Wicked Game Read online

  Epilogue

  I had maybe half an hour at most before the sun rose, and the wound in my leg was slowing me down. Somehow, maybe fueled by stubbornness and sheer force of will, I stumbled through the city center with my hood up. My leg dragged behind me, still bleeding even though I knew it wasn’t fatal.

  I weighed my options as I walked through Cork. I knew I couldn’t go to Rose or Kallum for help because that was the first place the guard would look for me. I needed to go somewhere nobody knew existed. And if I didn’t get there soon, the sun would burn me to ash; and I’d be damned if I gave Kristoph and his slut that satisfaction. Not to mention Nickolai was depending on me to stay alive, and I had every intention of doing just that.

  I pulled myself up onto the bridge railing and dropped over the side, landing on my face with a moan. Dizziness swamped me as I crawled into the shade of the tunnel, and after what felt like an agonizing journey, I slumped against the wall and banged hard on the steel door.

  I closed my eyes as I felt the sun begin her rise into the sky. I was tired, oh so tired. Maybe I could just sleep here for the day and no one would notice.

  The steel door groaned as it opened, and I could barely crack open my eyes to see who was standing over me.

  “Jesus Christ, that’s Ryan Callan. Get Darragh.”

  I wasn’t sure how long it took Darragh to drag his ass to see me, but when he did, I coughed and lifted my gaze to the dhampir.

  “I seek sanctuary.”

  I knew Darragh was honor-bound to grant me those words, and with a sly little smile, I closed my eyes and succumbed to the beckoning darkness.

  It almost felt like coming home.

  Also by Susan Harris

  The Ever Chase Chronicles

  Skin & Bones, book 1

  Collateral Damage, book 2

  Smoke & Mirrors, book 3

  Night of the Hunter, book 4

  Never Back Down, book 5

  Shortcut to the Grave, book 6

  Arsonist’s Lullaby, book 7

  Defy The Stars

  A Tale of Two Houses, book 1

  Until Death Do Us Part, book 2

  In Defiance of the Stars, book 3

  Shattered Memories

  The Sanguine Crown

  Chaos Theory, book 1

  Butterfly Effect, book 2

  Wicked Game, book 3

  Playlist

  Ryan’s Playlist:

  Grace Carter - Wicked Game

  The Weeknd - Wicked Games

  Hayley Williams – Simmer

  Zedd - Stay The Night - featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore

  Michael Malarkey - Damage Me Deeply

  Halsey - Experiment On Me

  Billie Eilish - No Time To Die

  JP Cooper - Bits and Pieces

  Koven - Butterfly Effect

  Matchbox Twenty - Push

  The Pretty Reckless - Make Me Wanna Die

  Loren Allred - Never Enough

  The Weeknd - Scared To Live

  Aloe Blacc - I Do

  Ruelle - Monsters

  Dua Lipa - Break My Heart

  Aron Wright - Love Like Ours

  Bring Me The Horizon - i don't know what to say

  Soko - We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow

  YONAKA - Wouldn't Wanna Be Ya

  YONAKA - Own Worst Enemy

  YONAKA - Creature

  PVRIS - White Noise

  Cian Ducrot - fucked up all the time

  All Time Low - Monsters (feat. blackbear)

  You Me At Six - Take on the World

  You Me At Six - Room to Breath

  Band of Horses - The Funeral - Live Acoustic

  BLOXX - Curtains

  Sleeping With Sirens - How It Feels to Be Lost

  Badflower - Move Me

  Motionless In White - Another Life

  Crown The Empire - BLURRY (out of place)

  Picture This - Troublemaker

  Hayley Williams - Why We Ever

  Rivals - Supernova

  VUKOVI - Violent Minds

  YUNGBLUD - Weird!

  Anavae - High

  Halflives - Snake

  Sleeping With Sirens - Agree to Disagree

  Amber Run - Neon Circus

  Anavae - Human

  PVRIS - Gimme a Minute

  Dermot Kennedy - The Corner - Lost In The Soft Light Sessions

  the other girl (with Halsey) Kelsea Ballerini [the other mix]

  SVRCINA - Astronomical

  Dream State - Primrose

  Hands Like Houses - Headrush

  Rivals - Thunderstorm

  The Hunna - Dark Times

  Don Diablo - Inside My Head (Voices)

  Written by Wolves - Demons

  KALEO - Backbone

  ILLENIUM - Feel Something (With I Prevail)

  Fink - Warm Shadow

  Lexxi Saal - Save Your Soul

  HVOB - Sync

  Freya Ridings - Holy Water

  Anavae - Feel Alive

  Shinedown - How Did You Love

  Rews - Miss You In The Dark

  Sia - Saved My Life

  Fleurie - Breathe - Legends of Runeterra Version

  Hayley Williams - Sudden Desire

  Fink - Honesty

  Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm

  Everything Everything - Arch Enemy

  Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes - Bleed

  NF - Can You Hold Me

  Sia - Elastic Heart

  Paramore - Monster - Transformers Soundtrack Version

  NF - Let Me Go

  Bea Miller - i can't breathe

  Bring Me The Horizon - why you gotta kick me when i'm down?

  PVRIS - Are You Ten Years Ago

  Too Close To Touch - Comatose

  Kina - Can We Kiss Forever?

  Winona Oak - Break My Broken Heart

  Bea Miller - like that

  Hayley Williams - Nineteen

  CHVRCHES - Bury It

  I Prevail - DOA [Feat. Joyner Lucas]

  Skylar Grey - goosebumps

  NF - Paralyzed

  Remy Zero - Save Me

  Audible Joes - Bloodsucker Punch

  Yelawolf - Till It's Gone

  AG - My Love Will Never Die

  Paramore - All I Wanted

  Nothing But Thieves - Particles

  NF - Trauma

  P!nk - I Don't Believe You

  Ed Sheeran - Kiss Me

  Anavae - Night

  Anavae - Never Want To Love Again

  My writing playlist:

  Stone Sour - Wicked Game - Acoustic; Live

  Gemma Hayes - Wicked Game

  HIM - Wicked Game

  Wolf Alice - Wicked Game (Live from Spotify London)

  Ryan Sheridan - Wicked Game

  The Hot Damns - Wicked Games

  RAIGN - Wicked Games

  Cory Marks - Outlaws & Outsiders

  Circa Waves - Battered & Bruised

  Lily Kershaw - Soft Dark Nothing

  YONAKA - Fired Up

  The Phantoms - Bad Things

  You Me At Six - Crash

  You Me At Six - Too Young To Feel This Old

  You Me At Six - Always Attract

  You Me At Six - Forgive and Forget

  You Me At Six - You’ve Made Your Bed (So Sleep In It)

  PVRIS - Heaven

  Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Follow You into the Dark

  Shinedown - Save Me - Acoustic

  Badflower - Ghost - Acoustic

  The Fray - How to Save a Life - Live in NYC - 2009

  Boston Manor - On a High Ledge

  Point North - Into The Dark (feat. Kellin Quinn)

  Slaves - Bury a Lie

  Palaye Royale - Lonely

  Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows - King I Am

  Our Last Night - Someone You Loved

  Asking Alexandria - The Violence

  Palaye Royale - You'll Be Fine

  Palaye Royale - Little Bastards

  Enter S
hikari - THE GREAT UNKNOWN

  Normandie - White Flag

  Silverstein - Madness

  Silverstein - Infinite

  Boston Manor - Halo

  PVRIS - Gimme a Minute

  Evanescence - Wasted On You

  New Politics - Ozone

  Hayley Williams - Creepin'

  Slaves - Prayers

  Evanescence - Bring Me To Life

  Asking Alexandria - Down To Hell

  Poppy - BLOODMONEY

  Enter Shikari - thē kĭñg

  Simple Creatures - Strange Love

  Hey Violet - Queen Of The Night

  Emarosa - Ready To Love

  Falling In Reverse - The Drug In Me Is Reimagined

  While She Sleeps - FAKERS PLAGUE

  DREAMERS - Heat Seeker

  Icon For Hire - Hollow

  Sleeping With Sirens - Leave It All Behind

  New Politics - Unstoppable

  Boston Manor - Everything is Ordinary

  VUKOVI - C.L.A.U.D.I.A

  VUKOVI - Run/Hide

  Evanescence - My Immortal

  Hayley Williams - Why We Ever

  Jake Bugg - Saviours of the City

  Kygo - Freedom

  The Weeknd - Heartless - Remix

  The Spiritual Machines - Sleep Walk

  Solomon Grey - Choir To The Wild - Extended

  Winona Oak - Lonely Hearts Club

  Anavae - Whatever The Case May be

  AWOLNATION - Battered, Black & Blue (Hole In My Heart)

  Rews - Rip Up My Heart

  Green Carnation - Wicked Game - Chris Isaak Cover

  Lacey Sturm - The Decree

  Asking Alexandria - House On Fire

  Lewis Capaldi - Before You Go - Piano Version

  Violet Skies - Lonely

  Alex Lahey - Sucker For Punishment

  Zella Day - People Are Strangers

  BLOXX - Thinking About Yourself

  Saint Raymond - Right Way Round

  John Murphy - Sunshine (Adagio in D Minor)

  The Beaches - Give It Up

  AG - My Love Will Never Die

  Yelawolf - Hard White (Up In The Club)

  Written by Wolves - Let It Burn (Acoustic)

  PVRIS - Ghosts

  PVRIS - Winter

  Acknowledgments

  My parents - Thank you for all that you do for me. I love you guys very much.

  LJ and Taylor- I love you both to infinity and beyond

  The amazing ladies of Clean Teen Publishing, Rebecca, Courtney and Marya, thank you for your continued belief in me and my books.

  Melanie Newton- Thank you for being you and for being my go-to person. I don’t think I would cope without having you there to bounce ideas off and for just letting me be me.

  Marya- the cover for Wicked Game is everything I could have dreamed off, the perfect nod to my favourite musical and song! Thank you so much for another breath-taking cover.

  Jaime Cross- My trusty beta reader…thank you for all you do!

  Thank you to Holly McMiller, who keeps my Facebook going when I get lost in worlds of my own creation!

  To Melanie’s Musers- The best group of people you could ever meet in your life! You guys don’t know just how awesome you are.

  Thank you to all the readers, who have embraced Ryan and her story. She is one of the best characters to ever force me to tell her story.

  About the Author

  Susan Harris is a writer from Cork in Ireland. An avid reader, she quickly grew to love books in the supernatural/fantasy genre. When she is not writing or reading, she loves music, oriental cultures, tattoos, anything Disney and psychology. If she wasn't a writer she would love to be a FBI profiler or a PA for Dave Grohl or Jared Leto.

  Susan LOVES connecting with her fans!

  www.susanharrisauthor.com

  Thank you for reading Wicked Game; I hope you enjoyed my book!

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  If you loved Wicked Game, please tell your friends about my book and consider leaving a review. Reviews are like vampire novels; you can't ever have enough of them. Thanks for reading my book!" ~Susan Harris

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