Wolf Games: Severed Fates (The Vampire Games Book 6)

by Caroline Peckham

  He gazed at me evenly, then his features twisted into disgust. “No, you're worse. Because you didn't rot in that prison. You're here, trying to kill me again. I wished you'd died in that fire. Maybe it would have saved the poor guy you've got yourself knocked up by.”

  My stomach burned with rage. I couldn't take it. I'd imagined being reunited with Blake in the past. In prison, thinking about what I'd say. I never imagined he'd forgive me, but maybe I thought he'd try to understand.

  “I'm not trying to kill you,” I said, lowering the gun a fraction, not letting my anger spill over. He had a right to hate me. But god-dammit, I had a right to hate him too. He'd broken my heart. He'd made a fool out of me. But it was in the past. Wasn't this as good a time as any to put our differences aside? It was the only way we were both going to walk out of that room alive.

  Blake tsked, glaring at me. “You're going to shoot me the second I get close.”

  “No, I'm not.” I tucked the gun into the back of my jeans.

  Blake took that as a green light to run at me again. I was ready for him this time, blocking his punches and throwing him away from me.

  “I hate you!” he roared and it angered me so much that I struck him, slapping him hard across the face, leaving a glaring red mark on his cheek.

  “You hate me?” I shouted, suddenly losing it. “You were the one who cheated on me, Blake. I hate what I did after. I hated myself for so long. But that doesn't excuse what you did. It just doesn't.”

  I stepped back, recomposing myself, panting a little from stress. I had to keep it together. I wasn't going to hurt him.

  I turned toward the mirrored wall, frowning. It was almost certainly bulletproof, but there was a minuscule chance Rockley hadn't thought of that. I took the gun from my waistband, aiming at the mirror at an angle in case the shot went through and killed Silas. Had he not been present, I would have been more than happy to fire at random.

  Pulling the trigger, the gun recoiled in my palms. My heightened eyesight was able to follow the bullet. It hit the mirror, deflected and shot back across the room.

  With a sharp inhale, I turned to shout a warning, but Blake was already falling to his knees, his eyes blank, a bloody hole in one side of his forehead. As he slammed to the ground, I clapped a hand to my mouth, stepping back, speechless at what I'd done.

  The door opened and two guards swarmed in, guns raised, disarming me in moments. Rockley stepped in after them, clapping loudly.

  I shut my eyes, trying to will Rockley away from me with pure desire.

  Guilt dug a hole in my chest, but Blake's death didn't cause me the kind of discomfort it should have.

  I hadn't hated Blake. Not anymore. And I would never have hurt him by choice. But he'd been more than willing to kill me and my baby. So I wasn't going to lose sleep over it. Perhaps my heart had been hardened to killing now and I had to accept it was a part of who I was.

  “Dat was rather amusing, no?” Rockley mimed the bullet ricocheting from the mirror and hitting him in the head, then laughed obnoxiously.

  I glowered at him. “You know I didn't mean to do that.”

  Rockley shrugged. “Dat's what makes it so fantastic.”

  “You're disgusting.” I folded my arms, looking away, my hands still tingling from the reverberation of the gunshot. I shut my eyes a moment, willing my heart beat to slow. Blake hadn't deserved that. No one deserved to die in these games. There was no point in it. Just another body, another casualty for the sake of Rockley's amusement.

  At Rockley's signal, the guards hauled me out of the room, passing by Silas and Ulvic. Ulvic looked to Rockley who gave him a nod of approval and he ran after me as the guards led me toward the staircase.

  Ulvic fell into pace beside us, eyeing me warily. “Cassandra,” he acknowledged me stiffly.

  “Hey life-ruiner, have you come to ruin more lives?” I asked, adopting the sarcastic tone Jameson used to rile him.

  Ulvic scowled. “I don't have time for this,” he muttered.

  “What are you here for then? Because as you can see, I'm quite busy being a tortured prisoner at the moment.”

  Ulvic shifted closer, but not so much that I could reach him if one of the guards let me go. “Look, you're probably going to rot in this place, so I don't know if this needs to be said. But I know you Vs are slippery-”

  “I'm only half V now actually,” I corrected him.

  “You will always be a loathsome bloodsucker though, won't you?” He pinned me in his dusky irises and I remained silent. “So, I'm asking you, that if you ever get out of here, you leave my pack and I alone. We're a family. Some of us have been together for nearly a hundred years, Jameson included.”

  I swung my eyes forward, trying my best to ignore him, but he stepped into my path, forcing me and the guards to a halt. One of them huffed a sigh, but let him have his way.

  Ulvic's eyes darkened to coal. “Jameson and I have been friends since I saved him 1924. Do you hear that? Is that sinking into your head? That is nearly one hundred years, Cassandra, how long have you known him? And how much danger has he been in since he met you?”

  His questions forced a reaction out of me and it wasn't a pretty one. Doubt. “You made him kill his pack,” I said at last, remembering myself.

  Ulvic bowed his head, pain flashing through his gaze. “I know. And it eats me alive every day. I was a coward, I know that. I gave them up to save my neck and turned Jameson into their executioner. It. Kills. Me.” He glanced up, his eyes watering and I frowned in surprise. Ulvic shifted forward, hesitantly reaching out and laying a hand on my arm. “I know we don't see eye to eye. But the one thing we both have in common is our love for Jameson.”

  My stomach knotted tightly. “But the difference is, he loves me back.”

  The light in Ulvic's eyes extinguished. “Stay away, Cassandra. Do us all a favour.” He strode off, taking a sharp left at the end of the corridor, the tail of his trench coat whipping out behind him.

  I sighed and the guards urged me forwards again.

  I was soon back in Silas's room, my heart a little heavier, but my soul was weightless. Because if Ulvic was reaching out to me, that meant he was scared. He was clinging onto the last threads of his relationship with the wolves. But they were slipping out of his grip, one at a time. And soon, nothing would be left to hold him up.

  Selena

  We headed out the next morning, taking the Land Rover up the main road toward the dirt track. It would hopefully lead us to the mine a little more surreptitiously this time. The road was even rougher than I'd expected, but Varick traversed it with expert skill. I guessed he'd had a lot of practice out on Raskdød.

  We soon drove through a small group of trees and from the map on my phone, I could tell we were getting close.

  “We should leave the car and walk from here. It'll be hidden amongst the trees,” I suggested.

  “Good idea, sweetheart.” He pulled over to the side of the track and we exited the Land Rover. I had a knife and a gun as protection and Varick brought a backpack stashed with more weapons in case we met any trouble.

  We started walking up a steep hill, following the track of a winding path toward the mine. From the map, I could see the first entrance wasn't far, but as we arrived at a steep path that led down to it, it was clear it had been destroyed. Probably a long time ago, too. Huge rocks blocked the passage and I didn't reckon we'd have any luck trying to dig our way in.

  “There's another one close, but it's nearer to the mine,” I said, eyeing the map on my phone. The hill leading up to the quarry shielded the sight of the scaffolding, but I was sure it wasn't far from where we were.

  We wound along the base of the slope before heading up its steep bank. From the look of the map, I guessed the entrance was close and we soon found it between two large boulders. It was just a hatch in the ground. Locked. Varick tried to prise it open, but it was no good.

  Voices carried from beyond the hill's peak and we ducked low, listen
ing. I recognised Rockley Jones' theatrical tone, but the words were distorted as they reached us.

  “Let's get a look,” Varick whispered, leading the way forward. We crawled up the hill to the edge of the quarry, over-looking its vast depths. The scaffolding was close and I spotted Rockley thirty feet from us, standing on a platform beside it. With him, was a bronze-skinned boy. They both gazed across the quarry, their backs to us as they chatted.

  “-should have everything ready within a year if all goes to plan,” Rockley was saying.

  “Are you set on revealing the Immortals to the world?” the young man asked. I couldn't see his face from the angle we were at, but his hair was cut short and he had a thick black jacket on to protect himself against the harsh wind sweeping across the valley.

  “Of course,” Rockley replied.

  “What about the Watchers? They won't allow it if they find out. They'll arrest you.”

  “The Watchers will not find out until it is too late. And den dey will have to accept de change. It is time dat de world learned de truth.”

  “For what purpose?” the boy demanded.

  “We Hunters are under de worst threat since the Vampire wars a thousand years ago. We must change wid de times. Adapt and prosper, lest we be eradicated by the de rising Immortals. People like Selena Grey are a danger to us now. She is a symbol of defiance dat we need to eradicate. We cannot allow another rebellion to happen.”

  The boy ran a hand over his hair. “But revealing the Immortals to the world is going to cause chaos.”

  “Chaos is only a threat to dose who have no power. To me, it will mean freedom. We will show de humans de true threat of de Immortals. Den, when dey beg for our help, we will step in and become Gods amongst men. Humans will flock to my resorts worldwide. Dey will pay a great price for us to keep de Immortals under control. To keep dem and deir families safe. De Hunters will rise once more, and no one will stand against us ever again.”

  The boy turned to gaze up at the scaffolding and Varick sucked in a breath as he caught sight of his face.

  Varick quickly drew me down the hill and we headed back to the cover of the boulders below. We dropped to a crouch and Varick gave me an intense look.

  “That's Accolt Jones, Rockley's son. The Watchers have been searching for him for years.” He rattled off a quick explanation of how the guy had brutally killed eight Hunters and been in hiding ever since.

  “Why is Rockley helping him then?” I asked. “If he's a Hunter killer, isn't he technically on our side?”

  Varick shook his head, having no answer. “I don't know, but it gives me a rather crazy idea.” His eyes lit with a manic kind of fire that sparked hope in me.

  “What?” I pressed.

  “If we can contact the Watchers, they'll rain down hell on this place. It could give us time to get inside whilst Rockley's under attack.”

  My eyes widened. “Okay...but who are these Watchers, how can we contact them?”

  “They're an elite race of Hunters. I don't know much about them, they're pretty illusive. But Mercy once told me they're ruthless to Immortals and Hunters alike. They strive to keep balance between the races, appointing the Hunters to keep them under control. So anyone who opposes the Hunters, like Accolt, is in serious shit. Plus, if Rockley is planning on revealing the Immortals to the world, the Watchers will want to stop him.”

  “What about us?” I hissed. “They sound like our enemy, too.”

  “Yes, maybe. But we could avoid them, simply use the time they buy us to get inside and break out our friends.”

  I nodded firmly. “Okay, but how do we contact them?”

  “Perhaps Brendan will know...”

  I took out my phone, but had no signal to make a call. I'd had to screen-shot the map before we left town so we'd been able to use it.

  The hatch near our feet flew open.

  My heart froze into a lump of ice as I came face to face with a guard. He looked completely thrown by the sight of us and Varick pressed our brief advantage, launching forward and slamming a hand to his mouth before he could scream. Varick wrenched him out of the hole and the man flailed, trying to get a hold of the machine gun which had slid around his body. I hurried forward, snapping the strap and pulling it out of his reach, my heart pounding in my ears.

  Varick gave me an apologetic look as he dragged the man into his lap and wrenched his head sideways. A snap sounded his death and he fell limp in Varick's arms.

  My breathing came in rapid pants. I clawed a through my hair, glancing up toward the top of the hill, expecting Rockley to appear at any moment.

  “What now?” I breathed, my heart fleeing into top gear.

  Varick stood and rolled the dead guy over, checking his pockets and taking out a key card and an iPhone. He stuffed them into his back pocket before heaving the man into his arms. He gave me a firm look. “We have to hide the body.”

  I nodded, moving forward and closing the hatch, but wedging it open with a rock so it didn't lock again. Varick hurried off down the hill toward the track and I sped after him, continually throwing glances over my shoulder to ensure we hadn't been spotted.

  I didn't relax until we reached the trees and slipped into the shade between the boughs.

  “What if someone comes looking for him?” I hissed.

  “We can't help that,” Varick said gruffly, moving into the trees until he was out of sight.

  A moment later, he reappeared without the body.

  “Varick, someone's going to notice he's missing. Then they'll know something's up.” Panic reared its head inside my chest.

  Varick moved toward me and cupped my cheek. “I know. So we're now on a time limit. We need to get Brendan to contact the Watchers. Bring them here ASAP.” He heaved a sigh. “And now we're going to have to do this alone. We can't wait for the others to get here. We can get in through that hatch.”

  “We don't know where it leads!” I gasped. “What if more guards are down there?”

  “We were never going to get far without a fight.” Varick frowned. “You don't need to come, I'll go in alone, you can-”

  “No.” I swatted his hand away. “Of course I'm coming.”

  He looked like he was about to argue further, then sighed. “Okay. We'd better get back to town. Call Brendan. I doubt we have more than half a day before someone comes looking for that guard.”

  “Brendan's not going to like this,” I murmured.

  “I don't like it either,” Varick growled. “But we are where we are. We'll have to handle this ourselves.” He looked horribly upset by that fact.

  We hurried into the car and were soon hurtling back in the direction of the small town.

  I gazed at my phone, waiting for the signal bars to appear. When one flashed up, I immediately called Brendan.

  After I'd rambled through an explanation, his voice boomed through the car speakers, “WHAT?!”

  “Brendan, there's no point in getting angry, I need you to do as I say,” Varick stepped in before my father's fury got out of hand.

  “I'm still several hours away from you. If you can just hang on-” Brendan pleaded.

  “No,” Varick snapped. “We cannot wait or we'll miss our chance. Can you contact the Watchers or not?”

  Tense silence spanned through the car.

  “Yes,” Brendan sighed at last. “But you have no idea what they're like, Varick. If they find you and Selena, they'll have no mercy. You are no doubt already on their most-wanted list for attacking the Hunters.”

  “They won't see us,” I promised. “We can get in through a back door.”

  Brendan grumbled something, then said, “Fine. I'll tip off the Watchers, but I can't exactly phone them up. I'll have to make port in Scotland.”

  “What's in Scotland?” I asked.

  “I have an old friend. A Viden. She'll be able to send a message to them.”

  “Alright, how long will it take?” Varick asked, his brow creasing.

  Brendan paused a mo
ment before answering. “Give me five hours.”

  Varick sighed, then said, “Alright. Message us when it's done.”

  “Okay...” Brendan sounded worried. “But if you come up against one of the Watchers, get the hell out of there. Don't fight them. You can't win. They're ten times as powerful as a Hunter.”

  My gut twisted sharply and I shared a concerned look with Varick.

  “Alright. Thank you, Brendan,” Varick said.

  “Okay...be safe,” Brendan said, sounding defeated, then the line went dead.

  I shut my eyes a moment and tried to will my heart to slow down. “Is this a good idea?”

  “No,” Varick admitted. “But I think it's worth the risk. I wouldn't suggest the two of us do this alone if we didn't have a good chance. And if the Watchers find out Rockley's plans, perhaps they'll arrest him along with his son. It might not only buy us time, it could save the whole world from his plans. I can't even begin to tell you the shit we'll be in if he goes ahead and reveals Immortals to the human population.”

  I nodded, opening my eyes, finding us driving into the car park to the Drunken Duck. Five hours seemed like an eternity. “Then we have to pull this off.”

  Varick pulled up the handbrake before leaning over and pressing a firm kiss to my mouth. “We will, Selena. We have to.”

  Mercy

  Staying in a room with Colt was better than I'd expected. He gave me my own space and pretty much stuck to his no-talking rule most of the time. I'd given up trying to get a conversation out of him, so as I combed my recently-washed hair in front of the fine dresser, I was surprised when he spoke to me.

  “You need to go,” he growled.

  I glanced over my shoulder. He'd been out in the resort somewhere this morning and I didn't bother to ask where.

  “Oh do you wanna get changed?” I glanced at the bathroom, figuring I'd head in there to get some space. I wasn't allowed out of the room and didn't bother to try anyway. There was nowhere to go. And the last thing I wanted was to run into Rockley again. The fact that he hadn't had me executed on sight was nothing short of a miracle. I didn't know why Ulvic had spoken up for me, but I guessed he liked me enough to ask Rockley to spare my life. Strange that he'd listened though...