by J. N. Colon
That got him moving. He caught my hand and whirled me around, holding my arms behind my back.
My pulse shot through the roof as I twisted violently to free myself. I didn’t like being held like this. Bad memories loomed on the horizon.
“Get the hell off me,” I growled, hating the shake of my voice.
“I’m not trying to hurt you.” Viktor’s grip disappeared from my wrists and landed on my hips to keep me in place. He stepped closer. “The wraith scratched you. You’re bleeding.” The anger had melted from his tone as if he sensed the panic rolling through me. “I’m just checking it.”
I tried to slow my breathing. At least he couldn’t see my reddening cheeks. “Is it bad?”
“Not really, but they’re nasty creatures. If left uncleaned, you could get an infection.” His fingers plucked at my shirt. “I’ll clean it. Come on.” He grabbed my hand and led me into the bathroom.
Why did my stupid heart have to jump because he held my hand? I needed to get my shit together. Never in my life had I let a guy burrow so deep.
Viktor’s bathroom was even nicer than I’d imagined. Stainless steel, glass, and pristine gray tile shined under the dimmed lights.
He had a dimmer for shit’s sake. And a shower that could hold at least half a dozen people.
Viktor situated me in front of the counter, carefully lifting my shirt off to tend to my back. I had a few bruises from the fight earlier, but they’d be gone soon.
I felt his heated gaze in the mirror as it dipped to my chest. Kimber had given me another cute sports bra. Where did she get them? They weren’t exactly prison-issued.
A smirk twitched at my lips. “Are you cleaning my wounds or checking out my rack?”
Viktor shrugged. “I can do both.”
I shook my head. The guy couldn’t even bother to be embarrassed.
He got to work cleaning the scratches. I hissed when he swiped antiseptic across them.
“Sorry,” he murmured before leaning forward and blowing cool air to sooth the stinging. Goose bumps flared to life across my body.
For all of his hardness, Viktor’s touch could be surprisingly gentle. I glanced away as images of us kissing flashed through my mind. He hadn’t been gentle then. Demanding and hungry more aptly described the unseelie prince. I’d been the same.
“How did you get these scars, Sloane?”
Like a bucket of ice water dumping over my head, all thoughts of our earlier make-out session dispersed. Unwanted memories settled in their place.
“None of your damn business, Viktor.” My palms dug into the edge of the counter until it was painful.
He wasn’t deterred by my anger. Instead, his finger ran across one of the deeper lines crisscrossing my back just below the bra. Fine tremors ran through my body. No one touched my scars. Not even Jilly. And yet I let Viktor Hale practically memorize them.
“What happened? Were you in an accident?”
“No.” It certainly hadn’t been an accident.
He continued to trace the raised lines. “Some look older than others.”
I whipped around, glaring up at him. “I said it’s none of your business. Stop asking.”
His brows dipped. “Did someone do that to you?”
I ignored his question and jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “Are you done?”
“Yes.” His voice hardened to match mine.
“Can I borrow a shirt? I don’t want you staring at my chest all night.” Actually, I didn’t mind that. It was the scars I hated him studying.
His jaw flexed before he marched out of the bathroom. I followed, watching him wrench a door open. Of course he had a closet.
He tossed a shirt at me. “Why can’t you tell me?”
My nostrils flared as I yanked the shirt on, the hem falling to my knees. “Why don’t you tell me something, Vik?”
He shoved his hands into his pocket, waiting.
“What do you want from me?” Before all this wraith business and finding him tonguing a pixie, I’d been determined to find out.
Viktor’s expression remained blank, but his shoulders tightened, straining beneath his shirt. “What do you mean?”
I scoffed. “Come on. You hated me when I first arrived. You tormented me daily, and suddenly, after that first fight, things changed.” I flicked my hand toward the wall. “You were kissing me less than an hour ago.”
His lips thinned. “I’m beginning to regret that.”
“The feeling is mutual,” I ground out, propping my hands on my hips. “I want to know why you seemingly stopped hating me. I know you’re using me for some reason.” The succubus may have been trying to hurt me, but she was right. It would make more sense than him liking me.
He closed the distance between us, his fists clenching. “Who told you that?”
“No one,” I lied. “It’s a feeling. Intuition.”
Viktor stood close enough that his body brushed mine while frost crept over those silver irises. I wouldn’t be surprised if he froze me and shattered my body into a million pieces like he did that wraith. “Let’s get one thing straight, seelie-dae. If I wanted something from you, I’d get it.” He leaned down, almost brushing his lips over mine. “And I don’t want a damn thing from you.”
Every word was a punch to my gut. And he’d called me seelie-dae. I choked down the lump rising in my throat. Whatever game Viktor was playing, I was done.
“Fine. Go back to being a total dick. I don’t care.” I stomped toward the door, having every intention of taking my chances with the wraiths.
Too bad Viktor had other ideas. My feet left the ground and I was tossed on his bed, the mattress bouncing from the hit. “Don’t even think about going out there.” He stormed over to the couch and kicked his boots off. “Get some sleep, and we can go our separate ways in the morning.”
A strong wind kicked up, flicking the lights off. Darkness flooded the room.
That jerk wanted something from me. He could stomp and snarl all he wanted, but he couldn’t hide the truth. There could be no other logical reason for him to abruptly stop tormenting me. But what could I possibly offer the unseelie prince?
Chapter 19
I peeked at the formidable Fae next to me as we walked down the corridor to the cafeteria, Officer Garrett and Officer Faust behind us. Pandemonium ensued during roll call this morning. Half the prisoners weren’t in their correct cells. They’d run from Viktor’s club and taken cover wherever they could. None of the guards or the warden batted an eye.
While I pretended to sleep, I’d overheard Warden Balfour talking to Viktor early this morning before the sun had even risen. The wraiths had all been dealt with and the wards around the prison reinforced. Had anyone attempted an escape through the melee? It posed a perfect time while the staff was distracted.
Then again, magic surrounded the fence. I wouldn’t try my luck.
Viktor hadn’t spoken a word to me all morning. He’d left a new toothbrush on the bathroom counter for me. Thankfully, the plastic wrapper around it remained intact. I might have thought he used it to scrub the toilet.
Much to my annoyance, I woke up with the goblin cuff secured around my wrist. The thought of Viktor touching me while I slept sent chills down my back.
Several eyes darted in our direction as we entered the crowded cafeteria, bringing a flush to my cheeks. Viktor and I had only been seen together at the club after a fight and that could be considered business—minus the serious flirting in the back room.
I cracked my neck and squeezed my hands into fists. Sleeping in Viktor’s bed had me unsteady, mostly because it had been the best sleep I’d gotten in years. His scent clung to the sheets, lulling me deeper into bliss.
And I hated it. I hated that Viktor could make me feel so many emotions. He left me exposed and unprotected. I couldn’t risk being vulnerable, especially in a place like this. Enemies slithered everywhere.
Prisoners working behind the counter placed food on our trays. They ha
ndled Viktor’s with care and gave him extra bacon. They did the same for me when he inclined his head in my direction. Wow. One gesture from the prince and I got special treatment instead of burnt crap or barely anything at all.
When we neared the end, a foreboding shadow coalesced behind me.
“Well, I never thought I’d see the day Viktor Hale was hanging with a seelie-dae.” Faolan’s unnerving smile prickled my scalp.
A hand clamped around my bicep, and Viktor hauled me back, stepping between the shifter and me. “Why don’t you go bother someone else?”
Faolan’s attention lowered to Viktor’s hand still clutching my arm and then drifted to the large male shirt swallowing my tiny frame. “Don’t tell me you’re hooking up with her.”
Viktor finally dropped my arm. “You should be worrying about your girl or lack thereof instead of mine.”
I blinked. Did this prick just refer to me as his girl? More importantly, why did it send a swarm of fire-breathing dragons through my stomach?
Damn unseelie prince.
A snarl rumbled through Faolan’s chest moments before his teeth elongated to sharp, lethal points. “My father isn’t going to continue to let your kind push the shifters out of power.”
“No one is pushing the shifters anywhere except Cortland. Your father and his pack of dochars are too power-hungry to see anything clearly.” Viktor angled his body closer to mine, and I could suddenly detect the fine tremors rippling down his back. His eyes darkened to gunmetal gray while every one of his muscles tightened as if preparing for an attack. “He won’t overthrow the queen, and you won’t get rid of me. Don’t even try it.”
“Do we have a problem?” Henrick slinked up to his alpha, an eerie golden glow beginning to lighten his usually tar-colored irises.
“No,” Viktor stated calmly. “Just putting your alpha in his place where he belongs. Beneath me.”
Oh, hell.
Henrick lunged at the unseelie, but Faolan yanked him back. “Your superiority complex is going to get you in trouble one day, Vik.”
Viktor bared his teeth. “It’s not a complex. It’s the truth.”
Faolan pulled his beta behind him, taking a step forward. “Watch your back.” His unnerving gaze slid to mine. “I’ll see you around, seelie-dae.” The shifter pivoted and stomped away, dragging a sneering Henrick with him.
I chewed on my bottom lip as the two shifters joined their table. “Should we be worried?”
Viktor scoffed. “We? What we? Last night was just a drunken hiccup, the biggest mistake I’ve made since coming here.”
Fire spread through my cheeks. “Screw you,” I gritted out, grabbing my tray and marching away as fast as I could. Viktor had some nerve. He practically told Faolan I was his girl, and then he pretended to be disgusted by the thought of it.
What a psycho. And a liar. He sure hadn’t been disgusted when he had me pinned against the wall last night, devouring my mouth.
Thankfully, I spotted Kimber sitting at a table with Barlow and Tristan. My relief was short-lived. Crap. I’d kissed Tristan last night before hell broke loose. My steps slowed as I tried to think of an excuse for my wishy-washy behavior.
“Hey, cellie.” Kimber glanced between me and the lunch line where Viktor still stood. “You okay? I was worried when you didn’t come back to our cell.”
I folded into a seat with a huff. “I had to take shelter elsewhere.”
Tristan swiveled toward me. “Did you stay with Viktor all night?”
My attention remained glued to the tray in front of me. “Uh, yeah. The wraiths tried to bust the door in, but I’m fine.”
Kimber made a humming sound, and I lifted my head to find her smirking. “I bet.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
I choked back a groan. The succubus was not helping the situation. If anything, more awkwardness swirled between the seelie and me.
“Why are you wearing his shirt?” Tristan asked, absentmindedly moving eggs around on his tray.
I plucked the cotton material. “How do you know it’s his shirt?”
Barlow chuckled and pointed his fork at the sleeve. “His initials.”
Sure enough, V.H. was stitched on the hem of the sleeve. Son of a bitch. “Uh, well, yeah. It’s a long story, and I’d rather not think about Viktor Hale right now.” I shoveled a forkful of eggs into my mouth, cutting off the conversation.
Tristan returned to his tray, his shoulders stiff. I wanted to punch myself for kissing him last night. I didn’t have time for a prison fling. Viktor was different. I had to get close to him. I just wasn’t supposed to fall for him.
A heavy stare burned into the side of my face, and I turned to see Viktor glaring between Tristan and me. Was the prince jealous? Were the seelie’s hands too close for his liking?
I couldn’t resist the urge to flip him off. He didn’t react to my rude gesture, but it made me feel better.
Viktor’s gaze left me, landing on Faolan. A pit of dread tore open in my center. I knew when an enemy was sizing me up, and Faolan was doing just that.
Fresh air filled my lungs as my head tilted toward the overcast sky. If I closed my eyes, I could pretend I was walking Jilly home from school on a crisp autumn day instead of cleaning the side of the road.
For my good behavior, I received a work order to leave the prison for a few hours to pick up trash. Dread had practically choked me at first. I remembered the inmates leaving with those sizzle chokies around their necks, and I wanted no part of that. Unfortunately, my vibrant succubus cellmate received the same order and begged me to go—tearful brown eyes, quivering lip, and everything.
I relented. What choice did I have after all that?
“I hope some cute boys drive by,” she said, stabbing her stick into another piece of discarded paper.
My head tilted as I examined her. Was she serious? “You’re a prisoner. Do you really think that’s a good look?”
Kimber tossed her rose gold tresses and shrugged. “Most guys like a little danger.”
My cellmate was a whole lot of danger.
“What about the guards?” I motioned toward three of them sitting on folding chairs in the distance. “I don’t think you can sneak away to hook up with a guy.”
She scoffed. “They don’t care.”
I tugged at the thin metal collar around my neck. “And the sizzle chokies?” When Officer Torrance strapped mine on and explained how the containment collar could deliver a magical jolt, I could practically taste his desire for me to take one step out of line today.
“I’m not trying to escape.” She lifted the knot in her shirt to expose more of her midriff. “I’m just trying to get some.”
I shook my head. “You have a one-track mind sometimes.”
She made a humming sound and tossed another piece of trash into her bag. “And you don’t?” She jerked her chin toward the unseelie prince who worked a couple of yards away.
I ignored the flush crawling up my neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Viktor had barely spoken to me the last few days. His eyes followed me around the prison, though. Was he waiting for horns to sprout out of my head?
“Right, Sloane.” Kimber scoffed. “There’s no reason the prince has been watching you like a hawk. Did something happen the other night between you guys?”
“No.” I absentmindedly touched my lips thinking of Viktor’s mouth on mine. Those kisses had been like fire, his touch branding my skin. I couldn’t get rid of him.
I shook my head. Nope. Not going there.
Eventually I’d have to resume my quest to get close to him. I just had to keep a level head.
“I need a new bag,” I mumbled, stabbing my stick into the ground. “I’ll be right back.” I stomped toward the area along the grass where the officers dropped the box of trash bags. Unfortunately, this brought me closer to Viktor’s workspace.
Before either noticed me, Faolan slithered up to the unseelie prince, his mouth tilted in a leer. “What kind of
game are you playing with Sloane?”
My pulse spiked at the sound of my name, and I turned, pretending to mess with the bag.
“Whatever do you mean, Faolan?” Viktor asked in a bored, monotone voice.
“You’re not fooling me, Hale.” He leaned toward the prince. “You despise seelie-daes. Sloane’s a hot piece of ass, but you can’t seriously tell me you’ve thrown aside years of hatred to get with her?”
Harsh lines cut into Viktor’s face as he stepped toward Faolan, his body swelling. “Fuck off before I make you regret getting near me today.”
The shifter didn’t drop his smirk, but he did ease back. “I’m watching you, Hale.”
“Same, shifter.” Viktor used his stick to stab a piece of trash without taking his eyes off of Faolan.
I shook my head and stomped away. Why did Viktor hate seelie-daes so much? Was it a class thing? He was a prince born of pure royal blood and my kind were seelie-daemon hybrid mutts.
The rumble of an engine echoed down the road as I made my way back to Kimber.
“Oh, boys!” She angled her body toward the oncoming vehicle, sticking out her chest.
I resumed picking up trash with a laugh. “You don’t even know if they’re hot.”
“I’m about to find out.” She waved. “Hey there.”
The tires squealed as a souped-up red truck came to a halt in front of the succubus. “Dayum, girl. You’re too sweet to be locked up.”
“I bet she’s not that sweet. She looks like a real freak in the sheets.”
That voice sent waves of ice coursing through my body, threatening to drown me in glacier waters. I’d never forget that arrogant cadence or that laugh. It haunted my nightmares, asleep and awake.
No. No. No…
My lungs ceased to work, and my muscles wouldn’t heed my command to remain still. Instead, my body slowly swiveled to face the road.
Those dark blue eyes were exactly like I remembered—and so much like his father’s. When they met mine, I became fifteen all over again. Pain lashed at my back, ripping into my soul. Laughter howled, and the stink of old sweat and blood churned my stomach.
