Callan puffs up his chest. “Maybe not for regular people, but they’ve never locked up anyone like us before.”
“He has a point.” I rub my chin and glance at the guards, who are watching us closely with hard expressions. “Four sons of Archangels plus the son of Lucifer, all working together. We’re a force to be reckoned with.”
“Yes, we are,” Kassiel says. “If we stick together and are smart about this, we’ll figure something out.”
The five of us share determined looks, and I feel an unbreakable bond forming between us. It was already there between me and the other Princes, but now it’s grown stronger and Kassiel is part of it too. Angel or demon, it doesn’t matter. We’re brothers now.
And we’re in this together until the end.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Olivia
“Time to go outside.” My surly guard points to the other side of my cell, where another door opens.
I head through the opening and shield my eyes at the drastic change from dim room to bright sunlight. After hours being in that dark, drab cell, it feels like the greatest thing in the world to be outside again, soaking up the light and breathing in the fresh air.
I turn and look around the yard, noting the grass and the benches and nothing else. The space is not very large and is separated from other similar yards with a tall fence. I’m surrounded by women in prison garb, but don’t see anyone I recognize.
“Olivia!” Tanwen says, behind me.
I spin around and smile, relieved to see my friend. “Where are the others?”
“I haven’t seen them. They must rotate the prisoners out here.” She starts walking around the perimeter of the yard. “This is probably our only time to get exercise and soak up the sun. We’ve got to make it count.”
I feel so lethargic I can barely move my legs, but I manage to scramble after her. “Let me guess, you’re in your cell doing sit-ups and shit.”
“You know it.” She pumps her arms, making her power walk even faster. “Aren’t you doing the same?”
“Yeah, right,” I say with a laugh, but then we near one of the other yards and I spot the woman from the cafeteria earlier. She’s sitting on a bench with her hair draped over her face, her head down as she stares at the grass. I break off from Tanwen and rush over to the fence to try and get the woman’s attention. “Hey!”
She looks up at me through her long, stringy hair and then says, “Don’t touch it.”
I jerk back, realizing I was about to grab the fence, grateful for her warning. “How do you know Uriel?”
She reaches down and picks a weed out of the grass, then studies it intently. “I gave him a son.”
I gasp and nearly grab the fence again. “You’re Bastien’s mother?”
She cocks her head. “You know my son?”
“Yes, he’s my…” How do I describe our relationship?
“Boyfriend,” Tanwen supplies. Close enough.
“I’m Olivia and this is Tanwen. Uriel arrested us and threw us in here.”
“My name is Dina.” She stands and moves closer to the fence, studying me intently. “You truly know Bastien? Has he ever spoken of me?”
I study her in turn, as I think back on everything Bastien told me about his mother. “He said you had him as part of an arrangement with Uriel, and then you gave him up and moved on. He told me he’d only met you a few times.”
“Is that what he believes? My poor son.” Dina pulls at her hair, her eyes cast downward. “Uriel and I did have an arrangement, yes. It’s often how angels, especially Archangels, sire children. However, I always intended to be part of Bastien’s life. I’m his mother, after all. But Uriel betrayed me and locked me up here. Like you, I made the mistake of trusting him.”
“Why would he do that?” Tanwen asks.
“I saw too much.”
“You’re a prophet, right?” I ask. Bastien mentioned something like that. It’s a rare gift among Ofanim and highly prized, which is probably why Dina was selected to be Bastien’s mother in the first place.
“I was. Until Uriel sent me here.” She holds up her wrists. “These cuffs block my visions.”
“What did you see that landed you in here?” Tanwen asks.
“I saw Uriel donning the crown of the Order of the Golden Throne. Have you heard of it?”
“The crown?” I ask, my stomach dropping. “Are you sure?”
She huffs. “Of course I’m sure. I also saw my own son being arrested by Uriel. Has that occurred?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I assume he’s on the men’s side somewhere.”
“He’s here?” Her face falls. “Oh, Bastien. He must be heartbroken by his father’s actions.”
Tanwen snorts. “I don’t think anything gets through to Bastien’s heart.”
I elbow her, but then jerk back, worried a guard will appear and yell at me for touching her.
“My biggest regret in life is not finding a way to be with my boy. I’ve missed him so much. And now to learn he thinks I abandoned him…” Dina’s face crumples. “If only I could speak to him.”
Bastien would lose his mind if he learned his mother’s been in prison for all this time. I must get her out of here. The rest of us too, of course, but it’s suddenly become very important to me that I reunite them. Maybe because I know how hard it was growing up without my own parents, and how better my life is with them back in it now. I want that for Bastien too. Especially since his dad has turned out to be a total asshole.
I step forward, nearly touching the fence, and lower my voice. “Listen, Dina. I’m going to get you out of here, okay? And Bastien too. Then we’ll make Uriel pay for what he’s done.”
Dina laughs, the sound bordering on maniacal again, like in the cafeteria. “Many have tried to break out of Penumbra. None have succeeded.”
“Have hope. They’ve never imprisoned someone like me before.”
“Someone like you?”
“I’m the daughter of Lilith and Gabriel.” I stand a little taller, totally owning my ancestry. About time, right? “The first child of an Archdemon and an Archangel.”
“The hybrid child. Yes, I saw you in a vision too.” She frowns. “I saw you wielding the Staff of Eternity, controlling both light and darkness, while standing over a dead angel.”
Well, that sounds ominous. “Can you tell me more?”
“No.”
“This is why no one likes prophets,” Tanwen mutters.
As our time is up and we’re forced back inside, I resolve that I’m going to figure out a way to escape somehow. I’m not spending my entire immortal life stuck in this prison, and neither are my friends.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Olivia
I’m not sure how long I’ve been trapped in this prison, but it feels like a lifetime already.
The other day I asked the mean-eyed guard, whose name is Nisha, if I was allowed to have any water in my cell, and she let me keep a cup from the cafeteria. She said it gave her something to take away from me if I decided to act up.
How gracious of her.
My days are filled with routine. We’re taken to the cafeteria for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and we’re given exactly ten minutes to eat. There’s no time to talk if we want to eat, not that any of us has anything to talk about. Two times a day we’re let out into the yards, but they rotate the prisoners, probably so we can’t get too close to anyone. I’ve only seen Bastien’s mom once more, but she wouldn’t speak to me. I still haven’t seen Eveanna, and Tanwen hasn’t reappeared since the first day. Araceli was put in my yard yesterday, but as soon as we hugged, Nisha threatened to take my cup away.
And damn her, but it worked. I didn’t touch my best friend again. I don’t want to lose my cup.
I’ve been taken for a shower twice now. Both times I was woken from my sleep—if you can call it that. Since the lighting in the cell never changes, I try to go to sleep after dinner, but a true eight-hour deep sleep never happens.
All in all, it’s boring, but not torturous. Nobody beats us. We eat, we shower, we walk. The worst thing is that we’re stuck in here while the Staff is being held by the Order, who must be trying to find a way to use it. If they get an Archdemon to help them, I’m royally fucked. We all are.
It’s after dinner, so I should be trying to sleep, but that’s all there is to do in here. Sleep. I stand and start doing my yoga routine from my classes on campus. That’s the other way I’ve been passing the time. Random bouts of exercise. I got the idea from Tanwen, naturally.
As I move into downward dog, I wonder how the guys are doing. I picture Callan starting fights every day, Marcus slumping in his cell, Bastien giving lectures on the prison, and Jonah trying to keep everyone calm. Is Kassiel free and working on a plan to get us out of here? Or have they gotten him too?
The thought of my men stirs the succubus hunger inside of me. Thank goodness I feasted on the Princes’ energy right before I got thrown in here, or I’d be a lot worse off. I’ve been doing my best to ignore the hunger and keep it pushed to the back of my mind, and it’s a lot easier than it used to be. For the last few years, I’ve been training in succubus fasting without realizing it, and I can go for a long time as long I get sunlight and don’t overuse my powers. But at some point, the prison will have to feed me, and I wonder how they’ll handle it.
I’m moving into warrior pose when my door opens, and Nisha walks inside. She looks even nastier than she normally does. “Let’s go.”
I freeze and lower my arms, trying to figure out where we’re going. Time has lost all meaning while in here. She points to the door, and I step through into the small hall, where two more guards stand a few feet away, prepared to take me down if I try anything.
“Where are we going?” I ask. “Shower?”
“Just walk.”
I walk to the end of the hall and a door appears, but this time, it leads to a long, stone hallway with low ceilings, dim lighting, and no doors whatsoever. Nisha grips my arm and directs me to a spot on the wall, where a doorway appears in the stone.
“Feed,” Nisha says. “Don’t kill him. We’ll be watching.”
She shoves me inside, and the door immediately disappears behind me. The room is empty except for a bed that’s a lot bigger and more comfortable-looking than the one in my cell, and a man wearing inmate’s indigo. Another prisoner.
The first man I’ve seen in what feels like forever.
He pulls off his shirt, as his eyes rake over my body. “Hello there.”
I hold up a hand. “Wait. Who are you?”
“Inmate 1-8-7-5. Fox shifter.” He shoves down his pants, where his erection is growing. “You new here? They don’t give us much time. Get those clothes off fast.”
I gape at him. “You want me to feed on you?”
“Fuck yeah. I volunteered. If we’re on our best behavior for a month, we’re allowed a conjugal visit with a succubus. Or an incubus, for the gay dudes.” He’s naked now and stalking toward me with lust in his gaze. I can’t feel it, thanks to the cuffs, but I don’t need my powers to know it’s there.
I step back and hold up my hands. “No, I’m not doing this. I can’t.”
“What’s the problem?” he asks with obvious annoyance. “You need to feed, and I’m horny. Let’s fuck already.”
As I look at this naked guy in front of me, my hunger surges and I’m tempted. The old Liv would have done it. Then I met the Princes and Kassiel and discovered there was something better than meaningless sex with strangers. It’s the thought of them that allows me to turn away from this naked shifter in front of me and bang on the walls.
“Let me out!” I yell. “I’m not doing this!”
The door opens and Nisha drags me out of the room, her grip painful on my arm and her laugh cruel. She lets go as soon as the door closes. “You’re one of those types, eh?”
I glare at her as I straighten my clothes, feeling dirty even though nothing happened. I hate this place, and everyone in it. Especially Nisha.
Her cruel eyes mock me. “You’ll cave soon enough. They all do.”
I clench my fists, but she’s right. The hunger will only get stronger. Soon I won’t be able to resist anyone they throw at me.
I have to get out of here.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Olivia
Nisha nudges me forward, toward my cell, and I stumble along. One of the guards in the hallway asks, “Back already?”
The other one snickers. “Must have been a quickie.”
“She refused her feeding,” Nisha says. “I’m going to have a little chat with her, so she sees the error of her ways.”
She shoves me roughly back into my cell, so hard I fall to my knees. I look up at her, feeling too listless to do anything but stare at her. What’s her problem? Nisha’s a bitch, sure, but she’s never been like this before.
She towers over me as the door traps us inside together. “Succubus cunt. You think you’re so much better than us?”
Okay, now she’s gone too far. Getting pissed off, I start to struggle to my feet, and she grabs my wrists and hauls them forward. Something clicks, and she…winks.
What the fuck?
She throws me down to the floor again and then bends over me, grabbing my hair to yank my head back, her mouth close to my ear. “Lucifer sends his regards.”
Now I’m really confused.
“That’s right, stay down, you hybrid slut,” she yells. Way louder than she needs to, considering how small the room is. Something small and light hits the floor with the quietest tinkling sound. Then she leaves me there on the floor, face down.
As soon as she’s gone, I sit up slowly, trying to process what just happened. She never actually hurt me, I realize. She just made a show of acting like she did. And what was that wink and that comment about Lucifer?
I reached around on the floor for whatever she left, and my fingers tighten around the metal of my necklace, the one from Callan with the sun and moon. I’m so relieved to have it back I clutch it tightly to my chest. Nisha left this here on purpose so I would know she’s helping me.
I check my wrists, wondering what that clicking sound was, and the cuffs slide off into my hands. Magic blooms inside me, and I’m hit with the overwhelming sensation of being fully myself again. Sucking in a deep breath, I nearly cry in relief. I didn’t realize how empty it felt to be cut off from my Lilim and Ishim powers until they returned.
I’m back, bitches.
I’m temped to rise to my feet like an avenging warrior and blow through this place, but I have to be smart. I’m outnumbered and outgunned. I put the cuffs back on loosely, curl up in my bed, and wait.
By the time Nisha comes for breakfast, I’m ready.
She acts like nothing happened, and I do the same. Her eyes are still cruel. I walk steadily to the cafeteria with my head down, trying to look defeated. The other guards barely spare me a glance. Which is good, cause if they look closely they might notice the chain around my neck and the pendant tucked under my shirt.
When I sit at our usual table, Araceli asks, “Are you okay?”
“I will be soon,” I whisper. “We all will. Follow my lead.”
Tanwen and Eveanna sit across from us, and Dina is alone at the table next to ours. I eat quickly, knowing I’ll need the energy from the food. The others copy me. In my head, I count the minutes.
After exactly five minutes, I whisper to my friends, “We’re getting out of here. Make sure Dina comes with us.”
“On it,” Tanwen says. Eveanna gives the subtlest of nods. Araceli bites her lip.
It’s now or never. I throw off the cuffs and send out a wav
e of seductive power through the room, directing it at the guards. A few of them resist, because maybe they’re succubi themselves or in love, but most heads swivel toward me. I swallow, hoping this plan works.
“If you want me, you’ll protect me,” I order the guards under my thrall, using my most seductive voice.
Nisha is the closest to me, but I purposefully left her free of my control. She understands what to do though, especially when I point at her.
“Free us,” I order.
She rushes forward and removes the cuffs on Eveanna, who straightens up as soon as she’s freed. Tanwen and Araceli are next, and then I direct Nisha to remove Dina’s cuffs also. The older angel starts crying the second they’re off.
We’re free of the cuffs now, but still have to get out of here somehow. The guards who aren’t under my control begin closing in fast. The other prisoners are standing up too, looking at me with hope or expectation. I considering removing their shackles too, but I don’t know what any of them did to get them locked away in here. They could be serial killers for all I know. I can’t let them go free.
A few of the guards, both my thralls and the free ones, make weapons out of light and darkness, and some of them turn into bears or wolves. Both sides face each other, and I know this could get ugly soon.
“Stop this now, and no one will get hurt,” one of the guards calls out.
Araceli calls fire into her hands, and Tanwen creates a blade made of burning light. I wish I had my daggers, but they must be back in my bedroom, unless Uriel confiscated those too. I grit my teeth and expand my seductive powers to the prisoners, grabbing onto most of them, who join in the protective circle around us. Some of the other prisoners join in too, even without my control—my succubi sisters. Now we outnumber the guards, but I’ve never held so many people before, and it’s been so long since I fed. I need to hurry this up, especially because some of the guards are already shaking off my seduction.
Seraphim Academy 3: Fallen Kings Page 18
