32. Erik

Istrode from the river and water poured from my body in a stream. My gaze landed on Fabian on the ground holding Magnar down, his fangs buried in his throat. The slayer looked weak, close to death. He was trying to fight, but it was clear something serious was wrong with him.

“Stop - please stop!” Callie screamed and Montana held onto her with silent tears coursing down her cheeks.

My newfound resolve had taken root inside me and with my gazed fixed on my girl, this change became all the more easy to secure. I had to end this. I had to convince them all of who our true enemies were.

Montana called my name as I sprinted toward Fabian, her tone laced with a mixture of relief and agony. I couldn’t spare her another glance, though my heart burned in my chest, tempting me her way, to break her free of that gilded cage and take her from this blood-stained island.

I came to a standstill behind my brother and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him off of Magnar with a fierce strength.

Fabian turned, throwing a violent punch toward me, evidently expecting to find Julius there. I avoided it at the last second, clasping his shoulder as his eyes filled with confusion.

“What are you doing?” Fabian snarled through a mouthful of blood, shaking me off and turning back to face Magnar’s shattered form on the ground. His face was ashen and blood poured from his wounds in a never-ending torrent.

“Fuck. We can’t do this,” I exhaled, wondering how the hell I was going to explain my change of heart. Even I didn’t truly understand it.

I pointed up at the key high above our heads. “This is another of the gods’ games, brother.”

I caught Fabian’s arm as he stepped toward Magnar once more.

“Did you hit your head or something?” Fabian barked at me. “Let me finish him.”

“No,” I snarled, moving between the two of them, but Fabian wasn’t backing down. “Our fight is with the gods, can’t you see that?” I demanded. “All these years we’ve been tormented by them. We don’t need to fight the slayers, we need their help.”

“What have you done?!” Julius’s booming voice filled my ears.

I spotted him beyond the statue, speeding toward us, and I grabbed hold of Fabian, wrestling him back as he tried to intercept him.

“Traitor,” Fabian spat at me, but I didn’t let go.

Julius fell to his knees beside his brother, trembling from head to foot as he placed a hand to his neck.

“He’s dead,” he gasped, and Callie’s anguished cry sliced the air apart.

“No,” I snarled, shoving Fabian away from me as I moved to check Magnar myself.

I couldn’t hear the beating of his heart and the reality of the situation descended on me.

Julius’s dark gaze wheeled to me. “You did this.”

“I didn’t,” I said evenly, and his eyes swung to Fabian who was moving toward him like a predator.

Julius rose his feet, baring his teeth as he waited for either me or Fabian to attack, lowering into a fighting stance.

“Listen to me,” I commanded, stepping between the two of them to keep them apart.

Fabian growled, pushing up behind me but I didn’t let him pass.

Julius’s pained gaze turned to me, grief written into his features.

“The day your father died, I was under Andvari’s spell,” I explained.

“Liar,” Julius hissed, lurching toward me.

I shoved his chest and he staggered back before coming at me again. I took a punch to the gut before throwing him away from me once more.

“Listen to him!” Montana called to us. “Erik’s right. It’s the gods who are to blame for this.”

“Someone let me out!” Callie yelled. “Let me help him, someone fucking help him!”

Fabian pushed me aside. “Fuck the gods. And fuck the slayers too. They’re all out to get us and I want to finish this now.” He launched himself at Julius and my heart turned to ice as I ran after him.

Julius caught Fabian by the waist, launching him into the air above us with colossal strength.

“Stop!” I roared, but the slayer swung toward me and his knuckles connected with my jaw.

Fabian crashed to the ground beside us, groaning as he regained his senses.

I stumbled away in fury as Julius lunged at me again. He couldn’t hear me in his agonised state. His brother was dead so how the fuck was I going to make him listen to me now?

I knew I couldn’t fight back. I wouldn’t kill him. We had to figure this shit out together. It didn’t matter what we thought of each other. The only way we could take on the gods was if we united.

Julius threw more punches, left, right, centre. Fear grabbed me in an iron hold as Julius’s rage took over his movements. He broke my jaw and I stumbled back, trying to counter his blows as they became more ferocious.

I parried as many as I could, backing up and guiding him toward the cage. If I couldn’t talk sense into him, maybe Montana could. He smashed another crushing hit to my chest and bones shattered under the impact, but I let it happen, refusing to fight him now that my mind was made up.

Pain burrowed through me and my wife’s screams raked my eardrums. My body was healing, but not fast enough as Julius landed a kick to my shin and an ear-splitting crack sounded. Agony scorched through my body like a wildfire, and the slayer didn’t slow his advance, his gaze murderous.

Over Julius’s shoulder, I spied Fabian rising to his feet with something glinting in his hand and a gasp escaped me as I realised what it was. My brother sped toward the cage, but Julius threw his weight at me and I was launched away from the twins.

“No!” I bellowed as he fell on top of me, pressing his thumbs into my eyes.

“Your life for his, parasite,” Julius snarled and I roared in pain as my skull cracked beneath his hands.

The world was falling apart.

I tried to force Julius off of me, knocking his hands away from my face, but I knew I was racing toward my end. His combined strength and anger were overwhelming. He tore at my chest as if he wanted to dig my heart from my flesh.

Andvari’s presence grew around me, tormented and furious. As his power slid into my body, my thoughts slipped away into darkness. He consumed me, took control of my limbs and forced my hand up to meet Julius’s jaw with such power that it sent a tremor through my bones. The slayer crashed to the ground with such force that the collision ripped the cement apart.

I rose on sturdy legs, my body taken hostage, filled with the power of the god.

My mind angled towards one thing as hunger shredded my throat and my soul was soaked in darkness.

Blood.