Just as I opened Mason’s door to grab my fairy friend, he was already standing there with her in his hand. Without saying a word, I took Nixie and smiled.
Mason winked and walked away as the front door opened again, but I didn’t stick around long enough to see who had returned. I needed my beauty sleep and wasn’t going to waste Mason’s kindness.
As I lay in bed, I thought about how damn lucky I was to have met my Fabled Fuckers. Even if they could be a bag of dicks at times. They’d all grown on me in their own ways.
Chapter 5
The following morning, we all slept in a little longer before training and ended an hour earlier than normal. Nobody was in the mood to beat on me, which was appreciated. Nixie was extra cranky, so we grabbed lunch on the way back to the room.
“I’m on laundry duty this afternoon. Who’s coming with me?” I asked before taking a bite of my bland pizza. The food seemed to be getting worse as the days went by. I wasn’t thrilled.
When none of them answered my question, I cleared my throat and kicked the coffee table. I knew they didn’t understand why I helped out, but it was something I enjoyed, especially when Ethan or Gabe had good gossip for me.
The Fabled Four mainly hated it because one of them always came with to keep an eye out, forcing them to either help as well or stand around bored for however long I worked. They were insistent on hanging around whenever I was with other prisoners to avoid another incident like my first, and only, visit to the shared showers.
“Uh, I need to go, um, do that thing,” Mason murmured before escaping to his room.
Spencer sighed. “I don’t understand why you continue doing these menial tasks. You don’t have to do them. We have plenty of other things we should be doing that equally contributes to this prison if that’s what you’re worried about.”
My eyes rolled. “I don’t care if I’m not required to help. It’s only fair. If it wasn’t for the four of you, I’d be doing a lot worse, and it makes me feel better to help out. Plus, the other prisoners can be resourceful. There are a lot more of them than there are of the guards. You never know when we might need them.”
Much to their dismay, I kept my relationship with Ethan, my bear shifter friend who was more pleasant to be around than the rogue one we’d brought in. I’d met Ethan because of Anthony, my first prison friend whose death still made my heart ache. My other friend was Gabe, an incubus who thrived on gossip.
Hanging out with them was a welcome break in my week. Every Tuesday and Saturday, I helped in the laundry room, and the two of them assisted me in creating relationships with the other prisoners while passing along information. Mostly about Owen.
My Fabled Fuckers had no clue what I was doing, but I couldn’t help it. Plus, I didn’t need those brutes involved in everything I did. They already controlled enough of my life as it was.
“I’ll take you today,” a deep grumbly voice from behind surprised me.
Spinning around, I took in Jaxon’s sweaty body, broad shoulders, tensed jaw, and smoldering grey eyes. Gods, why did he have to be such an asshole? I wanted nothing more than to take him to his bed and have my way with him, but I still refused. No matter how much his delectable body called to me.
Nixie, who was on my shoulder, snapped in my ear. “You’re drooling and ruining our cred.”
“Shut it, pixie.” Using the name that she hated most. Apparently, pixies were the hippies of the supernatural world. My feisty fairy was far from any sort of hippy.
“I’m not a fucking pixie,” she snarled before fluttering off my shoulder to the table.
Jaxon still stood in front of the door, waiting on me to respond, but I wasn’t sure how. He’d barely talked to me outside of training or missions, but presently, his body was calling to me like a siren. Between sleeping in his bed two nights ago that left his scent tattooed in my mind and the visuals he was giving me, I was very close to caving and offering him whatever he wanted in exchange for even just a taste.
But I wasn’t weak. I wouldn’t fall for his sexual prowess. I would be stronger than my hormones.
“Okay,” was my only reply as I headed to my corner in the living room that held all of my clothes and belongings.
Though none would admit to it, one of the guys had built me some shelves and added a hanging rod to the bottom, so I could organize my measly amount of stuff. I tried not to think that it was Jaxon, but I couldn’t help it.
Grabbing my jumpsuit, I went to the bathroom and braided my hair after changing. Once I was finished, I double-checked myself in the mirror and decided I could do with another button undone. If Jaxon wanted to throw his testosterone around, then I’d play dirty, too.
Jaxon had changed out of his running clothes and opted for the jumpsuit. His was a size too small, but he didn’t seem to mind, and I wasn’t complaining, either.
Picking up Nixie, I held her up to face level. “You staying here?”
“Yeah, you’re safe enough with demon boy, I guess. I’m gonna take a nap while you play with soiled clothes.” She shuddered, and I tried not to picture the worst of the laundry. Men could be disgusting pigs, but it was a sacrifice I made for information.
Setting her back down, I turned for the door. Jaxon already had it open and was waiting for me. “Thank you,” I said as I stepped into the hallway.
He grunted, as was his usual reply. In awkward silence, we moved through the prison until arriving at the laundry room. Steam was everywhere and the smell was horrendous, made worse from the lack of windows to let the stank out, but I ignored it while seeking out Ethan and Gabe.
They were at the far table, folding the clean clothes. Thank the gods it would be less disgusting this time. There would still be stains, because some shit just didn’t come out—pun intended—but at least it wouldn’t smell as bad.
“I’m waiting here,” Jaxon said, the revulsion clear in this voice.
“What? You’re too good to get your hands dirty?” I joked.
His eyes narrowed, a bit of red seeping through. “I think I’ve gotten my hands plenty dirty for this prison.”
He was right. The warden had been taking advantage of him for far too long, but Jaxon was no longer a boy who knew nothing of the supernatural. He was all man, and it was up to him to change his circumstances.
All I could do was try to find the information we needed to make that happen, which is why I sucked in my last breath of somewhat-fresh air from the hallway and made my way to a smiling Ethan.
Ethan’s teeth barely showed through the beard he was growing, reminding me more of a lumberjack than bear shifter, but it fit him and his personality perfectly. After Anthony had been killed because of me, I was hesitant to make friends, but Ethan didn’t seem to care about the risks, so I tried not to, either.
“How was your weekend?” Ethan asked before tossing a stack of towels in front of me to fold.
“Ugh. Tiring. We brought in a psycho bear shifter last night, and he wasn’t happy about it. Between that and the training, I’m dead on my feet, but I will admit, I’m starting to see the effectiveness of their methods. I have a lot more control over my abilities than I did even a couple of weeks ago. I can take down Mason without using magic.”
He glanced back and nodded at Jaxon who was leaning against the door frame, glaring around the room. “What about him? From what you’ve said, I’m surprised he’s your escort today.”
“You and me both, my friend. But enough about me. What’s been happening in your sector of the prison?” I asked, eager for any updates he had, especially since I hadn’t even seen him at mealtimes the last few days.
Gabe piped in, peeking his head around Ethan. “Well, I may have overheard something you might find interesting.”
The way he said it had me grinning from ear to ear. These two were straight as boards, but they were seriously getting into the gossip aspect of our friendship like a pack of hens. Especially when I promised to take them both with me when we found a legal way ou
t.
“Go on,” I encouraged.
“So, Owen has been hanging around the guards a lot. Doing them favors and odd things we’ve never seen any of the other prisoners do. Not even your Fabled Four.”
My chest tightened with unexpected emotion hearing him call the Fabled Four mine. Sure, I considered them my guys, but I’d never admit it out loud. Though, I tried to focus more on the former part of his statement, because what he was saying about the lion shifter was certainly interesting.
There were a million reasons why Owen might be getting closer to the guards, and I wanted to narrow those choices down. I had been too tired to question his arrival at our room the night before. Apparently, his budding relationship with the guards was also allowing him more freedom than most other inmates.
Gabe continued, “Deacon is the only one he doesn’t approach, which tells me Owen doesn’t want any of you to know what he’s up to. Thankfully for you, you made friends with an incubus, and my powers of seduction come in handy when I can get them to work around here.”
I instantly pictured so many things I didn’t want to. “What did you do?”
He growled. “Seriously? Wipe that look off your face. I didn’t do anything. I merely loosened their tongues with a little magic. I’ve been practicing, and as long as I’m outside, it’s easier to break through the binds they have on us.”
I hadn’t had the heart to tell them the warden was actually stealing powers from all of the prisoners. I was afraid it would start a revolution, and we weren’t ready for that, not with the Luccovinos being involved. The vampire family’s reach stretched too far.
“So, how did the opportunity arise, and what did you hear?” I asked.
Ethan shook his head, not happy about something, but hopefully I was about to find out what before he could voice his opinions and shut Gabe up. It didn’t matter how insignificant something sounded to anyone else. Everything was important at this point in the game.
“Well, it was Alex and Trey. First, they were talking about you—nothing you need to know—but then Owen showed up. They began talking about a package, which was boring, but then they started using names I didn’t recognize, and their sentences were short, almost as if they were coded. So, I pushed a little magic toward them that would mimic the effects of alcohol, and they began talking normally, if not a little slurred.” He tossed a grin my way, clearly pleased with his abilities.
Frustration began to rise as one of the guards started walking through the laundry room. I needed Gabe to talk faster before anyone noticed we weren’t exactly working our hardest. Just because I worked for the warden didn’t mean I was above reprimand.
Ethan must have caught on to my worries and interrupted Gabe’s story time. “What he’s trying to say is that he found out Owen is trying to track down the Luccovinos as well. He isn’t working for the warden, nor the vampires based off the conversation, but Gabe didn’t figure out what the shifter wants, either. It’s mostly useless information.”
Ethan was right and wrong about that. Knowing Owen didn’t work for either of the two people standing in our way to freedom was good, but not knowing where he stood, or what he was up to, brought us right back to square one with one very important question: Could we trust him?
The answer was still unknown, so I’d keep digging.
“That is really great, Gabe. Maybe you can try your ability on Owen one-on-one and get him to tell you more about why he’s here,” I said, realizing if I could get the guys to leave me alone with Owen, I could do the same thing as well. Though, Gabe’s chances of success were a lot higher than mine.
The incubus nodded, then went back to folding. The guard finally circled around us, and we stayed quiet for a while longer until it felt safe to speak freely again.
“I’m going to be gone for a few days, and the guys won’t know about it. Just know that I’m okay and I’ll be back as soon as I can be,” I whispered to Ethan so Jaxon couldn’t hear me.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I just have to help a friend and hopefully get some information about the warden’s son,” I replied.
“Zeke? What do you need to know about him?” Ethan asked, and I realized I hadn’t talked about our main mission for the warden with him yet.
“Umm, he’s kind of missing and we need to find him. Then, we can work on getting out of here,” I said.
Ethan pondered my words for a couple of minutes while we continued folding. I’d gone through all of the towels, and we moved on to sheets, working together to keep them off the floor.
“Missing? Are you sure?” Ethan finally asked.
“Yep. At least, that’s what we’ve been told.”
“Be careful, Cara. Zeke used to run in my circles. He’d often be into some dark magic and doing business with people much worse than your nightmares could conjure. If he’s missing, it’s more likely because he screwed up and he’s paying the price for it than because he was taken.”
Damn it. How was that information we didn’t have already?
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” We kept folding until our basins were empty of clean laundry and the remainder of our conversation was spent on lighter topics.
Jaxon had waited the entire time without complaint, but also without stepping into the washroom. When we left, he kept glancing at me but never spoke.
“What?” I finally snapped.
“Why is it that you enjoy doing chores with the prisoners?” he asked casually.
“Because I like to build relationships with them. As I said before, you never know when they might be useful. Unlike you, I don’t need to be a perma-asshole to get what I want.”
He mumbled something under his breath that I didn’t quite catch before ignoring me again. When we arrived back at the room, Nixie was asleep on the table, buried in my sweatshirt, and Jaxon went straight to his room, so I flopped onto the couch.
I needed some time to think about what Ethan and Gabe had said, so a nap sounded pretty damn nice. Closing my eyes, I wondered just how much more complicated things were going to get before we uncovered any real answers that would lead to our freedom.
Then, I realized I didn’t actually want the answer to that question. Instead, I let visions of twisted sheets, sweaty bodies, and stormy eyes lull me to sleep.
Chapter 6
When I woke up, it was after dinner and I was surprised they had let me sleep so long. When I got my bearings and glanced about the room, I noticed I was all alone.
“Guys? Nixie?” I called out, but nobody answered me.
I peeked into Jaxon’s room first; there was nothing but an unmade bed and his normal clothes on the floor. Next was Mason’s room, which always made me grin. He had nude posters on the walls and plenty of oddities I didn’t even have names for. The fae had no shame but was also not present.
After that was Blake’s tranquil space, and I inhaled the essential oils he had permeating within his private quarters. Disappointed to find him missing as well, I moved on to Spencer’s room only to find the door locked. No surprise there. Even though I’d finally found out he was a dryad, he was still the most standoffish of the group. I’d made it my mission to crack him at some point.
Considering I wasn’t interested in wandering the halls of the prison to look for them, I decided a nice, long, hot shower was in store for me. When I entered the bathroom, I had an even better idea. Running back to Blake’s room, I grabbed some of his hippy crap and took it with me to the bathroom, then ran a bath instead.
I added shampoo to the water in hopes of making my own bubble bath before dropping some lavender—and other smelly good stuff I couldn’t pronounce the names of—in as well. Sliding in, I closed my eyes and moaned from the warmth surrounding my sore muscles and the sound of running water.
Once the bubbles were up to my chin, I used my foot to switch off the faucet and gave in to the full sense of relaxation tugging at me. About five minutes later, I heard the door open and muffled noise
s through the wall but didn’t let it deter me from finding my Zen like Blake always advised me to do during training.
“That was fucking disgusting. If Deacon ever asks for help again, tell him to piss off,” Jaxon complained before jerking open the bathroom door. He froze as our eyes met, but they didn’t stay locked for long as his gaze began to travel south.
As his stormy eyes heated, my breathing became labored, and I realized that bubbles from shampoo didn’t last nearly as long as traditional bubble baths, putting more than enough of me on display for the demon before me.
“What’s wrong, Hawk?” Mason asked, breaking through the lust-trance Jaxon seemed to be in.
The door slammed shut, several curse words were thrown around, and I’m pretty sure Mason was slammed into the wall. Apparently, my quiet time was over.
A knock sounded as I turned on the shower to rinse off, but I ignored it and quickly got dressed in some soft pajama pants, my favorite bra, and a baggy shirt. When I entered the living room, only Mason, Blake, and Nixie remained.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Why don’t you tell us? What did you show demon boy in the bathroom?” Nixie asked.
“I didn’t show him anything. He walked in without knocking while I was taking a bath. What he saw was no fault of mine.” I shrugged and continued drying my hair with the towel, then grabbed my brush from my corner.
Blake took a good whiff of me as I strolled by him. “Did you use my oils?” Shock was evident in his voice.
“Maybe. Depends on if you’re mad about it.”
His head shook. “Use them all you want. In fact, I wish Jaxon would, too. Maybe then my headaches would stop.”
I grimaced, truly feeling bad that our strung-out sexual tension was causing our empathic friend physical pain.
Capture (Elite Supernatural Trackers Book 2) Page 4
