by G. Bailey
A whole race of people is not a curse. It’s impossible to think like that. I was once scared of being a shadowborn and going to the academy, but it was the best thing that has ever happened to me. My soul knows I was meant to be born in the shadows, to die in that water, and be reborn as a shadowborn. But now all of that is gone. I’m just light now and I don’t know how to feel about that. Violated, betrayed, and pissed off are a few that spring to mind.
“You say that now, but without my cure, you would be nothing more than a slave to the magics world and we both know that,” my mother snaps, her cool facade breaking as an ugly snarl twists up her face. “Without my help, you could never have been anything. You were not born to be nothing!”
The tears I’ve been holding back spill from my eyes, but they’re not from pain or sadness. They’re from pity—pity for all the magics who think like my mother. She genuinely believes what she’s saying is true and just.
“I’d rather be a slave and free with my shadow magic than a slave for you and your experiments. You’ve changed who I am without my permission and now I’m locked up again! Your plan to get me free didn’t work so well, it seems. If anything, you’ve made everything worse. Good going, Mother.”
She sighs at my words and crosses her arms. We are both as stubborn as each other, but it seems one of us is on the crazy train and the other is never getting on board. The sooner she realises that, the better.
With a nod, my mother steps back. “Eva’s army needs training and I have no doubt you can hold your own in here. Besides, we need you alive and safe so you are better off in here than out there.”
I humorlessly chuckle, walking to the door as a flicker of memory comes back to me from when I was injured. Turning back, I catch my mum’s eyes. “Why did you tell Gold and Luke that you should take me to the light fae king and he would heal me?”
“That’s just one more thing I lied about to keep you safe. I’ve lied my entire life to make sure you could live, and I don’t regret it. I never will regret one moment.” Her own tears fall as I try to make heads or tails of what she just told me.
“Tell me the truth, Mum. Help me understand,” I whisper and she goes to speak when a loud buzzer shrieks somewhere in the distance. Its presence seems to make her remember where we are.
She wipes her eyes and straightens her back. “This prison has similar rules to the old one, but this is a private room and corridor for you away from the others. Stay safe and I will see you tomorrow.”
I almost scoff at that. A private room and corridor in a prison she’s helping to keep me locked up in? Gee, thanks. I step out of the room so she can follow me out.
“You’re really just leaving?” I ask when she starts to walk away. But then she turns on her heel and pulls me into a tight embrace.
“I love you, Izora. This is all for you. Please remember that,” she whispers in my ear. “And don’t trust Gold. He is only out to protect himself now.”
Before I can reply, she lets me go and rushes away, her clicking heels ringing in my ears while I’m left wondering what my next move is. I look up at the glass ceiling above the corridor as light brightly beams down on me, warming my skin. The glass flickers with magic and I know there is no way I could just break it and escape without magic. One thing is for sure, though, I’m getting out of this place.
I’ve had enough of the lies and secrets.
And like hell am I going to be a test subject for Eva.
Despite what my mother said, I need to find Gold, because if anyone can make a plan to get us out of here, it’s my gold dragon.
The layout of my new prison is strangely like the last, and I’m not talking about a few similarities. Almost everything is exactly like Shadowborn Prison. The only difference is that this place is blindingly white. Not a splash of colour anywhere apart from the steel gates and doors, yet still they are equally bland. Even the solitary confinement boxes are made of glass, except they’re in a huge hallway now instead of in the mess hall for everyone to see. I feel like whoever blew the prison up just plucked it out of Zorya and dumped it here in Vasili.
Déjà vu creeps over me as I follow the guard down the confinement hallway. The prisoners inside each of the transparent cages are all light fae, though I can’t tell who was born that way or turned into one like me. I do recognise some familiar faces from the last prison, including Tyler, whose eyes cut into me like I’m a piece of meat.
At the end of the hallway, we emerge into an echoing hall that reminds me of the arena. My eyes immediately land on Gold, slouched in a chair as if it’s a throne, his hands resting on the armrests. His gaze finds me as soon as I enter, despite all the other prisoners huddled around me. The guard who brought me goes to stand at the back with the other guards. My heart racing, I waste no time and march straight up to Gold.
“Zavier, what in the name of Selena is going on?” I hiss in a whisper.
He doesn’t even look at me, his eyes focused on the crowd. “Go stand with the other prisoners.”
I frown at him, my heart sinking to my stomach. “What are you saying?”
For a moment, he looks at me and in his eyes, I swear I see the man I was falling for, the man I trusted to stand beside me and fight for me, but it’s gone so quickly I could almost think I imagined it.
The muscles in his jaw clench hard as he continues scanning the others. “I’m saying… Leave. Me. Alone.”
Every word is gritty, and the vein in his temple thrashes with barely contained rage. Still, I reach out for his hand, but he swats me away as if I just stung him. The shock and confusion at his coldness wraps around my neck until I can hardly breathe.
This isn’t Gold.
He’s looking at me as if I mean nothing to him—as if I am nothing, only the enemy.
“I just want to talk in private,” I say around the lump in my throat. “Please… I need your help, Gold.”
Now he looks at me, his eyes narrow into molten slits. “But I no longer need you. Go stand with the others where you belong.”
His cruel reply really hits home that my mother was right about Gold, and possibly even Luke. They never loved or cared about me. They were just being paid to pretend. I react to all this before I even register what I’m doing. Lifting my hand, I slap Gold in the face, and his head snaps to the side from the impact. A bright red handprint swells on his left cheek and a tinge of remorse fills me. I never imagined I would ever hit one of my guys, but this betrayal, this heartache shattering me into pieces… is completely devastating. How could he do this to me? How could I have been so stupid to let my guard down and think he wouldn’t?
Hands seize my shoulder and pull me away before I can hit him again. Guards rush over to Gold, who waves them off with his eyes pressed only on me. Gods, I want to smack some sense into him!
“Calm down,” Axel whispers in my ear, muffing my face to his chest. His familiar scent grounds me and my anger fades. “Take a deep breath for me, cutie. That’s it. I’ve got you now.”
My tears seep through his black t-shirt. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he answers, running a hand soothingly through my hair. “I’ve no fucking clue what’s happening.”
I look up to see his wings moving softly behind him. “We’ve all been turned into Light Fae, Gold’s acting as if he doesn’t know me, and the Princess of Helios is parading around like a fucking peacock. We’re in hell, Axel, that’s what I think is happening!”
A burst of deep laughter rumbles in his chest. “Well, at least we’re together.”
“Got room for one more?” a familiar voice asks.
I pull away from Axel and leap into Professor Mune’s arms.
He holds me close, his hand falling to the small of my back, and his lips press lightly to the top of my head. He’s the only one in this room who doesn’t have wings. Letting me go, he turns to Axel with a smile on his face. They pat each other on the backs as though they are old friends or somet
hing.
“You know each other?” I ask, watching their exchange.
Scott slaps Axel fondly on the shoulder. “This is my baby brother.”
“Oh…” I glance between them, kicking myself for not noticing how similar they look until now. “Oooh. So Axel is the one who got falsely convicted?”
The Mune brothers laugh at my surprised expression, and for the first time since this nightmare began, I laugh too. It’s quiet and short, but it’s something that gives me hope in all this madness. Before I can say anything more, a buzzer sounds overhead and Gold stands from his chair.
“Listen up. Things have changed around here. Shadowborn Prison was your tester, but this prison is where you’ll get no second chances or a way out. Do not bother showing those around you mercy when none shall be given to you. It’s every man for themselves here, as your new governor, Princess Evangelina, is about to explain. Please give her a warm welcome.”
Not a single person claps when Princess Psycho Bitch appears. She sweeps her gaze around the room, her sickly sweet smile making me want to vomit.
Or punch it off her face.
Definitely punch it off her face.
The sight of Ronan behind her churns my stomach even more. That bastard betrayed my friend and by default betrayed me. He better pray he doesn’t come near me or I’ll kill him. He looks my way and smirks. I’ve changed my mind: I’m going to find a way to kill him, regardless.
“Changes have also been made with regards to the Blood Trials. This time, we are going back to their ancient roots. They will no longer be voluntary. Each of you will compete to display your skills to me. Those who survive will live to see another day, and those who perish deserve no place among greatness.” She doesn’t even falter when she continues, “May only the dangerous survive.”
As she walks away, followed closely by her faithful mutt, Memphis appears at my side.
“We’re all fucked,” he says.
Yeah. I think he could be right this time.
With Her Royal Bitch now gone, I turn to Memphis in hopes to distract myself from this fucked up situation.
“You took your sweet time getting here,” I tell him.
He throws his big arms around me and pulls me in. “I missed you too, kid.”
I smile into his chest, grateful to see my friend again. But I notice not all of us are reunited. After sweeping my eyes around the hall, I turn back to Memphis.
“Where’s Luke?”
“Here,” my warden answers, weaving through the inmates. He’s dressed like the other guards in this place, only his helmet is tucked under his arm. Unlike them, Luke looks positively miserable. Though the clear changes of the Light Fae magic made him that much more…gorgeous. The white wings rest down at his back, but the glow of them spreads over his high cheekbones and golden skin. Luke’s eyes watch me with the same interest. We are the same…but so much more now. Eva might have made us change, but we aren’t on her side. We fight for each other. “I got my job back.”
His gaze zeroes in on Memphis’ arms cradled around me, and his misery darkens.
Untangling myself from Memphis, I leap into the warden’s arms, and a lump swells in my throat as he holds me to his chest. His scent wraps around me and for a moment I am lost in it.
Another buzzer goes off and the guards begin herding everyone out. Reluctantly, Luke lets me go.
“Time for lunch, children,” Scott says, winking at me as if we’re still at the academy and everything is okay. By Selena, it isn’t. Not even a tiny bit.
Luke motions for us to follow the others to the mess hall, which we do because what other choice do we have.
“So does this mean you’re my warden again?” I ask him.
He holds the door to the hall open and nods.
“You don’t seem too happy about it,” I add quietly.
Pausing in the doorway, Luke glances at me, his eyebrows drawn together. I can’t quite read his expression. His eyes dart to the other guards in the hall and I suspect he’s being careful and will answer me later.
I follow the guys to the food station. When I see it’s Tyler serving, my appetite vanishes.
He slides his eyes over me slowly, an almost predatory glint in them, and I scowl as fiercely as I can. With a smirk, he slaps mashed potatoes onto my plate, followed by a runny beef stew, and hands it to me.
I’m surprised he didn’t throw it over me. I’m surprised I don’t throw it back at him before seeing if the plastic fork on my tray can puncture a good hole in his neck. I bet it can.
I take the plate from him, but his grip lingers on it. Gods, I want to punch him, just like I did when I first met him. I feel the guys watching me, ready to step in, but with a grin I let go of the plate and the food spills all over him. It’s an improvement, really. I lean in, grabbing some fruit while he stands there covered in stew, his body shaking with anger.
“You’re fucking welcome,” I say with a smile, then I march away with my guys howling with laughter behind me.
Dishes fall and smash on the floor.
I glance over my shoulder to see Tyler lunging over the servery toward me, but he’s held back by Luke and a pair of guards. I walk over to an empty seat, take a huge bite of my apple, and watch the scene unfold like I’m at the movies.
Axel drops onto the chair at my left, Scott takes my right and Memphis sits across from me, all their eyes pinned on Tyler.
“Should’ve known they’d bring a sick fuck like him to this place,” Axel mutters.
“Has anyone seen Coen?” I ask, a little part of me wanting him to be here. I’ll have a chance to kill him once and for all if there are truly no exceptions made in the new Blood Trials. I still need to avenge Abbie and her brother Kenneth. Killing the pack alpha is the least I can do for them.
“Not yet.” Memphis turns to face me, his jaw clenched. “But either way, kid, you need someone around you at all times from here on out.” He looks between the Mune brothers. “We protect her at all costs.”
“I don’t need protection,” I say, watching the guards pin Tyler to the floor and taser him. “Not at least from scum like him.”
If the guys disagree with me, they don’t quite voice it.
“Be that as it may,” Scott adds, breaking the silence that stretches between us, “Memphis is right. We will all stay together, especially during the Trials. At least I’ll be able to put my healing abilities to some good use there.”
I blink at Memphis, watching him turn a little green around the gills. He lost his fiance, Eliot, in a duo Blood Trial and I know it still affects both him and Axel.
“You’re entering?” I ask, my voice just above a whisper.
He nods. “Got no choice, kid.”
I set my apple down, suddenly losing my appetite. I’ve been so caught up in things that I never stopped to think about how my guys feel. I reach for Memphis and Axel’s hands, smiling at Scott, and swallow the lump of emotion that swells into my throat.
“No matter what, we’re going to get through this,” I tell him.
Scott wraps a hand around my waist and presses a kiss to my temple. “Together,” he says.
I grin at him. “Damn straight.”
Axel rubs the back of my hand while Memphis gives my other one a light squeeze.
Luke appears before the guards who helped restrain Tyler march to our table.
“I’ll handle this,” Luke growls at them, then grabs me off my chair. The guys rise to their feet, pissed by the way he’s handling me like a ragdoll, but I know from his expression alone that he’s putting on a front for the guards. He’s just doing his job, which protects both of us. I trust him.
I flash my guys a wink as Luke escorts me from the mess hall. He doesn’t speak the entire way to what I can only assume is the staff quarters. He swipes his pass on a white door at the end and waits for me to enter first.
The layout of the apartment reminds me a little of the one Gold had. But everything inside here has been taken
straight from my home. When my mum said she got me a room here, I never imagined she’d quite literally taken everything from my childhood bedroom.
I sweep my gaze over the rustic furnishings, the fluffy blankets draped over my tartan bedding, the faux fur rugs on the floor. Even my white vanity that has pictures of my family on it.
The room should make me feel comforted in this time of darkness, but it doesn’t. I feel weird in here, like stepping into a ghost town. This is all just a reminder of what my life used to be like—the lie I was living under my mother’s roof.
Luke stands in front of me and gives me a quick once over. “Are you all right?”
I smile at his concern. “You were just stepping in before the other guards did.”
His lips spread into a grim line and a crease forms between his brows.
“Plus,” I add before he can protest, “I don’t mind a bit of roughness every now and then.”
His features soften, and he runs a knuckle down my cheek. “I just don’t wanna hurt you even if it is to protect you.”
I take his hand in mine, saying softly, “You never could hurt me.”
And then I press onto my tiptoes and softly kiss him on the lips. His hand threads in my hair and he lifts me off my feet, practically molding my body to his own. His tongue spears my mouth and I lean into his arms, thankful that despite everything, I still have him and my guys. Nothing in all the realms will take either of them from me.
My growling stomach interrupts the tender moment.
“You’re hungry,” he whispers, setting me back on the ground.
I shake my head at him. “Honestly, the last thing I want to do is eat right now.”
He frowns again. “Well, even so, I’ll get you somethin’ later.”
“Okay, but for now…” My cheeks heat up as I trail off and glance longingly at the bed. All I want at this moment is to be wrapped in one of my guys’ arms and feel safe again, even if it’s only for a short while.
As if sensing my unuttered question, Luke lifts my chin and searches my gaze. “Do you want me to hold you, jaybird?”
