2. Montana

The storm continued to pummel us as we fled from the cathedral, leaving Erik and the other royals far behind along with the shattered pieces of my heart.

Julius took the lead, heading down a darkened alley and hurriedly lifting up a circular manhole cover at the centre of it.

Magnar grabbed Callie’s arm. “You go first,” he commanded as if he was afraid she might turn back and something about his hard tone set the hairs rising along my arms.

I expected Callie to bite back at him, but she didn’t hesitate, quickly descending the ladder into the dark.

My pulse ticked faster as I halted, watching as Magnar followed her, then Julius turned to me expectantly.

I glanced over my shoulder, gazing back at the rain-swept street, shivering as the cold crept into my bones. My wedding dress was heavy, sodden and filthy, a train of white turning black at my feet. Blood tainted its pure colour with a red tinge from those vampires who had not met a permanent end.

The bite marks on my skin were sore, but the venom had been washed out by the rain, leaving a trail of silver marring my flesh. But nothing stung deeper than leaving my prison behind, the shame of that something I could never put words to.

Erik invaded my mind and the cross on my left palm burned with an intensity that begged me to go back to him. To run and never stop running until I was back in his arms.

“Come on,” Julius urged, moving toward me with a threat in his stance.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing my legs to move me in the direction of the drain. There was no going back.

“You belong with us,” Julius murmured, reaching out to squeeze my hand, his skin burning hot in comparison to mine.

I didn’t answer, unsure if that was true. My heart craved Erik in a way that made my body ache. But I’d made my choice. And I’d chosen family. I would always choose family.

With a sharp breath, I lowered myself onto the ladder within the hole and Julius’s huge form cast a shadow over me as I descended into the thick darkness.

As I prised my numb fingers from the rungs, Callie’s arms wrapped around me. I leaned into her embrace, utterly relieved to be properly reunited at last. With my sister’s heart beating solidly in time with mine, I knew I’d made the right decision. She needed me, and I needed her just as much. We weren’t meant to walk in this world without one another.

The heavy thunk of the manhole cover sliding into place sounded, then Julius’s boots thumped against the ladder.

“Are you okay?” Callie whispered.

“Yes,” I replied, even though it wasn’t true. “Are you?”

“No,” she answered, releasing me.

The bright light on Julius’s cellphone suddenly blinded me and I lifted a hand to shield my eyes.

Callie floated toward the ladder, anxious lines forming on her brow. With a burst of energy, she started climbing it, her movements desperate as she raced for the surface.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Julius snatched her waist, ripping her off of it as she tried to claw his fingers from her dress.

“Callie,” I reached for her, anxiety tearing through my chest.

“I have to go back,” she groaned, then thumped her forehead with the heel of her palm. “No, shit. I don’t. Elder, help me,” she pleaded, reaching for Magnar with a desperate look in her eyes.

“You will follow us,” Magnar replied in that forbidding tone again, his eyes as dark as the tunnel surrounding us.

Callie immediately fell still in Julius’s arms, nodding firmly, and I frowned, looking between them.

“What’s going on? Why did you call him that?” I asked my sister.

“I’ll explain everything soon,” Callie said, her expression taut. “We just need to get out of here.”

I nodded, but my own feet started guiding me back to the ladder and as I gazed down at the cross on my palm, I was sure it was my bond to Erik driving my movements. I forcibly shook off the feeling and re-joined my sister, taking her hand and eyeing the X on her palm.

“It’s this. This is what’s trying to drive you back to Fabian,” I said darkly.

This strange bond must have been the reason she’d thrown herself in front of the royal brother to save him from death too.

Her eyes shimmered as she nodded. “Is this how Erik’s been controlling you?” she asked in horror.

A lump lodged in my throat and Julius raised an eyebrow at me, their scrutiny making my chest tighten.

I hesitated, not wanting to lie but not wanting to admit the truth either. Because the truth was a terrible thing.

“It’s making you want to go back to him, isn’t it?” Callie asked.

“Yeah...it is,” I admitted, staying within the lines of the truth. But that’s not the only thing making me want to go back.

“I hate them even more now for this. They’re in our heads,” Callie growled and rage glowed in her eyes.

I dropped my gaze, knowing I couldn’t be honest because it might just cost me everything with Callie. She despised the vampires, and she had every right to. Hell, I despised most of them too. But not all of them. And I was surrounded by the last people in the world who could ever be swayed to see any good in them.

Part of me wanted it all to have been some twisted manipulation, some spell Erik had cast on me, because then I knew I’d have a hope of being free of it in time. But a deeper part of me didn’t want that at all, because it meant that all those secret moments Erik and I had shared, the ones which had lit a fire in me and made me feel things I’d never thought possible, were lies made to shatter.

“Yeah,” I muttered, hating myself for keeping the truth from my twin, but how could I explain to Callie that this mark only solidified my love for Erik? That I’d cared for him long before the wedding, that I liked the wildness that came out in me around him.

Callie sighed, seeming to take comfort in our shared predicament. “Once we’re far away from them, we’ll figure out how to break these bonds. Then we’ll never have to think of them again until we’re driving a blade into their hearts.”

I nodded vaguely. I’m so fucked.

Julius strode after Magnar down the tunnel and I followed along with Callie, grappling with the conflict inside me.

“How did you get to the city?” I asked, wanting to distract myself from my thoughts. We had so much to say to each other, but I couldn’t bring myself to mention dad just yet. The moment I did, my heart was going to fracture and the pain would spill out until it was all I could feel.

Callie started recounting her story from the moment she’d left the Realm to when she’d taken the train to New York City and poisoned the blood supply, enrapturing me with every piece of the journey.

When she told me about taking the slayers’ vow, my heart thundered violently in my chest. She was bound by Magnar’s commands. But worse than that, she had sworn to kill the Belvederes. To kill Erik.

When Callie asked about my time in the city, I tried to keep it brief. I didn’t mention half of what I should have about my time with the royals. I just couldn’t bear to see her expression when I told her how I really felt. That I didn’t want them dead like I used to. That some of them weren’t all bad. She would think I was brainwashed, or worse, lose her faith in me entirely. And she was all I had. I couldn’t risk losing her after everything we’d been through to reunite.

We walked on until the subject of Dad hung too heavily between us to avoid. I took Callie’s hand and a ripple of energy flowed between us.

“You were with him...when he died,” I whispered, pain lacing my tone. I didn’t need to mention who I was talking about. She knew.

“Yes,” she said on a ragged breath. “And I know it sounds insane, but like I said, I can Dream Walk. I did it with him just before...”

I nodded, my eyes prickling as I waited for her to continue.

“I saw Mom too. They looked happy. I think maybe it was real in some way. I think they’re out there somewhere, together.”

A solid lump formed in my throat, but I took an inch of comfort from her words. Perhaps Mom and Dad were together in an afterlife, waiting for us to join them someday. “I really hope so.”

Julius led us to the ruins and I was relieved to leave the dank tunnels behind as we resurfaced above ground. It was the thick of night, the moon peering through the clouds above like a watchful creature lurking in the sky.

We came up near a crumbled old playground where a child’s swing was moving back and forth in the breeze. I shuddered at the eerie sight, following Julius’s broad form as he drew Menace from its sheath.

“Everyone use your blades to feel for Familiars,” he commanded as Magnar released one of the large swords from his back.

I raised Nightmare, trying to do as he said and Callie eyed it with longing. The blade remained quiet, and I hoped that meant we were safe.

“Here.” Magnar turned to Callie, passing her his other glittering sword. He’d taken it back after their conflict over Fabian, and I’d wondered if he didn’t trust her after what she’d done.

“Stay close,” he murmured to her, a pit of longing in his gaze. I glanced between the two of them, sensing something much stronger between them than just friendship. Their eyes were constantly drawn to one another, gazes lingering too long, and unspoken words thickening the air in the space that parted them.

As Magnar walked on with Julius, I raised an eyebrow at Callie.

She rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what I was suggesting. We’d always been able to communicate through looks alone. Clearly she and Magnar were a thing. And that made her situation a whole lot worse depending on how important that thing was to her. She was tied to Fabian; a vampire who I had no trust for whatsoever. Anyone would have been better than him.

Raindrops speckled my cheeks as we walked, but the raging storm had died down enough that it didn’t obscure our view anymore.

Julius waved us into an alley between two crumbling rows of buildings and we had to jog to keep up with his ferocious pace.

He didn’t slow for a few hours, and I was sure we’d long-since passed our old hideout at the bell tower.

When he finally dropped his speed a little, I hurried up to him, running my thumb over Nightmare’s hilt. I wondered how long we’d be safe for. Erik may have let me go, but surely the other royals would send Familiars after us soon.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“As far as possible,” Julius said. “I’m not taking any chances. The rain will keep our scent dampened, so we’ll use it to our advantage while we can.”

Magnar glanced back at Callie and I followed his gaze. She looked so small all of a sudden, like something had broken the strength which I’d seen in her just hours ago. She hugged her arms around herself, her golden hair dulled by the rain and some of the coal-black makeup around her eyes smudged down her cheeks.

Our dresses were sodden and it was taking everything we had to keep the cold out. Walking at this pace was the only thing stopping me from succumbing to it. I wondered if she felt the same because she didn’t seem to be shivering as badly as I was.

I turned to join her but Magnar beat me to it, dropping his voice as he spoke to her.

Her eyes warmed as she looked up at him and I left them to it, sensing they wanted a moment alone. Though perhaps it hurt just a little that she had looked to him instead of me.

Julius threw me a dark smile. “So, that mark on your palm must be causing you a lot of trouble.”

I scowled at his jibing. “Yep.”

“I will cut out Erik Belvedere’s heart so you can be rid of this cruel bond then.” Julius’s eyes glittered with mirth.

I frowned darkly and whispered, “Don’t say anything to Callie.”

“On your head be it,” he murmured then picked up his pace again. “I do not want to be around when the truth comes out.”

I hurried to keep pace. “It won’t.”

“Sure,” he said airily, halting at an intersection before taking a left turn.

I gritted my teeth as Nightmare poured heat into my veins. “Don’t be an asshole.”

“Don’t go asking the impossible of me,” he warned and I blew out a breath of amusement.

“Seriously Julius. What I said to you about the vampires, let’s keep it between us okay?”

“I’m not one to stir the pot. And I’m definitely not one to stir that particular pot. Your sister won’t forgive you for your newfound sympathy with the bloodsuckers, as I would not forgive Magnar. But I am still banking on me un-brainwashing you before it even comes close to coming out anyway. So don’t worry, damsel, I’ll save you once again.”

“I’m not brainwashed, Julius. Trust me, I wish I was,” I said heavily.

“A brainwashed person wouldn’t know they were brainwashed,” he pointed out and I scowled up at him. “Fine,” he conceded. “Say I believe you, then you really are in deeper shit than I thought.”

“Thanks for the pep talk,” I muttered.

He frowned, his arm brushing mine as he moved closer, and the heat radiating from his skin made me want to wrap the whole thing around me like a damn scarf. “I will protect you in any way you need protecting. It’s what we do for our kind.”

“I don’t need protecting,” I insisted.

“I know you can look after yourself, I simply mean I will also watch over you. I have your back – so long as you don’t betray us like a skeevy little storm witch.”

I smiled at that assessment. “I’m fully anti-storm witch and will gladly help you turn her to dust.”

“Good.” He shot me a grin.

I sighed, glancing back at the others to make sure they still weren’t listening. “We need to talk about the prophecy-”

He held up a hand to halt me then waved his arm in a sharp signal to Magnar. Taking my wrist, he dragged me into the nearest dilapidated building.

“Don’t you listen to your blade?” Julius hissed as Magnar and Callie sped into the ruined building opposite us.

I glanced down at Nightmare, realising it was humming frantically against my palm.

Julius pressed his finger to his lips, forcing me against a damp wall. The rush of large wings sounded overhead, followed by a soft cry, setting my heart pounding.

Familiar,Nightmare whispered.

Julius took his bow from his shoulder, edging beneath a hole in the half-collapsed ceiling. He placed an arrow against the string, gazing up at it intently and releasing a measured breath. He let the arrow fly, the deadly weapon shooting skyward at a ferocious speed and I caught sight of the eagle just before it burst into dust.

I let out a breath as Nightmare fell quiet again, and Julius gave me an intense look. “When Nightmare connects with you, it is trying to tell you something. Pay attention.”

I bit into my lip, feeling berated. “Okay,” I muttered.

My shoulders started shuddering from the cold. Since we’d stopped moving, the tiny piece of warmth I’d held onto from walking had abandoned me.

Julius strode toward me with a frown, shrugging out of his dark jacket and handing it to me. “Take it, no questions. I don’t feel the cold like you do.”

I pulled it on and the heated sleeves were a blessing against my frozen skin. “That’s the second time you’ve given me your clothes,” I said, recalling the cloak he’d given me once.

His mouth pulled up at the corner. “Yes, if I continue to do so, perhaps you’ll have me naked one day.”

“Julius,” Magnar growled as he ducked his head through the doorway. “Stop flirting and start walking.”

I shot Julius a taunting smile at being told off before stepping out onto the quiet street. Callie eyed my jacket with a glimmer of interest and my gaze fell to her bare shoulders. No goosebumps lined her skin. It hit me that she was a slayer now and the cold obviously didn’t bother her in the way it did me.

As I walked among the group, I felt suddenly adrift, like I no longer really fit in. They were united by their vow, their blood, their cause. And I held a secret in my heart which went against all of that. One which I would more-than-likely have to take to the grave. Assuming Julius didn’t spill it first.

Three more hours passed and I could sense dawn was close by the paling of the sky. My feet ached as Julius finally guided us toward a tall building with a balcony jutting from the side of it. One half of the structure had fallen down, but the rest seemed fairly intact, and it would certainly give us some shelter.

“We’ll stop here. It’s the highest building around, so we’ll be able to keep a lookout,” Julius announced.

My hair was plastered to my cheeks, and I was exhausted right through to my bones. None of the others looked as bedraggled as I felt, and I guessed that was another slayer gift. I was so tired, I almost wanted to take my vow just so that I could feel a little less like the walking dead.

We moved inside and I took in the frosty but fairly dry space before us. A cold wind drilled through a hole in one wall and Julius moved past it, heading up a stone stairway.

We followed, rising four levels and finding ourselves in a much more appealing room with floorboards and even some old furniture dotted around the space. Magnar strode to the opposite wall, pushing a door open and revealing the balcony beyond it. “Good. This will do. Two of us can keep watch and two of us can fetch supplies.”

I didn’t like the idea of remaining here in the cold. The sooner I found some dry clothes, the better. Julius seemed to be on the same line of thought as he scrutinised me. “Me and Montana will go. She needs to get out of those clothes. And I’m very experienced in helping women out of their attire.”

“However would I cope without you, Julius?” I asked dryly.

“You wouldn’t, damsel.” He smirked.

“I’m pretty sure you promised to stop calling me that,” I accused.

“Pretty sure I don’t recall that.” He shrugged and the asshole won a smile out of me. Damn him.

Magnar pursed his lips, looking to Callie who had stepped out onto the balcony, not seeming bothered by the gust that whipped her dress around her legs. He nodded to us, grabbing a wooden chair and breaking it as he started to build a fire. His expression was achingly sad, and I wondered if this burden on Callie weighed heavily on him too.

“I’ll be back soon,” I called to her. “I’ll bring you some warm clothes.”

She didn’t seem to hear, lost to her own thoughts as she stared out across the ruins. My heart broke for her as I followed Julius back into the stairway, fearing how deeply this bond with Fabian was affecting her. It felt like things had changed between us in ways I couldn’t even fathom too. We’d both gone on our own journeys and now we were standing on opposite sides of a rift that I didn’t know how to cross. But I was determined to find a way to do so.

We’ll be alright, Callie. We’ll figure out a way to fix everything. Then it will be us against the world again.