by G. Bailey
At last, he turns to me. “You okay?”
I nod, admittedly shocked by the whole ordeal. “I’ve never been part of a riot before. That’s what it was, right? A prison riot?”
“Yeah.”
“Is Axel and the others going to be okay?”
He gives a grim nod. “Yeah.”
Another one-word answer. I think he’s still too heated to talk. Maybe he needs a different topic until I’m sure he’s settled.
“What made you want to become a warden here?” I probe him, patting the space beside me on the bed.
Luke hesitates, glancing at the door and back again. “My sister was a prison warden and so was my father before they died,” he answers, walking over and sitting on the bed. “My uncle still works here.”
I can sense his magic simmering in his body, the familiar burning leaves smell invading my nostrils. That tells me he is really pissed. I wonder what set him and the riot off.
“So this job runs in the family, huh?” I think about the last part. “Who is your uncle?”
He casts me a guarded glance, then looks back at the door, his grip tightening on his gun. “Warden Kyle.”
“No. Fucking. Way. That asshole? I mean, sorry, but… he’s, uhh, intense?”
“That’s one word for him.”
“What happened to your sister and dad?”
Another glance, and a crease forms between his brows as he considers my question. “They were killed, by inmates, in a riot much like this. My uncle never got over it.”
The silence that drifts between us should be tense, but it’s not. I inch closer to him, pressing my palm into the blanket draped over my bed. Just a few more inches and I’ll be able to touch his hand.
“I’m sorry about your family,” I whisper, slyly touching him with my pinkie.
Luke frowns my hand, but then slowly, like sunrays breaking out through the clouds, his frown lets up.
“So you wanted to become a warden because your dad and sis were?” I repeat, hoping this subject is a good one for him. He seems to loosen up a little when he talks about his family.
“I had no choice. None of us here do,” he mutters, then realising what he just said, looks up at me in alarm. “Enough questions for now, jaybird.”
I nod. “Okay. Then how about we play a game?”
He quirks his mouth. “What game?”
“How long can Izora and Luke sit on this bed without kissing again.”
Finally, he laughs, just a little one, and it makes me stupidly happy.
His laugh is quick to vanish when someone knocks on the door.
“It’s Gold. Open up.”
“Guard the door, warden.” Gold’s voice all but growls as he slams the door, his coat whipping around him.
Luke stands from my side and looks between us once, not moving from his spot until I nod with a small smile. He then turns on his heel and makes sure to smack his shoulder into Gold’s as he passes by to stand in front of the door, his arms crossed and his eyes never leaving mine. Gold watches him with a look of murder on his face.
“Sorry about him,” I say hurriedly, hoping to diffuse the tension. “He’s a little moody after today.”
Gold snaps his gaze to me. “He is my warden and not yours to make excuses for,” he growls. I’m speechless on that as he comes to sit next to me. “Anyway, I came to check on you and make sure you’re okay.”
I go to reply when a small huffing noise grabs my attention. Gold unzips his coat and pulls out a tiny little creature. It kind of looks like a miniature cow teddy bear, with large floppy ears and massive brown eyes. Its fur is a mixture of brown and white strands that makes him look super soft. The creature huffs again, and Gold places him on the ground, where he runs off into the shadows.
“I couldn’t leave him up there, alone,” Gold grumbles, watching the creature hide.
We might not be able to see it but we can smell and hear it. It’s a noisy but cute little thing.
Luke laughs. “Why exactly are you protecting it, Gov? There are hundreds of them around the prison and thousands in the forest. Most fae eat them.”
“Oh my god, they don’t really, do they?” I’m absolutely horrified. How could anyone eat something so sweet?
“Oz is fucking different and not like a normal patron creature,” Gold states, glowering at Luke and then smiling at me. “You won’t believe me, but fuck, Oz has saved my life dozens of times. He can smell poison and warns me not to eat and drink when he knows it will kill me. He has woken me up when inmates have snuck into my room to slit my throat. Oz might be a rodent to the shadowborn world for everyone else, but to me? He’s my lifesaver. The least I can do is keep him safe.”
This is a surprisingly tender side to Gold I never expected.
“Does he have a friend? Only I’d like an Oz,” I ask with a big grin.
“He is one of a kind,” Gold drawls, his eyes washing over me.
We all stay in silence for a moment, listening to the raid outside and the screams of the inmates. I hope Axel and Memphis are okay. A thought pops into my head. It’s something I’ve been meaning to ask since I won.
“Gold, can I have a chunk of stone or rock?” I flutter my lashes at him, biting down on my lower lip. Anything to get what I want.
Luke grumbles something, but I can’t hear it.
“Why?” Gold asks me, leaning closer. “You want to hit my head with it? Wouldn’t be the first time someone’s done that.”
I clear my throat, wishing he just said yes. “No. A girl I got close to died in the Blood Trials, and her wish was for a headstone for her brother, who also died in the arena. I want to make the headstone the best I can, with their names on it and place it by the tree she told me about.”
Palpitations jump in my chest as I wait for his answer.
“I will do it for you,” Gold says after a long pause. “Inmates aren’t allowed to place headstones or anything on prison grounds, but I am.”
“Thank you. I’ll write down their names when we get out of here,” I say.
“Write them on me,” Gold instructs, tugging his sleeve up and finding a magic quill in his coat pocket.
My hands burn as I touch his skin and slowly draw the names there.
Luke clears his throat. “What caused the riot, Gov?”
Gold doesn’t even hesitate. “Memphis was found in the lab with his group of twenty guarding him. As you can imagine, a fight broke out. Axel was doing a damn good job distracting me,” Gold replies as if this is an everyday occurrence. “I’m sure they’re regretting it now.”
“Why would they break into the lab?” I question, more confused than enlightened.
Gold remains silent, so Luke answers me. “They probably wanted to find out why the tests are so important and what they do.”
“Do you know?” I ask Gold. Surely, he must since it’s his prison.
“No.”
His curt, one-word answer is clearly all I’m getting for now.
I will find out what’s going on in that laboratory one way or another. I just need to earn Gold’s trust as well as his desire.
I nearly jump out of my skin when Oz climbs up my leg and onto my lap. He curls up into a ball, only his ears sticking out. I gently stroke his back as he drifts off to sleep. In the corner of my eye, I see Gold smile at Oz before snapping his expression back to its usual coldness.
Turns out Governor Gold has a soft side, and its name is Oz.
To many prisoners, visiting day is the highlight of their week. It should be the one thing I look forward to in this place. When I find out it’s my step-sister who’s come to pay her respects, my excitement is quick to plummet into dread. I’d prefer to watch paint dry, in all honesty. Hell, I’d rather there was another riot like yesterday than endure a whole hour in my sister’s company.
I smooth a hand down my pink blouse, flick a loose thread off my pale grey jeans, and nod to Luke. “Okay. I’m ready to face my executioner again.”
&nb
sp; Luke chuckles, opening the door that leads to the visiting centre. It’s at the front of the prison, located behind security and sandwiched between the Processing Room and what Luke says is the wardens’ staffroom. Some inmates are strolling by with black eyes and bruises. Yikes. The riot must’ve really kicked off while I was locked up in my room.
“Is Willow really that bad?” he asks as we walk down the corridor.
“Think of the worst person you’ve ever met,” I tell him. “Now imagine three of them squished into a tiny body that’s hell-bent on making your life a living misery. That’s my sister.”
“Got it. Was it her dad that married Grand Warden Greene? Your surnames are different.”
It takes a moment to realise he’s referring to my mother. “Yeah, he married my mum when I was a kid. I wanted to keep my mum’s maiden name. Izora Dawn sounds way more badass than Izora Greene, ya know.”
He chuckles, leading me to an open door guarded by various wardens. I can already hear the chattering from outside. I step into the visiting centre. The room is extremely bland and bare minimum. On one side, there’s a couple of water coolers, and the other has plastic chairs huddled around coffee tables. Most of the seats have already been occupied while a group of wardens patrols the floor.
“She’s over there,” Luke says, pointing to the chair by the window. “You get up to an hour. I’ll stand by your table.”
“I can’t wait for this. Really. I’m overjoyed,” I drawl, rolling my eyes.
I barely reach Willow when she pounces off her chair and gasps, “Oh, Izy!”
She throws out her arms and envelopes me into a false embrace. I look around, wondering who she’s putting this show on for. My step-sister has hugged me probably twice in all the years I’ve known her. Even then, it was just to whisper insults in my ear so that I’d lash out and get grounded.
After putting on such a realistic performance of sisterly love, Willow sits back in her chair, ushering me over to the one across from her. She casts Luke a glance beside our table, his hands behind his back, eyes scanning the room along with the other wardens.
“Is that Derek Luke?” she whispers to me, pointing her head at him. I nod and she giggles. “Oh my gosh. Just wait until the girls hear about this.”
“When you’re quite done checking my warden out, Willow, tell me why you’re here.”
She straightens her back, sitting the prim and proper way my mother always wanted me to. “Why, I came to see you, of course. You’re my sis, and I’ve been worried about you.”
“So worried you never wrote a letter?”
Her throat works, and she snaps her jaw shut. Choosing to ignore my comment, she flicks her long, white hair over one shoulder and says, “How are things in here? Has anyone, you know, made you drop the soap in the shower yet?”
It’s Luke who laughs at the ridiculous comment. He quickly clears his throat and pulls himself together. I grin at him, then face my stupid sister.
“No, Willow. I haven’t been peter gazing in prison.”
“Thank Selena. I’ll let Mother know once we find her.”
My pulse spikes. “Find her?”
“That’s why I came here.” She looks over shoulder and around the room, then lowers her voice. “Mother has been missing since you were sentenced. Father and I thought she needed space and perhaps went to visit our home in Helios, but…she hasn’t come back and the staff there haven’t seen her since we were last there. Do you have any idea where she could’ve gone? Father is worried sick.”
I feel like the wind has been kicked from my sails. It takes every scrap of willpower not to lose my shit in front of so many people. My mother has been missing for weeks, and I’m just being told about it? My mind races with a million different scenarios. The most painful one of all is… what if the wardens who took me away have now taken her?
“When and where was she last seen?” I ask in a low voice, an attempt to mask the rage that is only seconds from erupting.
“The day you were sentenced. Once they took you away, Mother stayed behind to beseech the Grand Warden. She never came home that night.”
So the last person to see her might have been the warden that sentenced me? I think I know who can help me.
I stand from my chair, but Willow grabs my wrist. “Wait! You can’t just leave. You never answered my question. Where do you think she’s gone?”
“Oh, please,” I snarl, scrunching my face in disgust. “You and your dad have been waiting for my mum to just ‘disappear’ for years now so you can have her fortune. Don’t you dare sit here pretending to be concerned about her!”
Luke takes my arm and steers me away before I make an even bigger scene. I’m shaking from head-to-foot and I feel sick, disgusted by the news. My mother might have been cold and distant with me growing up, and we are a far cry from a normal mother-daughter relationship, but she’s still my mother and only living relative. She would never just up and disappear. Her job is far too important to her.
“She’s been taken,” I tell Luke, my voice trembling. “I know it.”
He pulls us into a corner of the hallway that’s quiet. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thank you…” The tremble in my voice catches my bottom lip, and I bite down hard on it. “I need to let off some steam.”
I think he knows where this is going because he looks away and shakes his head, clearly troubled.
“Don’t do it,” he begs in a whisper, closing his eyes. “Your life is worth more, jaybird.”
That may be true, but right now, I need another reward.
And the only way to get that is to sign up for this week’s Blood Trials.
After putting my name down for Saturday, I practically charge into Scott’s classroom without even checking to see if he’s teaching anyone. Thankfully, he’s alone, his nose buried in a worn-out copy of the Book of Zorya.
He pushes off the edge of his desk and smiles at me, closing the book. “Morning, Izora. How are you today?”
I march right up to him, requesting, “I need your help.”
Scott sets the book down and rests his hands on my shoulders, searching my expression. My professor looks extremely sexy today in his black tie and slacks. His cream shirt is rolled up at the sleeves, showing off his many tattoos. Unfortunately, I don’t take the time I usually do to check him out whenever I see him. My mind is fixed on someone else.
“Anything,” he whispers.
“My mum has gone missing. She’s apparently been gone for weeks, but Willow only told me just now. I’m really worried. Could you ask around about her?”
I know I shouldn’t be asking him for favours, but I need this.
Scott sucks a breath in through his teeth. “I heard a high up went missing. I didn’t know it was your mum,” he replies with a frown before pulling me into a hug. “But of course I will do anything I can.”
“Thank you,” I mumble against his chest, enjoying his arms around me.
I’m so thankful he no longer holds back. I used to daydream about him holding me like this, which seems like a lifetime ago.
“Gage Micheals is waiting for you in the next room,” he tells me, and I eye him curiously. “I think once a month you should see him and talk out anything you need. Gage is good at his job, damn good, and you’ve been through hell. I think it’ll do you good.”
“I don’t know,” I reply. There was a reason I avoided therapy at the academy, and I don’t want to start now. Then Abbie’s face and final moments flash before my eyes, and I pause.
“Please?” he murmurs and it’s surprisingly really cute.
Cute enough that I find myself nodding in agreement.
He grins and walks me to the door. Before he knocks to ask Luke to open the door, he kisses my cheek and his lips linger for a moment more than necessary, his beard tickling my cheek. I close my eyes and enjoy the brief token of affection before he knocks. In a matter of seconds, Luke has the door open, his eyes swiftly checking me
over for any injury before looking at Scott.
“Izora is spending the day with Gage. Could you take her next door?” Scott asks coolly.
Luke eyes him with disdain laced in jealousy as he reaches for my hand, all but dragging me from the room and slamming the door shut in Scott’s face.
“You don’t have to stay out here all day. I will be safe with Gage,” I say, certain Luke has some things he wants to do. Other than at night once I’ve fallen asleep, he’s always at my side. Every single day. “Don’t you have days off?”
“You’re never safe here. Never,” Luke grumbles. “And if you knew what I’ve had to protect you from so far, you’d never sleep.”
“Had to protect me?” I spit out, pulling my hand from his. “I’m sorry your job is so inconvenient.”
He knocks on Gage’s door twice before looking at me as I shake with anger. “This was never just a job from day one. You couldn’t be just a job even if I wished to Selena to make it so.”
“Ah, Izora, please come in,” Gage answers the door before I can throw a reply at Luke.
The warden eyes me like I’m the spawn of Satan as I turn to Gage, plastering a fake smile on my lips and heading inside. His room is pretty plain with two worn grey sofas. A fake green-leafed plant stands in the corner of the room by the window, even when it doesn’t need light. Two glass side tables rest next to the facing sofas, and each one has an empty glass on them with a bottle of water.
“I’m Gage Micheals. We didn’t see each other much at Shadowborn Academy, did we?” Gage says as he waves at one of the sofas for me to sit down while he takes the other. I cross my legs under me as I wait for his next response to fill the silence. “Vina must have been wrong. When we talk about you, she always says you’re brave and chatty. She wants to be like you, I suspect.”
“I like Vina as she is,” I mutter.
Gage is good. He’s already using my weak spots to make me lower my defence. Dammit.