Chapter Nine
S
ophia opened her eyes to the saffron hues of the descending sun and rolled onto her back to see Jask had gone.
She pushed back the duvet and crossed to the window, the floorboards warm from the late-afternoon glow.
Jask was down on the lawn, dressed in a sweat top and sweatpants, his back to her, the breeze sifting through his hair as he ran the length of the lawn.
She kept her hands cupped around her neck as she curled onto the window seat to watch him.
He dropped to do press ups, twenty she counted, before he got back up, resuming his run. But this time he only ran half a length before stopping to unzip his sweat top, tearing it off to reveal a fitted black vest top that clung to every hard curve.
She whistled under her breath, accompanied by an ache of frustration, then a flush of embarrassment at how she had behaved a few hours before.
And the sense of embarrassment only escalated when she saw a small child run at him. She was a pretty little thing with long blonde ringlets that bore too much resemblance to the female she’d seen in the dining room – the female who now approached Jask from across the green.
Jask bent forward to catch the child, lifting her in his arms with ease, every muscle flexing as he held her above his head. The little girl giggled hysterically as he supported her by her shoulder and ankles, effortlessly easing her up and down as if weight-lifting.
The blonde female was equally laughing, her hair blowing in the late afternoon breeze. And, as she pulled level, Jask eased the child back down onto the floor only to wrap his arm around the blonde’s shoulder, kissing her affectionately on the temple as the child skipped off again.
She’d never really thought about it before – having a family. But realisation panged painfully that now she was a serryn, it would never be possible, her serrynity rendering her barren. She wasn’t sure the implications had sunk in yet. But then she never saw herself having children anyway. Leila was the mother figure. Alisha would nestle up with some doting partner somewhere and probably equally have an entire brood of idyllic mini-hers.
Even before her serrynity, she’d always known she’d never be mature enough to have kids anyway. She’d stick with being be the irresponsible aunt always off on her adventures. If she ever lived long enough to see her nieces or nephews. If Leila and Alisha survived long enough to have them.
Now, watching Jask with the child and his mate made her feel like even more of an outsider than she always had. The Alliance claimed the third species were a freak of nature but, stood at the window gazing out, it only confirmed what she’d always believed – that
she
was the one who was the freak.
The Alliance had done something to help with that. It wasn’t just about being able to do something; it was about being a part of something. And the need was only reinforced as she witnessed the community in front of her. An insular community as self-sufficient and interdependent as they appeared to the outside world.
The lycans may have been the minority species, but they were intensely tight. It’s what made them so powerful. So impenetrable. And it was no easy feat keeping a naturally wild species under control – in excess of two hundred of them. But under Jask’s guidance, his zero-tolerance policy, they were managed. And managed well it seemed.
She watched as the little girl now ran towards Corbin as he headed down the steps to join them. He cradled her in his arms before dousing her in kisses.
They were clearly close, Jask and Corbin. Admirably so. Both having each other’s backs at all times.
Bait Jask though she may have over his decision to disclose the truth about the TSCD’s set-up, even she knew he’d done the right thing. He’d done what he had no choice but to do if those responsible for the cruel murder of Arana Malloy were to be convicted – especially when Caitlin Parish’s accused involvement with Kane brought the accusations into question. Jask had done what was right for his pack to secure the freedom of two of his own.
The female peeled away from Jask only to kiss Corbin lingeringly on the lips, the second-in-command’s hand sliding down her waist to tap her behind.
Her heart leapt.
The blonde female wasn’t with Jask, she was with Corbin. And bets were, from the way the child had responded to Corbin, she was his too.
She knew she had no place feeling relief, but she couldn’t help it.
Corbin sauntered back up the steps, the blonde and the child with him, leaving Jask alone and kicking at the turf.
This time she felt a deeper pang inside – a pang at sensing a familiar loneliness.
But empathy was dangerous. Especially now.
Regardless, as Jask looked up at the sun before following them up the steps, Sophia’s stomach clenched with anxiety. She hurried into the bathroom and smoothed down her hair. With little result, she grabbed the brush she had seen in the drawer and swiftly worked her bob until she got a shine. She brushed her teeth and headed back into the bedroom.
She perched on the edge of the window seat, expecting Jask to make an appearance at any point. But he didn’t.
A few minutes later, disappointment hitting harder than she was comfortable with, she wandered into the living room. There, draped over the chairs by the window, were clothes – female clothes. She picked through the three tunics, before being distracted by the noise through the open sash window ahead.
Hearing yells, she slipped between the armchairs to look out.
There was a whole other patch of land behind the building, maybe a couple of acres. Surrounded by barbed wire, not unlike the rest of the compound, brick walls lay beyond.
Clusters gathered along the edge of what looked like a marked pitch of some kind. At either end, twenty-five-foot-high metal scaffolding housed jutting hoops at the top.
A game was about to start – she could hear that from the shouting and the excitement.
Jask and Corbin, amidst a group of about twenty others, were getting into position at either end.
She watched on in fascination as it all kicked off. It involved three balls the size of footballs – one oval, two round. There were two teams, both vying for top and bottom lines as well as sidelines. Some balls were carried up to the hoops, the lycans moving with admirable speed and agility as they were pursued to the top.
She didn’t recognise the rules. She didn’t recognise the game. At first it looked like chaos, but then what Sophia saw was the ultimate in teamwork – each team monitoring the location and position of each ball, each member having to be vigilant of what others in their team were doing – defenders, chasers, blockers. It was enthralling to watch. It was fast, ferocious and the most exquisite teamwork she had ever seen in a sport.
Because it
was
a sport – an easy-going, enjoyable sport that showed not only how close the lycans were, but just how physically impressive. She homed in on Jask in particular, open-mouthed at his speed and nimbleness – the way he climbed the frame and hooped the ball before dropping from the full height as if he were just jumping down from the bottom step of the stairs.
And as he flicked back his hair, rolling his shoulders and letting every muscle ripple as he shouted orders at the others, she let out a slow and satisfied sigh.
Until she caught a glimpse of Rone leaning against a tree in the distance.
Her heart pounded. It was her opportunity – Jask and the others distracted, Rone clearly not a participant.
Now was the time to use her escape tools. She slipped off Jask’s T-shirt and pulled on one of the tunics. She hurried back into the bedroom to grab her still-sodden boots for the tools hidden in the heels and made her way over to the door. She checked the handle first and was shocked to find it unlocked.
Not wanting to waste time deliberating, she left her boots behind and hurried barefooted out into the corridor and down the stairs.
It was dead in the lobby – and she had no doubt where everyone had gone.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, the yells and cheers echoed from her left.
She turned at the foot of the stairs, past the dining hall on her right and continued on down the hallway, past another room on her left before reaching another mosaic lobby, this one much smaller.
The door was open, the late afternoon air and cheers wafting towards her. The sun, already touching the horizon, was now a rich but dark amber glow in the distance. There were a few curious glances in her direction as she made her way down the steps but, on the whole, it was if she wasn’t there.
Rone looked across from the tree, but made no attempt to approach her.
Sophia hurried over to him. ‘We need to talk.’
‘I have nothing to say to you,’ he declared, looking back ahead at the game, his blue eyes narrowed, the curls of his fair hair wafting in the breeze.
‘Good, then that gives you more time to listen, which suits me just fine. You lied to Jask.’
Rone’s attention snapped back to her, his panic barely concealed. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he said, brushing past her towards the way she had come.
She caught his arm. ‘Yes, you do. You told Jask you stumbled on me by accident. We both know it was anything but.’
He glanced over his shoulder to see that, even amidst game, they had caught Jask’s attention.
‘Not now,’ he hissed in a hushed voice. ‘Later. I’ll find you. Keep it shut.’
She glanced back across at Jask who had now stopped, his hands on his hips as he faced their direction.
‘There might not be a later,’ she said as he continued walking away. ‘Rone!’
She folded her arms and turned to face the pitch. Jask had reverted his attention back to the game, but there was no doubt there would be a follow-up. Before that, she needed to make the most of the opportunity. She pulled her sleeves down over her hands and pursued Rone back up the steps.
Skimming through the lobby, she reached the bottom of the stairs. She glanced anxiously around but they were very much alone. She followed him, ascending two at a time. ‘You know, don’t you? You know what I’m a part of.’
He stopped. Turned to face her. His eyes flashed with concern, with shock, but not confusion.
He
did
know – and he wasn’t denying it. And she needed to make the most of it while she could.
‘You came to the ruins for me,’ she continued. ‘I know because those vampires were expecting lycan company. I heard them say it. You were going to interrogate me just like they were. Only you don’t want Jask to know or you would have told him already.’
He looked around warily. ‘Have you told him any of this?’
Finally the confirmation she needed. ‘Of course not.’
‘Why not?’
‘Make sure he knows about the existence of The Alliance, you mean? Seriously?’
‘But if you already knew we knew about you, why didn’t you say anything when we said we were going to call Corbin?’
‘I seem to remember you debating whether to just kill me outright. It hardly seemed smart to add to your reasons whilst I was chained to a wall. And I didn’t exactly plan on sticking around when he and Jask turned up.’ She pulled level. ‘Why not just tell him?’
He tried to turn away but she caught his arm. She may as well have tried to handcuff him from the way he recoiled and wrenched free.
‘I heard them talking, Rone. You’d been willing to pay for information with your herbs. That’s
very
risky business. Is that why? Is that why you don’t want him to know?’
His eyes flared. He lowered his voice even more. ‘If you’re smart, you’ll keep your mouth shut.’
‘If you’re smart, you’ll want me out of here to make sure that happens.’
‘What?’
‘You get me out of here or I’ll tell him.’
‘And expose your Alliance? I don’t think so.’
‘He’s got to find them first. But he knows
exactly
where you are. You think I’m bluffing – you try me.’
He had another quick scan around the lobby below, wariness in his eyes. ‘I’ll think about it,’ he said, turning back up the stairs.
She grabbed his arm again. ‘What’s to think about?’
‘Jask finds out about this and I’m out of here. Do you know a lycan’s odds in Blackthorn without their pack?’
‘Exactly. So you don’t need a mouthy serryn on the loose around your boss, do you? You
need
to get me out of here.’
‘You think it’s that easy? Even possible?’ He looked around warily again. ‘The longer you spend talking to me, the less likely I am to put my neck on the line.’ He yanked his hand away. ‘I’ll find you later.’
‘And a phone. I need to get to a phone.’
But he was already making his way back up the stairs.
She exhaled with impatience and made her way back down. Stopping on the bottom step, she gazed at the doorway ahead, her arms folded. Puffing out her lips before letting out an unsteady exhale, she strolled across the lobby and wandered outside.
Skirting the empty quadrant, she headed back through the arched tunnel, only this time she decided to take a left through the gate.
She stepped over the thick branches of old rhododendrons stretching onto the worn path, ducking out of the way of a few branches before opening the wooden slated door into the outbuilding. She pushed aside the rubber strips that reminded her of those found in an old hospital and stepped into the enclosure.
The comforting humidity wrapped itself around her immediately. The room was awash with greenery, heat lamps suspended from the ceiling and strung from the walls, sprays of water resounding from her left. The windows were blackened out, the plants surviving on the bright, artificial light that bathed them.
A female busily tended to the plants she was watering, her long, slender fingers gliding over their leaves as though she were dressing a small child’s hair. Sensing Sophia, she glanced up, her blue eyes flashing wariness. But she said nothing.
Perspiration lined Sophia’s brow as she continued through the varying plants, past the potted shrubbery. She slid back the glass doors to expose another chamber, this one filled with natural light. Water trickled somewhere in the distance, plants reaching the ceiling from their artificially created beds, a narrow laid path leading through further shrubbery.