12. Montana

The slayer eventually slowed the bike, and I could see the world more clearly, discovering we’d entered a ruined part of the city. The buildings close by were crumbling to dust, and we had to weave through debris on the road as we moved.

“Let me down,” I demanded, trying to push myself upright and wondering if we’d slowed enough for me to risk jumping off. Though he’d easily catch me again and I didn’t want to risk the broken leg.

We went over a bump and my face slammed into his crotch.

“Get your dick out of my face,” I exclaimed, clinging to his legs as I tried to steady myself.

“Never heard that before. Most women can’t wait to get my dick in their face. Besides, you’re the one cuddling it.”

“I am not cuddling it,” I snarled, wriggling to get further down his lap, but my hand accidently slapped between his thighs, my palm riding the thick ridge of his cock beneath his pants.

“Argh,” I growled, snatching my hand away.

“By the gods, stay still, will you? We can get to that later.”

“If you put that thing anywhere near me, I’ll rip it off,” I warned.

“Whatever happened to damsels in distress?” the man asked, grinning down at me.

“I am in distress.” I pushed him as he veered the bike down a dark alley, darting between fallen pieces of mortar.

“You’re not a damsel though. You kept punching me throughout my valiant rescue. It was pretty distracting, actually. Like a moth dashing itself against a burning log. Totally pointless and entirely suicidal.”

The bike slowed and we finally came to a halt. The slayer pulled me upright, keeping hold of my wrist as he dismounted the vehicle so I couldn’t run, his grip firm enough to tell me I’d have no chance of breaking free. He was frighteningly large, with dark eyes that seemed to bore into my soul, the mischievous glint in them doing nothing to ease the frantic pounding of my pulse. And despite holding back my fear beneath a layer of fury, I was really terrified of what he was about to do next.

I spotted Nightmare tucked into his belt and lunged for it in a bid to fight, no matter the outcome.

He smacked my hand away, shaking his head. “That’s mine for now, damsel.”

“Give it back. And don’t call me that,” I ordered, and he smiled a crooked smile, raising a brow.

“You need to calm down, Montana.”

I stilled at my name, shock jarring through me. “How do you know who I am?”

“I’ve been watching you since you arrived in the city. And if I recall rightly, you didn’t seem so happy about being the vampires’ little pet, so why don’t you relax and take a breath of free air at last?”

I gazed around the ruins, looking up at an old bell tower beside us which stretched toward the sun glowing behind the clouds. The walls were tarred with soot from a long burnt-out fire, but the structure was well intact compared to the surrounding buildings.

“I don’t feel so free.” I gestured to his hand around my wrist.

“Well, you’ve got the look of a flighty little cat in your eyes, and I’m starting to fear they’ve brainwashed you. So just as a precaution, I’m going to keep hold of you. Or…I guess you can stay out here and take your chances with the hungry freaks living in the ruins.”

As if on cue, a horrid shriek sounded from the depths of the shattered buildings and my heart hammered uneasily. Going towards them without Nightmare was a hell no, but staying with this asshole didn’t exactly appeal either.

“Let’s get inside and we can talk,” he offered, his voice softening, and I eyed him suspiciously, thinking over my situation.

On the one hand, he had just helped me escape from the rule of the vampires I’d been fighting against since I got here. I had every reason to run from them now. Isn’t that what I’d wanted?

But somehow, when I thought of leaving Erik behind, knowing I may never see him again, I felt something I didn’t know how to express. Like leaving him had brought on a hunger in me that could only ever be sated by him. But it was foolish to think that way. I should have been weeping with joy about what this slayer had done for me. I was free. Truly free at long last – minus the muscular hand currently latched around my wrist.

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” he said, steering me toward the entrance of the bell tower, and I guessed I didn’t have much choice.

The slayer approached the door, pushing it open and nudging me into the dark space.

He released my wrist, giving me a hard look. “Don’t. Run.”

“I don’t like being ordered around. I’ve had enough of that from them.”

He frowned like he gave a damn about that. “Don’t run, please. I have things to tell you. Important things.”

Another shriek came from out in the ruins, and a shudder tracked down my spine.

“I’ll stay for now,” I said. “But manhandle me again and I really will rip your dick off.”

He barked a laugh. “You’d be lucky. That’s a slayer dick. Blessed by the gods. It even glows in the dark.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I know, yet here we are.” He turned and swept back out the door, leaving me with the image of his cock shining like the sun, trying to decide whether he was bullshitting me or not.

Dust rose in my nostrils, and I gazed around the cold place, wondering what this guy was about to tell me. I had to admit I was curious about him, why he’d come for me, what he’d meant when he said he’d been watching me.

Erik’s parting words to us rattled through my head, his promise to hunt us down and reclaim me. I thought of him out there somewhere, tearing the world apart to find me, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Since that night at the bar, things had shifted between us more than I liked. A spark of want catching light and blazing into something wholly toxic, yet entirely irresistible. He’d crawled quietly beneath my skin, and I wasn’t prepared for such an abrupt parting.

The slayer returned, rolling his motorised bike into the room and resting it against the wall before locking the door with large deadbolts. When he was finished, he turned to me in the near darkness.

“Up.” He pointed toward the only other door in the room, which was a small wooden thing that was hardly any taller than me. He led the way, ducking through the little doorway, his shoulders barely squeezing through as he went. We emerged in a stone stairwell, and he guided me up it, climbing higher and higher until we arrived at the top of the tower.

Stone archways were set into the four stone walls that let cool air rush through the space. Hanging above us was a huge bronze bell which must have been far older than me, and perhaps older than most humans currently walking the earth. A pile of blankets was laid out to one side of the space under a tarp which had been strung up with some rope, and beside it was a stash of food. Tin cans and plastic-wrapped items were among the hoard, and beyond them was a pile of weapons. Steel blades, even a couple of the vampires’ swords.

How long had he been living here?

The slayer released his bow from his shoulder, placing it down with his quiver of rune-carved arrows. He took Nightmare from his belt and turned it over in his palms with a soft sigh. “Hello, beautiful.”

“Hey, that’s my blade,” I insisted, striding toward him, intending to grab it.

He turned away from me, his eyes fixed on its golden hilt. “Did you miss being with a true slayer?” he cooed, stroking Nightmare as if it was a pet. I reached for it in frustration, but he shouldered me away. “By the gods, I’ve longed for my old sword. You’re not quite the same as Menace, but you’re very, very pretty.”

“Stop it.” I tried to get to Nightmare, but he looped a leg around mine and knocked me to my ass on the floor with irritating ease, his eyes still on my blade.

I glared up at him, the urge to fight pouring through me. Nightmare was mine. It was like a piece of me he was pawing with his meaty fingers. I lunged upward and my hand brushed the hilt, but he lifted it out of my reach.

Friend of Moon Child, Nightmare whispered, and the slayer’s brows rose in surprise.

“Friend?” I asked mistrustingly. Nightmare had never steered me wrong so far, but was it just being swayed by this asshole flirting with it?

“Hm.” The slayer chewed the inside of his cheek as he contemplated the weapon. “Gods be damned, it appears Nightmare is loyal to you. And she’s not so happy about me taking her.”

I opened my mouth, shocked that he knew its name.

“Then give it back,” I demanded, reaching for it again.

He eyed me with a smirk, holding the blade out to me in an offering.

I tried to take it, but he flipped it over in his hand, catching it by the hilt then pocketing it. “Nah.”

I glowered at him, my dislike of this man growing quickly.

Reaching down, he snatched my outstretched hand and pulled me upright with a powerful tug. He kept my hand in his grip, shaking it firmly. “I’m Julius. It’s nice to meet you at last.”

My eyes narrowed as I pulled my hand away. “Who are you, what are you doing here, and what did you mean when you said you’ve been watching me? Because the stalker vibes aren’t doing you any favours right now.”

“That is a very, very long story,” he said, gesturing for me to sit on his makeshift bed under the tarp. The cold wind was whipping strongly through the space and that tarp looked like it was doing a decent job at breaking it.

“Nice set-up,” I commented dryly.

He glanced around at his little makeshift sleeping area like he was admiring it. “Great, isn’t it? I feel like a harpy, all cosy up here in my nest.”

“A what?”

“You know,” he said. “A harpy. Like with the wings, and the magic, and the love of shiny sticks.” He flapped his arms like wings, and I cocked a brow at him.

“You’re odd,” I said.

“Odd-ly charming?”

“No, just odd,” I said, but dammit, his friendly tone cracked half a smile out of me.

“Come on. Sit in my nest,” he encouraged.

I gave in, stepping past him and lowering myself onto the mattress, tucking my knees up to my chest.

Julius dropped down beside me with a slow smile growing on his face. “First things first, I want to know why you’re scowling at me like I didn’t just save your neck from a bunch of parasites.”

“The vampires?” I guessed.

“Yes, bloodsuckers. Cursed nightwalkers, fanged fuckfaces, bitey cuntbags-”

“I get it,” I cut him off, then sighed. “I’m grateful you freed me.”

I looked beyond the nearest archway, taking in the sky, the taste of fresh air on my tongue.

“But?”

“There’s no but,” I said quickly.

“My mother always said that everyone in this world has a butt. Sentences are much the same.”

“She sounds great,” I said with a breath of amusement.

“Yes,” he said, his brows pulling together. “So, what’s the but?”

Everything I’d been through recently seemed so hard to voice. I’d seen the inner circle of the vampires; I’d lived and breathed their lifestyle. I’d witnessed first-hand how they had built an empire on the backs of human oppression, and yet…that wasn’t all I’d seen. I’d experienced moments of humanity, warmth, passion, lust, even romantic love when it came to Miles and Warren. I’d felt something when Sabrina had died, and worst of all, I’d felt something between Erik and I that defied everything I’d ever stood for when it came to vampires. But perhaps it was all a veil of lies, perhaps Erik had lured me in like he was made to lure my kind. A deadly trap set by a design of nature or, if I believed him, by the gods. Though a stirring in my gut told me that wasn’t it.

“But,” I whispered, my throat thick as I feared whether I should voice this at all. “I…”

I couldn’t find the right words. It felt like an insult to humankind to voice it. That I’d seen some good in the monsters. And what did it matter when you weighed it against all the bad?

“You’ve been through a lot,” Julius said in his rumbling tone. “I have observed some of the things you’ve been forced to do. I’ve seen you in the arms of that monster, Erik…”

My head snapped up, my heart thundering at his words. “He didn’t rape me, if that’s what you think.”

Julius’s jaw pulsed. “Well, whatever hell he has put you through, understand that I will not judge you for it. I know what they are capable of. What Erik is capable of.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, certain I wouldn’t like the answer.

“He murdered my father in the worst way imaginable,” Julius hissed, and horror crashed through me. “He is the lowest of them all. A soulless beast, a creature with a heart as black as coal.”

I turned away from him, gazing around the bell tower, eyeing a glimpse of the city far beyond the archways.

“He killed your father?” I asked, my voice quavering a fraction, thinking of my own father with a tug of pain in my chest.

“Yes…a thousand years ago there was a great battle between the slayers and the vampires. My father was the only survivor, and Erik Belvedere – or Larsen as he went by back then - turned him into a vampire and sent him back to my village, hoping he would kill the rest of us. My own brother had to end his life. To rid him of the vile curse he’d been infected with.”

The weight of those words settled over me like cold water crashing against my skin, chilling me to the bone.

“A thousand years ago…” I stared at him, taking in his youthful face and the impossibility of what he was saying. “But you’re human.”

“Close. I’m a slayer. Still, I’m mortal all the same, but my mother put my brother and I into a deep sleep, to awake when a new chance arose to defeat the vampires. A prophesised moment. But…I slept too long.” His throat bobbed. “I believe I may have lost everything.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Julius sighed wearily, giving me a sincere look. “As am I. One day, I’ll bring justice down upon all of their heads. If only my brother were here to see it…”

His eyes darkened with sorrow, and I saw the pain of grief in his eyes, recognising it all too well.

“Is he dead?” I asked gently, and he nodded.

“I believe so…I am the only slayer left. At least I was. But now there is you.” His eyes brightened a little with hope. “I have been spying on the Belvederes for months. This last week I’ve heard whispers…some of the vampires say you have slayer blood. And now I know it is true.” He reached for my arm, pushing up my sleeve to reveal the mark there, his skin burningly warm, such a contrast to Erik’s frosty touch. “We’re all that’s left.”

“We’re not,” I gasped. “My twin sister is like us. And she’s with another slayer called Magnar Elios-”

Julius grabbed me, tugging me closer by the back of my neck.

“What did you say?” he boomed, making my heart jolt in my chest.

“Magnar Elioson,” I repeated, trying to push him back, but he was like an immovable wall.

He gaped at me, pulling me so close that his face was just a few inches from mine, as if he was trying to read the truth from my eyes.

“By the gods.” A smile grew on his face, wider and wider until he pulled me into his arms and crushed me to his chest in a fierce hug. “Holy shit!” He started laughing, rocking me from side to side as my face was pressed into his shirt, his muscles bunching so tightly around me I could hardly breathe.

I shoved away from him, and he let me go, his scent of sage and moss lingering in the air between us. “You know him?”

“He’s my brother,” he announced, rising to his feet and moving to one of the arched windows, gazing out toward New York city in the distance. He glanced back at me with a hopeful smile tugging up his lips. “Do you know where I can find him?”

I shook my head, sadness falling over me because I didn’t know where to find my sibling either. “I think my sister is still on the west coast…”

He nodded, but a determined look filled his eyes. “Well, there is no doubt he will come here once he learns of the Revenants’ location. My brother will want the Belvederes’ heads, and we will sever them together.” Pride filled his tone and my gut dipped with concern, the sudden thought of him attacking Erik unsettling me.

I felt like a traitor to my own kind as I ran my thumb over the slayer mark on my skin.

What’s happened to me? Why don’t I want him dead anymore?

Clarice and Miles hadn’t shown me any cruelty, and though I should have wanted their lives for the sake of humankind alone, I found that when I was confronted with it, I didn’t really want that anymore. I couldn’t hide beneath any notions that I’d been bewitched or brainwashed, because when I really looked within, all I saw was the raw truth of my feelings. And something had changed.

“What’s your plan?” I asked, shaking off the confusing thoughts. “Why did you bring me here?”

Julius rounded on me with a grim look. “I only wanted to save you, but now I wonder…” His eyes glazed with thought as he approached me, kneeling down at my feet. “Montana, we are the last slayers. And when Magnar arrives, there will be enough of us to take on the royals. You must take your vow.” He snatched my arm, and I tugged away from him in alarm.

“What vow?”

“The vow to become a true slayer, to pledge yourself to the cause to end the vampires. To bring them to their knees. I can train you. I will train you. I’ll be your mentor and the goddess will guide you-”

“No,” I asserted. “I’m not staying here with you to take part in some suicide mission, I’m going to find my sister.”

“You must fight. It’s in your blood, Montana. It’s who you are,” he insisted, his gaze scraping over me. “I’ll teach you how to strike them from this world for good, one undead monster at a time.”

I shook my head, picturing Erik turning to ash like the last vampire I’d killed. I might have hated him, been unimaginably angry at him too, but a piece of me was fighting against all of that. I’d seen glimmers of the man he’d once been, and the thought of driving Nightmare into his heart made me sick.

“Why are you resisting your true path?” Julius growled.

“Because it’s not my path,” I snapped, and he eyed me darkly before releasing a low breath.

“I understand. You need more time. You can come with me on my next mission in the city. We will gather intelligence, prepare ourselves. And when the time is right, you’ll take your vow.”

I glared at him, my teeth grinding together at how quickly he dismissed my answer. “Stop acting as if I’m some broken creature. I told you my answer. Don’t speak as if you know my mind better than I do. I said no. You’re a stranger and a killer, that much I know about you, so I’m not going to blindly place my faith in you, even if you did risk your neck to free me.”

“I’m hardly a killer, I just put the dead back where they belong.” He raised his chin. “You’ll trust me in time. We were destined to meet,” he said with a touch of reverence to his voice, then he pointed at the food beside his bed. “Let’s eat and discuss our next move. Erik and his vile family will no doubt meet soon. And we will be there to listen in.”

My ears pricked up at that.

“Is that possible?” I asked curiously.

“Yes, Idun has helped me adjust to this new world. I now hold the knowledge which allows me to spy on them.” He grinned and snatched a couple of packets of food from the floor, passing one to me.

After everything I’d been through, I wasn’t remotely hungry.

“Who’s Idun?” I asked, thumbing the packet.

“The goddess who created the slayers,” Julius revealed, and I had to accept I was starting to believe in these gods. Erik had spoken of them too, and it was hard to deny the truth of them in the face of everything I’d seen.

I lowered my eyes to the food in my hand. “I saw you at the castle. You killed a guard in the grounds.”

He released a breath of amusement. “As a message to the royals.” He bit into the oat bar he was holding, swallowing it down in two bites. “I’ve been picking off their Elite when I can, killing anyone I can get information out of. Mostly on Erik. I’ve hungered for time alone with him but the bastard travels in packs. Today I had a choice…fight him or take you.”

“And you chose me,” I whispered, and he nodded.

“I most likely would have died standing against both he and Fabian anyway. But if Magnar is coming here, I will not run from a fight again with him at my side. You should see us in battle together, it is a thing to behold, Montana. We’re unstoppable.”

I didn’t doubt his words, and they left a shiver in my bones that I couldn’t shift.

“Tell me, did you notice any weaknesses of Erik’s when you spent time with him? Or did he speak of any places he often goes alone?”

My pulse drummed in my ears and the intensity of his gaze made anxiety war in my chest.

“No,” I muttered.

“There must be something,” he pushed.

“There isn’t.”

“Come on, damsel. Give me an in that’ll see the bastard dead for what he did to you.”

“Perhaps I don’t want to see him dead,” I blurted before I could stop myself, and Julius’s features twisted in disbelief.

“He was your captor,” he growled, eyes flaring.

I shook my head, then nodded, unable to deny it. “Of course he was. But I still won’t help you kill him.”

“You’re confused,” he snarled, taking my shoulders and shaking me. “They brought you here. They want to violate you. Rape you and make you bear children for them. How can you vouch for a monster like Erik Belvedere?”

“He promised I would never have to do that,” I said, but it sounded so foolish coming from my lips now, especially with Julius looking at me like I’d gone insane. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps I had. “Anyway, I am not confused. I know my own mind.”

“You think his word holds any value?” he scoffed, looking furious. “His tongue is built for lies. Everything about him is a façade designed to trick you.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” I bit back, but I could see how he was looking at me. Pity was carving a path across his face, and he leaned back, his rage giving way to it. “Don’t look at me like that. Like I’m just some victim of his.”

“You are though,” he said sadly. “But your blood will out. You’ll remember what he is, given time.”

“I know what he is. I’m not saying he’s a damn saint, Julius. I’ve just seen more to some of the vampires than endless brutality. That’s what I expected when I met them, but I think they make choices just like we all make choices. Good decisions, bad ones. They’re living in the grey, just as we are.”

“No, Montana,” he said, looking me dead in the eye. “They live in shadow where nothing thrives but malice. We live in the light, and in that light, we must forge the good. They are not capable of creating something without taint. Anything more you thought you saw was a charade, I assure you. They have no souls, no morality, no tenderness.”

“I think you’re wrong,” I said.

“Well, I know I am right, so we shall agree to disagree until you see sense.”

I ground my teeth, seeing the wall in his eyes, his refusal to hear me.

“Look, your weapon will know the truth.” Julius took Nightmare from his pocket, holding it out before him. “Tell me if your slayer has been brainwashed by the vampires.”

I reached out, brushing my fingers over the hilt, wanting to hear the answer it provided, and the blade thrummed with a rich energy that rolled deep into my chest. When it spoke to us, Julius’s eyes widened and a dawning fear encompassed his features, setting my heart thumping with trepidation.

Warrior born and monster made…Moon Child walks the path of salvation. Erik Larsen walks the very same path. A monster must be made, Julius Elioson. It is time.