I turned to Ignus, finding a look of glee in his eyes. The slim remote control was in his hand, capable of dispensing a shot of silver into my head and neutralising me. He could have implemented it the moment I'd gotten free and stopped me from slaughtering all of these people. But he'd let it happen.
He pressed the button at last and I sank to my knees with a sharp, slicing pain tearing through my skull. I counted to six, knowing it would take that long to fight off the silver. But the first shot was followed by another then another.
When I finally regained control, I was immobilised, my hands bound in silver cuffs, a chain around my neck as I was led from the room by eight men. An alarm whirred in my ears and flashing red lights illuminated the corridors. As I reached my cell, Jameson peered out of his, his eyes widening in alarm at the sight of me.
The men locked me in my cage and I sat against the back wall, drawing in rattling breath after rattling breath to try and assuage the rage living in me.
“What happened, brother?” Jameson called to me, but I didn't answer, my mind a blur of death and the intoxicating feeling of being made more human again by their blood.
As I focused, a nagging feeling grew in my chest. I shut my eyes, recalling the voice I longed to hear. Her soft tones, her light laughter when she was surprised to find I'd amused her.
A smile grew on my lips and that seemed to disconcert Jameson even more.
“Varick?” he called. “What's the matter with you? Why are you covered in blood?”
“I got a little revenge,” I answered and he frowned.
“But what about the plan? This will set us back weeks. They'll double the security on you.”
I shook my head, dropping my eyes to the patch of skin where Ignus had inserted a tracking device. “I'm not getting off this island, brother. The Helsings just made sure of that.”
“What?” he hissed, pressing his head to the bars.
“The plan will still work. For you.”
“How?”
I reached into my pocket, presenting the key card I'd taken from one of the nurses I'd killed. A man gazed back at me in the photo; short with dark hair and fair eyes. I felt only a tad sickened with what I'd done to him, knowing he had probably tortured countless Vs in this twisted place.
Standing, I tossed the card across the corridor and it skittered under the bars into Jameson's cell.
“They've made sure I can't escape,” I told him. “Not only do I have a capsule of silver ready to blow in my head, but I now have a tracking device buried in my chest, too.”
“Jesus...” Jameson gripped the bars between his fists. “Why you?”
I shook my head. “Apparently it's hard to train Vs to cooperate.”
Jameson's brows lowered. “Hard maybe, but doable. And I'd bet plenty of those Vs would trade your life for theirs on the island.”
“True...” I considered his words. Why did the Helsings specifically want me to help them? It didn't make any sense. They'd never seemed to care for me before. Not in any sense more than my being useful to them. But I had always felt expendable. Until now.
What had changed?
With a jolt of clarity, the answer came to me. “Selena,” I whispered, but evidently Jameson's wolf hearing picked up the word.
“What about her?” he asked - too eagerly for me not to grow suspicious.
“What do you care?”
He shrugged. “Saved her in the game, didn't I?”
“Is that what Ignus sent you onto the island for?”
Jameson howled a laugh. “No, Ignus was hoping I'd hunt the girls. He injected me with something that stopped me from changing back into a man. He thought I'd get hungry, hunt them intelligently and make for a good viewing. You know, all the psycho funhouse stuff he's in to.”
“But it didn't work?”
“Course not. Ulvic conveniently forgot to mention that wolves can go a whole month without food before they're even close to starving. And a Werewolf can go two.”
My spine straightened. “Ulvic? As in Ulvic Hund?” Ignus had been blackmailing the man for something. Had it all been for Jameson?
Jameson bowed his head. “He's a friend.”
“Who brought you here?” I nearly roared, my anger flaring. “What kind of friend would trade you into the Helsings?”
“I volunteered,” Jameson said in a quiet voice that twisted my heart.
“Why the hell would you do that?” I demanded.
“The Helsings have been after my pack for years. Ulvic protects us; provides us with a home, a safe place to live, food. We don't bother people. No one gets hurt when we turn because we train to keep our minds sharp, so we never lose who we are.”
“Skip the Werewolf meditation shit, and tell me why you would volunteer for this hell.”
Jameson sighed, the air rushing from him so his whole body slumped forward. “I hoped if Ignus saw how useless we were in the game, he'd let Ulvic take me home.”
“But?” I prompted.
“Ignus still believes I can be adapted. He wants to-” Jameson shuddered. “Train me like some attack dog.”
“I know the feeling,” I muttered.
Jameson played with the key card in his hand. “I'm not leaving here without you.”
“You don't have a choice,” I growled.
“We never leave each other behind,” he snapped back.
“Not without the promise of coming back for each other,” I added, my gut spiralling. I knew it was wrong to give Jameson false hope. If he left this island, he'd never be able to return. I wouldn't allow it. As soon as I knew he and Selena were safe, I could take my fate into my own hands.
“You have that suicidal look in your eye,” Jameson remarked. I shrugged and he shifted forward on his knees. “Remember the day you were captured by the Spanish? They tied a noose and-”
“I put it around my own neck,” I finished for him with a smug grin.
“They were so shocked, they forgot to pat you down for weapons.” Jameson beamed. “You'd gutted three of them before they even realised what had happened.”
I fought a smile but it won. “What's your point?”
“Point is, you always walk into the hands of death so calmly. But that's when you come out fighting, guns blazing. You don't actually want to die, brother.”
I fell silent, thinking of the past weeks and how everything did seem different. Like a veil had been lifted from my world. It all pivoted around Selena. But every time I let myself think of her, my thoughts were accompanied by an ache inside me I couldn't quite grasp.
“Say I do want to live...” I started thoughtfully. “I'm still stuck here with no chance of getting out.”
“Details, Varick.” He tucked the key card into his jeans before tapping his temple. “I'm already working on them.”
Selena
Ulvic led me inside the cabin and I was distinctly aware of each wolf sniffing the air around me. He turned to them, snapping his fingers. “Mekiah, Reason, inside.”
The white wolf padded up the stairs, following the reddy-brown one through the front door. As I headed after Ulvic, I felt like I'd stepped into a hunter's cabin. Furs lined the room and weapons took up every available space; mounted on the walls in brackets, from shotguns to pistols and an entire section devoted to crossbows; from tiny, handheld designs, to enormous, deadly-looking things made of black metal.
I raised my brows, but Ulvic gave no explanation, moving to the bar that was set into one wall, surrounded by a collection of glasses, all branded with country names and flags.
He poured himself a cognac, swilling it in a glass marked with the French flag.
My eye was drawn to the two wolves as they padded across the room and disappeared through a door.
I blinked hard, turning to Ulvic. “Are you planning on explaining any of this to me?”
Ulvic sipped his cognac, sighed peacefully as if it had given him great relief and placed it down before answering, “I'm a Hunter.”
/> I instinctively stepped back, alert.
He raised his palms innocently. “Not like the Helsings. My focus is all on Werewolves. And I don't hurt a hair on their heads.”
“But you're a Hunter?” I pressed, still on edge.
“Yes, by blood only. The Werewolf Hunters have been out of business for almost a hundred years since we hunted the population nearly to extinction.”
“And now?” I asked.
“Now...I'm trying to right some of the wrongs my family did all those years ago.” He lifted his glass, gesturing to the weapons decorating the lounge. “I collected these over the years. I'm quite the traveller, you see.” He gestured to the array of glasses from all over the world. “Or at least, I was. Until I settled here on Skorpa with my wolf pack.”
“And why did you do that?”
“I searched for these wolves and slowly, one by one, I brought them here. I made a home for them, somewhere safe that they could live in peace and...” he gave a small grin. “Hopefully start to repopulate the species. Although, that's been much more difficult than you might imagine.”
I frowned thoughtfully. “If they're people, no doubt they want to make their own choices.”
“They do make their own choices. But they have very limited options if they want the Werewolf population to grow.”
My frown deepened, the logical side of my brain battling against the truth. Vampires existed...now Werewolves too? After what I'd witnessed in the games, I was starting to think nothing could surprise me any more.
The door opened before I could ask another question and two people entered, midway through dressing themselves. The man was huge; tall, muscular, with dark eyes that seemed to scour every inch of me. His hair was cropped short, giving him a dangerous appearance, but perhaps that was only due to my recent encounters with such men on Raskdød.
The girl was, by contrast, the exact opposite of him; petite with so much white-blonde hair that it hung around her like a curtain, right down to her waist. She was winding it into a plait as she approached, a task that no doubt would take her an age. Her skin shimmered bronze and her eyes were like two pale grey slices of the moon.
“This is Mekiah and Reason,” Ulvic introduced them.
“Your scent...” Mekiah moved toward me, lifting his chin. “No human smells that way.” His voice was so deep it rumbled like thunder in my ears; his accent was Russian, perhaps, but I couldn't be sure.
“Hi,” the girl said; she seemed timid, despite the fact she could evidently morph into a wolf at will. If I had such powers, I wondered if I'd ever be frightened again. “You feel nervous.”
I frowned, glancing at Ulvic.
“Reason has visions,” he explained.
“Not visions,” she snapped, seeming braver at once. Perhaps I'd been wrong about her after all. “I get a sense of human emotions, that's all.”
“Alright, enough psychic shit.” Mekiah walked to the bar, pouring himself a whiskey. “What's with the girl?”
I felt intensely awkward, being assessed by them both. Reason moved closer, almost floating with how much grace she moved with. “You have so much darkness awaiting you.” She sniffed the air and I fought the urge to move a step back.
“What?” I breathed, the hairs on the back of neck creeping up.
Her wide, grey eyes became shaded like clouds drawing over the moon. “There's pain on your path. So much pain...”
I glanced over to Ulvic, hoping he might intervene with the creepy predictions that were making my skin prickle.
Mekiah pointed at Reason with his glass. “See Ulvic. I'm not mating with this nutter.”
Reason snapped around, glaring at him. “And you think for a second I want you as my mate?”
Mekiah snarled – actually snarled - slamming his glass down so it broke into a hundred pieces.
“No– not Poland!” Ulvic tried to save what remained of the glass whilst Mekiah lunged forward, exploding like his skin was ripping apart. Fur burst from his body and I gasped in horror, rearing backwards. The muddy-brown wolf appeared in his place, growling at Reason who simply rolled her eyes.
“Oh grow up, Mekiah.” She spared a glance for Ulvic before marching away, disappearing into the room she'd appeared from and leaving me gazing on in complete shock.
Mekiah's clothes lay in tatters around him as he sat, growling at the door.
“Enough, Mekiah,” Ulvic barked. “You've caused enough damage.” He swept the remains of his glass into the bin with a sigh. Turning to me with a scowl, his eyes swept up and down my dress, landing on my bare feet. “Go to Reason, she'll find you some clothes.”
I nodded, tentatively heading after the girl and knocking on the door. She opened it a crack, her hard eyes softening at the sight of me. “Come in.” She stepped aside and I followed her.
“Ulvic said you might have some clothes...” I took in her bedroom which was decorated in soft browns and golds. A large painting hung on the wall portraying a white wolf sitting at a man's feet. It was abstract and smudged with heavy lines, but I could tell from the trench coat the man was supposed to be Ulvic.
“Thank you,” I said as she handed me some jeans and a woolly black jumper from a set of drawers. Reason pointed to a door across the room. “You can shower in there if you like.”
I nodded, flashing her a grateful smile before slipping into the little room. The hot stream of water on my skin was heaven. I let myself indulge in the quiet peace of it, but not for too long.
When I was dressed in the clothes - which fit well enough, despite being slightly too long for me - I returned to the bedroom.
Reason was perched on the edge of the bed.
“You've been on Raskdød?” she asked, standing and taking the golden dress that was bunched in my hands. Her fingers tightened on it and she held it to her nose.
“Yes,” I said quietly, a coarse rope seeming to tighten around my throat. Tears sprang to my eyes as I thought of Cass. Of everyone that had been lost to the game. I had battled against thinking about them since I'd left the island, not allowing myself to fall into despair. But now in the quiet safety of the cabin, my walls were starting to crumble.
Reason laid a hand on my shoulder. “You've been through a lot.” She lowered the dress, dropping it. “I've felt it.” She rested a hand on her heart, tears swimming in her eyes. “And a little of what is to come.”
I tilted my head back, daring to look into her eyes, unsure if I believed her but desperate to find hope there all the same. “How do you know?”
She considered her words. “I sense an aura from people. I can experience the emotions you've felt, those you're currently feeling and even some of those to come.” She gave me an apologetic smile. “It's difficult to explain.”
“Have you always been that way?” I asked.
“No...Ulvic says I'm special somehow, but I don't think he knows much more than I do.”
I ran my fingers under my damp eyes, pulling myself together. Varick was still in danger, and I couldn't waste any more time. “Thank you for the clothes.” I moved toward the door and Reason watched me with deep lines etched into her sun-kissed forehead. “Of course.” She gave me a sad smile that unnerved me.
I slipped away, feeling strangely bare. I'd always been guarded and she made me feel like my heart was sliced open for all to see.
Ulvic had pulled off his coat and settled in a chair across from Mekiah who was still in his wolf form, padding back and forth across the room. If I hadn't been through what I had, the Werewolves might have made me nervous. And though I didn't know much of their strength or their intentions toward me, I still felt strangely safe in their company.
Ulvic's casual appearance quickly got under my skin. I gazed at the weapons on his wall with intention. “We should start making a plan.”
“Take a breather, Selena.” Ulvic waved a hand, reaching into his pocket and taking out a top-of-the-range iPhone. “You're the plan. You give me a reason to walk back onto Raskdød.�
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I folded my arms, waiting for him to elaborate but he didn't. He dialled a number and held the phone to his ear.
“Who are you calling?” I asked, stepping toward him, but he gestured for me to be quiet.
After a beat, he spoke, “Ah, Ignus, sorry to call so early.”
My hackles rose at the mention of his name.
Ulvic fixed his pale gaze on me. “It's about the girl who won the games.”
My heart did a somersault as I listened. Could I really trust Ulvic? What did I actually know about him?
Ulvic rose to his feet and I was diminished beneath his height. He raised a palm to calm me, but it did nothing to ease my erratic heartbeat, or the doubt that was flooding through me.
“Yes, I caught her offshore of Raskdød on one of your vessels.” He paused, tilting his head to the side as he took in my wary expression.
“That's what I thought,” Ulvic continued, his tone at ease. “I'll bring her back to you in the morning...no it's not a bother...oh...I suspected as much. Yes, I'll see you soon.” He tucked the phone away and I glared at him.
“Explain,” I demanded.
“Selena, relax,” Ulvic urged, raising both palms to me.
Mekiah started snarling and I glanced back and forth between them. “You're selling me out,” I accused.
Ulvic took two measured steps closer and my back pressed against the door. Reason appeared in the room, her gaze swivelling between us anxiously.
“I'm not selling you out,” Ulvic said firmly. “Look, Ignus won't suspect I'm up to anything if I bring you back to the island. Then we'll find a way to release your Vampire and my Alpha.”
My mind swam with questions. I didn't know who to trust any more. The only person left in the world who seemed to have my back was Varick. And god only knew what had happened to him. He may not have even been in this world any more.
“So much fear,” Reason breathed, pressing her fingers into her eyes. It made my heart beat even faster. Whose emotions were she reading?
“I'm going to help you,” Ulvic promised.
“Why didn't you explain the plan before calling the Helsings?” I snapped, my voice shaking. I had so much anger inside me, flowing like liquid magma through my veins. I just had no idea who to direct it at.
V Games: Fresh From The Grave (The Vampire Games Book 2) Page 3
