15. Callie

My heart throbbed as Julius grabbed my hand and yanked me further up the beach, away from the river and my sister. The hoard of vampires seemed to never stop racing out of the water despite the fact that we must have killed ten of them already. But as even more of them clambered from the water, their ravenous gazes fixed on the two of us, I was sure there were far too many for us to fight off at once.

I had no choice but to let Julius drag me away, to break into a sprint and hope to all the gods in the sky that Magnar had gotten her to safety.

“Run faster,” Julius growled.

“What about Montana and Magnar?” I asked desperately. We couldn’t just leave them behind.

“You still have your novice mark. If Magnar was dead it would be gone. And he’d give his life to protect Montana so we can assume they’re both okay. We won’t be if we don’t move though,” Julius urged.

Relief spilled through me as I glanced at the mark on my hand and I upped my speed, giving all of my attention to our escape.

Vampires continued to swarm from the water and I focused fully on our retreat in the hopes of leading them after us, knowing we needed to fight them on our own terms.

“Here,” Julius commanded, pointing to a narrow set of steps carved into a high wall which surrounded the river. “Choke point. Let’s finish these assholes.”

I set my feet as I took up position beside him and raised Tempest before me. We barely had a moment before the vampires were upon us. Fifteen of them raced our way, baying for our blood like a pack of bloodthirsty dogs.

I ground my teeth at the sight of these monsters who thirsted for my life force. There was no way in hell they’d be getting a drop of it.

Julius miraculously still had his bow as well as his pack and he fired arrow after arrow at the approaching demons, sending six of them spiralling to dust before they could reach us.

I leapt forward to meet the first one who made it close enough and carved a path straight through his chest with the heavy blade. Tempest thrummed excitedly as it bathed in his blood and I fell into the rhythm of the fight.

I ducked low as the next vampire lunged for me, driving the sword straight up through his groin while he screamed in pain. Carnage descended as Julius unleashed Menace and he stabbed it through the vampire’s heart to finish him off for me.

He carved through two more of the monsters before I made it upright, and I spun away from him, swinging Tempest wildly and taking the head from a male.

“Is that the slayer Valentina wants?” one of them hissed as he eyed Julius.

“No. This one’s fair game,” a female replied as she leapt towards him.

Julius kicked the female in the chest and she fell onto my blade where I held it ready. My mind reeled. Why were they hunting Magnar? But the ferocity of our fight drove it from my mind as I was forced to focus on killing them.

The remaining three vampires rushed Julius at once and I took four running steps towards him. He noticed my approach and reached back for me, catching my hand in his and swinging me forwards as I leapt to meet the last of our foes. I collided with them, sending them crashing to the ground and I drove my blade through the one in the centre.

Julius wheeled Menace over my head in a wide arc that slashed through the final pair, and I closed my eyes as their remains cascaded over me, the ash clinging to my drenched clothes.

Everything fell deathly quiet and Julius offered me his hand. Our adrenaline peaked at our victory as he pulled me upright and we grinned at each other.

“Not bad, novice,” he said, slapping my upper arm and causing my saturated coat to spray water over both of us.

“That was fun,” I admitted. “Did you hear what that male said though? About wanting to catch a slayer for Valentina?”

“I don’t tend to pay much attention to the ramblings of my victims. Lessers such as these would have no chance of capturing my brother anyway,” he replied dismissively, though that did little to ease the worry twisting my insides. “And it’s no surprise to learn that Valentina is searching for him. Her obsession with Magnar is well established.”

“And that doesn’t concern you?” I asked uneasily.

“No. And it shouldn’t concern you either. If Magnar had ever wanted Valentina then he would have had her. I’ve never seen him look at any other woman the way he looks at you.”

I flushed, shaking my head and refusing to dissect that little nugget of information. “I’m not worried because I’m jealous. I’m worried because she’s a psycho with a band of bloodthirsty followers and control over the elements.”

Julius chuckled like I was joking, stooping to pick up the pack he’d dropped while taking on the vampires.

“You can finish the last one,” he offered, pointing at the vampire I’d decapitated.

I nudged its head with the toe of my boot and looked down into the male’s glassy eyes.

“Could he really heal from that?” I asked curiously.

“I’ll show you,” Julius said with a grin. “Hold your blade ready to finish him.”

“Okay,” I said slowly, resting Tempest against the vampire’s chest above his heart.

Julius picked up the head by its hair and clasped its chin between his fingers. “Hi, I’m Headward,” he said in a stupid voice as he forced the mouth to open and shut like it was talking.

I snorted a laugh. “You’re twisted.”

“You have no idea,” he replied suggestively before placing the head back onto the vampire’s neck.

My mouth fell open as the skin slowly began to knit back together and the vampire’s eyelids fluttered.

“Holy shit,” I breathed in fascination.

“Fucked up, right?”

The vampire’s eyes snapped open and I flinched before driving the blade down and turning him to dust.

“Come on then, we need to beat Magnar and Montana to that statue.” Julius turned away and started jogging up the steps.

“Beat them? I didn’t know we were racing.”

“Of course we’re racing! Everything’s a game if you make it into one. And we’re gonna win!”

My coat was totally saturated and the thick material was weighing me down so I reluctantly shrugged it off and left it on the steps. I squeezed the worst of the moisture from my hair as I ran to catch up with Julius, frustrated that every time I found myself a nice, warm coat, it always ended up leaving me.

As I emerged at the top of the steps, Julius held out an arm to halt me. I concentrated on Tempest’s energy but there were so many vampires nearby that it was impossible to lock on to any one threat.

“It’s clear,” Julius whispered and I followed him across a dark street into a side alley. “Let’s take the rooftops from here.”

“What?” I asked with a frown.

“It’s the best way to get around the city without being noticed,” he assured me.

I still didn’t know what he meant, but I trusted his judgment as he’d spent weeks in the city before we’d arrived and he hadn’t been caught.

Julius leapt towards a window several feet above his head and caught it easily, hoisting himself higher before clambering up the wall to the next floor. I watched him for several seconds as he climbed away from me, taking note of his movements and preparing myself to mimic them. With a deep breath, I shook off my doubts and ran at the wall too.

My fingers found a space between the bricks and I dragged myself higher. I grabbed a window ledge next and began to pick up speed as I got the feel for it. When I made it to the top of the building, Julius caught my hand and helped me onto the roof.

I glanced back at the drop below me and let out a shaky breath. We were sixteen floors up and the concrete far below beckoned me, promising to splatter my body if I fell.

“There she is,” Julius breathed, pointing along the river to the huge statue which was bathed in moonlight.

“Not too far to go,” I replied. “But how does being up here help us?”

“You know, your sister didn’t love this idea either. But I won her ‘round in the end.” Julius smirked at me then took off across the rooftop.

I sucked in a breath as he reached the edge and dove off of it like a fearless madman. He landed neatly on the next building and turned back to me expectantly.

I stared at him for several long seconds, wondering if I was really crazy enough to follow him. A tingling started up in my muscles and adrenaline flooded through me as I considered it. With a surge of bravery or, more likely stupidity, I took off.

I raced across the rooftop and before I knew it, my boot landed on the edge and I launched myself into the sky. My gut plummeted, my heart leapt, and the air bit at my cheeks, but then it was done. My feet hit the next roof and I skidded to a halt as a laugh bubbled from my lips.

“That’s more like it,” Julius said with a wild look about him. “You’ve been way too serious the last few days. You need to remember why being one of us is so great.”

Before I could respond, he was running again and a savage smile pulled at my lips as I sprinted after him. My legs pounded with energy and I chased him from roof to roof, keeping the huge statue in sight as a lightness filled my chest. He was right; being a slayer kicked ass. I could do without being bound to so many rules by a petty goddess, but when I let my gifts have free rein, I was fucking unstoppable. And it felt seriously good.

Julius leapt to a roof on our left and I smirked as I raced towards one on our right. I charged across it, pulling my gifts to me in a flood as I launched myself over the next ledge. The statue was getting ever closer and he had said he wanted a race.

A street divided our routes and I could see him tearing along in the corner of my eye, keeping pace with me as I threw all of my effort into beating him.

I landed on a gravel rooftop and my boots skidded awkwardly, my heart lurching as I caught my balance. The street ahead was a dead end and there was a single building which stood at the closest point to the statue before we’d have to descend again.

I hurled myself toward the next roof, catching the edge of it before heaving myself up, the thrill making my head spin. I started running again instantly, the final building looming with promise right in front of me. Just one more jump-

I rolled as I hit the roof and sprang back to my feet just in time to see Julius launching himself over from the building opposite. A smile lit my features as he jogged to a halt before me and folded his arms over his broad chest.

“You cheated,” he announced.

“How?” I asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

“Your route was easier.”

“Sure. If you say so.” I rolled my eyes at him and moved towards the far side of the building, gazing out to where the statue stood on an island in the river.

With a violence that set my pulse thrashing, a fork of lightning shot from the sky and hit the ground on the far side of the river. I held my breath as I stared at the spot, wondering if it could have been Valentina, if she was close.

The mark binding me to Magnar remained firmly on my skin though, so I forced away my concerns for him and my sister. The sooner we were reunited at the statue, the better. Until then there was no point in wasting effort worrying.

Julius peered down at the street below and I followed his gaze. There were several bars open with colourful lights illuminating the sidewalk as vampires came and went. The street was busy, and it was going to be damn difficult to cross it.

Julius pressed a finger to his lips and led me over the roof to a metal fire escape. We descended silently and dropped down into a dark alleyway, my senses sharpening at every noise.

We crept towards the street and Julius glanced around the corner, but he lurched back suddenly and hoisted me into his arms, pressing his body to mine and pushing me up against the wall. I gasped in surprise as he placed his hand against the bricks beside me, pinning me in place and concealing our faces as he leaned closer.

“Try to pretend you’re enjoying yourself, sweetheart - sometimes it’s easier to hide in plain sight,” he breathed as he dipped his face towards mine.

I held Tempest out of view and hooked my other arm around his neck as I caught on to what he was doing, making it look like the two of us were simply enjoying each other’s company in the questionable privacy of the alleyway.

A group of vampires passed our hiding place and a few of the females giggled as they noticed us locked in our compromising position. They hurried on by without looking any closer, and I grinned at Julius as he released me.

“You’re pretty good at this sneaking about stuff,” I said lightly.

“I’m pretty good at everything,” he replied, winking at me with such casual confidence that I had to roll my eyes at him. “So when you’re ready to switch your attention to the better looking brother just let me know.”

“There’s a better looking brother? I didn’t know there were three of you.”

“Harsh. So harsh.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me out onto the street.

We slipped across it quickly and jogged down another dark alley between the low buildings which lined the river, moving ever closer to our destination.

We kept running all the way to the water’s edge and I eyed it nervously.

“Do you think there could still be biters in there?” I asked.

“Nah. Why would they hang about at the bottom of the Hudson? That was purely for our benefit before. They’re either dead at our hands or they fled now they’ve lost us.”

I nodded, clinging onto his certainty as I prepared to swim for the island.

“Well if you wanna beat Magnar and Montana, you might want to hurry up.” I took a running jump and dived straight in, the freezing water swallowing me whole as I let my ancestors guide me once more.

I breached the surface and started swimming for the statue as fast as I could, but Julius kept pace beside me, his powerful arms carving through the water with ease.

I tried not to think about grasping hands reaching for me from the murky depths and before long we were striding out of the water beneath the giant statue.

“Oh fuck no!” Julius took off and I started laughing as I spotted Magnar racing towards the statue on the far side of the island. He’d lost his shirt somehow on his way here and I bit my lip as I eyed his muscular body appreciatively.

I jogged over to meet Montana and pulled her into my arms, relieved to be reunited. Fate was never going to tear us apart again.

“Are you okay?” I asked as we turned towards the statue.

“Thanks to Magnar. But we ran into Valentina on our way here,” she replied gravely.

“Really?” I gasped. “Where is she now? Did Magnar kill her?” I asked hopefully.

“Sadly not. She ran away, but before she did, her followers tried to catch Magnar. I don’t know why, but she definitely wants him for something.”

I looked over at Magnar with concern. He’d fallen into a scuffle with Julius and their laughter carried to us, making my heart lift with joy. He’d been so endlessly alone and filled with grief when I’d first met him, but now that he had his brother back, I could see that pain lifting from him more and more.

“Let’s hope the Belvederes manage to track her down and kill her before she comes for him again,” I growled, somewhat thankful for the knowledge that Valentina was being hunted just as surely as we were.

Montana nodded in agreement and we started walking towards the slayers. “Are you alright?” she asked.

“Still in one piece,” I confirmed as we closed in on a door at the foot of the towering statue.

Magnar and Julius were shoving each other and bickering in low voices as they waited for us, the two of them seeming much younger in their rivalry, the seriousness stripped from them for a moment.

“Tell this cheat who won,” Magnar demanded as we reached them.

“I, err, wasn’t looking.” I shrugged at him unhelpfully and they both turned to Montana instead.

“Won what?” she asked.

They stared at us in disgust and stomped away into the building whilst continuing their argument.

I looked at Montana with an eyebrow raised and she pursed her lips, hiding an amused smile before we followed them inside.