Crimes of Fire (Wayward Fae Paranormal Prison Book 1)

by J. N. Colon

  Well, I had nothing else to do but wait and hope like hell Viktor didn’t kick me out. I swung my arms and shuffled in place to loosen up, my boxer braids slapping my shoulders.

  Eons passed before the door flew open, and Viktor barged in. His eyes fell on me, narrowing. “Where the hell is Rya?”

  Right on cue moans echoed from the other side of the door she and my cellmate disappeared through. “She’s with Kimber.”

  “She’s supposed to be fighting.” A dark shadow crawled over his face as he approached me, the tightening of his arm muscles making those intricate tattoos seem like they were moving across his tan skin. Maybe they were. Viktor didn’t seem to lack in powers. “Didn’t I tell you not to show yourself in here again?”

  I met his unrelenting stare head-on. “Actually, you said not to show up unless I was fighting.” I motioned around the empty room. “And it looks like you’re down one fighter. I can substitute.”

  A mocking laugh exploded out of his mouth. “You? Fight Maria?” Another laugh. “She’ll destroy you.”

  My fists clenched by my sides. “Give me a chance. What does it matter to you anyway? I’m sure it’ll put a little pep in your step to see me lose a fight in front of everyone.”

  “Is this about the money?” he asked.

  Uh, there was money?

  Of course there was money. Why else would these people be fighting?

  “Yeah,” I lied. “My stuff keeps coming up missing, and I’m going to be out of cash soon.” You had to pay for extra undies, bras, and conditioner in prison. If I didn’t condition my hair, no brush would survive.

  Viktor examined me, maybe calculating if I really did have a shot against this Maria chick. Finally, his nostrils flared and he let out a long breath. “Fine, but don’t start crying when you get your ass kicked.”

  “Or maybe I’ll just collect my winnings and walk out of here like a boss.”

  He gave a feral grin. “Right, boss. Let’s see what you’re made of.”

  Another punch came at my face too fast to block. Knuckles connected with my mouth, and starbursts exploded across my vision. The crowd roared.

  Son. Of. A. Bitch.

  Apparently, I was made of blood and pain. And Viktor had been right; I was getting my ass kicked. Maria looked like an M.M.A. fighter, and she outweighed me by fifty-plus pounds. She was also a shifter and covered in hard, lean muscle.

  Maria flashed a smirk, dancing circles around me. “Go ahead and give up, seelie-dae. Save what little dignity you have.” Her Spanish accent flowed with extra disdain.

  A metallic taste coated my tongue. I spit a glob of blood on the cement floor. “Too scared I’m about to give you a beat down?”

  Her head tilted back as laughter poured out. “You’re like a tiny little sprite trying to annoy me to death. Not happening.”

  I lunged, my fist connecting with her stomach—a rock-hard stomach. Shit! The goblin cuff stopped her from shifting into a dochar, but her sheer strength still outmatched mine in human form.

  Jeers came from the crowd. Money flowed as bets were placed. No one had me winning this.

  Could I? I’d seriously underestimated my opponent.

  “I tried to give you an out, but I’m going to have to wipe the floor with your face.” An animalistic snarl curled out of her mouth as she charged.

  I had no time to block her hit to my ribs, and pain seared my side. Before I could recover, she yanked my arm back. Something popped. Another blow to my abdomen had me crashing onto the hard concrete.

  The crowd swam and their shouts became distant. Spit collected in my mouth. I was going to puke.

  Every Fae in this place loved to see the seelie-dae beaten on the ground. A trickle of sweat ran down my cheek while blood dripped from my mouth. My body felt like a broken mess.

  I spewed a string of curses at myself. This should have been my chance to catch Viktor’s attention. If I was good, he’d want me in more fights. Since he ran the whole damn show, we’d have to see each other.

  I’d caught his attention all right—for all the wrong reasons.

  My head angled up. Those penetrating eyes burned into mine from the balcony above. Viktor shook his head, leering as if to say he’d been right.

  Jilly.

  The one word crashed through all the others battering my mind. I had to do this. That bitch of an ice queen threatened me just today for not getting close enough to Viktor. Jilly’s life, her safety, her innocence, were at stake. If I didn’t get my ass up and fight this shifter, I might as well kiss the little girl I’d protected for three years goodbye.

  I took a quivering breath and crawled on to my hands and knees. I choked back the sickness and waited as the room stopped spinning. Shouts of surprise mixed with mocking laughter echoed through the crowd. They couldn’t believe I’d attempt another round.

  Maria whipped around and smirked. “You really should give up, seelie-dae.”

  “Not in my nature.” I wiped sweat from forehead.

  “Your nature?” She laughed. “I grew up with shifters and learned how to fight for dominance. You grew up with tame little humans. You probably had cookies and ice cream until you could puke. You grew up human. Soft.”

  This girl had no idea about the kind of life I had. She couldn’t survive the shit I’d been through, the things I hid from Jilly, and even the things I tried to hide from myself. The memories and the wrath they sparked were locked away in metal and concrete. But she’d pulled on that cage, rattled it. Fury rippled through me.

  “You think all humans are gentle, fat idiots?” It was my turn to release a mocking chuckle, only mine sounded a little more unhinged. “Plenty of humans are monsters. I’ve crossed paths with some of the worst and came out alive.” I spat blood at her feet, wiping the rest from my chin. “And you’re about to see why.”

  I glanced toward the balcony to make sure Viktor was still watching. He was. And with rapt attention.

  “Oh, please, I’ll rip—”

  With a battle cry, I crushed my fist into Maria’s jaw and then released the rage buried inside. Anger for what had been done to me, anger at what I’d been forced to do, and anger for letting the Fae queen get her hands on my sister. I gave it all to Maria.

  My fists flew while she tried but failed to block the hits. I yanked her forward. Blood covered her face, and I could see the fear—and my reflection—in her eyes.

  No wonder Maria was afraid. I looked like a wild beast ready to devour her.

  Devour. Yes.

  I breathed deeply, something filling my lungs. My body hummed. Electricity crackled over my skin, and a tug prodded my core.

  A familiar sensation had overcome me once before when I stood inside the inferno in my foster home, seconds from dying. And then I found myself on my neighbor’s lawn.

  Maria stumbling out of my grip shattered my thoughts. Her body swayed. The fight wasn’t over yet.

  I threw a quick jab to her side and then a powerful uppercut to her jaw. The shifter’s head flew back, followed by her body. She went airborne for a few long seconds before crashing to the ground.

  A guy ran into the circle to check her. Whatever she whispered in his ear had his brows jerking higher. After a few seconds, he stood and walked in my direction.

  I took a step back, still full of adrenaline and anger.

  “Relax, seelie-dae.” He shook his head as he scrutinized me. “I’m Maddox, the ref, remember?”

  Not really. Everything after telling Viktor I’d win was hazy.

  Maddox grabbed my wrist and then yanked my arm in the air. I fought back the wave of dizziness and pain the movement caused. “Our winner is Sloane!”

  Protests erupted from the crowd. A lot of the spectators lost money on this fight.

  I flipped them off, flashing a bloody grin. “Should have bet on me, assholes.”

  Maddox chuckled. “You got some balls, girl. They might even be bigger than mine.”

  I laughed, reveling in the pain th
at tore through my ribs because it was the only thing keeping me conscious. I found Viktor again. His fingers gripped the balcony as he leaned forward, staring at me like I was the only thing in this club.

  My heart crashed through my chest. I’d done it. I’d piqued the unseelie prince’s interest.

  Now what the hell was I supposed to do?

  Chapter 13

  A sharp hiss spilled out of my mouth as the daemon prodded my rib. I couldn’t detect any glee at my discomfort, so I let it go. His bright emerald eyes also had me distracted because they were the exact shade of green encircling my violet ones.

  “It’s definitely cracked.”

  “No shit.” The cold metal of the table seeped through my pants. Blood splattered my white tank top, a mixture of mine and Maria’s.

  After the fight, Maddox led me into a back room filled with various medical supplies. Stacks of bandages and tape crowded the counters, and the sharp scent of astringent—and blood— soaked the air.

  Marco’s smile inched higher, bunching up his cheeks. Scarlet streaks stippled his slicked-back brown locks. “You took a beating in there.”

  “Faolan enjoyed it.” Another daemon sauntered into the room, blond curls tipped in electric blue framing his pale, angelic face.

  He may have looked like an angel, but darkness shimmered behind that beautiful veneer.

  “Chill, Eros.” Marco studied the bruises dotting my flesh.

  “Screw Faolan.” Why did that shifter have such a beef with me? It couldn’t be because I turned down his offer of protection. “Why are you guys on his side anyway? From what I’ve heard, you used to be tight with the unseelies.”

  Black shadows crawled through Eros’s sharp eyes. “Daemons go where the power is.”

  I had just opened my mouth to ask him to elaborate on that ominous sentence when the door swung open and Viktor’s prominent form stalked in, his face an unreadable mask. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Out.”

  With one word from the unseelie prince, Marco and Eros marched into the hall.

  My brow rose as Viktor stalked closer, and I held back a wince the small movement brought. He stared at me for a long time, searching over the blood, cuts, welts, and overall haggardness of my appearance.

  “Did you kick out the guy bandaging me up for a reason, or are you just being a dick?”

  “I’m rarely surprised,” the edges of his lips twitched, “but tonight, you surprised me.”

  “Told you I’d walk out of that ring like a boss.” A boss with a couple broken bones and gashes. Eh, semantics. “Came to give me my winnings?” I asked, lifting my arm to hold out my hand. Big mistake. Pain ricocheted through my shoulder, and a sharp gasp escaped my lips. Son of a bitch. That hurt.

  Viktor’s head tilted as he examined my shoulder, and I couldn’t help but linger on the dark locks caressing the tip of his sharp cheekbone. “Your shoulder is dislocated.”

  It wouldn’t be the first time or the second. A foster kid pulled me off the top bunk at a home when I was eight. A few years later, I fell off a roof running from Tommy Radcliff. Jilly hadn’t arrived at their house yet. “Care to pop it back in place?”

  He hesitated, his lips thinning. This guy did not want to touch me.

  I sighed and started to hop off the table.

  His hands lifted to stop me. “What are you doing?”

  “Since you sent my daemon doc out and you refused to touch me—the disgusting seelie-dae—I’m going to go over to this wall and ram my shoulder into it, popping it back in place.”

  Viktor’s face blanched. Emotions on him—other than anger—were few and far between. “You can’t be serious.”

  I shrugged my good shoulder. “Worked before.” Like the Radcliffs would have taken me to the hospital. Nope. I had to do that myself or let Tommy do it.

  Something began to form in his gaze, another emotion, but he quickly shook his head, shutting it down. “I’ll do it.”

  I smirked. “That means you have to touch me.”

  “I’ll touch you just fine.” His voice dipped low and gravely, sending hot shivers up my spine. And then he opened his mouth again. “It’ll cause you pain, so I won’t mind as much.”

  I flipped him off.

  Viktor slipped behind me, and the heat of his body melted over mine so quickly I fought back a gasp. His large hands reluctantly found their positions. “On the count of—”

  “Just do it,” I muttered through gritted teeth. “I don’t need a damn countdown.”

  The unseelie prince yanked. Starbursts exploded in my vision, mixing with spots of scarlet and white. Air stilted in my lungs as the room spun. Blistering pain lashed at my body, trickling all the way to the tips of my toes. Shit.

  I blinked my vision clear and waited for my head to stop swimming. “Thanks.” I wiped a dribble of sweat from my temple. “Mind handing me those bandages?” I jerked my chin toward the counter. “I need to wrap my ribs.” When Viktor didn’t move, I glanced up to find him watching me with that annoyingly blank expression. “Unless you want to do it.”

  He stalked by, snatching the roll off the counter. Instead of handing it over, he stared at my torso. “Your shirt is soaked in blood.”

  Kimber’s words about the sports bra floated back. Without overthinking it, I grabbed the hem of the tank top and lifted it over my head, tossing it aside. Cool air traveled over me, but that wasn’t what caused a flurry of goose bumps. Viktor’s eyes darted to my chest and traced the ample curves of my breasts. He shifted on his feet, his jaw ticking.

  I forced back a smile. My cellmate had been right.

  He cleared his throat and stepped closer, his body heat swarming me again. His knuckles brushed my skin and I jumped. His bare touch burned, in a good way.

  I swallowed back the unease. I should hate his guts. He’d bullied me and was a total asshole, but my body wouldn’t connect with my brain. It only saw this chiseled work of perfection—all hard angles and heat.

  “You should be fine in a day or two.” Viktor’s low voice startled me, yanking the wicked thoughts from my mind.

  “I think it’s going to take a little longer than that.” I knew from experience.

  He shook his head. “Fae heal fast. Haven’t you always?”

  “Not really.” That would have been nice.

  “How long did it take the bruise on your side to heal?”

  The side he’d felt up in the yard? “I don’t know.” I thought back to last week. “Actually, maybe only a day, but I’ve never healed that fast before.”

  His arm brushed mine, his muscles tightening from the touch. “You didn’t grow up with your powers?”

  A bitter laugh escaped my mouth. “My life would have been a lot different if I had.” I choked back the rush of memories trying to overload me. Things would have gone much differently if I’d had control of this elemental fire. “A few strange things happen here and there, but I didn’t really feel them until recently.”

  Viktor’s hands stilled. “Something had been blocking your powers.” His bottom lip snagged between his teeth, and I had the strangest urge to dart forward and tug it out with my own teeth. “You seem to heal like a Fae now.”

  I shook the image off. “That’s good.”

  “Yeah. Good.” When Viktor finished wrapping my torso, he peered over my shoulder. “You’ve got a pretty big scrape on your back.”

  “Well, have at it, doc.” A challenge infused my words. I had no idea what possessed Viktor Hale to play doctor, but I wanted to know how far he’d go. I liked pushing his buttons.

  His eyes narrowed, and only a few seconds passed before he slipped around me and moved my hair aside. He paused, and I could feel the stiffening of his body without even touching him.

  I cursed myself from now until Tuesday as hot embarrassment slithered up my neck. The unseelie prince had me so distracted that I’d forgotten about my scars. I expected them to be seen eventually. I just didn’t want him seeing them.

&nb
sp; “Never mind. I’ll get Kimber to do it.” I began to slide off the table.

  “No.” Viktor’s hands wrapped around my hips to keep me in place. “I got it. Sit still.”

  A knot fisted in my chest, waiting on the inevitable barrage of questions. I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood. Viktor Hale would not know my dark secrets, my pain.

  The strong scent of alcohol lit the air seconds before a sting sliced across my back. I released a snarl.

  “Since you didn’t need a countdown for the shoulder, I figured you didn’t need a warning for this.” Teasing humor laced his words.

  He wasn’t going to ask?

  I breathed a sigh of relief, and my body relaxed, at least as much as it could with the unseelie prince standing behind me. Touching me.

  “How did you win?” he asked.

  “I kicked her ass. I thought that was pretty obvious.”

  Viktor grunted. “I saw you out there. You were two seconds away from passing out, then you just got up.”

  “I wanted it more than she did.” He had no idea how true that was. Look where winning one fight had gotten me. Viktor and I were alone in a room, actually talking, while he took care of my wounds.

  “What did Maria say that pissed you off so much?” He spread a glob of cold ointment on the scrape. “You snapped.”

  My fingers curled into the edge of the table as I fought off another bout of rage. “Some Fae here are under the impression that because I was raised with humans my life has been all sunshine, roses, and daisies.” I ground my molars and forced back the terrible thoughts trying to creep back in. “It was anything but.”

  “They’re idiots.” He gave a humorless laugh. “If that was the case, you wouldn’t have lasted two days in Wayward Fae Pen.” He pressed a bandage to my back. “I figured that much out when you stood up to Faolan.”

  My lips dipped into a frown. “That guy’s a total douche.”

  “Wow. We agree on something, seelie-dae.” Viktor picked up one of my braids and began unraveling it.

  “What are you doing?” I tried to swat him off.