I paused to find my words. "The me in the vision was powerful, far more powerful than I may have been prior to losing my memory. She fit right into that line. It feels as though we're meant to come together. From how the other girls shifted images and wore prison-like attire, I think they're also prisoners, but I haven't seen anyone that fits any of their appearances."
Atticus nodded and closed his eyes for a moment. I wondered if he was telling Lyla, but he soon opened his eyes that were returning back to red.
"He must have needed a moment with Phoenix," Saphire translated.
Could be.
"Phoenix thinks you may be onto something," Atticus answered our suspicions. "And that alone is extremely good information."
My worried expression had him pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I'll keep it to myself for now, but it means we know what to look for."
"We haven't seen anyone here, though," I pointed out.
"You're correct," he reasoned. "However, it doesn't mean they're not coming this way. Psychic Prison is a big prison. It doesn't look that way, but you've most likely seen a small section of it. After we get your nail fixed, we'll take a tour before you rest. Then if you can give me a written description of everything, we can be on the lookout."
"You think they'll all come to this prison?"
"Not sure," he confessed. "But there's been an uptick in supernatural kidnappings."
"Kidnappings?"
"Yup. It started to spike during our assignment, but we were too far into the case to hop onto it. Another agent is being assigned to it and they're getting him a second partner. He should be able to get inside access in here. Once we know who it is, we can do our part to transfer information."
"Isn't that risky?"
"Yes, because he's a double agent, but whatever information that is shared won't be deemed important enough for him to use against us if he ends up playing with that double-ended sword. I've only met him once, but he's a dragon, like us. He wouldn't forsake his kind so easily."
"Intriguing," I commented. "The kidnappings. Are they random?"
"So far it looks like the targets have been those that wouldn't be so easily spotted. Misfits, the homeless supernaturals. If they get kidnapped, it's not a big deal because very few notice."
The idea made me frown, while my heart clenched.
"However, it seems to have escalated since celebrities have begun to go missing."
"That's bad," I noted. "Which reminds me, you never answered about my parents."
"Right." He met my curious eyes. "Your parents are definitely alive. Your mother works alongside the king of our dragon pack, while your father is aiding the fae queen in the fae lands."
"Huh?" I gave him a clueless look. "Fae lands? King of a dragon pack?"
"It's going to take us a while to explain." He gave me a helpless look. "I don't want you to suffer information overload."
"Ya. I’ve already had enough talking for the day," I admitted and lifted my hand to view my broken nail. "And if I don't get this fixed, I'll have to plan a murder."
"Women and their nails," he huffed with a sigh. "At least you can use yours magically."
"I can?"
"That's how you stopped the blades, and one of the reasons why you like to have them painted. You'll see when you get them redone; you have magic incantations on your nails."
"Wow." I was really impressed with myself. "I feel like a hidden superhero."
"You should." He gave me one last kiss before letting me go. "Anything else before we attempt to do something productive with the other three?"
"Lyla and I were best friends?" I just wanted to confirm.
"Yup," he replied as he glanced to the door. "You two dated, by the way."
That wasn't what I was expecting.
"Huh?" was all I could fathom.
"Dragons have no preferences," he acknowledged and began to head to the door. "Also, before you freak out about it, Lyla's technically a boy."
I was left speechless as he opened the door and looked back at me. "C'mon, my marked butterfly. Kai's decided to let us get your nails done now."
I only pulled out of my daze at the word nails, but my mind was swirling and all I could think was What the flying fuck?
"Remind me next time to let you drop one mind bomb a day," I noted as we exited the room.
"Noted." He seemed pleased as he slipped his hand in mine. "I'll explain everything before you officially start your prison life."
"Good, cause I think I'll need it. That and some alcohol."
I may have said it once, but I'd state it again and again: having amnesia sucks balls.
Terms And Conditions Between Us
"Alisha."
"No." I clung to my sheets for dear life. "Beauty sleep."
"Is for the weak." Atticus tugged at the sheets that cloaked my naked body.
"I barely got to sleep." My thick voice was horrendous to my ears, but it only emphasized my dreadful exhaustion after a long day of getting my nails redone, officially being introduced to my three masters without us killing one another, and diving into the truth that Lyla - stunning beauty of dominance – was actually a male.
Apparently my reaction was a replica of when I’d first found out that bomb of news, from what Atticus explained after we finally retired for the day.
* * *
"I need to shower."
"In the morning," Atticus muttered into my neck as we both fought for air.
"Not getting a UTI," I moaned. "Fuck, that was good."
"I'm glad my performance satisfies you," he noted.
"Maybe that's why I felt so horny before," I quietly mumbled. "Do dragons fuck often?"
"Yes," he honestly replied. "Stamina isn't a problem and our sex drives are more active than the average supernatural species. Harder for us to get pregnant, though."
"Now that I think about it, I don't have birth control, do I?" The thought made me want to cringe at the idea of having a prison baby.
"Don't worry. You have an ongoing birth control spell placed on you. When we married, you made it clear that you didn't want kids yet but loved sex so we went to a fertility fae to conduct the spell."
"Fertility fae. Now that's something you don't hear every day."
"They use spells that involve magic and herbs from nature to ask the universe to give you time to embrace life before parenthood. It's better than the human birth control and has far fewer complications and side effects. Those medications and methods may not affect supernaturals as strongly as humans, but the possibilities are still there and I'd rather you avoid them," he explained and rolled onto his back.
I moved to snuggle against his frame, his right arm wrapping around my shoulder and bringing me close enough for my head to rest on his chest.
Listening to his heartbeat was comforting, the slow rhythm inviting a wave of relaxation through me.
"Good to know, but that isn't stopping me from contracting a UTI," I reminded.
The soft vibrations of his chuckle echoed in my ear, while his hand continued to stroke through my long locks.
I was so grateful that my hair was out of a ponytail, and the change of environment was comforting while I waited for his reply.
"You'll be fine. Give me five minutes to calm myself or we'll be busy in the washroom," he warned, which only tempted me to see his cock once more.
"That leads me to the elephant in the room," I announced.
"You're that intrigued by Lyla?"
"My brain can't fathom how she's a he. I mean, look at her! She's like sizzling hot meat on a kabob, ready to eat and enjoy!"
"Are you hungry?" he inquired.
"Yes." I wasn't going to hide it. "But that's beside the point."
He smirked and sat up. I replicated his movement as he reached for his phone.
"What are you doing?"
"Ordering food for story time." He was already swiftly punching his screen.
"They're going to deliver to the prison?"
/>
"They'll deliver right into our room."
I took a long look down his naked body before giving him a blank stare.
"They can leave it outside the door."
"Yet I'm the possessive one," he muttered, and side-glanced my way. "No one is going to steal my cock."
"Doesn't mean they should get a glimpse of it," I huffed. "It's mine."
"You didn't put a ring on it."
"I could." I smirked and licked my now oval-shaped lips to emphasize what I meant. "A ring that goes up and down to your favorite tune."
"One of the many reasons I can't live without you," he quietly whispered as he pressed one final button on his phone then placed it back on the nightstand.
"How romantic," I teased, but leaned in to snuggle against his side.
He didn't hesitate to wrap an arm around me, securing my warm body against his sizzling skin.
We were both still hot from our sexual fun, but now that we'd caught our breath, it was easier to enjoy the heat.
"Back to the story time," I encouraged. "As long as the delivery person isn't entering."
"They won't enter," he assured me. “When it arrives, they'll text, and I'll teleport it in here."
"You can teleport?"
"I can do lots of things," he assured me. "But I won't be able to do anything else unless you let me explain about Lyla."
"Right." I was jumping topics again, but that was far better than me switching personalities. "Does she still have a cock?"
"Yes."
"That's..." I trailed off. "A little disturbing to imagine."
He smirked and kissed my forehead. "The reason for Lyla's cross-dressing tendencies is actually because of a curse."
"A curse?" Now I was intrigued. "What does this curse entail if he has a cock?"
"Lyla has a twin brother named Lyroshina. It's hard to tell, but Lyla has Chinese heritage. Most owl shifters are actually from Asian descent and carry a lot of information from past lives through their souls. Dragons have a similar predicament, but we've branched out significantly to various cultures and races across the world. Owl shifters try to retain their culture, but Lyla and Lyro's father was Chinese while their mother was a Caucasian visiting China for a business trip."
"Does that mean Lyla's name is Lylashina?"
"Yup. I'm unsure if that's her birth name or she switched it to that after the curse, but that's how she introduced herself when she met us."
"We've known her for a long time?"
"Since I was eight?" he replied. "You were only three at that time. You wouldn't recall when it happened."
I nodded in agreement as he carried on.
"He, at the time, and his brother were playing around in the forest. I was supposed to go with them, but since your parents needed to run an errand, they asked if I could watch you since you were in a tantrum phase and would go from crying to laughing to burning anything in your sight. And you loved using your nails to draw on the walls."
"That last part sounds eerie," I noted, feeling as though each drawn strike would be like nails gliding down a chalkboard.
"It is if you include your random decision to summon flaming threads and carve into the walls with random knives."
"I sound like a possessed child," I noted. "Definitely cool."
His grin of approval made me grin in return. "Thus, why people question my sanity when they find out I love you."
"You enjoy it."
"I actually do," he replied. "Makes a life that grants us thousands of years of more excitement." Moving a few strands from my face, he snapped the fingers of his free hand and with a blink, there were plates of breakfast in our laps.
Mhmm, the lovely kabobs included.
"Food's here," he announced. "Just in time for the juicy part."
"Thank you." I grinned at the heavenly plates of food, deciding to start with the chocolate covered strawberries before having a few kabobs. "So you missed out to babysit the demon child that was me."
He gave me a smug look but reached out to drink the freshly made coffee sitting in the far-right tray that held an array of hot and cold beverages.
"So they had decided to go on their own. Our families were traveling, so we were in an unfamiliar area, and our parents and the villagers warned us not to enter the forest after a certain time, but Lyro decided he wanted to explore."
"How old were they?"
"Five. Lyro is more rebellious than Lyla. He was shyer at the time and loved to follow the rules. He tried to stop Lyro from entering the forest but got worried he'd get lost, and ended up tagging along. They had no clue that it was a fae enchanted forest."
"Fae enchanted," I repeated. "What happens in such forests?"
"Fae are intriguing supernaturals, but their forests are dangerous. You can take a few steps and be in a completely different world. That's what happened with Lyro and Lyla. They entered a part of a fae forest where you have to sacrifice something in order to get out."
"Oh no." That didn't sound good at all, and my voice projected my worries.
"You can guess what was sacrificed."
"Lyla gave up her manly features?" I guessed.
"Somewhat," Atticus disclosed. "I'm not sure about the complete details of what the exchange was, but Lyro was supposed to be cursed with losing his manly pride. However, when the spell was cast, Lyla stepped in the way to save his brother. The spell cursed him into being a girl, but it was interrupted by their parents, who were able to locate them. Due to the disruption, the spell became incomplete and thus, Lyla is technically a woman but has male genitals."
"Wait...there's no way of fixing it?"
"There is, but it's far too complicated."
"Why is that?"
"In order to reverse the curse, it has to be undone by a royal of the land."
"So, a monarch," I concluded.
"Exactly." He lowered his coffee and reached for a strawberry. He moved it to my lips, and I happily bit half of it. "So go-mhmmm." He kissed me deeply. "Hey."
"What?" He was clearly teasing me as he tossed the other half into his mouth and rested back against the headboard.
"As I was saying," he emphasized as if I'd interrupted him. "They need the monarch of the land to break the curse. However, there was a huge problem."
"What is it?" I inquired.
"There are two monarchs of the land."
"Meaning...twins?"
"Yup." He glanced my way. "Twins who weren't living on the lands at the time and, due to their young age, wouldn't be able to undo the spell."
"How old do they have to be to do the spell?"
"Twenty or older," he revealed. "Also, both Lyla and her brother would have to present for the reversal."
"Where's her brother?"
"That's a mystery we haven't solved yet."
"What do you mean? Where did he go?"
"He's a rebellious one." Atticus shrugged. "Owl shifters are very traditional and try to keep a quiet dominance about themselves. You can see how dangerous Lyla is, but she gives off a vibe that is mysterious but threatening if you press the wrong buttons. They're trained to be like that. Eventually, they get to decide what career they would like to take. In this case, Lyla became an assassin for the special ops and ended up a part of our team soon after seeing how we work well together. Her brother, however, began to feel guilty about what Lyla was plagued with. He ended up running away at ten years old."
"He...ran away? Isn't that silly? Sure, his desire to explore ended up costing Lyla's masculinity, but they were five."
Atticus shook his head. "You have to think about it this way. Age isn't a factor for us supernaturals. We're wiser and far smarter than average humans. Yes, they were both five, but their mindsets were far more advanced, closer to eight or even nine-year-olds. For someone to get cursed by a fae of the land, they have to do something very disrespectful to upset nature itself. Lyla has a big heart for a male and didn't make a big deal about it, but I can assure you it made a deep wound,
which was only healed because of you."
"Me?"
He nodded. "The tattoo is a part of that."
I leaned back from my snuggled spot to look at the tattoo in question, but no flashbacks hit me yet again.
"No memory still."
"Give it time," he assured me, slipping his arm along my shoulder to bring me back against him. "Either way, that's why Lyla's a girl."
"Half a girl," I emphasized. "Wait. How does she have sex?"
"She doesn't."
"How do you know?"
"Just because she's a girl doesn't mean we don't talk about obvious things like sex," he noted. "Plus, the three of us are tight. She can share anything with us, just like we do with her. That's why she's one of the few individuals I'll trust with my life. I want you to summon if her if you desperately need help."
"I called her to help me zip my dress," I noted.
He was quiet for five seconds. "That's a necessity."
I snickered. "No, it's not."
"Can’t have your butt being shown to the world along with the rest of your back," he emphasized. "I'd have to kill anyone who gets a glimpse."
"But I'm the possessive one." I imitated his voice, which sounded so weird that we both started laughing.
"I never would have thought I'd actually laugh out of humor and not to sound psychotic," I whispered when we calmed down and returned to eating our breakfast.
"Prison is only temporary. Just focus on trying to remember what you can and surviving the days ahead. Looks like Kai, Blaze, and Titus are on board with the plan."
Psychic Prison Page 14