Wolf Games (The Vampire Games Book 4)

by Caroline Peckham

  “I wanna see him cry,” Jax complained, leaning back against the nearest brick wall. He was getting sick of my unwavering cool. But I'd been around bigger pricks than this in my life. I hadn't cried in front of them, so I sure as hell wasn't gonna cry in front of these losers.

  “Yeah...” Lynch moved into my personal space. “I'd like to see that too, I reckon.”

  “Good luck with that.” I yawned. I was gonna have ashtray breath for weeks.

  “Well how about you start breaking your own fingers,” Lynch said, his moustache lifting as he smiled.

  I trapped my pinky between my finger and thumb, a growl leaving my throat as I tried to fight the order.

  “Now,” Lynch snarled.

  Snap.

  I couldn't fight the whimper. Truly, I tried. The satisfaction on Jax and Lynch's faces was nearly too much to bear.

  “All of them,” Lynch ordered, puffing on a newly lit smoke.

  Snap, snap, snap.

  I started with my left hand in a vain hope they'd leave my right one alone. But from the looks on their faces, that wasn't likely. But how was I gonna break those fingers with my mangled left hand...

  “Jameson!” Ulvic's voice announced his arrival. Hadn't seen the guy for days. Was he working on breaking us out? He better bloody had been. “What the-”

  “Remember when you told me to do as Lynch says? Well...” I winced. From the looks of my hand, I'd never play piano again. But luckily for me, I'd never played piano before.

  Alfric appeared behind Ulvic, a step higher, his hand braced on the wall for support. Frail much? I hoped to take advantage of that some day soon.

  “You don't have to listen to him,” Ulvic said quickly and a wave of tension dissipated from my body, releasing me from the command.

  My heart kicked into top gear. I snatched the Flintlock from Lynch's waistband.

  I raised it.

  Jax came at me.

  Bye bye Jaxxy.

  BANG.

  He hit the floor at Lynch's feet, a clean bullet-hole carved between his eyes. I swung the barrel towards Lynch, pure, sweet revenge flooding through me.

  “Freeze!” Ulvic roared.

  My muscles tensed all over. I tried to pull the trigger. The barrel was aimed right at Lynch's face which had turned the colour of sour milk. Shoulda shot Lynch first....

  My right eye went into spasm as I tried to overcome Ulvic's command with all my might. My finger hovered on the trigger.

  Come on. Smallest movement in the world will end this sucker.

  But I simply couldn't do it.

  Lynch's shoulders relaxed and his laughter rang through the air.

  “Dead man,” I snarled. “One day soon. I swear it. You'll be as dead as him.” I gazed at Jax's limp body, satisfaction rolling through me in waves. At least I got one of them.

  Lynch lifted the newly lit cigarette to his mouth, toked on the end then turned his attention to Alfric. Nice to know he cared about his dead friend.

  “Hell,” Alfric said in a gruff tone. “Get this mess cleaned up, Lynch.”

  “But sir-” Lynch complained.

  “Do it now or I will have the Werewolf rip that moustache from your face and feed it to the crows.”

  “Oh please refuse,” I taunted Lynch.

  “And you,” Alfric rounded on me. “There will be punishment for this.”

  I raised my mangled hand, my fingers all sticking out at awkward angles. I guessed the adrenaline in my veins was keeping me from retching. “This isn't punishment enough?”

  Alfric stared at me for several moments before saying, “Fine.” He snapped his fingers at Lynch. “Larkspur. Now. Don't mess with my assets again.” His tone was full of warning and Lynch bowed his head obediently as he scurried away.

  His assets?

  I noticed Ulvic's travel bag was hanging from his shoulder.

  “Going somewhere?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

  “We all are,” Alfric answered for him. The twisted little smile on his face didn't bode well for me, I reckoned. So it was probably too much to hope that he was taking me and my wolves to the train station with a packed lunch for the journey home.

  “Tell him to do as I command,” Alfric muttered to Ulvic.

  Ulvic hesitated, his face paling. I glared at him, not having much hope of him holding out against his father. Was this his way of sticking to our plan? 'Cause he could have commanded me to murder his father here and now. But he clearly wasn't planning on doing that.

  “Do as he says,” Ulvic sighed and I felt the command run through me like boiling water.

  Lynch reappeared, passing me a bottle of Larkspur solution which I promptly drank.

  My eyes flipped to Alfric, brows raised.

  “Fetch the other wolves.” He threw a set of keys in my direction. I caught them, nodding as I headed away, jogging down the stairwell into the dungeon.

  I reached Nadine's cell first, sliding the key into the lock and turning it. She dove out of it, throwing her arms around my neck. “What's going on?”

  I squeezed her briefly, not answering as I hurried toward Mekiah and Reason's cells. Mekiah stepped out first, his wide shoulders pressed back, his charcoal eyes wheeling left and right. “Are we safe?”

  “No.” I gave him a one-armed hug as Reason crept out from her cell, too, looking concerned.

  Nadine crashed into me from behind and I was squashed between the three of them, pressed into the centre of a group hug.

  Reason ducked her head into my chest and I felt tears soaking through my shirt. She'd always been a sensitive soul. And it must have been hell for her, seeing as she had the ability to feel the emotions of those around her. Experiencing Alfric and his employees' emotions probably felt like being dunked in cold water twenty four hours a day.

  “Are we getting out of here, Alpha?” she asked, tilting her head back to look up at me. Her eyes were sea-blue, almost turquoise in the light. “Not yet,” I breathed. “Ulvic's betrayed us. Again.”

  Reason had cried for nearly an hour when Nadine and I had told her about what Ulvic had done to our pack. That we were the only ones left. And I reckoned Mekiah felt almost as hungry for Ulvic's death as I did.

  Mekiah released a snarl. “What's he done now?”

  Reason's already pale cheeks drained of all remaining colour.

  “He's given his father the power to command me,” I explained. “I don't know what his angle is. Or if he has one at all anymore. I'm concerned he might really be making amends with his father.”

  “Ulvic wouldn't do this,” Reason insisted, turning to me with tears trailing down her cheeks. “He loves us.”

  I pulled her toward me, pushing a lock of white hair behind her ear. “I know it's hard to accept, but you have to, Reason. I need you to be strong, okay? We'll work this out together.”

  She nodded, letting out a shaky breath as she forced herself to stop crying.

  Mekiah slowly nodded, his lips pressing sharply together. He was the total opposite of Reason. He rarely showed any emotion other than anger. But she wore her heart on her sleeve and it hurt me to see her so anguished. Nadine looped her arms around her, pulling her close. I felt I'd let them all down. The only way I could make it up to them was killing Ulvic. But how was I ever gonna manage that? I needed an assassin. Preferably a redheaded one with emerald eyes...

  “We've gotta stick together now,” I said, trying to regain some control over the situation and forcing Cass firmly to the back of my mind. “Ulvic will give Alfric power over you too, the second you're in earshot. So you have one opportunity to attack.”

  I let that fact settle over my pack. Nadine stepped forward, nodding firmly. “I'll do it.”

  “We all will,” Mekiah growled.

  “Aim to kill Alfric. But you have to be ready for Ulvic to command you to stop,” I said.

  “He wouldn't,” Reason said. “Maybe he's waiting for us to make this move.”

  “Maybe,” I muttered, but I didn'
t have the same faith in him that she did.

  “We can't turn, not with the collars,” Reason said in realisation, her hand going to the one around her neck.

  Mekiah bristled. “I don't need to be a wolf to kill an old man.”

  “Hunter,” Nadine corrected. “But you're right. There's three of us and one of him.”

  “Get to him fast,” I urged and they all nodded.

  I took the lead, guiding them back past the cells toward the stairs. Mekiah moved to my side, his hands balled into fists.

  “Don't waste a second,” I breathed. “Not one.”

  He nodded stiffly and adrenaline coursed through my veins. In a flash of movement, Mekiah turned to Reason. “Get on my back and cover my ears. If I can't hear Ulvic, I can't obey him.”

  I beamed at the brilliant idea and Reason promptly leapt onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and clamping her hands over his ears.

  “Go,” I mouthed.

  Mekiah ran forward, followed closely by Nadine. I brought up the rear, sprinting up the final steps and bursting into the cellar.

  All hell broke loose. Nadine charged at Ulvic. Mekiah made a beeline for Alfric.

  “Stop!” Ulvic roared at Nadine who skidded to a halt just before him.

  Mekiah's hands clamped around Alfric's throat, his cane clattering to the floor as Mekiah lifted him half a foot off the ground.

  “Reason-!” Ulvic started, but I moved at speed, leaping onto Mekiah's back too and clapping my hands to her ears. Mekiah stumbled backwards from the weight of us, but still had Alfric in his grip. The old man was turning blue, his arms flailing like made.

  “Jameson – let go!” Ulvic bellowed. My hands went slack and I slammed into the ground, quickly gaining my feet.

  I started shouting, trying to drown out Ulvic's voice, but it evidently found Reason as he roared, “Reason, let go of Mekiah!”

  I caught her as she fell from his back, pulling her roughly against me. Alfric was like a ragdoll in Mekiah's fists.

  “Mekiah, release him this instant!” Ulvic's voice filled the room.

  Alfric slumped to the ground, completely still.

  I gave Nadine a hopeful smile. Ulvic looked ready to murder us. So I guessed he'd officially abandoned us.

  “We're breaking out,” Reason said to Ulvic. “Why did you stop us?”

  “Because he never planned on letting us go. Did you?” I turned to him, practically snarling.

  Ulvic didn't answer my question. “Everyone stay still,” he ordered, hurrying over to his father and crouching down beside him.

  Lynch appeared from upstairs, looking wide-eyed and confused. “Shit!” he barked when he spotted Alfric. He dropped to his knees, snatching something from the inside of his coat. V blood.

  A collective groan sounded from my pack as Lynch dribbled it into Alfric's mouth from the small bottle. My chest deflated like a balloon.

  Alfric came to and Ulvic helped him to his feet. “Are you alright, father?” He steadied him.

  My hackles rose.

  “Traitor,” Mekiah growled.

  “That's enough,” Ulvic snapped at him. He gazed around at all of us. “You will obey Alfric, none of you will hurt a hair on his head.”

  A murmur of discontent sounded through our group.

  “Father?” Ulvic pressed, seeming concerned.

  “I'm quite alright,” Alfric said, brushing down his shirt. He fixed Mekiah in his gaze, then held out a hand to Lynch. “Did you bring it?”

  “Yes, sir.” Lynch held out a tablet and Alfric took it, his eyes dropping to the screen.

  Tense silence spanned through the air as Alfric evidently struggled with navigating it. “Blasted technology,” he muttered. “How did Ignus Helsing work this thing?”

  Ulvic drifted closer to him, gazing at the screen.

  “You do it.” Alfric shoved the tablet at him. “This controls the collars. Have them turn. Now.” Revenge blazed in his eyes. This was going to get ugly.

  Ulvic gave us a lingering look before pressing a button on the tablet. A whirring, mechanical sound grew in my collar. The sharp sting of a needle dug into my neck and I waited for the inevitable pain that would follow the heat spreading through my veins.

  My spine flexed, bending and bending until I fell forward with a gasp. Black fur sprouted from my skin, rushing across my arms. My muscles bulged and distorted until the buttons of my shirt exploded across the room, pinging and bouncing. I heard the groans of my pack members changing, too, and fear took root in my chest. We were killing machines, a formidable force in the wrong hands. And we were definitely in the wrong hands.

  As the transformation completed, I raised my head, my eyes sharper than ever, my ears twitching at every sound in the entire house. My senses were alive, my muscles were primed. I'd almost forgotten how good it felt to be a wolf.

  Alfric grinned, his wrinkled skin lifting around the corners of his eyes. “Follow me,” he commanded and I padded forward. “Tell the others to do as I say, Ulvic.”

  As we headed upstairs, Alfric prattled off a list of commands for Ulvic to echo, including not to hurt him, his staff, or Ulvic, and to do as Alfric said without question.

  He led us outside, weaving through the old house and heading out of an iron door onto a trail of leaves. Trees surrounded the house, reaching high above us. The scent of the wilderness filled my nose as the wind rushed over me.

  “Watch Miss Helsing,” Alfric ordered Lynch who bowed his head and marched back inside. At least that meant she was still alive. But I couldn't do anything for her until I got the pack free. Which was currently scheduled in for never and a day.

  “Where are we g-going?” Ulvic asked, failing to hide his nerves.

  “To the stables, first.” Alfric headed off into the woods, a little shaky on his legs, using his wolf-head cane to assist him.

  “What's second?” Ulvic's thoughts were evidently on the same track as mine.

  Alfric didn't answer, grumbling to himself as he picked his away across the mess of leaves. “Follow!” he commanded and I glanced at my pack, growling my discontent. They echoed me, showing their unison. I led the way forward with Reason and Nadine on my left flank and Mekiah on my right.

  Ulvic moved to the head of our pack and Mekiah snapped his jaws at his heels. It was a wolf's version of 'screw you'. And Ulvic knew it.

  “It's good to see you alive and well,” Ulvic muttered, sounding rather bitter. “I came here for you and Reason, do you know that?”

  Reason whimpered and Nadine rammed her with her shoulder to shut her up.

  I kept my eyes straight, following Alfric's slow steps out toward a stable amongst the trees. I smelt the horses before we arrived, their soft whinnying reaching my ears, too.

  Ulvic instructed us to sit outside whilst Alfric had a couple of stable boys ready two horses for them. The courtyard was built from grey cobblestones and the stables themselves were old brick. The roof looked in need of repair, just like every other part of Alfric's home.

  Alfric rode out of the stables on a black stallion that towered above me, his long coat hanging over the animal's rear. Ulvic followed on a brindle mare who was whipping her tail back and forth. Ulvic seemed at home on the horse, riding to his father's side with ease. He gazed down his nose at me and I got the sense that he felt very comfortable up there.

  “We head east,” Alfric said, kicking the sides of his horse and cantering off into the trees.

  Ulvic's steed flew after him and I let out a howl of frustration before darting after them. The rush of pounding paws filled the air as we weaved between the trees. It felt good to release the tension in my muscles, even though I dreaded to think what awaited us at the end of this journey. In my periphery, I saw the ruddy-brown colour of Mekiah's fur, the flash of white as Reason sprinted between the ancient boughs, and the mottled grey of Nadine moving at my side. At least we were all in this together...

  We followed the thundering hooves of the horses on
and on for miles. Eventually, the forest thinned and the scenery morphed into rocky hills and green farmland stretching out into the distance. The sun shone through the clouds, making a vague effort to heat the world. As I sprinted through the damp undergrowth, I was reminded of the first time I'd turned into a wolf. My form felt as new and as invigorating as that day. But as terrifying too.

  Barbados, 1805

  We circled the cerulean sea surrounding Barbados. For nearly a week, we simply drifted back and forth, occasionally docking for a night on land. I neither disembarked the ship nor removed my eye from the horizon. We were practically baiting ourselves out for the Vampires. If they were close, they'd find us. They had to.

  Electricity thrummed in my veins, promising me I was on the right path.

  One night as I sat up in the crow's nest, I gazed eagerly out to sea as we drifted with the wind. The shining moon was full and round above the water, highlighting something on the horizon. I lifted my spyglass, spotting a ship.

  A bell rang out from the other nest as one of my crew spotted it, too. I sprang onto the rope ladder, clambering down to the deck. Hurrying to the helm, I spun the wheel, steering us sharply toward the oncoming ship. My instincts urged me onward, despite the ache of my tired eyes.

  My men poured onto the deck, fleeing to their posts, some of them barely clothed and barefoot as they ran straight from their beds.

  Soon, we were speeding toward the vessel. It was bigger than us by far, giving us the advantage of speed. Vampire crew or not, I was in the mood for a raid.

  “Full speed!” I called out.

  “That's a Spanish Galleon!” Crawley shouted in warning.

  They were highly guarded, but mainly because they carried a hell of a lot of silver. “Who's feeling lucky?” I cried and some of the men whooped in excitement. They'd been demoralised of late. I'd needed to give them something to fight for again. And this was it.

  As we approached, men yelled their fury from the Galleon. They were quick to assemble, but we were faster. I spun the wheel between my hands, pulling the ship hard to port as an explosion of cannons went off on their starboard-side. Most of the lethal cannonballs swooped past us, but one hit the deck, tearing a hole in the boards. Easily fixed.