by C. R. Jane
Males and females openly shared this prison. The only discrimination made against us was us being supernaturals. While most seemed to hold their human form, I didn’t miss the few who had long horns, a tail, one even a centaur, the bottom half of him a deep ale brown while long dark hair flowed down his bare back. He trotted up ahead, towering over everyone, most getting out of his way. I doubted anyone picked on him. One kick to the head, and they’d be dead.
The air smelled like it hadn’t moved for years. Two walls of prison cells and dark concrete rose up on either side of me, three floors. The sheer enormousness of the building hinted at the large mass of people here. And this was only one compound of so many more in this penitentiary.
I didn’t belong here. Not with creatures who’d violated the worst of the supernatural laws. Where the buildings looked worn and stained and a million years old. Where I was pretty sure we were right on Hell’s doorstep. No windows to even show a hint of what it looked like outside.
This was a place where time would be immeasurable. This year would feel like it was stretching out for eternity, until I went utterly mad.
I was a little dramatic this morning.
My guide for the morning marched ahead, avoiding bumping into anyone, carefully selecting every step. Her fear was tangible, and she seemed to have worked out a specific way to survive. What was she in here for?
I somehow doubted she’d appreciate me prying into her business.
I still couldn’t believe I was walking through Nightmare Penitentiary. It was legendary—and by legendary, I meant known for being the scariest place on the planet. Technically, I wasn’t even sure where it was located.
Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined myself here. I wasn’t a criminal… I just hadn’t wanted to lose my virginity to Julian.
My heart rattled inside my chest as I sucked in sharp, shallow breaths. My head spun. I stumbled behind the girl’s fast steps, keeping my head low, not daring to look anyone in the eyes. I wanted to be invisible and vanish.
I didn’t have much experience with how my siren’s ability to attract worked on other paranormals, but I doubted that being invisible was going to be an option.
The farther we walked, the more I noticed the other cells that were just as small as mine. Except most of them had three or four bunks with the same amount of prisoners crammed in there.
Somehow, I had gained a cell on my own, and I accepted the small blessing in this hellhole. Other cells had inmates still locked inside. They gripped their metal cells, leering out at everyone, yelling curses at us all. A man with a shaved head and black eyes met my gaze, his eyes widening as if sensing me. This was why I kept my gaze low, to try and go unnoticed.
He whistled and cocked his head back, calling me over.
I quickly walked away, not wanting anyone’s attention. I made a mental note to steer clear of those prisoners. They were locked up 24/7 for a reason.
We entered a large room, walking past three guards in black, who were avidly and suspiciously watching everyone walking inside.
Stark white walls. Lines and lines of long tables and benches. All bolted to the ground. This was a school cafeteria on steroids. Inmates were everywhere, dressed in black and red prison clothes. The sound of chatter grew deafening. While the smell was anything but appealing, my stomach still growled for food after missing the last few meals.
My guide made a quick step to the right to escape from me, meeting up with two other girls. They hugged and chatted. When they all looked over to me, my skin crawled. I tried not to overthink it. I was the fresh meat gaining their attention.
Don't discount what the girls will do to her. The Warden’s words haunted me. Could these women easily sense my siren side? Usually, my presence affected people, but most didn’t know why or what was special about me.
As I stalked toward the end of the line for food, I tried to push those worries aside or I’d paralyze myself with fear.
There were three guards nearby, chatting to each other in low, rough voices. Cameras hung from the corners of the room along with what looked like lasers. Did they shoot anyone who caused trouble? They weren’t messing around in this place.
Once I reached the counter, the cafeteria worker wearing a hair net shoved a tray into my hands with food already served.
“Next,” she yelled, and the girl behind me shoved an arm into my back, sending me forward. I stumbled out of the way and turned to the room. Spotting a free table near the side wall, I walked over and slid onto the bench.
My heart beat frantically. I was completely alone and so far out of my comfort zone, I might as well be on Mars. I realized what a sheltered life I had led up until now. The prisoners around me were paranormals unlike any I’d been around before. Strong. Terrifying. Some covered in tattoos, others with mohawks. The demons hung near the entrance, all with cut horns. Apparently, there were cliques in prison, just like in the outside world, and the ones who looked similar stuck together. Made up of both male and females, these gangs filled the room. The more I looked around, the more I noticed that there weren’t many loners like myself. I’d watched enough movies to understand the reason for forming a team. Protection. The few individuals completely alone kept their head low and shoveled food into their mouths as quick as they could.
Gripping my plastic spoon, I looked down at my meal. Apple wedges, oatmeal, two slices of white bread, cup of milk, a dollop of red jam and a small cube of margarine. It was a step up from the slop the guard had tried to feed me the night before.
It had been so long since I ate food like this though in general. Mama starved me with salads to maintain a figure, making sure that I always looked perfect.
Wasting no time, I started eating. The food tasted bland. I didn’t care though, and washed it all down with the milk. It put something in my empty stomach and distracted me for a few moments from the horror of this place. I had almost forgotten what bread tasted like. Now it melted on my tongue, and the margarine actually tasted a little bit like heaven in my mouth. I’d missed food.
A sudden piercing scream in the background had me flinching. The apple slice flipped right out of my hand and fell to the ground.
I twisted around, my pulse thundering in my veins.
Two men were hurling punches into another guy, pinning him into a cornered alcove. The spot was conveniently concealed from the three cameras in the room. The one spot of no cover, and they knew… apparently, they all knew the tricks and how to get around the system.
I twisted around to find the guards were conveniently gone.
Everyone watched the unfair fight, but no one cheered. They were conditioned to not draw attention to the cameras. No one went to stop them, not even those behind the counter serving food. My stomach clenched at seeing the brutality with which they ganged up on someone smaller than them. By some miracle, he slipped out from under them, his face bloody, his eyes bulging with dread. He saw death, and this whole room was about to watch him die.
I was going to be sick, my insides tightened as they threatened to give up the food I’d just eaten.
The limping man came in my direction.
I wasn’t sure what to do.
Inches from him careening around my table, one of the brutes lunged after him, bringing the man down fast. He crashed down on top of him. The sound of his escaped breaths rattled out, cutting through the silence.
The attacker’s eyes gleamed red, and his meaty hand grabbed the man’s head before smashing his face into the hard linoleum floor.
A small cry escaped my lips as I pulled farther away, shoving myself along the bench as far from them as possible. My brain shut down as the crowds now burst into cheers.
Zap.
A crackle sounded. The hairs on my arms lifted.
One yellow laser beam lashed across the room. It struck the attacker’s brow, sending him into fit. He convulsed violently, the man beneath him affected too, by sheer touch. The electrical current pulsed through them both.
My brain stuttered from the chill gripping my spine, from what I was seeing.
The explosion of shouts deafened me. But I couldn’t take my eyes from the brute whose body seemed to be morphing. Twisting and stretching. Black fur exploded over his body, clothes falling off him in shreds. His face contorted, jawline extending outward.
He unleashed growls, his body thrashing. Froth dribbled from his mouth before he finally collapsed. His body giving out.
Where the huge man lay earlier, now in his place was an enormous black wolf, still on top of the victim, also passed out.
The animal was too big to be a wolf. Fur tangled. Fangs too long. Those red eyes. They seemed to pierce right through your soul.
He was a damn hellhound.
My breakfast hit the back of my throat. They were territorial as hell and killed anything in their way. No sympathy. Everything to them was a massive hunt. Born of the darkest ashes in the pits of Hell, everyone feared them. Even vampires.
Cold sweat broke out over my body.
The hellhound’s friend stepped closer, his head tilting back, unleashing a shattering howl that trembled the walls. He pumped a fist to his chest.
Oh fuck!
I scrambled to get out of there, when someone snatched my wrist and spun me back around.
The second hellhound had me in his grip. Black eyes encased by a red circle. Black hair pushed off his face, sitting messily around his rugged face. His gaze searched me. He stood over me, strong, formidable, handsome. I hated that I had that thought after what I’d just witnessed.
Still, I fixated on the tick of his jaw.
I stiffened my spine and managed to find my words. “Let me go. Please.”
The corded muscles in his neck flexed while the hard expression on his face dissolved. It was replaced with a look of awe.
“Siren,” he murmured. That heavy, dark voice tore through me, leaving me quivering.
Silence broke over the room.
Everyone was clearing out of the room in a mad rush.
I breathed in and out, but the air wasn’t reaching my lungs. Fear pooled in my stomach.
His fingers unfurled from my wrist. “Go now, before the guards get you too,” he commanded. “Run!”
He sounded like he almost cared. I had to be hallucinating. I spun just as half a dozen guards, armed with guns and shields stormed into the mess hall.
Tucking my head low, I somehow managed to bypass them and darted outside with everyone else.
Someone grabbed my arm, and a small scream flew past my lips. My heart thumped loudly in my ears.
I spun to see the woman from my cell this morning staring at me, and relief washed over me.
“Calm down, geez.” She rolled her eyes like what just happened in there was an everyday occurrence. “Come on, I need to take you to the Warden.”
I followed her amid the chaos, my pulse beating rapidly. In all honesty, if this happened all the time, I wasn’t sure my heart could take it.
Still, my mind kept swiveling back to the hellhound and his words.
Siren.
Chapter 6
“Sit,” the Warden commanded, his voice so smooth and menacing, there was no ignoring it. His gaze was glued to a laptop screen in front of him at his desk.
I slipped into the extravagant office from the doorway and sat in the leather chair across from him. Shelves of collectable ornaments filled the room everywhere. Thick black curtains partially covered a window to my left. Darkness winked back, but I sat too far to make out if that was night outside or simply an illusion. I had so many questions about this prison...like where were we? Was it true that the Nightmare Penitentiary was named by Hades? Were we close to the Underworld?
My attention flew to the nearby shelf with my orb. I felt it calling to me, the hairs on my arms lifting. Gold waves rippled inside the sphere like a restless sea. My heart tightened at the sight of what belonged to me. Just like everything else taken from my life, my songs were stolen now too. Julian had controlled everything… and now the Warden owned me for the next year.
Irritation stirred in my chest, but I said nothing like my mother had always taught me. A lady is seen but not heard.
“Nev, close the door behind you,” the Warden snapped.
I glanced back at the girl who brought me here. Nev was her name. She met my gaze for a split second, but there was no help there. Only dread and the desperate need to leave the office urgently filled her dark eyes. The door shut behind her with haste, and I turned to face the Warden.
He had already lifted his gaze and was studying me. One thick eyebrow arched, lips thinning. In the dim light of his office, I swore black shadowy wisps shimmered away from his body.
“How was your first night at Nightmare?” he asked, as though I’d spent my time in a hotel and he was inquiring about the comfort of my feather down mattress.
“I have my own room, which I’m appreciative for.” At this point, I wasn’t willing to anger him until I knew exactly where we stood. Until I figured out if I had any chance of making my life less hellish than it currently was.
Not many people had given me a chance in life to be anything but the daughter who had to listen. A girl who was owned. The student at the school who kept to herself. I had secrets I couldn’t share. So I did the best with what I had given to me.
“Good, good,” he murmured, not really caring what I said. “Now, let’s make this quick. I had an agreement with Julian that you will provide a service to my guards and some select inmates. You may not realize this, but a visit with one of Julian’s girls helps take the edge off most of my men. It reduces the violence tremendously. So to have you for a year living with us is fantastic.”
Warning bells were going off in my head as my stomach tensed. I didn’t want to be a relief to anyone in this place. My thoughts flew to the hellhound back in the cafeteria. He might kill me if I had to take him as a client. “I-I’ve never done this before. I-I don’t think I can do—”
“I do not plan to throw you to the Wolves, Selena,” he said with sincerity in his eyes, his shoulders softening. “There will be a schedule I will manage, and I can be fair if you do as I say.”
I chewed on the corner of my lip, hating everything about this conversation. The more I thought about my task in this prison, the more my head spun and breakfast was going to come hurling out.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to tame my racing heart, tried to focus on how to survive what he proposed. I knew this was coming, of course I did, but knowing and being thrown down into the rabbit’s hole were two completely different things.
The heaviness of his gaze had me looking away, and my gaze instinctually swept over to my orb up on the shelf again. I’d lost my life and a part of myself. For so long, I went out of my way to not think about what was coming my way. I just needed to forget how messed up my world had become. On some delusional level, I never thought it would actually happen to me.
Unfortunately, the universe had no intentions of letting me escape my fate. And now, here I stood in the most dangerous of the supernatural prisons talking about my schedule for the sex services I was about to begin offering Nightmare Penitentiary’s inhabitants.
“Maybe I just need a bit more time to acclimatize,” I suggested, lifting my gaze to his dark one.
He was shaking his head before I even finished talking. “Don’t upset me, Selena.”
I stared at the Warden, held his intense gaze. Distrust flared within me. I hated that I never had any power in my relationships with those around me. That thought alone was enough to crush my spirits even more.
When he looked at me, it wasn’t with the same desire I’d seen other men carry. I had zero influence on him, which put me in an impossible position.
He rose to his feet, towering over me. Heavy boots tapped the stone floor as he rounded his desk and made his way to the shelves farther into the room. His long midnight colored coat snapped behind him with each step.
Reaching
up to a shelf, he retrieved a long, white tail. He stroked it, looking at it while he talked. “I once had a nine-tailed fox shifter admitted to my prison for murder. While under my roof, we talked about what I expected from her like I do with every single inmate. Each one of them out there are given tasks. Well, my little fox thought possessing me to escape would be a smarter move.” His head tilted up, those dark eyes glinting in the light.
I couldn’t take my gaze off the tail in his hand, the one that must have once belonged to this poor shifter. Fear rippled down my spine. He’d never let me get away with anything but being his slave. I wanted to cry, and my eyes pricked with tears. This couldn’t be happening.
He replaced the tail and strode toward the desk before collecting a piece of paper from under a pile of folders. “I have your schedule set up and ready to begin tomorrow.”
“T-tomorrow?” I stuttered, my breath hitched.
“I will send for you to be collected. I have arranged for a special work room for you. I’ll send for you tomorrow.” He smiled like he was doing me a favor. But I wasn’t benefiting out of this arrangement one bit. Which was exactly what Julian had hoped by submitting me to this hellhole in the first place.
Fire welled inside me, my whole body trembling. My head wracked with finding a way out of this mess. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. I shuffled to my feet quickly and curved around past my chair, my hip knocking into it in my rush. Then something popped out of my pocket.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
The pyramid shaped crystal I found in my bed now bounced over the stone floor. It hit the edge of the wall and settled down near the foot of a wooden cabinet.
Quickly, I rushed over and collected the crystal, having completely forgotten about the gift from the tiny mouse.
The Warden’s heavy breaths deepened. “What do you have there?”
I curled my fingers across it, not wanting him to think I stole it on my first day. Would he believe me if I explained that a mouse brought it to me? I wouldn’t believe me.
“It’s nothing.”
