24. Montana

Isat next to Erik on the cream sofa in the bedroom I’d been given in his house, the air thick between us. I’d put on a new shirt, and he had too, though I swear I could still feel Andvari’s hands on my skin.

I had a deep fear in my heart that I was betraying my father by being here with Erik. Spitting on his grave after he’d died at the hands of a vampire, but I couldn’t let my thoughts go down that rabbit hole. It would only end in despair, and I needed to focus.

“I think it’s time you told me where Valentina is,” Erik said.

“I think it’s time you stopped being a bossy asshole.”

He cursed in frustration. I was clearly getting under his skin, and I had no intention to stop.

“I kept up my end of the deal,” he pointed out.

“Not all of it. I still have to go back to Julius.”

Erik’s brows pulled sharply together. “You said we would break the curse together.”

“And we will. But that doesn’t mean I’m staying here.”

He growled, baring his fangs as he grappled with that, and I had no inclination to try and placate him. He had to learn he wasn’t in charge anymore, and maybe he could deal with his possessive issues while he was at it.

Thunder boomed and lightning flashed beyond the window, stealing our attention. My heart thrashed and I rose to my feet, running to the balcony as a sheet of rain swept over the house.

“No,” I gasped in horror, wrenching the door open and stepping outside.

A cold wind battered my cheeks as I gazed toward the city and raindrops drove against me, each one like the cold kiss of iron against my skin. The clouds were thickest over the ruins and seemed to swirl in a dangerous storm, promising my destruction.

Erik joined me and his hand landed on my arm, his fingers curling around my wrist. I jolted, suddenly feeling trapped as I yanked away from him. If Valentina had been caught, did that mean Julius had been too? Or what if he was lying in the rubble somewhere, his body lifeless and cold?

Panic seized me and I backed away from Erik as he turned to me with the storm reflecting in his eyes. I no longer had any leverage on him, and my world was spinning wildly out of control.

His phone rang in his pocket, and he took it out, lifting it to his ear, his eyes remaining on me.

“Fabian?” he answered curtly.

After a beat, he pressed his thumb to the screen and his brother’s voice emitted from the phone.

“-since you disappeared off the face of the Earth this morning, the rest of us have dealt with saving the entire city.”

“You found Valentina?” Erik guessed, and I took another anxious step away from him, the hairs on the back of my neck creeping to attention. But I didn’t run, because I had to know if Julius was alright. That he wasn’t dead because of the plan we’d made together.

“Yes, she got away from the slayers.” He emphasised the S on the end of the word, and my throat thickened.

“Slayers?” Erik growled, tension lining his jaw.

“It seems Julius has reunited with his brother, Magnar. They are still at large, but no doubt my sirelings will bring us their heads soon enough.”

A breath got trapped in my lungs. If Magnar had reached the city, did that mean Callie had too? Had she stayed with him? Found her way here?

Fabian went on, “I hope you’re prepared for the wedding ceremony tomorrow. I’ve been informed that Montana has returned to you.”

“The wedding is off until the slayers are apprehended,” Erik snarled.

“Oh, you really aren’t calling the shots anymore, brother. The wedding is on whether you attend it or not.”

“Miles is forcing the issue, is he?” Erik asked.

“Yes, and I am too. I’ve decided to take a bride after all,” Fabian mused, and something crawled up my spine, telling me to beware.

Nightmare hummed angrily in my pocket, like it sensed the danger drawing close.

“What are you talking about?” Erik snapped. “There are no more courtiers-”

“There is now. I captured Callie Ford. And she is quite the beauty, Erik. You know how I feel about blondes.”

My world tipped and cascaded into utter chaos. My pulse rose out of control and panic seized me like the hand of destiny wrapping around my soul.

I lunged at Erik, snatching the phone from his hand. “Where’s my sister, you piece of shit?”

Fabian’s laughter rang out of the device. “Hello, Montana. You really should have picked me, then we wouldn’t be in this situation now, would we? Never mind. Your sister is just as beautiful. And by the gods, is she fiery.”

“I want to see her,” I demanded.

“There is not a chance in hell of that happening,” Fabian said. “She’s under lock and key until she walks down the aisle tomorrow.”

I clutched the phone tighter, my rage growing out of control. Erik prised it from my grip as more curses fell from my lips, raising it up to speak to Fabian himself.

“Are you telling me this to try and piss me off?” Erik asked coolly. “Because I’m rather pleased actually. I spoke with Andvari, and he finally confirmed that we are supposed to have children with those of slayer blood after all.”

My brows raised in shock as I stared at him, unsure what the fuck he was playing at by lying.

A beat of silence passed before Fabian answered. “So, you’ll be attending the wedding then?”

“Of course I will,” Erik said easily. “Then we’ll see who breaks the curse first.”

He hung up and I stared at him in confusion, but mostly fear. Because I had just become his prisoner again, an unwilling bride about to be wed to a vampire prince, and nothing could save me.

“Rebel…” He turned to me, and I took a step back. “Don’t run,” he warned, but those words were my undoing.

I turned and fled, racing back into the house as fast as I could possibly move.

I made it to the hallway before he collided with me, but I was ready, reaching for Nightmare and wheeling around as he pinned me to the wall. Nightmare guided my movements, and the blade kissed his throat, my teeth bared as Erik’s fingers latched around my wrist to keep me from striking him. Though I wasn’t sure if I really would have done it.

“Listen to me, we’re going to rescue your sister,” he said fiercely.

“Bullshit,” I snapped.

“Why do you think I lied to Fabian? I have an idea.”

“I am not getting twisted up in your games anymore, Erik. Fabian has my sister, and I will do anything to protect her.”

“Then you will trust me, because I am the key to rescuing her from Fabian,” he said fiercely, and my heart began to soften with hope. “We just might have to get married first.”

“What?!” I yelled, any hope I’d had dashed to pieces in an instant.

“My best people will be at the wedding ceremony tomorrow. I’ll work out the details with them on how we’ll smuggle her away. We won’t get near her before then. This is your best chance.”

I fell quiet, my heart thrashing so hard I had no doubt he could hear it. Callie was trapped between four unbreakable walls, but Erik was offering her a door to walk through if only I could lay my faith in him. And really, what other choice did I have now that Valentina had been caught? If there was even the slightest hope of rescuing Callie, I had to take it. I’d do anything to see her free. The fact was, Fabian had my sister and he was going to make her marry him. After that…I cringed, unable to bear the thought of his slimy hands all over her.

I set my jaw, staring evenly at Erik as I made my decision, praying I wouldn’t regret it.

“Proposal accepted,” I said grimly.

He lifted a brow and a glint of satisfaction passed through his eyes that I wanted to punch him for.

“Good,” he said formally, stepping back, and I lowered Nightmare to my side.

He turned, walking back into my room, and I stalked after him.

“It’s only to help my sister,” I reiterated.

“Of course.” He moved to a wooden cabinet, taking out a bottle of red wine and two glasses.

I narrowed my eyes. “What are you doing?”

“It’s called pouring a drink.” He topped up the glasses with the red liquid, holding one out to me while I gave him a dry look.

I didn’t take it, gazing at the drink as the sharp scent sailed under my nose, the look of it all too similar to blood for my liking.

“I find the best plans are often made over a drink.” He dropped down onto a chair and placed my glass on the table, but I had too much wild energy in my veins to sit too.

“You’re really going to help me save her?” I asked suspiciously, eyeing him closely to see if I could detect a lie in his eyes.

“Yes,” he said, sipping his wine. Why was he so damn calm? Did he go around proposing to women and planning rescue attempts often?

“So?” I demanded, thinking of Callie. Of her stuck with Fabian. Would he leave her alone until tomorrow?

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to bury the horrible images springing to mind.

“Take a breath,” Erik commanded.

“I can’t,” I groaned. “What if he’s got his hands all over her?” I spat the words, heat thumping through my veins.

Nightmare whispered promises of his death in my ear, and I had the urge to follow through on them as swiftly as I could manage.

I’m coming, Callie. Hang in there.

“He’s not with her. He’s with Miles and Clarice. I heard them talking when I answered the phone.”

“So? He could go to her now,” I pressed.

Erik pursed his lips, then took out his phone and tapped a message so fast that it was sent in less than a second. “Miles will keep her away from him until tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. He has always made certain that the women are untouched until after the wedding. I trust Miles with this – despite the fact that he won’t listen to me about the prophecy. This whole marriage and children thing is ludicrous, but he insists that it is the key to undoing the curse. The poor asshole has no other leads, and I know he hates every second of it, but he’s desperate.” He frowned wearily. “It doesn’t mean he’ll allow Fabian to hurt her though. He’ll make sure the rules are adhered to.”

I nodded, having a few more choice words for what I thought of their ritual. Barbaric. Monstrous. Inhumane.

“So, what are we going to do?” I asked, a knot tying in my stomach.

Erik ran a thumb across his mouth, deep in thought. “There should be a window of opportunity after the vows are taken and your sister is moved to Fabian’s quarters. My sirelings could take her by force.”

Doubts spilled through me. If he did that, what would happen to Callie then? Even if Erik could save her from the marriage, she would still be a captive in the city.

“And release her?” I pushed.

He hesitated. “She is the key to the prophecy, as you are.”

“She can’t stay in the city. She’ll help if we ask her, but not by force.”

“Montana…”

“Erik,” I snarled.

“Let’s just get hold of her. Take her somewhere secure, and we can figure it out from there.”

I nodded slowly, pretending I was good with that, but my mind wheeled to Julius and Magnar. Surely they’d help if I asked them to? Deep down, I knew I couldn’t risk them hurting Erik…but if they could get Callie out of the hands of the vampires, I had to gain their assistance.

“Okay,” I said, my tongue heavy as I accepted what I was going to do. What I had to do to help Callie.

“Can you trust me to handle this?” Erik asked. “I have some of the strongest sirelings in the city. They will be able to take her.”

I nodded. For some reason, I really did trust him to try and save her from Fabian. But it wasn’t enough. I had to get Callie away from the vampires entirely.

“What time is the ceremony?” I asked, thinking of Valentina’s phone in my pocket and what I was going to do the second I got a moment alone.

“Midday,” he said. “At St Patrick’s Cathedral.” He gave me a dark look and my heart pounded hard against my ribs. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? It will be risky, but I’ll protect you with my life, rebel. You know that don’t you?”

“I know,” I whispered. And in my mind, I added, and I’ll do anything to protect my sister.

***

Erik had left me to shower while he made arrangements with his people for tomorrow. Steam billowed around me as I wrapped myself in a towel and took the phone from the pocket of my folded jeans. Erik was downstairs, and I kept the shower running to conceal my voice as I called Julius.

“Shit, Montana, are you alright?” he answered, and a bubble of relief grew in me, knowing he really was okay.

“I’m fine. I heard about Callie though…”

A crash sounded in the background and Julius sighed. “Yes, Magnar is losing his mind - he keeps breaking things.”

It struck me how much Magnar must have cared about Callie. “Do you think he can keep it together for a rescue attempt?”

“Yes, but we’re in the dark here, Montana. We have no idea where Callie is or what Fabian is planning.”

I took a breath, my heart hammering as I revealed what was going on. “Fabian is going to marry her tomorrow. I’ll be there too…with Erik.”

“By the gods,” Julius sighed, and I heard another gruff voice demanding to hear what I’d said. “Just wait a minute, brother,” he muttered then addressed me again. “Do you know where?”

“Yes, but Julius, you have to promise me something first.”

“What?” he asked.

“You can’t hurt Erik. Either of you. If you come to the ceremony, you have to save Callie. Do whatever you have to, to get my sister out of there. But you can’t touch him.”

Julius murmured something under his breath. “That’s a big request.”

“I know,” I sighed, my throat constricting at what I was inadvertently admitting to here. “But you have to promise me.”

I could almost hear the cogs whirring in Julius’s head before he answered. “Fine. But this is a one-time deal. If Magnar or I cross that fucker again, we won’t hold back.”

“Got it,” I breathed. “But tomorrow, no matter what, Erik is safe.”

“You know you’re crazy, right?”

“Batshit,” I agreed. “You can curse me out for it when I see you again.”

“Deal,” he growled, and I sensed he was a man of his word. I could trust him with my life. With Erik’s too. If only this once. “There’s a ceremony at midday at St Patrick’s Cathedral. I don’t know where it is exactly but-”

“I’ll find it on the map,” he cut me off. “Do you know anything else?”

“No,” I replied honestly. “But I’m sure there’ll be a lot of vampires there. You have to be careful.”

“Same to you, Montana. Stay safe. And when we show up, I’ve got a ticket out of there for you too.”

“Thank you, Julius.”

“See you tomorrow, damsel,” he said but with nothing of the playful tone he usually used.

“See you then,” I whispered, hanging up and taking a steadying breath.

The mirror on the wall was fogged up and I was glad, fearing Andvari could be lurking behind it, watching me.

I shuddered, gathering up my clothes and the phone. If Erik thought to question me about whether I’d used it to call the slayers, I’d have to lie, and lie damn well.

Heading into the bedroom, I placed the clothes in a laundry basket and hid the phone under the bed.

I found some soft sweatpants and a t-shirt and pulled them on, thinking of Julius’s offer to free me too. Of what I had to do tomorrow.

The world was dark beyond the window and hail stones plinked against the glass with malice. Wherever Valentina was, I sensed she was furious about something. Had she been captured by Fabian too?

I considered going to search for Erik and moved toward the door, but before I got close, a knock sounded against it. I was pretty sure it was the first time he’d ever knocked, and it brought a small smile to my lips.

I opened the door, finding him there with his black hair mussed up as if he’d been dragging his hand through it.

“It’s all organised for tomorrow,” he revealed, and my shoulders dropped with relief.

One way or another, I was going to get Callie away from Fabian. With two plans in place, there was no way I could fail.

“You should get some rest,” Erik said, backing up, but I caught his hand.

This was it. The end. One final night with him, and tomorrow, I would run with Callie the moment I got the chance. There was no other fate for me but that. My twin and I had dreamed of a free life for as long as I could remember, and it was time we fulfilled it. But even with that decision as clear as a beacon in my heart, it still hurt to know I may never see Erik again beyond tomorrow. Perhaps, sometimes, the right decisions cut deepest.

“Stay.” The word fell from my lips and goosebumps rose across my skin.

“All night?” he asked, and I knew he was asking so much more than that.

The blood rose in my veins, and I nodded, releasing his arm and backing up. He lingered in the doorway, eyeing the threshold like he knew the weight of crossing it as starkly as I did. But I’d laid out the invitation. He only needed to accept it.

After tonight, I could never put a voice to this want. It would be my darkest secret, a cross to bear alone. But it would always be mine, a memory to revisit, darkness dipped in honey.

He walked forward and shut the door behind him with a sharp click. Tension stretched through the room, expanding into every tiny space inside me too.

I opened my mouth, trying to figure out what to say. Maybe telling him I was a virgin would have been a killer idea right now, but no words came out, and Erik stepped closer, brushing a lock of hair from my neck. I didn’t covet my virginity in some fairy tale way, but if I wanted to draw some lines, now was the time. Say what I wanted, how far this could go. But I wasn’t even sure of the answers to those questions myself. I was caught between two powerful emotions. One telling me to give all of myself to him, the other telling me to remain as far away as possible.

“Why are you looking at me like that, rebel?” he mused, and his low tone electrified every fibre in my body.

A blush crawled into my cheeks, but I held his gaze, refusing to cower from these needs in me. It was like I was waiting for permission to do what I wanted instead of doing what I should do. Because the shoulds were clear, written in burning letters across my mind. I should tell him to leave. I should keep away. I should bury these desires and never, ever let them surface again. But the wants…they were where the devil lay. Temptation in all its beautiful, destructive glory.

And it was just one night, that was all I was asking for…

Tiptoeing, I laced my fingers behind his neck, and a rush of heat slid down my spine like liquid fire.

He took my waist, brushing his thumbs over my bare skin as my shirt rode up. I drew in a breath as desire pooled within me and charged energy scattered through every inch of my being.

“You need to tell me what you want, because I’m not going to make the decision for you,” he said, his voice rumbling through me.

“I think…I want you,” I whispered as if the gods themselves might be leaning close to steal away my secret and tell it to the world.

“You think you want me?” he echoed back at me with a smirk.

“Don’t be a dick.” I scowled and he released a light laugh that was filled with a joy I rarely saw in him.

“Keep going, rebel. Your dirty talk is sublime.”

I smacked his arm, but he just waited for me to continue.

“I do want you,” I said more firmly, my fingernails digging into his arms.

His expression was nothing but villainy as he reached down, grabbing my thighs, and hoisting me up so I had to tangle my legs around his waist to hold on. He turned around with a burst of speed and pinned me against the door, making my breath hitch at the impact.

“I think you’re bluffing,” he growled with a dark smile that tied my stomach in knots.

Before I could reply, he dropped his mouth to my jaw, trailing fiery kisses to the corner of my lips. I fisted my hands in his hair, but he refused to kiss me properly, skating over my lips and working up the other side of my jaw in a sweet kind of torture. When his fangs grazed my skin, a mixture of fear and excitement set my heart pounding, and my core clenched with need.

“I’m not bluffing.” I tried to turn toward his lips, but he leaned away with a hungry look in his eyes.

He dropped me without warning and my feet hit the floorboards with a thump. “Are you sure? Because I’ve been one hell of a bastard.”

“And are your bastard days over? Is the great Erik Belvedere reformed?” I teased.

“Reformed?” he scoffed. “There’s no reformation for me now. But…I also gave up trying to be better many years ago, and I think it’s time I tried again.”

“I like it when you try.” I grazed my knuckles against his cheek, the cool touch of his skin setting my pulse racing. His eyes were a sea of ash, holding a weight of memory in them that I would never know the burden of.

“When you first saw me, were you afraid?” he asked.

“Terrified,” I whispered, dropping my hand.

“And now?”

“I fear what you’ve done, what you might yet do. But I don’t fear you.”

“Why is that, do you think?”

“Because…” My throat clamped around my answer, not letting it free.

“Come on, rebel. You’ve never bitten your tongue before now.” Mirth glittered in his eyes, and I pursed my lips.

“Because you wouldn’t hurt me,” I said with certainty.

He nodded. “I would protect you in this life and the next. You have given me countless reasons to adore you, but I’m yet to understand the reasons you look at me the way you do.”

“I’ve never met anyone who can argue with me the way you can,” I said, emotion burning a line across my chest. “Or someone who is so infuriatingly dispassionate about everything.”

He frowned as if that might be all I had to say about him, but I went on, unravelling the reasons I wanted him for my benefit as much as his. Letting it out of my head was a release I hadn’t known I’d needed.

“Because despite what you might say, I’ve seen you fighting to be more than a monster. I’ve had moments of light with you that show me who you were before the curse took root in you. And even though you’re stubborn and rude and you make me want to scream sometimes, you’re also the first person to wake me up from my daydreams. I don’t want to escape into my head when you’re in the room. I am so starkly here, wide awake and living. When I’m with you, I can feel…everything.”

He kissed me, his hand pushing into my hair and pulling me closer, and our tongues met in a fervent kiss.

I reached for the top button of his shirt, breaking our kiss so our eyes met. His throat bobbed as he watched me easing the buttons free. As I pulled the last one open, my hand met with his cool skin and my eyes tracked the hard plain of his muscular chest, the cut shape of his abs and the dark trail of hair that disappeared beneath his waistband.

He shrugged out of his shirt, letting it fall to the floor, and I took in his achingly perfect body, power emanating from every hard angle of his muscles to the silvery scars that spoke of the violence he’d once faced from his enemies. My fingertips trailed to the crescent-shaped scar on his midriff and his muscles firmed as I traced the shape of it with my thumb. An ache grew in my chest at the thought of someone slicing a blade across his skin, but that thought was so wildly opposite to my upbringing that a knot of guilt tightened in my chest. My family and I had been a slave to his kind, and now I was handing myself to one of them, my heart beating for him in a way it never should have.

I scraped my gaze up to meet his, and my doubts sped away as fast as a receding storm. There was a calmness in his eyes that I felt deep in my soul too, like being this close to him was right in some way that defied all reason. My heart thumped harder for him, willing me closer, and I knew there was a part of me that had fallen for him, and that part was going to shatter and crumble the moment I ran away.

But I was still here with him now, and I didn’t want to waste another moment resisting the call of my heart.

Besides, it was only tonight, the hours already falling to dust, soon to be forgotten by all but us. What was one night in the entirety of my life?

He hooked a finger into my waistband, towing me after him as he headed to the bed, the look of a heathen in his eyes.

I reached up to kiss him again, but he pushed me away, knocking me onto the bed.

“Asshole,” I cursed.

His eyes lit with a game only he knew the rules to. “I know every way I want you, and in what order.”

“And am I meant to comply like a good girl?” I scoffed, shoving to my feet so I was standing on the bed looking down at him.

“That would be unlike the rebel I know, I suppose,” he mused.

I pulled my shirt off, unclipping my bra and shrugging out of it, tossing them both away. Erik’s throat bobbed as he watched, and I shimmied out of my trousers and panties, kicking them away too. It felt like a power move, but with his eyes raking across every inch of my bare skin, it took a lot to hold my nerve.

He reached for me with a hungry groan, but I slapped his hand away, making him growl instead.

“I’ll have you begging by the end of this,” he warned. “You won’t be in charge when you’re beneath me.”

“I think you need a lesson in subservience,” I said with a playful smirk.

“Oh, do I now?” he said dryly, taking a step forward that said I was only a few seconds from losing the upper hand. His gaze continued to move over my flesh, his appetite for me clear. “Fuck, you’re beautiful. And you’ve put on weight.”

I glanced down at my body, caught off guard by the comment. He was right; I looked far less scrawny than I had when I’d been brought to New York. Three full meals a day, along with whatever snacks I desired, was doing me the world of good, but that only reminded me of what I’d once lacked.

My thoughts jarred and Erik took my moment of silence as an invitation, stepping smoothly onto the bed, capturing my waist and squeezing the skin there.

“No more hungry humans. I promise you,” he swore. “It started with you, but it doesn’t end there.”

“It doesn’t change what’s done,” I breathed.

“No, we can only start from where we are. The past is written, but we get to write what comes next.”

“What’s gotten into you?” I shook my head at him in maddened confusion.

He just grinned and then pushed me so I fell onto the bed beneath him, taking control once more. He dropped over me, kissing my stomach and making me gasp as he pressed his hands into the sheets, his shoulder muscles tensing beautifully as he dragged his mouth down towards my core.

“Less talking. I want you screaming,” he murmured against my skin.

“If you think I’m going to just-” My words turned to a wild moan as he slicked his tongue over my clit in a long stroke that sent a shiver of pleasure daggering through me.

“Oh God,” I gasped, and he did it again, his cool tongue like a weapon against my flesh, disarming me with every stroke and forcing me to submit.

He was lazy in his torture of me, like he was enjoying each twitch of my body and the way I writhed every time he dragged his tongue over that sensitive place.

“Better,” he commented, and I opened my mouth to rebuke him, but he was ready for that, rolling his tongue over me in a quick motion that made me cry out. He kept it up and my body began to shudder and tense, my thighs wrapping around his head as I urged him on with every buck of my hips. Nothing had ever felt this good, his mouth on me so fucking perfect that I never wanted it to stop.

My back arched as I came with a scream, his name wrapped around my tongue, my body too hot all over, waves of electricity rolling out from that perfect spot as he continued to lap at me like I was his favourite meal.

“Fuck, that was…” I slung an arm over my eyes, catching my breath and trying to recover.

“That was your warmup,” he said, grabbing my hips and forcing us to roll so he was beneath me.

I gasped, my hands flying out to catch myself as I found myself on top of him, my thighs spread over his face. His hands gripped my ass, forcing me to ride his tongue, and I grasped the pillows for support, my clit so sensitive from his first assault on me.

“Erik,” I gasped, trying to lift my hips, but his fingers squeezed hard, holding me down and rocking me forward a little so he could slide his tongue into me. “Fuck.”

He drove his tongue in and out, and I couldn’t help but fall into the rhythm of it, every part of my core throbbing, hot and so wet. His fingers slid between my ass cheeks, and I wasn’t remotely ready for when he slicked his tongue back up to my clit and drove two fingers into my pussy instead. My body took over, my hips rocking back and forth as I fucked his hand and that aching heat built between my thighs again, seeking release.

His tongue didn’t slow, driving against me firm and fast, and the sensitivity gave way to pure ecstasy.

My fingers tore into the pillows, my knees digging into the sheets on either side of his head, and I became nothing but an animal as I followed the needs of my body, grinding against his mouth. He slid two more fingers into me with his other hand. My pussy tightened around him, clenching every time he drove them inside me, stretching me and making me work to get used to taking so much at once.

I was coming again, but this time the strength ebbed right out of my body, my pussy clenching around his fingers and making him growl with desire, the sound vibrating through my clit. My vision darkened for a moment as I rocked my hips a few more times, lost to the pleasure he fed me, before I went slack.

He pulled his fingers free of me, grabbing my hips and moving me down to straddle his thighs. I found myself sitting over the hard ridge of his thick cock through his pants, my core soaked and my body trembling from what he’d just done to me. My nipples were peaked and swollen, begging for attention, and my black hair was a mess of waves. He stared up at me, sucking his lips clean and wiping his chin on the back of his hand.

“On a scale of one to ten, how in charge of me do you feel right now?” he asked with a smirk.

“Ten,” I panted, and he barked a laugh.

“Such a liar.”

I shifted my hips, and he released a low groan as his cock ground between my thighs. He was so big, I couldn’t imagine how he would feel inside me. His fingers had felt more than enough.

“How many men have made you come?” he asked casually.

“What – why?” I blurted, my cheeks blazing.

I wasn’t embarrassed about my life choices but telling him about my inexperience suddenly felt way too exposing.

“Relax, I don’t give a damn if you’ve fucked a whole army. I just care about outdoing anyone who’s had you,” he said cockily.

“I don’t want to talk about that,” I said.

“What else are we supposed to do while you’re catching your breath?”

I ground my teeth in realisation. “You’re going easy on me.”

“Well, this breather is hardly for me.”

“Are you holding back on me?” I asked, irrationally angered by the thought.

“I could literally snap your spine in half, rebel. So yes, I’m holding back. You couldn’t handle what I’m capable of.”

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t handle,” I growled, but what I was really focusing on was the huge bulge between my thighs and how I was actually going to deal with it. I didn’t know what I was doing, and it was going to be seriously obvious if we went that far.

“Why are you so flustered?”

“I’m not flustered,” I snapped.

“Montana,” he said in that voice that always undid me so easily. “Talk to me.”

He leaned up, shifting his hips forward so he was sitting, and I wound my legs around him. We were nose to nose, eyes fixed on each other’s while my chest continued to rise and fall, yet his remained entirely still.

“Nothing, I want this. Keep going,” I insisted.

His cool chest pressed against mine and my heart began to slow, the closeness of him building another fire in me.

Traitor.

The voice cut through my head, and though it was my own, it sounded like Callie’s too. I forced it away as Erik kissed my neck, his touches like brands on my skin, marking me as his. I wanted this so much and yet…

You’re giving yourself to one of the creatures who hunger for your blood.

I clamped my eyes shut, battling the thought away.

Erik lifted my hips up, reaching for his waistband and I sucked in a breath, panic seizing me.

Dad would be disgusted with you.

I scrambled away from Erik, off the bed, snatching his shirt and pulling it on to cover myself.

“That’s enough,” I said, hurriedly doing up the buttons and refusing to look at him.

He shot in front of me, giving me no choice as he caught my chin, lifting my head to meet his gaze.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “I’m right here, speak to me.”

“I don’t want you here. And I don’t want to speak to you,” I snapped, pushing away from him, my heart hammering frantically.

Dad would be so ashamed. Callie would be horrified if she knew.

I carved a hand over my face, turning my back on him.

“Forget this. We can go watch a movie or-” he began.

“I don’t want that. I don’t want any of this. Or you. I want you to get away from me,” I demanded, the grief I’d been bottling up for days flooding out and drowning me. I was twisted up in the shame of it, for wanting Erik at all. He was responsible for so much. My parents were both dead because of the vampires, and this was how I repaid them after all they’d done for me?

“What did I do?” Erik asked, hurt lining his voice.

“What did you do?” I echoed as I rounded on him, my upper lip peeling back. “You caged humanity. You made us your food. You think because you want to fuck one of us that redeems everything you’ve done up until now?”

Erik’s jaw flexed, his eyes unblinking, and I saw the darkness in him spilling back out, the truth of who he really was.

“No,” he said quietly, fury and pain shading his eyes. “It doesn’t.”

You’re an insult to humanity.

The tears kept coming and I silently apologised to my family, pressing the heels of my palms against my eyes.

“My dad would be so ashamed of me if he knew that I gave myself to-” I swallowed the last word.

“Say it,” Erik snarled. “Say what I am. The creature you despise, the one worthy of your disgust.”

“You’re a monster,” I breathed.

“Yes, and nothing I say can change who I am, Montana. I wish it could, truly. But the fact is, I am the monster you’ve hated your entire life. I am the beast your father warned you of. And you’re right to heed his warning.”

He strode to the door, and I took a step after him, regret suddenly burning a hole in my chest at the callous way I’d turned on him.

“Wait,” I called, and he hesitated in the doorway, not looking back but I had his attention.

“You’re right about me, Montana. And it’s time you stopped falling for my pretty lies. I’m made to lure you in, right? Looks like you’ve finally remembered that. Congratulations.”

He strode out the door, leaving it wide open, and I knew this thing between us was finally fractured beyond repair.

I gazed out into the corridor, a bitter acceptance filling me to the brim. In the face of doing the right thing, I felt little satisfaction in my heart. Just a cold splinter digging deeper and deeper, telling me I’d just lost Erik Belvedere for good.