Wolf Games: Island of Shade (The Vampire Games Book 5)

by Caroline Peckham

  She gripped the tree, shimmying toward the first cable the Reaper had loosened, trying to tighten the bolt back up.

  The Reaper snarled, scurrying around the tree on all fours, darting toward her. I took another shot, and this one hit bone. The Reaper screeched as its leg oozed greenish blood, dripping down the bark. Hot flecks speckled my chest. I climbed fully atop the cage, launching myself upwards to try and catch its ankle before it reached Cass.

  I missed.

  “Firefly!” I roared and she dropped from the tree trunk, missing a deadly blow from the Reaper's claws. They were curved and huge like a sloth's, gouging great chunks out of the bark. One of them hooked into the cable, tugging it completely free.

  Oh shit.

  Cass landed next to me just as the whole structure tilted violently to one side.

  I almost lost my footing, flailing my arms, leaning backwards, about to fall. Cass gripped my hand, tugging me forward and I fell into her, knocking her over. We clung to the wire roof as the Reaper moved around the tree trunk, scuttling toward the final cable. Screams carried from below. Rakefield's screams. “We're going to die!”

  Shut up, Rakefield.

  I dragged myself upwards, following Cass as she gained her feet, readying to dive up toward the Reaper again.

  “Firefly!” Silas's voice carried to us, his desperation clear.

  I gasped as the Reaper worked the final cable free. I sprang upright, running, feet pounding across the metal, wrapping an arm around Cass's waist and launching us from the cage. She screamed. My gut swooped. The cage plummeted with a screeching of metal, sliding down the trunk at a phenomenal speed. But Cass and I were flying through the air, my free hand held out before me.

  We hit the branch I'd been aiming for and I took the brunt of the collision. The branch was a foot wide, big enough to stand on. Cass was up first and I tugged myself after her, feeling her hands steadying me. She lowered into a fighting stance, her eyes pinned over my head.

  I turned, finding the monstrous Reaper crashing toward us through the trees, spraying leaves and breaking twigs as it moved.

  “Together,” I growled, leading the way forward, my balance perfect as I moved between the huge branches. We clambered up onto a larger branch above us, ancient and gnarled, giving us more room to manouevre.

  Cass moved to my side, hands raised.

  The Reaper dropped onto the branch before us with a loud thud, making the whole structure shudder. Sucker was huge, drawing up to at least six and a half feet. It strode toward us, teeth bared, its snake-like eyes flicking back and forth between us.

  I grinned. “Come and get it, beasty.”

  A rustling sounded above us and I glanced upwards, spotting a skeletal Reaper falling from the canopy. I moved to intercept it, but it fell like a stone, catching Cass's arm and tugging her over the edge before I reached her. She dropped out of sight with a cry of alarm, crashing through the canopy below.

  “No!” I roared, but the huge Reaper was upon me, slamming me down onto the branch, gnashing its teeth by my ear. “Cass!” I cried, trying to fight free of its hold.

  I threw punch after punch, battling against its ferocious strength, my thoughts trained on getting to her. My heart pounded out of sync. I saw red. Heat surged down my spine, but I fought the urge to turn into a wolf, knowing I'd be at a disadvantage up in the trees.

  “Firefly!” I roared so loud that it echoed back to me from every corner of the island. The Reaper slammed its weight down on me again, trying to get a bite. I gripped its throat, crying out my fury.

  I drew on every ounce of strength in my bones, forcing it off of me. In a heartbeat, I gained my feet, launching myself toward it. I slammed my fist into its vile face. Something crunched. Its claws raked up my leg.

  Not too deep.

  With a gasp of pain, I threw my weight at it, throwing elbows and fists, trying to get a hold of its meaty throat. It pressed a large paw into my face, slamming me down onto the branch and suffocating me with the leathery pad of its hand. I bit down with all my might and blood poured, filling my mouth until the taste of rot and decay made me gag.

  The Reaper screeched and I pressed my advantage. I writhed away from it, rolling onto my knees, taking its head in both hands and bashing it full-force onto the branch.

  All I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears, the cries and screaming of monkeys in the trees and the persistent, cracking thump every time I slammed the Reaper's head into the branch.

  It finally fell still and I kicked it from the tree with a wheeze of effort. It slid forward, falling silently into the trees below, a distant crash following a moment later. Dead.

  I panted, wiping a line of blood from my brow. I sucked in breath after frantic breath before crawling forward, clinging to a knot in the bark and lowering myself onto the branch below.

  I moved in a continuous, fluid movement. Grip, lower, fall. Grip, lower, fall. Again and again, over and over, making my way to the forest floor. Making my way to her.

  Jameson

  The forest was dark and sweltering. A persistent dripping sounded from a nearby cave. My shoes crunched over debris on the ground, fallen leaves and twigs. There had been a struggle here...

  I shed my jeans, letting my instincts have their way as my body changed. I remained silent through the pain, grinding my teeth as my muscles stretched and my bones morphed.

  When I had four paws on the ground, I carried my jeans up to the cave and left them at the foot of the small space. I hurried away, my senses tenfold in my new form. Cass's scent reached to me on the wind and I tore through the undergrowth, sprinting flat-out in her direction.

  The metallic scent of blood was mingled with her own blood, making me dash as fast as the wind.

  I'm coming, Firefly. Hold on.

  I howled to the sky, calling out to her. No sound came in return. Until, eventually. Yes, on the breeze, I could just hear her voice.

  “Jameson!”

  I ran faster, my muscles bunching and flexing, working harder than they ever had before. I skidded to a halt at the base of an enormous tree, the roots so large they curled up out of the ground, creating a cage-like structure beneath it. Cass crawled out from within it and I ran my tongue over her, furiously licking every bare inch of her skin. She waved her hands at me to stop and I sat down in the mud, pounding my tail with relief. The Reaper's scent was gone, so I prayed that meant we were safe.

  Cass stood up on shaky legs and I circled her, guiding her back in the direction of the cave. She gripped my fur, silently letting me guide her and I nuzzled her leg, urging her to say something. Was she alright? Was she mad at me? Did she blame me for what had happened?

  When we reached the cave, I gathered up my things and hurried inside, anxious to return to my human from. Moments later I was stood, entirely naked, tugging my boxers and jeans back on.

  Cass cleared her throat behind me and I turned, quickly zipping up my fly. Her eyes trailed unashamedly over my body. It didn't seem like an appropriate time to be looking at me like that, but hey, who was I to complain?

  “You okay?” I moved toward her as she nodded, looking intrigued. Guess I still had an effect on her. Very good to know. “How long have you been standing there?” I jibed.

  She didn't answer, just laid a heated palm flat on my stomach. I tensed in surprise, my abs firming beneath her confident touch. My mouth went desert dry. The last time she'd looked at me like that...

  I cleared my throat as her hand sailed up my chest and over my neck. She slipped into my personal space, her voice dropping to a husky tone that had a serious effect on me. “Thank you.”

  “I didn't do anything,” I admitted, though I wasn't sure why. Why was I putting a dampener on my inflated ego? Cass was bloody praising me. Her hands were on me. And yet a part of me resisted her.

  Shut up brain.

  A flirtatious smile spread across Cass's beautiful face and she moved closer, devouring the small space between us until she was p
ressed fully against me.

  “Oh man, I love you,” I said on a sigh. It hit me like a lightning bolt that I'd actually said the words. I'd broken the bloody hold on me. Elation spilled through every inch of my body. “Holy shit! I said it. I love you!”

  Her eyes widened with joy. She pressed me back and I let this go wherever it was gonna go. Even if it wasn't quite the reaction I'd imagined from telling the girl of my dreams I was in love with her. Especially when we probably should have been looking for Silas and the others. Maybe they were dead, or dying. But I was under her spell as she pressed down on my shoulders, encouraging me to drop to the floor. I did. No hesitation. I was hardly gonna say no when Cass was looking at me like that.

  She slid smoothly into my lap, hitching her dress up as she straddled me. Several swear words left my mouth and I dipped my head, laying my lips against her neck, running kisses up her throat. Brain finally shut up and body took over. I ran my hands up her spine, getting carried away as she pressed her lips to mine.

  “Firefly, I love you, did you hear me? Ulvic commanded me to stay away from you. Did you work it out?” I ran my hands into her hair, breathing her in, trailing kisses from the corner of her mouth to her throat.

  “Uhuh,” she sighed against my mouth. I was about to lose my mind.

  I got lost in kissing her, so absorbed in what we were doing that I didn't let myself think about the Reapers, or about the cage that had plummeted to the forest floor, possibly killing everyone inside.

  Asshole through and through.

  I was completely unprepared when someone gripped Cass's hair and wrenched her backwards onto the ground.

  I shouted out in alarm, looking up at the person who had hold of her. Who was -

  “Cass?” I gasped in confusion.

  Two Cass's were before me. The newly arrived one had a thick log in her hand. She swung it down to hit the Cass she'd pinned to the floor.

  I lunged forward in fear, trying to shield her, but the log hit home, slamming into her chest. Three more beatings had her lying still and greenish blood poured beneath her. I cupped two hands to the back of my head as I realised what had happened. I gawped at the real Cass as she chucked the bloody log aside. She had an open wound on her arm, a bite-mark.

  Bile rose quickly in my throat.

  Cass planted her hands on her hips as I placed my knuckles in my mouth and bit down.

  “How stupid do you have to be to think I'd actually have sex with you in this cave? Or ever again?”

  I rolled over and heaved, thanking the lord I hadn't gone any further with that Reaper. “Oh no,” I croaked on another heave. “No, no, no.”

  “Yes,” Cass confirmed, a ripple of amusement in her tone. “Your tongue was just stuck in a Reaper's mouth.”

  I spat on the floor before turning to Cass in my desperation. “No!”

  She started laughing. I groaned, covering my eyes with my hand. Everything I'd said, had been said to a bloody Reaper. I hadn't broken Ulvic's command at all. And that was the worst thing of all. Well possibly the worst thing. That and the fact Cass could have turned up five minutes later and found me doing something else to a Reaper that I'd be needing counselling for, for the rest of my life.

  “How about we never mention this again?” I begged.

  “Oh I think I'll be mentioning it a lot,” Cass said, her eyes sparkling.

  I caught her wrist, dragging her toward me, suddenly hopeful. “You didn't happen to hear what I said to it, did you?”

  Her smile faded away. “No, why?”

  My lips locked and I simply shrugged. Gah.

  I glanced at the dead Reaper on the floor, discovering it had returned to the gross pile of bones it had formerly been. “Why did it screw with me like that?”

  Cass's cheeks turned pink and she quickly walked toward the cave exit. “I don't know.”

  I darted after her. “You do know!” I accused.

  She remained silent as we began hurrying through the forest, heading in the direction that the treehouse must have fallen.

  “Come on,” I pleaded. “I just tongued a Reaper.”

  I fought another heave at the memory. Goddamn horny skeleton.

  She glanced away. “Well, Silas said they become us for a while. They have access to all our memories...everything.” The blush in her cheeks deepened and I had to admire her courage for admitting she was still attracted to me. It felt like my chest had been puffed full of air.

  “So...hypothetically. If I hadn't done...what I did...back at The Sanctuary?” I left the question open, unable to say too much on the subject.

  “Irrelevant,” she said quickly. “You did do it.”

  “Hm,” I grunted.

  “Come on,” she said, her tone dark. “We need to find Silas.”

  “Maybe he died on impact?” I offered, mock-hopeful.

  “Don't say that,” she hissed.

  “I don't know why you care about him so much, Firefly. I don't get it.”

  She pursed her lips, not answering me.

  A dark thought entered my mind. Was this really it for us? Was Cass truly done with me?

  I'd always hated people who skipped to the end of books to assure themselves that everything ended well. But now I longed to skip the pages of us, to peek at the end of our story to be sure we arrived at it together. But what if her story led her to him?

  From the deepest regions of my soul, I knew we were meant to be together. But that didn't mean she knew that. And why would she waste her time dwelling on someone who'd dumped her? In her reality, I'd treated her like crap.

  I thought of what I'd overheard Silas saying to her, offering her the life I couldn't. Not unless I was free of Ulvic anyway. I hated my pack leader more in that moment than I ever had.

  At the sound of voices up ahead, Cass gave me a look of relief. She hurried forward and I caught her hand, forcing her to look at me. My heart tripped over itself. I formed the words as best I could within Ulvic's restrictions. “Please don't let Silas help with our kid. I'm going to be there. I am.” I meant it. Maybe more than I'd ever meant anything. Except loving her. Those were my two most powerful truths. And one of them had been stolen from me by Ulvic.

  Her eyes glistened and for a moment she squeezed my hand. “You'll always be a part of their life, Jameson. I promise.”

  “But not yours?” I choked out.

  Her eyes grew shadowed. “No...not mine.”

  I nodded, letting her go. My heart felt like it had just been blown up with a grenade. I desperately wanted to keep her close, but as she strode off I felt like she was further away than ever. And I knew for sure, if I couldn't escape Ulvic, then that distance was going to grow until she was so far beyond my reach, that I'd never get her back.

  Ulvic

  I eased a shirt button free from my neck, giving myself some air. I was locked in my own gaze. The mirror in the small room I'd been provided in the IDAHO institute was round and misty. The extent of their money struggles were evident in the cheap linen on the single bed, and the sparseness of the furniture. Any money they did have was evidently being poured into their experiments. Mr Madigan was a pioneer in Immortal technologies. We'd bonded during my time at IDAHO, nearly twenty years ago now. I looked forward to meeting with him again soon.

  A great change had taken place inside me since I'd killed my father. For the first time in my life, I felt powerful. In control. And I didn't care what the wolves thought of me anymore. They should have been grateful for all I'd provided them with. But even Reason, my most loyal Werewolf, had expressed her concern over my actions of late. Even asked to leave the pack, to search for Jameson.

  Well they were going to search for him alright. They'd drag him back here by the scruff of the neck. I was done being snubbed and jibed by the lot of them. Jameson was the ringleader; I'd let him away with too much over the years. I could see that now. How he'd slowly dissolved the pack's respect for me with his taunting. And the answer to that was clear at last. Once I
had him, I'd use him to teach them all a lesson. No more disobedience. I was going to gain back power, as I had every right to. I was going to take what they owed me for all the kindness I'd offered them. The home I'd given them. All without thanks.

  I ran a hand through my hair, pushing it back, styling it differently than usual. I left the thickening stubble on my chin. I needed a new look. I wasn't the same man I'd been a few weeks ago. I was now the Lord of Hund Manor. I was going to take my father's position and do what he could never do. I was going to bring honour to our family name. I was going to make sure every Hunter in the world respected us again.

  A knock came at the door. “Enter,” I called, turning.

  Rockley Jones strode in. He'd evidently still held onto his suitcase after the ship had sunk, because that glittery sequinned shirt was not amongst the simple attire my wolves had found in this place to wear. Paired with skin-coloured leggings. I'd think him ridiculous if I wasn't aware of how dangerous he was.

  “Ulvic.” He beamed, stepping into the room. “Silas Madigan has been in contact. Sounds like he's in trouble out dere.”

  “Is he with Jameson?” My heart rate rocketed.

  “I don't know. He's certainly wid de girl. And he's refused to give her up.” Rockley toyed with a gold chain around his neck, seeming unaffected by this news.

  “Cassandra is alive?” I asked in horror. I'd ordered Jameson to kill her. How was that possible?

  “Yes and she will stay so until she's in my clutches. Her death belongs to me, Ulvic. Understand dis.”

  I eyed him momentarily. The truce between us was new, fragile. I'd never been fond of Rockley's ways. But he was a strong ally to have now. And I needed to build bridges. “You can have her, so long as she stays away from my wolves, I don't care what happens to her.”

  Rockley nodded, a dark glint in his eye that drew me to ask my next question.

  “Indulge me, what is it you're going to do with her?”

  “Dat is not your concern.”

  “If you wish to do business together, I'd appreciate you frankness.”