Darkmore Penitentiary (Supernatural Prison for Dark Fae Book 1)

by Caroline Peckham

  “These uniforms are not made with organic cotton,” Plunger pouted. “Only the socks give me the gentle caress I need on my happy hose. And it’s not like I have it on show, is it, Officer?” He thrust his hips about so that the sock flapped between his thighs and I cringed.

  What the hell was with this guy?

  “That’s it!” Hastings bellowed, throwing the shutter down over the mail collection point. “The mail slot is closed for a week and if any Fae has a problem with that then they can take it up with Twenty Four!” He pointed at the number on Plunger’s uniform and I damn near snarled in rage.

  Plunger sighed dramatically and flounced away with his hands in the air and his sock swinging. I tried not to look at it, but I swear the damn thing was trying to catch my eye and I caught sight of a tuft of hair poking out above the sock before I could force my gaze away. More than a few of the Fae in the queue chased after him, offering threats and insults and the rest stalked away, muttering in disappointment.

  I was left alone with Hastings as his eyes flashed with a steely determination and the power of his victory. But there was no way in hell I was leaving here without my damn letter.

  “Are you hard of hearing, Twelve?” he asked in a dark tone, turning his ocean blue eyes on me as he puffed his chest up. Someone was riding high on a wave of power. I’d have to play this just right if I wanted my letter.

  I bit my bottom lip and moved towards him, swaying my hips just enough to draw his gaze to my movements.

  “Thank you, sir,” I breathed, looking up at him from beneath my lashes. “I don’t think I’ve seen anyone put Plunger in his place like that before.”

  The edge of aggression slipped from Hastings’ stance as his spine straightened at the compliment. “Just doing my job, inmate.”

  A smile tugged at my lips and I moved a little closer still. “You’ll be chief guard before we know it.”

  “I don’t know about that,” he replied, pushing a hand into his beach blonde hair, though his eyes twinkled with the idea.

  “Oh I do. I’ve always been able to spot a powerful alpha when I see one,” I murmured, reaching out to slide my hand over his bicep before squeezing lightly.

  “Is that so?”

  “Sì. E tu non sei uno,” I purred in a low tone which brought the hint of a smile to his lips. Yes. And you’re not one.

  Why were so many men a sucker for Faetalian? I swear I could talk some guys into anything while insulting them in my language and it never even occurred to them to ask what I was saying.

  “What are you after, inmate?” Hastings asked, suspicion colouring his words though his eyes still sparkled from the compliment he thought I’d given him.

  “Maybe I just enjoy your company…”

  He raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged innocently.

  “I know your game, Twelve-”

  “You can call me Rosalie, if you like.”

  Hastings cleared his throat. “Fine. I know your game…Rosalie.”

  “What Academy did you attend? I know you weren’t at Aurora because I wouldn’t have forgotten a face like yours.”

  “Starlight. I graduated three years ago, but that’s not really-”

  “I always did like the guys in the year above me. Did you play Pitball by any chance, ragazzo del coro?” I asked in my most seductive voice.

  “I was a Waterback,” he admitted, his chest swelling again as I caressed his bicep.

  “Maybe we met on the pitch then,” I suggested. “Although I think I’d remember if you’d ever pinned me down in the dirt.”

  “You played?” he asked with interest. We really could have faced each other in the academy league at some point but I certainly didn’t recall if we had.

  “I was the Aurora Academy Earthraider,” I purred.

  “We lost to Aurora in my third year... You’re not the girl who caused a landslide which wiped out our whole team in the final round, are you?” His eyes suddenly glimmered with recognition and my smile widened. That had been a pretty epic play. We’d been at a draw but my genius move had secured the win for Aurora and buried his team beneath a foot of soil for good measure.

  “I like to play dirty,” I teased, though we both knew that shit hadn’t been against the rules.

  “Fuck. You know, the guys on our team had a nickname for you after that…” Hastings pushed his hand into his hair and a little colour touched his cheeks.

  “Oh yeah?” I asked, wondering what it could have been to make him blush for me.

  “It was dumb,” he hedged, clearly not wanting to tell me.

  “Don’t leave me in suspense, ragazzo del coro.” I pouted at him and he cleared his throat as he gave in.

  “We just called you the filthy little wolf.” Hastings cleared his throat and I could tell that they hadn’t called me filthy because of the earth magic I’d covered them with.

  “Was that because you all hated me for beating you or because you liked the idea of getting dirty with me?” I teased as my grip on his bicep tightened a little more.

  Hastings didn’t seem to want to answer that and I laughed teasingly.

  “Who knew I was looking after a legend in here?” he joked.

  My smile widened but I withdrew my hand before I pushed him too far.

  “I’d better get back to the Mess Hall before breakfast finishes,” I said in a soft voice. My gaze slid down his admittedly muscular body before crossing to the closed mail slot.

  I released a disappointed sigh, biting down on my bottom lip before turning and heading away from him with my head down.

  Three, two, one-

  “Wait,” Hastings called and I looked back over my shoulder with my eyebrows raised.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Are you waiting for some news from home?” he asked, his brows pulling together like he felt bad about denying me my letter.

  “My Great Aunt Mable is sick. She’s one hundred and seventeen…I’ll see if I’ve got enough tokens to call home for information instead though.” I turned away again and brushed a hand across my cheek as if I’d just swiped at a tear. In all honesty, I’d missed my calling to be a movie star.

  I started walking slowly and the sound of the mail slot opening behind me drew a smirk to my lips, but I didn’t turn back.

  Footsteps pounded after me and Hastings’ hand landed on my shoulder as he pulled me around to face him.

  “Twelve…Rosalie…don’t tell anyone else but, here.” He pressed Dante’s letter into my hand and I widened my eyes as if I was surprised.

  “But-”

  “You weren’t the one with a sock on your cock,” he teased, curling my fingers over the letter. “I hope your aunt is okay.”

  I offered him a genuine smile and pushed up onto my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, ragazzo del coro,” I breathed and I almost felt bad about calling him choir boy right to his face. Almost. “This means the world to me.”

  I hurried away before he could reply, taking my seat back in the Mess Hall amongst my pack as I read over Dante’s letter, decoding the information he’d sent me about the ipump500 with a lightness filling my chest.

  A shadow loomed over my table and I looked up from my letter as my Wolves started growling.

  “Can I have a word, kitten?” Sin purred and I sighed as I waved my Wolves off.

  “Here or in private?” I asked, tucking Dante’s letter into my pocket.

  “I’ll take this conversation to go,” he confirmed before turning and striding away from me.

  I rolled my eyes at Sonny as he frowned with concern and pushed myself to my feet as I followed Sin back out of the Mess Hall again.

  Just before I stepped out into the hallway, my gaze caught on Gustard where he held court with The Watchers in the back corner of the room.

  His lips tilted up in a way that made my blood run cold.

  He hadn’t said a word when I’d been at breakfast after his attempt to kill me had failed, but the dangerous look in
his eyes every time I’d seen him since said he held my fate in his hands. He’d been rooting around in my head with his psychic gifts and I had no damn way of telling whether or not he’d stolen my darkest secrets unless he brought them to light.

  Ethan had told me that Gustard knew about us and I was just hoping that he’d been satisfied with that secret. An Oscura and a member of the Lunar Brotherhood mating was a pretty big deal and he was no doubt hoping to use it against both of us. But I wasn’t overly concerned about that. I’d deal with any disquiet in my pack if it came to it. My main concern was that Gustard hadn’t gotten anything else from my mind when it had been under his control.

  But the way he kept looking at me said he knew something else. Something bad. And I could only hope that he didn’t do anything to screw up my plans with the knowledge he’d stolen before I had the chance to use it.

  I looked away from Gustard dismissively, refusing to show him that he’d rattled me. There was nothing I could do about the things he’d stolen from my mind so I just had to try and forget about it unless it caused me a problem.

  Sin led me out of the Mess Hall and down the stairs, maintaining a quick pace so that I couldn’t walk beside him.

  “If you insist on leading me along like a dog pulling its owner, I’ll start treating you like one,” I commented.

  Sin whirled around so suddenly that I almost lost my footing on the step above him and he reached out to grasp my waist to stop me from falling.

  “I just saved your life, kitten,” he said in a low voice. “What do I get for a debt like that?”

  “My eternal gratitude,” I said with a smile. “And a pat on the head.”

  Sin huffed irritably and released me. “I’ll take a pass on that. Don’t you want to know why I’ve lured you down into an abandoned stairwell on your own?”

  “Is this the part where I’m supposed to tremble in fear?” I teased.

  Sin moved up a step so that we was towering over me and I licked my lips as I looked up at him.

  He leaned down, sweeping my hair away from my ear as his mouth brushed against the shell, sending a shiver darting down my spine.

  “Are you ready for your answer?” he purred.

  “Enough with the foreplay, Sin. Just give it to me.”

  He growled at my choice of words and I smirked as I tipped my head to look into his dark eyes, inhaling the smoky scent of his flesh. There was something sweet and something spicy to the smell which had my toes curling as I wondered if his skin would taste like that too.

  “Your Mole got taken to Psych this morning,” he breathed seductively and it took me a moment to process what he’d said.

  “What?” I gasped, jerking back as I looked up at him. “Sook? When? How-”

  “They dragged her out of the showers when she attacked another inmate for having perkier tits than her.”

  “Be serious, Sin, this could fuck up everything. Tell me what happened!” I slammed my hands into his solid chest and he snarled at me as he caught my wrists, keeping me there with my palms against his pecs.

  “She tried to drink shampoo then took a running jump at a wall,” he growled. “Busted her nose up real good, there was blood everywhere. Then she tried to attack the guards who came to help her and bought herself a one way ticket to crazy town.”

  My hands fisted in the material of his tank top and I tried to shake him, but he was too damn big to move.

  “Do you understand how fucked we are now?” I hissed, glaring into his dark eyes as he fucking laughed at me.

  “Yeah, I think I’ve got a grasp on it,” he said, surveying me keenly.

  “So why the hell are you smiling like it’s Christmas Day and you just got a hamper full of dildos?” I snarled.

  “Because this right here is the point at which I’m gonna find out what you’re made of, wild girl,” he purred. “It’s all well and good being the crème de la crème when everything’s going to plan. But I prefer to judge a Fae on how well they react when the shit hits the fan. So what’s it gonna be? Are you going to roll over and admit defeat? Or are you ready to prove just how much of a badass you are?”

  I snarled at him angrily as my grip tightened on his tank top. “What do you think, stronzo? I’m going to show you what a badass I am, obviously.”

  “Fuck yeah you are,” Sin replied enthusiastically. He yanked me close and stamped his mouth to mine before I could see it coming. My breathing hitched and for half a second I wanted to melt into the pure temptation that was Sin Wilder. But I didn’t have time for that shit. I had work to do.

  I shoved him back with a snarl while he grinned in a way that said he’d known how much I’d liked it despite my reaction.

  I huffed irritably and turned away from him as I pounded back up the stairs. I had a plan to salvage. I just had to figure out how the fuck I was going to do it.

  Twelve couldn’t be trusted. And I’d been played by her for the last time. I didn’t become a Commanding Officer because I was a weak willed piece of shit. I should never have fallen for her bullshit. But I settled scores the way I fucked. Hard, mercilessly and without emotion.

  She’d returned from wherever she’d headed with Eighty Eight and my gaze was fixed on her across the Mess Hall as she played a card game with her Wolf pack, each of them standing before the table and tossing cards down onto it. Whenever a pair or more of cards appeared, the whole band of them dropped onto their seats and started howling. It seemed to be some twisted version of musical chairs because whoever sat last was forced to leave the game.

  Twelve laughed her ass off as she and her Beta went for the same seat and the two of them crashed to the floor. The rest of her pack dove forward to help her up, but she looked like she was having way too much fun to need it. She was a different person to the miserable sucker she’d been yesterday, pushing out her lower lip like the world was gonna end. But that was what made me watch her harder. She wore her emotions like masks, easily exchanging one for the next without blinking. I wondered which of them really touched her heart, or if there was just a stone cold rock living in her chest. And if that was the case, I could definitely relate.

  My eyes narrowed as I observed her, a sweet kind of satisfaction filling me at knowing I was going to be the one to wipe that smile off of her face today. No one made a fool of me and got away with it and I’d been biding my time deciding on exactly how I was going to handle it.

  When breakfast finally came to an end, I moved to the door to wait for her, ready to take her down to Maintenance for her morning’s work. She was amongst the last to leave, sauntering through the door like she had all the time in the world and I snatched hold of her elbow, catching her by surprise as I shoved her towards the stairs.

  “Morning, Officer Grumps, did you get out of the wrong side of the bed again today? Maybe you need some signage to remind you which way to go.”

  I clenched my jaw, saying nothing as I led her downstairs and I felt her surveying me from the corner of my eye.

  “What do you eat for breakfast, sir? Uncheerios?”

  My jaw locked harder until my face started to ache. My fangs were tingling with the anticipation of the hunt and I couldn’t wait to impact her mood like a fucking meteor crashing into her world.

  We finally reached level nine and I guided her past the isolation cells to the door that led down to the maintenance level. I’d ordered one of the janitors to leave cleaning supplies down there every day so I didn’t have to bother fetching it anymore.

  We reached the bottom of the stairs and I released Twelve, moving to the trolley of cleaning supplies and folding my arms.

  “Start scrubbing the floor,” I commanded, pointing to it and she gave me a confused look.

  “Don’t you want to hunt today?” she taunted as she moved toward me with her hips swaying.

  “Get cleaning. Now,” I snarled and her brows pulled together. She didn’t question me again though which was an improvement on her usual cocky behaviour and I watched as she
grabbed a bucket and scrubbing brush from the trolley, placing them on the floor.

  She turned away from me, unbuttoning her jumpsuit and letting it fall to her feet.

  “What are you doing?” I growled.

  “I just don’t want it to get wet,” she said innocently, stepping out of it in nothing but her boots, a black sports bra and panties. I dragged my eyes away from her as she turned and laid the jumpsuit across the trolley.

  She dropped down onto her knees then started scrubbing the floor, her hair falling around her. As she worked, she moved across the ground on all fours, her perfectly round ass drawing my attention again and again.

  I cleared my throat and shifted my gaze up to the ceiling, clasping my hands behind my back. I wasn’t going to let her distract me again. I had a plan in place and this was the first part of her punishment.

  I let her work for over an hour until she was gleaming with sweat before I told her to stop.

  She rose to her feet before me, pushing her hair behind her ears as she bit down on her lip. “Do you like watching me work for you, Mason?”

  “Use my name again and I’ll write you up for an infraction, Twelve.” I bared my fangs. “Do you think I’m a fool you can twist around your little finger?”

  She batted her lashes, shaking her head. “No, sir.”

  I stepped forward with a low growl, moving until I was right in her face as I leaned down to glare at her. “I think you do. I think you play games to get men to do what you want. But I’m not your prey, Twelve, I’m the hunter. So you’d better run before I prove it.”

  She swallowed thickly, her pupils dilating at my words like she was actually into this. But I wouldn’t hold back today. She was about to find out what it was like to make an enemy of an apex predator.

  “Run,” I hissed and she turned, speeding away into the labyrinth of machinery with a wild laugh.

  I took a breath to slow my racing pulse, training my ears on her as she fled. I could catch her blindfolded and half asleep if I wanted to. I was an expert at this, but I was going to let her have a longer leash today. My prey always tasted better when they thought they’d won.