Darkmore Penitentiary (Supernatural Prison for Dark Fae Book 1)

by Caroline Peckham

  “So how did you do it?” I asked. “I heard you talking to someone on the phone earlier.”

  “I want more pudding cups.”

  “What?”

  “If you want something from me, I want something from you. You’ve got the followers required to get me mass quantities.”

  “You want my pack collecting pudding cups for you?” I asked in surprise. “That’s a hell of a lot of sugar, even for a guy your size.”

  “I don’t want to eat them. I just want the cups.”

  I paused for a long moment at that. “Can I ask, why?” He had a fucking ton of them already so it wasn’t like he was short on them.

  “You want to speak to someone on the outside. I need pudding cups. Simple.”

  “Okay then. Any chance you’ll take my word on it and let me make that call now?” I tried my luck, wondering if I might be able to use my abundance of charm on him to get my way.

  “Why are pretty girls always so stupid?” he grunted.

  “Hey! I don’t know whether to be offended or complimented by that,” I joked.

  “See? Stupid.”

  Pudding fell silent and I shifted uncomfortably, wondering what that was supposed to mean.

  “Erm, at the risk of sounding more stupid… I’m not entirely sure if we’ve made a deal here or-”

  Pudding’s face suddenly loomed in the dark tunnel between the pudding pots and I gasped as I shifted back out of his way, standing upright again.

  “I’ll show you. Then you’ll see how stupid you are,” he muttered as he emerged from the hole and stood too. He towered above me, his broad frame taking up most of the space left available in the cell around the pudding pot mountain.

  I shifted back against the wall as he passed me and he moved towards his sink before picking up an unopened pudding there.

  He tossed it to me so suddenly that I almost didn’t catch it.

  “What do you see?” he demanded.

  “Erm…vanilla pudding?” I said slowly, knowing I was about to be told I was wrong, but not really having any clue what he wanted me to say.

  “Stupid.” His big hand closed over mine and he uncurled my fingers, making me lay my palm flat before him as he plucked the pudding pot from my hand.

  I watched as he peeled the foil lid off of it and he abruptly upturned the cup, dumping the wobbly vanilla goo onto my hand.

  “What the hell?” I demanded angrily as it slid between my fingers, but Pudding wasn’t listening.

  He stuck his finger into the bottom of the empty cup and pushed down until a snap sounded and he held the cup up for me to look at.

  I frowned into the empty tub at the crack he’d split in the bottom of it.

  “You see it?” Pudding asked.

  “Stronzo, all I see is a crack in the plastic and a crazy motherfucker who just filled my hand with pudding,” I growled, wondering if this was all some weird ass joke or something.

  “Stupid,” he stated again and I growled at him.

  “Keep calling me that and you’ll find out why my name is being whispered all over this prison,” I warned.

  My hand was full of gloop and I was beginning to think he was just messing with me for some weird Bear joke or something and I wasn’t laughing.

  Pudding rolled his eyes at me before fishing his finger back into the pot again and hooking something out from the crack in the bottom of the plastic.

  “These puddings are spelled to stop them turning bad,” he explained as he held a little white square of plastic before my eyes. “They all have one of these hidden in the bottom of the pot to store the magic that keeps them fresh well after they should go off.”

  “Eww. I eat these things. How old are they then?” I demanded.

  “The card holds magic, hound,” he emphasised like I was being intentionally dense.

  “Yeah. That’s great and all but the minuscule amount they’d place in there wouldn’t exactly be enough to-”

  “That’s why I need lots of them,” he said impatiently. “One hundred of these cards combined with a stick of blueberry gum, a length of dental floss, a few mint leaves and the everflames they use in the lightbulbs can make a powerful transmitter.”

  “A transmitter?” I asked curiously, my interest one hundred percent piqued at last. “So you just combine the little scraps of magic from a load of old shit in just the right way and you can make a phone?”

  “A transmitter,” he growled irritably. “There’s no cell service down here. A transmitter takes the sound of your voice and replicates it elsewhere. My brother made a receiver so he can open up the line of communication between us.”

  I stood staring at him in silence for a long minute before a grin broke over my face. “You’re a fucking genius, Pudding,” I announced. “Can I use it?”

  “Stupid girl,” he sighed. “The charge from the pudding cups burns out after three minutes. That’s it. It takes me weeks to collect the cups I need for one conversation.”

  “But my pack can get a hundred a day,” I said, grinning as I realised how I could fit in to his little scheme. “I get you those cups, you make the transmitter thingys then we take turns to make calls.”

  “I can’t bring a hundred pudding cups back here every day. I’ll need cards only. But don’t be obvious in taking them out like stupid pups.”

  “Okay. We can manage that,” I said enthusiastically, moving to shake his hand before looking down at the pudding which still sat in my palm.

  “Go wash your hand now. Let’s see if you can manage this plan.” Pudding waved me away and I didn’t even give a shit about the dismissive attitude. If he could open up a line of communication with Dante for me which the Guards couldn’t spy on, then I could pass vital information back and forth so much more easily than trying to use codes over the phone or during visitation.

  I hurried back into my cell and quickly washed the pudding from my hand before grabbing my wash bag, fresh clothes and towel from my shelf and heading down to join the queue of people waiting for the guards to let us out for a shower.

  I spotted one of Gustard’s lackeys ahead of me and narrowed my eyes as I prowled straight towards her. She was a tall fucker with mean eyes and a Griffin symbol shining on the lapel of her jumpsuit. And her boot had most certainly connected with my body when their group of cowardly stronzos attacked me last night.

  “Twenty Seven,” I barked, spotting the Siren amongst the crowd.

  “Yes?” she asked, looking around at me nervously.

  “Hold my shit.” I shoved my wash stuff and clothes into her hands without bothering to stop as I stalked towards the Griffin.

  She looked around just as my fist flew and she crumpled like a sack of shit as my knuckles impacted with her temple. I gave her a solid kick to the kidney while she was down and she groaned from her position on the ground.

  Six more of Gustard’s little bitches suddenly raced towards me as they realised what I’d done and I lifted my chin, cupping my hands as I howled to the sky.

  “Anyone who wants to join the ranks of the Oscura Clan will make sure that Gustard’s cowardly stronzos fight me one on one like true Fae!” I shouted before the first asshole reached me.

  He was a little fucker, a Tiberian Rat Shifter, but he was fast as hell as he dodged beneath my first punch and drove his fist into my side.

  I moved with the force of the punch and whirled around, kicking him in the ass as I made it behind him. I aimed a punch straight at the back of his head, taking the pain in my knuckles for the reward of seeing him fall beneath me.

  Several Oscura hopefuls had reacted to my offer, moving to intercept some of Gustard’s lackeys so that they couldn’t all attack me at once.

  I whirled towards a Manticore next, racing forward and slamming my shoulder into her gut as I took her down. She shrieked in defiance as we fell to the floor, but I managed to maintain my advantage as I pinned her beneath me, punching, punching, punching until her blood coated my fists and she stopped tr
ying to fight back.

  A hand locked in my hair as another stronzo made it to me and he ripped me backwards off of the defeated Manticore.

  I snarled as he dragged me across the floor by my hair, swinging my leg around and taking out the backs of his knees. He dropped me as he tried to stop himself from falling and I used my low position to swing my fist straight up into his junk.

  I leapt to my feet as the final two bastardos came for me at once. The pair of Minotaurs looked similar enough to mark them out as brothers and I ducked and weaved between them, using my speed to my advantage as I landed swift blows and avoided most of theirs.

  One of them swung a meaty fist at my face, busting my lip open as he caught me in the jaw and I snarled as I leapt at him. I grabbed a fistful of his hair, driving the knuckles of my other hand into his face five times in quick succession before using my hold on his hair to swing him towards his brother as he charged at me.

  Their heads collided with a sickening crack and the two of them fell unconscious at my feet.

  I wiped the back of my hand across my bloody mouth as I panted, looking around at the crowd of onlookers to make sure there were no more assholes looking to dance with me.

  “The Watchers are no longer welcome in this cell block!” I yelled. “So pack up your shit and request a transfer over to stay with your good friend Gustard. Anyone who doesn’t heed this warning will answer to my fists again and again and again until you get the fucking message. And tell your cowardly leader that if he ever locates his balls and wants to fight me Fae on Fae, I’m more than ready to wipe the floor with his smug face too.”

  The bell rang to announce the arrival of the guards to take us to the showers and I stalked through the crowd to the front of the line. Fae scurried out of my way as I moved between them and I couldn’t deny the rush that gave me.

  Twenty Seven hurried over with my stuff and I took it from her with a grunt of acknowledgement before elbowing my way to the front of the crowd.

  Roary smirked at me as I moved to join him, leaning down to speak into my ear. “Making rules now are you? Do you think this cell block belongs to you, little pup?” he asked, the hint of a warning in his voice.

  I licked my busted lip as I looked up at him, the iron tang of blood coating my tongue. “Do you like having The Watchers in here, Roary?” I asked innocently.

  “No.”

  “Then maybe I was just doing you a favour.”

  He snorted a laugh and I smiled in response.

  “Just don’t forget who runs this cell block, little pup,” he said in a firm tone.

  “Every king needs a queen, Roar,” I teased as the bridge slid into place before us and the doors parted to let us out.

  “You want to be my queen, Rosa? Some things never change I guess.”

  “Well if the crown fits…” I winked at him and walked away, striding over the bridge as the guards came into view.

  Cain caught my eye as he took in my slightly bruised and beaten appearance and I smirked at him as I kept walking, putting a little extra swagger into my step as I went. No doubt Gustard would try to come at me twice as hard now, but that was fine by me. I’d never been one to hide in the shadows unnoticed. Not since I’d broken free of the cage my parents had built for me. And I’d survived much worse monsters than Gustard in my lifetime.

  I strolled down the corridor to the showers and a blur of motion in my periphery signalled Cain shooting ahead of me.

  He was standing just inside the locker room door as I passed through it and he reached out to press his hand to my bleeding lip as I stepped inside.

  My eyebrows rose in surprise as I looked up at him and the tingle of healing magic swept beneath my skin as he cured the cuts and bruises I’d gotten from my brawl.

  “Keep moving, Twelve,” he said in a rough voice as he pulled his hand back just as quickly as he’d touched me. “Or you’ll cause a blockage.”

  “We wouldn’t want that,” I mocked, watching as he pushed his thumb between his lips to lick my blood off of it. My heart leapt at the sight and I couldn’t stop myself from staring at his mouth for a long moment. Officer Off Limits was starting to give off some seriously tempting vibes and I was beginning to think it was time we did something about this tension that was building between us.

  I moved away from him and he stayed by the door as the rest of the convicts appeared, but I could still feel his eyes on me.

  I moved to place my things on a hook, kicking my boots off as the sound of the showers starting up filled the open space.

  Plunger strutted past me, tossing his clothes off haphazardly as he went and I slowed my movements. I’d long since learned to wait for him to pick a shower before choosing my own as far from him as physically possible. He liked to get into all sorts of weird and wonderful poses beneath the flow of tepid water and I did not need to see that before I ate my breakfast.

  As expected, Plunger instantly dropped down to press his palms flat to the floor and thrust his ass up under the flow of water like he was hoping to fill it up or something.

  I shuddered as I looked away from him, just thankful that his back end was pointed at the wall so that I didn’t have to endure the rear view of that particular horror show.

  “What the hell is wrong with you, you twisted freak?” a male voice came from my left and I looked around in time to see the new pup who’d arrived yesterday striding towards Plunger like he meant to force him upright again. The guy was fairly big but he hadn’t challenged anyone for a cell the moment he’d arrived, which was enough to tell me he wasn’t going to be on my radar much.

  “There are ladies present,” he snarled. “They don’t wanna look at you doing that!”

  Plunger flipped upright, smiling like a creepy ass clown and silence fell amongst the convicts in the shower room.

  I glanced around to see if Cain was watching this, but he’d stepped outside again. No doubt he was listening in with his bat ears, but the guards wouldn’t intervene unless they absolutely had to anyway.

  “Say that again, friend,” Plunger said in a low tone which had my hackles rising.

  Roary moved to stand at my side and we exchanged a glance as we waited to see how this would play out.

  “I’m asking you to stop bending over with your asshole in the air,” the pup growled.

  Plunger raised his hands innocently and moved back to his shower. “Didn’t mean to offend you, pup,” he said in an overly innocent tone.

  The pup smirked as he moved to stand under the next shower along, but the tightness in my gut didn’t ease.

  Plunger picked up a bar of soap and began to scrub it under his armpits vigorously. He started moaning and groaning as he scrubbed it down his hairy belly and rubbed it all over his junk with way too much vigour. He kept moaning, sounding like he was about to come and the pup growled angrily from the shower beside him.

  Plunger turned and bent over, pointing his ass at the new pup while he scrubbed the soap between his cheeks, causing suds to froth up all over his body as he groaned loudly in exaggerated pleasure.

  “Oooooh yeah, that’s the business,” he moaned.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” The pup stepped towards him with his shoulders pressed back and Plunger lunged. He flipped around so quickly that the motion was practically a blur.

  The pup swung a fist at him but Plunger ducked beneath it, wrapping his arms around his waist and knocking him off of his feet to the wet floor.

  The pup cried out as Plunger punched him over and over with the fist holding the bar of soap. Suds flew everywhere and the rest of the inmates in the shower scattered.

  The pup tried to fight back but Plunger was like a savage beast, his eyes wild with fury as he punched and punched.

  They rolled across the wet tiles and Plunger scrambled on top, slamming his bare balls down on the pup’s chest.

  I cringed at the mere thought of it and glanced at Roary as his upper lip curled back.

  Plunger suddenly gra
bbed the pup’s face, forcing his mouth open before driving the soap down his throat. I caught sight of a curly black hair sticking to it before it disappeared into his mouth and I damn near threw up.

  “For the love of the moon,” I growled in disgust.

  “Do we still have a problem, pup?” Plunger snarled as the new kid kicked and choked beneath him while he slapped a hand over his mouth to keep the soap in there. “Or can I resume my daily routine in peace?”

  The kid was turning blue, his thrashing limbs losing power.

  “Holy shit, he’s going to kill him,” a girl muttered behind me.

  The door banged open and Cain shot into the room, skidding to a halt behind Plunger and the pup. He ripped his baton from his belt, set it to stun and drove it into the puddle of water at his feet.

  The rubber soles of his boots protected him from the blast but Plunger, the pup and several Fae who were still standing in the water all fell prey to the blast.

  “Get the fuck out of here!” Cain bellowed at all of us. “No showers for you today! If you behave like animals in here then you can stink like them too!”

  He strode towards the new pup and shoved him over with his boot before smacking him on the back with his baton which he’d switched off.

  The pup heaved the soap out of his mouth and started coughing his guts up after it as he lay his cheek down in the puddle of water on the floor and tried to catch his breath.

  “Whoops,” Plunger gasped, covering his mouth in exaggerated horror. “Seems like that little shock made me wet myself!”

  The pup cried out as he tried to scramble out of the puddle and Cain snarled angrily as he strode out of it himself.

  “What are you all still doing here?!” he bellowed. “Get dressed and fuck off up to breakfast. Unless you want me to ban you from that today too?”

  I snatched my clothes from my hook and quickly pulled my jumpsuit on as we all hurried to follow his commands.

  Missing showers was a pain in the ass, but missing breakfast was unthinkable. The mail slot was only open in the mornings for inmates to collect their letters from home and I was expecting a letter from my cousin today. A very important letter which should help me figure out my issues with that Order Suppressant tank.