17. Montana

Igazed out of the bell tower with trepidation in my heart. Although it was almost morning, the moon was still out, and the stars were still twinkling. But we had to leave this early, wanting to catch the dawn - which Julius said was the time of day when most vampires retreated into their homes. The night was when they thrived, their strength at its peak.

It had been hard getting sleep crammed under the blankets next to Julius’s huge form, but even harder with my thoughts caught in a tailspin.

I needed to go back to Erik on my own terms. Walking into his household wasn’t something I was going to take lightly, and I refused to be a captive again. The plan Julius and I had come up with was not only reckless but downright dangerous. But if we pulled it off, Erik would have to abide by the rules I laid out for him.

Julius was busy packing his belongings into a bag. When everything from his steel blades to the smoke bombs and food was tucked inside it, he lifted it onto his back, then strung his bow over his shoulder.

“We won’t be able to come back here after today,” he said.

“Why not?”

“It’s only a matter of time until the familiars locate this place.” He held out his cloak. “Here, you’ll get cold. I don’t tend to feel it as much. You’ll find that too if you take your vow. It’ll unlock all of your gifts.”

“I’m good with the cloak thanks,” I said and took the black material, wrapping it around my shoulders. “But what do you mean by gifts?”

He grinned in that carefree way of his. “Slayer gifts. Agility, speed, strength, and so much more. If you’re curious enough, we can go ahead and do the vow right now.”

“I’m good,” I said firmly. “Shit like that sounds like it has a catch anyway.”

“Yeah,” he muttered. “There is a couple of those. Here, you’ll be needing this.” He took Nightmare from his belt, his eyes glittering playfully.

“When did you take it back?” I patted my pocket where I’d tucked it before going to sleep.

“Had to give you a reason not to run off in the night, didn’t I?”

“Light-fingered asshole,” I muttered.

“No, Montana, I will not lightly finger your asshole.” He shook his head at me sternly.

“I didn’t say that,” I balked.

“Uh huh,” he drawled like he didn’t believe me.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re incredibly annoying?” I asked.

“No one. Ever.” He shrugged. “Why?”

“I think you know why.”

“No, I’m entirely in the dark here.” He smirked, then offered Nightmare to me. “So, are you taking it or not? It is more loyal to you than me after all. Besides, I have my bow. And maybe I’ll get my old sword back today if Valentina decided to keep it.”

“After she pulled it out of her stomach?” I teased, taking my blade and relaxing at its warming touch.

“Yes. By the gods, I doubt she will forgive me for that.”

“Do you think you can handle her if she decides to fight?” I asked with a tug of concern in my chest.

“Without a doubt.” He said no more as he headed across the space toward the stairwell, shouldering his quiver and bow as he went.

I followed, tucking Nightmare inside a pocket in the cloak he’d leant me. “How are we going to get back to the city without the familiars spotting us?”

“We’re not,” Julius said simply, and my heart rate quickened.

“But if Fabian sees us, he’ll send an army to catch us,” I pressed as we headed down the winding dark stairway.

“Trust me, damsel,” he urged.

“I will if you stop calling me that,” I said airily as we arrived on the ground floor.

“Deal.” He unlocked the door,

then strode toward his bike and rolled it out onto the street. “On you get,” he said, patting the leather seat as I stepped outside.

“What? I don’t have to ride draped over your lap today?” I asked dryly.

His eyes gleamed with mirth. “You can if you prefer it.”

I pressed my lips together, fighting a smile at his tone before I swung my leg over the seat.

“Place both feet on the ground to keep yourself upright,” he instructed, and I did as he said.

“Twist the throttle back when I tell you.” He pointed to one of the handles and I gazed at the wall opposite with unease, guessing that was how he had been making this thing move yesterday. “You won’t go anywhere, it’s not in gear.”

“Okay…” I said nervously, unsure what he was planning.

He kicked his foot down on a pedal on the bike and the engine rumbled to life, the vibrations echoing through me.

Julius swung his bow from his shoulder, placing an arrow into it in a fluid motion. “Now!” he shouted, and I twisted the right handle hard.

The engine roared and smoke billowed from a pipe at the back of it, causing one helluva cacophony. I gazed at Julius in alarm, thinking of the familiars, but he gestured for me to continue, aiming his bow toward the sky. A shadow swooped overhead and Julius loosed his arrow. It plunged into the chest of a raven and the animal exploded into dust which rained down on us.

“Keep going!” Julius cried just as the sound of howls picked up in the distance.

My pulse drummed in my ears as I continued to make the engine thunder with noise, drawing Fabian’s familiars right to us.

Another shadow sailed overhead, and Julius shot two arrows at it in quick succession. The small finch avoided the first, but the second hit home and it burst into grey ash.

A bark caught my ear and I turned sharply to face the noise, spotting a huge brown dog at the end of the street.

“Julius!” I shouted and he turned toward it, releasing another arrow.

The dog dodged it as it sprinted toward us, gaining speed by the second, soulless eyes set on us with intent.

Julius was calm in his movements, and he pressed another arrow to his string, but my heart beat out of control.

I gasped as the dog came within a foot of him, launching itself into the air, its sharp teeth bared. The arrow slammed into its chest, and it crumbled to dust, showering over Julius as he turned to me.

“Enough.” He knocked my hand from the bike handle and the engine softened to a purr. “The birds would be here if there were any more of them.”

My heart stumbled as three more dogs rounded onto the street, charging toward us at a ferocious pace.

Julius threw his leg over the seat in front of me, forcing me to scoot back. I grabbed his waist as he pulled the throttle and turned us violently in the opposite direction to the hounds.

Their barks fell behind us as we took streets left and right, tearing down roads littered with bricks and chunks of concrete. Julius dodged them with incredible agility, swerving between the debris and making my stomach swoop with every sharp movement.

I gripped his waist tighter, holding on for dear life as the wind pulled my hair out behind me.

“What about the dogs?” I yelled in his ear.

“Forget them. They won’t keep up!” Julius shouted.

“But Fabian will know where we are,” I called.

“Not for long,” he laughed, taking a ninety-degree turn at a terrifying speed.

The bike tilted hard to one side, and I clung fiercely to Julius as my right knee nearly brushed the concrete.

The bike swung upright as he sped down a shadowy alleyway, and I started to relax my body so I fell in sync with his movements, adrenaline flowing through my veins.

A thrill went through me, and a laugh escaped my lips. “Holy shit.”

“Idun showed me the way of these things,” Julius called to me. “Fucking exhilarating, isn’t it?”

“It’s incredible,” I cried.

We closed in on the ruins of a building which had a huge hole blasted into the front of it, the sign of a bomb dropped years ago. Julius didn’t slow as we approached, and I flinched as the bike sped up a slab of concrete jutting from the ground. I gripped Julius with my thighs, holding on even tighter as the bike zoomed over the edge of the concrete and we jumped a mound of rubble before landing with a thump in the dark building, leaving my pulse thrashing wildly.

The sound of the engine echoed off the walls and my stomach flew upwards as we descended down a steep ramp into a pitch-black space.

We slowed to a halt and Julius cut the engine, then kicked a stand down before dismounting the bike, lifting me off of it and planting me beside him. I didn’t have a moment to ask questions as he took my hand and started leading me deeper into the darkness.

“Keep quiet in case there’s hungry freaks down here,” he murmured.

“We called them rotters,” I whispered.

He grunted in amusement. “I like that. I’ll use it.”

After a beat, a light illuminated the space, and I spotted a flashlight shining on Julius’s phone. The bright blue glow lit up what seemed to be an underground parking garage.

Ancient vehicles sat around the space, left to rot after the Final War. The ghosts of the past seemed to linger around us now, watching from a time left behind. It was cold in here, damp too, and the old vehicles were kind of eerie, looming out of the dark in silent rows like forgotten gravestones.

“This way,” Julius urged, his hand still gripping mine as he guided me through the rusted carcasses of cars and trucks, leading me to the back of the lot.

It should have felt awkward, but I found his presence weirdly reassuring, and I wondered if it had something to do with our slayer blood. Like something in me recognised our shared ancestry.

We arrived at a crumbling wall with a hole at the base of it and Julius crouched down, crawling into the gap and squeezing his broad frame through it.

I bent low, gazing after him with a flicker of anxiety.

“Come on,” he called from beyond the wall, and I steeled myself, dropping to the floor and belly-crawling through it.

Julius helped me up on the other side and I took in the dank tunnel ahead, illuminated only by the light on his phone. Without it, the dark would have been impenetrable, and I didn’t like the idea of relying on that tiny device to keep the way lit.

“What is this place?” I asked, my face scrunching as a smell of decay carried to me.

“The old sewage system,” Julius said, lifting his shirt up to cover his nose.

I mimicked him and was immediately relieved of the vile scent by at least eighty percent.

“This will lead us under the entire city. Vampires don’t pay any attention to the old tunnels running beneath their streets. A river of shit isn’t something they want to deal with,” Julius explained with a low laugh. “It’s how I’ve been getting around undetected.”

My heart jolted at his words. “That’s genius. And totally disgusting.”

“I know. Only a filthy animal would roam these tunnels.”

“They sound perfect for you then,” I said lightly, and he sniggered.

“I’m only filthy in the good ways.”

I could hear the smile in his voice as he walked away, and I headed after him, trying to ignore the slap of my footsteps as I moved across the damp floor. The guy was arrogant as hell, but he was funny too, and I was quietly starting to like him. Not that I’d be telling him that anytime soon.

Julius walked silently, and I wondered how he managed it considering his bulk. A vampire would hear me coming far easier than they would hear him, and I wondered if that was one of the slayer gifts he’d mentioned. I was a little curious about all that, to be fair, but his insistence for me to take some vow was not remotely appealing to me. It sounded like the elusive gods were involved, and from everything I’d learned about them so far, they didn’t sound like creatures I wanted anything to do with.

I gazed up at the green algae coating the curved ceiling and walls, hoping this would be the worst we had to deal with on our journey. The river of shit he’d mentioned was surely a joke…

I followed him quietly through the winding passages as he seemed to know exactly where we were going. We didn’t stop for what felt like an hour, and I was starting to wonder how close to the city we were.

“Right.” Julius lifted his phone, bringing up a map which showed the whole of New York City.

I sucked in a breath, moving closer as I took it in, every street and building labelled right before my eyes.

“The palace grounds are here.” He pointed, zooming in on a rectangular expanse of green on the map. “That’s about a mile from where we are. Do you think you could figure out where Valentina lives on here?”

I took the phone, studying the streets and figuring out the route I’d taken from the castle grounds with Erik, finding the New Empire State Building and following the path from there with my eyes.

“We took a right here…” I trailed my finger along it, searching for the block of apartments where Valentina resided.

I frowned, zooming in closer and orientating the map.

“I think it’s near this street.” I said, tapping the screen. “But I’m not entirely sure.” I bit my lip, not wanting to let us down this deep into our plan.

“We’ll head there and check it out. Maybe you’ll recognise something once we’re above ground.”

I nodded as he took off at a fast pace and I jogged to keep up.

My gut coiled as we closed in on our destination. How were we going to pull this off? What if we couldn’t find her apartment? And even if we did, what if she wasn’t there alone?

***

Eventually, we arrived beneath a manhole in the ceiling with a ladder running up to it. We’d passed several of them since we’d entered the city’s borders, but this was the first time Julius stopped.

He gazed at the phone, checking our position before pocketing it. “We’re a few streets away, but this manhole comes up in an alley, so we should be safe to exit here.”

I nodded, my heart fluttering as I moved closer to the ladder. I was painfully reminded of the drain I’d used to escape the Realm. The last day I’d spent with Dad...

Emotion built a lump in my throat, and I blinked back tears as I drew closer, needing to keep it together right now.

“Are you alright?” Julius asked with a frown, and I nodded stiffly, forcing the pain away and burying it deep inside me. This wasn’t the time to dwell on that, but I wondered how long I could keep bottling up my grief until it spilled over again.

Julius placed his hands on the ladder, pulling his shirt down from his mouth and nose. “I’ll go first. Wait for my signal.”

I nodded again, watching as he scaled it and pushed the metal plate above his head. The faint light of early morning fell over us, and I held my breath while Julius climbed out.

I bit hard into my lip, almost drawing blood as I waited for him to return.

Finally, he ducked his head through the hole. “All clear.”

I took hold of the cold rungs and started climbing. As my head raised above the manhole, I lifted my chin to release the shirt from my nose and sucked in a breath of fresh, clean air.

I got to my feet and gazed left and right down the dark alley we were in, between two tall tower blocks. Julius quietly slid the cover back onto the drain and stood upright, his eyes wheeling to the road at one end of the alley. A couple of cars sped by, but it was mostly quiet.

I wondered how we were supposed to go anywhere without being seen, but Julius answered by heading to a fire escape on the nearest wall. “We’ll climb up and get a look at our surroundings. We can make our way across the roofs to remain undetected.”

I frowned. “How are we supposed to do that?”

“Run and jump.” He shrugged, and I gazed up at the sprawling gap between the two buildings above us with trepidation.

“Are you crazy?” I hissed.

He grinned widely. “No. I’m a Blessed Crusader. That jump is nothing to me.”

“Well lucky you,” I said. “Unfortunately, I’m not a Blessed whatever, and I am not throwing myself off the edge of a building to work out how far I can jump.”

“That’s why you’ll be on my back,” Julius said smoothly, moving beneath the fire escape.

He leapt upwards, catching hold of a rusted ladder, and dragging it down to the ground.

I groaned, gazing at him as I realised I had no choice in this.

You can do this. Just climb to the roof and he’ll do the rest. Don’t focus on what ‘the rest’ is.

Julius gestured for me to go first, glancing over his shoulder toward the road. “Better get moving.”

I nodded, taking a breath before stepping onto the ladder and making my way up. He was hot on my heels, and I tried my best to keep my footfalls quiet as I climbed, though I was nowhere near as silent as him.

When we reached the roof, I dropped over a low wall onto a wide square space filled with grey gravel. The city stretched out for miles around us, and I took a moment to admire it as I caught my breath. Lights twinkled in some of the windows as the morning barely seeped into existence, the pale pink glow on the horizon the first sign of the rising sun.

Julius took my arm, guiding me toward the far edge of the roof and pointing down at the streets. We were on the highest apartment block in the vicinity, and even though it was still fairly dark, I was overly aware of the windows pointed our way across the road.

Julius seemed to consider it too, taking my arm and pulling me low to the ground as we peered over the wall.

“Recognise anything?” he asked as I looked out across the area.

I scanned the streets, trying to locate something familiar. To our right was a series of tower blocks, and I was fairly sure I’d seen one of those red-brick buildings from Valentina’s window.

“Over there…I think.”

Julius nodded, stroking the fresh stubble on his chin. “Ask Nightmare if it can sense my sword. If Valentina has it, it’ll know.”

I reached for the blade and rubbed my fingers over the hilt. “Can you sense Julius’s sword?”

“Menace,” he prompted, reaching for Nightmare too.

Menace is close, it whispered, and I gave Julius a hopeful look.

“Good enough. We can ask again when we’re closer.” Julius stood, gesturing for me to do the same. “On my back.” He turned away from me and I looped my arms around his neck with a flicker of anxiety.

Hopping up, I wrapped my legs around his waist and held on tight, my face pressing to his quiver of arrows.

“Are you sure you can do this?” I asked, my stomach knotting.

He just laughed like a madman, running toward the right of the building at a tremendous pace. My lungs stopped taking in air as he sprang onto the low wall at the edge of roof, using his momentum to propel himself forward and leaping from the edge.

My heart lurched upwards as we flew across the space and landed heavily on the roof below us. He didn’t even stumble as he kept running, launching us onto a balcony on the next building before grabbing onto a drainpipe and starting to scale it.

“How can you do this?” I breathed in shock.

“I’m goddess-gifted, damsel.”

He picked up his pace, climbing so fast that I forgot to curse him out for that nickname, instead glancing down at the dizzying drop below and focusing on not losing my grip.

We made it to the top and Julius crossed the roof, turning toward the tower blocks and taking a running leap to the nearest one before I felt entirely ready, but maybe I’d never be prepared for this.

We crashed into a fire escape and Julius swore as he lost his footing, nearly sending us tumbling backwards off of it. He snatched hold of a metal platform above us and I gripped onto him tighter, sure we were going to fall, my heart pounding like mad.

“Don’t worry,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’ve never fallen yet.”

He hauled us onto the platform, and I took a steadying breath, trembling as I clung to him. “Please keep up your streak.”

“Planning on it. Now ask Nightmare again,” Julius commanded, and I released him with one shaking hand, feeling for the blade inside my robe.

It didn’t answer with words this time, but it sent a trickle of electricity into my palm. I could sense the sword was near and as I shut my eyes, I felt the connection to it humming in my own veins.

“It’s close. A few hundred feet or so,” I said, and Julius let me down, turning to face me.

“We can cut through the back alleys from here,” he said, lowering himself onto the ladder and descending to the platform below. I followed, willing my heartbeat to slow, and I was glad as hell when we made it to the ground.

We were in a narrow alley beneath the fire escape, and Julius looked to me for directions, not seeming remotely shaken by the death-defying bullshit he’d just pulled off.

“I think it’s that way.” I pointed toward a narrow path leading behind the buildings and jogged toward it, sensing Nightmare’s connection to Menace growing even stronger.

Julius kept at my heels, and as we passed a few more apartment blocks, I stumbled to a halt, gazing up the black tower to my left.

“This one,” I gasped, certain it was Valentina’s home.

Julius beamed at me, gazing up at the sheer wall before us. Circling around into the alley, we found another fire escape that led up several floors.

“One more climb,” Julius said with a grin, jumping up and pulling down the ladder before gently resting it on the ground. “What floor is it?”

I recalled chasing Erik up the stairwell when we’d come here together, panting my goddamn lungs out as he made me scale the entire building.

“The top one,” I said bitterly, putting Nightmare away.

“I’ll go first, stay close.” He sprang onto the ladder, climbing it at speed like nothing he had done so far had caused him to need a breather. I hurried after him, muttering curses. He moved like the damn wind and was as silent as a pigeon fart.

My arms ached, but adrenaline kept me going and I followed as quickly as I could.

When we’d made it to the top, I sagged forward, resting my hands on my knees as I caught my breath, this building firmly my nemesis now. If I had to climb it once more in my lifetime, I’d burn the damn thing to the ground.

“If you take your vow, you’ll find this all a lot easier,” Julius whispered with a grin.

“I don’t even know what the vow is,” I panted, standing upright as he approached the window, my side aching like a bitch.

“It’s a promise to end all vampires. But thinking about it...if you take it, we won’t be able to hook up. So let’s keep that option wiiiiide open.”

I scowled at him. “That’s never gonna happen.”

“Never is a long time, and I’m pretty irresistible.” He winked and I moved closer, choosing to ignore that comment as I gazed into the dark hallway.

Julius ran his hands along the bottom of the window, trying to pull it up, but it was clearly locked.

He turned to me with an intense look, all jokes fast abandoned in the face of our mission. “I’ll have to break it, then we’ll have seconds to get into Valentina’s apartment. We move fast, attack quickly,

and subdue her before she can alert anyone.”

I nodded, the reality of what we were about to do sinking in hard. I unsheathed Nightmare, trying to mentally prepare myself for this.

What if she’s too strong? What if we can’t pull it off?

I took a breath. We’d come this far. We had to try.

Julius flexed his fingers before grabbing hold of the base of the window again and wrenching as hard as he could. Wood splintered and the pane flew upwards.

He leapt through the gap, and I scrambled after him. He was at the door across the hall in seconds, slamming his boot to the centre of it. It crashed open and he stormed into the apartment.

My heart was in my throat as I sped after him and silence reached my ears from the apartment.

Julius started knocking doors open, searching for Valentina with wild abandon. We reached the living room, and a chill ran down my spine as I found it empty.

Where is she?

Turn!Nightmare screamed and I whipped around just before someone collided with me.

Strong hands forced me down, smashing me into the coffee table and trapping Nightmare beneath me.

Another weight fell onto me, and I could hardly breathe as the two bodies slammed into one another.

“Yield,” Julius snarled.

Valentina cursed and she stilled on top of me. I managed to roll beneath her and wriggled my arm out, my hand tight around Nightmare as I prepared to defend myself.

“Julius?” Valentina gasped.

He dragged her off of me and I got to my feet, unsure what to do as I rubbed my bruised limbs. Would I really be able to fight like Julius if I took my vow? It was pretty tempting when he suggested things like that.

Julius stared at Valentina, his knife pointed at her heart, ready to strike the moment she made one wrong move, and the look in her eyes said she knew she was in trouble. She was dressed in a slinky black night gown that barely concealed her curvaceous body, yet it hadn’t slowed her down in the slightest. She’d leapt at me like a damn lioness from the long grass.

“What are you doing here?” Valentina said in disbelief, backing up and bumping into me. She evidently had no worries about me being a threat and the fact sparked irritation in me.

Her dark eyes slid to me, and a frown filled her stunning face. “Montana? What’s going on?” Her gaze fell to Nightmare and a flicker of recognition slipped into her expression. “By the gods, I knew you were one of us.”

“I’m not sure you count as one of us anymore,” Julius snarled, his gaze promising death if she made one wrong move.

I walked around to join him, shifting Nightmare in my grip and raising it defensively in case she attacked.

But she was all too calm. Too compliant. Why wasn’t she fighting?

“I knew you were in the city,” Valentina spoke to Julius. “I hoped you’d come to me after what happened between us. When you’d had time to think on it. Surely you know you can trust me?”

Julius lowered his blade, glancing at the window as rain pattered against the pane. “I don’t know any such thing. You’re one of them now. How could you do this to yourself?”

Valentina hung her head and her dark locks fell forward around her face. “I had no choice, Julius. They attacked me, turned me into one of them. You and your brother were locked in a hundred-year-long sleep and there was nothing I could do. So I decided to remain alive, to wait until you came back. To warn you.” The light in her eyes dimmed.

Julius’s upper lip curled. “And yet my brother and I didn’t wake. We slept nine hundred years, not one.”

“I know…I called on Idun for answers. She told me your mother bound you in a longer sleep. To save you. She feared you would die in the final battle,” she breathed.

“My mother would never do such a thing. She would not have deprived us of the chance to end the Revenants,” Julius growled, his face taut with emotion.

“Then who else? She was the only Dream Walker who was powerful enough to do it,” Valentina whispered, but his expression said he refused to believe it. “All these years, I’ve waited for you both to wake. For my allies to return.” She glanced at me with a soft smile. “I tried to help you, Montana. Really. But we’re outnumbered here. And I knew you didn’t trust me.”

“I still don’t trust you,” I admitted, but I couldn’t deny that she did seem relieved to see us.

Julius stepped towards her threateningly. “You didn’t have to work for them. You could have run. Or parted the clouds and weakened them all with the sun.”

“Even if they’d been weakened, I couldn’t take on a thousand vampires single-handedly, Julius,” Valentina pleaded. “They would have killed me.”

“Then you should have died trying,” Julius spat. “That is why we take our vow. To do what we must to end them.”

“I couldn’t have killed them alone, but I haven’t wasted this time among them. I’ve learned their secrets, earned their trust,” Valentina said, her brow wrinkled with distress. “I longed for the day you and Magnar would wake. You know how much I love him. We’re destined to be together, he’s my betrothed. And now you’ve come to me, we can find your brother together and-”

“No,” Julius snapped. “That’s not why we’re here.”

“Then why are you here?” Valentina looked between us, a flicker of fear in her eyes. “You attacked me before, Julius, have you come to finish the job?”

“You’d be dead already if that was the case,” Julius said. “I assume we don’t need to gag you as you haven’t screamed yet?”

“Of course not. None of this is necessary. If you need my help, I will gladly give it,” Valentina said, and she did seem pretty genuine.

“Sit down.” Julius pointed at the couch and Valentina backed up, dropping onto it with wide eyes.

I kept beside Julius, my grip firming on Nightmare in case this was a trick. Valentina was strong as hell, and she might just be biding her time to attack us.

“You’re going to do exactly as we say,” Julius growled, and Valentina nodded, pressing her lips together.

“Stop the rain,” I commanded, and her eyes whipped to me. “And get rid of every single cloud in the sky.”

“It’s going to be a beautiful fucking day in New York, and I am ready to see the sun rise,” Julius added.

Valentina inhaled sharply, turning to face the window. My heart skittered with excitement. The whole of the city would be affected, but I didn’t know how weak the vampires would be in the sun’s rays.

“Now,” Julius ordered, and Valentina shut her eyes, concentrating.

Slowly, the rain ebbed away, and the rising light of dawn grew brighter and brighter behind the clouds. I faced the window, enraptured by the sight of the sky clearing, the clouds fizzling away and revealing a powder blue sky.

Between the skyscrapers, the sun was just cresting the horizon, and as the final clouds dissolved, its beautiful rays flooded the room.

I turned to Valentina, expecting her to wince or burst into flames or...something. But she just blinked, looking at ease.

“It’s not working,” I muttered to Julius.

“It will,” Valentina replied. “But it doesn’t affect me. I’m a vampire but I’m a slayer too, and our people were made to walk in the light. The sun doesn’t hurt me, and I can still wield our blades. I don’t even have a scar after you stabbed me Julius...I’m still waiting for an apology for that.”

“You’re going to be waiting a very long time.” Julius smiled but there was no light in it, and Valentina tutted her annoyance.

A scream caught my ear and I hurried to the window, spotting cars coming to a halt in the road. Vampires ran from them into the closest buildings, cursing and wailing as they went.

Triumph pounded a fierce tune in my chest, and I turned to Julius, who threw me a victorious grin.

“The city is ours,” he announced, and a laugh escaped my lips.

“That was far too easy,” I said, gazing down at the streets as they emptied entirely, vampires racing for cover from the sunlight, clearly hurt in some way by its touch.

We did it. The streets belong to us. We finally have the advantage.

“What are you going to do now?” Valentina asked uncertainly.

I wondered how badly Erik was going to react to this. He was likely losing his shit right now, but I didn’t care. Frankly, I was looking forward to seeing the look on his face when he found out I had a hand in this.

“So…” Julius glanced around the room, then plucked Valentina’s phone from the coffee table. “We’re going to record a little message for the royals.”

“They’ll already be sending a team here to find me,” Valentina said frantically. “You haven’t got long.”

“They will be panicking about the sun for a while yet,” Julius said thoughtfully. “But don’t worry, when they do turn up, you won’t be here.”

“Where will I be?” she breathed.

“You’ll find out soon.” Julius beamed, angling the camera at her. “Now if you really do want to help us, I suggest you start begging Erik Belvedere for help like a good little vampire sireling.”

Valentina gaped at him, her eyes flashing to me then back to the phone. “I-I-”

“Do you need some encouragement?” Julius snarled, lifting his steel blade as a threat.

“No!” she gasped. “Please, Julius, don’t hurt me.”

He nodded his approval of that, and she kept going, begging Erik for help, putting on a damn good show of being terrified.

When Julius was satisfied, he pocketed the phone and folded his arms. “So, Valentina…Nightmare tells me you still have Menace. Where is my baby?”

Valentina’s face grew cold. “It’s mine now. You drove it into me. How could you do such a thing? I only came to be with you when you rose from your sleep. But you attacked me.”

Julius stalked toward her with a scowl. “Look at yourself. You’re one of them. A cold, lifeless thing. Menace saw what you were before I did. And my vow will always guide my hand. I did what I had to.”

“I would never have hurt you,” Valentina said, on the verge of tears. “I came to be with you. We’re family.”

A pang of pity ran through me at her pained tone, and I shot Julius a look, wondering if he should cut her some slack.

“No, we’re not. You never married Magnar. I have no allegiance to you. So where the fuck is she?” Julius growled. “Tell me or I’ll rip this place apart and find her myself.”

Valentina sighed and a tear slipped from her eye. “In my bedroom. It’s in a box beneath the bed.”

Julius looked to me, jerking his chin in an order. I didn’t like being bossed about but figured I’d rather he stayed there watching Valentina instead of me.

I strode from the room, locating her bedroom and heading into it. The place was decorated in dark blue tones with pictures on the walls of mountains and lakes. I headed to the bed, dropping to my knees and feeling for the box, a fierce energy rolling into me as my fingertips grazed the wood. I pulled it out and opened the long oak container. Inside was an incredible weapon. The golden sword glittered as if beams of pure sunlight lived in the metal. I took the hilt, raising it up, finding it almost too heavy to carry.

I reached for its energy and a savage presence pressed into me, resisting my touch. Slowly, it opened up to me, revealing its name. Menace.

Nightmare sighed in my pocket, seeming happy to be united with the sword, like greeting an old friend who had finally come home.

I carried Menace back to the living room and Julius let out a groan as he spotted it. Darting toward me, he snatched the rune-decorated hilt and raised it above his head with a gleam in his eyes.

“Oh my love, how I’ve missed you. Did you miss me too?” He swung the sword through the air with amazing agility, sweeping it in arcs as if he and the blade were involved in some strange dance.

Valentina pouted as she watched him. “I miss my old blade too, Julius. The vampires keep it locked in an armoury deep beneath the castle with the rest of the slayers’ blades. Vicious is so close, and yet I can’t get to her.”

“Well if you prove yourself, Valentina, perhaps one day I shall help you retrieve her.”

“Thank you,” she murmured.

I turned to Julius with my heart beating wildly in my chest. “What now?”

“Now, it’s time for you to go. Step into the streets. Walk to the castle if you like. Walk and walk until someone comes out of the shadows to take you to the royals.” A wicked glint shone in his eyes and strength seeped into every bone in my body.

“Damn, I should have brought my walking shoes instead of my ass kicking ones,” I said, and he barked a laugh, while Valentina attempted a vague noise of amusement.

“I’ll be waiting where we agreed,” Julius promised. “If Erik wants Valentina freed, he will have to let you go. I’ll give you until sundown. When night comes again, they will rise against us. So do what you have to and do it fast.” He took Valentina’s phone and tapped something on it before handing it to me. “Show Erik the video. Threaten the hell out of him. And if you need me, press this button, and call me.” I eyed the screen as he demonstrated how to find his number.

I nodded, taking in a deep breath before I pocketed the phone and headed toward the exit. I marched straight across the hallway to the window and climbed out onto the fire escape. Sunlight danced through the air and lit the alley in warm tones. I smiled as I descended to the ground and walked out onto the street where cars were abandoned everywhere.

All was quiet. And as the sun shone down on my back like a shield of protection sent from the gods themselves, I started walking toward the castle with power coursing through my veins.

We’re on equal ground now, Erik Belvedere. And oh, how quickly your world crumbles in the light.