Darkmore Penitentiary (Supernatural Prison for Dark Fae Book 1)

by Caroline Peckham

  I fell into step with Roary as we headed out of the showers and nudged his arm with mine, nuzzling his shoulder for a moment affectionately.

  “What’s got you so happy, little pup?” he asked, drawing me under his arm.

  “Things are all coming together,” I replied, offering him a smirk. “Today is gonna be a good day.”

  He laughed at my happy mood and didn’t release me as we started up the stairs. And the feeling of his arm wrapped around me had my smile growing even more.

  I heaved myself up onto the pull-up bar in the gym as sweat dripped down my bare back. A grunt of effort passed my lips as I forced my arms to work harder, pulling myself up and down faster than any other fucker in the gym. When I worked out, I was a soldier, a fucking mercenary. It didn’t matter if I was the biggest guy in the room or the smallest, I’d still beat every asshole in here because I had no mental barriers, no walls to hit. I could push into pain until it started to feel like ecstasy. And that was my favourite place to live.

  When I was done with my set, I climbed up onto the bar, sitting there as I gazed over the huge gym. Voices caught my ear behind me and I turned my head to look at the boxing ring. Ethan Shadowbrook was sparring with his pack, taking them on one by one and laying them out as flat as pancakes every time. He was the sort of Fae I could admire for his strength. And the lifestyle he led made my blackened heart tug. My kind were solitary by nature, but we craved the warmth of other bodies. I could never form connections beyond the bedroom so what Shadowbrook had was something I wasn’t capable of. Incubus’s were made for lust, not love. But I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like to have family who would go to the ends of the world for you. My mother had taken one walk for me, the one which had led her to the garbage can where I’d been left to die. A real funeral for a king. Oh well. C’est la fucking vie.

  Rosalie caught my eye across the room, benching two hundred pounds like a pro. It was boner city, especially the way her bare stomach muscles flexed beneath her sports bra. The Darkmore gym clothes were black, plain, dull. But she wore them like a rainbow. And I wanted to turn into a Pegasus and ride right through her.

  Shadowbrook whistled to catch the attention of the whole gym and I turned my gaze in his direction again as he directed the nearest Fae to line up and challenge him in a spar. Apparently defeating every member of his pack wasn’t enough for him. Despite the fact that his chest was gleaming with sweat and his tattoos looked like they’d turned to liquid ink. The sight brought a smirk to my lips. This fucker had no limits. And I could relate.

  I was about to drop down from the bar and show him what the mat beneath him tasted like, when my little wild girl saved me the bother. She strode past the forming line and ducked under the rope, climbing up to face Ethan with a dark smile on her lips. Fuck, I wanted to lick that mouth right off her face sometimes. And though I was about to bust a ball with how desperate I was to get laid, I’d decided to bide my time with the silver Wolf and hold out for her. Isolation had taught me the one skill I’d never thought I’d have. Patience. With how long I’d waited and dreamed and hoped for the day I’d be able to claim someone’s body again, I deserved for it to be someone special. And Rosalie Oscura was the definition of special.

  “How high is your pain threshold, love?” Ethan asked loudly as he and Rosalie began to circle one another. His Wolf pack were crowding around the ring, howling and pounding their fists on the mat as they urged him on; Rosalie’s pack were gathering on the other side of the ring too, crying out their own support.

  “It’s higher than yours,” Rosalie answered and a grin twisted up my lips.

  Pound his pretty face, kitten.

  Shadowbrook made the first move, throwing a bare-knuckled punch at Rosalie’s gut. She deflected it then darted around him, throwing a sharp punch into his jaw.

  He jerked back a step with a growl and adrenaline seeped into my blood as he swung around, catching her by the throat. Neither of them were playing by the rules and it was clear Ethan wasn’t going to go easy on her. He kicked out her legs and threw her to the ground. She was almost up again when he dropped over her to try and pin her down. She threw her head up, her forehead colliding with his so he lurched backwards just enough for her to wriggle free. She leapt around and knelt over him, catching his blonde hair in her fist and slamming his face into the mat.

  I barked a laugh, rocking back and forth on the bar as I waited for her to finish him.

  Ethan reached behind him, catching her calf and hauling her off of him with a fierce strength. He crawled over her, grabbing hold of her throat and my jaw tightened as she lifted her hips, grinding against him. His eyes became hooded and jealousy hit me like a fucking hurricane. They were trying to hide it, but no one could conceal lust from an Incubus. I was finely tuned to pick up on that shit like some sort of sex radio.

  She jammed a punch into his side and he released her throat with a pained oomph, but pressed his weight down harder to keep her pinned. He caught hold of her chin in an iron grip and she slapped his hand away as they continued to fight, but I started to notice that every blow only brought more light to their eyes. They were evenly matched. And they were enjoying this like a good fuck.

  They finally called a truce and feigned some pissy looks at each other while I read the truth behind their eyes.

  The two of them soon headed toward the locker room, passing the guard manning the door and I dropped from the bar, landing on my feet with a hard thud.

  I moved across the room with purposeful strides and shoved through the door, passing the rows of empty lockers and benches as I hunted for them. A moan caught my ears and my hands curled into tight fists.

  I rounded the final row of lockers and found Ethan holding my wild girl against the wall. Their bodies were moulded together and the noises leaving Rosalie filled me with the sudden urge to join in. I mean hell, I’d been in plenty of orgies before but something about Shadowbrook claiming her before I had was a kick in the teeth.

  I leaned my shoulder against a locker, folding my arms and waiting, because I may have been pissed. May have even been as jealous as a fat kid watching a pig eat pie. But I was also the most notorious assassin in the whole of Solaria. And no one ever saw me rattled.

  When Ethan dipped his hand into her waistband, I decided to clear my throat and let them know this secret show had a one man audience.

  Ethan twisted around and Rosalie inhaled sharply, her lips reddened and swollen from the force of Ethan’s kiss.

  I smiled like a clown as I gazed between the two of them, holding their fates in my palm. “Well if it isn’t an Oscura and a Lunar settling their differences,” I mused. “The stars must be playing games…”

  I moved away from the locker, striding closer and enjoying the power I held over them.

  Ethan squared his shoulders at me. “Tell anyone and I’ll-”

  “You’ll what, kitten?” I purred, continuing to walk forward until I was nose to nose with him. “Will you bite me like a bad dog?”

  “Ethan’s embarrassed about us,” Rosalie said and I shifted my gaze to her, not moving an inch out of Ethan’s personal space. She tucked her hair behind her ear and I lunged forward as I caught a glimpse of something. I grabbed her chin, forcing her head to one side and examining the mark behind her ear. Ethan started growling as my teeth clenched and rage spewed through my chest like an overflowing volcano.

  I shoved Rosalie back against the wall, lowering my head to snarl in her face, “Did you forget to tell me about your mate, wild girl? I’ve fucked plenty of wives and even the odd husband, but a mate chosen by the moon? Astrology is rather working against our fate, baby.”

  Rosalie shoved me back a step with a growl. “I pick my own fate.”

  “Tell anyone about this, Wilder, and I’ll have you castrated,” Ethan snarled behind me.

  I whirled around with a crazy as fuck smile that didn’t even unsettle the bastard. I’d had bigger men than him cowering when I looke
d at them like that and it quietly earned him a few more respect points from me. It also made me want to force him to heel.

  “You’re starting to sound like a broken record, Ethan,” I said with an eye roll. “I’m not going to tell anyone.”

  “You’d better not,” he hissed.

  “If,” I added, letting that word hang in the air like an oncoming storm.

  “If what?” Rosalie asked, sounding like she didn’t really care whether I told anyone or not. And that shit intrigued me like a horse who’d just found out his mother was a swan called Deborah.

  “If…” I smirked. “I get a pet Wolf for my troubles.”

  Ethan’s upper lip peeled back and Rosalie growled low in the back of her throat.

  “What exactly is that supposed to mean?” she demanded. “I’m no one’s pet, and frankly you can go tell the whole prison for all I care.” She started forward but I pressed a hand to her tits to stop her. She shoved my hand away with her lips pursed and I gave her an innocent smile.

  “No,” Ethan said simply. “She’s mine.”

  “I’m not yours,” Rosalie replied immediately.

  “The moon chose you for me,” Ethan growled.

  “Then why don’t you go tell your pack who your mate is, Ethekins?” I asked sweetly and he glowered at me while Rosalie smirked at him.

  “What do you want from her?” Ethan demanded.

  I laughed sinisterly. “I’d never try to tame my wild girl. I want to collar and leash the other big bad Wolf in this prison.”

  Ethan’s eyes darkened and he stepped forward into my breathing space, the scent of a hurricane hanging around him. “I’d die before I was owned.”

  “That’s a shame, because I have really loose lips and I can see this secret spreading through the entire prison before the day is out.” I feigned my horror at the idea. “What will your pack think? I think they’ll do more than stop sucking your cock, don’t you? By the stars, they could even outcast you for something like this, kitten.” I tipped my chin up to emphasis my half a centimetre of height on him and his jaw ticked with rage.

  He finally opened his mouth to respond and a Wolf inked on his arm appeared to snarl at me as his muscles flexed. “I won’t be made into anyone’s bitch in front of my pack.”

  “No…you’ll do it in private though.” I grinned and I swear a breath of laughter escaped Rosalie. I reached out, petting Ethan’s hair before locking my fingers into it, making him growl. “If I need something then you get it for me, understand?”

  He shoved me off of him, clearly working hard not to fight me. “Fine, asshole.”

  I caught Rosalie’s hand, twirling her under it and yanking her against my hip. “And that goes for her too.”

  Ethan glared at me, testosterone burning through the air between us so fiercely I was surprised I couldn’t taste his man fumes in my mouth.

  “Fine,” he bit out.

  “You know, there is something I need actually,” Rosalie said, amusement sparkling in her eyes.

  “What’s that, kitten?” I purred, sliding my arm around her waist.

  She leaned forward between us, beckoning Ethan closer and he bent his head to hear her whisper. “Nepula Weed.”

  My eyebrows arched at the same time Ethan’s did.

  “What for?” we asked in unison, but Rosalie mimed zipping her lips.

  I clapped Ethan on the arm hard enough to leave a mark. “The next time we’re in the Order Yard, leave your pack and meet me by the Fortune Pond.”

  “Even if it grows there-” Ethan started.

  “It does grow there, I’ve seen it,” I spoke over him.

  “It’s poisonous to touch and even if we could get some out of the pond, there’s no way to get it past the guards on the way back into the prison.” Ethan folded his arms.

  “We just need to think outside the box,” I echoed Rosalie’s words from the first time we’d met and she smiled.

  “I’ll leave it to you guys then,” she said with an angelic look. She played innocent so well, it almost convinced me at times. But I saw the beast living beneath her eyes and she saw the beast in me looking right back. And those dark creatures were destined to meet in the flesh one day soon.

  “See you in the yard, Ethan,” I said as I turned toward him sharply, catching him off guard as I slammed my mouth to his. He threw me away half a heartbeat later and I roared a laugh as he wiped his mouth in anger. A kiss from me was a threat as often as it was an invitation. And he knew exactly which one I’d given him.

  Rosalie looked between us in surprise and I tipped an invisible hat to her before pivoting away from them and heading toward the exit. I had Ethan Shadowbrook’s secret in my grasp. And for now, the bitch was mine.

  ***

  I waited by the Fortune Pond in the Order Yard as rain rushed down around me. I’d scared off the Sirens and Heptian Toads so the place was reserved just for me. Ethan was taking his sweet time to arrive so I took the opportunity to strip down naked and wade out into the circular pool. Raindrops sent ripples out around me in every direction and I bathed in the moment of calm. I had a ziplock bag stashed under my tongue courtesy of a job on the Veiled Wall and a plan was locked down in my mind.

  I swam to the centre of the pool, turning to float on my back and stare up at the dark clouds swirling beneath the dome. It was magically created, the weather in here constantly changing to suit the various Order forms. Heptian Toads needed the rain to regenerate their magic and I was more than happy to enjoy it too, the splashes against my cheeks reminding me of how long I’d been in the dark.

  “Wilder!” Ethan’s voice carried to me and I shifted upright to tread water as he approached the pool butt naked.

  He swam out to join me with a scowl on his face. “Let’s get this done, shitbag. Are you going down or am I?”

  I took the plastic bag from my mouth with a smirk. “You look like a guy who’s not so used to going down. Maybe you need the practise.” I held out the bag for him and his eyes narrowed.

  “At least I get laid by my own virtue, Wilder, I don’t rely on my Order gifts to get a fuck out of anyone.” He snatched the bag from my fingers and I tried to ignore the sting of truth in his words.

  “Off you go,” I snarled and Ethan took a breath before diving under the surface.

  I swam back to the edge of the pond, leaving him to it as I pulled on my clothes and accepted they were going to be wet as shit when I returned to the prison.

  Ethan finally resurfaced, heading out of the water to join me with a blade of Nepula Weed in the clear bag. “Now what, asshole? If one of us swallows this and that weed leaks out of the bag, we’re fucked.”

  “That’s why you have to put it up your butt,” I said casually, tying my open jumpsuit around my waist.

  “I’m not putting anything up my ass,” he scoffed. “You can do it.” He held out the bag and I ignored it.

  “I can’t, that’s why I invited you along, pretty boy. They still strip search me after every yard session because I’m a ‘high risk’ inmate.” I air quoted the words which were a total lie.

  Ethan’s jaw locked as he glared at me. “I’m not doing it.”

  I strode forward with a sideways smile, holding out my hand. “Give it here then.”

  He passed it to me, his shoulders visibly relaxing just before I whirled him around, intending to do it myself.

  “Hey motherfucker!” he barked, trying to fight me off.

  “I’ll just use my little finger,” I insisted as he twisted sharply and slammed his knuckles into the side of my head, making my ear ring with the impact.

  I stumbled back before coming at him again, throwing my full weight against him. His leg caught on a log and we tumbled to the ground so I fell on top of him in the mud.

  “Wilder!” he roared as I sat on his back.

  “Just the pinky,” I promised.

  Movement in my periphery made me look up and I found an Experian Deer Shifter staring at us with wide
eyes, her mouth parted so a pile of half chewed grass hung out of it.

  I started laughing and Ethan threw an elbow back, catching me in the gut. I wheezed as pain splintered through me and he shoved me off, leaping to his feet and slamming the heel of his foot into my side. The deer scampered off into the woods in horror and my laughter continued as I got to my feet and Ethan swung a fist at me again. I avoided it, stepping back and raising my hands in innocence.

  “You have to swallow it then,” I said with a shrug. “There’s only a ninety one percent chance you’ll die.”

  “Fuck off,” he growled. “You swallow it.”

  “Alright,” I sighed, folding up the bag as small as I could in my palm. “I’ll just tell Rosalie what I risked for her and get all the glory. I bet she’ll be real grateful. The last time I agreed to help her I got a sexy as fuck kiss for it, I wonder what she’ll give me this time…”

  I tilted my head back, preparing to swallow that down like a baby bird would a worm, but Ethan suddenly locked a hand around my throat and plucked the bag from my fingers.

  “One day, Wilder, you’re gonna get yours in here. You’re gonna be found alone and bloody in your cell and no one will remember you ever existed.” He pushed me back a step, turning and heading into the woods while I grinned after him.

  “You’re gonna put it up your butt, aren’t you?!” I called after him. “Aren’t you!?” I shouted louder when he didn’t respond.

  It wasn’t long before the fifteen minute warning flashed up on the timer high above the forest and I made my way back to the elevators soaking fucking wet, coated in mud and as smug as a cow in a three piece suit.

  I spotted Ethan filing into an elevator with his pack and I caught his eye. I made a circle with my index finger and thumb then pushed my other index finger into it with a raised eyebrow. He answered by lifting his own finger and running it across his throat.

  A grin bit into my cheeks as I headed into another elevator.