21. Montana

Erik led me through the house and my thoughts clashed together. How could I have let him know I wanted him? A vampire. My dad would be turning in his grave if he knew I held such feelings in my heart. It went against everything I believed. And yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling no matter how hard I tried. I yearned for Erik in a way that defied all I stood for, this ruinous connection between us reeling me closer with every second I spent in his company.

I followed him to the bookcase in the hall with anxiety rippling through me. I didn’t feel remotely ready to face a god, but if I was going to get answers, this was the key to getting them.

Erik pulled the red book that opened the secret door, and it swung inwards.

“After you.” He placed his hand on my back, encouraging me into his private space, and the air seemed thicker somehow as he closed the door behind us.

He moved up behind me, his fingers tracing the length of my spine, then his mouth fell to my neck, and I arched into him in surprise.

I clutched the back of his head, my nails digging in as his mouth moved to my ear, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.

“Don’t,” I whispered, though I didn’t want him to stop.

“I think we’re long beyond pretending we don’t want each other,” he said roughly, though he stopped touching me all the same.

“No, I’m good with pretending,” I said airily, stepping away from him, and he released a breath of amusement.

“I’m not.” He stepped forward, but I twisted around and folded my arms.

“You’re procrastinating,” I teased.

“I am,” he admitted. “And I would like to do so a little longer.”

“That would be a bad idea,” I said firmly.

“Do tell me why.” He hounded after me as I headed to the spiral staircase and started walking up it.

“I assume the mirror is up here with your other secret things?” I asked, ignoring his question.

“Why are you running from me?” He ignored mine.

I picked up my pace, jogging up the stairs, but a shadow surged past me, and Erik appeared at the top of the steps, barring my way forward.

“Password.” He quirked a grin at me.

His sudden playfulness was so disarming, it was impossible not to steal a moment of light with him. Hell only knew I’d had enough of the dark.

My mouth curved into a taunting smile. “I don’t know. Erik’s an arrogant royal ass-twat?”

“That was my second choice, but I decided to set a more physical password.” He tapped his lips, grey eyes full of the game.

I scoffed and tried to duck under his arm.

He caught me fast, pressing me back. “If you want me to play by your rules, rebel, do play by mine.”

I laid my hands on his chest, stepping closer as I gave in. “Am I warm?”

“Very.” His eyes flickered with lust.

I slid my hands up to his neck, tiptoeing toward his lips. “Warmer?”

“Volcanic.”

I slid my hand between us, offering him my middle finger right in front of his eyes, and he released a rumbling laugh. “Why do I have to work so hard for you?”

“Because sometimes the great Prince Erik doesn’t get to snap his fingers and have anything he wants,” I said, dropping my hand.

He captured my chin between his finger and thumb. “At least give me a taste. Drive me to madness with the memory of you, it’s the least I deserve.”

Damn, those words were hard to resist. I leaned into his kiss and my heart melted like hot wax, pouring through me in a waterfall of pleasure. The heat between us ignited once again and want took hold of me, binding me to this beast who could so easily break me.

He drew me close, my hands riding the swell of his biceps, sliding over his firm shoulders, and gripping tightly. He tasted like the devil, temptation in its rawest form.

His hands slid down the length of my spine, cupping my ass and driving me against him, reminding me of how he’d taken possession of my body before. The way his fingers had moved inside me, his savage claiming of me that had crossed my mind far more times than I wanted to admit.

A strange energy washed over me, followed by an icy breath of air on the back of my neck, making me stiffen in Erik’s arms.

“Well, well, I do hope this display isn’t for me, Erik Larsen.” A cold, powerful voice filled the room, and I nearly slid off of the step in alarm.

Erik caught me, pulling me onto the balcony, his arm locked protectively around my waist.

“Andvari,” he growled. “We were just about to call upon you.”

“I know, and yet how distracted you became. I fear if I hadn’t come to you now, I would have interrupted something far more interesting. But I am ever the gentleman.”

I gazed around the room as the shadows danced and swirled beneath the bookshelves, my heart pattering in my chest.

Erik released me, moving to one of the shelves and taking a beautiful hand mirror from between two of the books. I recognised it from his room, and my blood ran cold as I approached him, eyeing the ethereal object.

He gazed down at the polished glass and his reflection stared back at him with a strange smile. It wasn’t him; I could tell that from the prickling sensation in my gut.

“Erik Larsen,” the reflection spoke. “You come to me for answers…as always.”

“I may have the right one this time,” Erik said hopefully, angling the mirror toward me.

The reflection didn’t change, despite the fact that it was facing me now. Andvari started laughing, then reached toward the glass. When his fingers touched the mirror, they slipped through the glass as easily as if it were liquid.

I gasped as a gnarled hand extended from the frame and icy fingers grazed my cheek, the touch like death itself.

In an instant, the reflection vanished, and the mirror started to expand as if the glass was made of water, spreading out before me. Erik released the handle, but the mirror remained in the air, stretching out wider and wider until Andvari was able to step through it.

Erik caught my arm, dragging me away and placing himself between us as the deity materialised. As he did so, his appearance changed to what must have been his true form. The god had long hair and a brown cloak fell around his slim body. His feet were bare and gnarled where they hit the floorboards, his eyes were opaque and his face was a hollow, beautiful thing, ancient and youthful at once.

The mirror clattered to the floor, returning to its previous size, and the noise rang out around us, sending a tremor through me.

Erik’s fingers curled around my hand in a fierce grip, a growl in his throat, and I had no intention to pull away.

Andvari observed us, his eyes skimming across our faces, then down to our clasped hands.

“You surprise me as usual,” he spoke to Erik in a deadly purr. “I have always seen something in you. Your heart is as strong as the day I cursed you. And unlike most of your kin, you follow the beat of it. Despite the world you have allowed your family to create, you still think of yourself as honourable, don’t you, Erik? Because you resisted what they could not. Until now, it seems.” His eyes skimmed over me again, and I glanced up at Erik, my heart crashing against my chest.

Erik lowered his chin, his eyes dark. “I would hardly use the word honourable.”

“No, but you wish so much to hold onto your values,” Andvari said. “In the deepest hours of the night, your thoughts turn to your immortal soul. You still hope for it to be saved, even now, after all you have done.” The god stepped closer, leaving wet footprints as he walked.

My courage failed as he approached, the power of him a living thing, moving around us like a silent breeze.

Erik didn’t answer, but his posture grew rigid, a predator poised to pounce.

“Do you think she is the answer?” Andvari asked, his eyes flashing to me.

I gasped as freezing hands seemed to squeeze my lungs from inside my body, forcing the air from them with untold magic. The god stole all my breath away, sapping the oxygen right from my veins. My vision darkened and my knees hit the floor as I buckled, succumbing to his unearthly power. I felt Erik’s arms around me, but he couldn’t do anything to stop it. I couldn’t draw breath, I could hardly see, a roaring in my ears telling me the magic was only burrowing deeper.

“Release her!” Erik bellowed, and my lungs decompressed all at once, allowing air to rush back into them.

I spluttered, gripping Erik’s arm for support as I tried to right myself. My cheeks flushed hot with anger as I pushed to my feet, determined to get the answer I’d come for.

I glared at Andvari with every ounce of strength I had. “Is it true? Am I a part of your prophecy?” I demanded, though my legs were still shaking from what he’d done to me.

Andvari chuckled lightly, his eyes hooded as he took me in. Erik straightened his spine as the god addressed me. “Mortal girl, how brave you must think you are to speak to me with such insolence.”

“I want answers,” I hissed, refusing to back down. “And you have them, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Andvari whispered, the air gusting around me like his breath could wield it. “Oh, how fine a moment this is.” He turned to Erik. “You do not even realise it yet, do you?”

“Realise what?” Erik snarled.

“After all the years you have fought to protect your soul, a mere mortal has claimed it instead.” Andvari threw his head back with a cruel laugh, and my thoughts scattered.

I stole a glance at Erik, but his face was stony and unreadable.

“Say it.” Andvari abruptly stopped laughing, pointing at him. “I want to hear it.”

“I am tired of your games, Andvari,” Erik growled, and fear rolled through me at the tension building between them.

“One more game and I shall answer the question you seek,” Andvari promised, pressing a finger to his own chest and striking an X across his heart. A glimmer of gold glowed through his cloak, then faded away to nothing, apparently securing the vow.

Erik wouldn’t look at me as I tried to catch his eye, and I grew terrified of what he was about to say.

“I cannot love someone in this form,” Erik said in a low voice.

I turned to Andvari as Erik’s words resounded in my skull, the truth of them stinging in a way I could never have predicted. Perhaps because they confirmed this want between us was nothing but lust. I just hadn’t expected to crave more than that.

“Liar,” Andvari spat, and his shadow grew behind him, casting us in darkness.

His face turned to a wicked thing; his features contorted with a fury I didn’t want to face. But my feet remained rooted to the floor. I wouldn’t run. I wouldn’t leave until I had my answer.

“Defy me again and I will have your tongue,” Andvari hissed, and power stretched over me like his breath was seeping across every inch of my skin. He raised a hand, and his taloned nails pinched together in the air.

Erik coughed, jerking forward as blood poured from his mouth, dripping to the floor.

“Answer me!” Andvari roared, and the walls shuddered around us.

Fear scorched a path through my chest, and I grabbed hold of Erik, trying to help him, but there was nothing I could do.

Andvari twisted his hand in the air and Erik slammed into me, throwing me into the bookshelf, pain ricocheting through my shoulders from the impact. His weight crushed me in place, but I knew it wasn’t really him. His eyes met mine with a bitter apology inside them as more blood oozed from his mouth.

His jaw trembled as his lips parted and the blood trickled down his chin. His voice was throaty when he spoke, and I could tell the pain this was causing him.

“I love you,” he rasped, but I knew it was a lie devised by Andvari, the god wielding his tongue for the purpose of his sick games.

Andvari’s high laughter rang in my ears as he moved his hands in a weaving motion behind us. Power flooded my body, and I lost control of my own limbs as I reached between us and squeezed my breasts.

I cried out, battling back with all my strength, and Erik’s hands slammed into the bookcase either side of my head, sending tomes crashing to the floor around us.

“Enough!” Erik roared, his body trembling from the exertion it took to resist Andvari’s power.

My chin lifted and Andvari forced my mouth to meet Erik’s, the metallic taste of blood sliding onto my tongue.

Erik broke chunks out of the wooden shelves as he fought to keep his hands off me, but Andvari’s will broke through and he grabbed my hips, his tongue sinking deep into my mouth.

Erik’s hand slid beneath my shirt, fingers biting into my waist with violence as he tugged me closer, and I could do nothing but follow the orders of Andvari’s power, shedding my shirt so it fluttered to the floor.

“Stop,” I begged, trying to make my limbs do anything else but follow the god’s orders, but I was a slave to him.

The wave of power released me, and I fell against Erik, taking in a shaky breath of relief, but my fear of what Andvari might make us do next had me trembling. Erik’s hands encircled me, his back to Andvari as he shielded me from him, though I doubted anything could stop him.

“You won’t have answers from me unless I am appeased,” Andvari said lightly. “You have displeased me, Erik.”

Erik was forced away from me and my legs moved of their own accord, walking me towards Andvari. I winced as I moved into his arms and the god’s hand slithered down my spine, pulling me close. He smelled like bark and wet earth, as if he was made of nature, bound in the false body of a man.

“Perhaps I’ll taste how sweet her kisses are for myself.” Andvari angled his horridly angelic face toward me, and I leaned back as far as his power would allow, disgust weaving through my gut.

“Get away from her,” Erik growled in a deadly tone. “Touch her and I’ll end you.”

“An idle threat as always,” Andvari sneered, wafting his hand so Erik was knocked to the floor, forced to remain there. Andvari’s eyes wheeled to me with a flicker of amusement glittering in the depths of them.

“Kiss me as if you were kissing him. I wish to know what it is that sparks his desire so keenly,” he ordered, and I felt the power of the command run through me like frosty water.

For the second time, my lips were taken hostage by a monster, but I realised which of them held the true power now. The one who had weaved the vampire curse into existence, who had Erik and every one of the vampires under his omnipotent control.

I shuddered as Andvari’s tongue slicked across my lips, his mouth tasting like ash; as dry as dirt and as bitter as alcohol.

“Stop it,” I growled as his arms seized me, so strong I was immobilised even if I hadn’t been under the power of his magic.

“Get your hands off of her!” Erik shouted, fighting to get up, but a thump of magic sent him slamming to the floor again. He cursed the god with all his might, demanding him to release me, but the prince held no power in this room. There was only one creature capable of wielding our fates now.

Andvari released me and licked his lips with his black tongue before shoving me to the floor. I scrambled away from him, backing up to Erik’s side and wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, horrified at what he’d made me do. At the impossible power he held over us. He could have made us slit our own throats if he wanted.

Erik dragged me closer, and I drew comfort from his fierce hold, his fury aimed at Andvari, and a thousand-year-old vendetta blazed in his eyes. He hadn’t lied to me about the creator of his curse, that was clearer than ever. He was Andvari’s monster, built from bloodshed and corruption, and there was no escaping this wrathful god.

“She is sweet indeed,” Andvari whispered, still wetting his lips as if savouring my taste, and I grimaced at him in disgust. “As agreed, I will answer one question. Make sure it is a good one.”

Erik snarled at the god as he posed his question. “Is she the answer to the prophecy?”

“She is half the answer.” Andvari smiled a wicked smile, then disappeared into a swirling shadow, leaving the mirror rattling on the floor.

“Wait!” I cried, shoving to my feet, and grabbing the mirror. “What do I have to do? How can I break the curse?”

The reflection was my own, and Andvari didn’t answer, nor did he take hold of my image in the mirror. He was gone, leaving us with nothing but a confirmation and no path to follow.

“Fuck,” I exhaled, throwing the mirror to the floor again.

Erik shot over to join me, the blood on his mouth now gone. Perhaps it had only been an illusion, one of Andvari’s dark tricks.

“Let’s go,” I said, a shiver tracking through me. “I want to get out of here.”

Without a word, Erik scooped me into his arms and sped down the staircase in a rush of motion. He moved through the house at speed until we were upstairs in the bedroom I’d woken in just days ago.

Erik placed me in a chair, kneeling before me and staring at me with horrors in his eyes. “I cannot undo what he did.”

I pushed my fingers into his hair, seeing him in a new light after what I’d witnessed, the depths of torment Andvari had put him through. “You don’t need to.”

“I should never have taken you to him.” He clutched the sides of my thighs, his fingers gripping my jeans and digging in hard as he hung his head.

I reached down to cup his face, pulling him up to look at me. His eyes gleamed with regret, and I ran my thumbs over the anxious creases beside them. “I can handle it.”

He nodded stiffly, but he looked broken and so hollow that it tugged at my heart.

“Erik, you heard what he said, right? I’m part of the prophecy.”

“I don’t care,” he spat, rising to his feet with incredible speed and setting my heart pounding. He glared around the room, looking ready to rip the world apart. “I will not make you a part of this. Who knows what he’ll ask of you? I will not let him take power over you again.”

“If this is the answer to the curse, we have to face it,” I insisted, getting up and taking hold of his arm, forcing him to look at me.

He sighed heavily, shadows swirling thickly in his eyes. “You are so strong. Stronger than me. I am floored by you and your resilience. What I’ve put you through, what all of my kind have done to yours…it isn’t right that you must shoulder this burden.”

“If I can end the curse, I have to, Erik. For my family, for all the humans. For…you.” My throat thickened on that final word and the truth that simmered between us.

His gaze burned into mine. He seemed transfixed and I felt my heart weakening under his scrutiny.

“I will not ask this of you,” he said.

“I’m not asking for your permission,” I replied. “Whatever it is I have to do to end this, I will.”

“The answer to Andvari’s curse will be some terrible thing, I am certain of it. And I will not lose you,” he said tightly. “The first look you gave me struck a fire in my heart I’d long forgotten was there. The second stoked the flames. And every look since has turned that fire into a deadly force that sees me growing madder with every passing day. But in light of what I know now, I do not want you to want me back. I want you to despise me. To do what you do best, rebel, and goddamn rebel. Ignore everything I have asked of you. Ignore my demands, ignore all promises I forced you to make. Don’t be mine. Don’t ever be mine. Because if you let me have you, Andvari will have you too. He will design new games to torture me, and he knows my weakness now. You will be his latest weapon against me, and I will not let him hurt you.”

“Erik,” I gasped, shaking my head in shock at his declaration to protect me.

“Promise me you will turn from me now, because if I have the chance to keep you, I will not be able to resist it,” he said, his brows pulling tightly together.

“It’s too late for that,” I said, stepping forward and leaning up to brush my lips against his. “I’m part of this. Your curse is my curse too. Let’s end this together.”