Ulvic confided in me more than the rest of them. Maybe that was why he'd made me Alpha, taking over from the oldest Werewolf, Sampson, after he'd decided it wasn't for him anymore. I was a natural Alpha. I liked to lead. I liked people looking up to me. And everyone took to my rise in position without complaint.
We headed to Sapphire Sky in London where live bands played every weekend. All the hits. I'd danced with half the girls present so far, including those in my pack. Nadine was our newest member. She'd had her eye on Mekiah who'd joined a few years back, but Ulvic made comments about them being an unsuitable match. Since I'd been made Alpha, Nadine had switched her attention to me. I knew better than to give in to her as a temptation. I was still a one night kind of a guy, and she wasn't someone I could run away from the following morning. She'd be part of my pack, glaring at me forevermore if I gave her all I was capable of giving her. I tried to make that clear; I wasn't exactly shy about the fact that I was a womaniser. Especially now the 60s had hit. Monogamy was a thing of the past. Always had been for me anyway, but now the world was catching up. Especially London. Women were freer, everyone was out burning bras, taking drugs and wearing an almost obnoxious amount of colours, stripes and patterns. London was blossoming like a spring day, and I couldn't get enough of it.
I leant against a wall which was lined with purple shag carpet. I was high on a cocktail of life. Two girls alternated between grinding against the wall and me. Heaven.
Ulvic gestured for me to join him from an armchair in the corner. I danced my way across the room as Sherry by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons carried through the air.
As I reached Ulvic, I pulled him to his feet, forcing him to dance. I cracked out a bit of the hand-jive, encouraging him to join in until he eventually gave it a go. Brother had two left feet, but he gave it his all. I was particularly adept at the hand-jive. I'd once hand-jived my way into a threesome.
Ulvic tugged his hand from my grip, rolling his eyes. “We should get going,” he raised his voice above the music.
Mekiah spun Nadine in circles beside us and I shook my head firmly. “Let's stay.”
“Surely you don't want to miss out on sing-along night at the Shakes Bar?”
I stopped dancing. Sing-along was the newest and best invention possibly ever. I nodded eagerly, bouncing on the balls of my feet.
Ulvic rounded up the rest of our pack and we were soon headed through the rainy streets of London, moving as a unit as if we were connected by more than just our pack bond. And I swear we were. I'd found a new family. A group of people I loved dearly. Something I'd missed for so many years since Varick had disappeared. And now life was offering me another chance at contentment. I didn't need the things most people needed. I didn't need love and marriage and kids. I needed the kind of people around me who wanted to drink every drop of joy out of life.
Shakes Bar was one of my favourite places in London. It was tucked beneath a railway bridge, crammed between two coffee shops. You wouldn't know it was there in the day. But at night it was lit up in a rainbow of colour. I led the way inside, hearing a poor rendition of Will You Love Me Tomorrow by The Shirells being belted out by some girl. Sadly for her ego, I was going to obliterate her from the memories of everyone in the bar once it was my turn.
I clapped a hand to Ulvic's shoulder as I took in the little bar with tables tucked into every corner, cigarette smoke plumed through the air and colourful drinks were in everyone's hands. “You know me so well.”
I sang my heart out all evening, until the early hours of the morning. Reason had fallen asleep on Mekiah's shoulder and Nadine was pestering Ulvic to ask me to call it a night. I held a small fan group of women lined up by the stage and I was currently deciding which of them I was going to take back to my hotel room.
Ulvic muscled his way through the group, his eyes ringed with tiredness. “Let's go, everyone's knackered.”
“I'll catch you later,” I said vaguely, my eyes locked with the strawberry blonde a few feet away.
“No, we have an early start. I want to be in Belfast by tomorrow afternoon.”
I ignored him, floating toward the girl.
“Now, Jameson,” Ulvic snapped.
Something happened to me in that moment, like cold water had been spilled through my veins. I turned on my heel, promptly following him as he headed back across the room.
I gazed back at the blonde, dumbfounded as to why I was following Ulvic's command. “What the hell?” I muttered.
“Ulvic, I'm staying.” I tried to plant my feet, but they kept moving as Ulvic led the pack out onto the street.
Reason moved to my side, taking my arm as Ulvic hailed a taxi.
“What's going on?” I growled through my teeth. “I can't disobey him.”
“Oh.” Her eyes became round. “He has your loyalty.”
“What? Well yeah, but that's not the point. I wanted to stay.” I gazed back at the bar again, but for all the world, I couldn't make myself go back inside.
“It's a wolf thing.”
Suddenly, I recalled what the Werewolf Captain had told me all those years ago. The Werewolf curse. If I ever gave my full loyalty to someone, they'd have power over me. Forever.
“Ulvic...” I stilled and Ulvic turned to me, walking to my side. “Did you know?” I demanded. “Did you plan this?”
He rested a hand on my arm. “It happens with all of you eventually.” He looked to Reason who nodded.
“You're all under his command?” I gazed around at the pack and they nodded, not seeming particularly bothered. “Why didn't you tell me?” I barked.
“It's not a big deal,” Reason insisted. “Ulvic would never abuse it. And besides, better him than someone who'd use it to hurt you. Eventually, you will offer this power to someone. It's part of being a Werewolf.”
I nodded, but the lump in my throat wouldn't budge. Ulvic squeezed my arm. “I didn't mean to command you, Jameson. If you want to go back in there, go ahead. But we need to leave early tomorrow.”
I nodded, suddenly not feeling like going back inside. “No...it's fine.” I slapped a grin on my face, trying to forget about it. Reason was right, Ulvic looked after us. If that power had to belong to someone, it was a good thing it was him.
The man who looked at me now was not the same one I'd once cared for. The one who'd rarely overstepped the mark with the power he had over all of us. I dropped out of the helicopter at his command and raindrops peppered my cheeks. I was still bound by Ulvic's order not to speak, which was frustrating considering the stream of insults, jokes at his expense and general abuse I'd come up with during the flight.
A man appeared from a wooden door, hurrying toward us carrying a large umbrella. He was young, rivalled my own good looks and definitely beat me on the male grooming front.
“Alfric Hund, it's good to see you again.” The newcomer reached out a hand, lifting the umbrella so it shielded Ulvic and Alfric from the rain. Not us, I noted.
“Silas, how are you?” Alfric asked. “I hope it is not impertinent of me to have brought my son along?”
Ulvic looked jittery, wiping a hand down his trench coat before offering it to Silas.
Silas took it, giving him a keen smile. “Ah yes, you helped my father on a couple of projects, as I recall?”
“Indeed,” Ulvic said, shaking his hand. “It's an honour to be back at IDAHO, though I have to say, the institute I visited wasn't quite so...at sea.”
They all had a good laugh over that one. I fixed Silas with a cold stare. If he was friends with the Hunds, he was my enemy. Fact.
Silas's eyes slid over my pack, landing on me. All of us were thoroughly wet now that the rain had picked up and droplets were crawling down my cheeks.
“These are my Werewolves,” Ulvic explained. “They're quite harmless.”
Silas nodded, returning his attention to them. “I'm quite used to the presence of Immortals. They can stay with you. Shall we head inside? The trial is about to begin and I'm s
ure you'd all like to get out of the rain.”
“Indeed,” Alfric answered.
Silas led the way and we followed him across the deck.
Thunder cracked overhead, sending a spike of adrenaline through my veins. We stepped into a bright corridor with gold-rimmed windows – most of which were cracked – and scuffed wooden floorboards.
“You're the last ones to arrive,” Silas said. “Lucky this storm didn't set in any sooner.”
“Quite,” Alfric replied.
We passed through a set of heavy metal doors and the sound of chattering filled my ears. We walked down another corridor, then emerged on a golden balcony lined with red carpet. Gathered there, were a small group of men and women in fine clothes, sipping coffees as they gazed over the balcony.
I edged closer, trying to get a look, catching sight of a steep precipice below. I shuffled to the edge, gazing down into what must have been the depths of the ship. A crescent of balconies curved around one side of the huge space, all filled with people. Before us, suspended from the ceiling by thick cables, was an enormous wooden platform.
None of these things compared to the shock I felt as I caught sight of a programme in someone's hand. A list of 'Hybrids' were displayed one under another with photographs beside each.
My eyes were glued to one picture, right under the words, Werewolf – Vampire Hybrid.
She was sat on a chair, her jaw set and her eyes as bright as two fireflies.
My heart tumbled down two staircases and went through a window at the bottom.
Cass. Ho-ly shit. What are you doing here?
Cass
I was dressed in a blood-red cat suit with black patches on the shoulders, elbows and knees. An ebony stripe ran down the middle of it, giving me the appearance of a Black Widow spider. My hair was tied up in a high ponytail to keep it 'out of the way'. Or so Silas had told me. He hadn't told me what from, though. In fact, he'd been pretty cagey about this 'trial' I'd be undertaking in general.
I waited in Silas's cabin as he'd asked, worry growing in my gut. At some point, a guard would fetch me and bring me to be tested. But I didn't know if the wait was going to be minutes or hours.
As I stood up from the sofa to start pacing away my anxious energy, a knock came at the door.
“Come in.” I straightened my spine as a guard appeared with a sour face and a gun at his hip.
He jerked his head at me to follow and I marched toward him, not wanting to show any signs of fear. He walked at my side, seeming surprised by my compliance.
Despite asking him several questions about the trial, he answered none of them. He led me down one level then escorted me along a corridor that curved around in a large arc. Eventually, he halted before a metal door. Yanking it open, he gestured for me to step through. I peered into the seemingly inoffensive room, void of furniture. I took a small breath before creeping inside and the guard slammed the door shut behind me with a metallic thunk.
My breaths chased each other over my lips. Another door stood in front of me and I moved toward it, finding no handle. I waited for something to happen, gazing around the space, hunting for a camera. Was this where my trial would take place? Was I already being assessed?
The door before me slid open and spotlights blinded me. I threw a hand to my eyes, stepping forward, the sound of applause crashing into my eardrums.
I took another step forward, my pupils dilating to adjust to the brights light, revealing the room before me. Suspended in the air by cables was an enormous platform, checkered and wooden like a chessboard. Beyond that were a ring of balconies, framed by velvet curtains. Groups of finely dressed people stood on all of them, clapping loudly. Evidently at me.
The open door led onto nothing but empty space, the drop below me dizzying. I was about to retreat when a whirring noise sounded and a slim metal bridge extended beneath the doorway, reaching toward the platform ahead.
My throat grew dry. If I fell, I was dead. Immortal or not.
“Please give a warm welcome to our first successful Werewolf-Vampire Hybrid!” Silas's voice rang through the room and I relaxed a fraction from the familiarity of his voice.
The applause picked up and I found enough courage to step out onto the bridge. I had all the reflexes of a cat, but I still feared missing a step and plummeting over the edge. It was sturdy beneath my boots so I strode quickly across it, making my way onto the platform. Perhaps I was just going to be paraded in front of these people then sent back to my room?
I tried to find Silas amongst the balconies, but the dazzling lights made it difficult to pick out individual faces.
As I stepped onto the platform, I spotted an upright, metal box at the opposite end of it.
Silas's voice blared in my ears again, rattling off statistics and results I'd been given in my daily assessments. I noticed the crowd were gazing at something over my head and turned, finding the whole wall behind me projected with footage. It showed me on the first day I'd arrived, sitting on a chair in a metal room, wrapped in a pink robe. Beside the muted footage was a personal profile, listing everything about me down to my weight. I turned my back on it, trying to ignore my rising irritation at being displayed like a cow in a meat market. Thankfully, the information didn't reveal I was pregnant. So at least Silas was planning on keeping one of my secrets. Not that that made me feel much better about the situation.
Everyone seemed overly excited, chattering with one another and making elaborate hand gestures.
The screen suddenly went dark and all the spotlights in the room fell on the platform. On me. I couldn't see anything beyond the four corners of the suspended stage, and though it was roughly the size of a tennis court, I still felt too close to the edges for comfort.
“Silence please!” Silas called, his voice echoing around the cavernous space.
The crowd fell quiet and my heart rate picked up.
A rattling sound drew my attention to the metal box; it was taller than me and twice as wide. I remained in place, waiting for something to happen, trying not to show my trepidation.
A clicking noise reached me from within it, sending a sliver of ice down my spine. A bone-deep feeling told me I knew that noise...
A hissing sound was followed by a puff of mist escaping the box and the front door swung open. I gazed into the darkness within it, unable to see anything beyond the coiling mist. A shadow shifted inside. Bony feet appeared beneath a black robe which floated around the creature like smoke.
Recognition flowed through me.
Reaper.
I took a step back, unable to help myself as the nightmarish creature moved toward me on skeletal feet.
It lifted two thin hands to its hood and slowly drew it back, revealing its skull-like face, thinly disguised by a near-transparent veil of skin. It was hideous, its eyes absent, its lips peeled back, displaying yellowed teeth. It sniffed the air through a snake-like nose, sucking in my scent.
“Taste.” The voice emanated from the Reaper, but its mouth didn't move.
It gnashed its teeth together, moving toward me at a frightening speed. I remembered myself. I was an Immortal being. Half V, half Werewolf. Two of the most powerful creatures I'd ever come across. If anyone could kill this thing, it was me.
I darted forward, throwing a fist at its jaw. It moved like the wind, seeming to evaporate and reform out of my reach. My hand met nothing but air and I stumbled forward from the force I'd used.
“Taste...” it repeated, reaching a skeletal hand in my direction.
I tried to catch hold of it, but the Reaper dropped to all fours, its back contorting into an animal-like stance as it scuttled across the floor.
I lost sight of it, but felt its breath on my ear half a second later. “Taste.”
I threw an elbow back and heard its ribs crack loudly like broken twigs. A cheer rang out and I spun around, trying to finish the job.
The Reaper was gone and in my moment of confusion, teeth sunk into my neck. I screamed, wrench
ing myself free of its bite. A chunk of my flesh went with it and blood poured hot and fast from the wound. I clamped a hand to the bite mark, stumbling around to face the Reaper. Anger flooded my veins. Heat poured uncontrollably through my body. I was dizzy with it.
My blood stained the Reaper's teeth red, its thin lips curling back into an eerie smile. Its skin continued to move and shift, rippling like water around its cheeks. I watched the grotesque display as its body changed and morphed before my eyes. Dark red hair sprouted from the top of its bald head, eyes grew in the empty sockets of its face. My stomach churned. I knew I should fight, but I was frozen in place by the spectacle.
Its face softened and filled out with sinew and flesh. I sucked in a breath as the Reaper morphed into the perfect mirror image of myself. The cloak around it evaporated like mist, revealing the exact same red and black jumpsuit as mine beneath it.
The Reaper smiled, looking like a more forbidding version of myself. I barely had a moment to react as it flew forward, throwing a fist toward my face. I knew the move well. It was my own goddamn move!
I ducked the blow, throwing my own punch at the Reaper's ribs. She caught my hand, turning sharply to try and break it. I snatched it away, countering with a kick to the back of her left knee. The Reaper twisted out of the way, throwing another punch. It went on and on, each of us blocking every blow, predicting each other's moves. She fought exactly like me. We were so evenly matched that it was impossible for either of us to get the upper hand.
I panted, stepping back and the Reaper did the same, evidently afflicted by exhaustion like I was. A blade suddenly hit the floor between us. A curved scythe. We ran toward it from opposite sides, evenly paced, and as fast as possible. I collided with the Reaper as my fingers reached for the blade. But she got to it first, slashing it upwards. I rolled, avoiding a fatal blow, taking a sharp slice across my cheek instead.
Before I had a moment to recover, the Reaper lifted the scythe and brought it down hard toward my head. I released a scream, jerking sideways so the blade hit the wooden platform. I threw a punch at the Reaper's gut, knocking her off balance.
Wolf Games (The Vampire Games Book 4) Page 20