucking man was going to give me a heart attack before we parted, I just knew it.

My chest ached as he headed into danger, but there was nothing I could do about it. I had to trust in his strength and believe his promise.

He’ll come back to me. He won’t die.

I wanted to convince myself that I only cared because I needed his help to rescue my family, but a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach had me worrying about him beyond simply that, defying every oath I’d ever made about letting myself care for anyone beyond my family. I didn’t want him to die.

I blew out a harsh breath, ignoring that thought as I focused and tried to forget about what Magnar was doing beyond that door.

I moved to look at the screen which showed the warehouse where Magnar stalked towards the exit, swords in hand. I bit my lip anxiously as he approached the door the vampires were trying to break through. I didn’t know if I wanted to watch, but I didn’t think I could tear my gaze away either.

My heart leapt as the bolts securing the door gave way, but I couldn’t waste time watching him fight those monsters while I hid away in here. I squeezed my eyes shut. He was born to take down the creatures of the night and I could only trust in his ability to do just that.

I opened my eyes and turned my attention to the screen which showed my dad hanging forward, slumped in his restraints. At first, I thought he’d passed out, but then he lifted his head, seeming to look right at me through the camera. It only lasted a second, but my resolve hardened. I was going to get him out, alongside everyone else stuck in this hellhole.

I searched the screen for some sign of the general, but I couldn’t see him. It took me several seconds of scouring the other screens before I spotted him striding down a long corridor. It was impossible for me to tell where he was heading, but I had the immovable feeling that it was straight towards us. Shit.

My heart fluttered like a bird in a cage as I watched him moving a little too swiftly for it to be entirely natural. Though I was afraid of all vampires, General Wolfe awakened a special kind of terror in me. This was the monster who had taken everything from me as if it were nothing. His teeth had pierced my father’s skin. He was responsible for whatever had happened to my sister. I longed to end his immortal life more than anything else. I wanted his presence struck from this world and his soul banished to the deepest pits of hell where it belonged.

Fury sang in my palm, wishing the same fate on him, the blade aching to feel the final beat of his black heart and curse him into death.

Take your vow, Sun child, and we can end them all.

I blinked in surprise as the voice swirled through my mind from the blade. I hadn’t given the vow any more thought since Magnar had told me about it. Though the idea of having the strength to take on General Wolfe was seriously tempting, I still didn’t want to relinquish my freedom in exchange for that power.

The sound of swords colliding carried from beyond the door, and my gaze snapped straight back to the screen showing the warehouse. Magnar was locked in battle with three of the Elite at the farthest end of the room. It was hard for me to make out much of what was happening between the four tiny figures on the screen, and I nervously chewed the inside of my cheek.

He threw one of the vampires away from him and she collided heavily with a coffin, reminding me of the task he’d set, snapping my mind back into focus.

I forced my gaze from the screens and started to scour the room for some way to release the humans.

On the opposite wall were various power cables, several switches, and levers.

I moved towards them and flicked the closest switch. The light above my head instantly went out and I cursed myself as I fumbled my hand along the wall to find the switch again then turned it back on.

I decided to leave the other switches for now and grabbed a handset instead. It stayed connected to the wall via a cord and I frowned at the buttons covering it. The numbers one to nine ran in sequence, waiting expectantly for me to do something.

I stared at it for several seconds then pressed number one. I glanced hopefully over my shoulder at the screen showing the coffins, but nothing happened.

“Hello?”

My heart leapt in surprise. The fucking handset was talking to me. Or I’d gone insane. I stared at it mutely, wondering what I should do.

“Hello?” the voice repeated.

“Yes?” I held it at arm’s length and frowned at it in complete confusion.

“We had a report that you were having some trouble over there? Did you still want us to send a team?” the tinny voice asked.

I moved the handset a little closer to my ear so I could hear it better. Somehow, I seemed to be talking to a vampire somewhere else. My mind whirled with memories of the old world, the things my dad had described to me, and I realised the thing must have been a phone, though it didn’t look like the mobile devices I’d seen the vampires in the realm with.

My fingers bit into the plastic as I tried to figure out what to say.

“Um no... false alarm,” I replied a beat too late for it to come off naturally.

“Is there something wrong with the line?” the voice asked.

I wondered what line he was talking about and answered the only way I could. “The line?”

“Yes, the line – the line!”

“The line’s fine. It’s a perfect line. Straight as straight can be,” I said, looking around in desperation for the line he was referring to.

“What?” the voice balked. “Wait, is that you again Jenny? I told you to stop this. It was a one-time thing. If the general knew we were mixing work and pleasure, he’d get rid of us both. And I like this job, Jenny. I get to be on corpse duty, and you know how much I love corpses. You just want to take that away from me, don’t you?”

“Well that’s the problem, isn’t it?” I hissed, going full Jenny.

“You said you loved that about me! You called me Dr Death.”

“Well I lied,” I snapped. “It’s creepy, and you’re not Dr Death, you’re Dr Dick.”

I quickly placed the handset back where I’d found it and hoped the vampire wouldn’t question that conversation.

I gave the screens another sweeping glance, but my dad hadn’t moved, and it was too difficult to make out much that was going on with Magnar. He was still fighting though, so he was alive. That was enough for now.

A few of the levers had signs beside them, labelling their uses, and I cursed myself for my nearly non-existent literacy.

“Bee-oh, un-it... bi-oo unit?” I cursed again and begged my brain to cooperate as the letters seemed to dance around to avoid me reading them. “Bio unit!” Okay, next word. “Rel-ee-aa-ssss. Release!” I grinned at my find and quickly yanked the heavy lever down.

I looked up at the screen showing the warehouse and sighed in satisfaction as the coffins all slid open. But my mood shifted from elated to terrified as one of the Elite started running at full speed towards the room I was hiding in.

Magnar tried to cut him off, but two more Elite leapt into his path, forcing him back.

I stumbled away from the door, raising Fury, which burned in my palm. I was dead. I knew it. The vampire knew it. Hell, Fury even seemed to know it too. The blade felt sluggish in my grip, like it had already accepted our defeat.

The door was thrown wide, and I gasped as General Wolfe stalked into the room, his cold blue eyes gleaming with triumph as he pushed a hand into his silver hair, slicking it back away from his face.

“Callie Ford. How I have hunted for you,” he hissed excitedly, then stalked towards me.

I balked as he said my name, hating that he knew it, hating that fear was gripping me so tightly at the mere sight of him. “Why? What’s so special about me?”

If I kept him talking, then I had the faint hope that Magnar might be able to get to me. Fury was back to its usual self, urging me to attack, and I shifted my grip on its hilt, willing it to be quiet. I might have gotten lucky with a few lesser vampires, but I wasn’t foolish enough to rate my chances against an Elite. Especially this Elite who might just have been the most evil, terrifying creature on the planet.

I swallowed a thick lump in my throat as I backed up, putting a small office chair between us. It was a pretty pathetic line of defence, but I felt better with there being something to separate us.

“Nothing,” he spat. “You’re just a worthless human. You’re all just as irrelevant as the next. At least to me. But my master wants you for your blood.”

“My blood?” I recoiled. That was nothing new; we were just food to them. But why would some important vampire want my blood specifically?

“Yes.” He licked his lips, and I caught sight of his fangs.

A shudder ran down my spine.

“Your master?” I’d backed up as far as I could go and bumped against the wall.

“Erik Belvedere has something in mind for you and your sister. I’m going to take you to join her in New York.” He smiled at me like he wanted to eat me, and my stomach swooped. But one thing he’d said gave me reason to hope. Montana was still alive, and he was here to capture me not kill me. Not that I’d be going anywhere with him if I had any say in it.

“Erik Belvedere?” I asked, trying to feign ignorance, but I remembered that name. The vampire who had murdered Magnar’s father and turned him into a vampire. Killer of a Thousand Souls. If Montana was with him, then I had no idea how I would rescue her, but she was alive, so I’d figure it out. Assuming I survived this.

The general kicked the office chair aside as he continued his lazy advance. It spun away on rickety wheels before bumping into the desk and coming to a halt.

“Don’t worry, there will be plenty of you left for him to toy with when I’m finished. But I think I’ll have my fun with you first.” He leapt at me, and I cursed as I tried to twist aside.

Fury blazed commands into my mind, but I couldn’t react quickly enough to even try and utilise them.

The general grabbed a fistful of my hair, wrenching my head back and exposing my throat. His other hand caught my wrist and he twisted viciously, forcing me to release my hold on Fury. My metal companion clattered to the ground, the sound filling me with dread. As the blade left me, the warmth of its presence fled too, and I found myself hopelessly alone.

Wolfe forced me back, slamming me against the cold wall, his free hand splaying across my stomach as he pinned me in place. I was a fly caught by a spider, unable to do anything but watch as it came for me.

General Wolfe increased the pressure on my hair, forcing me to bare my neck to him.

I gritted my teeth against the whimper of pain which tried to escape me. I wouldn’t let him see my fear. I’d never let him know he was hurting me.

He leaned in, his horrifyingly beautiful face closing in on mine as if he might kiss me. But it wasn’t desire for my body that heated his gaze, it was lust for my blood.

My heart thundered wildly as he shifted closer, and panic tried to take hold of me. He released a deep growl in the back of his throat as he pressed his cold lips against the skin of my neck, inhaling deeply.

I recoiled, my stomach roiling with disgust as I tried to squirm out of his grasp, but his unbreakable strength held me paralysed.

He inhaled again and ran his cool tongue along the length of my neck. Bile built in my mouth, and I was pretty sure I was about to vomit all over his polished boots.

“Get the fuck off of me,” I hissed, straining against his hold.

Wolfe sighed, almost sounding disappointed, and moved back an inch. His icy blue eyes met mine, and I swallowed back the bile, letting every ounce of hatred I felt for him boil in my gaze. His eyes glimmered with amusement like my anger pleased him, like he wanted it almost as desperately as he wanted my blood.

“I may not be allowed to sample the goods yet,” he purred. “But I’m sure my master will share you with me once he’s finished.”

I stared into his eyes, wondering how on Earth I’d just escaped the call of his bloodlust. I could still see it swimming beneath the surface of his barely maintained composure. He longed to taste my blood. But his fear of his master held him back. And if this monster was that afraid of Erik Belvedere, then I knew without doubt that I had to escape before he delivered me to him.

Any creature horrifying enough to strike fear into General Wolfe’s dark heart had to be beyond evil.

And that’s who has Montana.

The blood drained from my face as I considered that. She was facing a worse fate than I’d imagined. I had to save her, no matter what it took.

Wolfe released my hair and shoved me towards the door with such force that I slammed down onto my knees.

Fury called to me from inches away and I lunged for it, reaching desperately for the blade.

General Wolf laughed as he kicked Fury, sending it skittering out into the warehouse.

“Tell me, Callie Ford, how did that slayer awaken your mark?”

I started crawling after Fury, my heart pounding as the general’s footsteps slowly followed.

Magnar was still locked in battle with the two Elite at the far end of the room, the sound of clashing blades and cries of rage filling the cavernous space.

“Did you have to do something? Maybe he made you recite an ancient chant or do a savage dance to the moon? Or did you fuck him? Did spreading your legs awaken the power of it?” he chuckled, but there was no joy in the sound, only malice.

I was getting close to Fury again, so close, but Wolfe kicked me in the stomach, sending me rolling away from it. I gasped as the air was forced from my lungs and pain blossomed through my body. I glared up at him as I scrambled back into a crouch. He was a cat playing with a mouse. But mice had teeth too, and he’d find that out if I got the opportunity to show him.

“Fuck you,” I spat.

I might not have been much of a slayer, but the blood of my ancestors flowed through my veins, and I refused to cower in fear before him.

The general smirked, his gaze drifting from me to look at the rows of coffins which now stood open. “You know, this batch of stock hasn’t been producing the best quality of blood lately. We’ve been meaning to have a clear out.” He strode towards the wall and reached over to open a panel filled with controls and switches.

I got to my feet shakily, my gaze flicking between the general and the door at the far end of the room. I knew it would be useless to try and run but adrenaline flooded my limbs, urging me to do just that.

General Wolfe hit several buttons on a keypad and turned to smile at me as he yanked on a big lever. He had dimples. How could something so cruel have such a beautiful face? But I could see through the visage to the darkness beneath it, and nothing in his beauty beckoned me closer.

A mechanical whirring started up, and I looked around at the room in confusion. Bright green fluid began to slide down the tubes which had been delivering the drips to the unconscious humans. I wheeled around, looking down into the coffin beside me where a middle-aged woman with greying hair lay sleeping. I stared in horror as the green fluid made contact with the woman’s blood and she began jerking violently.

A gasp of alarm escaped my lips, and I raced around the coffin, yanking the drip from her arm before it could deliver any more poison. She didn’t stop fitting though, and all around me, the humans contained in the boxes were jerking and flailing as the poison flooded into them too.

Wolfe released a soft laugh as he stalked towards me.

I forgot about the pointlessness of it and fled. My boots pounded through the warehouse, and I tried to ignore the dying humans all around me as their bodies fitted and fell still, the horror of it scoring through my brain.

I raced towards Magnar, and my approach made one of the Elite hesitate just long enough to give him an in. Tempest plunged through the vampire’s heart and the Elite fell apart like a million scattered grains of sand.

I’d almost made it to Magnar when Wolfe caught me. He lifted me clean off of my feet and hurled me straight past Magnar and the last Elite. I crashed to the ground, pain tearing through my body as I tumbled over and over before slamming into the heavy metal door.

I coughed weakly as I tried to push myself upright, my head spinning from the collision as Magnar let out a roar of pure rage.

“Callie!” he bellowed, and I blinked up at him, trying to align my thoughts while my vision swam.

Before I could get up, Wolfe caught my arm and dragged me out into the corridor, my boots kicking uselessly at the floor as he hauled me along.

I lost sight of Magnar, but I could still hear the clash of steel as the last Elite stopped him from following us, the gap between us widening with every passing breath.

Wolf broke into a run, racing down the corridor, dragging me behind him so quickly that I could only kick my heels against the floor in an attempt to stop him from wrenching my arm from its socket while I swore at him at the top of my lungs.

As we approached the refrigerator where we’d destroyed the stock of human blood, I threw myself aside, twisting my arm in his grasp and tumbling free of his hold.

I scrambled to my feet as Wolfe whirled on me, throwing a punch to his jaw which damn near broke my knuckles. Wolfe grinned, barely even reacting to the strike before slapping me squarely across the face, the hit so powerful that I was thrown against the wall.

He grabbed hold of me and yanked me into motion again, pain tearing through my arm as he came close to ripping the fucking limb off, but I’d achieved my goal. My boots were coated in blood, leaving a trail of it as he dragged me further into the building, marking a path for a slayer set on murder.