by C. R. Jane
My face flushed, thinking about Seth being my mate. About all of them being my mates. It seemed crazy…and too good to be true, but at the same time… it just felt so right.
"Alright, do your magic, faerie boy," said Keon, breaking the moment.
Seth hissed at him, and I giggled. My laugh soon faded away as Seth picked up a small grey rock from the floor and immediately transformed it to look exactly like the Cintamani Stone that Alaric was holding.
"Incredible," said Alaric, impressed, while examining the two pieces before he eyed Seth speculatively. "Guess you are good for something."
I rolled my eyes. Seth just snorted, obviously not offended.
"I'll make the wish to get us out of here, he'll be paying the least attention to me. I'm pretty sure he still thinks I'm devoted to the prison, and just fucking Selena for fun."
Laz growled at Keon's statement, and I decided it was time to go. The boys were getting out of hand. I didn't blame them, though. Being this close to freedom was enough to make anyone edgy. Dread curled in my gut at that moment, and I tried to push it away. Everything was going to be fine. I was with four incredibly powerful supernaturals. We could stand up to the Warden.
Alaric led the way to the Warden's office. And Seth shrunk the Cintamani Stone to fit into Keon's pocket so that it would be out of sight but easily accessible for him to get us out. I just hoped that Keon was right about there being no wards in the Warden's office. I didn't know what we'd do otherwise. There was no plan B.
Laz was still incredibly weak, and slowed our procession down. By the time we got to the office, there was a sheen of sweat over his face, and his breath was back to being labored. Good thing we only needed Keon to ask for one wish. I didn't know that we could be down by two and pull this off.
"Come in," purred the Warden after Alaric knocked on the door.
It felt a bit like I was having a heart attack.
The five of us walked into the Warden's office. I knew the guy could smell fear; I was doing all I could not to pee myself. While the other four were pulling off calm and collected perfectly. Apparently, I needed to take acting lessons.
"Did you find it?" the Warden asked, standing from his desk; a feverish, excited glint in his eyes. I could smell his arousal in the air, not from any of us, but from the chance to have a new ‘precious’.
Sorry J.R.R. Tolkien, had to go there.
"I've got it right here," said Alaric, casually pulling the fake stone from his pocket. My gaze got sidetracked on my glowing orb that was resting to the left of me on a new set of bookshelves. Like always, an intense longing hit my body, so painful it was hard to stay upright at seeing what was mine, just out of reach.
The Warden walked over, his hand outstretched, but Alaric pulled it away a second before he grabbed it.
"When I give you this, the five of us are free," he growled.
"Yes, yes," the Warden said absentmindedly, his focus solely on the stone. "You've done your job."
Alaric gave him the stone, but just as he did so, I heard a muttered curse coming from Keon, who was standing to my left.
I glanced over to him, and saw that he was patting his pockets frantically. "It's gone," he mouthed.
"Looking for this?" the Warden asked with a smirk, now holding two glowing stones.
Alaric reached for the real stone, but the Warden made it disappear into the mists that were starting to surround his body.
"You thought you could actually trick me?" he asked with a cold, cruel laugh. "I would have expected better from you, Alaric."
We froze as the dark, suffocating mists began to whirl around us. The same cold, clammy feeling that I'd experienced the last time I was in this office settling across my skin.
"Wait!" Seth's voice cried out.
The mists halted.
"I have something you want more than that stone."
The mists snapped back into the Warden like a rubber band.
"And what would that be," he asked, intrigued.
Seth waved his hand, and the scepter appeared, the scepter that he needed in order to return as ruler of Fairie, the possession that was most important to him above all others.
"Seth, no," I cried out.
He ignored me, not taking his eyes off of the Warden. "I'll give you this, in exchange for our freedom and one wish from the stone to prevent you and any others from ever coming after us."
Keon pulled me against him, and pressed a hand across my lips before I could say anything else. I couldn't believe he was doing this. He was giving up everything for us. I just couldn't believe it.
The Warden held us all in suspense as we watched him with bated breath. "You have a deal," he finally said, reaching for the scepter.
Seth pulled it back, and the Warden growled, the sound terrifying enough to raise the hair on the back of my neck, “You'll make a fae's bargain first. That's the only way this happens."
I didn't fully understand the scepter's power, but watching the Warden's reaction, and how he'd practically become putty in Seth's hand, it must have been significant.
A tic twitched in the Warden's cheek, but he nodded curtly, and stuck out his hand. Seth gripped it tightly with the one that wasn't holding the scepter and began to mutter a collection of musical words as he waved the scepter over their clasped hands. A blue glow surrounded their grip. It brightened for a second, so much that I had to close my eyes to protect them, and then it disappeared.
Seth let go of the Warden and stared at the scepter with abject longing before he practically threw it at the Warden. Whatever magic he'd just done must have been unbreakable because no one seemed worried the Warden would renege. The Warden immediately tossed him the stone that he'd made reappear, and the five of us huddled together, just in case we needed to be touching for the magic to work.
"My power," I whispered in despair as Keon made the wish that we would be free of the Warden and all who wished us harm forever.
The lights in the Warden's office started to flicker manically…and then everything went black.
When my eyes opened, we were outside the gates of Nightmare Penitentiary, I could see them in the distance, and the five of us were still standing close together.
I looked at the gates, and then I looked at my mates…and I fell apart.
"Selena," Laz groaned, taking me in his arms. Seth had a stoic look on his face.
"Tell me those are happy tears, pet," begged Alaric.
"I'm so happy to be free. And I have all of you… But he'll have my power… forever," I cried as a fresh bout of tears spilled out.
"I wasn't going to let that happen," reassured Alaric with a sudden naughty grin, and hope bloomed in my chest.
Alaric pulled a glowing orb out of his pocket; my orb, and I stared at it in shock.
"But how," I gasped, tentatively reaching out for it, unable to believe this was real.
"I'm not a master criminal in name only, my sweets. While the rest of you and the Warden were enthralled with our fae's dramatic sacrifice, I was busy grabbing things I'd had my eye on for quite a while. And of course, I wasn't going to allow us to leave without your power."
"Alaric," I whispered, but I couldn't speak through my emotions. I grabbed the orb, and my power rushed back into me. A wild wind swept through my hair and it was like a million tiny electric shocks were dancing through my body.
When it all settled down, I finally felt whole once more. It was a strange feeling to no longer feel like a part of me had been missing from my soul.
A stretch limo pulled up beside the five of us before I could really enjoy the miracle that had just occurred. I tensed, holding my hands up to defend myself and my mates from whatever was waiting inside, but the guys didn't seem worried, they seemed relaxed.
A portly man dressed in a suit just a tad too tight for him jumped out of the driver's side and practically ran towards us.
"Alaric," he cried, and I watched in amazement as the two hugged and slapped backs.
&nbs
p; "This is Len," Alaric said, introducing the man to us. Alaric pulled me close. "And this is my queen," he told Len proudly.
Len looked like he was about to explode with happiness.
"I'm so glad to meet you. Alaric has had much to say."
"You've told people about me?" I asked, blushing. Alaric just winked at me as Len chuckled.
"Incubi write letters too," he whispered in my ear, biting the lobe softly and sending lust shooting through my insides, because what else would he do?
"Let's go home," Alaric announced, and Len opened the back door for us to get in.
"Show off," grumbled Keon, but he didn't look too upset about being in the lap of luxury.
"Is this a dream? I’m not going to wake up and find myself lying in a pile of shit in a prison corridor?" Laz joked. We all laughed, but I knew that was how we were all actually feeling.
Len shut the door after we'd all piled into the ridiculously fancy interior, and then he hustled to the front of the car and we began to drive away.
A small squeak drew all our attention to Keon, and to the pocket of his jacket where a small white, furry head poked out. The mouse from the prison.
“You brought him with us,” I stated with delight. The little guy tried to save me, so to have him out of the prison too... made me smile like crazily.
“I couldn’t leave behind my little buddy. I took him into the prison, and he comes out with me.”
Just as I reached over to scratch his head, he ducked back inside, hiding. I had no doubt I’d see him in our new home.
Across from me, Seth was looking pensively out the window, watching the prison fade from view. I grabbed his hand, and just held it, not knowing what to say. What can you say when someone gives up their world for you?
"We'll get your kingdom back for you, brother," announced Alaric, and the guys all murmured in agreement.
Seth smiled at all of them, and pulled me over so that I was cuddled against him.
We didn't say a word for the rest of the car ride. We just sat there, lost in our thoughts.
We were free.
Chapter 15
Selena
Alaric was rich. I mean I'd known he was a crime lord and controlled a bunch of stuff, but I hadn't quite comprehended what that meant.
Evidently, it meant he was lord of the universe because he had houses all over the world, a fleet of luxury cars, two private planes, and who knows what else.
I was seriously questioning his sanity. How he ever thought it was a good idea to end up in Nightmare Penitentiary when he had all of this was beyond me.
Standing in front of the contemporary modern glass mansion on two acres of private beach just south of Santa Monica, I was definitely realizing just how rich Alaric actually was.
It was overwhelming. It felt like too much coming from the horror of the prison. It was like I'd waken up in Wonderland, nothing felt real.
We were all exhausted as we walked into our new home. The adrenaline rush from getting out of prison long since faded into a bone-deep exhaustion that only months of rest and relaxation could cure. I gazed past the perfect furnishings, and walked right to the back wall that was made of nothing but smooth glass and looked out upon the ocean.
The sun was fading, and an explosion of pinks and purples painted the sky. I watched it in awe, wondering if I'd ever seen anything so breathtaking.
Would I be able to keep this feeling forever? This sense of gratitude and peace, like I'd been reborn and given a new lease on life. Would it fade in time, the feeling that the world was limitless for me now?
I hoped not.
I pulled a small chunk of rock from my pocket. A piece of the wall of the prison. I’d keep it as a reminder of where I'd been, and how far I'd come.
"I thought you would like it here," said Alaric as he sidled up next to me. He pressed a button on his phone and the glass in front of me started to slide away until I could feel the ocean air on my face. The windows continued to open until the entire wall was open to the ocean. It was incredible.
"It doesn't feel real," I admitted to him as I watched the waves crash against the shore. Lake Michigan was enormous and looked like it stretched out forever in some places, but this was on a whole other level. "I keep expecting the Warden and his guards to show up at any minute and drag me away. Or even Julian, I guess."
"Nothing is ever going to hurt you again," Alaric swore fiercely.
There had been a lot of talk like that from the guys while we were in prison. And while I'd been grateful, I'd never believed them, not really.
It felt a lot easier to believe with the breeze on my face and the seagull floating over the sparkling water.
"I think I'm ready for bed," I told him, everything just crashing over me. It had been one never-ending...thing, and I felt like I could sleep for days.
"Alright, pet," Alaric murmured, kissing the top of my head. Those two words sending a little flutter to my insides. But my exhaustion quickly snuffed out anything from growing.
After I said goodnight to the others, and even though it was only seven pm, Alaric led me up one of several flights of stairs. I knew I would want to spend hours exploring the house tomorrow, but right now all I was interested in was my bed. Heck, I'd even take my prison cot set up in one of the bedrooms, as long as the cot wasn't actually in the prison. I was so tired.
That thought disappeared when Alaric opened a door and led me to an enormous bedroom, fit for a queen. The one wall faced the ocean and was made completely of glass windows, just like the wall in the living room. There was a large balcony outside that I just knew I would be spending my mornings on for as long as we were here.
There was a California King set up along the wall across from the windows, so you could just sit in bed and watch the waves if you wanted to. The decor was minimalistic and modern, a mixture of ocean blues and sand colors making the room feel like an extension of outside. There was a chest of drawers and a sitting area with a light blue tufted couch on one of the other walls, and just beyond that was a doorway that led into a closet that could house a few cars if need be. It was overflowing with women's clothes that I knew would fit me perfectly. Alaric made sure to show me the drawers that were full of lingerie…you know, just in case.
Through another doorway, there was the bathroom of my dreams… if I'd ever spent time dreaming about what my idea of the perfect bathroom was…this would be it. Another glass wall lined one side of the bathroom, an enormous oval tub set in front of it, so you could bathe with a view. Across from the bathtub, there was a shower with pale aqua glass tile covering the walls, six showerheads placed throughout. You could have a party there if you wanted to.
And yes, my mind went to who I would invite to that party.
Two separate vanities were on the other walls with enough counter space to make a girl's makeup and hair dreams come true.
It was all perfect, and completely overwhelming.
"Do you like it?" Alaric asked, and I jumped because I'd kind of forgotten he was there while I was drooling over the bathroom. Alaric looked a little anxious, like my answer meant everything to him. I wasn't used to seeing him so vulnerable.
"It's all beyond amazing," I assured him. "This house is the stuff of dreams."
"It's my favorite of my homes, but I had things redone while in prison…hoping you’d like them," he admitted, nervously. My heart threatened to beat out of my chest. "I redid this room for you. It was always meant to be yours."
I swooned and then walked over to him and gave him a soft kiss. "I couldn't have dreamed up a better place," I told him, and he puffed up his chest and smiled like I'd just complimented his cock.
"Do you want me to run you a bath?" he asked, gesturing to the heaven-like set up now at my disposal.
I was tempted for half a second until I was hit with another wave of exhaustion. The tub would have to wait. I'd gotten a quick shower while on the plane that flew us here, so at least I didn't smell like the prison anymore.
"I'll try it out in the morning," I told him, before slipping past him and back into the bedroom. I threw the sheets back and climbed in, letting out a sigh of pleasure; it was so freaking soft, like Alaric had captured a cloud, and made it my bed.
"Goodnight, pet," Alaric whispered against my skin, but I was asleep before I could answer.
I woke up with a gasp, tearing myself from the clutches of a nightmare. For a second, I wasn't sure where I was. And then I remembered.
I wasn't in Nightmare Penitentiary anymore.
I was safe.
I was free.
It was dark outside. I could see stars flickering through the windows, which I hadn't seen before growing up in a big city. But we were isolated out here. No neighbors for at least a mile.
The silence was almost unnerving. I'd grown used to the never-ending moans and cries of the prisoners. They were like a morose version of white noise by the end. It was going to take a while to get used to sleeping without the screams.
I thought about trying to go back to sleep; a quick glance at the clock told me it was only two am, but I felt wired. I'd already slept for longer than I usually did in prison. I got out of bed and walked over to the windows and undid the latch so that I could slip out onto the balcony. There was a slight nip in the air, and I savored the fresh, saltiness around me. There was a dim light down below that illuminated the water's edge enough that I could see the waves slowly dancing against the sand.
I took a few deep breaths, feeling my power flickering up and down my spine. The feeling grew and grew until my body was a live wire, desperate to release energy. I suddenly roared into the heavens, my power striking out into the air as storm clouds gathered in the distance. Lightning strikes reverberated across the water and sheets of rain fell, soaking the thin nightgown that I'd changed into. I laughed as the wind sped up and whirled around me, thrashing my hair against my face.