by G. Bailey
“Time to show off my skills,” Axel cockily states, pulling out his swords.
I roll my eyes and grab my bow, shooting the native closest to me. I aim for an area I doubt he’d expect, right on the ass, and he explodes into dust.
Grabbing three more arrows, I thank Selena for the archery skills that my mother taught me. “You attack and I will cover you.”
“Got it,” Axel shouts and rushes over to the natives. He moves with perfectly concise movements, tearing through them with an almost fiendish fury, dropping their gutted remains to the ground before they turn to dust.
I shoot the three arrows before Axel even gets close, taking down two of the natives and just missing a wolf. We work effortlessly as a team. Axel kills one after the other, and damn he’s skilled, every blow expertly delivered, never missing a beat. I throw one of my grenades, curious to see what it does. A cloud of pink smoke wraps around two natives and one of the wolves, then they are on the ground, screaming and rotting into ash. I throw more of them and shoot at least ten arrows around Axel before I realise it’s too quiet. The natives all are dead or running away, but where is…
Coen’s wolf lunges on top of Axel, knocking him to the ground, and then he tears into Axel’s shoulder.
“No!” I scream, my entire body filling with insurmountable fear. I pull another arrow and shoot. It hits his upper side instead of his throat, and Coen keeps ripping into Axel’s shoulder like it’s a big slab of meat.
“Get the orb!” Axel roars, but I rush over to him, dropping my bow. I pull my daggers out and I don’t even blink as I jump onto Coen’s wolf, sliding my daggers into his neck again and again. He tries to fight me off for a moment before his body collapses on Axel.
“Axel, no, no, no,” I mutter repeatedly as I haul Coen’s dead wolf off him and see all the blood over his top. To my relief, Axel is alive, flinching with every tiny movement as I help him into a sitting position.
“I told you to get the orb, Izora.”
“Yeah, well, I never listen. We get the orb together and get out of here,” I snap, pulling him to his feet. He groans just as I see his orb on his leg roll off his leg and onto the floor, changing into a vial.
“The game gives us what we need,” Axel says, seeing the same thing as me.
I pick it up, flick off the lid and help him drink it. Before my very eyes, the bloodstains disappear and the ripped flesh on his shoulder is gone. I grin at him, and he smiles back, shoving me playfully on the arm. We both run to the prize with our hands linked. Axel places them on the orb at the same time as he looks down and kisses me. The orb, the trials and everything blurs as Axel’s soft lips claim mine passionately, and holy Selena, he’s an even better kisser than he is a fighter. I completely forget about where I am, lost in his arms and captive to his kiss.
“Congratulations,” Gold’s pissed off voice drawls as Axel breaks the kiss and winks at me. I don’t even look up at Gold for a moment as I try to catch my breath, and think of something I need as a prize. “What do you want?”
“You know what I want,” Axel states and walks off, throwing me a naughty grin over his shoulder. He joins Memphis and all the other inmates applauding and cheering away.
I finally lift my head to meet Gold’s eyes. Nothing but burning fury lingers in those molten depths. I know what I need to ask for now.
“I want a date with you. In your room, just the two of us,” I state firmly, holding his gaze with unwavering determination.
This is how I get closer to gain my freedom back and end the Blood Trials in the process.
His eyes widen. For a moment, he considers my words with an amused smirk, then he just laughs.
“Done,” he says, flashing a smile before he pivots on his heel and leaves the room.
I watch him go, smiling for a different reason entirely.
Gold has no idea what he’s agreed to. He might as well have just let the devil in his home.
“For you,” a guard who isn’t Luke grumbles, shoving a gold box into my hands.
The box is large enough that I have to use both my hands to hold it steady. This guard is bold, with a large stomach bulging over his trousers and a scrunched-up pig-like face. His nose is crooked like it’s been broken a few times before.
“Where is Luke?”
The guard just frowns at me. “Warden Luke is off for the next few hours. Governer Gold expects you in his room in half an hour,” the guard replies and slams the door shut on me.
I guess Luke needs some time off…but why does that make me worry? I’ve not seen him have a day off in, well, forever. I place the box on the kitchen side and tug the sparkling gold ribbon bow off before opening the lid. Inside, a black note with my name in gold ink lies on top of silky gold fabric. Is there anything that isn’t gold in here? I pick the note up and sweep my eyes over the elegant handwriting:
I put the sweet but commanding note down and pick up the dress. It falls to the floor by my feet. The silk material will be tight but it feels like pure and utter luxury. I don’t even think as I strip out of my clothes and slide the dress onto my freshly showered body. I look at my reflection in the mirror on the vanity. Shame about my collar, but other than that, I look and feel beautiful. The gown has a sweetheart neckline and the back is a crisscross of silk ties that run all the way down to just above my coccyx. I undo my braids, letting the curls cascade over my back. The gold goes perfectly with my skin tone and silver hair, and I hope he likes how I look.
I need him to like it.
And the more I think about it, the more I realise I need him to like me, not just to end the Blood Trials, but for another reason I yet don’t want to understand or admit.
I find a pair of silver heels in my wardrobe and slip them on. By the time I’ve had a glass of water, the half-hour is already up. The guard opens my door before I get to it, and he’s silent as I walk past him. There are seven steps between my room and Gold’s. So close and yet he’s always been so far.
My heels click-clack against the floor as I make my way over. The heart palpitations jumping into my throat take me by surprise. Why am I nervous? I was the one who wanted this. I tap my knuckles on the wood and wait for what feels like forever until Gold opens the door. He just pauses, as if the whole world has stopped.
It feels exactly the same way to me.
Gold has always been a beautiful man and turns the heads of many in this prison. But this is the first time I’ve seen him not wearing a suit which somehow makes him look sexier. I cast my eyes over his lean body, biting my lower lip. The sleeves of his black shirt are rolled-up to the elbow and the hem is tucked into his black slacks. A gold tie and braces that stretch over his torso complete the look, along with a pair of black wingtip shoes and a silver watch gleaming on his wrist. His hair is styled away from his freshly shaved face, and the tattoos seem to make his eyes all that more expressive.
Gold’s throat works as he, too, looks at me. “You look otherworldly, Izora Dawn.”
His compliment makes me shiver just from the raw, deep masculine tone.
The desire in every word and how my knees threaten to go weak from one sentence.
Gods, it’s hard to keep my head on around him.
“Thank you,” I eventually reply and nod my head towards his room. “Do you not let all your dates in?”
“Only the beautiful ones I want to stare at longer,” he smoothly answers, stepping aside.
Flashing him a grin, I enter his room, his personal space, and his hand flattens against my back. The strips of silk do nothing to block the heat from his hand, or how good it feels. I inwardly shake my head. Focus. This is just part of my plan. I sweep my gaze around his room, taking everything in. The layout is the same as my suite, but this home is all Gold’s. Weapons adorn the wall around the blazing fireplace. A dining table set for two rests on the middle of the floor with candles, wine glasses and bottles laid out on the surface. His sleeping area is on the platform to the left of the room, just like min
e, but his bed is a dark wooden four-poster with silk sheets. The leather straps tied to each of the posts don’t escape my notice, and my insides quiver.
Gold presses his hand lightly and leads me over to the table before pulling out a chair for me. I sit down and he moves to the seat at the other end, waving a hand, and I taste the magic in the air just before two silver plates filled with bread and cheese appear, melted to perfection. It’s just enough since I’ve already eaten today. A small pot of onion chutney rests next to the cheese and suddenly the glasses on the table fill themselves up with red wine.
“I love light magic and how endless it is,” I say as I pick up the wine glass. “Are you a full fae or half?”
“Half, and no, I don’t have wings. I seem to have inherited my father’s power but none of his looks other than the eyes,” he replies with a wolfish grin. “Not all fae have this gift. Only the Draconians.”
He’s being surprisingly more open and direct than I thought he’d be. This plan might work after all.
I take a sip of my wine, my eyes intent on his. “I heard the Draconians never mate outside their race and nothing about their power is an illusion, not like with the fae,” I tell him, conveying the rumours and whispers from Shadowborn Academy and my mother. She did always love the dragons and said they were a beautiful but deadly race in our world.
We can look at them, admire them, but never touch.
Ever.
And now I’m sitting across from one.
“My people like to pretend they didn’t come from fae. It’s a shitty pretence though,” he counters with a dark chuckle. “They love to fuck the fae as much as any race.”
“Tell me how you became the governor,” I ask, tilting my head to the side.
“Simple. I got into a fight one night and killed three Keepers.”
He doesn’t even falter when he says that. It sends a shiver through my body. I guess I can’t be appalled anymore. I’ve killed people, too.
“While serving as a general in the Draconian army, I took my men out for a drink at the Zorya Inn in Helios,” he explains, swirling the wine in his glass. “Things got ugly real quick when a bunch of Keepers decided to give us some trouble. One thing led to another. I landed myself in a holding facility for a while. The previous governor of this place died during that time and Ulric came to visit me.”
“The Light Fae King?” I ask as my eyes widen, believing every word.
“The very one.” He chuckles, rubbing his chin. “But he wasn’t my king then and still isn’t. I punched him in the face when he said I was a mess.”
I gasp, wondering how exactly he’s still alive. The fae royals are known to be vicious and never allowed any form of disrespect towards them to go unpunished.
“Anyway, I was the unlucky fuck he was looking for and so he hired me. The rest is history.”
I chuckle with him, even though my cheeks burn at hearing him say fuck. I love how he says that. We eat in silence for a while, a surprisingly comfortable one, until we are both finished. The plate disappears and in its place, a bowl of vanilla ice cream appears.
“How did you know that’s my favourite?”
“Luke happened to mention it once,” he replies with a cheeky grin as I dig into the ice cream, but he doesn’t have any. “And you can thank me later for making your personal guard take a day off today.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I comment, though I’m relieved it wasn’t Luke’s choice to leave.
“I want you alone and Luke is not going to let that happen. Sometimes I feel he puts his obsession with you over his commands from me,” he all but growls, and his eyes flash green for a moment.
“He isn’t here, he is?” I swallow the ice cream down and look around the room.
Gold chuckles and leans forward, resting his head on his joint hands. “Tell me why you wanted a date first, little Izora. I highly doubt you simply want to fuck me tonight.” He slowly drifts his eyes over my body and my breath hitches. “But we can still do that later. I’ve been looking for someone to occupy my time with.”
“I-I…” Clearing my throat a few times, I get myself under control. “I want you to end the Blood Trials and make it safe again. Shadowborns are not worthless and most here are not guilty enough to die in such a barbaric way.”
A dark look drifts over his face. “What makes you think I have any true control over a prison I myself am locked in?”
“You’re trapped here as well?” I whisper, my eyes bulging in their sockets.
He doesn’t answer me per se. “The only way out of here is to let the lab do a test on you. The test I stopped them from doing because I very much doubt whatever they are looking for is going to be any good for the winner.”
A sour taste fills my mouth and lingers in the back of my throat. Now I know for sure there is something bigger at play here in this prison and it doesn’t just involve Gold. It makes what happened to me all the more real. Maybe I’m not the only one who was falsely accused and forced to come here.
“If you’re not the one controlling the prison, then there’s someone out there who is. What do they want with us? What are they testing for?”
Gold’s eyes narrow into slits, a tell-tale sign that he’s getting annoyed. “Don’t search the darkness of this prison too much, Izora. Some monsters and secrets need to be kept in the dark.”
“Like you and me?” I whisper, holding his gaze.
Gold gets up and I stand to meet him as he walks around the table.
He leans in, never quite touching me. “You won’t ever be my secret, Izora. When I take you as mine”—he moves closer so that our lips are only inches away—“the whole world will know who you belong to.”
I search his eyes that seem to darken in the moments before I close the gap and kiss him. His lips press against mine. The first brush is like a drug, addictive and seductive in the worst possible way. And then he deepens the kiss and picks me up with his giant hands like I weigh nothing. I groan as he drops my ass on the edge of the table, and I naturally part my legs for him, wanting him closer as his kisses continue to make me wet. His hands slide between us and he pushes up my dress, rubbing his thumb all the way up my leg and to the crux of my thigh.
Gods, I want him.
He doesn’t stop until his whole hand is cupping me and he can no doubt feel how wet I am for him.
“No panties. Good girl,” he growls against my lips, his fingers sliding down to my clit. He rubs me with the pad of his thumb, the motions slow and torturous, and I moan, my body filling with desire. His other hand pushes me back onto the table so I’m lying down, and then his face is between my legs. His tongue replaces his thumb, torturing my clit with swift, dexterous flicks. He slides two fingers into my pussy, and I gasp, clenching around him. “Fuck you taste like the best fucking thing in the world. So tight, so perfect. So, so fucking mine.”
I’m losing the will to not come just from his dirty talk alone. I arch my back against the table, practically face-fucking him as I push myself into his mouth. His wicked tongue sucks on my clit, his fingers thrust in and out quickly, and the pressure building inside of me explodes. I cum hard and fast around him, my hands digging into his hair as I let out my moans. In a daze, he picks me off the table and sets me down on the floor, pulling my dress down and slapping my ass with a sexy smirk gracing his wet lips. I can barely stand from the aftershocks of what was just the best orgasm of my life.
“Thanks for dessert and a sexy as fuck date,” he tells me, guiding me to the door and waving his hand over the lock.
“Umm…” I glance at his crotch, glad to see he’s got an erection, but confused by my dismissal. Wait, is this date over? Surely he wants me to help him get off. “Don’t you want me to…?”
He chuckles, opening the door for me. The cold air from the corridor is a welcome relief against my flushed skin. He leans down and kisses me hard on the lips, forcing me to take a step back.
“Next time, I’m making you min
e, Izora.”
He winks and then signals the warden who escorted me here. I bet the guy heard everything, but I don’t care. I look intently into Gold’s eyes before smirking and turning away.
Next time, I’m making Gold realise something very important.
Only I decide who I belong to.
The prison is tense as Luke and I walk down the stairs. For some reason, I feel more than the usual amount of stares with every step, and I don’t think it’s because I won the Blood Trials again. I look up to the top floor and the wardens all appear busy as normal. Gold is on his throne, staring ahead at something. Nothing seems too out of sorts.
When we reach the bottom, Coen, Tyler, and the rest the Pack of Assholes are waiting with their arms crossed, cruel smirks all around.
“Move out the way. Now!” Luke growls, his angry and dark tone giving me all kinds of goosebumps. Coen keeps his eyes on mine, a silent warning he is always here and cannot be killed, then he nods his head to the side and leaves with his fun little gang.
“Don’t you just wish whatever they did to get in here was given a death sentence instead?” I whisper to Luke as he tugs me to the side and we head towards my lesson with Scott.
“Coen murdered four women, all eighteen and all shadowborns,” he quietly tells me. “He got sentenced here and on his way, he also killed two Shadow Wardens by cuttin’ their throats out… with his teeth. He’s brutal and playin’ a game which involves you, but don’t worry.”
“Don’t worry about the throat biter?” I gulp. “You saw him in the arena. That guy has serious issues with me.”
“You’re never goin’ back in that arena. And if he comes near you again, I’ll kill him,” Luke warns darkly, keeping his eyes on mine.
The prison, the walls, and even the floor disappear from my senses as Luke gets all my attention in less than a second. I really stare at him for a moment, hearing my heart pitter-pattering away inside my chest, almost like it wants to escape and fall into Luke’s arms.
