Blackthorn [3] Blood Torn (6 page)

But the youths had to learn responsibility for their actions. Rone, in particular, needed to accept that his past wouldn’t save him from being treated like every other pack member.

Corbin stepped up to the wall directly ahead of the door, selecting the middle of the three caskets. He summoned Samson, whilst Jask summoned Rone.

Knowing any protest was futile, the two youths did as they were told, backing up inside the encasements.

Jask and Corbin proceeded to regimentally strap in their ankles, calves, thighs, hips, waist, chest, arms and shoulders, before finally strapping their necks.

Rone looked Jask in the eyes, his sense of being betrayed overshadowing his fear, but still said nothing as his leader closed the casket door.

Discomfort lodged in his chest and throat, Jask crossed the room and stepped back out into the corridor. He stared up at the windows, at the shadows of the dead climbers behind the misted glass.

He had to ignore the guilt. He’d do what he had to. This would make the point that the line was never, ever to be crossed. Something more important than ever with recent events.

Corbin stepped out behind him, locking and sealing the door before hanging the key back on the hook. ‘You okay?’

Jask turned to face him. ‘Something else is going on, Corbin.’

Corbin slammed the viewing window shut. ‘I know. Are you thinking the same thing, I am?’

‘That this is a set-up?

‘Like I said on the way there, it’s a big coincidence, Jask. Five days ago a witch tells us the only way to save our pack is to find a serryn, and then one just turns up? What were the chances? Let alone one who managed to get herself manacled to a wall despite being alive and kicking. Maybe fate finally decided to cut us some slack, but I’m not convinced this is as easy as it looks. I hate to be the one to say this, but what if the witch who told us a serryn was the solution had lied? What if the witches
wanted
her in here?’

‘The witches in this district have nothing to gain by going up against lycans.’

‘But
we
went up against the TSCD, Jask. We both know they’re only biding their time before they get back at us. You saw the look on Xavier Cross’s face when you gave evidence against him. His division would have had Kane Malloy in the bag if you hadn’t scuppered their plans. So what if history is repeating itself? The TSCD used us to get to Kane, so what’s to say they’re not using the witches to get back at us? They know as well as we do that if word slips out that we’ve got a serryn hidden away here, we can kiss goodbye to our peaceful pact with the vampires. What if somehow they tricked Rone and Samson into being a part of that, and those two have only now realised it?’

Corbin stepped closer to Jask, his tone lowered.

‘It makes sense why they’d opt for casketing instead of coming out with the truth, Jask. Especially Rone. You know how much he wants your approval, reluctant though he is to admit it.’

‘Which is why he thinks it’s okay to insult me by lying to my face.’

‘Which is why he’s scared every time he messes up.’

‘Which is why he should have learned by now to stop messing up.’

‘I hate to do this to you, Jask, but doesn’t he remind you of someone?’

‘I learned from my lessons.’

‘And from what I hear, you ran wild for years when you were his age on the way to learning those lessons. He doesn’t have that liberty.’

Jask looked across at his friend. ‘Which I don’t need reminding of. And which is why he needs to learn to fall in line before he ends up dead or this pack ends up in trouble.’

‘So instead of this,’ Corbin said, cocking his head back to the chamber behind, ‘scare the shit out of them. It might be unpleasant but less unpleasant than this – and we’ll get to the truth a hell of a lot quicker. We don’t have time to waste here, let alone if we
have
been set up.’

‘I’m giving them time to think. I want them to come out with the truth themselves, Corbin. I want them to accept it’s their responsibility to do that. If Rone’s got any pretentions about one day leading a pack of his own, he needs to learn to put that pack first. So I’m not going to wrench it out of them. Not yet.’

‘Do you think they know we need a serryn? Do you think that’s why they were there?’

‘You saw as well as I did their shock at seeing what she is. Whatever reason they had for being there, I don’t think it was to collect a serryn.’

‘What about her? Has she said anything?’

‘I’ve held off until speaking to them.’ Jask headed back along the corridor and up the steps. ‘Now it seems I have no choice.’

‘And if you’ve torn off more than you can chew with her? There’s a reason no one fucks with serryns, Jask. And we don’t have time for maybes. Perhaps we need to focus on finding another way.’

‘In the next six days? Like we have been for the past five?’

‘As opposed to you getting her full co-operation in less time?’

‘If I can’t persuade her, I’ll find leverage and
make
her do what I want.’

‘They don’t care about anyone or anything. You know that.’

‘There
is
no other way, Corbin. The
only
way is through that serryn.’ Jask held out his hand. ‘Forty-eight hours and she’ll be doing whatever I want.’

Corbin forced a smile at the familiar playful challenge as he took his friend’s hand, despite them both knowing the severity of the situation.

They’d survived worse. And they’d keep surviving – one way or another.

‘Forty-eight hours and I reckon you would have killed her out of frustration,’ Corbin declared, sealing the deal, the concern emanating from his eyes despite his acceptance.

‘Such little faith.’

‘Not at all, Jask – I just know you. Better than anyone, remember? One way or another, that serryn will be out to break you. Just you make sure you get what we need before
you
break her.’

Chapter Four

S
ophia sat on the window seat, her legs stretched out in front of her along its length. A light frost glistened on the window rims, the thin pane doing more than she would have anticipated in limiting the penetrating breeze whistling against the glass. Laughter emanated below, breaking the silence as lycans made their way up the steps and into the lobby.

She gazed out at the tightly knit buildings beyond the compound – at the myriad of rooftops, the weak early morning sun catching their crescents, not least the spire of an old church she knew lay as derelict as many other buildings in Blackthorn.

She knelt up and slipped her fingers under the sash window’s handles. It took a surprising effort to lift. She locked it into position to make sure it didn’t slam back down on her before bracing her arms on the window frame to peer out. The drop was at least twenty-five feet below and not so much of a hint of a climbing plant or trellis for her to cling on to. She twisted her neck to look up at the overhanging roof. Maybe if she was desperate…

‘You’d clear it if you were a lycan.’

She flinched, whacked the back of her head on the window before glowering over her shoulder to see Jask stood behind her.

‘But I wouldn’t risk it,’ he declared, as she ducked back inside. He leaned past her and slammed the window shut, his arm almost brushing her legs had she not drawn them back so abruptly. ‘Even if you did get out of here, you’re not getting out of the compound. And you know it.’

She rubbed the back of her throbbing head as she eased back against the wall. ‘We’ll see, shall we?’

He sat at the opposite end of the window seat, facing her. He stretched the leg nearest to her along the length of the seat, trapping her between him and the glass. Bending his other leg to his chest, he rested his forearm loosely on his knee, creating an irritatingly casual pose.

But it was a pose she equally hoped was reassuring. Because if Rone or Samson did know anything about The Alliance and had finally disclosed it to Jask, she was sure there was no way he would have retained his current composure.

‘Clearly personal space doesn’t mean anything to your sort,’ she said

‘Not when it’s my space to begin with – no.’

She dropped her hand from the back of her skull, despite it still hurting. ‘How characteristically territorial.’

He rested his head back against the wall, assessing her from under those dark lashes. There, in the tepid morning sunlight, the depths of his azure eyes glimmered in all their beauty – his pupils remaining characteristically dilated despite the light. It was a shame sharks circled beneath their enticing surface. Because, despite her stomach knotting, she’d heard too much of what lay behind the handsome exterior to be contemplating what those lips tasted like.

Despite it being justifiable, killing him was still going to be a terrible waste.

‘Have you got a problem with lycans, serryn?’

‘Like I said before, I’ve never really given your kind much thought,’ she said, dismissively looking back out of the window, annoyed to feel a glimmer of intimidation at his silent contemplation.

‘Those vampires didn’t know what you are. Or they wouldn’t have been stupid enough to take you down into those ruins,’ he remarked, clearly wanting to get straight to the very point she needed to avoid.

The point that the serryn line had jumped to her
whilst
she had been chained up.

‘So?’

‘Why did you leave it that long before making them bite? If you were unconscious, fair enough. But from what Rone and Samson tell me, you were very much kicking. Why wait until you were chained up, minimising your chance of escaping?’

She needed to make her brain fire quicker than it was, made eye contact again to grant herself an extra couple of seconds. ‘I made them bite as soon as I could.’

Jask’s eyes brimmed with scepticism, but he still retained that patient resolve.

There was no way she could let him discover that she had been a serryn just a matter of hours – firstly because she suspected he needed an adept serryn for whatever she’d been kept alive for and, more significantly, not when it would evoke the inevitable questions of
how
it had happened. Until she knew her little sister, Alisha, was out of Blackthorn, let alone that Leila was okay, she was saying nothing.

‘I got myself in a mess,’ she added. ‘It happens. And I got out of it.’

‘My pack got you out of it, you mean. Or you would have stayed chained up until the next batch of vampires found you, with the evidence of what you are spread all over the floor. I hear vampires can do some nasty stuff to serryns.’

‘So can those who want to use serryns against vampires, right, Jask? Is that why I’m here? Doesn’t that break that pact of peace you have going on?’ In that instant, her purpose to him became all too probable. She’d already said to The Alliance that she had the feeling it wasn’t over. ‘Unless that’s what you want. Is this something to do with Kane Malloy?’

His eyes flared just at the mention of his name, seemingly confirming her fear. ‘Why would this be anything to do with Kane Malloy?’

‘Do you seriously think I don’t know about that? It’s been on every channel and station this past two weeks.
Everyone
knows about it: you and the master vampire collaborating to expose the corruption in the Third Species Control Division. I read the reports of you giving evidence of how those three agents used two of your pack to kill Kane’s sister – all in their attempt to finally incarcerate their most wanted vampire by sending him on a rampage against you.’

Jask’s eyes narrowed slightly, clearly not liking her insight. For those moments, it gave her
her
turn at the one-upmanship she craved.

‘Only rumours are that you weren’t happy you had to give evidence,’ she added. ‘That you only did because Kane Malloy backed out of whatever deal you two had. Of course, no one knows what that deal was. But knowing what I do about your species, it’s all an eye for an eye with your kind, isn’t it? I’m guessing you wanted those responsible dead, not least the mastermind behind the plan, the now
ex
-head of the TSCD, Xavier Carter. But more than that, you also wanted the only link between all four dead: the golden agent of the Vampire Control Unit, Caitlin Parish. After all, there’s no better way to stick it to the ones responsible than to do the same to the one they all cared about. A pawn for a pawn, right? Only rumour has it things got hot between her and Kane, leaving you out in the cold with his change of plans in
her
favour. I’m guessing I’m here because you want to turn that back around. Why else would you need a serryn, Jask?’

‘That’s a lot of speculation.’

‘But you’re not denying it.’

‘You think you’re capable of taking on Kane Malloy?’

Not a chance. An hours-old serryn against one of the most notorious vampires in Blackthorn – he’d rip her apart as soon as look at her. But she didn’t need Jask to see any indication of that. If that
was
his plan for her, she was useful to him. And as long as she was useful to him, she stayed alive. And the longer she stayed alive, the better chance she stood of finding out everything she needed to before taking him down – let alone staying alive long enough to find out what was going on with her sisters.

And if he
was
planning a retaliation against Kane, something that would be seen as a retaliation against all vampires, Blackthorn was about to implode. The consequences for the humans caught in the middle didn’t bear thinking about. And now she had been granted the perfect opportunity to do something about it.

She just had to make sure she came across as everything he was expecting. One slip of vulnerability and she was defunct. And that meant dead.

‘You clearly think I am or I’d be dead already,’ she said. ‘Come on, Jask – admit I’m right. Maybe we can come to an arrangement quicker that way and save us both some time. Why else would you need to tame me if not to make me co-operate? And you’d
need
me to co-operate for this one, wouldn’t you?’

She was sure she saw a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. ‘You still haven’t told me your name.’

‘Tell me why you want me.’

‘How long have you been in Blackthorn?’

She couldn’t let her frustration at his deflection get the better of her. The notorious closed book that was Jask Tao would have to break at some point to get what he wanted. ‘Long enough.’

‘How many vampires have you killed?’

‘I’m working towards all of them so, as you can see, still a long way to go.’

‘Where are you from? Originally.’

Disclosing where she was from wasn’t going to have any impact. And she could hope it would go some way to placating his curiosity enough to stay clear of the more revealing questions. ‘Summerton.’

He raised his eyebrows slightly. ‘Really?’

‘Don’t sound so surprised.’

‘And what did you do to earn that privilege?’

‘I had a special talent for keeping my head above water. Still do.’

She was sure she saw another hint of a smile, clearly from the irony of the statement in light of her predicament.

‘Summerton to Blackthorn,’ he said. ‘That’s quite a lifestyle switch.’

Sophia lingered over his lips as he spoke, catching glimpses of those well-formed, powerful canines. Just like their wolf heritage dictated, they were said to still use them to kill when they needed to. It may have been a rare occurrence, but the potential was there. And from the way he had brought her down on the wasteland, let alone manoeuvred her in the shower, they were also as physically adept as their reputation dictated.

She glanced down at his hands held lose on his knees. Strong, masculine hands. His underlying talons, hidden beneath his nails, were as retracted as his canines, but they’d extend soon enough if he wanted them too. Just as he could have snapped her neck in seconds if he’d chosen too, let alone been more than capable of ripping her heart out – a rumoured personal favourite of lycans wanting to add a personal touch.

‘Not unlike you wolf-boys – once running wild, now locked in here,’ she said, meeting his pensive gaze again.

His eyes narrowed slightly. ‘I’m a lycan – not a wolf.’

‘Are you embarrassed of your heritage?’

‘Dual heritage.’

‘Managed by your special herbs, right? Those of you who don’t opt to take the meds issued by the Global Council, that is. But take all of that away, and you have nothing left but the animal inside.’

‘And the human too.’

‘Still soulless though,’ she reminded him. ‘Having nothing but a shadow where your soul
should
be, just like with the rest of you third species.’

His eyes narrowed a little again. The silence became thick between them. But to her relief he broke away a few seconds later, easing off the windowsill.

‘I’m going down for breakfast,’ he said, stepping away. ‘If you’re not into being force-fed, I suggest you join me.’

Under any other circumstances, she would have told him exactly where to anatomically shove his breakfast. But following him meant getting out of the room, seeing more of the compound and hopefully Rone or Samson. Besides, she was starving – and her stomach frequently won over her pride.

She crossed the room behind him. ‘How very civilised. Usually I have to sleep with someone before I get a free breakfast. Or maybe you lycan boys need sustenance to build up the energy? I can work with that.’

He opened the door, stepping back to allow her to exit first, his frown his only response before he followed her out.

‘You know, you’re really going to have to develop a sense of humour if we’re becoming roomies,’ she said. ‘Actually, are your kind even capable of laughing or does it just come out as a growl?’

His fingers encircled her upper arm. She lost her breath as he slammed her back against the door, his grip not easing as he equally pinned her there with his glare. But she knew it was anything but fear she felt as heat rushed to the pit of her abdomen.

‘Quit,’ he said, ‘with the irritating remarks. I’m trying to be nice. You’re not making that easy.’

‘I’m not an easy kind of girl,’ she said, her throat too dry for comfort. But she wouldn’t look away. She wouldn’t break from those entrancing eyes, those rapidly dilating pupils – now almost encompassing their azure bed – a sure sign of his annoyance.

‘Then I suggest you learn. Quickly,’ he said, the tips of his extending razor-thin talons purposefully on the cusp of embedding themselves in the flesh of her upper arm.

‘Sir, yes, Sir,’ she quipped, but refrained from saluting despite the temptation.

He frowned again as he pulled away.

A part of her felt a scratch of disappointment.

She regained her breath, checked the imprints on her upper arm, impressed he’d managed not to draw blood, before following him across the landing and down the stairs.

There were less lycans around now and those that were, were heading through the open doors to her left. The sound of chatter echoed through from the room beyond, along with the clink of cutlery and the distant aroma of freshly cooked toast. Her stomach grumbled. Marid had barely fed her and the crap he’d served up had been hard to swallow.

She followed Jask towards the open doors into the wood-panelled dining hall, seated lycans filling the multitude of tables that spanned the room.

She stopped abruptly at the threshold as more slipped past her. Amidst the buzz of chatter were an increasing number of glances in her direction, a few suspended conversations as others stopped to scrutinise the stranger in their midst.

She scanned for any sign of Rone or Samson. But there was none.

And as more and more eyes turned to her, she started to feel like the only one in fancy dress at a party. Stood there swamped in Jask’s shirt, naked beneath, her skinny legs thrust into her tough army boots, heat rushed to her cheeks. She instinctively smoothed down the back of her hair, but it took only a second more to resolve to retreat.

But Jask was quick, grabbing her wrist.