Darkmore Penitentiary (Supernatural Prison for Dark Fae Book 1)

by Caroline Peckham

  Fucking idiota.

  The silver beetle made a reappearance and I swatted at it angrily as a warning shiver raced down my spine. I wasn’t worried about Sin lashing out though. He’d just have to get over himself.

  I reached for the hem of my tank and made to pull it off. Before the material made it higher than my chest, the leaves before me parted and I snarled as I came face to face with Gustard.

  My lips parted in horror as I spotted the single, huge eye in the centre of his forehead but before I could run the fuck away from him and his creepy Cyclops Order form, the power of his gifts slammed into me.

  I cried out as I fell to my knees and the urge to vomit consumed me. I tried to fight back but without access to my magic, I couldn’t keep my mental walls as strong as they needed to be to fight off his kind of power.

  I gasped as I tried to summon the energy to call for help, but darkness was pressing in on me.

  If he got beyond my mental defences then he’d be able to root around in my brain for anything he wanted. His power required him to hunt for specific answers but if he got into my head, I wouldn’t be able to control what he found. He just had to be creative with the kinds of questions he asked in his search and I could give up everything. He might discover my plans to escape this place. Hell, he could find out every deep, dark and ugly thing there was to know about me given enough time to hunt.

  My fingernails clawed the mud at my feet as I tried to fight him off but the darkness was closing in on me regardless and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his big fucking eye.

  I bared my teeth and hissed a final curse which passed between my lips as oblivion came for me.

  “I bet…you’d look really…fucking…stupid…with…glasses…”

  I fell into a pit of darkness as he forced his way into my mind and all I could do was pray that he didn’t find anything I needed to keep secret.

  I pulled on my clothes by the elevators, stretching my arms above my head as satisfaction spread through me from running in my Wolf form. The timer on the wall dropped to fifteen minutes and I turned to my pack as they filed into one of the elevators.

  Man, one day soon I was going to get out of this place and run in my Order form whenever I liked. The short time we got out here was never enough and as much as the magic in this fake landscape was powerful enough to feel real, it was still just an illusion of the outside world. One look up at the dome was all it took to remind me that I was in a cage. And for the past five years, I’d remained in it for something I didn’t even do. Not that I regretted it. So long as I was in here taking the blame for my sister’s crime, I was content enough.

  Apart from anything else, Darkmore didn’t take pregnancies lightly and she had just found out she was carrying her first pup the day I’d given myself up to the cops in her place. If you didn’t perform the monthly contraception spell in the Magic Compound then that was on your head. But the fate of a bearing a child in here was far worse than anyone would ever risk it for. The kid would be taken into the system the moment they were born and raised without knowledge of you or your family’s existence. Convicts didn’t have the right to parenthood. And there was no way in hell that I would have let my baby sister face that fate.

  I just had to be grateful we weren’t all sterilised upon processing, so at least when I left this stars-forsaken place in a couple of months, my junk would be intact and I could father an army of mini Ethans. Small wins and all.

  “Come on Alpha!” Harper called from the elevator and I headed toward her, throwing a glance over my shoulder as some part of my soul sought out my mate. I hated that I was always looking for her. Every free space in my mind was taken up by Rosalie Oscura now. Which was why I always had to keep myself distracted.

  “Hey, pretty boy,” a voice caught my ear and I turned to find Gustard and his unFae band of fuckers moving toward one of the elevators. “You’ll have less secrets to hide in a few minutes.”

  His gang sniggered as they filed into the elevator and I frowned, halting in the doorway as my instincts sent a sliver of ice down my spine.

  I moved away from my pack, hounding after Gustard and my Wolves called after me in concern.

  The elevator doors started to close and I caught them at the last second, forcing them wide as I glared in at Gustard.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I demanded.

  He gave me a creepy ass smile, stepping closer to me. “It means, you can repay me later when she’s dead.” He threw his hands into my chest, forcing me back a step and the doors slammed closed between us.

  Panic crashed through my veins as my mind turned over what he was insinuating. The only secret I had to hide was Rosalie. And if Gustard had been with her, used his Order powers on her and sieved through her mind then that meant he knew.

  “Alpha!” my Wolves called desperately. “We need to go!”

  Elevators were closing all around me and panic was slicing my heart to shreds. I hadn’t seen her come back, but I assumed I’d missed her. She often spent time away from her pack out here so they hadn’t been worried. But was I really going to gamble my life on the chance that she was still out there somewhere?

  I turned away from my pack, looking to the forest beyond the building as my pulse thumped solidly in the base of my skull.

  “Alpha!” my Wolves begged.

  I rounded on them, making a decision that must have been total fucking insanity. “Go!” I barked, using my Alpha tone so they all bowed their heads in compliance. Fear clutched their features as the doors closed and I turned around to face the exit, pulling my jumpsuit back off as I raced out of the building.

  I dropped it to the ground and leapt forward, shifting into my huge black wolf form, my paws hitting the ground hard. The air whipped around me as I sped into the trees, throwing a cursory glance up at the timer as it dropped to twelve minutes. Fuck a duck!

  I sprinted through the forest, sniffing the wind as I tried to catch any scent of her. The world was dipped in an ominous red glow as the entire dome turned red in warning and panic seared my insides.

  I lifted my head and howled to the sky, my voice filled with concern that begged her to reply to me.

  I strained my ears, but no sound came in response.

  What if she’s not out here? You’re gonna kill yourself for a girl who tricked you into being her mate!

  A snarl ripped from my throat as I powered on, forcing the thought away. Enemy or not, Rosalie was deep under my skin. She lived in my blood like another channel of magic and if there was even a single chance that she was out here, I had to find her. The mate bond would never let me get over her if she died. I’d pine until my heart was nothing but dust and I longed to follow her into the afterlife.

  A howl caught my ear and I practically tumbled down a muddy hill as I tried to stop and listen for her. I came to a sharp halt at the bottom, twisting around as I listened for it again. The noise reached me once more, Rosalie’s voice hoarse in her Fae form.

  I doubled back through the trees before taking another path in the direction of her howl, lifting my head as the timer dropped to just seven minutes above me.

  I soon broke into a clearing and found her on the ground, her hands braced in the mud as she heaved like she was going to cough up a lung.

  I barked to let her know I was here, rushing to her side and shifting out of my Order form so I crashed to my knees beside her.

  “You gotta move, love.” I caught her waist, trying to pull her upright but she shook me off, retching once more, though nothing came out.

  “Fucking…Cyclops,” she wheezed.

  Anger scored a line through my chest. Hell if I was going to let that bastard keep breathing for much longer.

  I’d only been interrogated by one Cyclops in my life, but the sickness the mind invasion had left me with had been immobilising for several minutes. And we didn’t have that time to spare.

  A siren suddenly filled the dome as the timer hit five minutes and I
growled in panic.

  “Ride me,” I commanded.

  “Five minutes isn’t much time for an end of days fuck, Ethan,” she panted, pushing herself back onto her knees with a dazed smile.

  “Dammit, Rosalie!” I snapped, turning away from her and shifting into my Wolf form.

  I snapped my teeth at her and she tried to get up. I rushed forward, pressing my muzzle against her chest to help her and she made it to her feet. I lowered down so she could climb on and her fingers knotted in my fur as she pulled herself up.

  I took off into the trees, my heart thrashing wildly as I carved a path in the direction of the elevators. Rosalie’s arms slid around my neck as she held on tighter, her cheek resting against my fur as she placed her life in my hands. And I couldn’t fucking fail her.

  My heart knotted and my lungs laboured as I tore up the ground, feeling so horribly far away from safety that I feared it was already too late.

  I threw a glance at the timer and found it sliding onto one minute. I pushed my body to its limits, weaving through the trees so fast they became nothing but a dark green blur on either side of us.

  I finally broke out of the forest and the building became visible up on the hill. I howled in desperation as I charged toward it.

  It was too fucking far. We weren’t going to make it.

  Rosalie’s fingers tightened in my fur and I felt true fear in her grip as she clung to me.

  “Ethan,” she breathed in horror.

  I growled, refusing to accept that this was it. That I couldn’t save my mate. That I wasn’t fast enough or strong enough. I was Ethan Shadowbrook, the most powerful Alpha Wolf in Solaria. And I would not fail.

  The timer dipped to ten seconds just as my paws collided with the concrete floor of the long building. The air seemed harder to breathe already as I raced for the nearest elevator, all of them standing open, ready for anyone who was stupid enough to run this late.

  The first doors slammed closed before I made it and I crashed into them, sending Rosalie flying from my back.

  I wheeled around in terror as the elevators all started closing in succession.

  Rosalie tried to get up, but her legs trembled violently beneath her. The air suddenly stopped flowing into my lungs and the world closed in around me.

  I shifted out of my Order form, my lungs burning for air as I scooped Rosalie up, hugging her to my chest and racing past the closed doors of the elevators to the only one standing open at the far end of the building.

  Rosalie gasped for air in my arms and I wished I had some to give her as my own body roared with need.

  Blackness curtained my vision as I closed in on the final elevator, the doors sliding shut before my eyes.

  No!

  I used every last ounce of energy I had, leaping toward it and jamming my hand into the inch of space left between the doors. With a grunt of effort, I forced them wide and stumbled forward into the empty space. I hit the ground and Rosalie clutched onto me as the doors closed behind us and the elevator started to descend.

  A hiss sounded as air was pumped in through the vent above and I gasped in relief as I breathed in the crispest lungful of oxygen I’d ever tasted. The subtle scent of the Order Suppressant tingled my senses and my Wolf was locked away deep within my chest.

  I cupped Rosalie’s cheek, forcing her to look up at me and wasn’t remotely prepared when her lips collided with mine. I felt the heat of her flesh against my naked body like a fire had sparked beneath my skin. I wanted her like no other Wolf. Like no other Fae. I’d never craved a creature like this. She was chosen for me by the moon. My fucking perfect match. And yet who she was made it impossible for me to ever truly have her in front of the world and that tore me apart inside.

  “Why did you come back for me?” she breathed as she broke the kiss.

  I brushed my fingers up her neck until my thumb caressed the crescent moon behind her ear. “Because you’re mine, love. Not even death can take you from me if I decide against it.”

  We reached the lower floor and I pushed Rosalie off of me, setting my jaw as I prepared to return to my cell, my pack, my life. She may have been mine, but only in secret. And even the moon couldn’t force my hand in that.

  The doors opened and two guards turned toward us in surprise. Officer Cain turned ashen pale as Officer Hastings rushed forward in alarm.

  “Holy shit, you must have almost died,” he exclaimed, sweeping a hand into his baby blonde locks.

  “Almost,” I agreed. “Unfortunately the Oscura bitch was fast enough to save her ass too.”

  “If you hadn’t been staring at my tits for so long, you might have gotten back sooner, right Ethan?” she taunted and I ignored her, though my heart swelled at hearing the strength in her voice once more. She was power personified, but even she didn’t stand a chance against Gustard and The Watchers when they united against an individual. It made my gut churn.

  “Get him a new uniform and take him to his cell block,” Cain commanded and Hastings took my arm as he nodded.

  I glanced back as I walked away, frowning as Cain took hold of Rosalie’s arm and a flash of healing magic flared under his touch. That Vampire was as hard skinned as a boulder, but for a moment he almost looked soft. It looked like my mate could sway even the moon to her favour if she wanted to. But if she thought she could go around cosying up to any asshole she liked in here, she was dead wrong. I may have kept her as my dirty little secret, but I was a selfish fucker and when something was mine, it remained so. Indefinitely.

  Time in the Magic Compound wasn’t as precious to me as it used to be now that I could access my powers outside of this place, but I still had to make a show of using my earth magic all the same. Every other Fae in here would come and use up as much of their power as they could the second it was let loose, and it would look pretty damn suspicious if I didn’t join in.

  However, tonight, I really needed to get back into the vents and keep searching for a way out of the cell block levels. My last escapade had led me to the drainage pipe system which dove down to level five beneath the cells, but I hadn’t had enough magic left in me to spend the time checking for sensors in the space between floors and I couldn’t risk setting off any alarms. So I needed to have as much magic left in my veins as possible for later. Relying on running beneath the moon to replenish my magic was so frustrating. We only got out in the Order Yard five times a week and that meant two night shifts one week and three the next. Back home I could run every night to replenish my magic and hardly ever burned through my power. Here, I felt like I was in a constant struggle to replenish and keep a hold of it for when I needed it.

  And today I couldn’t afford to waste a drop.

  I strolled across the Compound, ignoring the Veiled Wall and the Fae who were playing with the message carrying balls which constantly slammed against it.

  I twisted my fingers in the simple patterns required for basic earth magic, but I didn’t allow any of my power to flow forth and carry out the commands I was making. I had to be careful that no one noticed, so I was only faking casts with minimal effects like underground tremors.

  “Tut, tut, tut, Rosalie Oscura can’t even perform a basic spell, whatever would her Aunt Bianca think if she found out?” Roary’s mocking voice carried to me and I looked up to find him sitting on a bench to the side of the Compound.

  A few of his Shades lingered nearby but with nothing more than a slight flick of his fingers, they scattered.

  I raised an eyebrow at him and his crazy control over his followers. His Charisma had to be stupid powerful for its effects to linger in them for so long while he was cut off from his Order gifts.

  “What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever convinced someone to do for you?” I asked him as I drifted closer, my gaze trailing over the way his long hair fell around his broad shoulders.

  “They don’t need convincing, they do things for me because they enjoy pleasing me,” he said arrogantly.

  I snorted a laugh an
d moved to sit beside him, my leg pressing against his as my inner Wolf took the reins and made me forget about personal boundaries for a moment.

  He cut me a sidelong glance and I smirked as I nuzzled closer, refusing to back down like an embarrassed school girl now that I’d gone and done it.

  “Do you wanna just climb into my lap, Rosa?” he teased.

  “Well this bench is cold on my ass,” I commented lightly.

  “You might cause a Lioness riot if you do,” he joked.

  “Is that a challenge?”

  Roary’s golden eyes fixed on mine and a mischievous glint flashed in them as he leaned towards me. “I bet you won’t…” he purred.

  Gah that damn game!

  “Be careful what you wish for, stronzo,” I muttered, battling against the blush which was clawing at my cheeks.

  I got to my feet and he looked up at me as he waited to see if I’d go through with the dare or not. The most infuriating thing was that on paper this should have been the simplest of dares that either of us had been given and yet as I stood before him, a dark tension crackled in the air.

  This felt like standing up and yelling from the rooftops that I really did have a crush on Roary Night, and I half expected him to start laughing in my face the moment I did.

  I internally snarled at myself as I hunted for my big girl balls and strapped them on tight. I was long past the days where this man could slay me with a single dismissive comment and puncture my heart with an amused smirk at my expense.

  I wasn’t a little girl with a crush anymore and it was past time Roary realised that too.

  “You don’t have to look so desperate for it, Roary,” I mocked as I stepped towards him. “Anyone would think you haven’t gotten laid in a long time.”

  “Is that so?” His gaze slid over me and I rolled my eyes as I stepped forward purposefully.

  I wasn’t just gonna perch in his lap like a little love struck pup. If he was going to go around making dares like that then he could suck up the full consequences of it.

  I gripped his shoulders as I approached him, pushing him back so that he was forced to look up at me, his eyebrows raising as I dropped into his lap, straddling him in front of every stronzo in this place.