Siren Sacrificed

by C. R. Jane

  Chapter 5

  The next day when I reached Seth’s room, he slouched on his bed, wearing only orange uniform pants, the bandages on his back still present from yesterday. Warmth flooded me that perhaps the warden pulled back on the daily punishment while I cared for him.

  “Did you sleep well?” I asked.

  His eyes seemed paler today when he met my gaze, like the clearest ocean waters, revealing everything beneath the surface. If I looked into them too long, it felt like I might fall into them and never find my way out.

  My pulse suddenly beat too fast, too hard, and I lowered my eyes, noting the white chalk lines under the bedside table were gone, and only dusty remnants remained. Had he seen me looking at it the day before?

  “Cat got your tongue?” I teased when he gave no reply. Instead he grinned.

  I pushed the trolley right in front of his bed, which carried a plastic bucket with soapy warm water and face towels and more dry ones.

  “You going to just sit there and smirk?” I continued as I eyed his broad, strong shoulders, every solid muscle, the narrowing of his waist, and the thin line of blond hair funneling down the middle of his stomach and disappearing beneath his pants.

  He shook his head, then he returned to being silent, and I wondered how much of him was broken. Was his aloofness a game fae played, or his way of dealing with my company after being beaten day in and day out for gods knew how long?

  I reached into the bucket and pulled out a face towel and wrung the water out of it, then turned to him, taking a seat on the small stool. It brought me to his eye level.

  Uncertainty coiled in my chest, as I couldn’t read his expression. So instead, I ran the wet fabric over his collarbone where something black stained his skin.

  His nostrils flared, and he took a deep breath.

  “Does it hurt?” I asked.

  “It’s hot.”

  I gave him a few moments, then continued washing him. His hair hung loosely around his face as messily as I remembered, the tiredness from his eyes faded, and the earlier scratch on his shoulder from yesterday seemed to be completely healed over. He wasn’t wrong when he told me fae healed quickly.

  Carefully, I wiped over his chest, his muscles, his arms.

  Something warm sparked alight in my gut and came to life the longer I studied his perfect body and touched him.

  He didn’t move, but sat back, watching me drag the wet face towel across his stomach. I felt his eyes on me intensifying. And when I glanced up, we got lost in each other’s eyes, like we’d forgotten where we were. Like a carved sliver of time revealing how much more could be possible if we were anywhere but in Nightmare Penitentiary.

  What would he taste like if we kissed? Like salvation or the sweetest treat? It was such a ridiculous thought to have about a fae who was on death row, that much was obvious. With a fae who barely spoke to me and would do anything to get me out of his face.

  I returned the towel to the water, washed it quickly, and rinsed the water before swiveling back toward Seth.

  My gaze settled on the erection tenting his pants, and it took me several moments to decide I ought to stop staring. That window of pretending I never saw it has long sailed away when I meet his stretching grin. I rolled my eyes at him, even if my first reaction was to reach down and palm his cock to discover if he was as thick and big as he looked.

  This wasn’t what I expected from the fae who’d been ignoring me for days, who growled at almost everything I said. And now… Something tangled in the pit of my gut to see how my touch affected him.

  I’d fallen victim to Alaric and Keon already. Though ‘victim’ was very much the wrong word, since I craved and wanted them just as much as they did me. But in truth, Seth physically shouldn’t surprise me. He’d been tortured for so long, most likely having no other company, so a female’s touch would definitely entice desires.

  Honestly, I had no clue on how I should respond.

  I pulled back and took the towel to wipe my hands while my face burned. I licked my lips and chewed on the lower one as I tried to get over acting like a shy school kid.

  I’d have liked to think I could hold myself back when it came to such handsome men and their arousal, especially as my experience had been very limited to men from this penitentiary.

  “Does my cock embarrass you?” he asked casually, when for the longest time, I remained with my back to him, my cheeks on fire.

  I turned around to see him leaning back on his hands on the bed, making no effort to conceal his growing arousal. He seriously was getting off on seeing me squirm. “What are you talking about? I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.” I smirked at him, and he laughed, then reached down and groped himself over his pants as if to prove his point.

  “Maybe next time, I’ll ask the warden to give me something for itchiness if you’re having trouble down there.” I arched a brow in his direction, but he was on his feet so fast, my heart slammed into my throat.

  A shiver slinked up my spine, and heat pooled between my thighs instantly, like his presence flipped on a switch inside me. I had a horny switch apparently, because suddenly, I struggled to breathe.

  When had it gotten so hot in this cell?

  “If you’re having trouble, I can help you. Would you like that?” he stated, as if he could read my feelings all over my face. I wouldn’t be surprised, as I was terrible at hiding how I felt. And this was why I could never play poker, as I’d give everything away in two seconds.

  I looked up into his alluring blue eyes, feeling like what was intensifying between us was inevitable. Like a brewing storm, the emotions I started to feel for Seth grew, and trying to stop them was impossible. They would strike, whether I liked them or not. My chest tightened, knowing I was right.

  I hated myself for it.

  Loathed my body for responding so irrationally.

  For feeling so out of control.

  Which seemed to have been the story of my life, and also how I ended up in this awful place. Where the universe never dealt me easy cards, now did it? Me melting in the presence of such powerful men was definitely my weakness.

  God, how could I be attracted so strongly to three men at once?

  Seth reached over, his fingers gripping my chin and forcing me to look up at him. “You never answered my question, siren-girl.”

  For the life of me, I couldn’t remember what he’d asked, not when my heart was racing and my insides resembled lava from an exploding volcano. I wasn’t thinking of anything else but how I turned into a mess so quickly.

  His grip didn’t waiver, and I couldn’t stop staring at his full lips, thinking about what it would be like to kiss a fae. My breaths wedged in my lungs, and I might have lost my mind at how easily a single touch from him swayed me.

  The metallic clang of metal drew my attention to the opening door of the cell.

  A guard stepped inside, and I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or disappointed about the interruption. My heart felt like the ball from the ping pong game the inmates had been playing in the communal area, swinging back and forth between my torn emotions.

  Two more guards entered the cell, and the room suddenly felt constricting. “It’s time,” the main guard with a hooked nose announced, his gaze locked on Seth, not me.

  My stomach dropped, because I knew exactly where they were taking Seth. And I wanted to cry, but instead, I pushed myself between them and the fae. “Have mercy, please. Give him a day of no torture.”

  The guard rolled his eyes at me. “Get the hell out of my way.”

  I stood my ground, well aware my small protest would achieve little, but if I did nothing, I would feel even more guilty about what Seth was going through.

  “Your lover boy is safe for now, unless you consider taking him to the psychiatrist punishment, then move,” he barked in my face.

  His words fell into place in my mind, and while part of me felt silly, I moved out of his way.

  Seth strolled past me toward the
guards, his gaze on mine. “It almost sounds like you care about me.” The guards grabbed his arms and wrenched him out of the cell.

  I stood alone in the room for a few moments, trying to piece together how quickly the tables had turned. But maybe this was a good thing and would mean next time, he’d be more open to talking about his past.

  Once they all left, I pushed the trolley out of there. I sure as hell hadn’t planned for that to happen. Instead of getting any information from him, I ended up getting aroused and stumbling over my breaths.

  What in the world just happened?

  By the time I’d returned the trolley to the kitchen, cleaned up, and had something to eat, I still couldn’t stop thinking about Seth.

  An hour later, I paced in my cell from the back wall to the entrance, thinking about how I felt around Seth, his damn erection, and even the image he had drawn of me on the ground.

  He was an artist, and I wanted to give him something that he could use as an escape from the beatings. A drawing pad, pencils, maybe colored chalk. I didn’t know, but the more I thought about it, the more the idea grew on me. And from what I’d seen so far in this place, if there was someone who might be able to assist me in getting things, it would be either Keon or Alaric. So I’d start with Keon first, as I figured he might be more open to helping.

  Outside my cell, a few inmates hung around, chatting. Guards were posted at most corners, watching everything. I swung in the direction of Trevor, the guard who took me to Seth’s cell most mornings.

  He grinned at my approach, and while my skin crawled at the sight, I offered him a tight smile as well.

  “I know somewhere we can go,” he offered eagerly, his gaze shifting to the empty hallway behind him. I held back the gagging reflex hitting the back of my throat. It wasn’t that the man wasn’t handsome. He was average build, average looking, average personality. I tried my hardest not to collect men during my time in this place, and for him, I felt nothing.

  I shook my head. “Do you know where I can find Keon?”

  He physically stiffened, his shoulders rising, as if just the name of his colleague sent him into an angry frenzy. “You be careful around him, understand? He has a dark side.” And as if a light had been switched on, the concerned expression faded to one of joy.

  Hmm, perhaps it was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde I should be cautious of. I lifted my chin and asked again, “Do you know where Keon is?”

  “Not his shift yet.” His response came back clipped and fast. Then he marched away, groaning under his breath.

  Alright, well then, I guessed I was paying Alaric a visit.

  I sucked in a deep breath and headed down the hallway that led to the area where the seedier inmates were placed. But all I intended to do was walk through those corridors fast, and if I found no signs of him, then I was out of there. There were enough guards to keep me safe.

  Ignoring the niggling worry at the back of my mind, I kept going. Nightmare Penitentiary was enormous, and it felt like I’d walked for miles when it couldn’t have been more than fifty yards.

  Head low.

  No eye contact.

  I avoided the shadowy corridors, or getting too close to the inmates in locked cells. Soon enough, the walls changed from a pasty white to deep gray, stealing the faint light overhead. Too many shadows, despite the lofty ceiling. I cranked my head up to the next level up of railings with metal wire, so no one up there could throw others over to fall to their deaths. Voices hummed like cicadas, loud and constant. Eyes were on me, I felt them heavily, and the walls seemed to be closing in around me.

  Moving faster, I scanned the block numbers next to each cell, searching for Alaric’s, when I paused on 666. Inside that prison, stood a young girl, maybe my age. She was thin with bright blue hair and hanging off the barred door like it was a dancing pole. She met my gaze and winked before sticking her forked tongue out. A skin-toned tail whipped out from behind her and coiled around a bar. When her eyes glinted, I knew exactly what she was. A demon.

  When those things come into the human realm to steal souls, they get punished like the rest of us and end up in this nightmare.

  Footfalls closed in behind me all of a sudden, a shadow cloaking me.

  I quickened my pace, my heart racing.

  Someone screamed up ahead, and I glanced up to spot a centaur charging down the hall in my direction. Everyone threw themselves out of his way.

  His nostrils flared as his hooves thundered against the stone floor. He stood so tall, grinning and loving how everyone got out of his way. His bottom half was a deep chestnut color, and I might’ve been captivated to stare at such a creature. But not when it was about to mow me down.

  I hurled myself toward the wall to get out of the madman’s way.

  Strong hands clasped around my waist. “Got you.”

  I flinched around and shoved my hands into the chest out of instinct of the man before me. His eyes were vertical slits like a snake’s and a copper color, just like the few scales running across his temples.

  Snake charmer. These shifters took serpent form and venom ran in their veins. They were known for being territorial, and their favorite kind of girls were rodent shifters. Could they be any more cliché?

  A shiver curled up over my spine as I pushed away from him.

  “Been watching you.” He stepped closer, his tongue slipping out and sweeping over his upper lip. “You came here with such purpose.” His hand lashed out, grabbing my neck, and pulled me toward him. “Who has attracted the attention of a siren, that she comes to them with determination? I always thought it was the other way around and everyone came when the siren called.” The corners of his mouth curled upward, a small dimple appearing in his wide chin. It matched his broad forehead, and overall, he just had a square head. He stood taller than me, like most men seemed to do, his chest rising and falling quickly, like he expected me to run so he could hunt me down. The predatory hunger behind those snake-eyes terrified me.

  “Leave me alone. I’m not interested.”

  His hand threaded through my hair and fisted it, wrenching me toward him so our faces were inches apart. His breaths stunk of death, but I refused to show him my fear.

  That made me weak and easier prey.

  I shoved my hand into his chest once again, harder this time, and ripped free of his grip. “I said fuck off. I’m not here for you and have business with someone you don’t want to deal with. Trust me.”

  He cocked his head to the side, eyeing me up and down, leaving me feeling filthy, but I stood tall regardless. “I like fucking feisty women. It’s even better when they act like they don’t want it.”

  A small crowd had gathered around us now, and unease flared over me, as I frantically scanned the area for the quickest way to make a run for it out of here. Why did I think it was smart to come into this sector anyway?

  “Whoever you came to visit can wait,” he hissed, and snatched my arm and hauled me with him away from the crowd.

  I screamed out of pure instinct, and shoved my free fist into his arm, but it made no impact, not with this fiend.

  “Get the fuck away from me.” I kicked him in the leg hard enough that he swung me around to face him.

  “Your choice, dollface. Here or in my cell, I don’t give a shit, but I’m fucking you today.”

  Fear spiked through me. “You’ll regret ever touching me.”

  He barked a laugh in my face. “I’ll regret not taking you right now against the wall.”

  I hated how he looked at me as though I was nothing but a means to pleasure. I tugged against him when someone threw themselves at Snake-Eyes, coming from somewhere behind us.

  He was ripped away from me, and I stumbled forward from the momentum.

  It took me moments to realize that Alaric straddled Snake-Eyes, laying punch after punch into his face so aggressively, I couldn’t help but cheer on the inside. I hated violence, but seeing him fight on my behalf sent excitement to the pit of my gut with that whole pr
otector vibe he had going.

  Three others jumped on Alaric’s back and wrenched him off the asshole.

  I looked to the end of the hall, where a guard strolled past. He glanced this way but kept on walking, and my insides clenched. That was when I looked around and found no cameras in the corners. This was a black spot, and the security in this place knew it but did nothing.

  Alaric was at my side, his gaze wild with fury, his mouth twisted, and he was fuming. “Why are you here?” He clasped my waist and plastered me to his side like he owned me, and I stuck to him, because he was exactly where I wanted to be.

  Snake-Eyes shoved forward, licking the blood at the corner of his mouth and glaring at me, then at Alaric.

  “She’s mine,” the serpent dick spat the words, half a dozen goons behind him. “You know the rules, Alaric. What you find out here, you keep. You agreed to that rule.”

  Alaric straightened, his chin high, and there wasn’t a sliver of concern from him. But his hand tightening around my waist told a different tale. He was worried about me. And hell, so was I. If I had known such factions existed, I never would have come to find Alaric. I’d have sent a message or something to get him to see me.

  “Not this time,” Alaric growls. “I’ve claimed her long before this, and she’s my property. You touch, and I’ll rip that fucking lizard dick right off.”

  Snake-Eyes’ upper lip curled upward, twisting into hatred. Part of me prayed he was smart enough to walk away, but that was a joke. A group of alphas, filled with testosterone, weren’t going anywhere.

  These kinds of men wouldn’t back down.

  “Then we fight for her,” Snake-Eyes declared. “Winner keeps her for good.”

  My heart pounded in my chest.

  “Agreed,” Alaric stated too damn fast.

  Panic collided into me, and I turned to him. “Wait what? You’re going to gamble on me?”

  “Honey cheeks, you having doubts about me?” He stared at me with such a sexy expression, like I had nothing in the world to worry about.