There was one single thing which might just be enough to save me from his anger, but it also might be pushing him too far. Though at this point, it was pretty much my only option. I’d meant to continue mopping as I hunted around down here so that I could just play dumb and make out I’d still been cleaning, but of course that plan had gone to shit and I’d just abandoned the cleaning stuff by the door.
So I only had one hope. One crazy idea that I could try to cover for my own recklessness.
“I thought you liked the hunt, Officer?” I called in a taunting voice before turning and hurrying away from the tank, slipping down the next aisle of machinery. The general hum of magic and grinding gears should have been enough to cover the sound of my heartbeat and breaths even from his Vampire hearing and I was hoping that luring him into the hunt would distract him from any questions he might have about what I’d really been up to.
A deep growl echoed off of the walls and my heart leapt as I slipped between two huge machines and through a doorway which led into a massive storage room stacked with supplies from Mess Hall trays, to blankets and spare jumpsuits.
“You can run, Twelve, but I’m faster than you!” Cain yelled. “And when I catch you, you’ll be sorry you disobeyed me.”
“Are you going to spank me?” I called back before diving behind a mountainous stack of toilet paper. I was surprised the label on it didn’t read extra scratchy because it sure felt like they went out of their way to get the horrible stuff when I was wiping.
I held my breath as footsteps sounded beyond my hiding place and Cain shot past, heading for the back of the room.
I rounded the toilet paper mountain and turned for the exit, breaking into a sprint just as a low snarl sounded behind me.
I raced out into the room filled with machinery again and skidded to my right before pressing my back to a huge generator which was roaring with power.
Cain burst around the corner a second later and lunged at me with his fangs bared.
My fist snapped out on instinct and I caught him straight in the jaw, busting his lip open in the process.
We both froze for half a second as the shock of what I’d just done washed over us then he shot towards me again with a manic smile lighting his face.
He caught my waist and whirled me back against the generator with a deep growl.
“Do you think you can fight me off, Twelve?” he purred, his eyes alive with the rush of the hunt.
“That sounds like you want me to try, sir,” I replied, tension coiling in my muscles at the thought of it.
“Oh you can try.”
The moment the words left his lips, I swung my fist into his side as hard as I could and after years of taking part in underground cage fights for fun, that was pretty damn hard.
He winced and I followed it up with an upper cut to his chin before lurching forward and slamming my shoulder into his gut.
He fell back as expected, but his arms locked around me and he dragged me down with him.
Cain rolled as we hit the floor, forcing me beneath him and snatching a fistful of my long hair into his grip.
He lunged forward and I cried out as his fangs drove into my neck a moment later.
Cain groaned in pure ecstasy as my blood spilled over his lips and he caught my left hand in his grip, pinning it to the floor above my head while running his other hand ran down the length of my body.
I gasped as his fingers moved over my breast and my nipple hardened through my thin clothes. I arched my back so that my body was pressed to his more firmly and I moaned as I felt how hard he was between my thighs.
This was so wrong on so many levels, but it just felt so fucking good that I couldn’t even consider stopping it.
Always a sucker for an Alpha, Rosa.
I moved my hands to his chest and started unhooking his buttons as my body throbbed with pure need.
Cain groaned into my neck and dragged his teeth free of my flesh before leaning back to look down at me.
“Stop,” he growled as I got half of his buttons open, though I could see the heat burning in his gaze. He wanted this just as much as I did.
“Are you worried about getting into trouble, Officer?” I mocked. He had me pinned to the floor while he drained my blood and dry humped me. It wasn’t really like he’d be in any less trouble if he just gave in to what his body was craving anyway.
“You’re the one who will be in trouble when I drag you down to interrogation to find out what the hell you were doing down here,” he snapped.
I tipped my head back and laughed and he pushed himself to his feet before hauling me up behind him.
“Let’s see how long you keep giggling once Dr Quentin gets to work on you,” he growled.
I narrowed my eyes at him as I yanked my arm out of his grip. “Think again, Officer,” I purred darkly. “Because if I end up in interrogation with that freaky Cyclops, the first thing I’ll be offering up are memories of your teeth in my neck and your hands on my body. Then we’ll find out what upsets the Warden most. Do you think you’ll last long when you’re tossed into gen pop with the masses?”
Cain snarled at me but his gaze flickered uncertainly as he realised I had him over a barrel.
“In fact,” I breathed, reaching out to fasten his buttons for him. “I’m pretty sure I only came down here because you told me to. Because you wanted to get me where the cameras weren’t watching.”
“You little bitch,” he snarled.
I pouted at him and reached out to cup his cheek in my hand. “I can be your best friend or your worst nightmare, Officer,” I said sweetly. “We can keep on playing these games you like so much and I can stay far, far away from interrogation. Or you can drag me down there and I’ll start singing like a canary. It’s simple.”
“You don’t want to go up against me, Twelve,” Cain threatened, rage simmering in his eyes.
“No, Mason. I already told you once before,” I purred. “You’re the one who should fear making an enemy of me.”
I sat in my cell, brushing my hair to get the tangles out. It was a matter of pride for a Lion to keep his mane tended and I could hear my father’s voice ringing in my head about upholding the Nights’ reputation. Not that I was upholding anything anymore. Since I’d been imprisoned, my dad hadn’t visited me once. I’d brought shame on the family. Even my three moms only came on birthdays and holidays. I’d once made my dad proud enough to burst. We were a family of thieves going back generations. And I was the first one to be put behind bars.
My gut twisted as I thought of them. My brother was coming to visitation today and though I always loved seeing him, it also dragged up the subject of my parents. And that was the sort of wound that wouldn’t heal right. Lions needed their pride to feel content, but I was outcasted from that life now. And I’d never formed strong enough bonds with the other Lionesses in here to create anything that even came close to resembling a pride.
Male Lions didn’t tend to socialise with each other if they weren’t family and were instinctively pushed to fight for dominance. My gut twisted as I remembered the last male I’d gone up against. His bones cracking beneath my paws, his final roar which had echoed on through the Order Yard even after I’d sent him into death.
Darkmore had made me a killer. A monster. I was as black hearted as the worst convicts in this place now. And even though I knew I’d done my primal duty, it didn’t make me feel any less shitty about it. In the real world, there was enough space for male Lions to live away from each other in peace. But in here, we were forced together. And since Rasheen had died at my hand, the rest of the males had bowed to me, keeping their distance as much as Faely possible. So long as they didn’t challenge me, I wouldn’t be forced to fight again. But if that day came, I knew I’d do whatever it took to maintain my position of power. And that was somehow worse than anything else. I wasn’t just a Fae forced to defend himself, I was a killer who would kill again to keep his position. And with the amount of time I had le
ft to serve in Darkmore, I was sure that day would come.
It would be another fifteen years before I’d be set free. I’d be in my late forties, I’d have missed out on half my life, and I’d have no home to go to. And what if my moms or dad got sick in that time? What if something happened to them and I wasn’t there to say goodbye? To heal this rift between us-
My brush got stuck in a tangle and I ripped it free with a growl of frustration, tossing it across the room so it hit the wall. I immediately regretted it as the wooden brush broke in half and I sighed, dropping my head into my hands. What was the point anyway? Who was I doing it for? No one in here cared whether my mane was tame or not. I could shave it off for all it mattered. My gut tugged at the thought and I knew I could never really do it. I still had a vague hope that my father would find it in his heart to forgive me one day. That he’d show up at visitation with Leon. Maybe that was why I was trying to look my best today…
“What are you growling about?” Rosalie’s voice carried from her cell.
I ignored her, fighting to unravel the knot in my chest. I only had an hour until my brother would be here and I was going to have a head full of tangles now. It would be just my luck that my father did turn up today and he’d see what had become of his worthless first born.
“Hey,” Rosa’s voice sounded to my right as she stepped into my cell. “Are you okay?”
I grunted in answer and felt her weight pressing down the bed beside me.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” she asked gently, her voice like sunshine breaking through the clouds of my mind. But I didn’t want to tell her about this. It was shameful to have lost the respect of my family, especially when hers adored her to the ends of the earth and back. Even in here, she hadn’t been locked in irons and carted away to Darkmore. She’d chosen to come on some crazy mission that would earn her even more respect if she pulled it off. I wanted that for her, I’d do anything to help her, I just hoped it was really possible.
“Is it because you broke your hairbrush?” she asked, a note of amusement in her tone.
I growled low in my throat and felt her leave the bed, but didn’t lift my head to see what she was doing. A moment later, I heard her leave the cell and I sighed, dropping my head further.
I’d wasted too much of my free life being an arrogant piece of shit, only caring about my next big heist. But one day, when I got out of here, I was never going to take the people I cared about for granted again.
“This pity party is wild,” Rosalie said as she returned to my cell. She dropped down beside me again and placed something on my knee. “Here.” She leaned in close, her mouth moving to my ear. “Nothing a little earth magic couldn’t fix.”
I lifted my head, dropping my hands and gazing down at the wooden brush on my knee, now completely fixed. And not just that, she’d carved a Lion on the back of it and fixed all the bristles which had broken during the years I’d had it. I picked it up with a heavy sigh, glancing at Rosa with warmth in my heart. “Thank you, little pup.”
Her eyes swallowed me whole for a moment and I reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, losing myself to her familiar presence. She was a piece of the life I’d lost. A constant reminder of the powerful, respected Lion I’d once been. And she still looked at me like I was that same Alpha beast. But she was wrong.
“What’s got you so sad?” she asked, a frown creasing her brow.
“You wouldn’t understand.” I tore my gaze away from her and she released a growl of annoyance.
“I’m not a child anymore, Roary, stop treating me like one.” She snatched the brush from my knee and reached out to comb it through my hair.
I caught her wrist at the last second, a snarl tearing from my lips. “Do you know what it means to brush a Lion’s mane, pup?”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know what you think it means, but I think it means I wanna do you a favour and sort out the bramble bush you’re wearing on your head, Roar.”
I cracked a smile, guiding her hand down to rest in her lap. “It’s a big deal for Lions.”
I’d never let anyone brush my hair since I was a kid and my moms had done it. My dad had taught me to wait until I found my queens, but I guessed in this hell hole, there wasn’t much chance for real love. And Rosa was the closest thing to family I had, so maybe it wasn’t the worst idea in the world.
“It can mean what we want it to mean.” She leaned in conspiratorially as if we were sharing a secret and a smirk tugged up my lips.
“Alright, but you’ll probably fall in love with me even harder if you do it, so I can’t be held responsible for that,” I teased and she shoved me in the shoulder as I chuckled.
I dropped down onto the floor and she shifted behind me, drawing my head back into her lap. Her legs hung down either side of me and I took hold of them, taking her bare feet into my hands.
“Tickle me and die, Roary Night,” she warned and I snorted a laugh, sorely tempted to do it just to wind her up. But I lost all thoughts of that entirely as she ran the brush through my hair and pleasure skittered along my scalp and down my spine. A groan escaped me as she did it again and my eyes became hooded with every stroke of the brush. It felt so. Fucking. Good.
A deep purr started up in my chest and she giggled as she continued to tease the knots out of my hair and I tumbled into Lion heaven, letting my eyes fall closed as my whole body vibrated.
I started running my thumbs in circles on the pads of her feet and her toes curled up, but she didn’t pull away.
“You’re good at this,” I sighed, relaxing completely.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so at ease. You could never let your guard down in this place, but with her I didn’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back. I trusted her implicitly. And I hoped she trusted me too, because having a true friend in here was the most valuable asset anyone could have.
“I used to braid my cousins’ hair for them all the time,” Rosa said. “And I always did Aunt Bianca’s for parties. She said it was ironic that such a wild Wolf could tame the unruliest fur so well.”
“She loves that you’re wild,” I commented, but what I really wanted to say was I love that you’re wild. And I’m so glad you never lost that.
“Yeah…sometimes I feel bad though. I made her life so difficult, always breaking things or getting stuck places, getting into accidents. I’ll never forget the time I fell from the porch roof and broke my ankle. She almost had an aneurism.”
I squeezed her foot as a smile pulled at my mouth. “Life would be dull if no one ever got into trouble. Especially you.”
“True, I guess there’s just more consequences when you’re an adult.” She sighed and I sensed a heaviness to her which made my heart tug.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah…I mean…not really. I miss home.”
“You’ll be able to have visitors after you’ve been here a month,” I said gently, though I knew that wasn’t the biggest comfort in the world. And with her plans to get out of here, I sensed there was more she wasn’t saying, but as I went to answer she slid her hand onto my cheek.
“I’m so sorry I’m one of the reasons you’re in here.” She leaned down, pressing her lips to my forehead and my throat tightened. “I’ll get you out,” she breathed.
I turned around sharply, rising onto my knees and gripping her shoulders. “You’re not responsible for me being in here, Rosa,” I growled. “You don’t owe me anything.”
A part of me knew getting out of this place was impossible too, and though I desperately wanted her to escape this fate, I feared she’d signed away her life by coming here. Maybe she was starting to realise that now she was really here and it was no longer just some wild plan to get excited about at home, surrounded by her kin.
Her legs were still parted either side of me and her cheeks lined with colour under the intensity of my stare. I swallowed the lump in my throat as my eyes drifted to her lips and a feral part of me
ached to claim them again. Her legs closed around me, her thighs tightening on my sides and drawing a low growl of desire from my throat.
I cupped her cheek and a ragged breath passed her lips as I pushed myself onto the bed and leaned over her. I let my gaze travel to the swell of her breasts and her legs locking around my waist. She was my little Rosa, my sinful temptation. Ten years had passed and forged her into the most desirable creature I’d ever known. But I’d aged in that time too, and no magic in Solaria could change that. I was always going to be that much older, always going to have loyalties to her cousin Dante. I needed to protect her in this place, not take advantage of her.
I hooked my hands beneath her and dragged her up into a firm hug. She clutched onto me with a whine in the back of her throat and I nuzzled into the side of her head in answer to it. I would always be here for her, but I could never cross the line drawn in the sand between us. I had to be strong, even when my body begged for me to betray that resilient part of myself. I would be her thief, her rock, her weapon, whenever she needed. But I could never be hers. And she could never be mine.
***
I headed up to level two with the rest of the inmates who had visitors today. We bypassed the Mess Hall and headed down a long corridor, guided by Officer Lyle toward visitation.
“I’ve got a good one for you today, old man,” I teased as I fell into step beside him, feeling miles better after my time with Rosa.
Lyle had been my C.O. when I’d first entered Darkmore. I wouldn’t exactly call us friends, but maybe on the outside of this place we could have been something that resembled that.
He chuckled softly. “It won’t be funnier than the Medusa with the snake charmer one.”
“It’s better,” I promised and he puffed out his chest as he waited for me to spill it. He was the only person in this prison who appreciated my Order jokes.
“A Tiberian Rat, a Pegasus and an Incubus walk into a bar,” I started and Lyle rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “They sit down together and notice there’s a huge pot of gold sitting on the bar. So the Pegasus calls out to the bartender, ‘Hey, what’s all that gold for?’ and the bartender says, ‘It’s a prize for anyone who can drink an entire bottle of Sourache. Competitors have to go into that room over there and pull a splinter from a pissed off Dragon Shifter’s foot in his Order form, then go upstairs and fuck the hundred year old lady up there until she’s satisfied’.”
Darkmore Penitentiary (Supernatural Prison for Dark Fae Book 1) Page 28