by G. K. DeRosa
“What shift?” I asked.
He revealed a tablet from under his arm and stared at a long list. “Well, since I don’t have an assignment for you, inmate, I guess you can go with these two.”
“No!” Talon practically shouted.
Hayden appeared at my side and stretched his long arm around my shoulders. “We’ll take her. Don’t worry, pumpkin, I’ll show you the ropes.”
“Perfect. Let’s get a move-on.” The guard motioned to the hallway, and I nearly sprinted out of our cell.
“Come on, Actaeon…” Talon grumbled as he lumbered behind me.
“Whatever your beef with the girl is, let it go. I’ve got enough problems in this place without having to deal with you. I gotta train the new warden and Delacroix is acting up as usual.”
My ears perked up at the sound of the hellus demon’s name. If I did end up staying in here, I had to figure out the lay of the land.
“What did he do now?” my reluctant roomie asked.
Actaeon lowered his voice so I slowed my pace to eavesdrop on their conversation. “Massacred one of the new detainees when he refused to bend the knee. Where was the Triad then?”
Talon muttered a curse through his clenched teeth.
My heart staggered on a beat as I remembered the Triad standing up for me in the mess hall. Would Delacroix have asked me to join him if they hadn’t? Would I still be alive right now?
The rest of their conversation blurred behind my racing thoughts. If I was a demon and I was supposed to stick to my own kind, I’d have to eventually fall in line with Delacroix. My stay with the brothers couldn’t last forever. Not with the amount of animosity spewing from my dragon bunkie. The big ugly demon hadn’t seemed that bad, but then again I hadn’t crossed him. I wasn’t exactly a rule follower and kowtowing to a murderous gang leader left a bad taste in my mouth.
Chasing the depressing thoughts away, I refocused on the present. The guys had stopped talking, Hayden had fallen back to walk beside Talon and the C.O. had taken the lead. It was my chance to get some information.
I took a few long strides and caught up with the big dragon guard. “Hey, C.O., do you know exactly what I did to get in here?”
He cocked his head at me, the silver strands in his short hair catching the halogen lights from above. “I think everyone at this prison knows what you did, girl.”
“Not everyone.” The pit of dread that had taken permanent residence in my gut doubled in size. “That night is kind of a blur.”
He threw me a you-must-be-kidding-me look and picked up his pace.
I reached for his arm but pulled it back at the last minute, thinking better of it. “Please,” I muttered. “No one will give me a straight answer.”
“The warden will speak to you when he’s ready.” He opened another door that led to a steep winding staircase.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I blew out a long breath and followed him up. “How about my one phone call or a pair of clean scrubs?”
Actaeon arched a brow and checked his clipboard once again. “The phone call thing doesn’t happen here at Darkblood.” He scratched at the thick stubble on his jaw as he scanned the sheet. “Flix hasn’t been by to see you?”
“Who?”
“Hmm.” He pressed a finger to a comm behind his ear. “Mason, make sure you add prisoner number one thirty-eight to Flix’s roster. She’s in Block One which could account for the mix-up.” Turning back to me, his lips thinned to a tight smile. “Our resident tour guide will be by later today to set you up. I’ll also make sure to get your rooming situation sorted. Talon might be a pain in my ass, but he’s right, you don’t belong in there with the Triad.”
“What does that even mean?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
The never-ending staircase finally came to an end at a narrow door. Our dragon escort motioned me in, then scooted in sideways across the threshold just to make it through. My two roommates followed suit, their tremendously broad shoulders skimming the slender doorframe.
When my pupils adjusted to the dim light, my eyes scanned the quaint circular stone room that barely fit the four of us. Actaeon moved to the side and revealed a large window criss-crossed with iron bars. My eyes welled with tears at the first sight of the outdoors in days. Even beneath the predawn light, I could make out the soaring snow-covered peaks of Draeko.
It suddenly hit me that we were in one of the sky-high turrets that made up the prison fortress. “What are we doing up here?”
Actaeon pointed out the window. “There are a few broken tiles on the roof, and I need them re-soldered. Damned Underworlders attacking the prison. They just don’t give up.”
My eyes bugged out of my head. Were they trying to bust someone out? I had a pretty good idea who… If everything I’d heard about Delacroix so far were true, he’d be the most likely answer. I glanced through the barred windows and another realization nearly smacked me in the face. We must have been hundreds of feet up, which normally would mean nothing to an angel and a dragon but these mystical cuffs drained our powers.
Our friendly C.O. must have noticed my reaction because he offered me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, demon, you’re not going out there. We’ll find a more suitable job for you tomorrow.”
My gaze bounced from Talon to Hayden, and a swirl of anxiety tightened my core. I may not have liked my dragon bunkie very much, but I didn’t want him to plummet to his death either. And Hayden, well, I was really starting to like him.
“Don’t start with the waterworks, pumpkin. We’ll be just fine.”
I took back all the nice thoughts I had about Hayden in my head and shot him a good eye roll. Then my gaze flickered back to Actaeon who was removing Talon’s black cuff and replacing it with a silver one just like his own.
The moment it was on, Talon’s pupils narrowed into dark slits, the metallic silver nearly encompassing his entire orb. He cracked his neck and stretched, and the closest thing I’d seen to a smile curled his lips.
Wait… how was he allowed to have his powers back?
“You’re next, angel boy.” He signaled at Hayden and repeated the procedure. Before I could blink, a pair of onyx wings unfurled from his back, nearly taking up the entire room.
“Watch it!” Actaeon snarled, jumping back.
My eyes remained glued to the magnificent black wings. I clenched my fingers behind my back to keep from reaching out to touch them. Something told me they’d be softer than silk, like caressing a puffy cloud.
“Sorry, C.O.” A huge smirk stretched across Hayden’s face as he flexed his shoulder blades, and his wings retracted. “I needed that.”
Actaeon mumbled something under his breath as he trudged over to the window. Pulling a small device from his pocket, he pressed a button and the iron bars withdrew into the stone walls. Jabbing another button, the glass slid to the side and an icy breeze wafted in.
After days of breathing nothing but the stale air within the damp castle walls, my lungs nearly jumped for joy. I drew in a deep breath, ignoring the frosty wind nipping at my face. My moment of bliss was cut short when Talon’s monstrous frame moved in front of the window. “Let’s do this, Actaeon. We don’t have all day.”
The C.O. produced a box of tools from a dim corner and handed them over to Dark and Broody. The air shimmered and vibrated around Talon, a silver haze obscuring his large form. I hadn’t been around many shifters, but I had a feeling I knew what was coming next. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the gigantic dragon to destroy the small tower and send us all plummeting to our deaths. “Wait!” I shouted.
When nothing happened after a few seconds, I forced my lids open. Hayden smirked and even Actaeon was grinning wildly. Talon stood by the window, only partially transformed. Great, silver wings stretched out behind him, the scales scintillating beneath the early rays of dawn. Razor-sharp claws replaced his short fingernails and thick reptilian scales covered his shoulders like armor.
I released the breath I’d been holding, and my shoulders sagged.
“Told ya we’d be fine,” said Hayden.
“How? How are you guys allowed to use your powers?”
Actaeon opened his mouth to answer, but Talon cut him off. He flashed me his silver cuff. “It’s a necessary part of performing our job duties.”
“But when you’re out there, couldn’t you just fly away and escape?”
“We wouldn’t be able to get far,” Hayden explained. “There’s a barrier spell that encloses the fortress and extends about a hundred feet in every direction of the prison grounds.”
“Oh.” That makes sense. So much for my grand escape plan. Assuming I suddenly sprouted wings, of course. I watched Talon and Hayden hop out the window as a hint of jealousy swirled through my insides. I’d give anything to get out of this hellhole, even for just a few minutes.
I had to meet with the warden ASAP, and I had an idea that I hoped was just stupid enough to work.
Chapter Eight
When Actaeon had said to expect Flix, the tour guide, to come by my cell, I never anticipated a fluorescent-pink-haired pixie male.
“You’re Flix?” I stared at the cute little Fae through my glass enclosure as he flashed his palm across the scanner unlocking my door.
He dipped into a little bow, a smirk curling his pale pink lips. “I am, and I’m here to give you the grand tour.”
My bunkies were both asleep, their gruff snores filling our small chamber so I didn’t bother to say goodbye. Not that they cared what happened to me anyway. I gave Flix the best smile I could muster after three days in jail and darted out of my cell. The dragon guard in the hallway shot me a snarl as I neared so I took another step closer to the pixie.
Flix motioned for me to follow, and the guard trailed a few steps behind us until he must have gotten bored and turned down another corridor. “Sorry about the mix up, I should’ve been by to see you yesterday. I still don’t understand how you ended up with the Triad.” He shuddered.
“What the heck is a Triad?”
“Oh girl, it looks like I got here just in time.” His translucent golden wings fluttered excitedly from the slits cut out of his dingy yellow jumpsuit. I expected him to take off at any moment, but his cuff must have been sucking their magical flying power out. “Talon, Hayden and Dallas—have you met him yet? The brothers are like legends here.”
I nodded as the striking vampire came to mind.
“They’re new to the joint, only been in for a few months, but they came in with quite a rep. Apparently, the brothers plotted a three-pronged attack to kidnap the leaders of each of their houses – the Archangel, the Brotherhood of Dragon’s Alpha, and the Royal Vampire Queen. They succeeded but were caught in the end, once their ransoms were paid. The royals were all returned to their thrones and on one was the wiser, but they took out a ton of guards in the process.” He shrugged. “Or that’s the rumor anyway. And in the short time they’ve been here, the brothers managed to wrangle Delacroix and his goons better than all the C.O.s and wardens combined. Basically, if you’re not on Delacroix’s side, you better hope the Triad takes pity on you. It’s the only way a pretty thing like you will survive.” He stood on his tiptoes, leaning closer and lowered his voice. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the male to female ratio is about ten to one. Have you seen the boneyard yet?”
I shook my head. “What’s that?”
“It’s where the conjugal visits take place—willingly or not.”
I gulped as a bout of nausea crawled up my throat. “How…how is that allowed?”
“The old warden wasn’t exactly a stickler for the rules. Not to mention Delacroix’s the one who really runs the joint. I mean, unless the Triad intervenes.”
Craptabulous. Talon hated me, and I wasn’t so sure about Dallas. Hayden was the only one I semi-thought might stand up for me if something bad went down.
“I have to see the warden. I really don’t belong in this prison. I don’t even remember what I did to get in here.” And I still refused to believe the inmate gossip. I needed to hear the truth from a reliable source with all the gory details.
His perky smile twisted into a frown. “Tough break, kid. I’ve heard rumors but I’m not sure what’s true and what’s been exaggerated for drama. Either way, it’s a good thing. Hopefully, it’ll keep the big bads from messing with you.”
“What did you hear?”
“Fae, guards, SIA agents—I heard you took them all out in a soul-sucking bender.”
“No… I—I couldn’t have.”
He shrugged. “I’m not judging, kid. We’ve all done something awful to get stuck here.”
Again, I wondered what a cute pixie like Flix could’ve done, but I wasn’t sure if asking was a total prison faux pas.
We turned down another dim corridor and reached a circular atrium. My head tilted up to the soaring ceiling, thick mahogany rafters bisecting the vast space. Eight arched doorways encircled the rotunda and a ninth larger hallway split off the main room. In the center stood a wooden kiosk with a bored-looking attendant leaning over the counter.
Flix ticked his head at the woman, her long hair spilling over her narrow shoulders in colorful dreadlocks. “Hey, Sandrene. I got a new bootie for you. She’ll need the usual demon survival kit, and why don’t you throw in a hairbrush? The girl’s had a rough start.”
I threaded my fingers through my hair self-consciously, and my knuckles got stuck in the tangled mess. Gods, I needed a shower.
She barely lifted her gaze to meet mine. “Right.” Straightening, she wiggled her fingers and the silver bangle on her wrist caught my eye. It looked like the same one C.O. Actaeon wore. A box appeared on the counter, a black jumpsuit sticking out the top.
Interesting, she had magic… that bracelet must counteract the wards within the prison. I filed that bit of information in the back of my mind.
“This is the commissary if you hadn’t already guessed, or Supe Mart as we like to call it. If you’ve got anyone on the outside sending you money, this is where it would go. You can buy stuff from Sandrene—pretty much anything your little heart desires, as long as you can pay for it.”
I nodded, my stomach grumbling. I wondered how talented of a conjurer she was. I was jonesing for a McFlurry big time. Too bad I had no money, and I had a feeling that would be a big-ticket item.
With a sigh, I reached for the box and glanced at its paltry contents: dingy white linens, socks, granny panties, and a couple tank tops along with my new jumpsuit with the numbers one hundred thirty-eight stamped across the back. At least the black uniform was ten times better than the pumpkin orange. Glancing at Flix’s yellow scrubs, I arched a brow. “So our jumpsuits are based on our supernatural race?”
“Yup.” He popped his P like bubble gum. “You’re so lucky you get black. This yellow completely washes out my porcelain skin.”
I chuckled for the first time since I’d arrived at Darkblood. It felt surprisingly good.
Sandrene’s oval face elongated as her mouth curved into a capital O. She brushed her multi-colored dreadlocks back and tapped the comm behind her ear. “Got it, Actaeon. I’ll keep an eye out.”
“What’s up?” Flix cocked his head, and it reminded me of our neighbor’s old dog.
She rolled her eyes nonchalantly, but an indecipherable emotion streaked across her light irises. Fear? “Just another Delacroix welcoming party. Poor fresh meat never stood a chance.”
My eyes darted from the witch to Flix and back, but no one offered any further explanation.
“What happened?” I finally blurted.
Sandrene opened her mouth to respond, but Flix cut her off with a wave of his hand and turned to me with a smile. “Nothing to worry your pretty little head about.”
Our less than friendly shopkeeper huffed out a breath and draped her top half over the counter. “Anything else or can I get back to doing nothing?”
“Later, Sandrene.” My pixie escort
waved at the surly witch and shuffled me toward the encircling outer wall. Signaling toward the arched doorways, he stopped. “And now for the grand tour. As you can see, each of those doors leads to a different cell block.”
I squinted to make out the faded number over the arch and a scanner beside each dark gunmetal door.
He pointed at the one to the far left, and I could just distinguish the number eight etched into the stone. “That’s the block reserved for the Underworlders, which I imagine you’ll be moved to eventually. Typically, you’re only allowed to hang out in your own block with your own supe species during normal hours. Each block has its own rec room too. Now, the exception to the rule is on Sundays. That’s the conjugal visit day and all bets are off.”
“Great,” I muttered as visions of supe orgies danced in my head. “What day is it today?” My sense of time had been warped since my arrival, plus my thoughts were still a little jumbled.
“Tuesday.”
I blew out a breath of relief. I’d have to start tracking the days and avoid leaving my cell on Sundays then.
“Moving on…” He ushered me toward the opposite corridor with the same dark obsidian walls closing in on us. “This hallway leads to all the other areas of the prison: the library is down that way, the rec room and prison yard are through that door, and the mess hall, which I imagine you’ve already visited, is through those double doors.” He pointed in a dozen different directions, and I didn’t think I’d ever make my way through the maze of black.
“Got it.” Lie.
He stopped in front of a steep staircase and pointed up. “On the level above, you’ll find the warden’s office, the guards’ break room, a bunch of storage rooms, psych ward and the infirmary. Getting sick or hurt would be the only reason you’d actually need to go up there, and you’d be escorted.”
The warden’s office. I needed to get up there ASAP.
“Could you take me up to see the warden?”
“No can do, doll. Even I have my limitations.”