Blindly Indicted

by Katie May

  “Are you sure?” he asks, the head of his cock poking at my aching entrance. His tongue parts my lips, breathing life back into me.

  “I’m positive.”

  He doesn’t need to be told twice. With a grunt, he enters me. He’s not gentle or delicate like the others. No, not my mage. His fingernails dig into my hips as sheathes himself completely in my wet heat. I cradle him against my body, wrapping my legs around his waist.

  “I need you to move,” I beg, wincing at the pain. The fullness.

  He rocks inside me slowly, circling his hips, but I don’t want gentle. I want him the way he had entered me: possessive and damning, surrendering his soul to me completely.

  “Harder, faster,” I plead, pushing my hips up to meet each thrust. My words release something in Damien, a beast he had kept in a cage.

  He pounds into me ruthlessly and viciously, his balls slapping against my skin with each punishing thrust. He captures my lips in a fierce, claiming kiss. There’s no denying that I’m his, completely and unconditionally.

  I arch my back as pleasure dances in front of my eyes.

  “I’m so close,” I whimper, panting. “So close.”

  “Wait,” he growls, continuing to move relentlessly over top of me.

  “Damien!”

  “I said wait!” His tongue invades my mouth, sweeping across my teeth, before he trails kisses down my neck. He begins to suck on my skin, no doubt leaving marks. “Come for me, Angel. Come around my cock.”

  I fall into bliss. Complete, ethereal bliss. Screaming Damien’s name, I hold onto his shoulders and wait for the aftershocks of pleasure to leave me.

  After a few quick thrusts, Damien comes inside of me as well, his cum sliding down my thighs.

  He collapses on top of me, and I hold him to me, unable to part. He chuckles darkly against my neck before planting a single kiss to the skin there. We lay there together in silence, savoring the moment, until Damien teasingly bites down on my earlobe.

  “We should go find the others,” he says lightly. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Damien sound more carefree than at that moment. The power of sex, I suppose.

  I hug him tighter. “I’m comfy, and you’re warm. Like a human blanket.”

  He chuckles again, slowly untangling his limbs from mine despite my protests. My body feels empty when he’s gone, like a piece of me has been ripped away.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up and dressed,” Damien says. I don’t move from my sprawled position on his bed. I’m not even sure I’m capable of it. My limbs feel like jello.

  I don’t know what Damien uses to clean me up, but soon I’m dressed once more in my white gown.

  His hands linger on me even after I’m dressed. Now that we’ve started, we can’t seem to stop touching each other. His hand in mine, his pulse beneath my lips, his arm around my waist. I know that the second we leave the security of his room, the touching will end, but I’m desperate to soak up his affection while I can.

  “Hey, Damien?” I whisper, suddenly shy. I shouldn’t be after what we just did, what our bodies just did, but I still feel a blush rising to my cheeks. “I love—”

  Pain flares behind my eyes, and I gasp, dropping to the ground. Damien releases a pained roar before he becomes silent. Too silent.

  A familiar voice penetrates the incandescent pain radiating throughout my body.

  “You really are strong,” the prison mage muses. “Most people can’t stay conscious for more than a second or two.” He sighs suddenly, as if my inability to fall unconscious is a personal slight against him. “But, anyway, time to get up. You have a visitor.”

  Chapter 51

  Abel

  I never thought I would fall in love.

  It’s not like I didn’t want to—I did—but I just didn’t believe that love was for me. Who could possibly care about someone as twisted and fucked-up as me?

  Yeah, I know how to smile—and I have a pretty damn good one if I do say so myself—but that doesn’t mean I’m happy. That smile obscures a darkness and pain lurking just beneath the surface. I’m a perfectly wrapped gift of barbed wire and explosives. One wrong move and boom. We’re both dead.

  But then fucking Nina came into my life like a burst of sunlight. Her presence was impossible to ignore, impossible to resist. After living in darkness for so long, I craved the light.

  Somehow, the beautiful girl was able to crawl not only under my skin, but my brother’s as well. She saw the demons in both of us, but instead of fighting them, she wrapped them in a comforting, warm embrace.

  “How was it?” I ask now, lazily taking a drag of a cigarette. I pass it to Cain, and bliss contorts his features as he breathes in deeply.

  We’re sitting in the throne room, a cold draft blowing in from the propped opened doors. Nina is currently with Damien, and Bronson is still with his family. I have no idea where Kai and Rion are—probably stabbing people, those deranged shits.

  “Fucking amazing,” he declares, a dopey fucking smile on his face. “She was everything I imagined and more.”

  “I’m kind of jealous, you know,” I admit, taking the cigarette back from him. “I always thought I would be the first twin to make love to Bambi. Not your ugly ass.”

  “Make love.” Cain snorts, but once again, a dreamy, wistful smile erupts on his face. “We’ve turned into lovesick fools.”

  “So you do?” When he turns toward me, I crush the butt of the cigarette out on the cement. “Love her, I mean.”

  I thought that realization would hurt me, gut me, but I only feel at peace. All I have ever wanted was for my brother to find love and be loved in return. If it just so happens to be with the same girl as me? No problem. Nina is more than capable of loving both of us equally, unconditionally. Her love has no bounds.

  “That’s actually what I came to talk to you about,” he admits, scrubbing a hand across the top of his disheveled blond hair. I eye him curiously, waiting for him to gather his thoughts. “I love her, but I know you do too. And I suspect she loves both of us—as well as the others—equally.” He takes a deep breath, eyes closing, before he drops his head back against the wall with a thunk. “What the fuck are we doing, Abel? Are we okay with this? Sharing her?”

  I remain silent as I think through his words. It’s what I always do, despite people’s preconceived notions concerning me.

  “Can you imagine life without her?” I ask Cain at last. There’s no judgment in my tone, just curiosity. His eyes snap open, the green so similar to my own peering back at me like jade gemstones.

  “What?” His voice is raspy, hoarse, and he has to clear his throat before he can speak again. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean,” I tap my fingers against my leg, “that I can’t imagine a life without her in it. I love her, and I accept all the parts of her—even the parts that love other men. But that’s my decision and mine alone. I don’t expect you to as well. So I want you to ask yourself: can you imagine life without her? Would you rather have a piece of her, a piece of her heart, or nothing at all?”

  Cain gapes at me wordlessly before his mouth snaps closed. He turns his attention toward his hands in his lap.

  I dread his answer. Can I still be with Nina knowing that my brother loves her and can’t have her? Would that make me selfish? I know the answer to that thought even before it formulates completely.

  Yes.

  I can’t give Nina up.

  All I know for certain is that a part of me will die if my brother chooses to leave her.

  Cain releases a heavy breath, lifting his eyes once more. He pierces me with a look amassed with so much wisdom and longing I feel the ache physically in my chest.

  “Yes. I love her. I don’t care that she loves you and the other assholes as well. I want to be with her and only her, for as long as she’ll have me.”

  The tension in the room lessens infinitesimally at his declaration. It’s like we’re both finally able to breathe again.

  “How
about we steal her from Damien and prove our devotion to her?” I suggest with a waggle of my eyebrows. It’s not often that Cain and I share girls. Hell, the last time it happened was back at the sex club. But now, I can’t think about anything else but enjoying our girl together. Seeing her flushed cheeks, demure smile, and cloudy eyes. Hearing her whimpers and moans of pleasure...

  My cock jumps in my pants, instantly hardening. Fuck, just the thought of Bambi has me hard as rock.

  “I call back!” Cain says instantly, and I curse.

  “Dammit! Rock, paper, scissors for it,” I plead, placing my fist on my hand and holding them both out.

  “Nope. I called it first.” Cain tilts his chin up stubbornly, a wicked glint in his mossy eyes.

  “You suck.”

  “Yeah, her clit—”

  Whatever foul-mouthed thing Cain was going to say is interrupted by Bronson’s cadaverous appearance in the entrance of the throne room. His eyes are wild, feral, flickering from one face to another but never sticking. A dusting of goosebumps erupt on my flesh.

  “Everything okay, Wolf-man?” I ask just as Cain demands, “Where’s Nina?”

  Ignoring us both, he turns toward the empty throne situated in the center of the room. His brows furrow. “Where’s Kai? I need to speak to him immediately.”

  “You’re acting kind of weird, Bron Bron.” I hesitantly take a step closer to him. You have to be careful when approaching an out-of-control wolf; you never know when they might bite.

  “Seriously, what’s going on?” Cain jumps to his feet and crosses his arms over his chest. Unlike me, he has no problem confronting the growly shadow wolf.

  “Nina with Damien?” Bronson rumbles. My brother and I exchange a long, eloquent look. A twin look. You know the type.

  “Is this about Nina?” Cain asks slowly, warily.

  Bronson growls sharply but grabs a manila folder out from under his shirt.

  Exchanging another look with my brother, I grab the proffered folder and begin to flip through. A lot of medical gibberish and terminology glares back at me. I do recognize Nina’s name on the top of the form: Nina Doe, the name the court gave her when she revealed she didn’t have a last name.

  “I don’t know what I’m looking at,” I admit, feeling like an idiot. School and I never really went together. However, Cain had been training to be a doctor before Boris and his thugs took us. He had been able to skip three grades, graduating high school at only fifteen. He completed nursing school when he was seventeen, the same year Boris...

  I sweep those thoughts beneath the metaphorical rug.

  Not today, Satan. Not today.

  I hand the papers to my brother and watch as his eyes change and harden the longer he stares at them. Horror douses his serene expression like a bucket of frigid water. His hands tremble slightly.

  “Are you sure?” he whispers to Bronson. The shadow wolf nods once.

  “My sister was able to hack the hospital records.”

  “Somebody better tell me what the fuck is going on before I get ragey. You really don’t want to see me like that,” I say somewhat petulantly. I hate being left in the dark, especially about the people I love.

  “It’s Nina’s testing from the hospital, after she escaped the Compound,” Cain states shakily.

  “Someone tried to have these sealed,” Bronson adds. “I have no doubt that everyone involved with her case had a mysterious, life-threatening accident shortly after she was released.”

  My head swarms like a nest of bees have been released, the incessant buzzing causing a headache to form behind my eyes. What the hell are they going on about?

  Noticing my rising anger, Cain hurries to elaborate. “The paperwork shows tests from the hospital. Including blood tests.” He takes another deep breath. “They found angel blood in her body.”

  “Angel blood?” I ask, not understanding the issue. Shouldn’t they be thrilled? “So she’s an angel?”

  Damien will get a kick out of this.

  Now that I think of it, I can totally see Nina with a halo and white, fluffy wings. Her mannerisms are certainly angelic.

  I wonder if it hurt...when she fell from heaven.

  Yeah, I have a whole arsenal of cheesy angel jokes at my disposal.

  I can’t help but smile softly. For her entire life, Nina hasn’t known who or what she is. Now, she finally has answers. There are other angels in the prison, people we can reach out to and ask to train her—

  Cain’s and Bronson’s somber expressions cut my thoughts off mid-rant.

  “What?” I volley my gaze from one to the other.

  “They found something else as well, something they didn’t understand,” Cain begins. “Demon blood.”

  “Demon blood,” I repeat slowly, carefully. “So she’s a hybrid?”

  Hybrids were uncommon in our world, but not unheard of. It still doesn’t explain their reactions.

  “A mage tested her blood. A special test, one that most people wouldn’t normally think to do,” Bronson takes over. The burly shifter sounds more scared than I’ve ever heard before. That immediately puts me on edge. If Tall, Large, and Scary is anxious then I should probably prepare to shit my pants. “Apparently, the demon blood has been added. It’s not natural.”

  “Not natural...” There’s a strange roaring in my ears, drowning out their words. All I can see is Nina’s heart-shaped face, shy smile, and fluttery lashes.

  Not natural.

  Not natural.

  Not natural.

  “Someone added the demon blood to her over time...sort of like a transfusion. The mage also found alterations in her DNA,” Cain recites expressionlessly.

  Vomit churns in my stomach. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  I’m gonna be sick.

  “Someone fucked with Nina’s genetic makeup,” Bronson growls, eyes flashing amber. “They modified her blood to make her into a hybrid.” Another growl reverberates through his body as he struggles to hold onto his wolf’s leash. “The Compound isn’t just a prison, but a lab. A fucking lab.”

  I barely make it to the trash can before I vomit up my breakfast.

  Chapter 52

  Nina

  I’m not surprised when Alyssa steps into the visitor’s room. By this point, I have her footsteps memorized—the audible clack of heels against the tiled white floor.

  I slip into her head just as she sits opposite me, gaze fixed on her manicured nails tapping against the table.

  “One of my men contacted me the other day,” Alyssa begins softly. Despite her words being directed at me, her eyes are glued to a water stain on the wall. It’s the only blemish I have noticed in this nondescript room. Everything else is painted in stark white paint with freshly scrubbed floors and wiped down tables. I imagine the Warden wants to give a certain impression to family members—that this prison is a respectable, clean place.

  “What did he say?” I ask as Alyssa’s gaze travels to the one-way mirror. There’s a determined set to her jaw, and her eyes are clouded with pain.

  “He doesn’t think Lionel did it,” she says quietly, demurely. “He doesn’t think Lionel killed Raphael.”

  Raphael. Man.

  Even just his name evokes full-body shivers. Does Alyssa know about his past activities at the Compound, or is she just the poor, unfortunate soul who fell in love with an evil man?

  Maybe she was blind to his demons. I know I can be when it comes to the men I love.

  “I’m at a loss for words,” she whispers brokenly. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. If Lionel didn’t kill Raphael, then who did? You? I doubt that.” I catch the inquisitive look on her face in the reflection before she turns to me completely. “I still don’t believe you killed Raphael, but now I don’t know who did.”

  “And you trust this source?” I query. What had she been told that changed her entire perspective of Lionel Green?

  Alyssa’s vision shifts as she nods once, a decisive head b
ob. “I do. He has been undercover for years now and is a close confidant of Lionel. I haven’t been able to contact him since this whole thing went down, but he recently got in touch with me.” She blows out a breath, stirring the curl that had fallen in front of her face. “Lionel is just as terrified as the rest of us. He believes someone is targeting Council Members. He only left his house once since this whole thing began. Tell me, Nina, is that the behavior of a murderer? Or a scared little boy?”

  I feel as if this is a test. My answer will determine how we proceed next. The tension and anxiety saturating the room is nearly stifling.

  “I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “I honestly don’t know.” I bite down on my lower lip as my stomach tightens into knots. I wish desperately that Alyssa will look away from me, toward her reflection. There’s no way of knowing if I passed or failed her makeshift test.

  “I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” Alyssa says resolutely. “Raphael was my whole world. I loved him. One touch from him was goddamn nuclear. We destroyed each other in a way only loved ones could.”

  There’s a potent pain to her words. I try to imagine a love she’s talking about, a love capable of destroying the parties involved, but I can’t seem to visualize it. Love is supposed to be sweet and bright, breaking apart the monotony of darkness one crack of lightning at a time. It’s supposed to be gracious and calm. That’s not to say you won’t get hurt, you will, but the joy will overshadow the pain.

  “I’m sorry this happened to you.” Alyssa clears her throat, pulling herself out of her memories. She gracefully rises to her feet. “We’ll keep searching. I want the truth. More than you can possibly know.” My heart cracks like an aged stone being dropped. Her pain seems to radiate throughout the room, seeping into my skin.

  “I’m sorry too,” I whisper as she exits the room.

  I don’t immediately pull out of her head, watching as she walks down the twining halls of the prison. A few of the guards wave to her, smiling, and she returns their waves with her own pleasantries. Everyone here seems to genuinely like Alyssa, her presence magnetic.