Darkmore Penitentiary (Supernatural Prison for Dark Fae Book 1)

by Caroline Peckham

  I pushed another strawberry into my mouth, biting down slowly as he watched with unconcealed desire. I almost felt bad about misleading him, but it would be worth it when I figured out how to get Sook out of Psych.

  I pushed out of my seat, taking my fruit pot with me as I walked and eating the rest of it as I crossed the room. I caught Roary’s eye as I went and he smirked as he got to his feet and headed out of the Mess Hall before me.

  I hesitated by the door as I finished my fruit then passed the empty pot to one of my Wolves so she could toss it in the trash for me.

  I headed downstairs with excitement trickling down my spine as I passed several pissed looking Fae on their way back up. My pack had clearly made good on clearing the library for me and as I reached level six, I found half the pack guarding the doors to keep everyone out.

  I brushed my hands over their arms and backs gratefully and they smiled at me, clearly proud of themselves for sorting out this whole three-way Alpha hook up situation for me. Which was actually seriously weird, especially considering that I was related to more than a few of them. But oh well. Wolves were weird. We were okay with it.

  Brett pulled the door open for me and I headed into the huge library with a smirk on my lips.

  The smell of books enveloped me as I moved further into the vaulted space and I breathed it in deeply. Aunt Bianca had a library at the manor and after I’d moved in with her, I’d formed a habit of reading there every evening when I got back from running beneath the moon. She’d found me asleep in there so many mornings that she’d even made up a reading corner for me filled with soft blankets and pillows so that I was comfortable when I inevitably drifted off.

  My cousins thought the joy I took in reading was bordering on obsessive but in the years I’d spent living with my mamma and then my papà, I’d never been given the opportunity to learn like that. When I’d first come to live with my aunt I’d been damn near illiterate, but I’d been determined to learn. So between Faetube videos online and the family library, I’d caught myself up on everything I would have learned if I’d been able to attend school. And I’d done it all without anyone ever realising.

  So the scent of the library actually felt safe to me. It was somewhere that I was used to being when I took control of my destiny and I was about to do that again now.

  I rounded the final stack and found Roary leaning against a little table which sat by the far wall. He was reading a thick book entitled Making the most of your incarceration and his lips curved like he found something amusing in its pages.

  He didn’t look up as I approached and I reached out to tug the book from his hands as I made it to him.

  “What’s so interesting that you can’t even say hello to me?” I asked, flipping the book around to look at it.

  Roary snatched it back, laughing as he slammed it shut and held it above my head. “Maybe I don’t want you to know.”

  I eyed the book above me and half considered tackling him for it, but I was pretty sure that was what he wanted.

  “Fine. Keep your secrets, Lion boy, I don’t need tips on enjoying my incarceration anyway. I don’t plan on it lasting long.”

  Roary slid the book onto the top shelf out of reach and I skirted him to take a seat on the reading desk behind him, crossing my legs beneath me.

  “I’m guessing you didn’t actually want me to meet you here for a hook up…” Roary said slowly as he turned to look down at me.

  My lips parted on a response, but the Library door banged closed before I could get it out. Roary frowned in confusion but before he could ask, Sin’s voice filled the space.

  “I’m ready to find out just how wild you are, kitten,” he called.

  I snorted a laugh as Roary raised his eyebrows at me and Sin’s heavy footsteps approached our spot at the rear of the library.

  “I’ll warn you that after all that time in isolation, this isn’t going to be quick. I’m rough at the best of times but you might have done well to bring a helmet today... I’m going to take my time making you feel absolutely every kind pleasure and by the time you’re done screaming my name, your throat will be rubbed raw-” Sin paused in his promises as he rounded the corner and spotted Roary with me.

  His jumpsuit was tied around his waist, leaving his dark arms bare for me to appreciate and I bit my lip as I looked him over. One day, I was going to spend some serious time studying his tattoos in depth.

  “Hey,” I said innocently as his heated gaze drank us in.

  “I didn’t get the message about the extra player,” Sin growled, looking at Roary for a long moment. “But I guess it just means you’ll scream louder.” He stalked forward, yanking his tank off and exposing the ripped muscles of his abs.

  My mouth dried out as I watched him coming for me and the wild part of me was seriously tempted to indulge in this fantasy.

  Before I could give it nearly enough consideration, Roary stepped between me and Sin, stopping his advance as he planted his feet and folded his arms.

  “The three-way was a cover, asshole,” he snarled. “Rosa brought us here to talk about something, not get naked on a stack of books.”

  “There could be time for both,” I joked. Although it might have been a genuine offer too.

  Sin licked his lips as his hungry gaze burned into mine and my pulse thrummed at the idea of doing what we were pretending to do.

  “I’m guessing you had good reason to call us down here aside from eye-fucking an Incubus,” Roary growled and heat licked down my spine at the sound.

  He turned to look at me and I surveyed him curiously because that had sounded a hell of a lot like jealousy.

  “Calm down boys, there’s plenty of me to go around,” I promised and Sin’s smile widened. “But sadly, I did ask you to meet me for a reason aside from getting naked together.”

  “What is it?” Roary asked.

  “As it stands, the three of us are the only ones in on the plan for us to escape this place.”

  Roary and Sin exchanged a dark look and I bit my lip, wondering if I should have given them that little nugget of info before now.

  “Why him?” they both asked at once and I laughed.

  “I was paid to come and rescue Sin,” I explained. “And the Fae who booked his ticket out of here is essential to making this plan work.”

  “That doesn’t explain why the Lion is coming,” Sin growled.

  “Roary has already proved his worth by securing something I needed to do all of this. Besides, he’s the only reason I agreed to this job. Either Roary comes with us or we don’t escape at all.” I raised my chin defiantly, daring them to question me but after a tense moment, they both seemed to accept it.

  “So what’s this meet up about?” Roary asked.

  “I’m still up for the three-way,” Sin added seductively.

  I ignored the heat that lit beneath my flesh and got to the point.

  “Sook Min. She’s in Psych and I need her if we want to get out of here. Which means I need to get into Psych, check she’s okay and then set up a plan for getting her out when we leave.”

  “Sounds like a bitch of a problem,” Sin said disinterestedly. “What’s it got to do with me?”

  “You want to get your ass out of this dungeon too, don’t you?” Roary snarled.

  “I’ve got a bed, regular meals and a girl who I’m gonna claim all day every day for the foreseeable future,” Sin replied, eyeing me like that was a foregone conclusion. “What more do I need from the outside world?”

  “For a start, if that girl is me, then I can assure you you won’t be claiming anything all the time we’re stuck down here.”

  “Are you saving it for a reward when we escape?” Sin asked excitedly.

  I rolled my eyes at him, but if he wanted to play that game then why not? I might have been resisting his charms to keep him on the hook, but there was nothing wrong with adding a little extra incentive too.

  “You want a night with me as a reward for breaking out o
f here?” I teased.

  “For starters,” Sin purred.

  I paused for a long moment and Roary tensed beside me. But in all honesty, I already knew I was going to be giving in to Sin’s demands sooner or later. My body ached for his and I was already captivated by the promises he made. What was the harm in putting a date on it?

  “Done,” I agreed, biting down on my bottom lip.

  Roary growled like that pissed him off and I looked up at him from beneath my lashes.

  “What’s wrong, Roar?” I teased. “You don’t want me, but no one else can have me either?”

  “Oh he wants you,” Sin interrupted. “I can taste so much lust on him that it’s giving me belly ache.”

  I laughed as I looked up at Roary, tossing my long hair over my shoulders as his jaw ticked with irritation.

  “Are you going to tell us what you want our help with or not?” he demanded.

  “I need you to keep the guards distracted while I head into the walls during our free time this evening.” We were given four hours of free time following on from dinner in the Mess Hall each night where we could wander between the cell blocks, library and gym. As we had so many options, the guards couldn’t keep as close of an eye on us and it would be easy for them to lose track of little old me.

  “You’re going to chance it while everyone is awake?” Roary questioned.

  “Yeah. Cain is on to me and I can’t risk him coming looking for us during the night again. It’s too obvious that I’m up to something if he comes to my cell and finds me missing. But during free time, I could be in any number of places. It’s a lot harder for him or any of the guards to keep track and I can make use of that.”

  “So you want a riot or something to keep them distracted?” Roary asked.

  “What if the Belorian got loose in the corridors?” Sin suggested darkly.

  “Are you crazy?” I hissed, staring at him. “That thing could kill half the Fae in here!”

  “Yeah…and it would be a pretty epic distraction,” he replied, like the idea wasn’t entirely insane.

  “Fuck no,” Roary snarled. “How the hell would you even get to it anyway? You’re not even thinking straight.”

  “I could get to it easy,” Sin said, rolling his eyes. “I know more shit about this place than you could ever dream to.”

  “I’ve been here longer than you, asshole,” Roary reminded him.

  “Yeah. But some of us haven’t relied on gangs and bullshit to carve our place here. I’ve got more knowledge about this prison than you could ever claim.”

  “Stop it,” I snapped before Roary could respond. “This is a pointless discussion. We aren’t setting the fucking Belorian free. I don’t actually want to be eaten by a soulless monster, thanks all the same. So we need to come up with something better.”

  “I’ve got something,” Sin announced.

  “What?” I demanded.

  “You’ll see.” His eyes lit with danger and I pursed my lips as I looked at him.

  “You expect me to trust you based on you’ll see?”

  “Yeah. It’ll be epic. You’ll see,” he repeated and Roary growled.

  “Sin,” I began but he turned and started walking away from us, giving me a look at the huge Sagittarius tattoo he had inked on his back. The ferocious centaur had his lips parted in a battle cry as his long hair billowed out behind him and his muscular arms tensed in their position holding a bow and arrow ready to fire. He looked wild and fierce and dangerous. Just like Sin.

  “I’m on it, beautiful. Consider your distraction sorted.” Sin snatched his tank from the ground as he went, shrugging it back on and leaving me alone with Roary again.

  “Are you going to trust him?” he asked me, the suspicion in his eyes clear.

  “Yeah,” I replied. “But it can’t hurt to have a backup plan in place too…”

  He smirked as he looked down at me and nodded in agreement. “Okay, little pup, I’ve got you covered. Just make sure you don’t get caught.”

  “Are you worried about me, Roary?”

  “I’m worried about being stuck in here if you can’t pull this off,” he hedged.

  “Well don’t concern yourself over that,” I said cockily. “I always get what I want.”

  And today that would be Sook Min.

  I had my eyes shut, meditating the shit out of tonight’s plan as I sat in the Mess Hall with three lemons lined up before me on the table. If my wild girl wanted a distraction, she was going to get the biggest one this prison had ever seen. Getting down to level seven wouldn’t be an issue, but I needed to lure a guard down there with me. Then, I just had to force them to open the Belorian’s door and hope to hell I could outrun a hungry monster. Or at least outrun the guard.

  Sure, Rosalie had told me releasing the Belorian was insane. But I knew exactly what she’d really meant by that. She’d practically given me the old wink-wink nudge-nudge treatment. She wanted this to happen, she just couldn’t say it in front of Roary Night who was as straight as a knife. He was a thief, not a killer. He didn’t know how to let blood run when it was needed. But I knew how and so did my sweet little candy cane of a treat who’d promised herself to me after we pulled off this escape. Fuck, I was going to make her hurt in all the right places. I could wait a little longer for that. But in order to live out that dream, I had to let my psycho loose.

  Meditation was supposed to calm the mind, but I didn’t have an ordinary mind. So my brain was sparking like a car ignition, ready for me to press the throttle and take it for a wild ride.

  I cracked open my eyes, scanning the guards in the room as I made my selection. My gaze landed on Officer Nixon. He was a tall fucker with a mean face and a bald head. I knew for a fact he was a lech who took sexual favours from the inmates in exchange for him smuggling shit into the prison for them. He also left bruises on their skin and had left more than one Fae with a broken look in their eyes after his time with them. It wasn’t common knowledge, but with my sense for lust, I always picked up on who was fucking who in this place. So Nixon was overdue a quick death. Or a slow one if I could manage it. I’d just make him open the Belorian’s door then make sure he got eaten by it to cover my ass.

  “Hell yes!” I announced, slamming my palms down on the table. A Pegasus walking past nearly dropped his tray in alarm as he looked to me then scampered away.

  I was about to get up and wing the rest of my plan to get Nixon to take me downstairs when Rosalie dropped into the seat beside me.

  “Hey kitten,” I purred, letting my eyes trail down to her cleavage peeping through the open buttons of her jumpsuit.

  Her hand dropped onto my knee and my dick jumped to attention. A dirty growl escaped me and a smile twisted up my lips. “Do you wanna check out the goods before you buy? You’ll need to go a little higher, but not that high if you catch my meaning.” I smirked and she rolled her eyes.

  “Gimme your hands,” she asked and I instantly dropped them under the table to give them to her despite not knowing why. But she could have any piece of me she desired. Intact or cut off. Whichever way my wild girl preferred. I mean, a severed dick dildo wasn’t nearly as fun as when it was attached to a sex god like me, but who knew what she was into?

  Her fingers coiled around my wrist then something clicked faintly before she moved to my other hand. Magic flooded into my fingertips and I groaned like I’d just come in my pants.

  “Holy shit baby,” I sighed. By the stars, she was per-to-the-fect. I’d heard the rumours that someone in this prison had obtained a cuff key and I’d been fucking stupid not to realise it was her before now. “You really know how to get my juices flowing.” I tugged my sleeves down to make sure the unlit cuffs weren’t on show to the guards and resisted the urge to bring a coil of flames to my fingertips immediately. Man I loved burning things.

  “Are you all good?” she asked innocently, but what she was really asking was are you ready to give me my distraction, lover boy?

  I turned to
look at the clock on the wall as it ticked its way up towards a quarter to six. Thirty seconds to go.

  “I’m all good, wild girl. Here, take this and keep it on you for luck.” I held out a lemon for her and she frowned in confusion but took it all the same. I leaned in close, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and murmuring softly so only she could hear. “Brace for impact.”

  I picked up the other two lemons just as the clock ticked onto a quarter to and an empty table at the back of the room exploded, smashing into the ceiling and sending a fiery blast out around it. That shit had cost me hard on the Veiled Wall to get it done today, but I was gonna be a free man soon. Who needed tokens for commissary when I was going to have my life back and Rosalie Oscura moaning my name with a few days?

  Rosalie gasped as debris soared overhead and the two of us ducked in sync. The guards from all around the room started running forward to put out the fire as the inmates surged away from it in a stampede. In the chaos, we could all slip away to where we needed to be tonight and now that I had my magic, I had no need for Officer Nixon. Which was a crying shame as I’d been looking forward to watching his head get eaten by the Belorian.

  I stamped my mouth to Rosalie’s cheek and jumped to my feet. “See ya later gladiator.”

  I backed away and she stared after me in surprise with a whole lot of lust dolloped on top. I smirked before turning into the crowd and striding through the hall, juggling the final two lemons in my hands. As I passed Roary, I tossed one to him with a wink and he caught it at the last second. “You’ll thank me later.”

  I pocketed my own before he could reply and jogged toward the unmanned open doors. Rosalie probably thought this was my entire plan, but a little flash bang wasn’t gonna keep the guards occupied for long. And if my baby was going into the vents tonight, I sure as shit needed to keep anyone from looking for her for as long as I possibly could.

  I raced down the stairs, taking them two or three at a time as I pranced down them like a fucking pony. With my magic free, my plan had gotten a whole lot easier, but not much less dangerous. I’d always been a whore for danger though. I flirted with her on a daily basis. And this might have been one of the crazier things I’d done in my time, but it was also the most exhilarating.