What do we do?
Hank gestured to some of his workers and they hurried to produce several metal cases. The armed men snatched them, then Elias pointed his gun at Hank's face. “We're taking the clones. All of them.”
“No – that's impossible!” Hank balked. “They're under strict protection.”
“You do as I say or I'll start planting bullets in people's skulls.”
My mouth grew dry.
Hank pressed his shoulders back. “You wouldn-”
BANG.
I pressed back into Varick as a scientist next to Hank was shot dead, hitting the floor, blood oozing from a wound in his head. My ears rang, my heart raced.
We have to get out of here – now.
Panic bled through my veins.
Jennifer had crouched down behind the counter beside us. I pulled Varick down to the floor and we shuffled towards her.
“They're in cryo-chambers. You'll never get them out of here!” Hank yelled.
“Show me,” Elias commanded and he was led across the room through a large, metal security door.
My breathing increased. I eyed Varick as he slid his hand into Jennifer's coat pocket, passing the tablets behind his back. I took them, tucking them into his pack as another shot was fired. I winced, trying to keep my thoughts aligned.
Just stay calm. We've been in worse situations.
I glanced over the bench, spotting a woman dead on the floor, looking like she'd run toward the exit.
The scientists returned through the metal door and Elias waved his men forward. Several of them followed, leaving just three to guard the doors.
I slid my hand into Varick's bag, taking out a pistol and handing it to Varick before retrieving another for myself. The handle was cold against my burning palm, its solid weight comforting me a fraction.
Varick gave me a nod and we edged closer to the door. Jennifer let out a murmur of fear as we headed away from her.
Men appeared from the metal door, carrying huge chambers on their shoulders, two men to each one.
I spied a figure through the glass of one of the containers, spotting a man inside who appeared to be sleeping. Condensation collected on the glass, shrouding his face.
Four more containers were carried into the train station beyond the lab. As the men filed out, we were left with three gunmen once more, gazing menacingly toward the scientists.
An ear-rattling boom shook the ceiling and sediment cascaded down on us. I ducked my head, clinging to Varick's arm. It sounded like a bomb had gone off in the station.
“No!” Hank cried as he gazed out of the door. He tried to push past one of the armed men and he fired a shot, bringing him to his knees. My throat constricted at the sight.
Another blast followed the first and Varick took my arm, keeping me close. The exit was several paces away, but I didn't want to go out there with all those armed men around. Even if we did have guns of our own. We might have been capable of healing now, but that didn't mean we couldn't die.
“We wait,” I whispered to Varick. “There's no point in fighting.”
He nodded, his jaw ticking as he pulled me even closer.
A lot of shouting sounded out in the station, then one of Elias's men called, “All up. Let's go!”
The armed guards backed out of the room. We waited a full minute, then Varick moved into action, tugging me towards the exit. Adrenaline bled through my veins, giving me courage.
We moved at a crawl, then rose to our feet as we reached the door, creeping closer to see out. A massive hole had been ripped through the roof of the station. Sirens blared from above, joined by screams up on the streets.
“Terrorists!” someone wailed up on the road.
Varick gripped my hand, dragging me through the now-vacated station. I spotted a truck blocking the light from the street. Its engine grumbled to life and it pulled away at speed, followed by a huge black SUV.
We started running back toward the security door, finding the guard who'd let us in dead on the ground. We didn't slow, charging through the doorway and sprinting up the stairs to the hatch. Varick climbed up first and I hurried after him. We tore through the basement and back up to the metal door. I hammered my fist on it, crying out for the receptionist to open it.
Come on!
When no one came, Varick pressed me back, aiming his gun at the lock and taking a shot. The bang made my ears ring as the handle flew clean off. The door swung open and we charged out into the chaos in the lobby. Men, women and children were taking shelter inside the building. I frantically tucked my gun into my waistband, pulling my shirt over it and Varick did the same. We didn't stop running, charging toward the glass exit doors which were coated in dust.
“It's not safe!” a man shouted at us, but we didn't slow, darting outside onto the street.
We had to get out of there.
The muscles in my legs burned as we sprinted down the street, away from the giant hole ripped into the ground, joining the masses as they fled from the scene.
The tube stations were being cordoned off all around us by police, so we had to power on until we found another escape. We fled up the street and police cars whizzed past us in the opposite direction, their lights flashing and sirens whirring.
Just keep going. Don't stop.
My heart spun wildly in my chest as we continued running on and on, blending in with the panicked crowd, never halting for even a second.
Jameson
I was done with the secrets. Done with Ulvic keeping the truth from me. I was going to get answers. Tonight. And I was going to get them from the girl who made my heart beat funny and my stomach feel weird. Watching her be mauled by crows was the last straw. So Rockley Jones was now my number one enemy. I didn't care who he was, or what that girl had done, no one deserved that kind of treatment.
By the time night had fallen, I'd practically worn my bedroom floor down a few inches from all the pacing I'd been doing. I'd find Cass. Break her free. Then deal with the consequences.
It was after midnight and I was priming myself up for a rescue attempt, when a knock came at my door.
My brows pulled together as I moved to the door, tugging it open.
Silas stood there, glancing warily back and forth down the corridor. “Jameson, you need to come with me,” he whispered.
After witnessing him nearly killing Rockley by rugby-tackling him into a pit of Vs, I'd decided to trust him. But I was still cautious as I stepped into the corridor, pulling the door shut behind me.
“I'm busy,” I stated.
“Doing what?” He frowned.
I swallowed, wondering if I should tell him. “I'm going to see Cass,” I settled on a half-truth. “I need to talk to her.”
“Well then, you'll want to come with me. She's in my hotel suite.” He took my arm, gazing in the direction of Ulvic's room. “Come on.”
I nodded, my heart cartwheeling at the thought of seeing her again. What was it about her that set my pulse racing?
As we rounded a corner, I decided to tell him more. “I'm going to get her out of here, Silas.”
He glanced at me, brows raised. “Well I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that.”
We reached his room and he slid a key card into the door, pushing it open. And there she was, her eyes immediately wheeling to mine, as bright as jade.
My throat constricted.
She rushed forward, pausing seconds before she crashed into me. Some part of me wanted to pull her into my arms, but I still didn't understand this strange connection we had.
Cass glanced at Silas. “What if Rockley comes?”
“He probably won't. Checking up on people isn't really his thing,” Silas replied, locking the door.
She nodded, looking to me. “Hi,” she breathed, stepping closer.
“Hi,” I replied, my eyes tracking over her, taking in ever inch of her body.
Silas marched over to a doctor's bag on his bed. “We're gonna get that chip out of your head, Jam
eson.”
“What chip?” I frowned, suddenly cautious.
Cass reached for my hand and I let her take it, the feel of her skin so familiar.
“The one that's blocking your memories,” she said softly.
“I had Rockley bring the equipment here unwittingly,” Silas said, waving me over. “Lie down on the bed Jameson.” He produced a scalpel and my instincts made me stiffen.
“Er- no?” I said, backing up toward the door. I might have been starting to trust these two, but I wasn't going to let them start cutting me up.
Cass squeezed my fingers and my mouth dried up. “Don't you want your memories back?”
I gazed between them, unsure what to do. Course I wanted my memories back. But despite my heart urging me toward Cass, what if this was all some trick?
Cass sighed, her shoulders dropping. “We'd never hurt you. We just want to help.”
“Ulvic said the same thing,” I muttered, feeling conflicted. Without my memories how could I make a sound decision anymore? But if they really could bring them back, then surely I had to trust them?
“You must know...in your heart.” Cass ran her hand up my arm and my insides melted like hot wax.
I was so drawn to her, like no girl I'd ever met before. But now I was questioning everything. What if she was lying to me now? Manipulating me?
And what if she's not?
I lowered my voice as I replied, “The night you came to my room I looked into your eyes and I saw the whole world staring back at me. But I'm afraid you're just a stranger with beautiful eyes. I'm not sure who you are, Cass. But...”
“But what?” she pressed.
“I think I want to know,” I admitted.
“Then come on,” Silas said. “We don't have time to waste.”
I let Cass draw me toward the bed, my decision made. My heart told me this was the right thing to do. So I had to trust it, even if it led me down the wrong path. But it had never let me down before.
I lay on the bed, gazing at the two of them as they stood around me.
“Roll over,” Silas commanded and I reluctantly complied, battling my instincts. It made me vulnerable and I didn't like it. But I damn well had to do this.
“Cass, hold his arms down in case he struggles,” Silas murmured.
I stiffened, but let her climb on top of me. I was strong enough to fight her off if I had to.
Silas pulled on some surgical gloves, taking out a scalpel and a small set of tweezers from his bag before moving in front of me.
“You better know what you're doing, bro,” I said, my heart pounding harder.
Silas gave Cass a guilty look over my head. “I'm not much of a doctor. But I know the logistics of this procedure. I think I can do it.”
“Comforting,” I grumbled
Cass laid a hand on my back, rubbing softly and my heart rate slowed in response. This girl was special and maybe in a minute I'd know why.
“It won't take long,” she promised.
Silas laid the scalpel against the shaved piece of hair at the back of my head. “Try not to scream.”
“Got it,” I growled, bracing myself, my hands curling into fists.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I guess.
Cass reached down, sliding her hand around mine and I unfurled my fingers, locking them between hers. Calm poured through me. Yeah, I trusted her. It was a strange, intangible feeling, like the one I'd gotten the day Nadine had hit on me. In a moment of clarity, I realised this girl must have been the reason. Nothing else could explain it. And I suddenly wanted my memories of her back more than I wanted anything in the world.
Silas pressed the scalpel down and I stiffened against the pain, but didn't move. Took more than a single cut to break my willpower. Silas cut a flap in the skin before peeling it back and I winced, grinding my teeth. Okay, now he was taking the piss. Ever heard of anesthesia, buddy?
Silas probed around in the wound and I grunted, half tempted to punch him for it. Cass squeezed my hand tighter as Silas placed his tweezers into the cut and tugged.
Holy mother of god, hurry up!
Silas slid the scalpel in again, gently cutting something out of my goddamn head. I was two seconds from punching him in the nuts, when my brain flared with a hundred flashes of the past. My stomach roiled as I tried to make sense of it all.
An enormous castle, a cage, an island. Blood...so much goddamn blood. Then Varick in a cell – Varick! My heart crushed like a grape as I saw Cass for the rest time. Those eyes.
“You look like a Firefly; the first light I've seen in all this godforsaken darkness.”
Another island, more blood, the breakout. My home, the cabin. The Helsings. Ulvic.
I jerked violently as pain exploded through my chest. All of it came back at once, the memories suddenly making sense.
My teeth sunk into the throats of my family. Emerico.
The Sanctuary, Mercy, the Helsing castle. Me ripping it all to hell. Rockley's resort.
Then Cass. Lord, Cass. Kissing me, smiling, laughing. Firefly, my Firefly. Her velvet skin against mine, her voice sighing my name. Then Ulvic's command to stay away from her. It was a tsunami of a thousand events, some more horrible than I ever could have imagined, others more beautiful, more perfect.
The cruise ship, the jungle. Our baby. Silas's betrayal.
“Silas!” the word left my mouth as I flew upright, knocking Cass off of me, flying at him with fists swinging.
“You arsehole!” I bellowed, throwing a punch at his face. He avoided it by an inch. And only because my mind went suddenly dark. My vision followed. And I crashed face first onto the floor with a loud bang.
Cass
“Jameson!” I jumped to the floor, kneeling beside him. He was out cold.
I glanced up at Silas, panicking.
Silas took a tube of Larkspur from his bag, dropping down beside Jameson and rubbing it over the wound. “He'll be alright. His mind was probably overwhelmed.”
He glanced at me with a frown. “He's going to hate me again.”
“We'll explain,” I said softly, tears pricking my eyes. “He'll understand.”
Jameson groaned and my hands began to shake as he rolled over, his eyes still closed tight.
I gazed down at him, desperate to know if he remembered everything. “Jameson?”
His eyes flew open and their deep, metallic colour shone at me like molten bronze.
“Firefly?” he breathed, his eyes roaming over me.
“It's me.” I nodded, tears blurring my vision. I wiped them away. “Do you remember?”
In answer, he grabbed me, dragging me down into the fiercest of kisses. I squealed in delight, wrapping my whole body around his.
He kissed me until I couldn't draw breath, rolling us over and pinning me down to the floor.
Silas cleared his throat.
Jameson glanced up at him, his face turning to stone. “You.”
“No Jameson, it's okay.” I quickly explained about Silas's lie. How he'd never meant to hurt us – despite his seriously messed up way of achieving that.
Jameson nodded once then said, “Okay. Now get out.”
“Jameson we don't have time to-” Silas started, but Jameson cut him off. “Out. Now.”
Silas rolled his eyes, heading from the room. “Ten minutes,” he hissed before shutting the door.
Jameson bore down on me, his hands trailing over my sides, pausing on my belly. He groaned, moving down my body, pushing up my top and placing kisses all over my bump.
I laughed with my glee, running my fingers through his hair. “I thought I'd lost you.”
He glanced at me, a heavy weight in his eyes. “I did lose you. They carved you out of my head.” He dropped lower, his mouth running all over my skin, worshiping each inch of exposed flesh.
“I'll kill them all,” he swore, speaking to himself. “Every last one of them who touched you.”
“I don't care,” I moaned as his kisses moved lower
. “I have you back, that's all that matters.”
“I care,” he growled, brushing his fingers over my waistband.
He rose above me, his arms tense as he held his weight off of me. I gripped the back of his neck, drawing him down, but he resisted.
“I'll crush the baby,” he muttered.
I shook my head, but he snatched my hand, tugging me upright. He lifted me off of my feet, tangling my legs around his waist and walking me to a dresser where Silas's work things were laid out. He swept them to the floor with a swipe of his hand, resting me against the ledge.
I fought a laugh and he devoured it with another kiss. He dragged my top over my head, spying some of the scabbed over Vs I hadn't managed to heal. He dropped his head to them, kissing every one until they burned with a heat that would never die.
“I can't bear what they did to you,” he growled into my neck.
“I can. For us. I can bear anything for us.” I pressed one hand to my tummy and the other to his burning chest.
He smirked, tugging my trousers down and stepping between my legs. “You're so strong,” he murmured, kissing me again. “I'll never be as strong as you.”
I pulled his shirt off, needing to feel his skin against mine, hungry for it in a way only he sparked in me. I ran my hands over his firm muscles, breathing in his mellow scent. It was heaven.
He released a low noise in his throat, reaching down to unbuckle his jeans. “I love you,” he said, sounding desperate.
He gripped my hips and I gasped as he claimed me, holding me impossibly close, his body moulding perfectly against mine.
I clung to his neck, sighing his name.
Heat pooled at the base of my spine, spreading through me like a wildfire. This man was a forest fire in human form.
His mouth met mine and I lost myself in the heat, the intense pleasure, the feel of our bodies merging into one.
“I'm yours, Firefly.” He rested his forehead against mine, his eyes boring into my soul. “I want you to know that. Don't ever forget it.”
I nodded, devouring another kiss, my body alive from his touch. Our passion grew out of hand until I'd marred his back with scratches and his fingers dug bruises into my hips. He was trying to be gentle, but I urged him on, wanting to feel the full-force of his love for me.
Wolf Games: Severed Fates (The Vampire Games Book 6) Page 13