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

by Caroline Peckham

  Cass

  After we'd eaten, we started walking. There was still no sign of the security system kicking in, but we had no choice but to walk toward the institute and hope we'd make it there in one piece.

  I doubted Rockley Jones had been so kind as to turn off the system, but perhaps his desire to kill me himself might have swayed him. A delayed death wasn't much to look forward to, and as I walked at Silas's side, I voiced my thoughts.

  “What will we do about Rockley when we get to the institute?”

  Silas pressed his lips together. “We'll be fine. I won't let him get his hands on you.”

  It wasn't an answer exactly, but I trusted Silas. And now that Jameson had shut down my doubts about why he had dumped me, I allowed myself to get closer to Silas. To envision the idea of us together. Of me saying yes to his offer of helping with this child. From what I'd learned about Werewolf pregnancies, I only had four months left until this baby arrived. And the thought terrified me. If Silas was going to offer us a safe place to live, I had to take it. For the sake of my child.

  Jameson carved a path through the jungle up ahead, and Lorena and Rakefield lagged behind. I felt a little uncomfortable talking to Silas, knowing Jameson could hear me. But he had made it clear he didn't care. A weight had lifted from me after I'd asked about Ulvic. If Jameson was truly in love with Nadine, I had to try and make my peace with that. A part of me – albeit a rather bitter one- still wanted him to be happy.

  “When this is all over, maybe we can do something normal,” I said to Silas.

  He glanced at me, his gaze curious. “Define normal,” he laughed.

  “I don't know...pizza and beer sound good?”

  He groaned longingly. “That sounds incredible.”

  A droning noise filled my ears, growing louder by the second, dragging our attention back to the surrounding forest.

  “Helicopter?” I asked warily, looking to the sky, but the canopy was too thick to see much through the leaves.

  “No...that's no helicopter,” Silas said, his tone ominous.

  The collective buzzing noise grew louder.

  “We need to move,” Jameson barked from up ahead.

  “Go!” Silas called to the others and we started running, though I had no idea what from.

  My calves flexed as we scaled a mossy hill, pushing through the leafy undergrowth. Silas kept up with Jameson and I, but I heard Rakefield struggling up the hill behind us, urged on by Lorena. Sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in English. Though I sensed from her tone, the Spanish words were used to express her frustration.

  The buzzing grew to a drone and I glanced at Silas for answers. “What is it?”

  He wet his lips, not replying, a small bead of perspiration sailing down his brow. At that exact moment, a large, silvery wasp landed on his shoulder. I frowned as I focused on it, its body oblong and shining like metal. Its wings buzzed; they were a blur with how fast they moved. In an almost mechanical movement, it dropped its head and opened two sharp pincers.

  “Silas!” I jerked forward to waft the creature away, but it took a large bite of him as I got there. He gasped, throwing a hand up and catching hold of the creature in his fist. I caught his wrist before he crushed it, unfurling his fingers to get a better look at the thing. It was broken into two parts, a sparking wire protruding from its back. A small line of blood was leaking down his shoulder from the bite.

  Silas gazed at the robotic bug in horror, his eyes sliding up to meet mine. “We need to move. Now!” He chucked the thing to the floor and crushed it under his foot. Jameson marched over to us just as Rakefield and Lorena crested the hill.

  As the buzzing drew closer, we started running, no questions asked, tearing through the foliage side by side. Jameson kept to my left and I caught his eye more than once as we sprinted away from the gathering sound behind us. The image of a thousand of those bugs filled my mind, descending on us like a swarm of locusts.

  My muscles worked harder and I took the lead amongst the group, shooting a wary glance over my shoulder. Lorena was still helping Rakefield, the two of them keeping up a reasonable pace, but it was nowhere near fast enough to catch Jameson, Silas and I.

  I forced myself to look ahead, focusing on the way forward. Leaves whipped my skin and thorns tugged at my dress and bare calves.

  The buzzing grew so loud, it was all I could hear. Even when I looked at Jameson and saw his mouth form the words 'keep going', I couldn't hear him.

  I urged my legs forward, but was forced to look back at the sound of a piercing, blood-curdling scream. I spotted Rakefield on the ground. Lorena was trying to tug her up, but the swarm was already upon them. Rakefield waved her arms madly, looking like she was having a fit as the metal creatures sank their teeth into her. Lorena cried out, stumbling away, firing panicked shots into the air.

  I stumbled as my foot caught in a root and tumbled to the floor. Gasping, I scrambled to my knees, trying to draw breath, my eyes wheeling to Rakefield once more.

  The bugs flew around her like a sand storm, and in all the rapid, blur of movement, blood began to fly. Rakefield flailed madly against the onslaught, the small silver wasps ripping and biting her skin. Lorena ran, leaving her behind, waving her hands madly around her face as some of the bugs followed.

  Jameson was suddenly at my side, dragging me to my feet. His hand cupped my cheek, but I couldn't look away from Rakefield. In moments, she was reduced to a pile of bloody bones, her jaw hanging open in a silent scream. She slumped to the floor as the bugs moved on, searching for their next victim.

  I tried to steady my thoughts as Jameson turned my face to look at him, drawing my eyes from Rakefield's butchered body. Blood pounded in my ears.

  Lorena was crying out as she ran toward us.

  I was drowning in Jameson's bronze eyes.

  He dragged me forward, his hand clamped around mine as we started fleeing once more. I nearly bumped into Silas where he'd evidently turned back to help me, too. His eyes slid over my head, spotting Rakefield, his panicked gaze melting to horror.

  “Go!” Jameson roared at him, dragging me onward. My feet thumped against the damp ground and I clung to Jameson's fingers, fearing ever letting go.

  That can't happen to us.

  The trees began to thin, making it easier to run. We beat a path through the wet underbrush, pushing on as hard as we could. A buzzing caught my ear and one of the bugs landed on my arm. I gasped, as it dug its teeth in and I slammed my hand down on it, crushing it to dust. I moved harder, faster, the heated trail of blood leaking down my arm a vivid reminder of what would happen to me if I stopped.

  Silas cried out up ahead and my hand parted from Jameson's as we fled either side of a giant tree. I found Silas on a ledge above a canyon, a rampant river flowing between two plates of land. Lorena stumbled into Jameson and he steadied her. Her eyes were wild. Up close, I could see the bite marks on her arms, her face. Lines of blood trailed across her buttery skin.

  “Here!” Jameson cried, snatching up vines that were trailing over the edge the cliff.

  It was too far to jump into the river. The water too choppy, probably hiding sharp rocks beneath the waves. We were going to have to abseil. Jameson planted a vine in Lorena's hand. She immediately stepped backwards over the cliff.

  We all snatched up vines and moved backwards over the edge without hesitation, Jameson to my right and Silas to my left.

  I was too afraid of the bugs to fear the height, despite the fact we were nearly two hundred feet above the river.

  The droning noise sounded the swarm's arrival and I moved faster, bouncing my feet against the sandstone rocks as I let the vine sail through my hands. Down, down, down.

  Just a bit further. Keep going.

  The sound of the raging river reached my ears as we left the cliff-top behind. But a dark cloud sailed over the morning sun and I spotted hundreds of the bugs swooping over the top of the cliff, hunting for us.

  I panted hard, dropping a metre at
a time, the tough vine giving me a good grip.

  The swarm moved in an arrow-like line, heading straight for Jameson. His death was so frighteningly close, that I reacted without thought. I swung hard toward him with a scream of defiance, knocking him off balance. His feet came free from the wall at the same time mine did and we swung in a huge arc, wheeling along the cliff and spinning out of control. I wrapped an arm around his waist and he caught hold of a small shrub growing out the side of the cliff to stop us.

  I glanced over my shoulder, wrapping my legs around him to make sure I didn't fall.

  “Let go of your vine,” he said in a strained voice. “Climb onto my back.”

  I did as he said without question and my vine sailed back into the ravine.

  A scream ripped through the air, travelling all the way to my core.

  I looked down, spotting Lorena under attack from the locusts, having become their new target. A horrible part of me knew it was my fault. Lorena flailed, losing her grip on her vine and plummeting toward the river below. She hit the water with a large splash, disappearing under the waves. I prayed she'd been low enough to survive the fall. The locusts circled above the waves, searching for her, giving us a modicum of time to act.

  The shrub in Jameson's grip was coming loose from the soil, sending sediment crumbling down the cliff wall.

  “Hold on tight,” Jameson growled and I nodded against his shoulder, gripping him with my whole body.

  He adjusted his hold on the vine, then let go of the shrub. My stomach soared as we swung rapidly across the cliff wall. My heart rose into my throat. My stomach spun in circles.

  I spotted Silas below us, almost at the water. The locusts swarmed toward him and with a lingering look in my direction, he let go of his vine, dropping like a stone into the river.

  We were now their prime target. And we were still thirty metres from the waves.

  Jameson slammed his feet to the cliff wall, halting our swing and moving rapidly down the vine. His muscles strained beneath my body, but I never once eased my grip, keeping myself flush against his back.

  He panted with exertion and I muttered encouragement in his ear. A searing pain on my thigh signalled the arrival of the locusts. I bit down on a scream, not wanting to panic Jameson. Several more landed on my back, their pincers digging in. I clung to Jameson tighter, shielding him with my body. Several more landed on my arms and I swatted one from his neck. The sharp sting of their metallic teeth ripped into me.

  When I couldn't fight it any longer, a groan of pain left my lips and Jameson stiffened beneath me. He glanced over his shoulder, a shadow of the creatures falling over us. A decision flared in his eyes. He let go of the vine.

  I screamed. He locked his hands around mine as we fell.

  Ten, twenty feet. Slam.

  We hit the water and the current was so violent that we immediately broke apart. I couldn't get my head above the water, I couldn't swim. I had to succumb to the current, praying the pressure would ease up enough that I could swim up for air.

  My thigh hit a rock, tearing across the skin. I screamed into the water, losing precious oxygen.

  I spun madly, my body as limp as a rag-doll as I rolled and tumbled beneath the waves.

  After an eternity, the pressure eased and I kicked as hard as I could, managing to get my head above the surface. I dragged down more air, gazing up at the canyon walls on either side of me as I was swept further down the river. There was no sign of the bugs, so that was one small victory.

  I spotted the back of Silas's head a hundred yards ahead, but I dunked under the water again before I could call out to him. I kicked hard, managing to resurface, my arms reaching up of their own accord as if I could find something to hold onto.

  A roaring noise filled the air and I feared the bugs had returned. But a moment later, a helicopter soared overhead. I gasped at the sight of its black underbelly, its spinning blades.

  Panic spiked through my chest. But there was nothing I could do as the waves kept me their prisoner. The helicopter slowed its pace, following the line of the river. I was sure I'd been spotted. And that meant one thing: Rockley Jones was coming for me.

  Mercy

  Just before dawn, I made my move to escape. Colt never came to check on me before the sun was fully up, so I knew I had time. I'd heard both of them walking around in the house until the late hours of the night. So hopefully they'd be sleeping in today.

  I crept from the bed, finding my leg further improved. With a hobble, I could probably walk fast enough. Not enough to run, but so long as I was quiet, that might be all I needed. I bent low, feeling for the broken tile beneath the bed. My fingers scraped the hard edge and I took it into my palm with an icy feeling creeping over my neck.

  I moved toward the attic door, finding it locked. I'd suspected it would be, but that wasn't going to stop me.

  I took the sheet from my bed, dragging it to the door. Next, I rummaged through the old pile of furniture in one corner, prising a screw from a desk drawer.

  I returned to the exit, moving as quietly as possible. Threading the sheet under the door, I pushed it out into the hall beyond the room. Standing, I eased the screw into the lock, jiggling it until the key fell onto the sheet below.

  I gently retracted the sheet from beneath the door, plucking the bronze key from it with a smile of triumph. I placed it in the lock, gently turning it until the satisfying click followed.

  Step one complete...

  Taking a slow, measured breath, I crept into the hallway, keeping the jagged tile clutched in my palm and dragging the sheet after me. I tiptoed across the small space, bending down to kneel beside the attic hatch.

  I was prepared for it falling open this time, so I looped the sheet through the iron ring in the centre and tied a knot. Pressing my weight on the hatch, the extendable stairs dropped away beneath me. I held on tight to the sheet, lowering the stairs carefully to the floor below.

  With a soft tap, the bottom stair hit the floorboards. I held my breath, waiting for someone to come running. But the house remained quiet.

  I crept down the steps, taking my time, my injured leg struggling with the awkward climb.

  At the bottom, I moved through the dark hallway. I wouldn't get far in the forest without a coat or shoes. I'd freeze to death before I ever made it close to escaping the sprawling Norwegian forest.

  This was the most risky part, but perhaps the most important.

  I can do this.

  I moved toward the first door, pressing my ear to it. When I heard nothing, I pushed it open.

  I was in luck. An empty bedroom stood before me. I tip-toed across it toward a huge oak wardrobe, tugging open the stiff doors.

  Empty. Damn.

  I checked the drawers, but the room was lined with dust. It mustn't have been used for years.

  I returned to the hallway, moving to the next door, pressing my ear to it. Slowly, I turned the handle. The door swung inwards and I cupped a hand to my mouth to halt my breathing. Colt lay asleep on the double bed. One arm hung off of it, a whiskey tumbler still clamped in it. His other arm lay over his eyes. The low glow of a mobile phone screen suddenly illuminated the room. It flashed again and I suspected he was receiving messages.

  The phone was too tempting to ignore. But even as I thought of taking it, I struggled to think who I'd call.

  Steal now. Decide later.

  Creeping toward Colt's night stand, my shadow fell over him from the dim light cast from the hallway. He'd fallen asleep in his jeans and shirt, all but his boots which looked like they'd been unlaced and kicked off at the foot of the bed.

  I picked up his iPhone, my heart beating out of tune in my chest as I cast my eyes down to the screen.

  RJ:

  Alfric's dead.

  RJ:

  Move soon.

  My heart slowed for a beat. Alfric Hund was dead? How? When? Was Jameson involved? My gut told me he had to be.

  I forced my thoughts back to the roo
m, clutching onto the phone as I moved toward the wardrobe. I had bigger problems to focus on right then.

  I took hold of the handle, tugging gently, then more sharply when it didn't open. The hinges groaned loudly and I gasped, dropping to the floor in my panic.

  I ducked my head below the end of the bed, keeping concealed. The sound of creaking bed-springs followed and I held my breath, my shoulders hunched as I forced myself not to take a single breath.

  My eyes shifted to the door. It had swung over so it was ajar, but not fully open. Even if Colt woke, perhaps he wouldn't notice?

  He mumbled something in his sleep that sounded like, “Dødstårn...”

  Peeking over the mattress, I saw Colt had rolled onto his side, his hand removed from his face. His expression was relaxed, making him appear innocent in sleep. But I knew better. And I didn't want to find out what he might do to me if he found me creeping around his bedroom. Behead me like one of his murder victims perhaps...

  I shuddered, slowly rising to my feet and peering into the wardrobe. I carefully extracted a fur coat, tugging it on and stuffing the phone into the pocket. Shoes were a bigger problem. I found a couple of boots at the base of the wardrobe. All too big. I took the smallest pair and a couple of thick socks. They would have to do.

  Turning toward the bed, my heart jolted sharply. For a moment, I could have sworn Colt had been looking at me.

  His jaw was tensed, but his eyes were closed.

  Must have imagined it.

  My heart rate slowed again as I moved toward the door, breathing a sigh of relief as I stepped into the low light of the hall.

  I headed downstairs, wincing at each creak of the steps. But finally, I was stood before the front door, my hand hovering over the doorknob. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled at the sound of footsteps overhead.

  Someone was awake.

  My heart urged me to move and I quickly twisted the lock before silently tugging the door open. Freezing air poured over me, slamming into my lungs.