“Shut. Up,” she snarled, but I could see her trembling, the flare in her eyes predicting the wolf change.
I dropped my final blow. “It'll be alright, Firefly. We can build a cage for it outdoors. Give it room to roam.”
“My baby is not going in a cage!” she screeched, shoving me.
She stumbled forward, crying out suddenly as her body shifted, falling to her knees.
She gazed up at me and I offered her a wink in explanation for my jibes.
“You arsehole,” she muttered, falling to the floor.
I tugged my shirt off, even though I didn't give a shit about ruining the clothes. We wouldn't be coming back for them. But hey, far-be-it from me to forgo a moment to show off my abs.
I bashed the key card against the lock then placed it around my neck where it hung on a lanyard. I dropped to the ground, my back arching. Cass had already turned, her fiery red fur like a sunset before me.
A moment later I was my usual furry wolf self and nudged my nose against the door. It swung open and we dove out of the room, expecting a fight.
A blonde girl rounded on us, eyes wide with fright. The man beside her cried, “Jessie!” just as Cass cut her down with vicious snaps of her jaw, breaking bones before she finished the job. I dove atop the other guard, knocking his gun aside as he fired, planting a bullet in the wall behind me.
I tore into his throat and blood smeared my muzzle. Cass nudged me away and we sped in the direction of the nearest stairwell. I jumped up, resting my paws against the door and the key-card swung against the key-pad, unlocking it (#wolfskills).
I took the lead, lifting my nose and letting my senses take over as we stepped through the door. A rush of scents found me from around the resort. The most pungent being the fire engulfing Silas's clones. It lingered in the air like a fog and I struggled to block it out, focusing on the more subtle smells beneath it.
The aftershave of a guard sailed into my nostrils. I never wore the stuff. Any kind of perfume to me was like a vomit-bomb waiting to go off. Too pungent for my sensitive nose. Which was why I was glad Cass never wore perfume either. Nope, I preferred the sweet scent of her sweat. Yup, creepy. But she made me that way. Girl was practically edible.
A scent reached me that brought me skidding to a halt on the stair landing. Cass swerved around me, turning and giving me a quizzical look, her pointed ears flicking. I couldn't use my words to convey my joy, so I licked the side of her face instead.
Varick was here. And Selena too. They smelt like a rainbow on Christmas morning smothered in melted chocolate.
I barged through the door opposite us, following the scent like a bloodhound after an escaped convict. Cass bounded after me, her paws pattering on the tiled floor.
Guards darted across a T-junction in the corridor ahead of us, guns raised. But not at us. They looked panicked, tearing toward some unknown enemy, eyes forward.
Cass and I held back, waiting for them to pass. A woman strayed behind the group, glancing down the corridor and spotting us. I snarled, my hackles rising as I readied to attack.
She lifted her machine gun just as the door behind her flung open, knocking her to the ground.
Varick stepped out, looking like a warrior, his eyes fierce as he dropped down, finishing the woman off with a knife between the ribs.
Selena appeared and Cass released a small whine, charging forward to greet them. I was hot on her heels, but the moment Cass reared up and planted her front paws on Selena's shoulders, I realised they had no idea Cass was a Hybrid now. Selena looked confused as Cass nuzzled her face.
I dove on Varick, knowing he'd hate it as I ran the whole pad of my tongue up his cheek. He tasted like freedom. And moisturiser. Had Selena been man-scaping my bro?
“Jameson – Christ!” Varick pushed me down, but a smile hooked up one corner of his mouth.
I sat down, wagging my tail like a puppy. Cass dropped down beside me doing the same.
“Who's your friend?” Selena rubbed Cass's ears and she whimpered to try and communicate the truth.
Footsteps pounded through the air. I turned, spotting another wave of guards pouring through the door at the end of the corridor, one after the other. Too many to fight at once.
I barked and Varick shouted, “Go!”
We fled in the direction the other guards had taken, just as one of the men shouted, “Hey!”
We darted through the door as bullets sprayed, peppering holes across the walls. We were in another stairwell. There was no time for a discussion. We ran up it, grouping together, pressing our advantage of speed as we fled up several levels.
I caught Ulvic's scent and veered sharply to the right, adrenaline surging through my veins. Hope shone in my heart. I might not have been able to kill him, but my friends sure as hell could.
We emerged in the corridor which contained our hotel rooms and my heart slammed into my lungs as I spotted Ulvic there, surrounded by my pack in their wolf forms. He was heading toward the lift, but at the sound of our arrival, turned.
His eyes widened. Cass started running toward him, her lips peeled back on a snarl, her body primed for the kill.
Selena and Varick raised their guns.
“Protect me at all costs!” Ulvic ordered the wolves.
The command hit me in the heart and took over my movements. As Varick took aim at Ulvic, I threw myself at him, knocking him to the ground. I pinned him down with my full weight and he shoved me in frustration.
“Kill him, Jameson!” Ulvic bellowed.
No no no no.
My muscles tensed. I was in hell again, dragged back to the moment he'd ordered me to kill my pack. My family. Varick was about to be another casualty. And I couldn't bear it.
But Varick was strong as hell and it took me by surprise as he shoved me aside, rolling to try and gain his feet. I fell atop him again and he rolled beneath me, grabbing hold of my throat as I snapped my jaws an inch from his face. He was fighting back and not in a useless human way, but with Immortal strength.
“Varick!” Selena cried and I spotted Reason's white body in my periphery, pinning her down.
Cass was brawling with Mekiah and Nadine, the sounds of snapping teeth and snarls filling the air.
Selena threw something in our direction and a small bottle of pills rolled into Varick's side.
He tried to reach for them and I clamped my jaw around his arm. He gasped in pain.
Sorry bro.
I gnawed on it until he slammed a punch into my head. My world spun. I stumbled to the side, my paws jabbing clumsily into his chest.
Varick got hold of the bottle and I couldn't help but wonder what the hell was in it. He threw his weight at me and two hundred pounds of pure muscle knocked me to the ground. He clambered atop me, uncorking the bottle with his teeth and spitting the cap onto the floor.
I writhed madly beneath him as he tried to lock me in place with his thighs.
Cass let out a high-pitched whine and my heart turned into a lump of ice.
Varick took hold of my throat, pressing me down to the ground.
How are you so strong?
Had to admit, I was bloody glad he was. Killing him would have shattered my heart. I couldn't lose him. Not again.
My claws tore his shirt, ripped up his arms, but he barely flinched, hissing through his teeth as he took a pill from the bottle. I knocked his arm and the remaining pills scattered across the floor. The bite I'd inflicted on his arm was healing, knitting over as if he were still a Vampire.
What the hell?
I lunged upwards, trying to bite him again, Ulvic's order still running thick in my veins.
Someone's hands clamped over my head and I caught sight of Selena's dark hair as she held me down.
Growling and barking still reached me. Cass must have been holding off my pack alone. But at what cost?
My heart hammered out of tune. I tried to betray the command and go to her. I found enough strength in me to turn my head toward her. Vari
ck prised my jaws open and something small and vile-tasting dropped to the back of my tongue.
He clamped my jaws shut, wrestling me down. I tried to gag, but the pill was sliding down my throat, the bitter taste filling my mouth, swamping my senses.
What the actual crap?
“Stay still, dammit,” Varick growled between his teeth.
Selena's hands were still locked around my head. She was scary-strong too. She might have been tough for a human, but never enough to hold a Werewolf down. What on earth was going on?
As the pill hit my stomach, something weird happened. A small chunk of willpower came back to me. I fell still in Varick's arms, the need to kill him easing a fraction. Enough to hold off the urge.
Varick raised his brows, looking hopeful as he glanced at Selena.
Cass howled in pain and a thump sounded her hitting the ground.
Panic rose in me. I turned sharply and Selena released me, standing and raising her gun. She fired two shots toward my pack and I howled in warning. I was torn between needing her to save Cass and not hurting my family.
Please don't kill them.
Paws thundered in our direction, surely Mekiah's.
“Stay back!” Selena demanded, firing a shot toward the ceiling. Chunks of rock crumbled over us.
I glanced around. None of my pack were hurt. Even from my upside-down view I could tell that the only one in trouble was Cass, lying on the ground unmoving. Reason's muzzle was stained red and my heart hammered out of control. Ulvic was gone. They no longer had to protect him. But was it too late?
The longer Varick held me down, the easier it became not to attack him. Hesitantly, he released my muzzle and I fought him off with a wild jerk of my body. I lurched away, sprinting toward Cass. I dropped down, pressing my nose into her neck. Still alive. She was breathing, but she had a deep wound on her flank.
She raised her head, rubbing her muzzle against mine to reassure me. Reason and Nadine stood before the lift doors, gazing at us with apologetic expressions. Mekiah was still standing between us and Selena and Varick, stopping them from approaching.
I let my body shift, my spine arching as the black fur receded into my body, revealing my naked skin.
The second I was human, I scooped Cass into my arms, marching straight to my door and breaking the lock with a sharp kick. Shouldering my way inside, I laid her on the bed. I tugged on some boxers as I took a tube of Larkspur from my bag.
When I turned to Cass, I found her back in her human form, draped across the bedsheets like a goddess.
I hurried to her, rolling her over and rubbing the Larkspur into her wounds.
“Thank you,” she sighed as I wrapped my arms around her, pressing kiss after kiss to her face.
She laughed softly then wrapped a sheet around herself, getting to her feet.
A knock came at the door and I answered it, letting in Selena and Varick.
I barred the way to the wolves, but they weren't feral now that the command wasn't necessary anymore, hanging their heads in shame.
“Shift,” I ordered. “And Nadine bring Cass some clothes.” I ushered them away and they headed for their rooms.
Shutting the door, I rounded on Varick. “What the hell did you feed me?”
“The cure to your obedience,” Varick announced, his chest puffing out.
“The what?” Cass asked in disbelief.
Selena beamed, embracing Cass, shaking her head as she stood back. “You're a Werewolf?”
Cass smiled. “Sort of. A lot has changed since I last saw you.” She shared a look with me and I gave her a roguish smile.
“So this cure?” I asked, dragging my gaze back to Varick. “It really works?”
“Well you didn't kill me, did you brother?” Varick smirked and I wrapped an arm around him, clapping him on the back.
Hope bloomed inside me like blossoms in spring.
“So I can kill Ulvic now?” I asked as if I was a kid begging for candy.
Cass released a light, musical laugh. “I want in.”
“It's a date, Firefly.” I grinned darkly. Yes, revenge was soon mine. I'd feast on Ulvic's body until there was nothing left of him. I grabbed some clothes from my bag, tugging on a black shirt and jeans, mimicking Selena and Varick's attire. Now we looked like superheroes. The low-budget kind.
Nadine entered, dressed in a tank top and jeans, holding a similar array of clothes in her hands. She bowed her head guiltily. “I'm so sorry about that.”
I snatched the clothes, hugging her before taking them to Cass. “No problem, Dina. Because guess what we've got?”
“What?” She frowned, glancing at Varick as he took a couple of loose pills out of his pocket; evidently he'd gathered them up from the floor.
“The cure to obedience,” I announced just as Mekiah and Reason appeared behind Nadine.
“There's only two left,” Varick said with a frown.
Reason tucked her hands into her pocket. “I'll go without, you guys are the best fighters anyway.”
My gut tugged uncomfortably. I didn't like the idea of one of us still being vulnerable to Ulvic if we ran into him.
“It's the only option we have,” Reason said when no one answered her.
“Fine,” I said at last.
Whilst Varick handed out the cure to Mekiah and Reason, Cass headed to the bathroom to get dressed.
“We should wait a little for the pills to take effect,” Selena suggested.
I nodded before following Cass into the bathroom, needing a brief moment alone before we made a plan. Because this was it. The moment we'd been waiting for. We were teetering on the edge of victory and I was ready to free-fall.
Cass dropped the sheet around her body onto the white tiles and a lump rose in my throat. I grinned wolfishly, dropping onto the toilet seat as she got dressed, enjoying the show.
“Pervert much?” she teased.
“Well I'm allowed to perve over my own mate, aren't I?” I'd used the word without thought, but her brows raised in response.
“Is that what I am?” She beamed. I swear she hid sun-rays in that face of hers.
I stood, taking her hand as she finished buttoning up her jeans. “We've done everything backwards. If I could start over, I'd do it all different. I'd never have let you out of my sight back in The Sanctuary. I would have-”
She pressed a finger to my lips, halting me. She swayed her hips as she moved into my arms, sliding her hands around my neck as she gazed up at me. “It's done. And I know it's not perfect, but it's our story.”
A smile took over my face and I bent my head to brush my lips over hers. “So do you wanna be my mate?”
“Yes,” she breathed and I stole a kiss to shame all other kisses.
When I finally let her go, I rubbed my hand over her tummy and said, “I can't wait to see Varick's face when I tell him I'm going to be a father.”
The door swung open and Varick stood there, arms folded, a smirk on his face. “Is this the look you were hoping for?” His eyes dropped to Cass's belly and Selena appeared at his side, taking in the bump. Her bright grey eyes flipped to Cass's for an explanation and I draped an arm over her shoulder, grinning smugly.
I gazed between the two of them. “Are you going to explain how you guys are super strong, can heal like Vampires and apparently have excellent hearing?”
Selena laughed. “Are you going to explain how Cass is a Werewolf and apparently pregnant with your baby?”
My grin grew and I gestured for Cass to go ahead. When she was done, Selena threw her arms around her, looking on the verge of tears. Happy tears, I hoped. I wasn't exactly a class A boyfriend, but still, I'd do anything for Cass and our child. Anything.
Varick explained about their miraculous shift into Immortal...what? Humans? Shit, that was gonna change things.
He clasped the back of my neck, shaking his head at me. “So...been busy, have we?”
I gave him a guilty look. He was one of the few people in the world
whose approval I desired.
“You don't do things by halves, do you Jameson?”
“Are you just figuring that out now?” I tongued my cheek.
Varick laughed. “I suppose not. Which is why I know you'll make a fine father. I can't say I'm not surprised to see you falling for someone after all those years of bachelorhood. But much as you never thought yourself capable, I always knew you were.”
My heart did something weird. Part bungee jump, part cartwheel.
“Thanks,” I muttered, pride swelling my heart. “You'll be the Godfather of course.” I grinned and Varick's eyes widened. “A pirate Godfather is about the coolest thing that could happen to a kid.”
“Barring his pirate stroke Werewolf father.” He nudged me and I elbowed him back harder.
“I think that's enough time. We can't waste another minute,” Mekiah called from the bedroom.
We returned to the room and I gazed at my pack, their expressions resilient and determined.
“We're really free from Ulvic?” Nadine asked, looking to me, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear.
A smile caught one side of my mouth. “Guess there's only one way to find out...”
Cass
Selena and Varick had come prepared with an arsenal so by the time we left the bedroom, each of us were laden with guns and knives. Even a few grenades. Most of which Jameson had tucked into his pockets. I had a pistol in one hand and a machete in the other. Things might have been about to get messy, but I was okay with that.
As we hurried into the stairwell, a black shadow swooped overhead and I glanced up in time to spot the crow dropping onto my shoulder. I flinched, my fear of the creature sharp from what a flock of them had done to me. Its talons didn't sink in as it perched on my shoulder though.
Everyone gathered around me, gazing at it and the small crow lifted a leg, cawing harshly in my ear.
“Someone get if off,” I said through my teeth, my heart pounding frantically in my chest.
Jameson reached out, cooing softly as if it was a baby. The crow hopped onto his hand and I spotted a blood-speckled piece of paper wrapped haphazardly around its leg.
Wolf Games: Severed Fates (The Vampire Games Book 6) Page 21