by Jaymin Eve
“There are a lot of demi-fey in here,” I noted.
From my limited view I could see two ogres seated at an especially large table, their bulbous noses the first giveaway; the second was the cobalt blue of their stone-like skin. A hairy cousin of theirs was the source for the Bigfoot legend. As far as I knew he was locked away in one of the Asian prison systems. Celebrities are whisked away from their home countries. Too much exposure if they are ever seen or manage to escape.
Just down from them was a table of tiny pixies, each about the size of a hundred dollar bill and shaped like Barbie dolls but sort of pointier. They fluttered around sipping their nectar. Imps could be seen playing some sort of game across the way. Those mischievous creatures were not be trusted. Devious and sneaky. But funny.
Braxton had followed my line-of-sight. “Yes, the demi-fey are the least like humans. They don’t blend well and get into trouble a lot.”
There were even a few that I’d never seen up close before. Satyrs and centaurs seemed to have their own yarded-off section. Neither were a demi-fey breed that we’d ever had permanently in Stratford. They were actually pretty rare nowadays. Fear mongering humans had hunted them to near-extinction. There were four centaurs, their silky coats on the bottom half ranging from black, brown and even a paint with white spots. The male upper halves were sort of human-like, but with more animal infused into the features. And long manes of hair.
The satyrs were much smaller, their cloven feet pattering across the stone floor. I loved their tiny ears and little horns that peaked above their curled hair.
My focus shifted as we halted near a glassed-off section. I couldn’t see what the area was used for until we moved closer and I noticed the water filling it. It was a tank, with water so clear it was hard to detect. My eyes bugged a little as three mermaids raced past the glass. Supernatural mermaids are nothing like the movies. Instead of beautiful red flowing hair, they had green seaweed-like tendrils, jagged teeth, clawed hands, and long scaled tails. The colors of their tails ranged from black to murky brown, and every green shade in between. Not pretty. Ugly. Very, very ugly. And they were mean and vicious. Killing many an unsuspecting human. I was pretty sure the legend of the beautiful mermaid was from some of the fey sirens who used to sit out on the rocks and lure the sailors into the deep. Yeah, we had a few skeletons in our closet.
I was glad when we continued to move, mermaids gave me the creeps. The next tank was filled with selkies, their smooth, seal-like bodies gliding through the murky water. They liked it a little dirtier and brinier than their cousins next door and unlike the mermaids, they could exist on land, transforming back into a female. Although, the sea always called them back. Also unlike the mermaids, they were mostly gentle and kind. Just don’t piss them off, they could be very animalistic in their temperament.
I expected water-loving-sirens in the third tank, but it looked empty. Which didn’t always mean anything. We continued to walk around the room.
Braxton lifted my hand, drawing my attention. “Why did you really break back into the prison?” He was still pissed off, but he also seemed a little hurt that I hadn’t waited for him. “I told you I’d help, you should have waited for me.”
I wasn’t sure how to explain the drive I’d felt to save them. From the moment all of those dirty, desperate faces had turned to me I’d been single-minded. I’d had to save them. The more I thought on it, the more I truly believed they were dragon marked. There was just no other explanation for that secret room. But Braxton still didn’t know I was dragon marked, so it was hard to explain my reasoning.
“What happened with Nash?” My segue distracted him.
Sort of.
He dropped his hooded eyes. “I’m not sure, I only had enough time to get him to Louis. He assured me he could do some spelling and paperwork to pass him off as an orphaned cousin. I left Nash and came looking for you.” Braxton’s voice was smooth. Damn, that poor kid was probably freaking out without his Braxie.
I sucked down my guilt. “How did you get to Louis so quickly?” It couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes from when the boys exited the door till Mischa and I were brought back to the forest.
Braxton tilted his head at me. “He was waiting in the forest when we emerged. I think the sorcerer has some sort of tracker on you.” His smile was feral. “He’s going to be pissed when he realizes you’re in here.”
I rubbed my nose. “As long as Nash is okay, I can live with being in here.”
One of those poor victims was safe. Not great, but better than nothing.
Braxton snorted. “Louis, at least, has some uses. He will be instrumental in trying to make the evidence disappear.”
I had no doubt he would be, he’d worked magic on the quads’ case and would do the same for mine.
As I continued to observe the multitudes of demi-fey breeds scattered around, I was struck by a thought.
“Have any demi-fey ever been dragon marked?”
Braxton met my gaze, and there was something fluttering in his eyes, something which read deeper into that question. He finally answered, “To my knowledge, I’ve never heard of demi-fey being marked. Mostly the accused are shifters, and then the rest scattered amongst vamps, mages and a very limited amount are fey.”
That was interesting. I wondered if the majority were shifters because the original dragon king had been a shifter. Although he’d also been a sorcerer. Maybe shifter was the side he had most related to.
“Why are you not marked?” I asked him.
He was one of the few existing dragon shifters. It made absolutely no sense that he wouldn’t be marked.
He shrugged. “I don’t need the extra powers connected to the marked. I’m already dragon.”
“What do you mean extra powers?” I knew so little about the mark. I’d wanted to ask the victims from that room, but we’d never made it back.
Braxton’s eyes darted around, keeping a close watch on the other inmates as we continued our circumvention of the mingling zone. “It’s only rumor, but allegedly any that are marked possess an ability to partially shift into a mist … like a dragon spirit. And they mimic many of the abilities I already possess. In a manner, the dragon king created an army of dragons who also possess the souls of our other races.”
No way! That was both scary and freaking awesome. I wondered if I’d have that power if Louis released my mark. I’d sort of be like Braxton then, not a real dragon but close. My heart ached for a moment and I had no idea why I was feeling like that. Seriously. Maybe it was a heart attack – nah, highly unlikely for a shifter who was only twenty-two.
I inhaled through my nose in one long movement. I think I had … well, a major case of the feels. Something had hit me hard in the heart and my emotions were overflowing.
“You okay, Jessa?” Braxton brought his face close to mine, tantalizing me with those masculine planes that had every woman in Stratford panting. As we locked eyes my hurting heart thumped extra hard and I had the strangest urge to kiss him.
What the hell?
I’d never felt like that before, he was my best friend. I would not ruin that with romance. It could never work, especially with any of the Compasses. They weren’t made for long-term, they were they first to admit that. I needed to pull myself together and get laid. It had been way too long for a shifter.
“Jessa?” he asked again, and I realized I hadn’t answered his question.
“Yes, I’m okay, just tired and hungry.”
He tilted his head to the side, calling me on my bullshit. But thankfully he let it go without more of a confrontation. We continued on our journey. It would take us at least thirty minutes to walk around the entire area.
“How long do we have out here?” I murmured, while squinting at a strange sight across the way. “And are we back in our cells after that?”
Braxton followed my eyes. “The schedule allows an hour in the morning for the shower area, four hours mingle time out here, and then back to o
ur cells.”
“Are they having sex?” I blurted out.
We were both staring at the couple across from us. It was a fey female with long golden red hair and a lanky, black-haired vampire male. He had his fangs deep in her neck and the movements under his coat was pretty clear.
“That would be an affirmative.” Braxton turned away.
I stared for only a beat longer. “Do they not care what happens inside here?”
He laughed, harsh and grating. “As long as no one escapes, they don’t give a damn what goes on inside these walls. That’s why we have to be careful. If we are attacked, no one is going to come to our rescue.”
I wondered if that was true. I’d seen a few of the guards watching me closely. I knew Jonathon would have someone on the inside to keep an extra eye on our safety. I hoped anyways. I would die if anything happened to Braxton; it was my fault we were in here. As we rounded off the end of the tour we passed what looked like a stable, a round yard, and a jousting arena. Like I said, it was a large area. Finally we arrived in front of the buffet.
There was a line, so we stood on the end and waited patiently. No one lingered too close to anyone else, except for a few who were clearly friends. But I was starting to see Braxton’s definition of friend versus an alliance.
The man in front of me was quiet as he waited, but I could sense something very strong inside of him. And his profile was strangely familiar. He shifted his head in a slow-motion movement. There was nothing remotely normal about that creepy head spin.
Braxton nodded at him. “Vlad.”
Holy shut my face in the door. Vlad? As in Vlad the Impaler. I had no idea he’d been taken from Romania and placed into our prison. It did make sense, they always removed the celebrities from their local zone. Since his inability to keep himself under control – many years ago – had majorly outed the vampire legend, well, he was set to be locked up for a long time. His list of crimes was massive.
“Dragon.” He returned the greeting.
His blood red eyes flicked across to me. I fought the urge to shiver; he was like the mayor of creepy town, right down to the clichéd pale skin, black stringy hair and razor sharp pointed nails. But the part which cemented his status as Creepy McCreep was the eyes for sure.
“And who is this delicious little morsel?”
I fought the urge to barf in my mouth. It was either that or punch him in the skeletal protrusion that he was working as a nose.
“None of your fucking business,” I said, curling my lips. The movement was involuntary.
Braxton tightened his grip on my hand, but otherwise didn’t show any signs of concern.
“Everything in here is my business, little girl. I run Vanguard.”
I flicked my ponytail behind me and let out a sigh. “I’m pretty hungry. Can we just move this interrogation along?”
The smallest of smiles lifted the corner of his mouth. “I like you. I think I won’t kill you for a while. Although…” He breathed deeply. “The scent of your blood … very tempting.”
His hard features lighted on Braxton. “Keep her under control. Muzzle the bitch if you have to.”
Braxton moved then, in his usual move that was faster than the eye could track. His hand hovered over the vampire’s neck, but he didn’t touch him.
“Don’t threaten me or Jessa. I don’t want to take you on, but if it comes down to it, I will. And you will not best me.”
Something slid across the red depths of Vlad’s eyes, and without another word he turned away. My worried eyes followed him, he was very old and powerful, I did not want Braxton anywhere near him. We were at the start of the food now, so it was a convenient distraction for him to turn away. But it also spoke of his hesitation with the Compasses. I wouldn’t have guessed their reputation ran deep enough to have penetrated the prison system. Maybe they’d left an impression when they’d been in here for their short time.
Silence reigned as we traversed the length of the buffet. For once I couldn’t even find enough food to fill my plate. For the first time since we entered the prison, I was depressed.
I dropped my tray with a huff and slowly sank onto a bench seat. Braxton grinned as he sat down right next to me. “All that we’ve gone through in the last few days and finally you’re upset because of shitty food.” He flashed me a double row of blindingly white teeth.
I picked up a bread roll which could actually be used as a weapon. It was like a rock.
“Shitty?” I almost screeched, throwing my rock down. “This food is so bad it should be used to feed the criminals who are on death row in the human prisons. It would actually kill them.”
We didn’t have death row in our prisons. When supernatural criminals were hunted down, many of them received immediate death sentences in the field, mostly because it’s in our nature to fight back. But our laws state that if you come in quietly and accept imprisonment you get to keep your head. Which was the reason Vlad, who wore the blood of millions of humans, was still kicking. It wasn’t exactly a law I always agreed with, but that’s what we had.
I picked at the lumps of crap which were masquerading as food on my plate. Tension filtered through my body as a large figure dropped into the bench seat across from us. I lifted my head, wishing I could call on my wolf. I was really lost without her.
The new arrival was a massive vampire male, bald headed, with scars riddling his visible skin. He had one particularly nasty gash: red, raised and ropy, which ran from the corner of his right eye and down to his chin. He didn’t say anything at first. I think he was hoping his appearance alone would work as intimidation. Braxton and I just stared back, although I did have my bread rock in my hand again. A girl needs to be prepared. Just sayin’.
“I’ve heard a few rumors of your reappearance, Braxton.” His voice was low, and sent chills down my spine. He was dead inside – you can always tell by the voice, nothing good left there anymore. “And of the little wolf that’s been glued to your side.”
“Last time you started trouble, it ended badly,” Braxton drawled. “For you.”
He grinned; his teeth were a little pointed. “Ah, but this time you are minus your brothers. With the addition of a pretty large vulnerability.”
His eyes settled on my face and I wanted to turn away. I felt dirty just having his gaze on me. But I’d played this game before – not with a crazy criminal of course, but I knew that the first to break eye contact lost. I might be a little separated from my wolf, but being alpha never went away, and I was all alpha.
“Jessa is more than enough backup,” Braxton said. My limbs warmed at his compliment. The Compasses spent so much time protecting me that I often wondered if they knew how well I could fight. I was trained, I could be a weapon. I just never needed to, because of my four-guard-men.
Scar-face stared at me for an extra beat before giving a nod. “Jessa, now I realize why your scent is so familiar. You remind me of my jailer … and I have such fond memories of Jonathon Lebron.”
Ah shit. Our flying under the radar had not lasted long.
“Your father is on more than one list in here, wolf princess,” he said as he stood. “I’ll be seeing you.”
He walked away. I wasn’t sure if he realized that he’d just lost our staring, dominance contest. Being a vampire, he probably didn’t care.
His threats had my heart beating a little rapidly, but panic didn’t settle fully into my limbs. No point inviting worry yet. If things were going to go to shit I’d deal with it at the time.
“Worried?” I tilted my head to see Braxton.
He grimaced before throwing down the last of the ass-food that had been on his plate. I couldn’t believe he’d managed to eat any of it.
“We’ll see,” he muttered as we dumped our trays and left the eating area.
He led me to the section of room that we’d walked past but I hadn’t explored, a gym and pool combo filled with many muscle-bound inmates.
“I need to work off some steam,”
Braxton said.
I could see that he did.
I had a sudden thought. “Can you touch your dragon?” He didn’t seem to be suffering as badly as me.
He cocked one brow in my direction, before winking. Holy effing eff. Was he for real? I might have to beat the information out of him later when he couldn’t escape me.
“Can I swim?” I asked, sure he would say no, since he wanted me glued to his side. But he wasn’t the only one who needed to work off some steam.
“Sure. I’ll keep an eye on you from over here.”
That’s what I really loved about Braxton, he understood when to hover and when I needed space. It was hard for dominant men to ever give up their control, and Braxton rarely did, but on occasion he did with me. I left him on one of the weight machines and strolled the ten meters to the pool.
There weren’t many swimming in the crystal clear water. I decided to just go for gold, clothes and all. It was hot enough that the thin cotton would dry in no time. I dived in and powered down one of the lanes. I could hold my breath for a long time, so it was many minutes before I emerged and started to slice through the water. My limbs welcomed the strain. Exercise was a daily part of my life and I needed the release to calm the wolf and demon inside.
I almost swallowed half the pool when a sudden realization smashed into me. My demon. Was it still in there or did the security measures limit it also? I sent my energy down, passing my caged wolf who I knew was unhappy, even though I couldn’t feel her, and into that little dark space which I kept locked down. The demon rose and … well, rubbed against me like a kitty, although there was no way any feline could feel this dark.
I’m here, it seemed to whisper at me. For the first time I was relieved about this. Although I couldn’t shake the fear that if I freed the energy I’d never be able to lock it down again. But if it came down to Braxton’s life, I would not hesitate. Not for one fucking second.
