One of the humans groaned as I rolled him back and forth.
“Fucking hell,” I cursed.
I worked my way to the captain's cabin. The door was already ajar.
The bomb shouldn’t have worked that far. What had happened before this had landed? There wasn’t another gang that was aware of the dove— and even if there were, there were none stupid enough to interfere with our plans.
I went to the captain who was slumped in his seat. I reached for him, shaking him.
“Wake up, man,” I growled.
He let out a moan, his eyes fluttering.
I backhanded him, which woke him up. He let out a cry, but my grip tightened on the straps of his vest.
“Where is the dove?” I snarled. “Where?!”
He blinked, his lips quivering. “G-gone,” he stammered. “She left. She broke free.”
“SHE?” I thundered.
He nodded mutely and I heard a trickle hit the floor. I looked down and scoffed, shoving him back.
“Piss on yourself,” I muttered.
I looked through the glass windows, staring out at the city.
Had all of this been for nothing? Had I been a fool? Had Jack and their gang one-upped me again?
The thought enraged me. We’d been working to screw them over for years now, and I felt the weight of that clawing at me.
I snarled as I turned back, grabbing one of the chairs in the cabin. I threw it with all of my strength into the windows, the glass shattering in a wall of diamond pieces. I leapt through it, ignoring the shards that tore through my skin.
My wings spread and I flew straight back down to the docks, landing next to Charles. He turned, giving me a curious look. “Where’s the dove?”
“I don’t fucking know,” I said. “I looked all over the ship, up and down. There were people that were dead in there before I killed more. I’m not sure what happened, but the captain who pissed himself said it was her.”
“Her?” Charles growled.
I nodded and started to turn, only for a figure to smash straight into my chest. I stumbled back with a growl, staring down in horror.
The person that had crashed into me was a woman. Before I could grab for her, she landed on her ass in front of me.
She rolled to her feet with a panicked gasp, mumbling an apology before attempting to take off again. I watched in disbelief as she ran away, my thoughts not registering what the hell had happened until—
“Fuck. I think that’s her,” I said.
“That’s the dove?” Charles asked sceptically.
We both watched as she ran, moving like a lithe gazelle.
I cursed under my breath and took off after her, feeling the thrill of a hunt kick in. She was fast, but not fast enough to get too far.
I growled as I reached for her, my claws outstretching.
I snagged her and slammed her down onto the ground right as the dock ended. The two of us rolled and she cried out as we fell. I felt bones snap, but they weren’t mine.
We tumbled until her body went still. I pinned her beneath me with a snarl, letting out a low growl.
“You,” I snarled.
“Sorry I ran into you!” she cried. “Sorry! You’re built like a wall!”
Her scent. I breathed it in, freezing. I had never smelled anything so good before. It was sweet and heady, intoxicating.
We stared at each other, our chests heaving with pants. I could feel her tremble beneath me, tears slipping from her dark eyes.
I stared down at her, glaring.
Was the dove really just a human? It was impossible then. All of the rumours about the device being able to render monsters powerless, it was all a farce.
What if Jack was just sitting and laughing right now?
“Please,” she cried. “Please. They kidnapped me. I don’t even know where I am. I’m just trying to get to the police.”
“Shut up,” I snarled. I clamped my claws around her neck, squeezing. She gasped, her cheeks turning red and eyes going impossibly wide as I held her there. Still, her gaze never left mine. “The police won’t help you here.”
I breathed in her scent again, feeling the burn return to my blood. Whatever she was, she was a problem.
“What are you?” I growled. “Are you the dove?”
“James.”
I should break her neck. I should kill her.
A human was useless to me. Useless to us. We had been fucked over by the gods yet again, and I just wanted to see the life drain from her eyes.
Still, if this was the dove… then her running straight into me had been a fortunate twist of fate.
Charles gripped my shoulder, yanking me back.
“James! We have to go! Jack is closing in.”
Her eyes fluttered, her gaze growing dim.
“Please,” she rasped, her voice barely above a whisper.
I didn’t let up until her eyelids slowly slid shut, and she went limp beneath me. I let go of her neck with a growl, sitting back on my haunches. The sounds of the world around us returned to me, hitting me with full force.
I realised that Morte was standing in front of me, his head tilted to the side. The long black beak of his mask stretched down, his gloved hands curling into fists.
Charles let out a low growl. “What are you doing, James?”
I stood up, looking down at the human. My head was pounding with decisions.
I should leave her. She was just a human. This had been a failure, somewhere the information must have been false.
Still…
“We take her,” I growled. “Pick her up. One of you. I don’t want to touch her.”
Even though I couldn’t see Morte’s eyes through his mask, I could feel his gaze drilling into me.
“The toy?” he asked, his disbelief apparent.
“Now!” I barked, shoving past him. “Obviously she is part of this.”
I stomped down the deck, leaving the two of them behind with her. I headed towards the street, seeing the faces of my men that were waiting for direction.
“Clear out!” I shouted.
They scrambled immediately, scattering off into the alleys and the streets. The docks became a ghost town, inhabited now only by three monsters and a human I should have killed. Blood turned the ground damp, some of the creatures that Morte had taken care of littered in pieces.
I looked up at the city, at the world that I was so hungry to control. I had fought to own it, clawed my way through the trenches to make it mine.
I glanced back, not surprised to see that Charles had been the one to pick up our new cargo. He cradled her to his chest, his expression unreadable.
I didn’t like that.
Morte stood unmoving, his black coat fluttering as a breeze lifted over the Thames. Smoke billowed from the blimp, the sirens already crying out into the night.
My wings lifted, and I took off, knowing that they would do exactly as I said.
Chapter 3
Song of Despair
IRENE
Pain. It was the only thing that I could feel as my eyes slowly opened.
I was in darkness. I blinked rapidly, my thoughts slowly clearing as I tried to see, but I was trapped.
Again.
All of the events from the last two days came rushing back. My eyes would have watered, but I was done crying. I couldn’t feel anything anymore except the pain.