Crimes of Fire (Wayward Fae Paranormal Prison Book 1)

by J. N. Colon

  Last time we talked, he stormed off because he thought I was lying about having a relationship with the unseelie prince.

  Not a damn thing was going on between Viktor Hale and me. He made that perfectly clear.

  “About the other day at breakfast.” Tristan rubbed the back of his neck. “I know you don’t need my protection.” His teeth clenched, flexing the tendons in his jaw. “It seems you’ve got enough from Viktor—”

  I grabbed his hand. “Let’s dance.”

  His eyebrows squished together and he rubbed the center of his forehead, probably waiting on an explanation for my wishy-washy behavior. Too bad I didn’t have one—not one that I’d admit. “Okay. Sure.”

  I tossed the juniper stick back to Barlow and pulled Tristan into the crowd of gyrating bodies. The moonberry wine had me floating on air. Viktor had been right when he called this stuff magic.

  The booming music swirled around me, and I plastered myself against Tristan. A grin pulled at his lips as his hands found my waist. He certainly didn’t mind if I caught feelings for him. In fact, he welcomed it.

  “I’m glad you’re here with me,” he said over the music.

  “Me too.” My arms wrapped around his neck, my fingers weaving into his soft hair. He smelled like vanilla and candy.

  Tristan leaned down to whisper into my ear. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately.”

  If I wasn’t drunk, warning bells would be screaming in my head. The moonberry wine dulled all of that. “What exactly have you been thinking about?”

  His lips brushed my jaw. “The night we kissed. And how sweet you tasted.”

  Heat zipped through my blood, but it wasn’t from Tristan. Before I could stop myself, I turned around, finding a pair of glowing eyes through the crowd.

  Viktor.

  “You liked kissing me?” I asked, my hips swirling against his. Viktor read my lips loud and clear.

  Tristan’s arm slipped around my waist, pinning my back to his front. “Very much.” His mouth trailed a line down my neck.

  I angled my head back to give him better access. Viktor’s gaze burned more than Tristan’s kisses. I was definitely playing with fire.

  I liked fire.

  “Maybe we could hang out somewhere alone.” Tristan’s hot breath blew down my chest, and I licked my lips.

  The image of Viktor taking possession of my mouth swirled into my brain. His hands had demanded attention, searing every square inch of my body. He was fire and ice, passion and pain. Viktor was all the things I should fear.

  My lids shut as I shook thoughts of the unseelie prince away. I opened my mouth to take Tristan up on his offer when a hand roughly pulled me away from my dance partner.

  My eyes popped open, coming face to face with the bane of my existence. “What the hell are you doing?” I tried to yank out of Viktor’s grasp.

  “Get off of her,” Tristan growled. That temper mixed with his need to protect was beginning to rise.

  Viktor gave a humorless laugh and stepped forward, squeezing me in between the two Fae. “Oh, please, seelie, try me. I dare you.” His muscles trembled with strain to keep from smashing his fist into Tristan’s face.

  Son of a bitch. Viktor would kill him.

  I pressed my palm into Viktor's chest, his skin sweltering beneath my touch. “What do you want?”

  Despite the heat of his body, a storm brewed within him, as cold as an arctic air. “We need to talk.”

  The urge to tell him to go to hell rippled over me so violently I had to grind my teeth to keep the words from slipping out. “Fine.” I turned to Tristan. “I’ll find you in a little bit.”

  As my words sunk in, an unfamiliar hardness tightened his features. “You can’t be serious, Sloane. This guy says jump, and you say how high?”

  I stepped back, speechless. It took me a moment to respond to his asinine assumption. “I don’t have to answer to you, Tristan.” He had another thing coming if he thought I had to explain myself. I owed him nothing.

  He lifted his hands in the air, his expression softening. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t understand why you keep turning to Viktor.”

  “Maybe she knows a real man when she sees one, seelie.” A feral grin split his lips. “She is part daemon. She likes the dark side.”

  “Shut up.” I pushed Viktor back. “I’ll see you later, Tristan.”

  Viktor’s fingers curled around my wrist, and he dragged me into a dim, empty corner. His eyes glowed white as he pressed me into a wall.

  I hated how my body responded to his, lighting up like a heat lamp. I swallowed the lust back. “What is your problem, Vik?”

  “My problem?” One of his hands planted beside my head. “My problem is you turning into a wild party girl tonight.”

  I scoffed. “Wild party girl? I had some wine and danced. If you think that’s wild, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

  His gaze dipped to my lips, and a scorching look fell over him, as if he’d like nothing more than to see my wild side. He quickly shook his head to clear the desire. “I want you to stay focused on the job.”

  “I am focused.” My fingers clasped around his biceps, attempting to move him. He wasn’t having it this time. “I’m allowed to have a few hours of fun.”

  “I don’t have time for you to start exploring your Fae sexuality,” he said. “I don’t need you going off the rails and turning into a promiscuous water nymph.”

  His words yanked the air right out of my lungs. Kimber told me they’d screw practically anything, anywhere. He’d called me a Fae slut.

  My hand raised and before I could consider the repercussions, I smacked Viktor across the face so hard my palm stung like I’d squeezed a prickly cactus.

  Viktor blinked, his mouth hanging open while a red handprint quickly developed across his cheek. When the shock finally wore off, his lips curled back to bare his teeth. “Did you just slap me?”

  “Yeah, and I’ll do it again if I have to.” My heart tapped a ragged beat, and I was surprised my voice hadn’t trembled. “I’ll do more than slap you if you ever call me a slut again.”

  Viktor moved so fast it left me breathless. There was nothing gentle about the way his body crushed mine against the wall. He ripped the necklace from over his head, fitting the tiny key into my goblin cuff. “You think you can fight me with magic?” He whispered a string of words and yanked the cuff off.

  “I’ll fight you with everything I have.” Giving up wasn’t in my nature, even though Viktor could demolish me if he really wanted to.

  “No one slaps me and gets away with it, not even you, Sloane. I agreed to protect you from everyone else in the prison, but I didn’t say anything about keeping you safe from me.”

  I pushed at his torso without results. His muscles felt like iron beneath my fingers. “You won’t do shit, Viktor. You need me.”

  That only pissed him off more. His shoulders swelled until his body swallowed mine. If anyone were to walk by, I’d be entirely hidden by the massive, intimidating Fae. “I can do a lot of things that won’t leave permanent damage.”

  “Go ahead,” I spat. “Like I told you weeks ago, I’m already broken. You can’t do worse than what I’ve experienced.” Shit. Why did I go there? What was it about this guy that had the truth spilling from my lips?

  He faltered, and his mouth opened, but before he could speak, I shoved him off and slipped between the bodies crowding the club. His gaze burned into my retreating form all the way out the door.

  The situation between us was becoming more fragile every moment we spent together. We were either at each other’s throats or fighting the desire we both knew rumbled below the surface. How much more could either of us take before it all blew up in our faces?

  Heavy breathing mixed with low moans pulled me from a restless sleep. I grumbled and tossed the covers over my head. Not again. Kimber was one of my only friends here, but I couldn’t handle a midnight snack right now.

&
nbsp; “Kim, can’t you eat out instead of bringing your sexcapades back to our cell?” I mumbled.

  “What’s the matter, Sloane? Are you getting lonely over there?”

  That coarse voice sent tendrils of ice through my body. No. She wouldn’t do that. I slowly lifted the blankets off my head and turned to meet those eerie yellow eyes that had haunted my recent nightmares. Faolan.

  I scrambled out of bed while my heart crashed violently into my ribs. “What the hell, Kimber!”

  She bit her lip, averting her gaze. “I’m sorry. I just… I was hungry.” Her fingers curled into the sheets. “I thought you wouldn’t wake up from all the wine.”

  The thought of having the alpha shifter in my room while I slept, completely vulnerable, was worse.

  “Don’t be mad at your cellie.” Faolan slowly stood, very much a predator on the hunt. Tattoos slashed across his shredded muscles, and his crimson hair looked like blood. “She couldn’t resist this.” The goblin cuff was gone, meaning he could shift.

  Panic squeezed around my heart like a vice as he inched closer. I had no doubt Faolan manipulated Kimber into bringing him back to our cell.

  Kimber stood, grabbing her shirt. “Come on. Let’s just go back to your place.”

  “I think not, babe.” His elbow reared back, cracking the succubus on the side of the head. She flew onto her bed, unconscious.

  A curse left my mouth as I bolted for the door. My struggle with the privacy partition doomed me. Hands wrapped around my throat and yanked me back. My body bounced on the mattress moments before a heavy weight pinned me down.

  I struggled beneath Faolan, my breaths coming in quick pants. Terror slashed jagged cuts into my core. His hand clamped on my mouth before I could scream. His other hand tightened around my wrists, holding them above my head.

  “Don’t even think about calling for help, Sloane.” His hot breath coating my neck made me tremble. “Vik can’t help you now.” His tongue licked a trail down my cheek. My stomach curdled. “I’m going to have fun ruining you. I think this will be worse than death.”

  It would. The dark glint to his eyes promised that.

  “I’m going to make you submit.” His leg pressed between my knees to force them open. “And I’m going to enjoy every moment of your useless struggle, seelie-dae.”

  Memories I kept buried behind a thick wall smashed through the carefully constructed bricks. Each instant of abuse tore a hole in my soul until it was barely intact. My sister was the only thing holding it together. I couldn’t save myself, but I could save her.

  Faolan’s fingers dug into my wrists, pulling a whimper from me. A rumble vibrated his chest. “Please do that again.”

  My wrist. My naked wrist. Faolan wasn’t the only one without a goblin cuff. Viktor had taken mine off at the club, and now I had access to my magic.

  Fire erupted through my core and spread into my hand without much thought. Faolan howled as flames singed his palm, and his grip disappeared. I used the opportunity to crush my knee into his groin.

  He crashed the floor. “You sneaky bitch.”

  I scrambled up and managed to make it through the door this time. A few prisoners had been woken by the ruckus of my struggle, but I didn’t bother asking for help. Of course, not one single guard patrolled the surrounding area. Faolan probably paid them off.

  “Where do you think you’re going, seelie-dae?” Claws tore through my shirt and sharp stings sliced into my back.

  I whipped around, punching the shifter across the mouth. My fire power gathered inside, and when it was roiling like hot lava, I set it free and shoved it right into Faolan’s chest. With a strangled shriek, he faltered in his pursuit. His torso bubbled and burned, filling the hall with a pungent, acrid scent.

  I ran again, my bare feet slapping the cement. Faolan’s snarl echoed through the hall, followed by pops of bone. The menacing tap of talons scratched the floor. He had shifted into a dochar.

  Shit. My throat closed, making it hard to breathe. Could I take on Faolan in his animal form?

  Images of him attacking me in the bathroom slashed at my confidence. He nearly killed me then. I’d be dead if not for Viktor.

  Viktor.

  I needed to find safety. Viktor was safety.

  Electric crackles ran through my body, slicing every fiber in my being. A tug yanked on my center, and my head spun.

  Holy shit. What is happening?

  The cement corridor suddenly disappeared.

  Chapter 25

  Steam melted over my skin and dampened my clothes. Where the hell am I? I opened my eyes to a large figure standing under a spray of water, intricate tattoos inking his muscled arms and back and curling around his powerful legs. Ribbons of soap slid down his naked flesh.

  Oh. My. God. I’d recognized that ass anywhere.

  I’d made my way to Viktor—by shadowmelding into his shower.

  He suddenly whipped around, his eyes widening. “Sloane? What are you doing here?”

  The unseelie prince wasn’t shy about standing completely nude in front of me. Every drop of moisture evaporated from my mouth as my gaze lowered.

  Heat swarmed my body. Calling him well-endowed was an understatement.

  “If you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask.” A smirk hitched up his lips. He dragged his fingers through his hair, slicking the dark strands back from his face. “Points for difficulty, though. Not even a full daemon has managed to shadowmeld into my cell beyond all the wards. You’ll be able to get into Faolan’s with no problem.”

  The shifter’s name tossed me back into reality and the attack I’d just escaped. A ragged gasp broke free and I pushed the glass door open, stumbling out.

  “Sloane!” Viktor followed me. “What’s wrong?”

  My fingers dug into the counter as I hunched over it, taking frantic gulps of air.

  Viktor cursed, and I heard him yank a towel off the rack to wrap around his lower half. His body heat melted away some of the chill Faolan’s assault had encased me in. “What happened? Why did you shadowmeld here?”

  Even though we’d been at each other’s throats a few hours ago, the concern in his voice had my lip trembling. He was the only person who really had my back here. His reasons didn’t matter right now.

  “Shit. You’re bleeding.” His fingers slipped through the tears in my shirt. He stiffened. “Faolan?” The vicious roar enveloping the shifter’s name vibrated the entire bathroom.

  I found his reflection in the mirror and nodded, still unable to find my voice.

  “Where? How?” He lifted my shirt and examined the bloody scratches.

  “In my cell.” As the memories tried to drown me, I choked them back with a violent shudder. “Kimber had him over—” My breath hitched, cutting off the rest of my words. Unshed tears blurred my vision.

  Viktor spun me around to scrutinize my face. His thumbs brushed tears off my cheeks. “What did he do to you, Sloane?” His nostrils flared. “Did he try—”

  “I’m fine now.” I took a quivering breath. “Really.”

  He stared at me for another minute while his chest frantically heaved. I watched beads of water run down his torso.

  “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  I tore my attention from his half-naked form as he marched out of the bathroom. A whoosh of air exited my lungs, and I slumped against the counter. What was wrong with me? One minute I was crying over that creep shifter and the next, I was ogling Viktor’s naked body like I wanted to lick every square inch.

  Fire flooded my cheeks as I pictured him in the shower. That image was seared into my mind. Viktor Hale had a reason to be so damn cocky.

  “I brought you a shirt.”

  I jumped at his voice. Did he realize where my mind had gone? “Thanks.” He wore a pair of gray pants. No shirt.

  Instead of handing it over, he laid the t-shirt on the counter. “I’ll wipe the blood off you first.” He turned me toward the mirror again.

  I
avoided my own reflection like the plague. I couldn’t stand to see my glossy eyes or red cheeks. He slowly slipped my torn shirt off and tossed it in the trash can, his attention quickly skirting over the hunter green bra I borrowed from Kimber. His willpower was strong tonight because my boobs were practically spilling out of the lacy number. Any guy would have a hard time looking away.

  Viktor’s gentle touch didn’t match the hard, stony expression he bore. That had more to do with the shifter than with me, though. Pink swirled down the drain as he rinsed the rag in the sink. His fingers traced the same scar on my back he had the night the wraiths attacked. He opened his mouth to say something but snapped it shut.

  Sharp knives twisted in my heart, tearing my resolve apart, and words suddenly poured out of my mouth. I’d never spoken them out loud, but I needed to release some of the darkness before it consumed me.

  “One of my former foster dads did it.”

  Viktor’s gaze shot to mine in the mirror. “The guy in the pickup truck? His father?”

  I nodded as invisible fingers tightened around my throat. The part of me that would rather remain in the murky abyss tried to stop me from speaking. “For punishment or just because, Calvin Radcliff would take me into the shed in the backyard…” My voice faltered, and I struggled to breathe. “He’d strip my shirt off and tie me to a pole.” I could still feel the indents and burns the rope left behind. The clank of his belt buckle and the rustle of leather against jeans haunted me. “He’d beat me with his belt.”

  Heat throbbed out of Viktor’s body while small tremors rippled through his muscles. I could see the tattoos quivering in the mirror. “How old were you?”

  “It started when I was thirteen.” I’d have fewer scars if I didn’t take Jilly’s punishment. Calvin enjoyed tormenting me a lot more anyway. Jilly was too small and would have thrown up or passed out within minutes. Tommy enjoyed it too. “And it continued until I was fifteen when I almost set him on fire.”

  His breathing grew louder, more frantic. “The son was a part of it?”