Wolf Games: Island of Shade (The Vampire Games Book 5)

by Caroline Peckham

  Occasionally, I'd run a hand down Varick's firm chest, or whisper in his ear. Once or twice, when my parents left the games room, I'd slip into his lap and enjoy the way he eyed my neck, dying for the blood in my veins. That was the truest power of all. Much more so than sex. Varick wanted my body in an entirely different way and something about the forbidden desire, made me want it too.

  One morning, Varick was stood in my room, his face to the wall as I dressed myself. Always so proper. He never overstepped the mark with me, no matter how much I flaunted myself. Every other man that came to Raskdød, was under my spell. But Varick was untouchable. Impossible to entice. And it started to drive me mad.

  "Va-rick," I sang and he glanced over his shoulder. I was dressed in nothing but a flimsy night dress, practically see-through. He turned back to the wall.

  "Look at me, silly," I teased, jogging up behind him. Taking his hand, I turned him. He tugged free of my hold, folding his arms.

  "Stop it, Mercy," he growled.

  "You can't tell me what to do. You're my slave, remember?" I giggled, pushing his chest.

  His scowl grew.

  "You're always so serious," I complained, tugging on his sleeve, trying to make him move. He didn't.

  "It is not appropriate for me to be present whilst you're dressing," he said, monotone. "Your father would-"

  "Have you tortured, I know, I know. Blah blah blah. He'd have to actually find out for that to happen." I took his hand, pressing it to my waist. "Remember when you taught me to dance like a proper woman?" I tilted up a brow and he tugged his hand away.

  "Enough of this," he growled. "I will be outside." He walked toward the door and I sprang around him, throwing my arms wide, a grin on my face.

  "Stop playing games," he snarled.

  "Or what?" I teased. "Would you bite me, Varick?" I snapped my teeth together, laughing.

  His eyes darkened and he stepped back, seemingly tempted to do just that. He let out a growl of frustration. "You would have me executed for the sake of your games."

  I slumped against the door, pouting. I liked teasing him. He was grumpy most of the time and every now and then I could coax a smile out of him. It was sad to admit, but Varick was pretty much my only friend in the castle. Especially when the V Games ended. Through the summer, Varick and I would play card games and chess. He didn't seem to mind. He was as bored as me most of the time. Despite that, I knew very little about him. Even when I asked, he tended not to answer.

  "Sometimes I think you hate me," I huffed, striding past him and throwing myself onto the bed.

  I didn't fancy going down to the games room today. Sometimes the men were suffocating. I needed space. Varick excluded.

  "Sometimes I think you like me," he retorted, equally sharp.

  I sat upright. "I do like you."

  He shook his head. "I'd like to hear you tell your father that."

  I folded my arms. "Maybe I'll do just that."

  "That would almost be worthwhile just to see his expression. But he would most likely behead me and replace me with a Vampire you don't like."

  I flopped back onto the bed again. "You're always talking about beheadings, or whippings or beatings. It's so depressing. Would you talk about something different for once?"

  "What would you have me talk about, ma'am?"

  He always played this game. Pulled the slave card on me. "Urgh!" I huffed at him. "Stop pretending we're not friends."

  "We're not friends," he stated.

  "We are!" I stood up, grabbing a robe and pulling it on. "You've just forgotten what friendship looks like."

  "You are a very confused girl," he remarked. "And I am not foolish enough to believe that you won't have your father kill me one day if I do something to upset you."

  Hurt flashed through me. I'd never hurt Varick. And it struck me in that moment like a blow to the head. Truly, I cared about him. Perhaps in a way even I didn't understand. Our relationship had bloomed over the years. At least, it had for me. I even hid it from the rest of my family, the moment they were in earshot. Sometimes I'd throw insults at Varick just to keep up the rouse. But the truth was, he was the only person in this place that knew me at all.

  We usually got along just fine. I mean, sure, he was a grumpy bastard, but mostly he responded politely to me. But he'd been different recently. A new game was about to begin. New girls were all lined up in their cells. He'd brought three back from a prison in England last night and had been snappy with me since.

  "What's got into you?" I demanded.

  He shook his head.

  "Come on, we talk to each other, don't we? Your secrets are safe with me." I meant it, but he didn't seem convinced.

  He heaved a sigh. "It's difficult dealing with the girls sometimes, that's all."

  "They're criminals," I said quickly. Daddy always reassured me the girls who came here were bad news. They deserved this fate. Even if it was a little extreme. Mostly I tried not to think about it.

  "Mm," he grunted, turning away again.

  "What is it?" I urged, but he just shrugged and I knew I had to let it go.

  *★*

  The new game began and I soon noticed the way Varick eyed one of the contestants. He never usually watched the games, but this time he was glued to the screen. Selena Grey. Soft, pale cheeks, crimson lips and ebony locks. Nothing like me. And that bothered me something fierce.

  Varick was mine. He had been my companion for nearly a hundred years and now this girl had turned up and stolen his attention.

  That was why I finally let him drink from me. The first time, then the second. I was growing wild with desperation as his eyes turned to her daily. Flaunting myself had done nothing. So at last I'd given him what he'd wanted. Blood. His mouth on my skin had meant more to me than all the kisses I'd ever received.

  The more days Selena survived, the more I feared she'd win the title. That she'd be given to Varick to feed on. That perhaps he would grow to desire her like he had never done with me.

  When he wasn't watching the game, he was out on the island, spending nights at the checkpoints with the girls. With her.

  When I got him alone once more, I knew I had to up my game. I'd made him promise he'd come to me and he eventually arrived, knocking on my bedroom door.

  I wrenched it open immediately, soaking in the sight of him. He still felt distant, distracted. I wanted him to look at me the way he looked at her.

  Please, please see me.

  “Where have you been?” I demanded, taking his wrist and encouraging him inside.

  “The men were asking my advice,” he said and I huffed, dropping onto my bed. The spectators always bothered Varick, thinking he had some insight into who might win the games.

  “Well you'll have to make up for lost time.” I grinned, beckoning him over with my index finger. He didn't smile at my playful tone, but he did come closer. He moved to the bed, taking my wrist and drawing it to his mouth. Shivers darted through me and I suddenly wanted more. I needed to give him more. To make him forget all about Selena Grey.

  I tugged my hand free, shaking my head. “My neck today.” I swallowed at the thought, a little flicker of fear going through me.

  Is this a good idea? What if he loses control?

  But I cared too much about him to think of my well-being.

  I took his arm, encouraging him forward, shifting the golden locks from my throat. His eyes flickered with doubt, but hunger blazed in them. He bent low, but resisted at the last moment.

  “I can't hurt you,” he said softly, drawing away from me.

  “Oh,” I breathed, taken aback.

  He backed away, rubbing his eyes. “It's too much Mercy. The way I feel about you. It's all too sudden.”

  His words struck me like a lightning bolt. The way he feels about me? Does he really mean it?

  There had been such a change in him recently, perhaps I'd misread the signs. Perhaps my blood had given him the ability to care for me at last.


  “Oh Varick, it's my blood. It's let you love me at last.” I raised my arms, wriggling across the sheets with joy. He loves me. And I don't care what anyone thinks. We can run away from this place and be free.

  “I think you're right,” he said with a taut frown, filling me with another spiral of joy.

  “Come, drink more,” I offered, baring my neck, but he shook his head.

  “No, I wont. I can't.” His brows drew together sharply.

  As he backed away, I stood, hurrying across the room to stop him leaving. I couldn't let this moment pass us by. He loved me. And I needed to feel his hands on me.

  I offered my neck to him again and he hesitated a second longer before digging his fangs into my throat. The forbidden feeling filled me with joy. I was defying everything I'd ever been taught, and it felt incredible.

  Eventually, Varick pressed me back, his expression tortured. “It's too much for me, Mercy. I need time to process these feelings.” He wrenched the door open and I gazed after him as he marched down the hall, his shoulders tense.

  I leant against the frame, watching him pass into the stairwell, soaking in the feel of the cool patches his hands had left on my skin. And in that moment, I knew I had to save him. I had to set him free from this place and give him back the life my family had stolen.

  I thought back on that time as I was jostled side to side on the stallion, Colt's arms keeping a tight grip on me. He was silent as ever, leaving me with my memories. My heart was split open as I recalled Varick's betrayal. How he'd lied, telling me he loved me, only to buy himself time to save Selena Grey. I wasn't sure I'd ever get over it. The best moment of my life had been a lie. But looking back, how could I blame him? I hated to admit it, but between Selena and I, it was hardly a choice. Why would Varick love me when he thought of me as his captor? He probably saw me as a witch who'd tormented him for years. I wondered if he'd ever cared for me at all. If the friendship I'd thought we had meant anything to him.

  The stables came in to sight up ahead and I blew a lock of hair from my face. I guess I had bigger things to worry about right then.

  Jameson

  I hit so many rocks as I was carried down the river that I imagined I resembled a bruised peach as I hauled my arse out of the water. I'd washed up on a small, stony beach as the canyon made a horse-shoe bend. I stood on aching legs, searching the water for the others. Oh who was I kidding? There was only one person I was looking for.

  “Firefly?!” I called, trying to catch sight of her crimson locks. “Shit, shit, shit,” I muttered, kicking the stones beneath my feet.

  One plus? We'd apparently shaken off those creepy bug things. Apart from a dead one which was presently stuck in my arm. I yanked it out so its razor-sharp pincers came loose, followed by a spurt of blood. I held the thing up to my eyes to get a better look. I shook it, swore at it, then threw it into the river.

  Howling suddenly caught my ear. “Holy shit,” I gasped, turning to gaze up the sheer cliff wall behind me. I knew those howls. They were as familiar to me as my own voice.

  I resisted the urge to call out to my pack, my gut telling me it was a bad idea. The last I'd seen, they'd been under Ulvic's command, being ordered onto that helicopter. So no doubt they were still very much under his control. And if they were out here, that meant they were looking for me. And hell if I was gonna be dragged back to Ulvic like a disobedient puppy. So back into the river it was.

  I waded back into it, letting the gentle tug of the current carry me forward. Then I started swimming in fast strokes, heading around the horse-shoe bend. After a while, I simply floated on my back, gazing up at the mossy canyon walls and the birds swooping between nests in the rocks. It might have been peaceful, had I not been so anxious to find Cass. But wherever this river was going, it was taking her, too. So all I had to do was stay with it and I'd find her.

  Unless she'd already drowned.

  Or been eaten alive by mechanical bugs.

  Or Silas had found her and they'd had an impromptu wedding and headed off to honeymoon in Hawaii.

  I started swimming again, increasing my pace downstream. No one puts a ring on Firefly's finger, but me. Course, I still had to find a way to explain things. And buy a ring. But as she was pregnant, she'd probably think I was going all 'shotgun wedding' on her. How did normal people do relationships?

  I thought of Selena and Varick. That wasn't exactly normal either...

  In fact, I didn't have many normal influences in my life. My pack members had been forced into pair bonds by Ulvic. Which was real normal.

  The more I thought about it, the more difficult I found it to come up with a single relationship I'd been exposed to in my life that could be considered 'the norm'. From my absent parents, to being taken in by Varick's father whose wife had died years before I'd met him, to the pirate crew bedding women and whores at every port, to me travelling the world solo for years and continuing my pirate life-style, to Ulvic and the pack, to...now. Varick and Selena were the only couple I'd known who had chosen to be together for the long-haul. No wonder I hadn't had any romantic tendencies until now. The most I knew about love was what I'd seen in films and TV shows. But if there was one thing that Die Hard had taught me, it was that people go yippy ki-yay for their soulmates.

  Another howl drew my attention to the jungle above the cliffs. Further along the river this time. Damn, I was heading toward them now. But I couldn't stop, not if this river was leading me to Cass, too. I increased my pace again, my shoulder muscles flexing as I forward-stroked my way downstream.

  As I rounded another bend in the river, my worst fears unfolded before my eyes. Okay, so not quite my worst fears. Cass was not standing on the rocky beach in a wedding gown vowing to love Silas forever and ever. But she was on her knees between Silas and Lorena. And my three pack mates stood behind them. Enormous, bloody wolves. I'd never realised how fearsome they were until right then. And it was clear they were waiting for me.

  I swam toward the beach, tugging myself out of the current and wading onto the shore. Silas, Cass and Lorena were completely bedraggled, their hair dripping wet. Blood trickled from small cuts all over them where the bugs had attacked. But Lorena was the worst for it. Half her face was covered in blood and one of her arms was in such a bad way that it didn't look like she had any use of it.

  She was deathly pale, barely able to stay upright on her knees. Mekiah, in his ruddy brown form, moved around her, approaching me. He lifted his head and I pressed a hand to it in a silent understanding. I knew this wasn't a choice, though from the look on Lorena's face, she wasn't going to be so forgiving.

  Cass and Silas knew the truth. She gave me a look of apology as if she could have done more. But of course, she couldn't have.

  Reason barked, then Nadine moved toward her, tugging a bag free from her back, tied on by rope. They both began to change into their human forms and Mekiah moved to join them. A minute later, the three of them were entirely naked and looking unfazed by that fact. Nadine silently opened the bag and pulled out three guns and clothes for them all. She was as beautiful as ever, with her golden skin and dark silky locks. As she caught my eye, she silently mouthed an apology.

  I nodded, waiting whilst they all got dressed in simple jeans and shirts, before each taking a gun.

  “We have to take you back,” Nadine was the first to speak. Reason pulled her long white locks into a high ponytail, looking uncomfortable. She could no doubt feel everyone's emotions with her supernatural gift, and from the pained expression on Lorena's face, she was in agony. Reason moved toward her, taking the bag from Nadine's grip. She produced a bottle filled with V blood and a tube of Larkspur. I rushed forward and she let me take the Larkspur. I immediately walked to Cass, dropped to my knees and uncapped it. Her alabaster skin was ripped and torn. She'd protected me, taken the bites that were meant for me. I applied the cream all over her skin and she watched me, her eyes never leaving my face. When I'd finished applying the cream, I let her help me with my w
ounds.

  Silas and Lorena drank the V blood and in moments they were healed. Lorena's shoulders slumped with relief as she looked up at Reason. “Thank you,” she breathed. “I thought you were going to kill us, but you're here to save us, aren't you?”

  “We'll take you to the institute,” Reason confirmed and I could tell she was evading the real answer. That they were here for me and Cass. Still, we'd been heading to the institute anyway, so perhaps this wasn't the end of the world. And in the meantime, we could figure out a way to defeat Ulvic. From their beaten down expressions, I could tell my pack were done with being ordered around as much as I was.

  As Nadine walked toward me, I was hit hard with Ulvic's old command to pair bond with her. I tried to fight it, tried to summon the power I'd used before to break his orders, but I couldn't do it. I walked forward, embracing her, planting a kiss in her hair. She gripped me tighter, a small sob escaping her throat. Then she leant up and kissed me.

  Kissed me.

  Lips on lips.

  Right in front of Cass.

  I pulled her against me instead of pushing her away. And my mind screamed at me for it. Fury rattled uselessly through my body.

  When we broke apart, I stole a glance at Cass. She was up on her feet, gazing at us, her eyes as round as two discs. Then she turned immediately away, striding off to join the others.

  Nadine gripped my wrist, not letting me go after her. “I'm so glad you're alright. When the ship went down-” she choked on the rest of her words. I turned to her, giving her one of my cocky smiles - and hating myself for it.

  “You know me, babe. Indestructible.”

  Mekiah led the way up the cliff, following a steep track, his broad form taking up most of the path. He was muscular with a capital M. The guy looked like he'd been carved from stone and brought to life.

  As I walked, I noticed the track was lined with large paw prints where they'd descended earlier. I kept up the back of the line with Nadine in front of me. Which gave me an unfortunately good view of her butt as the steep path made her bend forward to steady herself.