The Silver Cage Page 12

  Vikram walked across the room, keeping his gun on Leon, before dropping it as he moved to check the rug. As Vikram bent down, Leon said quickly, ‘Actually, he’s dead.’

  Iris started. ‘What? You mean Alfie? Don’t be . . .’

  In the next moment, Vikram turned, pulling up his gun, shouting, ‘Careful, Iris, he’s trying to distract you.’

  But it was too late. It had worked. Even as Iris was telling herself that she had connected to Alfie less than ten minutes ago, Leon was bolting for the door. He flung himself through it, diving out of range of the crossbow bolts and silver bullets that followed him.

  Iris turned to Vikram. ‘You think he meant that?’

  ‘’Course not. You were connected to Alfie just then, out in the car.’

  ‘Was I? How can I be sure I didn’t dream that? I have been known to, uh, well, imagine things quite vividly.’

  ‘You mean Matt? Your dead brother?’

  ‘You know about Matt? Is that in my file too?’

  ‘Nah. I’ve had a bit of a poke through your mind, though. Sorry, I know that kind of thing freaks humans out. But, really, we do it all the time. It’s no big deal. It just saves time. Anyway, look, stop thinking about that. Alfie’s not dead. The Divine wants him for something. We know that. We’re trying to stop that. If you want to find Alfie, we need to get after our best lead. Let’s split up and hunt down that dirty lyc.’

  31

  THEY HAD TO find him before dawn. If they didn’t, Iris would be searching for him on her own. She prowled through the copse over the road from the hut, breathlessly silent, making arcs with her torch.

  Something hit her from above. A human something, dropping out of a tree and hammering into her back. The next instant she was on the ground on her stomach, her mouth full of mulch, and the weight on her kidneys was oh so familiar.

  She grunted a greeting. ‘Blake.’

  ‘Hey, baby.’

  ‘What are you . . .?’ Iris was still face down in the dirt with Blake on top of her. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Hang on.’ Blake shifted his weight so Iris could roll over underneath him, then set himself back down right across the very top of her thighs. She shone her torch into his familiar face.

  It was dark silent woodland all around them. Silent and still. Iris thought fleetingly of Alfie. Of that night – God, was it really only four months ago? – that he had come roaring back into her life. A wolf. A wolf on a night that wasn’t a full moon, Knocking her on to her back. Leering over her in the dark out at the university parks. Iris looked past Blake’s shoulder at the star-spangled sky.

  This was all too familiar.

  Leon said that Alfie was dead, that she would never get Alfie back now he was enthralled by the Divine. But didn’t Leon love Alfie too? Hadn’t she always known that?

  Alfie was gone. Blake was here. Blake. Right here. Right now.

  And he was grinning at her. ‘I just wanted to see you alone. I knew you’d follow that signal as soon as it was up. I thought it might be nice to get together without either Erin fucking Cobalt or any actual witches breathing down our necks. God, Iris –’ Blake paused, sitting back and stretching both his arms wide ‘– I remember when life was simple and you were the only crazy bitch I had to keep happy.’

  ‘You were keeping me happy? I always wondered what it was you thought you were doing while we were married. You know, I never once thought it might be that.’

  ‘Oh, you weren’t happy. I seem to remember bringing a smile to your face once or twice.’ Blake’s expression changed suddenly, switching gear into something far more serious. ‘God, baby, we have to find Alfie.’

  ‘I know. That’s what I’m here for. But the chip wasn’t him. It was Leon.’

  ‘Oh fuck, did Alfie dig it out of his own arm? I suppose that was probably compulsory for a big dumb hero like him.’ Blake shook his head. ‘OK, well, did the connector work?’

  Iris shook her head sadly. ‘He won’t tell me anything. He doesn’t want me to come for him and he’s not very coherent.’

  Blake looked intently at her. ‘Well, anything. If you spoke to him, he must have given you some clues.’

  Iris scoured her brain. ‘He’s in the base of the Silver Crown. Built by witches, but only Sabrina can find it now.’

  ‘Oh, God, isn’t Sabrina the one they killed for being a traitor?’

  Iris nodded. ‘Iron shoes, last I heard. Other than that, all I know is he’s in a cage. A Silver Cage. But where, damnit? London – that’s all we know and how sure can we even be of that?’

  ‘Hmm. There’ll be a way. Always is. Cobalt have a lot of money. And you know they’re going to pull out all the stops. Frankly, Iris, the only reason they’ve kept you alive is because you’re their best route to Alfie. And look how right they are – you’ve already got yourself magically connected to him.’

  ‘Why are Cobalt so keen to find Alfie? Not the Divine, herself? Alfie isn’t this big threat to humans. Why are Cobalt so desperate to get hold of him?’ Iris shifted under Blake, who was starting to feel incredibly heavy. It was cold on the ground and Iris could see her breath smoking in the air every time she spoke.

  ‘They want Alfie because he’s magic.’ Blake reached down and flicked Iris on the chin. It hurt. ‘’Course, you always knew that, didn’t you, wolf’s woman? But, look, is it any surprise they turned up at the Institute when they did? They probably have the place bugged and all sorts. They want him because he’s unstable. He’s the perfect weapon.’

  ‘What? Fuck. A weapon. Why do Cobalt want a weapon?’

  ‘Cobalt are part of the government. Governments always want weapons. That’s, like, a thing. Yeah, they’re deeply enmeshed with vamps too, but their office is on Whitehall. They’re practically part of the military. There’s always been dabbling, all over the world, in using paranormals for weaponry. There were all sorts of weird experiments with vamps. God, over a hundred years ago, before the big vampire segregation, some pretty sick stuff went on. In fact, some people think it might have been because of all that stuff that vamps took themselves out of the human world all together. Vamps have psychic powers. The strength of what they can do really varies, but it’s unpredictable. There was so much work trying to get a vamp that wasn’t psychic. I don’t know why. The only other powers vamps have are a moderate amount of additional strength and, of course, the immortality. But really, not great weapons. Lycs were always dismissed, mostly. Only useful at full moon. Pathetic. Unless . . .’

  Blake stopped talking and looked at Iris, his head cocked to one side. Iris felt her realisation settle inside her. Nausea. ‘Oh, God. Alfie. He isn’t bound to the moon. He’s a weapon they want to use for . . .? For what?’

  ‘You can imagine the applications. He sees being close to the skin as a curse, but, well . . .’

  ‘You could use him as an assassin. Send him to your enemy with a hypo of adrenaline to jack up. Well, if you could get him to do what you wanted.’ Iris gasped again. ‘Which the Divine can. Oh my God.’

  ‘Yeah, well, don’t freak out or anything, Iris. Well, maybe do freak out, I would, but I think that might be what they really want you for. As well as finding Alfie, I think you might be being prepared to be used as Cobalt’s persuasive tool too. That’s what I would do, if it were me. Which it isn’t, by the way, I’m a one hundred per cent good guy.’

  ‘Really? Well I’m no use for controlling Alfie. Not while the Divine has her claws in him.’

  ‘They don’t understand about her. Or even about how lycs work.’

  ‘I don’t think I really understand about her. Why does she want Alfie? What’s happening, Blake? Why did she take him? What’s she going to do?’

  ‘Same as Cobalt, I think. Use him as a weapon. But she probably has bigger plans. Your unstable werewolf assassin idea was great, babe. And if I ever start publishing my own comic books that’s our first title, but you know that isn’t going to be enough for anyone who’s really out to expl
oit Alfie’s power. You need to think bigger than smuggling him into a hotel room and having him go native on some despot. I mean, what you want to do – what you can bet Cobalt and the Divine will both want to do – is find a way to breed him. And the really scary thing is – I think the Divine might succeed. Cobalt getting their claws into Alfie and having a go at some clumsy vivisection – I can cope with that. A whole army of Alfies thralled to the Divine – I’m less happy with.’

  ‘But you can’t. You can’t breed werewolves. I mean, that’s werewolf 101. If a werewolf has a child, the child is human. Or it is so long as the lyc doesn’t bite it.’

  ‘There might be other ways. Cloning. Magic.’

  ‘So the Divine’s going to breed him? Is that right? Is that what Lilith meant when she said that she would be trying to overthrow humanity?’

  ‘Reckon enough unstable werewolves would do it, don’t you?’

  Iris shifted again under Blake’s weight. Her nose was so cold, and the earth underneath her was freezing. The place where he was sitting on her was the only part of her that was warm. ‘Fuck. So that’s why the witches want me to find him.’

  Blake screwed up his sharp nose. ‘Possibly. It’s a bit hard to tell with witches. But, yeah, probably. A day until full moon. I don’t know what she’s planning – but if Lilith says that’s the deadline then it is. That’s kind of why I wanted to see you, Iris. I wanted to be sure you know you’re on the clock, baby. I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you.’ Blake reached out and touched Iris’s cheek.

  ‘You did kind of jump out of a tree on top of me.’

  ‘Nothing wrong with a bit of flourish.’

  ‘And, actually, you are still on top of me.’

  ‘Yeah. I know.’

  Iris was still so cold. ‘And when I find the Divine I kill her. And I die.’

  ‘The first Beast’s heir will pay the price,’ Blake quoted.

  ‘So I die. I’m the heir.’

  Blake shrugged. ‘What do I know?’ And he dipped his head down to hers.

  Blake’s lips were hot, just above her cheekbone. He slipped out the tip of the tongue and licked the salt from the corner of her eyebrow. ‘God, Iris, I want to fuck you.’

  ‘It’s cold, Blake.’

  ‘Is that really your only objection?’

  ‘Hell, Blake, what is this?’

  ‘I just told you. I want to fuck you. Come on, Iris. Just say yes. I’ve come all this way. Cornwall. The end of the damn earth. King Arthur was conceived here, you know.’ He licked her skin again.

  ‘I thought you came to remind me I was “on the clock”. Something I actually already knew.’

  ‘Not really.’ He licked around her eyebrow and then under her eye. ‘Say you want it, baby. Say you still want me.’

  ‘Last time we were in this situation, you weren’t so worried about my consent.’

  Blake laughed softly. A single syllable of a laugh. ‘This time’s different. I want you to want it. Want me. Still. Please, Iris. Please, say it.’ His lips were still so close like a promise of a kiss.

  Blake, who’d always been there, who’d never changed. Blake who’d followed her here at risk of his life. Blake who probably loved her more than Alfie ever could. Alfie was enthralled to the Divine. It was hopeless. Alfie didn’t love her. Blake did. Blake who’d never cheated.

  Except with a witch, Iris. It doesn’t count if it’s a witch.

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered, her mouth half against his. She opened her mouth to kiss him.

  Blake laughed – a dark chuckle into her slightly parted lips. ‘Thank you, Iris,’ he said, pulling his mouth away and sitting up and back. He stood up. Iris felt a sudden rush of cold as he moved off her.

  Iris looked at him. He’d taken a step away from her and was a shadow in the dark. ‘Blake?’

  ‘I can’t, Iris, I can’t. I’m glad you would have let me, though.’

  ‘What? What!’

  ‘Shush, Iris. Don’t.’

  Iris shook her head. ‘Blake! What do you mean? Why can’t you?’

  ‘God, I want to, Iris – but I can’t.’

  ‘Then . . .? What? Then why did you ask me?’

  ‘I just wanted you to say yes.’

  Iris was about to say something else, when there was a shout, a cry of: ‘Iris. Damnit, Iris.’

  A figure came out of the tree and threw itself at Blake in a running dive, bowling him over and on to the ground with his attacker on top of him.

  Iris shouted, ‘Vik! No!’ Certain who the attacker must be. And then, ‘Blake!’ as she saw Blake swing a punch at Vikram’s jaw that sent him over backwards. Blake moved forwards drawing something out of his pocket that flashed in the scraps of moonlight . . .

  And then Iris saw no more. Hands came out of the dense forest behind her, one over her eyes, one over her mouth. She was off her feet and being borne away.

  They were in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t even dawn yet. And there was only one person at large in these woods that wasn’t currently accounted for.

  32

  LEON THREW IRIS down on the floor of the cabin and leapt on top of her, pinning her down. She looked up at him, a little stunned. What are you playing at, Leon? Didn’t you just escape from us an hour ago? I thought wolves were meant to be experts at running away.’

  It was dark in the cabin. The gas lamp that had lit the place before was out now. Iris was still holding the torch she’d been carrying when Leon grabbed her. It cast a single beam across the floor. Leon’s face was just bone highlights, lit from below.

  ‘If you’re trying to imply wolves are cowards, save your breath. I know what wolves are. I know what I am. I don’t need to listen to Vix crap.’

  ‘Well, I’m a Vix, Leon, as you know very well, so all I can talk is Vix crap.’ Iris rolled her eyes, although it was almost certainly lost in the dark. ‘What the hell do you want with me, Leon?’

  Leon cocked his head on one side and looked at her for a long moment that was all uncanny and animal. He was in the same position as Blake had been, straddling her across the top of her thighs. ‘Wanted to talk to you, didn’t I? I’m not an idiot. I knew you’d track me. I was waiting for you in that cabin. Just didn’t expect you to turn up with a – oh, God, I just remembered – with a vamp. A corpse. Please tell me you’re not fucking him.’

  ‘Why the hell would you care . . .?’

  ‘You’re right. I don’t. Except that it’s totally gross. You know he’s dead, don’t you? A magically animated corpse. Vamps are zombies, basically. They just make better conversationalists. He reeks. He’s rotting.’

  ‘He smells fine to me.’

  ‘That’s because you’re human, Vixy. Vamps rot slowly, but they still rot. The smell of him’ll make you puke. In the end.’

  ‘Did you want anything specific, Leon? Or just warning me against trying for happily ever after with a vamp.’

  ‘You killed Misty. Why are you alive? Why did he let you stay alive? Why have any of us –’ Leon lowered his face to hers ‘– let you live?’

  Iris shrugged. ‘There’s this prophecy thing. Don’t blame yourself. I have a destiny.’

  ‘Yeah, whatever,’ said Leon and from somewhere behind him he raised Iris’s crossbow.

  Iris didn’t even know he had it, and thought she must have lost it in the dark outside. But suddenly there was the cool tip of a silver bolt against her forehead. ‘This isn’t about Misty,’ Iris said, trying to keep her voice level and cool, as she felt her death touching her. ‘This is about Alfie, isn’t it?’

  ‘Alfie,’ said Leon slowly. ‘Do you miss him?’

  ‘It’s only been a few weeks,’ Iris said, but then, as soon as she’d finished saying that, she said, ‘Yes.’ And her throat was full of a dull thick ache.

  ‘I’m in love with him,’ Leon said lightly. ‘That used to be my biggest secret, but right now I don’t care who knows. She tried to punish me for it. Sabrina. Punish me for not being able to break my thrall again.
I couldn’t. I could never betray him again. Not after we’d been together. Not after we’d fucked.’

  ‘What? You and Alfie. When did that . . .? What?’

  ‘In the caverns while the Silver Crown had us imprisoned. Of course, you wouldn’t know. He never got that chance to talk to you about it. About how much he loved fucking me.’

  Iris shook her head. ‘What?’ She looked at Leon. He was still threatening her with a crossbow, but somehow he looked mellow. ‘Well, he was never very good at being faithful.’

  ‘Especially not now,’ Leon said and his expression softened even further.

  Iris felt as if any minute he might crack open a tub of ice cream and they could both settle back and talk about what a faithless bastard Alfie Friday was.

  ‘That’s not all. He made love to me then. And then he saved me. He took the Silver Crown and ascended to Ancient Beast not because they tortured him, but because they were going to torture me. And then, well, we’ve been locked up together all this time . . . He does love me. He does.’

  A tear slid down Iris’s cheek. She knew exactly what Leon was talking about. Leon lowered the crossbow and kissed her.

  Her mind was loose and empty. It felt like every time she started to pine for Alfie another man moved in to confuse and comfort her. But this was the most surprising yet.

  Leon. What the fuck? As she felt her mouth opening up to his, Iris’s mind was full of Alfie. Alfie and Leon, that was so arousing. She remembered being locked in the pack-house cellar with Blake and Alfie, that moment, after they had both fucked her to near unconsciousness, where she had seen them kiss each other. Her pussy throbbed hard at the memory.

  And then she thought of Alfie’s big hard body and Blake’s tight wiry muscular one. She thought about something that had never happened. She thought about Alfie fucking Blake. Alfie’s big hands, his thick fingers, moving over the sharp angles of Blake’s body. Turning him over. Thrusting inside him. Blake softening like that. Blake being used and invaded. Liking it.