by G. K. DeRosa
Darkblood Prison: Demon Double-Agent
G.K. DeRosa
Copyright © 2020 Mystic Rose Press
All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher, Mystic Rose Press.
Print ISBN: 9798552442676
Cover Designer: Sanja Gombar www.fantasybookcoverdesign.com
Published in 2020 by Mystic Rose Press
Palm Beach, Florida
www.gkderosa.com
Created with Vellum
To Luna and Ryder :)
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Sneak Peek of Darkblood Prison: Demon At Large
Also by G.K. DeRosa
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Chapter One
Vander is alive. Vander is alive. Logan’s words ricocheted across my skull like a wayward ping pong ball. My heart smacked against my ribs, and the roar of my thundering pulse echoed through my eardrums. The Supernatural Intelligence Agency officer that had attempted to capture me on the night of my soul-sucking bender was alive—Talon’s best friend was alive.
“What?” Talon’s gruff shout jerked me from my wandering thoughts. He peeled himself off the obsidian walls of our cozy cell and met the warden as he trudged in.
Not a second ago, my dragon bodyguard’s fiery lips had been pressed to mine, but when the warden appeared, he’d flung himself to the opposite corner of our cage so fast my head spun.
I forced myself not to focus on the pang of hurt streaking through my insides and concentrated on the good news. One less person to add to the tally of my murderous spree.
Logan’s gaze shot to mine, his darting eyes running over my disheveled hair and skimpy tank top. Heat blossomed across my cheeks. It was almost worse than one of my dad’s stare downs. How much had he seen before Talon shot across the cell?
The warden cleared his throat and pivoted to the looming dragon a few inches from his face. “I just got word from one of my gargoyle teams. They overheard some chatter at a bar while they were trailing a group of Thax’s narkin demon guards. According to the warlord’s men, he’s being held somewhere inside the castle.”
“But we were just there,” Talon hissed and raked a hand through his hair, driving it up in messy spikes. “How did I miss him?”
“We both did, T. This isn’t only on you.” Hayden’s raspy voice caught me by surprise. Our angel roommate rolled out of bed, sweeping his blonde locks behind his ears.
“So we’ll go back and get him.” I had almost as much stake in this as Talon. One less innocent soul had to count for something, right?
Three pairs of blazing orbs shot to mine, their intensity forcing a shudder up my spine. “You’re not going anywhere near him,” Talon growled.
A punch in the gut would’ve hurt less. I wrapped my arms around my middle to keep myself together. Why would I be so stupid to believe he’d be nicer now that the truth was out, and I hadn’t killed his friend? No, Talon was his same dickish self. As his icy glare bored into me, the hurt morphed into anger. A second ago he couldn’t keep his dragon paws off me, but now I was a threat to his BFF?
I popped my hands on my hips as every ounce of guilt evaporated. “Eff off, Talon,” I snarled back. “I’m the only one in this room that can open a portal so the way I see it, you better beg me to take you.”
He stomped toward me, his eyes widening with each stride. “You’re out of your mind if you think I’d let you get anywhere near the Underworld. Especially now that we know this was some sort of set up. You think I’d go off half-cocked in the middle of the night into some suicide mission without any sort of plan? If so, you have no business even considering becoming a part of the SIA, and I rescind my invitation.”
Fury rolled off the self-righteous dragon in suffocating waves. It was so strong I was sure I’d feel it even without the stupid blood bond.
“Well, you’re out of your mind—"
Hayden jumped between us, placing a large palm on each of our chests. “Okay, you two, save it for the training room, huh?” Then he turned to his brother with a soft smile. “T, I know how much this means to you, but take it easy on the little pumpkin. She’s a newb, remember?”
Talon tossed his head from side to side before finally taking a step back. He huffed out a breath and pivoted to Logan. “Is there any way your guys can confirm Vander is alive besides hearsay?”
He nodded. “I just spoke to the team leader, and they’re working on it. As soon as we have positive confirmation, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that, Warden.”
Logan’s eyes darted from me to Talon and back. “Whatever is going on here must be resolved. Do you both understand me?”
“But—” I snapped my jaw shut, cutting myself off. With my lips pressed together, I slowly dipped my head.
My insufferable bunkie did the same.
“We will find Vander, and we will bring him home,” Logan added. “But not without a good plan in place or with a disorganized team. We’ve already seen what can happen when we’re caught unaware. I won’t have a repeat of that or worse.”
The three of us nodded.
“Now get some rest. Hopefully by tomorrow we’ll have proof of life, and we can begin to set things in motion.”
“Night, Logan.” I wiggled my fingers and gave him a smile. He threw me a tight grin in return. Yup, he’d definitely seen something between Talon and me, and he was not happy about it.
When the door whooshed shut behind the warden, I slumped back into bed. I had no idea what time it was, but between the fiery kiss with Talon and the news about Vander, my adrenaline was on full throttle.
Or maybe it was an echo of Talon’s surging emotions.
My grumpy bunkie paced the length of the cell, his jaw clenching in time with his heavy footfalls.
Hayden lumbered back to the bottom bunk and sank into the mattress. His long legs hung over the side of the bed as he stretched his arms and let out a big yawn. “I’m really happy for you, T. I know what losing Vander did to you. Your brother will be back for good now. This is really great news for everyone.”
Talon momentarily stopped his manic pacing to meet his BAFF’s—best angel friend forever’s—eye. “Thanks, man. I hope you’re right.”
An indecipherable expression flashed across Talon’s face, darkening his eyes. Uncertainty? Fear? I searched the tangle of emotions swirling inside me, but it was too difficult to decipher the twisted mess.
“One thirty-eight, you up for a little training before the sun comes up?”
My jaw dropp
ed when I realized he was talking to me. “Seriously?” This guy’s mood swings were giving me whiplash.
“Yeah, why not? You seem a little amped up, and I know I could use a little release.”
“Just make sure that little release doesn’t result in demon-dragon babies.” Hayden chuckled. Talon shot him a scathing glare and the angel pressed his lips together, smothering the lingering laughter.
“Everyone’s got jokes.” I leveled my blonde cellie with my own narrowed glare.
Talon pivoted to me once again. “I’m not forcing you to do anything, Azara, but if you want to redeem yourself after your earlier comments, this is your chance.”
I hated how the sound of my name on his lips melted the mounting anger in an instant. I wanted to hurl a volley of insults his way but instead the word, “Okay,” popped out in its place. What the Hades? Did this ridiculous blood bond control my ability to speak now too?
“Have fun, you two. Try not to kill each other, huh?” Hayden smirked and lay back down on the bed.
I shot the comedian angel a good eye roll and followed my mercurial bodyguard out into the hallway. Darkness and a heavy silence pervaded the corridor. Talon lifted his index finger to his lips, and I nodded.
Keeping the Triad’s SIA spy identities a secret was essential to their success here at Darkblood Prison. If anyone saw us traipsing around the penitentiary in the middle of the night, we’d be busted. Especially one of Delacroix’s crew.
My hackles raised at the thought of the hellus demon. With all the commotion in the past day, I hadn’t had time to dwell on the fact that Thax, the dark lord of the Underworld, had recruited the prison mob boss for some nefarious reason we still didn’t have the answer to. I should’ve been more scared, but for some crazy reason I wasn’t.
Maybe it had something to do with the looming giant walking beside me.
When we finally reached the training room in the basement of the sprawling fortress, I let out a sigh. The mystical cuff siphoning my powers blinked off, and the tightness in my chest magically vanished.
The door slammed shut behind us, and a series of cracks drew my attention to Talon. His shirt was already off and his arms were stretched over his head, the pop, pop, pop of his spine disturbing the quiet. “Much better,” he muttered as his massive wings unfurled behind him.
I wagged my finger at him. “Put those bad boys away if you want to fight me. They give you an unfair advantage.”
He stepped closer, one brow arching. “Oh, and your magic doesn’t?”
“My magic isn’t exactly under my control. It shows up when and if it feels like it.”
“I’m glad to hear you finally admit that.” A satisfied grin curled his lips. The elusive smile would’ve usually had my knees wobbling, but tonight it only annoyed me. This hot and cold thing was grating on my last nerve.
“Whatever,” I grunted. I was really jonesing to hit something now. “Are we fighting or not?” I raised my fists and widened my stance.
He stretched his arms over his head again and leisurely leaned to the left, then the right. His abs rippled beneath the halogen lights, the silver dragon tattooed across his torso writhing along his perfectly muscled flesh.
I swallowed down the sudden dryness in my throat. A swirl of heat ignited in my core, and I shifted uncomfortably. The ghost of a smile lifted the bastard dragon’s lips. He was totally doing this on purpose.
“What are you doing?” I shrieked.
His brows furrowed, and he threw me an innocent smile. “Stretching, what does it look like?”
I chased away the lusty thoughts, cursing myself for even having them. This damned blood bond was going to be the death of me—or him.
He moved closer, his steel irises smoldering as they locked on mine. “Something the matter, inmate?”
“Yes!” I spun on my heel and marched toward the punching bag. If I didn’t get my release soon, I was going to punch him in the throat.
Before I made it to the swinging black canvas, rough fingers closed around my bicep. I swung around and met his dark gaze. His tongue darted out and slid over his bottom lip as his hold on my arm tightened. He inched closer and instinctively, my head tipped forward.
No! I jerked back before our lips touched. A new wave of anger pummeled my insides, and this time it was my own. “You can’t keep doing that, Talon,” I hissed.
The flirty smile hitching up the corners of his lips twisted into a scowl, and he dragged his hands over his face.
I waited for an answer, an explanation, anything. He just stood there, staring straight ahead completely mute. When I couldn’t take the silence a minute longer, I waved my hand in front of his face. “Hello? Are you going to tell me what’s going on with you? You can’t keep trying to kiss me and then turn around and insult me the next minute. Gods, I thought that now that we discovered Vander was alive, things would change between us. Stupid, I know.”
Silver flames flashed across his brilliant orbs, chasing away the vacant look from a second earlier. “You don’t think I want to control this? You don’t think I am? You have no idea how difficult it is for me not to throw you on the mat and claim you as mine right now.”
My breath hitched.
“You don’t understand any of this. You have no idea of the burning need that surges through me each and every moment since I gave you my blood. It’s driving me insane! To want the one person that I should hate? It’s torture, Azara—never ending torture. It’s getting more and more difficult by the day.”
All the words stuck at the back of my throat as Talon’s blazing irises seared mine. A million thoughts skittered through my mind, but I couldn’t pluck an individual one out for the life of me. How could I? I never knew how he really felt. “I’m sorry,” I finally choked out.
He loosed an exasperated breath, and all the fire drained out of him. “This isn’t your fault. It’s mine.”
“Because you gave me your blood to save my life.”
“It’s what I do.” A rueful grin relaxed his frown. “Save lives, not give my blood away.”
“You certainly are good at your job.”
“Not with you I’m not.” He pressed his arms across his chest, showcasing his bulging biceps and carved pecs. “Now I know why Vander—” He cut himself off with a shake of his head.
Why Vander what?
He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I will try harder to control my dragon. I know none of this is fair to you either.”
I nodded. “Yeah, keep that beast on a tighter leash. I’m tired of fighting you off all the time.” Lie.
He tugged at the waistband of his shorts, readjusting. “Maybe we should skip the combat training?”
“Probably a good idea.”
“I’ll walk you back to our cell and hit the showers instead.”
I nodded, numbly, not trusting myself to speak. For the hundredth time I told myself it was only the bond igniting my feelings for him. Then why did walking away from him feel like someone bored a gaping hole in my gut?
Chapter Two
I glanced across the mess hall at the back of Talon’s hulking form as he approached the mass of inmates lined up for food. As always, the throng of multi-colored jumpsuits parted at his advance. There was no denying it, the dragon was scary AF. And if I didn’t know he was an undercover SIA agent, I’d probably hide from him too.
“Don’t drool, precious. It’s unbecoming.”
I chucked a limp French fry at Dallas’s stupid smirk. He and Hayden broke into a maddening chuckle as they eyed their brother across the cafeteria.
“You still feeling a little friendly toward big T?” Hayden asked.
“No,” I snarled.
Again, the two idiots broke into a fit of laughter.
“You guys better shut it before Talon gets back. He’ll roast your hides with his dragon fire.”
“Nah, not with this big of an audience.” Hayden scanned the busy mess hall. The only reason I’d been allowed to enjoy lunch with th
e masses was because Delacroix and his goons were safely caged up in their cells.
I glanced up at the food line and met a pair of silver orbs. My heart slapped against my ribs, and I dropped my gaze. Gods, when would it go away? Talon said he didn’t know, and I doubted these two had any idea either. But there was something else I’d been wondering and maybe T’s brothers could shed some light on it. “So what exactly is Vander’s story?”
Hayden and Dallas both stopped mid-chew. The angel dropped his spoon into the cereal bowl and steepled his fingers. “They’re best friends. They go far back.”
Dallas’s lips pinched into a tight line.
“That’s it?”
“That’s all you’ll get from us, precious,” the vampire responded. “If you want to know more, you’ll have to pry it from the mouth of the dragon.”
I rolled my eyes. “Great. I’ll never hear the whole story then.”
“Once we bring Vander home, I’m sure Talon will be more open to sharing,” said Hayden.
Approaching footfalls sent my gaze to the half-eaten yogurt on my tray. I didn’t need to look up to know who was coming. I could feel him with every tiny cell in my being. I sighed as Talon folded down beside me. His winter fresh scent combined with his natural male muskiness made my blood sing. Stupid blood bond. I needed to get a hold of Garrix ASAP. Maybe he had a potion to counteract this mystical reptilian link.
“Anything from Logan’s gargoyles about Vander?” Hayden asked.
