V games dead before da.., p.36
V Games - Dead Before Dawn, page 36
part #3 of The Vampire Games Series
The wounds healed over as I reached for his restraints, pausing before releasing him.
“Kite!” I called, spying her on the floor, butchering Rockley like he'd done to her. He was a mess of blood, his body deathly still beneath her.
I fought the writhing of my stomach as she paused, glancing over her shoulder in my direction.
“Decon needs blood,” I said in a dark tone and Kite nodded, dragging Rockley up by the neck. He was barely alive, woozy as she moved him in my direction like a puppet.
I steadied my gun on the lock behind Decon's back, keeping the silver chains in place. I aimed carefully, pulling the trigger and the lock exploded. Decon fell forward, smashing the fountain below him into a thousand shards. Kite shoved Rockley toward him and Decon sprang forward to meet him.
Rockley swayed, his eyes finding mine. “This is my resort!” he cried, practically sobbing as he opened his arms wide. Decon was wild as he reached him, sinking his teeth into Rockley's arm.
I watched, a dark cloud falling over me as I absorbed the sight. Rockley swayed sideways suddenly and slammed Decon's head into the stage. I gasped, raising my gun-
“Selena!” Ned called and I spun in his direction.
Hunters poured into the room and gunfire blazed in my vision. I threw myself from the stage, crawling under the nearest table for shelter. Beneath it, I spotted Rockley staggering away and cursed under my breath.
Kite flew after him, bringing him to the ground, but his knife came up, slicing across her throat.
“No!” I screamed, watching in terror as he drank from the gaping wound on her neck, healing himself and draining her of life in the same moment. The second he was healed, he threw her like a ragdoll and she slid across the floor, trailing blood. Rockley fled toward the security door, disappearing through it in a flash.
I blinked, my world slowing for a moment as I tried to calm myself down enough to make a decision. I reached for Kite, trying to pull her under the cover of the table, but she was too far away. Not moving. Was she dead?
Please don't be dead.
I trembled as I tucked my head down, the gunfire resounding through my bones, riddling the stage with holes.
Until it stopped, I was trapped.
Varick
The first guard I met, I Charmed, yanking him practically off his feet as I forced him to look into my eyes. “Where do they take prisoners for questioning?”
“Down there - third room on the right,” he answered immediately, pointing down the corridor. The smell of sweat rolled over me. Somewhere, he was bleeding, though I couldn't see the wound. I snapped his neck, throwing him to the floor and running in the direction he'd pointed.
“He could have told us more,” Cass hissed at me, but I ignored her. The girl had never liked me much. That had been obvious from day one. But to be fair, I hadn't liked myself much either in the past. And she had damn good reason to hate me. For Selena's sake, I guessed she'd gotten over it for the most part. But I didn't imagine she'd ever warm to me entirely.
I reached the third door, trying the handle before pounding my fist on it. “Brother – are you in there?”
The door wrenched open and I met Jameson's eye, his face bruised and his lip split. He had a severed thumb in his hand which he quickly tossed aside.
“Christ.” I stepped into the room, gripping his shoulder. “Are you well?”
“Couldn't be better.” He grinned and I relaxed, spotting Sakura and Twyla-Rae behind him, their mouths stained red from a recent kill. My eyes fell on Mercy, her whole body soaked in blood, her white dress stained dark red.
“What's going on?” Cass demanded, narrowing her eyes on Mercy.
“I released the Vs,” she announced, folding her slim arms.
I looked to Jameson and he shrugged, smiling his head off. “Girl's got balls.”
“Where's Selena?” Twyla asked in her southern tones.
“Back in the ballroom.” I pulled the handgun from the back of my trousers, hesitating before holding it out to Mercy. “Are you with us?”
She reached out, her fingers meeting my skin as she reached for the gun. I fought the urge to flinch, holding her azure gaze. Pity struck a chord in my heart. Forgiveness wasn't easy for me at the best of times, but a part of me wanted to be capable of it at that moment. Perhaps we were all doomed anyway. And I didn't fancy heading into death with unfinished business.
Mercy took the gun, her eyes never leaving mine. An apology blazed in them. Tension spanned through the room in waves. I was going to have to be the bigger man here. Besides, if I showed unity with Mercy, the rest of our allies might be more easily persuaded to do the same. And something told me trust was going to be important soon.
“We've both done terrible things under the Helsing name,” I said and Mercy's gaze ignited with hope. “Perhaps it's time we left those things in the past. I believe we are both owed a second chance.”
Mercy's mouth gaped for a moment, then she rushed forward and threw her arms around my waist. I stiffened, patting her awkwardly on the back.
“You have no idea how much that means coming from you,” she whispered into my chest.
“Yes, well-” I cleared my throat, gently pushing her away. “Let's not dwell on it.” I turned toward the door, my focus shifting dramatically and wholly to Selena. I glanced back to make sure the others were following, finding them looking to me for orders.
Opening the door, I hurried into the corridor, running in the direction of the ballroom. Gunfire rattled through the hotel. It came from all directions. Above us, below, all around. My heightened senses were drowned in screams, pounding footsteps and gunshots.
A door flew open to my right and guards poured out, clad in silver-plated armour with heavy helmets over their heads. Two, three, four, five-
I grabbed the first one by the back of the neck, using his own momentum to ram him head-first into the wall opposite. He crumpled like paper and I spun around, swinging the rifle over my shoulder. I cocked it before pulling the trigger close-range in the next guard's face. He flew backwards, taking two of his comrades out with him. But more were coming, three already engaged with Twyla and Sakura, keeping them at bay with a spray of gunfire.
Someone caught my arm, yanking me backwards and a bullet whistled past my ear.
“Just like old times, huh?” Jameson pressed his back to mine, using his fists to fight the guards off. He focused on their defences, ripping the silver armour from their bodies. I grinned as the plates clattered to the floor. Jameson sprang aside, letting me take his place.
I unleashed the rampant, hungry monster inside me, cracking ribs and burying my hands in warm bodies, tearing them limb from limb. In seconds, the corridor was quiet. Blood dripped from me in a steady stream. Mercy was hugging the handgun I'd given her, her back pressed to a wall. As far as I could tell, she hadn't fired a single shot.
Twyla and Sakura were further down the corridor, surrounded by their own massacre.
Jameson barked a laugh. “Well that was-”
A guard sprang up amongst the bodies, his gun aimed at me.
BANG.
My ears rang, my vision trembled. The guard crumpled to the floor with a tremendous crash, shaking the floor beneath my feet.
A clean bullet hole was carved through his helmet. A frighteningly clean shot.
I lifted my head, finding Mercy holding her gun high, the barrel smoking. She gazed at the dead man, panting slightly.
I nodded my thanks to her. Had Mercy Helsing just saved my life?
“Holy shit, Baby H.” Jameson slapped her on the shoulder, sending her stumbling. “You've got some aim in those beanpole arms of yours.”
She danced away from him, offering him a flirtatious laugh reminiscent of her old self.
Another door opened ahead and I braced for an attack, my upper lip curling back into a snarl. A girl appeared in a maid's uniform, nearly falling over her own feet. She stiffened as she spotted us, freezing like a rabbit in the headlights.
“Please! Please don't hurt me!” she wailed, falling to her knees, her hands clasped together in a prayer.
Twyla prowled to my side, baring her teeth. “Should I kill her?”
I glanced at her, her eyes dark and honed in on the maid.
“We only kill those who would see us dead.” I glanced over my shoulder, adding, “That's an order.”
Jameson bobbed up and down on his heels. “Yes, captain.” He grinned, taunting me.
I headed up the corridor, passing the squealing maid.
Before I reached the door to the ballroom, a scream cut through the air that I'd have known anywhere, in any world, in any lifetime.
I was already running as I roared, “Selena!”
Selena
I darted toward Kite when the Hunters had to reload. I heard Ned launch his attack, crying out as he unleashed a torrent of gunfire back on them. Decon had recovered from his injury, darting off in the direction Rockley had taken. I wished him all the luck in the world on that mission.
There was so much blood slipping beneath my hands, soaking into my skirt as I crawled to Kite's side. I pressed my wrist to her mouth, encouraging her to bite down, but she wasn't conscious.
“Dammit,” I growled, biting into my own wrist and repressing a squeal as it tore open. I pressed the wound to Kite's lips, willing her to move, to drink, to live.
“Come on. You don't go out like this,” I whispered. I clutched the gun in my free hand, fearing an attack at any moment.
“You're right. I'm much better than that,” Kite groaned, shifting upright as her wounds healed over. “Varick won't be pleased.” She wiped my blood from her lips, sucking it from her fingers. “But damn, you taste good.”
“Come on out!” Ned's voice reached me.
My ears were ringing so much, I'd barely noticed the gunfire had stopped. Ned was standing before two female hunters, their guns at their feet in surrender. They were raven-haired with golden skin, the two of them freakishly similar to one another. Ned's mask had been removed, clamped in his free hand, but I could only see the back of his head.
“What are you doing? Kill them!” Kite commanded, running forward.
I jogged after her, my legs a little unstable as I moved.
“It's them,” Ned whispered, barely audible.
“Who?” I closed in, lifting my gun, trying to get a better angle to take a shot.
“The Hunters who killed my daughter.” Ned lifted his machine gun, sweat pouring down the back of his neck. I didn't want to get too close in case I got a good look at his face and fell under the same charm.
Kite jarred to a halt and held up a hand to halt my progression. I lowered my gun. Revenge was what we were all here for. I couldn't take that right away from Ned.
The Hunters were smitten, gazing at his face, reaching out to him. Their hands never made contact with him as he opened fire, roaring his fury, his pain. They were dead long before he stopped shooting. Keeping my eyes downcast from his face, I hesitantly approached, reaching out to touch his blood-smeared arm. He was shaking like a leaf.
Before I could reach him, a blade whistled past my ear, hitting him squarely in the back. He staggered forward and shock juddered through me.
“No!” I screamed.
He collapsed to the floor, jerking once in death. I was able to look directly at his face, the ghost of a smile around his lips in his restitution.
Hunters burst through a security door by the stage and Kite flew at them, engaging in a ferocious battle of teeth against blades.
I wheeled around, trying to spot who had thrown the blade, my eyes falling on Katherine's lean form in the doorway. She was scowling, her eyes fixed on me as if she'd been waiting for me to notice her. Light from the foyer spilled into the room, surrounding her in an angelic glow.
I didn't stop to think, already running toward Katherine, firing shot after shot from my gun. She fled back into the foyer, evading every bullet I sent her way.
I gritted my teeth, working my muscles as hard as I could. The only thought running through my mind was, this is it, I'm going to kill her. I'm going to get my revenge for what she did to me. To Varick.
As I sped into the foyer, three tasers connected with my body, one in my thigh, one in my stomach, one in my back. I screamed as I hit the floor, bruising bones as I rolled. My jaw suddenly locked and I bit my tongue so hard, I feared I'd ripped a hole in it. Blood filled my senses as my back arched, my body trying uselessly to fight off the electricity crackling through my veins.
When the pain eventually stopped, a shadow fell across me, my vision clouded by darkness. Katherine's mellow voice dripped into my ears. “I expected more of a challenge.” She knelt before me, a sharp nail suddenly digging beneath my chin. “Selena Grey,” she said my name like she was taking a bite out of it. “I should have guessed this was your doing. Where are the rest of your friends?”
I pressed my lips together, glaring up at her.
“Fine. Have it your way.” She dragged me to my feet by my hair. I slapped her hands away, but my thoughts were fuzzy and my balance off. She laughed, pulling me after her as eight guards surrounded us.
They jabbed guns into my spine as Katherine marched in front of me, her head high with pride as she displayed me as her captive.
Outside, Hunters were on the streets, fighting with starving Vs in bloody battles. It was clear the Hunters were winning and my gut lurched in panic. Blood bathed the road, the hem of my dress trailing in it as we moved.
Some of the Hunters stopped to watch as Katherine led me past them.
“Selena Grey is responsible for this!” she called out to them. “I will see that she is punished brutally!”
A cheer resounded around me.
My heart beat out of tune.
I glanced over my shoulder, gazing back toward the hotel.
Varick appeared through the door, bloody and unkempt. My heart soared. But my elation only lasted a second as I was bundled into the back of an SUV. Hunters swarmed toward him and I lost sight of him as the car hurtled down the street at high speed, leaving my heart behind it.
Katherine was in the front beside the driver, the window down as she took shots at the surrounding Vampires. Every bullet met its target. She was lethal. A perfect killing machine.
I tried the door handle, but I was locked in.
I spun around, gazing out the back window to look for Varick, but the only thing behind us was another armoured SUV, full of guards.
With a surge of hope, I remembered the stake stuffed into my dress. I extracted it in a flash, but the driver caught my eye in the rear-view mirror as I lunged at Katherine, swerving the car violently. My stake hit flesh, sinking in. But I'd missed my target, finding Katherine's shoulder instead.
She screamed, flinging around and digging her nails hard into my hand which was still clamped around the stake.
I ripped it free, bringing the stake with me. Katherine spun around, aiming her gun at me until I was forced to stop fighting. “One wrong move and I decorate the rear window with your brain.”
My breathing grew shallow as I gazed at her, her upper lip curved back in abhorrence.
“You asked for this,” I snarled. “You torture girls. You force us to kill for your pleasure. What kind of woman are you!?” I screamed, my entire body thrumming with anger.
She didn't answer, her eyes suddenly widening as they slid over my head. I turned, following her gaze, finding the SUV behind us flying through the air, spinning over and over. It hurtled back toward the street, smashing into the tarmac with a force that made the back wheels of our vehicle bounce. Flames billowed as the entire SUV exploded, blasting a crater into the middle of the street.
Beyond the smoke and the devastation, I caught sight of silhouettes moving through the flames. One I knew as well as my own shadow.
I turned to Katherine, smiling my triumph at her, my palms sweaty, but my heart finding a slower rhythm at last. Varick was coming for me.
Katherine commanded the driver to accelerate and he slammed his foot to the pedal.
I was pressed back into my seat as we tore down the road, speeding out into the expansive snowy plane between the mountains. The moon cast the world in bluish tones; time seemed to have frozen out in the still landscape.
Ahead of us, dark shapes loomed on the horizon. Floodlights illuminated them as we approached and I took in the helicopter pad as we circled it. The wheels nearly left the road as the driver parked by an enormous green helicopter, big enough for ten people.
Hunters were already sitting inside, the propellers spinning atop it, ready to go.
“No,” I breathed in horror as Katherine leapt from the car.
I can't let them get away.
I tried to stop her from opening my door, but she was too strong, whipping it back and dragging me from the car. She kept her gun levelled at my head.
“Drop it.” She gestured to the stake clamped in my fist.
Reluctantly, I did so and the silver weapon clattered against the concrete.
She gripped the back of my neck, forcing me ahead of her as she led me to the helicopter.
I scanned through the Hunters inside, not finding Abraham amongst them as I'd expected.
Katherine forced me into a seat near the front of the helicopter, tying my hands, using the harness to keep me in place.
I glowered at her as she took the seat beside mine, straightening down her jumpsuit. She let out a relieved breath as the helicopter began to rise, dabbing at the wound I'd inflicted on her shoulder.
Panic flitted through me. I pressed my face to the window, gazing down at the ground as it dropped away beneath us.
“Varick,” I breathed, desperate.
We were too high now, even for a Vampire to reach us. The lake sparkled up ahead, fires reflecting in it from all over the strip. My chest swelled. We'd done it. Even if we hadn't taken down all of the Hunters. Even if we hadn't killed Abraham and Katherine, the game was destroyed. The spectators were dead. No one was ever coming back here.
And what awaited me beyond this, I'd endure, for the sake of all the girls who would never have to play the V Games.
