A small town in the middle of nowhere; that was a place where Reykon Thraxos could settle down.
A place where he could be happy.
They stayed there, even after the brisk night air chapped their faces and the salty ocean spray turned their lips dry. He watched the sunset, in perfect bliss, holding the woman he loved and-
“Reykon!” Willow called.
He looked back. There was just enough light left to cover everything in a twilight haze. Willow and Dag had concerned looks on their faces, pointing at something in the distance.
He followed their eyes, until he saw three red dots, flashing in the distance.
“What the…” he muttered.
“What is it?” Robin asked, pulling away from him and peering to the lights.
“They’re boats.”
“Whose?”
He took her hand and pulled her back from the edge of the boat, to the bench next to the captain’s platform. “Stay here.”
Reykon took the steps two at a time, vaulting up to the captain’s deck. He took the binoculars from Willow and looked at the formation of ships coming toward them. They were unmarked, dark ships, and they were traveling fast.
At the helm, he spotted dark red robes, and a flash of dark blond hair.
It can’t be him, Reykon thought in futile anger. Vampires never left their strongholds, much less hopped on boats. But looking at the figure on the boat zooming towards them, he was certain of it, and his eyes widened.
“It’s Magnus,” he whispered in shock.
“What?” Willow gasped. “How?”
“He found us.”
“The boat is concealed. That’s impossible.”
“They’d have to have a blood link,” Dag interjected.
“I… I don’t…”
Willow gave him a look of utter panic and terror.
He understood exactly what she was saying without exchanging a single word: they were trapped, and there was nothing to do.
Reykon watched as Magnus Demonte came closer and closer. His heart sunk. They had a detail of over one hundred strongbloods and vampires, split across the three ships. There was no defense they could mount, no attack they could launch, and nowhere to run.
He set the binoculars down and raced down the stairs, looking at Robin.
She watched the ships with exactly as much fear as he was. “It’s him, isn’t it?”
Reykon nodded and moved over to her, pulling her into a hug.
When he looked at her face, it was a show of pure terror. She shook her head. “No, no, we were hidden, we-”
He took her face in his hands. “We don’t have much time.”
“No,” she moaned, grasping his arms, holding onto them like she was drowning.
“Robin, listen to me. He’s going to take you. You can’t fight him, no matter what. The ones that fight don’t last long – do you understand?”
“I can’t…”
“You can. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known. You’re the woman I love.”
“What will he do to you?” she gasped, her voice hoarse with emotion.
In spite of everything, he smiled. “Don’t worry about me.”
Her eyes welled up with tears. “I love you, Rey. How can you say that to me?”
He crushed his lips against hers, squeezing her into an embrace. She gripped him, each of them holding on so tightly that it almost hurt.
When he pulled back, Magnus’s ships had come up side by side, and he stood, looking straight at them with a look of triumph in his eyes. Willow and Dag had come off of the platform and joined them on the main level, standing tense and ready to fight.
Robin clung to his arm while her eyes looked past him, to Magnus. Reykon took a step in front of her, crouching slightly in an attack position.
Chapter 11: Magnus
Robin
Robin’s heart was beating like a jackhammer as she saw the vampire directly in front of her. She’d pictured him before, she’d even seen him on the screen, but now, in person, she was certain of one thing: Magnus was so much different than anything she’d imagined.
So much worse.
He was wearing thick robes that looked like they came straight out of a Shakespeare reenactment. The wind whipped his blond hair back and forth, and his cloak caught in the breeze, showing the handle of a broadsword, massive, and heavy.
Why does a vampire need a sword? she thought in panic.
She could see his burning red eyes from where she stood behind Reykon, who, even now, was trying to protect her.
But those eyes were now intent on victory, drilling past Reykon and straight into her. She felt pinned, and a sharp pang of terror flooded her chest.
The strongbloods that had stood at attention around Magnus now snapped into action, preparing a method to board their boat. She watched them for only a moment before catching sight of another figure that had been concealed by Magnus.
This one had red hair that had been pulled into a bun.
Much to her surprise and confusion, Robin recognized her.
“Dr. Morris?” she whispered, a scowl forming on her face.
Reykon leaned back slightly.
“What?”
“That lady. She was the doctor that did my appendicitis surgery last year.”
Reykon gave her a look of confusion. “She’s a caster. A very powerful one. Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said, turning to get a better view.
By the time she looked back to the ship, Magnus had already moved.
He’d used his vampiric speed to jump onto their boat, his footprints crunching audibly on the smooth planks of the main deck.
Robin flinched, gripping Reykon’s arm tighter.
“Reykon Thraxos,” Magnus hummed, a false smile on his face, “you have not been entirely honest with me.”
“You cannot have her,” Reykon growled.
Magnus’s eyes flickered. “I already do.”
“How did you find us?”
“I found her.”
He turned his gaze directly to her now and she felt its pull, just like she had with Cain. Instead of drawing her closer, she planted herself and set her jaw. She ripped her eyes away from his and looked at the ground in front of his feet.
Magnus gave a chilling laugh that made her bones crawl. “She has fight! Strong. You made her well, Calliope.”
The woman with red hair simply smiled.
Reykon’s attention turned to
