I felt like my behavior was inexcusable. The way I broke down in front of Caine, Max, how my feelings could have destroyed me. No, it was not ok. I was in the middle of a war. I was a demigod. A warrior. I needed to toughen up because this was reality.
After falling asleep in Max’s arm in the crumbling rundown boxing ring, I woke up feeling older, bolder, not my once carefree self. It was different, I was different, but I knew what needed to be done. I asked Leona and her coven if they could make a door or portal to a huge estate for sale I saw online. The location was in France in the country and it was big enough to house all of our major troops present. It would be the place to train for combat and be far enough hopefully where we could devise our battle plans without interruptions.
“You bet.”
I watched for awhile as the covens and Leona went to work on a plain closet door in Caine’s house. They chanted, lit some incense, candles flickered on with a look or flick of fingers from the strong group, and the magic happened. Everyone was shocked around but I. Simply I couldn’t explain my mature stance still, but we all one by one went through the portal into the huge French estate. It was just like the images online, and thankfully it was night out due to my vampire allies.
Within two hours combat training and battle plans were being continued. Opal was sent to her father Leonidas, prince of the fairies, to fill him in along with the others who were captured. Leona easily sent them with a transportation spell each.
“Sky, Opal, Hazel, and Pearl are all back to their rightful place,” Leona smiled at me. I nodded and headed to the huge ballroom we turned into a training room.
Walking down the light stone walled hallways my mind drifted to Max. How could he have not defeated Eris a thousand years ago? When they fight it looks like he is stronger than her and yet he is not a fully fledged god. He’s half like me. Why couldn’t he defeat her? Eris even looks slightly terrified of Max’s power when they fight. Something isn’t right. There’s something Max isn’t telling me.
When I made it to the ballroom I saw the huge gymnastics mats on the floor. Everyone (the vampire covens, Alcide and his werewolves, Max, Caine, and so on) was paired into groups of two. I watched as Max and Caine with their shirts off faced one another. The two of them bare chested and glistening with sweat would send any girl over the edge with naughty thoughts. Including myself.
I sighed in annoyance to my conscience about my hormones and walked along the side lines to observe some more. It was impressive to see such powerful beings go against one another. Caine saw me from out of the corner of his eye which distracted him long enough for Max to throw him into the ground. My face kept straight, but my heart made the smallest sympathy.
“Pay attention,” I whispered only loud enough for Caine to hear. His face grew hard and his body flexed as he sprung back up to face Max again. I turned my back and walked out of the room to go be alone someplace else.
~
Eric’s P.O.V.
I didn’t know she had it in her. She actually threw me into the sun. The wretched, but beautiful demise that can, and almost did, kill me. She said she was stronger than me! Me! Eric the Norseman! The Viking!
I stood in boiling fury before the roaring fire in the bedroom Eris and I shared. My fists squeezed themselves tight till blood leaked down my hands and onto the carpet. My skin burned with shame, despise, and downright embarrassment about getting my ass whooped by an eighteen year old girl.
“Hello Eric.”
I froze. The quite voice that which just greeted me could have woken me in a dead sleep. The voice, who had trained me, made me what I am today. The sultry sound that still haunted my mind from time to time these nights sounded just behind me. My maker, Godric.
“Godric?” I turned around to see him.
From head to toe my maker stood the foot shorter than me, all in white. His skin the same, unmarked from any blemish but his tattoos he acquired even before he made me. His eyes the same piercing dark depths, stinging me in my already fragile ego state, and his face not looking at all pleased to be saying anything to me.
“What are you doing?” He asked me in his calm demeanor.
“Godric.” I felt frozen. My maker was standing before me. I still couldn’t believe it.
“Eric I asked you a question. Answer me,” My ancient father commanded me.
“I’m-“where the sudden stuttering came from I didn’t know. I felt like l was five years old.
“Well let me tell you what you’re doing,” Godric stiffly interjected. My maker glided forward and started to circle around me as he continued. “You’re letting yourself be controlled by a hell bent goddess. You have almost succeeded in killing you soul blood bonded, you’re helping the world fall to its knees to perish, and proving me more than right of what I thought the vampire race to be before I met the sun. Is this what I get Eric? Is this how you honor me?”
Again I couldn’t make words form but bloody tears from my eyes. I sank to my knees and Godric stopped in front of me. I peered up into his face. It was full of disappointment and I felt like I had failed him.
“But this is the way!” I finally cried aloud.
“This is the way?!” Godric backhanded me while baring his fangs. “I thought you were stronger than this Eric. Violet and you are the ones that complete each other! Not you and some egotistical god who thinks she can do whatever she wants because of a past deal!”
~
Violet’s P.O.V.
After walking down a few hallways and up two flights of stairs I found an empty room with nothing but a huge mirror on one of the walls. The room was lit softly with small light bulbs which suited my mood just fine. My eyes fluttered to a close and I began to dance. Just a soft waltz at first then I would throw in ballet here and there with a twirl. Not before long I was so lost in the movement that it felt like someone was dancing with me. It felt like Eric was dancing with me.
My mind could no longer differentiate between reality and fantasy. I was in my own little world with my eyes still closed as I felt my Eric’s body against mine. Dancing with me, we twirled, dipped, and then I was lifted into the air. My breath got caught in my throat but it felt incredible. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, and couldn’t feel anything bad- until my feet touched the floor again…
“Violet,” the voice whispered, but it was no mistake to who it belonged to.
My smile faded and my heart dropped to my feet. Slowly I opened my eyes and saw him. “Caine.”
I unlinked our arms and took a step back before nodding to him once and exiting the room.
You don’t love him. You did once, but not anymore. He’s your friend. He still loves you, but you can’t let him have any hope. It’s not right. You need to save Eric. You need to save the world.
By the time I had made it to the place we would call the Meeting Room, I had people bustling all around in a frenzy watching the T.V. and looking worried.
“What the hell do we do? We can’t just go after every vampire and put a muzzle on them can we?” Annabelle asked which made Ambrose pipe his voice in anger.
“Are you kidding?! On every vampire! Does that include us?!” He barked at my fairy friend.
“Well if the muzzle fits!” She counteracted and I barked at them to stop bickering and to tell me what was going on.
“Leona was able to get the channels from Louisiana onto this T.V. magically. There have been over four hundred vampire attacks reported in the last hour across the state,” Max informed me and I clenched my fists tight.
“Where are the main attacks?” I asked as calm as I could.
Max looked to the side before he said, “The Shreveport and Bon Temps area.”
“She’s making her move,” I said and looked at the whole group. “Everyone the war is coming down our street and will be on our door step soon. I want all of you to have your feelers out and see what information you can acquire. Keep on your guard, keep training, and get back to me. You have twenty four hours. Max I need to speak with you alone.”
The room full of witches, wizards, vampires, and a few fairies all went silent as Max and I left the room. I didn’t make a word of what I wanted to talk to him about until we were alone in a room far from any living, or non living creature.
My arms were crossed and my mood was not the lightest. “What haven’t you been telling me?”
Max looked so confused I almost believed him. That is almost. “Violet what are you talking about?”
“You’re not telling me something Maximus. Don’t fuck with me. I have a fucking war to win and I don’t have patience right now!” I snapped and stared at him till I was sure he could feel heat burning into his skin.
The demigod’s chest heaved a little slightly and I knew I touched a nerve. His breathing became a little harder and once I walked up to him till only a foot stood between us did I see and feel nervousness coming from my friend.
“Why couldn’t you defeat her?” I asked icily.
Max peered down at me and whispered, “Because I loved her.”
I blinked and jerked back a step. “What?”
“You heard me. I loved her.”
I literally felt like I became mentally challenged. This was the answer?
“You two were lovers then?” I whispered in disbelief.
“Yes. Eris and I fell in love. But she changed and wanted to end the world. She said we could do it together. I tried to talk her out of it but she wouldn’t budge. She wouldn’t even tell me why. When it came down to it, I couldn’t kill her. She is my soul blood bonded.”
If there was a chair to sit in, I would have taken it. Some of the missing pieces from the past were starting to fit in this bizarrely, twisted, puzzle of hell. Max couldn’t kill Eris because he loved her and they are soul blood bonded to each other. I didn’t even know gods could have a soul blood bonded. How was it possible?
My face grew cold and sincere as I spoke my final words to Maximus for the night, “Don’t withhold information like that from me again. It slides this time. Next time you won’t be so lucky.”