My throat constricted as I flattened myself against the wall, desperate to remain unseen.
“I'll pay anything you ask for dat one,” Rockley growled.
“She's not for sale,” Silas said in an equally deadly tone and I released a breath of relief.
“Everyone has a price,” Rockley purred.
“Not me,” Silas insisted and my heart lifted. Rockley was worth a fortune, and Silas had told me himself how much IDAHO needed the money. He was actually protecting me.
Silas stood and I kept very still. “Enjoy the rest of the party, Mr Jones.” He marched away, leaving Rockley with a foul look on his face.
Rockley tipped his whiskey down his throat before standing and strutting off into the crowd, his cape billowing out behind him.
I stayed in place, searching the swaying room of people for Jameson. But I couldn't find him. Nadine, Mekiah, and Reason all stood together near a buffet table, but he was nowhere to be seen. I tried to track down Ulvic and his father, but they seemed to be absent, too.
I slipped from the shadows, moving casually back into the crowd and heading in the direction of the Werewolves.
Before I made it there, however, Silas appeared in front of me, making my heart jump in my chest.
He broke into a bright smile. “Don't stray away tonight,” he said brightly, but I knew why he was saying it.
I nodded and he looped an arm around my waist. “Dance?” he offered. “The band is rather good. I had them flown here from London.”
I dipped my head. “Alright.” As soon as I was done buttering him up, I was going to ask him to let us leave. I just had to figure out a way to get Jameson and his pack into that deal, too...
Jameson
I followed Ulvic and his father out of the dining hall, wondering where this magical mystery tour was going to take me. Nowhere fun, I imagined.
We headed back to the cabin we'd been provided several floors down. Well, the Hunds had been provided with it. I'd been made to change into a suit in the corridor with the rest of my pack. Which was dignity at its finest.
“Wait here,” Ulvic growled as they stepped into the room. Sneaky bastards. Not that I wanted to hang around with either of them any more than I had to. But I had the feeling Ulvic was keeping me on a short leash on purpose. Why else would he have brought me with him and none of the other wolves? He wanted me as far away from Cass as possible. That was obvious.
I folded my arms, leaning against the wall as I waited for the two of them to return. When they did, Ulvic looked sweaty and pale and Alfric had a large bag dangling from his arm.
Alfric clapped Ulvic on the shoulder. “I'm proud of you, son.”
I raised a brow as Ulvic nodded. Maybe I should have eavesdropped on that room...
“Shame you're still a faggot, though.” Alfric marched away and Ulvic gripped the door frame, gazing after him in horror.
“God you're pathetic,” I muttered. “Going along with your homophobic father who actually paid someone to hunt you down and kill you. It must really suck to be you.”
Ulvic glowered at me. “Come on.” He headed after Alfric and I kept to his side, figuring I might as well get a few more digs in whilst I could.
“Is it hard having everyone hate you?” I asked, but he didn't answer. “Yeah, must be hard. Especially considering you did have a whole family of Werewolves who loved you. But you didn't love them back, did you? You were happy to throw them under a bus to save yourself.”
As we turned into a stairwell, Ulvic's face became blotchy with red patches. Still, he didn't respond to me. Alfric's footsteps echoed back to us from below.
We headed downstairs and Ulvic remained at my side.
“You'd be a martyr now if you'd only died for them,” I continued thoughtfully. “But instead you're just a pathetic, lonely, lowlife-”
Ulvic threw himself at me so hard, I lost my balance and leant violently backwards over the stair railing. “You shut your mouth,” he growled, but it wasn't an order. “I'll let you fall, I swear I will.”
I gripped the railing for support, but it wasn't much good if Ulvic ordered me to jump. Plus, he was a Hunter. So he might have even had the strength to do it.
My heart kicked into top gear. Did he have the guts? Surely not.
“I did what I had to do to survive,” Ulvic spat. “You don't blame your friends who were in the V Games, do you?” he snarled, his eyes the eyes of a wild-man. “They did terrible things, too. Hurt their allies so they could live. You were there, you saw what Selena did, what Cassandra did. But you don't blame them for surviving. Just me.” Spittle sprayed over my face. His hand was tightly fisted in my shirt as my spine bent further over the railing.
“They were forced to do that by the Helsings,” I growled, trying to keep my cool. But seriously struggling.
“SO WAS I!” Ulvic bellowed, his voice echoing around the stairwell, over and over. Silence stretched out around us and his eyes filled with tears. “If you'd only consider forgiving me,” he pleaded in a desperate whisper.
I reached for his hand and his fingers loosened. Slowly, I tugged it free from my shirt and gently pushed him back so he let me stand. I sighed, emotion welling inside me. Hatred, anger, pain. I couldn't let it go. It was too late. I gazed into his face, trying my hardest to find a shred of forgiveness inside me. But it didn't exist. “There's no going back, Ulvic. What's done is done. I can't forgive you for it.”
His expression was totally broken. I even felt a little bit sorry for him.
He strode away and I brushed the creases from my shirt as I walked after him, trying not to feel rattled. But I was. Which said a lot.
As we descended into the lower levels of the ship, I grew distracted from Ulvic's outburst, and overly curious as to what exactly we were doing down here.
We moved into a pitch black corridor and Alfric took a torch from his bag, switching it on. Maybe he'd been in the scouts? Be prepared and all that.
A dripping pipe sounded somewhere up ahead and the loud buzz of the engine hummed in my ears. “Fun as this is...I think I'd like to go back to the party now.”
“Shh,” Alfric hushed me sharply. He pointed to a door and Ulvic opened it by spinning a metal wheel on the front, leading the way inside. “You're not to run away,” he ordered me as we entered the engine room and the droning noise grew louder. I lifted my hands to my ears, wincing from the rattling of my brain against my skull.
Alfric placed his bag carefully on the floor, unzipping it and gently lifting something from it. I had never been in the FBI, the CIA, or MI6, but I'd seen more action films in my lifetime than was probably acceptable by anyone else's standards. And that big, blinking hunk of metal in his hands, was a bomb. No doubt about it.
I backed up, looking between the two of them, hands still clamped over my ears. “What the hell?” I shouted, but my voice was lost to the wailing noise.
Alfric set the bomb down near a large boiler-type thing, setting up a timer of just thirty minutes.
I shook my head, moving to the door, my heart pounding hard against my chest. Maybe I couldn't run. But I could damn well power-walk. I turned, marching into the hall, moving as fast as I could without breaking Ulvic's command.
Him and his father caught up to me in no time. I was flanked by the two arseholes as we headed upstairs.
“Why are you doing this?” I demanded.
“Because Silas Madigan is a sympathiser with Immortals,” Alfric snarled. “I gave him plenty of warnings. I threatened him, had my men destroy his shipments, but he wouldn't stop. Now he actually wants to reveal the existence of Immortals to humanity. He's an abomination to Hunters. And I'm not going to let one more blow be struck to us.”
Ulvic remained quiet, his face pasty.
My heart fled into top gear. I had to get to Cass, my pack. We had to get the hell off this ship!
A few floors up, Ulvic forced me to comply with more orders as we headed back to their cabin. This time, I was brough
t into the room.
It was a twin bedroom with nasty yellow wallpaper and golden bed sheets. Ulvic marched to his duffel bag which was sitting on one of the beds, rifling through it.
“Stop wasting time, you layabout. Just grab the whole bag. We need to get to the helicopter and get out of here,” Alfric snapped, putting on his creepazoid hat. “You always were a lazy piece of-”
Ulvic lifted a gun, directing it right at his father's face. His hands were trembling, but his jaw was set, anger raging in his eyes. “Go ahead. Finish that sentence.”
Alfric snorted a laugh. “You don't have the guts to shoot me. You're a spineless waste of life. Your mother would be ashamed-”
“Don't you talk on her behalf!” Ulvic barked.
I stood, frozen by the door, unsure what to do. One thing I did know? We did not have time to stand around discussing whether or not Ulvic's backbone existed.
“You took everything good out of my life when you were born,” Alfric snarled. “You couldn't even do that right, could you? Stealing my beautiful wife from me. I tried to beat it out of you this -this-” He gestured to his son, grimacing. “This wrongness about you.”
Ulvic moved closer, pressing the barrel of the gun to his father's forehead. “Say one more word and I'll do it.”
Ulvic may have been a coward at times, but in that moment he didn't look like someone to be trifled with. A vein was popping in his temple and he had a maddened glint in his gaze.
Alfric's upper lip curled back into a sneer. He glared into his son's eyes and enunciated every letter of the word, “Faggot.”
BANG.
Alfric hit the wall, slumping to the floor, blood splattering all over the lemon-coloured walls. My heart pounded against my rib cage. Relief flooded me in waves.
I laughed, then whooped. “Jesus Christ, Ulvic!”
He turned to me, a dark but triumphant look on his face. “I've wanted to do that for a very, very long time.”
I moved toward him, patting him awkwardly on the shoulder. He stepped past me, walking to the door and I turned, brows raised. “Now what? Defuse the bomb and get the hell out of here?”
Ulvic gave me a grim smile. “No, you're going to stay right here.”
It was an order and I felt it run over me like cold water. “What?” I breathed, the balloon in my chest deflating spectacularly.
Ulvic gave me a lingering look before turning and exiting the room, slamming the door behind him.
Oh no.
I turned to a wood-rimmed clock on the wall.
Five minutes.
I gazed at it, watching the seconds tick by, growing desperate.
Four minutes.
Was Ulvic going to come back for me? Or was this punishment for all my bullshit? Leaving me to die on a sinking ship?
Three minutes.
I mentally willed everyone I loved to get off the cruise ship.
Two minutes.
Oh my God. Ulvic's not coming back for me.
BOOM.
Cass
My arms were laid on Silas's shoulders as he danced with me, his hands tight on my waist. The floor suddenly shuddered, followed by a loud rumbling. I gazed up at the sparkling chandelier trembling above us. What on earth...
Silas and I stopped dancing, gazing around the room. The band ceased playing as the shudder grew to a violent tremor.
A few panicked cries rang out.
“What's happening?” I asked Silas, but he shook his head.
“I don't know. Stay here, I'll find out.”
He jogged away and I hesitated half a second before following, hurrying after him through the crowd.
Someone caught my arm and I was yanked around with force. I came face to face with Rockley Jones, his head tilted down as his eyes scraped over me. “We need to have a talk, you and I.”
I tried to shake off his hand, but his grip was unbreakable. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“Want to try another answer?” He moved into my personal space and the smell of peppermint slid over me. I jolted as a sharp blade pressed into my stomach; his cloak concealed it, so the crowd couldn't see.
“By the time you scream, I'll have buried dis up to de hilt in your belly.” He leaned closer and his minty breath rolled over me. “And it's not you I'm aiming to hurt.”
Horror spiked through me. He knew. Silas must have told him about the baby. How could he?
I set my jaw. “What do you want?” I snarled.
“Is Selena Grey on this ship?” he breathed, his eyes full of desperation.
I shook my head, trying to swallow the sharp lump in my throat. “No, she left The Sanctuary weeks ago.”
He nodded slowly. “To go where?”
“Away,” I hissed, trying to jerk backwards again, but he held on tight.
“Don't play games wid me, girl. Where is she?” His expression was tiger-like in his rage.
“I don't know,” I said earnestly. Not that I would have told him if I did. “She went away. I don't know where.”
“Liar,” he hissed, jabbing the blade against my dress. I winced, fear spreading through me.
Silas's voice suddenly rang through the room, “Please, continue the party. I'm sure we're just having minor engine trouble. The ship's not what it used to be as I'm sure you can tell.”
Laughter followed, and the band started up again as people relaxed. Rockley's attention had moved to Silas and my heart rate shot up. I grabbed his wrist, twisting sharply and shoving him hard away from me. He roared in pain as his wrist bone snapped and I turned and fled into the crowd.
Ahead of me, Silas was exiting the dining hall, but as I tried to follow, a guard moved into my way, reaching for the gun at his hip.
“Silas!” I called in desperation to escape Rockley. He halted, turning back to me.
“Let her through,” he ordered the guard and I hurried past, running to his side, glancing over my shoulder to make sure Rockley wasn't following. I slowed to a walk at Silas's side, trying to compose myself, my heartbeat unsteady.
He seemed too distracted to notice my ragged breathing, tapping keys on his phone as we marched along.
“I've sent for help,” he said. “But the nearest IDAHO institute is two hours south of here.” He scraped a hand through his hair.
“What kind of help?” I halted him.
His worried gaze focused on me. “I received a message this morning from an anonymous number.” He held out his phone, pressing a button on it and a distorted male voice filled the air, disguising who they were in a monstrous tone.
“The Immortal plague must be stopped. Your work defies the world order. Desist at once, or your vessel will be destroyed by sundown.”
The message played on repeat until Silas switched it off and he tucked the phone into his trouser pocket.
“Sir!” A guard darted out of a stairwell, his trousers wet from the knee down. “There's been an explosion in the engine room. We have no power running to the propellers and...” He ran a hand over his ashen face. “We're going down by the stern. The bottom deck is already flooded and the water is rising rapidly.”
“What about the pumps?” Silas demanded.
“Working, sir. But from the rate of flooding, I believe the damage is sufficient enough to...”
“To?” Silas looked like he wanted to shake him.
The guard visibly swallowed. “To sink us, sir.”
Fear darted through me. I looked to Silas. “What do we do?”
Silas took hold of the guard's shoulder. “Have the dining hall evacuated, get them up to the top deck. And try not to cause a panic.”
The guard nodded, running off in the direction of the hall.
Silas snatched out his phone again, marching down the corridor as he made calls. “Jefferson, have the cabins evacuated, make sure the assets are taken care of. I want every resident on this ship escorted to the top deck in less than thirty minutes, is that clear? Good.” He hung up, making another call. “Avery, I need you
to contact the nearest coastguard – I know, dammit just call all of them. I want helicopters, boats, or goddamn submarines here in under an hour, understand? Yes, we're in trouble, now get to it.” Silas hung up and shoved the phone into his pocket again. He took my hand, surprising me, his eyes burning into mine. “Go upstairs, wait for the investors by the helicopters and hitch a ride with them.”
“Wait- what are you going to do?” I asked in alarm.
“I can't leave my sister...” He glanced toward the stairwell.
My heart twinged. “I'll go with you.”
“No,” he said immediately.
It wasn't the only reason I didn't want to leave. Jameson hadn't been in the dining hall. He probably didn't know the ship was sinking...
“I'm coming with you,” I insisted, heading into the stairwell without giving him another chance to complain.
He hurried to my side. “Thank you,” he muttered and I caught sight of the fear in his eyes.
I couldn't quite process the fact we were on a sinking ship, so it was even more of a stretch to understand how Silas was feeling. This was his home, his work place, his life. And it was soon going to be at the bottom of the ocean.
Silas picked up the pace until we were jogging down into the depths of the cruise ship. My senses were trained on the corridors we passed, listening for the sound of Jameson's voice, but I heard nothing but the groaning of the dying ship.
Silas led me out into a corridor and we ran along it a high speed in the direction of his sister's tomb. I was a little out of breath by the time we reached it and Silas dismissed the two men guarding the door, sending them away to assist the evacuation.
We stepped into the icy room and Silas hurried across it to a computer screen embedded in the wall. As he touched it, it sprang to life and he tapped the keypad for several seconds. I moved toward the glass coffin, waiting for Silas.
He bashed his palm against the wall. “Dammit, the system's doing an emergency reboot.”
“Can't we just open it?” I asked.
“The tank is controlled through this computer. I can't open it without entering a code.”
Water trickled into the room, sliding under the door and moving toward us like a rising tide. Fear rippled through me.
Wolf Games (The Vampire Games Book 4) Page 23
