35. Callie

The rest of the vampires nearby had fled, leaving a ring of space surrounding us, the floor stained with the bright blood of those who had escaped with their lives and a solid inch of ash from those who had met their end.

I surveyed the area carefully, looking for any other vampires who might try to move against us, but they’d all headed to the far end of the cathedral in a desperate bid to escape.

Fabian stood at the other end of the aisle, his gaze flitting between me and Magnar as if he couldn’t decide which one of us to fix his attention on, his polished shoes crunching over broken decorations as he stalked closer. Tension spiralled in the space dividing us, thick with the promise of violence.

I tore my eyes away from him, scouring the panicking crowd for any sign of Montana, but I couldn’t spot her among the fleeing vampires. Fear gripped me. I’d come so far to rescue her, and I couldn’t fail her now.

“I need to get to my sister,” I breathed as Magnar slowly rotated his swords in his grip, ready for battle.

“Julius is getting her,” he replied confidently. “We’ll meet them outside once I’m finished here.”

Relief flooded me and I nodded, looking around once more in case I could spot them heading for an exit. Julius had gotten her away from the Belvederes once already, I was sure he could do it again.

I stepped aside as Magnar moved towards Fabian, and my heart pounded with terror for both of them. I tried to force the concern I felt for Fabian out of my skull, knowing it wasn’t real, but it wouldn’t budge. It was like a seed that had burrowed under my skin and wouldn’t leave. It had taken root and had no intention of releasing me, its grip on me only tightening with every moment that passed.

But perhaps his death would free me. If I could only force myself to stand back and watch, then maybe Magnar would break the chain that bound me to my enemy. The thought alone sent terror racing through me, and I gritted my teeth, reminding myself of all the reasons I had to hate him.

Fabian’s eyes fell on me, and he raised a hand, beckoning me towards him. He’d removed his jacket and pushed up the sleeves of his white shirt in preparation for his fight with Magnar, the dishevelled look all kinds of working for him.

Fuck.

I bit my tongue against that thought, but my gaze was drawn to the swell of his biceps despite my efforts to force the lust aside, so I closed my eyes before any more unwelcome thoughts found their way in.

“I swore I’d always protect you, Callie,” Fabian called, and I opened my eyes again at the sound of his voice, unable to fight off the pull I felt towards him. “Come here, please.”

I took a step in his direction, then forced myself to stop, shaking my head in a firm refusal. “Get out of my head!”

I looked to Magnar so I could remind myself of who I truly was. He was my kin, my anchor. I’d sworn an oath to stand by his side, and I had no intention of abandoning him. His brows were pinched together in confusion as he watched me struggling against the urge to join Fabian, and there was a violence building in his gaze which promised nothing but bloodshed.

“What have you done to her?” Magnar growled, returning his attention to the royal vampire before us.

“She is my wife,” Fabian hissed as he stooped to retrieve a silver sword from the ground beside the uniform of a dead guard. “And she loves me.”

Magnar’s gaze flicked back to me for a moment before returning to Fabian.

“She is a slayer,” he replied defiantly. “She was born to destroy you. She could never love you.”

I opened my mouth to agree with him, but something stopped me, some horrifying reality born solely from the mark on my palm which wouldn’t be denied.

Magnar lifted Venom higher, pointing it at Fabian’s chest before tossing Tempest to me. I caught the heavy blade automatically, surprise flooding me as its presence swept through me.

Hello, Dream Walker. Shall we dance?

The blade’s energy was darker and more forbidding than Fury’s, but it hungered for the blood of the vampires in just the same way, its power sinking into me, helping me ground myself in the truth of who I was.

“Come, Callie, let’s show this creature just how much you love him,” Magnar scoffed as he began to advance on my husband.

I hesitated for a moment, and Fabian’s gaze met mine, his eyes full of longing. But his feelings couldn’t be any more real than my own. We’d been placed under some spell of the gods, and I refused to let them drive my fate anymore.

I locked my jaw and pushed my consciousness towards Tempest’s thirst for blood. I could trust the blade to guide me back to the path I’d chosen even if I wasn’t sure if I could trust myself. It would never falter in its hatred of the vampires.

I called on my gifts, and my ancestors’ memories rose in me. They knew all about Fabian; he’d killed many of them, and some had seen weaknesses in his fighting techniques before their end came. I could use that knowledge against him. And my rage at their deaths helped to remind me of what he truly was. With Magnar by my side, we were sure to succeed where they’d failed.

Magnar released a warrior’s cry as he charged into battle. I mimicked his stance, holding Tempest high and digging my heels into the solid flagstones beneath me while I watched him charge into battle.

Fabian lunged beneath Venom and brought his own sword around so quickly that I was sure Magnar was about to lose an arm. The clash of steel rang out as he managed to block the blow just in time, and the two of them instantly fell into a ferocious battle.

Their swords met again and again before Magnar’s boot suddenly collided with Fabian’s chest. He was thrown backwards, skidding across the concrete floor on his polished shoes until he came to a halt right before me.

Fabian’s eyes met mine and he lowered his sword a fraction just before I swung Tempest over my head at him with a cry of effort.

Aim true, Sun Child.

Fabian flinched back in surprise, barely parrying the blow before I spun aside and swung at him again.

My movements weren’t as fluid as they should have been because whatever it was that bound me to him fought against my actions. He blocked my blows, and I was sure he could have countered them easily, but he didn’t attempt to. His face was taut with barely contained emotion, and I could tell he had no intention of harming me.

“Why?” he breathed but I had no answer to his question.

I didn’t know why I couldn’t force myself to fight him with my full strength. And I didn’t know why I even wanted to. The warring halves of my soul confused me enough that my attacks grew sloppy.

I swung at Fabian again and he caught my arm, using my own motion to spin me away from him just as Magnar raced back towards us.

Fabian shoved me away from the fight and I fell against one of the pews, tumbling over it and falling to the other side.

I pushed myself upright, wincing as pain flared through my side. It was enough to realign my thoughts, and my lip pulled back as I set my gaze on Fabian once more.

I will break this bond.

Magnar and Fabian moved away from me, their battle growing in intensity as neither of them could gain the upper hand, and the clash of furious metal echoed through the enormous space that surrounded us.

I vaulted over the pew and ran towards them, my heels clicking on the stone floor as I raised Tempest again.

Magnar glanced at me, and Fabian slammed into him, taking full advantage of his distraction. Magnar was thrown back, soaring through the air until he slammed into a huge stained-glass window which shattered as he fell through it, disappearing outside.

My heart leapt into my throat, and I released a furious cry, raising my blade as I faced off against my husband.

“I know you feel it,” Fabian growled, bright red blood trickling from his hairline to stain his jaw, the sight of it setting my pulse spiking with panic. “I know you can’t hurt me.”

My lips parted on a denial, but he was right, I felt it in my bones. I wouldn’t be able to land a death blow against him which meant there was no point in me fighting him at all.

“I know,” I admitted, my gaze meeting his as the urge to throw myself into his arms and taste his lips against mine almost overwhelmed me. “But I can run.”

I turned from him before I had to see his response to that, my heart aching with the desperate desire to turn back, but I blocked it out with all I had, focusing on the thought of Magnar lying hurt somewhere outside the cathedral. Then I ran for the door as fast as my legs could fucking carry me.