“Where have you been?” Lynch demanded.
“Mucking out the horses. The stable boy left this morning. He quit.”
“Quit?” Lynch growled. “That little shit, I'll hang him.”
“I wonder why he left...” Colt said dryly, stepping forward. He halted again, his way evidently blocked by Lynch.
“That girl needs her bandages changes. Sounds like that leg's really festering. Probably infected.”
Colt didn't answer immediately, but his eyes trailed upwards and I quickly ducked below the window. I didn't hear anything more until the front door slammed shut.
Peeking over the edge of the windowsill, it was clear they'd moved inside. My eyes were drawn to the roof where tiles had come loose, cracked or fallen entirely away. A jagged piece of tile was caught in a nook, just an arm's length away. It looked like it was about to fall, but perhaps if I was careful...
I reached through the window, jamming myself against the frame, my fingers flexing toward the tile.
Footsteps sounded downstairs and I pressed myself harder against the frame. The fractured wood bit into my shoulder and I felt my skin tear just as I got hold of the tile. I dragged myself backwards, snatching my arm from the window. The doorknob rattled. I threw the tile across the floor and it skidded under the bed, disappearing just as Colt walked into the room. He had a bowl of cereal in his hand and a suspicious look in his eyes.
I clung to the window frame, giving him an innocent look. “I needed some air,” I said in explanation.
Colt didn't answer, stomping across the floor so the whole attic rattled. Placing the bowl on my night stand, he moved toward me at speed. My thoughts raced. Did he know what I'd done? Could he see the guilt in my eyes?
He took my arm and I flinched, expecting him to be rough. But his touch was gentle, despite the callouses on his palm. He guided me back to the bed and my heart rate began to settle.
He doesn't know. He couldn't.
I eased out of his grip as soon as I was rested against my pillows, not liking the way my heart hammered at his touch. He took the cereal, jerking it toward me. Apparently he was back to giving me the silent treatment.
I took the bowl, shovelling down several mouthfuls, hungry despite myself. Colt set to changing my dressings, falling into the routine I'd grown accustomed to.
Whilst I ate, Colt worked. His hands fell into a familiar rhythm as he removed the bandages. I finished my cereal in record time, placing it on the bed-stand before peering down at my unveiled my leg. There wasn't a single bit of puss in sight, so I had to be glad Lynch hadn't called my bluff. The cut was healed over at last, leaving only the redness and swelling of the wound behind. I bit down on a smile, looking for Colt's reaction. Despite the fact he'd been the one to give me the V blood, he looked concerned.
“What's wrong?” I asked.
He didn't answer as he started to bandage the wound again, even though it clearly didn't need it. But Lynch wouldn't know that.
I wondered if I should trust Colt. He was helping me after all. Did that mean he might also help me escape?
My hopes were doused with his next words. “I can't give you more Vampire blood,” he murmured, his rough voice rumbling through my bones.
“Why not?” I begged.
He stood as he finished his work, his silvery eyes meeting mine. “I'm under orders.”
“Orders you've already broken,” I gasped, but keeping my voice down to avoid Lynch overhearing us.
Colt's shoulders grew rigid. “That doesn't mean I have any further intention of helping you. I'm not in the habit of letting people suffer. That's not in my job description.”
I set my jaw, glaring at him. “But holding people hostage is?”
Colt's eyes shadowed. Again, he didn't answer. He was infuriating.
I tried to work out his motivation. He wasn't malicious like Lynch. So I guessed money was involved. And that was something I had in bucket-loads. “I'll triple whatever Alfric Hund's paying you. I'm a Helsing, Colt. You must know what that means.”
The information simmered in the air between us. Colt folded his muscular arms, surveying me curiously. “You think I'm here for money.” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Well, what else?” I was growing frustrated. If he didn't want money, then what more could I bargain with? The only other thing I had was something I'd sworn I'd never give to any man again: my body. Colt didn't seem like the type to take that from me. But if I offered it to him...
Nearly all of the men I'd ever met could be swayed by sex. But even as I thought it, my gut coiled into a tight ball. No.
Never. Again.
I sighed, resting my head back against the pillow and shut my eyes.
Colt didn't speak for so long that I would have assumed he'd left, if it hadn't been for the fact his footsteps hadn't pounded through the room. “Do you know what Dødstårn is?”
“Of course,” I whispered, the words kindling a childish kind of fear in me. Dødstårn was a prison for Immortals and Hunters alike. Supposedly any Hunter who'd been sent there, had never lived out their sentence. It was a place run by an ancient race of Hunters, known as the Watchers. I'd only ever heard stories about the prison. When I was a child, my parents had used it as a way to frighten me into behaving. “The Watchers will come for you, they'll take you to Dødstårn where you'll never see daylight again.”
Their laws were ingrained in our Hunter culture, which was why it was a very rare occurrence that a Hunter was ever sent there. It was basically a death sentence.
“Why?” I pressed when Colt didn't immediately explain why he'd brought it up.
Colt sighed, moving closer, perching on the edge of the bed. “Never mind.”
His words frustrated me to my core. Why was he being so damn cryptic? Rage spilled through me and I decided I'd had enough with his games. In a flash, I lurched forward and snatched the bandanna from his face. He stumbled to his feet, throwing his hand up. But it was too late, and he knew it too, letting his hand fall to his side as he gazed at me, exposed.
First, I noticed how striking he was. His deeply bronzed skin and dark stubble; his mouth and nose looked as though they'd been cut from glass. The only flaw was a thin scar running from his right cheek bone down to his throat. But that wasn't what struck me most. It was that I knew who he was. With a terrifying clarity. His full name filled my mind like a tidal wave crashing to shore. I suddenly knew exactly why he'd feared showing me his face, of me knowing his name, of me working out who he was.
Accolt Jones.
Rockley Jones's estranged son. His mother had supposedly been a contestant in one of his death games. The rumours about Accolt had been prolific when I was a child. Gone on the run after he'd murdered eight Hunters, brutally, planting their heads on spikes outside their homes. He was the most notorious serial killer of my time; his picture had been sent to every Hunter in the world as the Watchers tried to track him down.
His shoulders slumped in defeat as he gazed at me, his eyes becoming as hard as stone. “That's why,” he growled.
Cass
“So...I'm still getting my head around this whole pregnancy thing,” Jameson said as I walked at his side. We were weaving through a narrow cave system behind the waterfall and I was starting to feel claustrophobic. I'd lost track of the time that had passed in the winding passages. Damp clung to the rough stone walls and the occasional bat flitted over head, comforting me that there was a way out up ahead. The only light in the space was a smattering of electric blue glowworms wriggling along the cave roof.
Silas took the lead, and though we should have walked single file in the small space, Jameson had determinedly wedged himself in beside me. The path had grown steeper and steeper, leading upwards as if we were moving through a hill.
“What are you not getting?” I asked lightly. “You're over two hundred years old, has no one ever explained to you how babies are made?” I was really just trying to deflect an emotional conversat
ion. I didn't want to delve into this discussion. I'd barely made peace with the idea myself. And I certainly didn't want to make custody plans whilst we were being hunted by a horde of hungry Reapers.
“Ha. Ha,” he said dryly. “You know what I mean. How is it possible? You were a V when we...” He trailed off and from the look in his eyes, he was coming to some wild conclusion. “Oh,” he said, nodding as if he'd figured it out.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What?”
“Well, it's obvious isn't it?”
“What is?” I pressed.
“Well I've got-” He stopped talking as he caught my eye, a mischievous glint in his gaze.
“Finish. That. Sentence,” I demanded.
“Super sperm.”
“Oh for God's sake.” I rolled my eyes.
“What? Come on, think about it. If anyone's got super sperm, it's me.” Jameson smirked, but it was obvious he genuinely believed his own words.
“You're an idiot.” I tried to pick up my pace, but he jogged to keep at my side. “And an asshole.”
“So I'm an ass-iot?” He grinned.
“Jameson!”
“Or an idiohole?”
A laugh fought its way up my throat and I tried to stifle it.
“I think you're both,” Silas said, his voice carrying back to us.
“I'm pretty sure no one asked your opinion.” Jameson turned to me. “Firefly? Did you ask his opinion? No. I don't think you did. Weird that he gave it then, isn't it?”
Silas stopped dead and Jameson almost walked into him, halting an inch from the back of his head, scowling. For a second, I thought another fight was going to break out between them, but then I noticed the reason Silas had stopped.
We'd met a ledge that overlooked an enormous cave. It was filled by a black lake, as still and as smooth as glass. On the far bank at least a hundred feet away, was an opening leading back out to the jungle. The moonlight glimmered through the cave mouth, rippling across the water, promising us freedom.
“So we just...swim across,” Silas said simply, glancing at me.
“Easy,” Jameson said, taking the lead as he dropped over the ledge, sidling down a steep bank of black sand toward the water's edge. Silas caught my arm before I followed.
“Look, I know this isn't the right time to discuss it, but...” He ran a hand through his messed-up hair, his bicep flexing. “When we get out of this, I want you to know you have a place to stay if you need it. I have properties all across the world. I'll give you full support for you...and your child.”
I gripped his arm, giving him a vague smile. “I'll think about it.”
“I just don't want you to end up alone in this...” His gaze trailed to Jameson, hinting at what he meant. “I can offer the support you need.” He cleared his throat.
“I thought I was the property of IDAHO?” I said, only somewhat bitterly.
He sighed. “You're not my prisoner anymore, alright?” He moved closer until he was all I could see: his gold-flecked eyes and furrowed brow. “I'm sorry,” he whispered. “When we get out of this, let me help you. Let me try and make up for everything I've put you through.”
My brows pulled together. I looked to Jameson and my heart twisted uncomfortably. I was sure he'd be a part of his child's life, but I didn't trust him enough to know he'd be there for me, too. Knowing I had someone to rely on felt like a weight lifting from my shoulders. I couldn't remember a time I'd had someone to rely on. And Silas understood me in ways I wasn't sure anyone ever had. He had as dark a soul as mine. And despite the twisted way we had come to meet, I'd begun to trust him. Like him. Even care for him.
“Thank you,” I breathed, squeezing Silas's wrist briefly. “I'll think about it. Really.”
We made our way down to the edge of the lake where Jameson was waiting. I knew he'd heard the discussion, he wouldn't have been able to avoid it with his heightened senses. The look he gave me was full of desperation, but he said nothing, instead leading the way into the lake.
I followed, gasping at the icy feel of it. No sunlight had ever warmed this water, that was obvious. I steeled myself as the floor dropped steeply away beneath my feet. I dunked into its depths and started swimming forward.
The lapping of the little waves we caused was the only noise in the expansive cave, amplified tenfold as we moved. I tried not to think about how deep the lake was, or what might be lurking beneath me.
“Do you think we should be concerned about the security system?” I asked Silas as we moved. There had been no sign of it yet. But surely we were running out of time?
“We'll deal with it if and when we come across it,” he said. “I'm still half-hoping there's a rescue team on the way. Perhaps Raj and Miguel found a way to contact the institute...”
My heart twinged uncomfortably. I lowered my voice as I spoke my next words. “They're dead...Jameson and I found them. Miguel was a Reaper, he must have attacked Raj...” I wrinkled my nose at the memory.
Silas's face paled. “Oh,” he breathed, but said nothing else on the matter.
My breathing grew shallow as we reached the halfway point, my teeth beginning to chatter.
We soon reached the other side and I was overjoyed to depart from the icy pool, wading quickly up onto the shore. Something cracked under my bare foot and I lifted my heel to see what.
Bones. Sprawling out across the shore, leading all the way up to the cave mouth. So densely packed that there had to be hundreds of little bodies. Small mammals, birds, even what looked like a large cat skull sat amongst the mass.
A shadow passed over the cave mouth high above us.
Panic flitted through me.
“Hide,” Jameson growled, dragging me after him. Silas was still wading out of the pool and I turned, gesturing frantically for him to hurry.
Jameson didn't let me slow, tugging me into a crevice between two large boulders. The heavy footfalls of a beast carried to us from the cave mouth. I glanced out behind the rock. The dark-skinned creature was enormous, almost ape-like. But that was no monkey. And the carcass it was dragging seemed to be a leopard as big as me.
Silas darted toward a jutting rock, falling to the ground and pressing his back to it. He was barely concealed, but he had no choice but to stay there. Jameson pressed me against the rocks, his body surrounding me until I couldn't see anything but him. He gazed over the top of the boulder, before quickly ducking his head.
The crunching of bones filled my ears and I shut my eyes for several seconds, fighting away the fear. Perhaps we could have beaten it in a fight, but I didn't think it was worth the risk. And there was no way in hell I was going to let Jameson fight it alone.
I gripped his arm to communicate that feeling. I met his eyes and he shook his head, telling me he was going to go out there.
“Don't,” I breathed, holding on tighter.
My heart pounded out of tune.
“I can take it,” he whispered.
A horrible, groaning noise sounded from the creature and more munching followed. I shook my head, fixing him in my gaze.
Please. Don't.
He shifted away and I could see the determination in him to be the hero. But I simply couldn't allow it. A hundred feelings rolled through me at once, all battling each other to be heard. In my panic, I did the only thing I could think of doing. I leant up, pressing my mouth to his, dragging him back toward me.
Electricity surged between us. Jameson stiffened in surprise, then pushed me hard back against the rock.
He melted against me, his arms flat against the cool stone. The heat of his mouth was like a furnace in comparison to the surrounding cold. He slid a hand around the back of my neck, holding me in place as he crushed me against the boulder. I was no longer in control. So I'd definitely gotten his attention.
I didn't let myself consider the repercussions of this. I allowed myself to get sucked into the moment, let the frantic emotions inside me spill over. Fed the hungry creature inside me that wanted him and
no one else.
“It's gone,” Silas's voice jolted us apart. Heat fled to my cheeks. “It's been gone for a while actually.” He stalked away and I felt like I'd been punched directly in the heart. I was tangled shamefully around Jameson, his body jammed up against mine.
What am I doing?
I shoved him away, untangling my limbs from his before trying to run. He caught my arm, twirling me back around to face him like I was a ballerina in a music box.
“What was that for?”
“It was a distraction,” I said firmly.
I tried to move, but he kept hold of me, his eyes bright and shining. “You can't run forever.”
“Yes I can,” I breathed. His fingers scorched my skin where they gripped my wrist. “If you let me go,” I whispered, meaning it in more ways than one.
He released me, looking hurt. I didn't want to feel guilty, but I did. And it wasn't fair, because what he'd done to me in the past was so much worse.
I turned, hurrying away, following Silas up the steep hill toward the cave exit. Rain drizzled persistently from the grey sky, but the worst of it had passed on. Thunder grumbled in the distance, sounding the storm's demise.
We were on a rocky ledge that overlooked the jungle canopy. I gasped as I spotted a rope bridge leading over the forest below, tethered to an enormous tree bough opposite us. It must have been the tallest tree in the jungle, jutting high above the forest. A rusted steel cage looped around it, inside which was a metal treehouse.
“It's an outpost!” Silas gasped, stepping onto the bridge. “We're bloody saved.”
Jameson arrived at my shoulder and I quickly moved onto the bridge. “Can we get inside?” I addressed Silas as he led the way forward. The wooden slats were wet and slippery and I didn't like to think how old they might be as we headed across it.
The slats creaked behind me from Jameson's weight, his hand running across the rope an inch from mine. I moved faster, but he kept pace.
The bridge swung in the breeze, but with my thoughts fixed on the treehouse, I didn't let myself worry.
Wolf Games: Island of Shade (The Vampire Games Book 5) Page 9