In the painting, Ignus was smiling, just like he was now. But the thing that was missing was that spark of mania in his eyes.
I stood, feeling slightly more confident now he was here. “Good to see you.”
“And you.” Ingus's lips tipped up.
Visually, he was barely eighteen, but in truth, those eyes had seen more than eighty years of life. He was nearly as old as me. And perhaps that's why we had always gotten on well enough.
I folded my arms, reminding him I was still furious about what he'd done to me the last time I was here, letting his pet V feed from me. Coercing me.
Ignus's shoulders dropped and his gaze became laced with apprehension. “You didn't say goodbye when you left.”
I shrugged as casually as I could manage. “You were busy at the end of the last game.” I dropped into my seat, my tense shoulders relaxing marginally.
I'd known Ignus for years. He had absolute power in every aspect of his life, bar one. Me.
And that was the reason he'd denied my father's money when he'd tracked me down. The one thing that had given me any sway with him over all the years we'd done business. That we had some unspoken connection. He'd given me a chance to speak my side of things, and had been turned in my favour against my father.
In all our years of work together where I'd offered him my expertise in paranormal science, he had never once laid down the law with me. Until last week during the V Games, setting his parasitic Vampire on me, trying to scare me into giving him what he wanted. And I'd crumbled. I'd been reluctant to lend him Jameson in the first place, but he'd paid an enormous price that would expand my worldwide search for Werewolves twenty times over. So I'd made the decision for him to 'borrow' Jameson. Just for one season of the games. Under strict instructions that he was not allowed to be killed, or else huge compensation would have to be paid.
But that hadn't been enough for Ignus. Over the years, I'd experimented with Werewolf blood, trying to work on producing a virus that could be injected into a human and turn them into a wolf - whether it were a full moon or not. But, though I hadn't yet achieved it, I had stumbled across certain formulas. One that kept Werewolves in their animal form and another that took away their humanity whilst in that form. Both very dangerous in the wrong hands. And I'd made the foolish mistake of confiding in Ignus about my work. I should have known he'd have wanted to get his mitts on it. And when I refused, he set his pet Vampire on me.
“Forgive me if I'm not overly friendly toward you, Ignus.” I surveyed him coolly.
“Oh Ulvic.” He slumped down in a chair. “You're not still mad about a little V bite, are you?”
“A little V bite?” I echoed, my voice booming. I didn't get angry very often, and when I did my words usually failed and I clammed up, but I was still too offended right then to hold back. Ignus was many things, but he had been loyal to me over the years. There had been a bond of trust between us when it mattered, but he'd forgone it to get his hands on my work.
“It's just business,” Ignus said, picking at his nails.
My throat closed up and no more words came out. It had been years since my stammer had shown up, but if it did, Ignus would know something was wrong.
My father's voice rang in my head.
No son of mine should be this cowardly.
I cleared my throat, forcing the past away. I'd overcome that demon. I wasn't about to succumb to it now.
Ignus stood, moving to an antique drinks cabinet and folded the doors back, taking out a bottle of whiskey and pouring another two glasses. He held one out to me and I plucked it from his hand.
“Relax, Vic. I'm sorry, alright? Let's start over.” He held out his drink to clink against my glass, his fingers brushing mine. His eyes told me everything I needed to know about his feelings for me. I offered him a small smile, needing to play along if I was going to get my wolves out of here.
And, God, somehow Selena and that V she was attached to, as well. Not that she was my top priority, but I'd given her my word.
“What have you done with Selena?” I inquired, standing to meet Ignus nose-to-nose.
His fingers curled around my wrist and he tugged me closer so his mouth was by my ear. “Want to know a secret?”
I slid a hand around his waist, bringing him closer. “What?”
“Remember I told you about the upgrade I was working on?”
I nodded, my eyebrows lowering.
“Well, I did it Vic. Purchased a new island and built a brand new arena. Wait till you see it.” He grinned and I shared a tentative smile.
“What does that have to do with Selena?”
He stepped back, looking pleased with himself. “I was going to execute her at first, then I had a brilliant idea. It came to me like that.” He snapped his fingers and the noise plucked the chords in my ears. “I'm sending her to the new island. She's going to die the way she deserves: in the game.”
I felt the blood draining from my face, drop by drop. “She's going to play again?” My heart tipped over, crashing into my lungs. I'd heard of other Hunters making girls play round after round of the games. But they trained them, made them strong, gave them luxuries in return so they were appeased. It wasn't the type of thing just anyone could do, survive and kill over and over. But those women were different. Maniacs, half of them. Getting paid to kill and stay out of prison.
But Selena wouldn't survive another game. She may have been mentally strong, but the odds were against her now.
“Seems a little harsh,” I said through a false smile.
Ignus shrugged, fiddling with the buttons on my coat. “She has defied our family. It makes sense to do it this way. The spectators will watch her die and many of them will have justice for their friend's death.”
My smile dropped into a scowl. “Is it really necessary to hand the winner over for a night with one of the men?”
Ignus rolled his eyes. “It's tradition, Vic. It's about keeping the men happy. If they stop coming, the game dies.”
“Right,” I said through tight lips.
His hands snaked around my waist. “Anyway, I don't want to talk about them. I want to talk about you.”
Entertaining Ignus's advances was one thing I was good at. He might have been slightly insane, but he wasn't all bad to look at. There'd even been the occasional time I'd wondered if he really could be changed, if we had a prospect of a future together...
I moved out of his hold to ensure he didn't get a sense of my heightened state. My mind kept wandering to my wolves. Were they alright? Were they with Jameson now? Could they find a way to get him out?
“If you think we can just pick things up where we left off after you set a Vampire on me, you're wrong.” I managed to keep my words flowing. As a kid, I'd hardly been able to talk with how much my stammer had affected me.
Ignus frowned, looking genuinely apologetic for once. “You withheld your research from me, Vic. Which you have never done in all the time we've known each other.”
I sighed, avoiding his piercing blue gaze. “And that was reason enough to set Varick on me?” I lifted my chin defiantly, but my heart was thumping hard beneath my ribcage.
Ignus rested his hand on my shoulder, looking desperate. “I'm truly sorry. You know how I can be when I don't get my way.”
I pinched my lips together. I knew exactly how he could be. Violent, vengeful, vindictive. But never with me. Not once with me.
Ignus seemed to read my expression, knotting his fingers into mine. “Let me make it up to you.”
I nodded then, figuring I'd try my luck, said, “Let me take Jameson home, and I'll forget about it.”
A shadow passed through Ignus's eyes. He was still smiling which unnerved me the most. He sighed, stepping back, a breathy laugh passing his lips. “Problem is, he's already on his way to my new island.”
My heart dipped in panic. “You never told me!”
He nodded solemnly. “Oh Vic, come on. You lent him to me for a season of the games.
Of course he's going to the island.”
“I have the right to be informed,” I said through my teeth, my mind doing cartwheels. What would Reason and Mekiah do when they couldn't find him? What was I going to do?
Ignus gripped my arm and I knotted my hand in his shirt, tempted to hit him.
“Maybe I would feel bad about it, Vic.” His jaw was clenched and I could see hurt flaring in his eyes. “If you hadn't tried to double cross me.”
A snake coiled around my throat. The accusation in Ignus's eyes was enough to confirm my fears. But I managed to push him for an answer anyway. “What do you mean?”
Ignus's lips twitched, his disappointment evident. He wriggled out of my hold, walking away, tipping the remainder of his whiskey down his throat. “Look, I know why you did it. I know you're pissed at me. But you can't set Werewolves loose in my home, Vic. Did you really think they'd get anywhere near your Alpha even if he was still here?”
I wanted to fight, to beat him until he handed back what was mine. Instead, my throat grew tighter and my world shrank around me.
“What have you done with them?” I growled.
Ignus approached me, dropping a hand onto my shoulder with a frown. “You didn't expect me to let two more wolves pass through my hands, did you? They're currently being packed and shipped to the Isle of Lidelse.”
“N-no,” I choked out, my stammer appearing in full force.
Reason...Mekiah. What had I done?
My plan was dissolving before my eyes. I should have known I wasn't canny enough to pull this off.
Ignus wrapped himself around me again. “But you are of course invited to the game. I have a room reserved for you, all expenses paid, considering everything you've done for me, and-”
“Sc-screw you!” I blurted, shoving him back.
“I'll take good care of them,” Ignus implored, seeming genuinely concerned by my reaction. “I didn't want to do it like this.”
“But you d-did,” I hissed, the feel of a python coiling its way around my vocal chords, making it more and more difficult to speak.
Ignus gazed up at me with a look of sorrow. “Come spend the week with me on the new island. I'll make sure you enjoy yourself and, hey, if it doesn't work out with the new wolves I'll give them back at the end of the game, how does that sound?”
I was breathless, my mind whirling. As my heart rate began to settle, I realised I didn't have a choice. I had to play along or I'd never get a chance at rescuing my wolves.
“Yes...yes,” I sighed. “Alright, I'll c-come. Of course I'll come.”
He squeezed my hand with a soft smile. “I knew you'd understand.”
Selena
I woke, cold, hungry and confused. The memory of my encounter with Ignus clung to me like a dark shadow, filling me with dread.
My heartbeat rushed into top gear.
Where was I?
The place smelt of fresh paint and something clinical that assaulted my senses. I rose to my feet and swathes of material swung around my legs.
A painful sigh parted from my lips. I was in a white gown that resembled a wedding dress. The bodice was made from an intricately woven lace that gathered into a sweetheart neckline. The skirt was heavy and laden with layers of silk and netting beneath it, puffing out in a large fan.
Beneath the dress were thick, woolen tights and heavy army-style boots.
My breathing grew uneven as I gazed around the small, square room with glaring white walls.
I chose this. This is what I wanted.
The wall opposite me morphed into a screen and the pale blue silhouette of a girl shone at me.
A voice cut through the air, soft and male, taking me by surprise. “Welcome to the V Games, Selena Grey. You have been selected to compete in a week long event run by the esteemed Helsing family where you will have the chance to eradicate your prison sentence for good. Wouldn't you like to be a free woman again? To return home to your family and have all the mistakes of your past forgotten?”
I wondered if that was even a possibility for me now. And how the Helsings could even offer such a thing. Could Kite Charm people like Varick was able to? Would she do what they asked?
Two words appeared either side of the silhouette's head. Yes and No.
When I remained silent, battling the feel of barbed wire around my heart, the voice rang out again. “Would you like to continue on your path to redemption?”
I'm here to survive.
I'm here for Varick.
“Yes,” I ground out through my teeth.
The voice spoke again and a new graphic appeared on the wall, showing a girl with an arrow pointing to the back of her head. “Each round of the games will be completed within a time limit. Failure to reach a designated safe zone in time will result in the detonation of a poison capsule already inserted into the base of your skull.”
I groaned, lifting a hand and rubbing my fingers of the raised skin beneath my hairline. The capsule detonated on the screen and red liquid seemed to spill through the image until the silhouette fell to the floor unmoving.
I grimaced, a sickness filling my stomach.
The words melted away like mist and a compartment opened in the wall beside me. A drawer slid out of it with a single white oak stake inside.
“Please take your weapon. You will find a pocket sown into your dress where you can carry it.”
I moved across the room, taking the stake into my hand, finding the feel of it all too familiar. Dread scattered through me, but I fought it away. I'd chosen this path. Now I just had focus on surviving until I could find Varick, then I'd figure out what to do after.
“Please watch the demonstration video.”
The silhouette began to move, a stake appearing in her hand as she twisted an arm and stabbed upwards with a sharp jab.
“Repeat,” the voice commanded.
I grimaced as I played along, stabbing the stake into the air before me.
“Excellent. The demonstration will now continue.”
The silhouette was joined by another, this one tall and male, moving more animal-like than the other; clearly a V. As it ran toward the girl, she thrust her arm up, driving the stake into the V's chest. The image evaporated in a shower of blue shards and a new image replaced it. A clear graphic of a weak Vampire appeared on the screen, slowly circling whilst a diagram pointed to its fangs and claws.
“A Vampire can be killed by a stake directly to the heart,” the voice explained. “They are fast and can smell your blood, especially if you get cut.”
I glared at the screen, half furious, half terrified.
The V on the screen faded away and the room darkened to an ominous red glow, the light emitting from inside the walls themselves.
I clenched my stake harder, terror trickling through me.
“You will now have a chance to practice. Are you ready?”
The words Yes and No appeared on the screen again and I tried to mentally prepare myself for what was coming. Shutting my eyes and counting to five, I answered, “Yes.”
A hidden door shot open in the wall behind me and I flung myself around. A snarling V charged at me, arms outstretched, snapping at the air as it sprinted in my direction.
I cried out as it collided with me, shoving me back into the far wall. The breath was choked out of me. But I'd been here before. I knew what to do.
As the V caught hold of my neck with ice-cold fingers, I thrust my stake up into its chest. A screech ripped from its lungs. With a grunt, I pushed the stake in further and it fell back, slumping dead at my feet.
The lights brightened as black blood pooled around my boots. I stepped back, sickened, but strangely accustomed to the sight.
For a moment I thought I was reflected on the screen, but quickly realised it was a computer generated animation of me, so life-like that it scared me. I was smiling in the graphic – my first clue that it wasn't really me, slightly twisting side to side so my dress swept around my ankles.
Above
the video, beside my name were statistics.
Death Toll: 1
Rating: Currently Undetermined
Health: Stable
“Congratulations on defeating your first Vampire, Selena. Please wait while your rating is determined by the viewers.”
My brows drew together as I waited. Rating? This was new. And I had no idea what it meant in terms of my survival. What difference did it make how well I was rated?
I waited for several tense minutes until the voice spoke again. “Congratulations, Selena. You have been rated 5 out of 10. The spectators will vote throughout the game, so your rating can change at any time. You are judged on the following criteria: Courage, Skill, Personality and Attractiveness.”
My scowl increased and I raised my middle finger at the screen. “How's this for a personality rating?”
The voice ignored me as it continued in a much-too-casual tone, “If your rating drops to a 1 at any point during the game, you will need to take part in a redeeming process to raise your score. However, the process is hazardous and has a high mortality rate, so it's in your interest to keep your rating as high as possible.”
I shuddered, not wanting to know what that would entail.
“Those with the highest ratings, ranking between 8 and 10 will be given extra supplies, including food and water as well as better defenses against the Vampires. To ensure you have the best chance at raising your score, we have gifted you with a personal tablet to connect you with the spectators and provide you with more information on how to increase your rating. You will now find this in the drawer to your right.”
Another compartment slid open in the wall and I moved toward what looked like a slim, black mobile phone inside it. A strap was attached to the back of it that would enable me to tie it onto my wrist. The screen unlocked at the press of my thumb and a profile was revealed on what looked like a social media site for psychopaths. The accents were a deep, blood red and black; my picture took centre stage with my stats beneath it. At the bottom was an option to record videos and take pictures, making my heart stumble over itself.
I navigated my way to a list of the spectators; all with obviously fake names like Magnus, Lionheart and Goliath. They had basic profiles tagged with what they were hoping for in the games including, 'violence', 'close-calls', 'feisty personalities', and one guy even had 'lesbian antics' as his number one tag. I was tempted to throw the device at the nearest wall, but instead gripped it in my fist until my knuckles turned white. My heart lurched as a picture caught my eye - the only profile picture posted by any of the spectators - on a profile for someone called Hund. Tapping it, I zoomed in on the photo of Ulvic who looked like he'd snapped a selfie in an extravagant hotel room with his cheek pressed against Ignus's.
V Games: Fresh From The Grave (The Vampire Games Book 2) Page 10
