Wolf Games (The Vampire Games Book 4)

by Caroline Peckham

  “We don't have much time,” I said, watching as Silas placed two hands either side of the screen, leaning against the wall.

  Water washed over my feet and I gasped at how cold it was.

  “Go up to the deck,” Silas ordered, giving me an intense look.

  I looked to the door, then shook my head. I couldn't just abandon him.

  The computer screen turned blue, which didn't seem right. My heart stuttered in my chest. I moved to the tank, resting my hand on the top of it.

  “I'll smash the glass,” I said.

  “No!” he cried, darting forward to stop me. “You might cut her.”

  “We don't have a choice Silas.” The water had risen to our ankles already and I didn't fancy swimming back to the stairwell.

  He looked torn. He gazed from me to Emma, then finally nodded. “Near her feet.”

  I moved around the tank and kicked the end of it. The glass shattered and Silas nudged me aside, leaning down and reaching into the tank, gently pulling Emma's still body from the glass coffin.

  She wasn't rigid like I expected, but floppy as if she were sleeping. Maybe Silas was right, maybe they could bring her back one day.

  He held her against his shoulder and her cheek rested on his shirt, her eyes still closed. His Adam's apple rose and fell then he pointed to the door with his free hand. “Go.”

  I hurried ahead, holding the door open for him as I splashed out into the sodden corridor. The lights flickered around us and my heart fluttered with panic. We needed to get off this ship, fast.

  The floor was slightly slanted now that the water was filling the lower decks at the back of the ship. By the time we reached the stairwell, it was up to our calves.

  “Hurry,” Silas said through his teeth, pressing his hand to my spine as we stepped into the stairway. The water was rising from the lower levels and a dark pool lay where the steps had once led down.

  A groaning, creaking sound thrummed through my body. I tensed as the door opposite us burst from its hinges, exploding across the space followed by a torrent of seawater. Silas and I were swept off our feet, pushed forward into the pool. The pressure forced me under and I lost sight of everything. I felt Silas's body bump into mine as water poured down on us from the doorway, forcing us further under. I kicked hard, battling the torrent, and finally felt it easing.

  My head breached the surface and I gasped down a lungful of air, waving my hands as I tried to find something to grab hold of. My foot hit a step and I clambered up, dragging myself out of the icy water.

  “Silas!” I shouted, turning to face the pool. Water was still pouring in from the broken doorway. The lights flashed on and off, disorientating me. The ship made a horrible, ear-wrenching groan and my stomach tied itself in knots.

  Come on, Silas.

  Silas breached the surface, gasping loudly. I dove forward, catching his free arm, his other one still locked tightly around Emma.

  “Are you alright?” I asked, guiding him to the stairs. He emerged from the pool, panting and spluttering, coughing up a mouthful of water.

  “Yes, are you?” His eyes roamed over me, landing on my stomach.

  “I'm fine.” I turned my gaze to the stairs. “Come on, we need to move.”

  Silas hurried at my side, both of us dripping wet as we jogged upstairs as fast as we could. I kept my pace slow enough to remain at Silas's side.

  We finally reached the top deck and I led the way outside. The sky was crimson with the dying sun, dousing the whole sea in its ominous light.

  Silas caught my arm to halt me. “Get to the bow, see if you can make it to one of those helicopters. If not, find another way off the ship as fast as you can.”

  “Wait-” I blurted, dropping my eyes to Emma. “Let me take her.”

  He hesitated, shaking his head. “I have a solution in the lab...if I inject her with it, it will keep her decomposition at bay.”

  Moving toward me, he reached out and cupped my cheek, his eyes as warm as melted chocolate. “Please, get yourself to safety.”

  A lump rose in my throat as I gave in, nodding.

  “That's my girl,” he said and I recalled Jameson saying those very words to me. I pushed the memory away, giving Silas an encouraging smile.

  “I'll see you soon,” I promised.

  “Very.” He nodded. He hesitated a second longer, then lurched forward, pressing his lips to mine. Heat burned between our mouths and I had no time to react before he pulled away and fled back inside.

  I stood there, rooted to the spot for a second, in shock. Forcing my thoughts back onto the more pressing situation, I turned on my heel, sprinting up the deck in the direction of the rising bow. It was a long way to go, but I ran as hard and as fast I could, trying to listen for the helicopters up ahead.

  A whirring, humming noise signalled the turning of propellers. I increased my pace, forcing my legs to move impossibly fast. Perhaps Jameson would be there, readying to leave the ship. Perhaps we could all get off together.

  I stumbled to a halt as I met the front deck where the triangular helipad stretched out before me. A helicopter rose into the sky and I waved an arm, shouting out to it. “Wait! Come back!”

  It roared overhead, wrenching my hair back in a tangle of damp strands. It zoomed over the waves, disappearing toward the horizon where I could just make out a mass of land. It could have been a hundred miles away for all I knew. But if worst came to worst, that was the direction I was going to have to swim. I just prayed it wouldn't come to that.

  There was one helicopter left and I rushed toward it, hoping a pilot was prepping it for take-off. But no one was there. The helipad was empty of people. Everything was quiet. Where was everybody?

  My frantic thoughts settled on Jameson. Arsehole or not, I couldn't leave him behind. I pressed a hand to my stomach. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted this baby. And I'd damn well make sure I was the kind of mother a child deserved. Which meant I had to try and make sure this baby grew up with a father, too.

  “Right, trouble,” I muttered to myself, running a hand over my belly. “Let's go get your Daddy, shall we?”

  Jameson

  Holy Mary Mother of God. I was going to drown. Ulvic was going to let me mother-effing-drown.

  “Ulvic!” I roared at the top of my lungs.

  I couldn't believe he'd left me in a room with his dead father, leaking blood all over the place. Plus, I was several floors lower than I'd liked to have been on a sinking ship. And Ulvic's command to 'stay right here' had glued my feet to the ugly 90s carpet.

  I hummed to keep myself calm. It didn't work. So I whistled. Which also didn't work. Especially when water seeped into the room and washed over my ankles at an alarming speed.

  “Ulvic!” I shouted, my voice growing raw from how many times I'd called out his name. I'd also tried a series of other names. Including crapbag, asshat, shit-eating-mind-controller, and son-of-a-C-word. Funnily enough, none of those had brought him back either.

  As the water level rose, Alfric's body started to float and drifted in my direction, bumping into my legs over and over again. I shoved him away more than once, until I had to give up trying and let that dead arsehole rest against my calves.

  This was not a cool way to go out. I deserved a hero's death. Like a god-damn Viking, or one of those old men who had a heart attack during sex. Not like this.

  Not. Like. This.

  I took hold of my legs, yanking as hard as I could. “Come on, come on,” I growled at myself.

  Just as I bent down, took hold of both ankles and my cheek dunked into the seawater, Ulvic splashed into the room.

  “You.” I stood upright. “Let me move. Right this god-damn second.”

  Ulvic ran a hand over his hair, composing himself. “I've made a deal to ensure we get off this ship. Follow me,” he commanded. He was not in a chirpy mood. But neither was I. In fact, I was ready to fillet him like a fish.

  “Release me, Ulvic, we're done with this,
” I demanded, though my legs undermined my rebellion somewhat as they carried me willingly out the door. The water splashed over my knees.

  “Ulvic!” I snapped as we waded further down the corridor.

  He turned sharply around, throwing his hand out and catching me by the throat. “Don't fight back,” he growled, and my balled hands uncurled.

  “You are my property, wolf. Forget any friendship we once had. It's over. I know that now. You said it yourself. There's no going back. So this is how it's going to be from now on. You can either accept that, or fight me every step of the way, but don't forget what I'm capable of. I can make you hurt the rest of the pack again if that's what it'll take?” His expression was practically unrecognisable. He'd always seemed smaller to me, but now was the first time I realised he was only an inch less in height. He was seriously strong, too. My windpipes cried out against the crushing squeeze of his palm. But there was no way in hell I was going to show weakness in front of him.

  “Look who found a backbone,” I snarled. “Shame it's made of the bad stuff.”

  “There is no bad, or good,” he hissed. “There are only winners and losers. And I'm done being on the losing side of life. I'm not going to put up with your bullshit anymore. Jameson. I am done playing nice. And I am done taking your incessant insults on the chin like I did with my father.”

  “We used to be friends,” I tried to say it with venom, but the hurt was clear in my tone, betraying how much I'd once cared for him.

  His eyes softened and he released me, stepping back. The water had risen to my thighs, chilling me. But it wasn't arctic cold. Definitely bearable.

  Ulvic turned, heading toward a stairwell marked with a glowing emergency exit sign, moving as fast as he could through the high water. The light in the stairwell flickered but stayed on. I kept a few feet behind Ulvic, following him. I just had to hope Cass had made it off of the ship already. I was no use to her like this. And it killed me to know that.

  We entered the stairwell, hauling ourselves out of the freezing water and heading toward the top deck.

  Footsteps pattered in our direction and Ulvic forced me to stop and press my back to the wall. He stood at my side, peering up the stairs. Cass came into view on the next level, her hair damp and her wet dress hugging her curves.

  My heart did backflips.

  “Jameson,” she gasped, taking two steps in my direction.

  Ulvic's face shifted into a dark grimace. He turned to me, saying two words that made fear ricochet through my body.

  “Kill her.”

  I moved before I even felt the command take hold of me. I charged up the stairs, two at a time. Cass let out a scream of alarm, turning and fleeing in the opposite direction. She darted down a corridor, slamming the door, but I rammed my shoulder into it, shattering it to pieces.

  “Run!” I roared at her and she did. She effing flew.

  I was fast, but she was faster. Thank the Lord.

  She dripped water down the dry corridor, giving me an easy trail to follow if she got too far ahead.

  My body trembled with the need to break Ulvic's hold. A part of me couldn't believe he'd actually ordered me to do this. But another part of me knew who he really was. I was done hoping he'd see the error of his ways. He wasn't just acting out of cowardice anymore. This was his choice. But him wanting Cass dead made him more than just my number one enemy. I wanted vengeance. I wanted metal tools specifically designed to inflict pain on him. And so long as I was still breathing, there was a bounty on his head that was going to be paid in blood.

  One day, Ulvic. One day soon.

  I turned sharply left, following Cass down another corridor as slow as I could manage. But I was a trained killer. I was nearly six and a half feet of pure power, and if I laid a hand on the woman I loved, I was going to tear her limb from limb.

  Cass yanked a door open at the end of the corridor and water exploded through it, knocking her from her feet. I kept running and the water collided with me too. I was washed backwards at high speed and Cass was swept right toward me.

  She screamed as I caught hold of her arm, yanking her closer. My hands weren't my own. I'd never hurt her. I'd never use my strength against her. But I was. I was.

  Her skin was slippery from the water and thankfully, I lost my grip – which was helped by the fact she thrashed like a wild animal. As the corridor hit a sharp turn, we slammed into a wall. The pressure pinned us both in place. Cass met my eye, looking alarmed as I tried to lay a hand on her.

  “Fight me,” I demanded. “Don't let me win,” I begged.

  She nodded, her lips almost as pale as her cheeks from the cold. But her eyes were heaven. Two pools of jade, more rare than any jewel I'd ever stolen in my pirate days.

  When the surge eased, leaving us in waist-level water, I lunged at her. She darted away, keeping out of reach, but only barely.

  Cass waded as fast as she could toward the nearest door. She fell against it, stumbling through. I was hot on her heels, catching the door before she forced it shut. We were in another stairwell, but water was cascading down this one like a waterfall.

  She had nowhere to go.

  I swiped at her and she lurched away. I had her cornered – goddammit.

  “Get out of here!” I roared, terrified of what I might do.

  She took a deep breath.

  She dove.

  In a flash, she was gone, disappearing under the water. How far would she get before she ran out of air? Panic scratched at my heart.

  I dove after her, dragging down a lungful of air as I went.

  The darkness swallowed me, but my eyesight was keen. I swam hard and fast down the stairwell, using the banister to pull myself along, hunting for a flash of red hair. I caught sight of her ankle disappearing down the next level and increased my speed. The water was ice-cold, but I was swimming so hard that heat flared through my veins.

  I could hold my breath longer than most, but even I wasn't impervious to drowning.

  She swam through a set of double doors and I followed her, powering down a dark corridor, illuminated by eerie green emergency lighting.

  My lungs began to burn. We'd swum much further than any human could have done on one breath. I was vaguely aware we were heading in the direction of the stern, but I had no idea how far we'd have to travel to find air.

  Cass veered left out of sight, her feet now bare beneath her emerald ball gown. I increased my pace, wrenching my arms through the water, bubbles streaming from my nose.

  Air.

  I need air.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  I spied her feet slipping out of sight into a service elevator, a shoot only wide enough to transport food between levels. Clever girl. She'd probably just saved us both.

  I followed her into it, my shoulders wedging against the inside of the chute. Claustrophobia was the least of my worries as my vision grew dark and my lungs felt like they were about to pop.

  Her legs kicked frantically above me and light streamed down through the water like we were at heaven's gates themselves.

  I half swam, half dragged myself up the chute, crushing Cass to the wall as I forced myself past her. My head breached the surface and I dragged lungful after lungful of air down into my lungs. Cass was panting, gazing up at a hatch above us, trying to reach it.

  I pressed my hands to the walls either side of Cass's head, trapping her. She wriggled desperately, trying to climb over me, but my arms tensed, keeping her enclosed. Shutting my eyes, I faced Ulvic's command right on the battle ground.

  I will not hurt her.

  “Jameson?” Cass breathed. She had less than a few centimeters of space to move. She was dead, the second I lost this fight. But I couldn't let that happen.

  “Kill me,” I growled through my teeth, holding the urge at bay. “It's the only way to stop the command.”

  “No,” she gasped, pressing her hands to my shoulders for support.

  Pain flared inside my chest. I was going to bre
ak. Any second now, I was going to grab her throat and squeeze the life out of her.

  “I'd rather die than hurt you,” I admitted.

  I opened my eyes and found her gazing at me, her expression full of desperation. I tried to tell her the truth with my expression, but it was pointless.

  I love you, dammit. I love you. Can't you see that?

  She glanced up at the hatch above us one more time, then slid her hands around my neck. Moving closer, she drew me into an embrace. “You can fight it,” she said by my ear, but her body was trembling.

  I didn't feel the cold, I didn't feel anything but where her hands lay against my skin. I started to shake from the effort it was taking not to kill her. Not to follow his god-damn orders for once.

  I pressed my palms flat to the metal shaft, bracing myself against it. The water level was rising, lifting us toward the open hatch above.

  Water clung to Cass's eyelashes and I found a deep sense of calm in her gaze. My heartbeat began to slow. But it wasn't enough to stop my hands from locking around her throat. In an instant, I lost control. My palms tightened and she gasped my name.

  I squeezed harder and she scratched my arms until they bled, trying to fight me off. But I was too strong. Her neck would probably snap before I choked the air from her lungs.

  Panic seized me. I fought back with all my might.

  Please stop. Please.

  The fight was going out of her. My arms were so tense, the only thing keeping her alive was the battle raging inside me trying to hold myself back.

  She's my mate. She's mine. I won't hurt her.

  I felt a swooping sensation in my chest, like a dam bursting. My shoulders shuddered, and I gasped as my body was released from the command. I jerked backwards, realisation shooting through me in sparks. I'd goddamn pair-bonded with her. I couldn't hurt my mate. Especially now she was half Werewolf. Whether she felt the same or not.

  She sucked down air, leaning her weight against me in relief.

  “Holy shit!” I yelled, whooping so my voice rang around the metal shaft. “I did it! I fucking did it!”

  I checked her over, soothing the reddened marks on her throat. “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.”