by G. Bailey
Copyright
Shadowborn Prison © 2020 G. Bailey & Scarlett Snow
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Formatting by Champagne Book Design
Proofread by Becky Edits
Title Page
Copyright
About this book
Map
Epigraph
Preface
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Excerpt from Shadowborn Academy (Dark Fae Academy Series: Book One)
Appendix i—LOCATIONS
Appendix ii—PRISON LAYOUT
Appendix iii—CHARACTERS
Appendix iv—WARDEN RANKS
Appendix v—THE BOOK OF ZORYA
About G Bailey
About Scarlett Snow
The shadows are my prison… and I can’t escape.
I’m Izora Dawn, and I’ve been locked away for something I didn’t do. But that’s what they all say, right?
When rumoured only the dangerous survive Shadowborn Prison, I know I have no choice but to fight for my life. Luckily my short time at Shadowborn Academy, home to those with dark magic seducing their souls, has taught me how to do just that.
Survival is what I’m known for in this world.
Seduction is what I’m best at.
I figure the quickest way to escape this prison is by seducing the sexy new governor. With a handsome Shadow Warden watching my every move, an alpha inmate eager to protect me, and a hunky teacher from the academy desperate to free me…I might actually get out of this alive.
But in the shadows lie secrets that hold the walls of this prison together.
And no one can escape them.
Not even me.
Shadowborn Prison is a crossover spin-off to Shadowborn Academy. You do not need to read the latter to follow this series. One is for sure—not even the shadows can be trusted in this Enchanted Forest…
18+ Reverse Harem Dark Fae Prison Romance.
“Freedom lies in being bold.”
—Robert Frost
Created by the Zorya Sisters, Selena and Danica, goddesses of the Moon and Sun, the Enchanted Forest is a realm where darkness thrives and light casts the biggest shadows of all. It’s also where shadowborns are ostracised, kingdoms fight for dominance, and the Dark and Light Fae play wicked games. The rules here are not for mortals—they’re for those with magic in their souls and darkness in their hearts…
“Do you know the difference between light and dark fae, little one?”
The man towers over me, his face covered by the shadows lurking within the room. A panicked reaction grips me as I try to recall who the gruff voice belongs to and why I can taste blood on my lips. Where in the name of Selena am I? The stabbing pain in my head feels like someone has split my skull open, forcing my thoughts to pour out and leaving only hazy remnants. One moment, I was at Shadowborn Academy, partying with my friends who won this year’s Tryouts, and the next…darkness.
I try to move my arms, but they’re strapped down beside me on the metal table. I kick my legs out, but they, too, are trapped. My heart thrashes against my ribcage as I struggle to move or recall anything beyond the fleeting glimmers in my mind. What the hell happened? And who the fuck is this creep leering down at me?
“I know that the light… and dark fae… are all batshit crazy,” I scream at him, fruitlessly trying to break the bonds, “and I want nothing to do with them!”
I twist my body like a fish swept onto the sand. The leather straps merely cut into my wrists and ankles, and someone else chuckles in the darkness. An icy shiver snakes down the length of my spine. I shoot my eyes around the room, seeing nothing in the inky blackness but sensing more than one pair of eyes on me. The scent of bleach and an inexplicable sweetness invades my senses. It clings to the back of my throat and stings my eyes.
“Let me go! Let me go, you twisted fuckers!”
A blinding light pierces my eyes, blocking out the person above.
“The difference between light and dark fae,” he answers in an almost droning voice, “is that a light fae cannot be simply created. Light fae are said to be only born and they are the true creatures of magic. Dark fae can be easily made from a human or shadowborn with an evil heart.”
Everyone in the forest knows this, so why is he telling me?
“Telling the poor girl fairytales isn’t going to make this easier,” a smooth, deep voice replies, right before a door slams shut.
I flinch at the booming noise across the room.
“I guess you’re right.” The man leans back, his shadow blinking in the light. “But she isn’t just any girl, and I suspect she will survive this treatment. Won’t you, Izora? I will be disappointed if you die on me. I’ve researched your bloodline long enough that I am certain you should survive this and become something incredible. Are you ready to be reborn, little one?”
Reborn? Die? Bloodline? My head swims with the words.
“What are you going to do to me?” I choke out, a tinge of fear crawling up my throat, threatening to strangle me. I summon my dark magic, the magic I’ve trained for years to learn to control, but nothing happens.
True panic kicks in, snatching the air from my lungs, and the fear tightens its grip. I let out a strangled scream and continue to thrash despite my inability to move. A hand presses down hard on my chest, pinning me to the table, while another yanks my head to the side to expose my neck. A sharp needle pricks my nape. I snap my gaze up, delving into a pair of gleaming green eyes. Those eyes are all I remember once the pain takes over.
My bones break and shatter, my heart clenches, my lungs clamp together, and my veins pulse with an agony that is like nothing I have ever felt before. It’s like every little part of my body is being ripped open and shredded apart. I scream until my throat gives way, and then I silently beg for death. I beg for my parents to save me. I beg for Selena, the Goddess of the Moon, to spare me.
But no one comes, and the pain doesn’t stop.
My heart thrums in my ears like a train racing off the tracks, louder and faster, about to explode under all of the pressure. And then power like I’ve never known surges into my body, filling me with warmth. A blinding white light shines around me, and a smile touches my lips as all the bindings holding me down disintegrate into dust.
I sit up, looking around at the six males in the room, each of them wearing lab coats.
The one who was leaning over me steps back,
his eyes glazed with tears of joy.
“You’re a light fae,” he says, seizing his colleague’s arm. “It worked. It finally worked!”
The pain I felt before is now gone, replaced by a growing strength that heals every torn vessel in my body. I feel like I’m trapped in a dream as I slowly turn my head to see the most breathtaking white wings fluttering behind me. Their beauty is almost otherworldly, and they feel so utterly natural and painless attached to me. It’s like they’ve always been there. Always been a part of my being, rooted in my soul.
Entranced by their beauty, I reach out to touch them. The snowy feathers are like silk between my fingers. So beautiful. But why… why did they do this to me?
I don’t notice Green Eyes approaching me. It’s not until he places a hand on my shoulder and everything in the room turns nuclear white. The walls crack and tumble and the floor caves into the earth. Dust invades my senses, and the sharp copper tang of blood infiltrates the air, but not once do I feel any pain or sense the blood is my own. It’s like the whole world is crumbling at my feet. And yet, I can see the moon, so beautiful, so close, nestled in the inky-black sky. Only then do I let myself fall, praying that the goddess herself will catch me.
“This is the one?”
“That’s her, all right, sir,” the guard replies, his keys clanging as he opens the metal gates outside my cell. Only the small, barred window lets me know I’m still in the Enchanted Forest, the place that has been my home since I was born. Mortals can’t find it. Only the fae and magics of this world know of its existence. It’s where I belong, and I never want to leave.
I press my back to the padded white wall and shield my gaze from the light I know is about to assault me. The second they open the door, the blinding light claws through my skull and I shriek, cowering away. The light is excruciating and unbearable. I haven’t seen anyone since they brought me to this cell. Usually, they just open the door to deliver a tray of food. I have no recollection of what happened before I was brought here, and it annoys me to no end. My last memory is being at Shadowborn Academy, dancing and drinking with my friends and having the time of my life. The next, I’m waking up here, handcuffed and alone.
My pulse spikes as I watch the guards approach me. One of them is a Shadow Warden going by the badge pinned to his coat. The silver buttons running down his chest in two symmetric lines catch the light. I’ve learned not to strike out at any of Shadow Wardens here as it never ends well. This is the first one I’ve seen wearing Zorya’s black military uniform, complete with the raven cloak pinned around his neck with a wolf-shaped silver brooch.
“Watch out, sir. She’s feisty,” the guard warns his superior, easing toward me with his taser stick outstretched.
The Shadow Warden’s shrewd eyes narrow on my face. “Not with me, she won’t be.” He crosses his arms and peers down his hooked nose at me. “Here’s what’s gonna happen, sweetheart. I’m gonna take you from this shitty little room. If you fight me, it’ll be the last thing you ever do, you hear?” He holds up his taser, the sapphire electrodes at the end of the stick cackling. I nod, having felt the wrath of those many times over the past week. “Wise decision. It’s time to meet your maker, kid.”
The Shadow Warden grabs my shoulder and hauls me off the floor and into the hallway outside. Shadow Wardens are one of the highest forms of guards in the magics world and anyone who values their life is frightened of them, for good reason. They literally use shadows to move around and have superhuman combat skills to boot. Every fiber of my being is telling me to shut up and not push my luck, but I’ve got to at least try…
“Why am I here? I don’t know what happened. Please tell me?” I beg, just like I always do with the guards, but they couldn’t look more disinterested if they tried. “I really don’t know what’s going on!”
“She’s been saying that since we found her,” the guard scoffs, pausing outside a set of towering wooden doors.
The Shadow Warden grunts at me. “Well, I’m sure this will jog her memory.”
Wrapping his hand around the brass handle, he opens the doors and ushers me inside. The guard follows, his taser close to my back. Everything happens so quickly. I’m shoved into a glass box. More light penetrates my eyes, and I struggle to see or hear anything. My senses try to adjust to the light and fresh air I’ve been deprived of for what feels like an eternity. My legs tremble in their sockets, threatening to liquefy as I blink up at the lights. Slowly, my senses acclimate, and the blood drains from my face as I take stock of where I am. I know this courtroom all too well.
My mother often held hearings here and I was allowed to watch from the gallery. Now I’m up in the Box, facing the Grand Warden and his four High Wardens, but I don’t know what crime I’m being tried for.
“Izora Dawn, do you swear on Selena to tell us the whole truth of the events of what we ask you?”
I blink up at the Grand Warden’s sullen face. “Where… where am I?”
“Answer the question, Shadowborn,” another voice demands.
I follow the voice to the shadows at my left, where the darkness seems to gather. There are no lights at that side of the bar. I think it’s where the jury’s sitting, but I’m not sure. I can barely breathe up here let alone think straight.
“Quiet,” one of the other High Warden commands, the only female of the group. She casts a cold glance at the voice and then trains her eyes back on me. “Do you swear to tell the truth?”
My heart stammering in my chest, I choke out, “Yes, I swear. But please… I don’t know what I did… where I am… what’s going on…”
The Grand Warden waves his hand and light bleeds through the darkness concealing the rest of the room. The jury consists of two men and two women. Beside them are the Shadow Warden and the guard who brought me here. I spot my mother at the front of the gallery on the other side, her eyes bloodshot and face streaked with tears. My step-father is on her right, but he’s not looking at me, and my step-sister glowers beside him. I feel dizzy and sick just looking at their faces. This can’t really be happening, can it? It all feels too painful and surreal. Further up the gallery, my gaze lands on the men and women all dressed in white lab coats, just like…
Everything hits me in one ravening wave.
The injection on the back of my neck. The pain. The wings. The power.
The memories come flooding back and I collapse to the floor, my fall cushioned by more white padding. Tears slide off my face and seep into the ground. Whatever those monsters did to me, I’m being punished for it. But I never asked for any of this. I never wanted to be abducted and tortured into a Light Fae. I search the courtroom in a daze, finding my mother again. But the pain I see in her eyes it too much, and I look away. Does she really believe that I’m innocent? Or does she think I’m guilty?
“Izora, you are charged with five accounts of murder,” the Grand Warden resumes. “How do you plead?”
My answer is instantaneous.
“Not guilty! They took me from the academy and tortured me into becoming a light fae. I’m telling the truth!” My voice cracks and echoes around the courtroom. The only other noise is my mother as she sobs into a handkerchief. I can hardly look at her as she wipes her tears, pushing her silver hair behind her ears. A habit I’ve seen her do a million times when something is wrong. Usually, it’s my evil step-sister who did something, not me.
I’ve never fucked up like this. I always follow the rules, just enough to get by and live a normal life.
There’s whispering among the jury. The badges on their suit coats flash in the lights, and I realise some of them are junior wardens and others simply keepers.
“Lying to us will only make your case worse,” the blond male High Warden at the end announces. “You were found in a wrecked building with the incinerated remains of five innocent Shadow Wardens. There is so much proof against you that I fear you will just lie no matter what we discuss here.”
I gape at him, an immediate feeling of co
ld dread rushing into me. By his scathing expression alone, he’s the kind of warden who won’t listen even if I did have all the evidence stacked in my favour. I doubt any of the people here will listen. Five of their own kin—who kidnapped and tortured me—found dead with only me as a survivor? Of course it’ll be easier for them to pin their deaths on me. That way they can cover up their dirty work.
I look over at my mother, barely holding back my tears. “Mum, you know I wouldn’t do this! Please, help me?”
I plaster myself to the glass. My mother shadowlocates to the front of the box and places her shaking hands opposite mine, her grey eyes completely empty. And that terrifies me. My mother’s eyes are always lit up even in her darkest moments.
More voices talk and throw accusations at me.
“I didn’t kill them,” I tell my mother, letting my tears fall but standing tall.
Looking into her eyes, she knows it’s true.
I’m being set up.
“…then it is decided. We find you, Izora Dawn, guilty of high murder of the five wardens you so viciously killed for your own selfish gain,” the Grand Warden announces. “The punishment will be four years in Shadowborn Prison. Upon completing your sentence, you shall be sent to live alone in the mortal world, wherein you will be an outcast and shunned from this world for the rest of your life. The Enchanted Forest will no longer be welcoming to you, nor will the people and creatures who live in it.”
As the Grand Warden declares my sentence with a knock of his hammer, I can only stare at my mother as she slides down the glass and bursts into tears. She’s whispering something over and over again that I can’t quite make out at first, but when I finally do, I really wish I hadn’t.
“I always knew you would end up here. I’m sorry… I’m sorry I could not stop them.”
“Do you accept your four-year sentence to Shadowborn Prison to repent for your sins?” the Grand Warden concludes, but I can’t bring myself to look at them, too distraught by the sight of my mother falling apart before me.
