It comforts me some to think of you at home, wrapped in cotton sheets, safe from harm. I will yearn for your company until my return.
From the sea to the stars, I love you.
It was a little saying Evangeline and I had come up with once. Based upon the mural painted in her bedroom. The sea splashed across the curb, the stars speckling the ceiling.
“How far do you think it is, from the sea to the stars?” Eve had murmured as we sat side by side at her window.
“Very far indeed, I'm not sure a man could travel there alone,” I'd replied, boldly reaching out to trail my fingers over her glossy hair.
“Then perhaps we can travel together one day,” she'd whispered, her lips like two red shells, one atop the other. We'd laughed softly. I recalled the way her breath had sent a heated trail across my neck.
I'd leaned in, closer and closer still. I shouldn't have. It was wrong of me. A gentleman did not steal kisses. But even now, I had not an ounce of regret in me for it. I'd memorised the moment, scorched it into my skull, knowing I would possess it until the end of time. The first feel of her full lips against mine. The racing of my heart. The heat spreading through my veins like melted candle wax.
“I love you from the sea to the stars, Evangeline.”
“Truly? That far?” she'd asked, her eyes as bright as two fires.
“Yes, and perhaps a little further, too.”
I rolled onto my back, folding up the letter and pushing it into my breast pocket. I couldn't send it, so I'd keep it close until I returned to England. I'd watch as she read the words, her eyes sprinting back and forth across the page. She devoured books like they were peppermints. I didn't have the gift of such things. It took me weeks to complete a novel, but not Evangeline. She was keen-eyed, curious, bright. And Lord knew, I was glad she would never step foot in a place like this.
The room slowly filled and I knew I'd be sick of the men's company by the time this trip was over.
“Belmont wants a companion to carry his shit whilst out on the island tomorrow,” Gareth said from across the room. “I ain't doing it.”
“Nor me,” Adam said from the bunk above me.
“That leaves you, new boy,” John said, kicking the foot of my bed. “Belmont's already asked for you anyway.”
I'd been working for Belmont for months now. I was hardly the new boy. I glanced at John with a shrug. “Beats lying around here all week.”
John laughed, dipping his head to look me in the eye. He irritated me almost as much as Gareth. They both made it their personal mission to make sure I had the worst jobs in Belmont's household. I knew it was their way of testing me. But they didn't know what I did. That I was not going to be around long enough for it to matter. I was going to run off into the sunset with as many of Belmont's prized possessions as I could. And take my beautiful girl with me. I was happy to let them think of me as a weak link. That was how I played out a con like this. Pretending to be the victim type, the sort of man no one suspected of anything. Until it was too late. They didn't know of my street brawls. Of the way I could choke a man into submission with one arm.
“Those Vampires are hungry for young blood,” John taunted. “Kid like you won't last five minutes out on that island.”
Kid? I was nineteen. John was barely a year older than me and had nothing of the muscle I possessed.
“Leave him be,” Adam's voice sailed from above. “I don't want him shitting himself in his sleep and waking me up with the stench.”
I kicked off my shoes, grinding my jaw. I forced myself not to bite back at them. I could probably have taken on all three of them in a fist fight. The scars on my chest proved it. Some posh twat had once thrown punches at me with a signet ring on his finger whilst his buddies held my arms behind my back. Coward. I might have deserved it, considering I'd sold his wife a dodgy batch of beauty elixir that had made all of her hair fall out. But I'd played weak then, too. Slumped in their arms, pretending to be unconscious. When they released me, I beat the living daylights out of their ringleader.
I rolled over, ignoring their jibes, reminding myself that I was going to lead the life of a king one day. And they would be left wiping Lord Belmont's rear end until the day they died.
JONAH
Belmont was a paranoid kind of man. That was why he wanted one of his servants to accompany him out onto the island for the first round of the 'V Games'. I hadn't been told much of what to expect. But I was given warm furs to wear by the Helsings' staff, finer than anything I had ever owned. I spent half the morning wondering if I could get away with stealing them.
The spectators were gathered in the games room which was located off of the main hall. Poker tables filled the cavernous space. The ceiling arched above us, carved from grey stone with impressive curving struts holding up the roof. Hardwood floors, hand-carved tables. Staff stood in all corners with silver trays filled with gleaming chalices. Beside me was a breakfast table that spanned the length of the room. The salty smell of eggs and cooked meat reached my nose. I drifted closer to it, sliding my hand behind my back as I grasped a lump of bread that crunched softly in my hand. My mouth watered. When was the last time I'd had fresh bread?
Amongst the spectators was Belmont, his chest puffed out as he shared some joke with a group of the men. Twenty six in total, all dressed in clothes that put my borrowed furs to shame.
None of the other men had servants with them. I carried a bag filled with a flask of water and food I'd collected from the kitchen that morning. Belmont didn't consume anything his own servants hadn't prepared. And it satisfied me to know how much trust he'd laid in me already. When the time came, stealing from him would be easy.
One of the maids had told me Belmont had been poisoned a few years ago. Apparently he had some old feud with his brother over their inheritance. They had been mortal enemies ever since. And after he'd survived the attack, paranoia had bled into all parts of his life. A fact which had made this con drag on longer than I'd have liked. Getting close to his assets had proved a tricky task. But I wasn't done trying yet.
Abraham entered the room through the large wooden doors, a fine, blood-red cape draped around his shoulders. He resembled a king in all his finery. A silver clasp held his cape in place in the shape of a fanged skull. A symbol which could be found in most parts of the castle, it seemed. The Helsing family crest portrayed it, too. A hundred of those fanged skulls mounded into a triangle, atop which a beady-eyed raven perched.
Power emanated from Abraham as he strode through the room, the men falling silent as they noted his presence. I spotted a young girl peering through the door behind him. Blonde, like Abraham, her eyes azure and sparkling. She was surely his daughter. And as she caught my eye, she giggled then scurried away.
“Good morning!” Abraham boomed, clasping his hands together. “You shall soon be escorted onto the island. I hope you enjoyed the viewing of the contestants last night?”
A few of the men chuckled and some muttered filthy comments that made me grimace. From their murmuring I gathered the 'contestants' were female. A strange idea. What sort of game would they be playing for these men's entertainment?
The door opened again and Varick stepped into the room in a dark robe lined with fur. The men hushed at his arrival, his presence emitting danger. I didn't much like the man, but quickly adjusted my stance into one of casual disinterest. I buttered the bread in my hand, taking a large bite. All thoughts of the games abandoned me as the salty butter melted across my tongue, the ripeness of the bread making me release a little groan of satisfaction. It was the food of royalty. And I devoured the slice in mere moments, hungering for more.
“Jonah,” Belmont hissed, clicking his fingers sharply. I trotted to his side, swallowing the final bite of bread.
“Varick will show you to the cable cars,” Abraham announced. “You will have the finest seats imaginable.”
“What of the Vampires, sir? Will we be safe?” a young man asked. He had a bead of swea
t on his creased brow. Apparently, he was as new to these games as I was.
The excited chattering in the room made me fearful. Many of these men had evidently attended these games before. They knew something I didn't.
“You will be quite safe, I assure you,” Abraham said. “So long as you adhere to the rules Varick outlines for you.” He gestured for the group to follow Varick and a few of the more confident men led the way forward. I fell into step at Belmont's side whilst he chatted with another spectator. Abraham followed at the back of the group, his loud voice carrying to me as he spoke with some of the men.
“We have a fine selection of women this year, do we not?” he asked.
“True beauties, indeed. But that rarely predicts their ability to win,” one of the men answered.
“Who did you bet on?” Abraham asked.
“The Spanish girl. Fiery blood, those Spaniards. I believe she will make a fine little fighter.”
Fighter? What would these girls be expected to do? I had never come across a female boxer in all my years of fighting.
“The golden-haired English girl is my favourite,” another answered.
I glanced over my shoulder as we exited into the main corridor, spying his thick grey hair and weathered features. His companion nudged him, laughing. “That is only because you wish to bed her. Which you can only do if she wins. And a delicate flower like her won't last five minutes out on that island.”
“The pretty ones have won before,” the man replied with a smirk.
I wrinkled my nose, turning away.
Varick led us through the castle toward the main entrance. The excitement in the air grew palpable as he opened the front door. We marched through the stone courtyard, the half moon glowing down on us. A path was lit by fiery torches and Varick led us along it, guiding us away from the vast stone steps which led down to the dock.
We headed into a dark forest just as snow began to fall, the little flakes floating and dancing around me in the breeze. I pulled my furs tighter around me, shivering against the violent cold. I had thought England was freezing in the winter months, but this was something else entirely.
The path opened out and a stone building emerged from between the boughs. The wind blew and the trees seemed to whisper warnings with their rustling leaves. I glanced at Belmont whose eyes were bright with excitement. It only served to concern me more.
Varick led us into the stone building and a roaring fire lit the place, warming me down to my toes. I barely noticed it in comparison to the other sight in front of me. A golden cable car sat before us, suspended on a thick cable which led out of a large hole in the roof above. A red streak ran around the outside of the car beneath a ring of windows. I held my breath as Varick approached it, opening the door.
“Five men in each,” he growled, gesturing for us to step closer. Some of the more eager men went first, hurrying inside.
Varick stepped after them and I watched, unable to hear him as he spoke to them. A moment later, he reappeared, pulling a huge iron lever near the wall. The car jerked forward then rose above our heads, sliding up the cable before disappearing through the round hole in the wall.
I jumped as another car appeared through a hole in the wall opposite, sliding smoothly down the cable before coming to a stop before us.
“I'll go with the next group,” Abraham said, moving through the crowd and leading the way into it. The men he'd been speaking with followed and two more joined them. When their car had departed, the hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention.
Belmont seemed in no hurry to depart, chatting idly with two of the men. One of them was fingering a silver blade. “Silver cuts right through their skin. I wasn't coming anywhere near this place again without being armed.”
Belmont lifted his cane, twisting the end to reveal the silver blade inside. “I always come prepared, too.” They chortled together.
Another two cars departed before just five of us were left. Including Varick. I prayed he wouldn't be accompanying us, but that wish was doused as he followed us into the car, flicking the lever as he did so. He slid the door shut and I nearly lost my footing as the car jerked upwards. The space was large, filled with red velvet seats by each of the windows, facing outwards. An open wooden box was packed with food and wine, enough to feed a whole village, it seemed. I dropped onto a seat, gazing out of the window directly before me.
“Rules,” Varick announced, seeming bored. “No jumping, no rocking the car, no shooting, no opening the door, no exiting the car at any times during the ride. Oh and most importantly, no talking back to me. You can omit talking to me entirely if you prefer. It will not bother me in the slightest.”
Belmont and his friends nodded vaguely, ignoring him, but I couldn't help but eye Varick curiously. He unsettled me even more now I knew what he was. But it was still hard to accept the truth.
We ascended from the station and the forest dropped away below us. The moon cast enough light to see far over the canopy, but it was illuminated tenfold as spotlights came to life beneath us, shining down from the base of our cable car. I could see the bulbs beneath the car up ahead, lighting up the forest below.
“Ah, electricity,” Belmont said. “I have just had it installed in my own home.”
Varick ignored him, his back pressed to the window at the front of the car. He didn't seem interested in the view, his gaze focused on us. Some of the other men indulged Belmont, but everyone seemed fixated on the view beyond the panes.
“Water.” Belmont snapped his fingers at me and I produced the flask from my bag. He took it, swigging down a large gulp before passing it back without looking at me. Varick eyed the interaction impassively.
“We're approaching the first game zone,” Varick announced and all eyes turned to the windows. The car sailed over a thick forest before climbing up above a vast plain of land that ran toward a line of steep cliffs. In the distance, I could make out a lighthouse, its bright beam swinging in a wide arc over the black sea.
“There – there!” one of the spectators jumped out of his seat, pressing his face to the window. The others mimicked him, gazing down at the land below.
I frowned, following suit, spotting a girl running out of the trees in the direction of the lighthouse. A dark blue cape fluttered out behind her. As she ran under the lights of our car, she glanced up at us, squinting. A white stake was gripped in her hand. Her eyes were wild with fear as she turned fully to face us, starting to wave her hands.
Belmont laughed. “She thinks we're here to save her.”
The other men guffawed and my gut plummeted. What the hell kind of game was this?
The girl jumped up and down, waving her arms madly. Two shadows flew in her direction, barely visible with how swiftly they moved. They collided with her and she was dragged to the ground. Blood spewed around her. I gasped, stepping back, shaking my head as I watched. They were eating her. Two haggard men, pinning her to the ground, her blood spilling everywhere as they tore into her throat.
I continued to step back, the blood draining from my face. “What is this?” I demanded, unable to bite my tongue.
Belmont glanced over at me. “Sit down and shut up.”
I didn't listen, reaching the other side of the car and pressing my back to it. Screams tore through the air and horror gripped my heart. They were just girls. Young girls all being cut down viciously by...Vampires.
I hardly dared believe it, but I'd seen the truth with my own eyes. I glanced at Varick who gave me a hint of a smile. And there were his own fangs as clear as day.
I grew panicked. I didn't want to be in this car with one of those things.
I ran toward the door, ripping it open and the icy air flew around me. Varick caught my arm and I turned in alarm, trying to tug my arm free of him.
“Get away!” I roared, throwing a punch. He dodged it with such speed, I barely saw him move. Then his hand was around my throat, dragging me further inside.
“Good God, Belmont.
Didn't you tell your man what to expect?” one of the spectators asked, his eyes on me.
Belmont shrugged.
I fought against Varick and no one in the whole cable car seemed to care what was happening.
“Let go of me, vile beast!” I punched him again, but his skin was as tough as stone, causing a wave of pain to flare up my arm.
Varick shoved me back and I stumbled, falling into a seat. He stepped closer, his shadow falling over me.
A lump rose in my throat as I glared at him. “Get away from me.”
The men started cheering. “Go on, my beauty! Get to the lighthouse!”
“No chance, she's a goner.”
“She's going to make it!” Belmont cried. “Come on, girl. Go on, my sweet Evangeline.”
My blood turned to ice. That name made me pause. Made me forget my fear. But it couldn't be the same girl. Just a coincidence.
All the same, I stood and Varick leered at me as I moved to the window. I gazed out across the field. Some of the cars up ahead illuminated the field in patches of light. A girl was running flat-out toward a narrow piece of land that led to the lighthouse. She wore a sea-green cape that fluttered out behind her. Her hair was as golden as my Evangeline's.
“It's not her,” I murmured under my breath and Belmont turned to me, a grin on his face.
“Oh, did I forget to mention? Your whore is here.”
Ice swept through my bones. I shook my head. But the most frightening thing of all was how Belmont had referred to Evangeline. As mine. Which meant he knew the truth.
Belmont's smile grew. “I know all about you, Jonah. How you sneak out to see the pretty girl who no one's allowed to fuck. I know you've been trying to con me for months. You work for my brother, don't you, you wretch?” He shoved me and I stumbled back.
A Game of Vampires Page 3