Selena
My eyes flickered open and all I saw were white walls and glaring lights. I jerked upwards, thinking of the tower, terrified that I was still there.
In a wave, I realised I must be at the castle. My body was warm and every part of me felt healed. I gazed down at myself, finding I'd been dressed in a long gown of golden silk, the bodice made of cream lace that wound down my arms.
I swung my legs around, dropping off of the hospital bed, my bare feet colliding with cold tiles.
The door opened and I lunged for a syringe beside my bed, spinning around to face whoever entered. If it was a Helsing, I wouldn't hold back.
I came face to face with Varick, looking out of place in a deep, ebony suit. A choked noise escaped my throat, overwhelmed by him being here. That he was still alive. That there was still someone I cared about on this island.
His eyes caught mine and I dropped the syringe, grief flooding me.
I flung myself at him, knowing he was the only person left who could possibly offer me any comfort. Who knew what I'd been through, what I'd seen.
He crushed me into his chest and I let myself come undone, sobbing into his soft shirt.
“I'm sorry,” he muttered into my hair.
I gripped him tighter, never wanting to leave his firm embrace. Not wanting to face anyone but him.
“Can I go home now?” I asked in a broken voice. I'd come apart, desperate for reassurance like a small child. The game had unravelled me.
“Not yet, but soon. I promise.” His deep voice rumbled through his chest, the vibrations thrumming in my ears.
I released him at last, dipping my head self-consciously. “Sorry I-”
He cut me off. “You've been through hell and back, Selena. If you weren't upset, I'd be concerned.”
I nodded, lifting my eyes to meet his. They blazed with admiration. I hated to be looked at that way. As if I'd achieved something great, when all I'd done was cling to life while others had lost theirs.
“Cass...” I breathed and Varick cupped my cheek. His palm was cool, cooler than it had been last night when he'd kissed me. It seemed like a strange dream, a small pocket of calm in an endless storm.
“She wanted you to live,” he said quietly and I felt my legs become weak. I wanted to curl up on the bed and hide beneath the sheets. But I had to get out of this place. This nightmare wasn't over yet.
“Selena,” Varick sighed, stepping toward the door. “The Helsings are waiting for you. They'd like you to attend a ceremony tonight, held in your honour.” His upper lip curled into a sneer, and I knew he had no part in this.
My insides seemed to shrink and I started shaking my head.
Before I could object, Varick muttered, “It isn't optional.”
I managed a dry laugh, nodding. “What happens now? After this ceremony?” I spat the word.
“It will all be explained tonight.” He seemed conflicted, his brow growing taut as if he wanted to tell me more.
“You'll stay with me?” I asked, hopeful.
His expression softened. “Of course.”
High heels were laid out for me by the door, six inches, encrusted with jewels. I turned my nose up at them, figuring I'd rather not lose the capability of running in this place and headed through the door.
Varick followed me, taking my arm. His cool fingers halted me and I turned, raising a brow.
“I won't let anything else happen to you,” he swore, his grip on me tightening. “I should have got you out sooner.”
My heart ached at his words and I placed my hand on his. “Then we would already be dead.”
“Selena-” he started, then sighed, unable to find the words he was searching for.
We headed on, entering a wide corridor of cells. The Vampires inside them recognised me and many spat and cursed my name.
Varick was practically snarling by the time we found our way out, heading upstairs into the grand hallways of the castle. He was acting like my bodyguard, shadowing my every move.
Music reached to me from two large oak doors up ahead, some strange electronica that tapped and clunked in my ears.
The flagstones were icy against my bare feet, but I wasn't sure I could ever feel the cold again in the same way. The biting, icy winds on the island would forever remind me what true cold felt like.
Varick held the door handle – a black iron ring, one of a pair – and fixed me with a dark stare.
“Whatever happens in there, remember I'm on your side.”
I gave a small nod, my cheeks aflame for a moment. I suspected guilt was at the root of his kindness. A duty to set things right with me. Whatever it was, I was grateful.
Varick opened the door, the massive panel creaking on its hinges, announcing our arrival to everyone in the grand hall.
A sound like rain grew in my ears and it took half a second for me to realise it was applause. The room was heaving with suited men, bashing their hands together, leaning past one another to try and get a better look at me.
If I had been nervous before, my feet had now taken root in the ground. My mouth parted in dismay at the waiting crowd. A soft touch to the base of my spine ignited life back into my bones and I moved at Varick's side. It was soon clear where he was escorting me as we circled the masses at the heart of the lavish space.
A stage, raised above the crowd, upon which the four Helsing family members were stood. Though I hadn't set eyes on most of them before, I knew them from their resemblance to Ignus. Power that seemed to emanate from all of them.
The back of my neck prickled and I instinctively reached to the top of my dress, where I'd been keeping my stake for days.
Varick swiftly took my hand, evidently aware of exactly what had just run through my mind. His fingers squeezed mine and for less than a heartbeat, his mouth was at my ear.
“Timing, sweetheart.”
He released me and I ascended the stage on shaky legs, the applause still surrounding me like thunder. I gathered up my dress, afraid of stumbling. Despite that being the least of my worries, it suddenly seemed important that I put on a strong front. Any weakness and I suspected these people might swoop down on me like vultures over a dying animal.
Katherine Helsing moved to greet me on skyscraper heels. All four of them wore gold to match me and I despised that I'd been lumped in with them. As if I somehow belonged here.
She bent low, placing a kiss on my cheek that lingered there long after she'd stepped aside. I resisted the urge to scrub my cheek clean.
Mercy curtsied and Ignus bowed his head. And then I was left to the fate of Abraham, whose entire, massive hands encompassed mine as he placed a kiss on my forehead.
Cheers reached to me from the crowd and as I was turned to face them, spotlights blinded me, making me blink like a deer in the headlights.
“The winner of the first game in this year's season of the V Games: Selena Grey!” Abraham spoke into a microphone, his voice magnified tenfold across the room.
Mercy appeared before me with a medal in hand, her dress a mere sliver of what mine was. I leant back as she placed it over my head, her eyes trailing over my face with too much interest.
“Congratulations,” she said, adjusting my hair so it was pulled from beneath the ribbon.
“What an honour,” I said through my teeth. “You should really play yourself sometime.”
Mercy's perfectly composed expression faltered at my remark, her eyes swiveling over my head in the direction of her mother. Then she moved on. A breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding passed my lips. I dropped my head, gazing down at the heavy golden disc attached to the ribbon, weighing down my neck.
A large H was engraved in the middle of it, striked through with a silver stake; words circled the emblem, marking me as a winner of the V Games.
When the applause died down at last, Abraham addressed the room once more. “Now, the moment you are all anxiously awaiting: the winning bid. As you know, whoever placed the highest bet on Selena Grey winning the game, will not only receive the 25 to 1 payout, but a full night with the girl herself-”
I didn't hear any more. Men were catcalling to me, whistling and making gestures I wanted to rip their throats out for.
My ears rang, like a warning bell going off in my head. I took a wary step back from the edge of the stage, stealing a glance at the Helsings. Mercy was smirking, but her brother seemed bored, paying more attention to his nails than me. Katherine had her hand on her husband's shoulder, smiling and nodding as he spoke.
I hunted for Varick in the crowd, finding him at the side of the stage, his expression entirely blank. I searched for comfort, but found none. Had he betrayed me after all?
Abraham's voice cut into my head again.
“The winner, bid just over 2.5 million in total, and bet on Selena Grey from the start.” Abraham paused for dramatic effect whist my eyes trailed over the sea of spectators. “Congratulations to Brice Edgewater!”
A raucous of shouts and cheers went up from one side of the room and I spotted a group of men, patting their friend on the back. I couldn't get a good look at him, but with the feeling of a block of ice melting in my stomach, I vowed to kill the man before he laid a finger on me.
Abraham was speaking again, drawing me out of my blinding rage.
“But first, Selena will be spending a night with our esteemed Vampire friend, without whom this game could not be possible, please welcome to the stage, Varick Cartwright.”
Two things became apparent to me: the first, that I couldn't trust Varick. And the second was that, even if I did get out of this place, the Helsings were going to make sure I was broken. Apparently surviving the game wasn't enough to warrant sending me home. I now had to be subjected to a worse kind of hell.
Varick was guided to my side and he thanked each of the Helsings in turn. I was sick, trembling, ready to lunge into the crowd and start ripping limbs off (and other body parts these men deserved to have removed). But I had no time to act as I was led off of the stage.
Varick's hand clamped around my wrist. He must have sensed how much I was shaking, and I prayed he mistook it for fear and not the absolute rage that was coursing through me.
I just needed a weapon.
One of the men placed a drink in my hand and I immediately chucked it in his face, snarling my rage. Instead of getting angry, he started laughing, seeming delighted by my mood.
Varick's arm slid around my waist and I twisted free, glaring at him.
“We're leaving,” he demanded and I shook my head, backing up so I nudged into a few of the men.
“I'm not going anywhere with you,” I hissed.
Hands slid up my back and I lurched away from the crowd, finding their eyes trailing over me with a hunger that scared me more than a V's.
Varick snatched a hold of my waist, tugging me against him and practically spitting venom at the men who had touched me. They backed up, the smiles falling immediately from their faces.
I tried to wriggle free again, but Varick held on tight, guiding me purposefully toward the exit. The music grew louder and the lights dimmed as we reached it, the party getting fully underway.
I gave into Varick as he guided me out of the room, not wanting to spend a second longer in the company of those people. Many of the men were already drunk and the last thing I needed was to be trapped in a hall with all of them.
At least Varick was just one man. Or Vampire. And I had defeated plenty of them already.
The second we were out the door, Varick pressed me back against a wall. “Calm down, I'm on your side.”
“Ha,” I spat. “You seemed pretty cosy up there with the Helsings.”
His upper lip curled into a snarl that sent a tremor through me. “Do you have any idea what they'll do if they even suspect I'm going to help you?”
My mouth opened then closed. “But you get a night with me, like that other man – the bidder.”
Varick shut his eyes, seeming physically in pain. “For blood, Selena. They give you to me to drink from.”
“Oh,” I breathed, my body slowly halting its trembling.
A group of men burst from the door, laughing and joking.
“Scream,” Varick demanded, pressing his mouth to my neck.
My eyes flew open in surprise and I started screaming, thrashing against him. It certainly felt good to get some of my rage out. And miraculously, Varick didn't take a bite.
The men fell silent, eyeing us with awe and excitement.
I wanted to chase after them, to make them pay for watching me go through the games, gambling my life for their entertainment.
They passed round a corner and Varick released me, taking my hand and hurriedly leading me away from the hall.
I wasn't sure what to think, continually stealing glances at him as we walked. I had to trust him. Why would he lie now? What would he gain? He could have bitten me then if he wanted to, but he stayed his hand. That had to mean something.
“Where are we going?” I breathed as we headed up into the west tower. The spiral staircase circled ever upwards, making me dizzy.
“My room,” he muttered, seeming deep in thought.
Eventually, he led me through a wooden door, the room placed at the far end of a pale stone corridor.
He didn't touch me, keeping his distance as he gestured for me to enter. I moved into the room, finding a large space with a king size bed and velvet furniture dotted around the flagstones. A crimson rug lay across the heart of the room, but apart from that, it was cold and void of life. A door led off from it toward what I presumed was a bathroom. I span on my heel, turning to Varick who was bolting the door locked.
Suddenly, I had to make a decision. I desperately needed someone to trust in this place and it had to be him.
He seemed to guess what I was thinking as he raised his hands and promised, “I won't hurt you.”
I dropped onto the edge of his bed, nodding, thinking of tomorrow. Varick may not hurt me, but I wasn't leaving this island until I'd spent a night with Brice Edgewater. And there was no way I was going to make it through even an hour without murdering the man. Then the Helsings really would never let me go.
I sunk my head into my hands, trying to think of a way out. But I felt more imprisoned than ever, still playing games. The only difference was, the enemy wasn't Vs any more, it was men.