by Katie May
I look beautiful and deadly.
Wrathful.
I am vengeance personified.
“You won’t hurt them,” I say in a low voice, and Alyssa actually stumbles away. “You won’t hurt my mates.”
“Nina, think about what you’re about to do,” she begins placatingly, but I’ve heard enough. With a roar, I lunge for her, tackling her to the ground. I wish I could see her face at my attack.
Are her eyes wide with fear?
Is she trembling?
I can’t focus on anything through the blinding, incandescent rage. I pummel her face with punches, enjoying her pained moans. They reach a part of my mind I can’t access, a part that is buried beneath years of hurt and anger.
She wraps her legs around my waist and throws me off of her. My back slams against the far wall, but I regain my balance quickly.
“Think about what you’re doing!” she screams, spit hitting my cheeks.
“I am.”
She comes for me, but I remain where I am, watching through her eyes as she comes closer and closer. At the last second, I spring to action, throwing my fist out and catching her in the neck.
The hit rattles her, and she releases a guttural cough.
I spin her so her back faces my front. Wrapping my arms around her throat, I hiss in her ear, “You’re done.”
“You think killing me will stop the Compound?” she gurgles. “They’ll always exist, and they’ll always come for you. Their perfect specimen.”
“Let them come,” I say darkly. She scratches at my arm, but I squeeze tighter. She begins to go limp, body pliable, but just before she can hit the ground, I release her. “You’re never going to hurt me again.”
With a ferocious cry, I spin her around and shove my fist into her chest. I see my face through her vision: I look exactly like the monsters I once feared.
Strange choking sounds emit from Alyssa, and her vision steadily begins to dim before it turns black completely.
I remove my hand from her chest, still holding her heart in my hand.
“You won’t hurt any of us again,” I whisper brokenly.
Noise alerts me to the incoming assault a moment before the door to the cell is broken down.
“Freeze! Hands where I can see them!” a voice screams. I hear pounding footsteps against the cement, but all I can do is stare blindly in their general direction. “Get down on the ground! Get down on the fucking ground!”
Slowly, I come back to myself. I feel my wings retreat into my body with an audible snap. My horns lower until I can no longer feel them anymore.
Oh, God. What did I just do?
Panic gushing through me, I drop the heart and slowly fall to my knees. My body is shivering uncontrollably.
What did I do?
What did I do?
What did I do?
I bring my hands behind my head only to have them brutally wrenched behind my back. I feel the familiar sting of handcuffs rubbing against my skin.
“Nina Doe, you’re under arrest for the murder of Councilwoman Alyssa Timmer,” a familiar voice sneers in my ear. I recognize him as the detective who arrested me for Raphael Turner’s death. William.
And this time, I’m actually guilty of the crime.
Chapter 56
Nina
“Doe!” The guard rattles his baton on the cell bars. “You have a visitor.”
I sigh, throwing my legs over the side of the cot. The jail-issued orange jumpsuit scratches against my skin, dreadfully uncomfortable. Hopefully soon, I’ll be able to wear my normal clothes again.
I slide myself into the guard’s—Gregory’s—mind. He’s one of the nicer ones at the jail they’re currently housing me in. He once told me that I remind him of his daughter.
On the other side of him, with a severe scowl on his face, is Jermey. Now, this is a guard I hate with a passion. He’s evil personified and never fails to make me feel like the scum beneath his shoes.
It’s been two months since I killed Alyssa. Two months since I’ve been imprisoned for a murder I actually committed. Two months and one week since I last saw the guys.
When Alyssa had kidnapped me from the visitation room, with the help of a nameless guard, she had killed two of the Warden’s men in the process, including the guard she had greeted at the gate. The Warden immediately contacted the paranormal police—led by William—who conducted a complicated tracking spell. Ironically enough, I hadn’t left the prison. Instead, Alyssa had brought me to a separate, uninhabited wing.
I half wonder if William had arrived sooner, overhearing the entire conversation, but chose not to enter until Alyssa was dead. That way, he wouldn’t have to worry about the politics involved with a Councilwoman killing a fellow Councilman. Either way, the detective is relentless.
Guilty until proven innocent.
And the entire world is now a witness to my guilt.
Fortunately, I was able to contact the guys after Alyssa’s death—and my consequential arrest—before they ventured farther into the Labyrinth. They had numerous injuries—broken bones and bloody gashes—but they were alive and back home before the Warden realized they’d tried to escape. That was all that mattered.
Swallowing thickly, I wait until my bars slide open before stepping out.
“Come here,” Jermey snaps with a come-hither motion. He pulls a pair of magic restricting cuffs and motions for me to turn around. Realizing I can’t see him (to his knowledge), he grabs my shoulder and spins me. I try to ignore the surge of satisfaction that thrums through me when I realize I can still see through Gregory’s eyes. I don’t know if it’s my demon, angel, or human blood, but the cuffs that smother our powers never seem to work on me.
We step through the door at the end of the cell block into a long gray corridor. A door to my right buzzes electronically and swings open.
“Move, inmate.” Jermey shoves my shoulder, and I grit my teeth to keep myself from saying something I’ll regret. Gregory subtly steps in between us, indirectly protecting me from the cruel guard’s wrath. I offer him a small, grateful smile, the tension in my muscles loosening until I feel like I can breathe again.
We reach a locked metal door that he unlocks with a keycard—surprisingly modern for a secure paranormal facility.
A plastic chair sits in front of plexiglass, and a phone is attached to the wall. Sitting in the chair opposite is a pretty girl with strange orange hair and a flicking tail. I’m positive I’ve never seen her before in my life.
Approaching with caution, I take the seat opposite her. As the guard exits back through the door, I pull out of his mind and surrender to the darkness.
Fumbling slightly, I grab the phone and press it to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Nina?” She has a sweet voice. A trusting one. It doesn’t completely eradicate the trepidation coursing through me, but it sure helps to ease it. “You don’t know me, obvs, but my name is Sinclair Denali. A little birdy—as in, a member of my prison squad—told me you’re trying to get into Nightmare Penitentiary. Been there, done that, checked off that bingo square.” Her voice turns devious. “Basically, I was conveniently convicted, and I’m going to return the favor by helping you. Now, listen up. There’s a lot I have to teach you, my young apprentice. Let’s start with Pop-rocks...”
I’m sweaty as I sit in the uncomfortable wooden chair facing the judge’s stand. My new friend, Sinclair, had pulled some strings to procure me this particular judge.
Through my lawyer’s eyes, I see a furry, bull-like creature with curving horns. A minotaur, if I remember Sinclair’s warning correctly.
I shift anxiously as the prosecutor begins to read out my list of offenses. Breaking out of prison (despite the fact Alyssa had technically broken me out against my will and I never actually left Nightmare Penitentiary). Attacking a guard. Murder in the first degree.
His words claw at something raw and bleeding inside of me. All I can see is my face contorting as I rip out A
lyssa’s heart...
“What do you have to say for yourself?” Judge O’Vine demands, his voice thunderous. When my lawyer makes a move to stand, I gesture him to stay down.
Clearing my throat, I get to my feet.
You can do this, Nina. You can do this.
“You look like pubic hairs,” I stutter out, recalling the insults Sinclair gave me. This would be so much easier if I had notes.
Everyone pauses. My lawyer is no doubt sweating, flicking his eyes in all directions nervously, and even the prosecutor is staring at me slack-jawed.
“Um... Cash me outside, how about dat?” I wince as Judge O’Vine begins to growl, the sound more animal than human. “Your mom’s so fat that...um...when she rolls over she ends up in a country across the ocean.” Pause. “Why can’t the Minotaur get laid? Because his hairy dick is stuck inside...um...” I sift through my memories for the ending to that joke. “Because, um, they’re hairy?”
Judge O’Vine raps his gavel against his desk as the audience breaks into nervous laughter. “Order. Order. Nina Doe, have you ever had a psych evaluation?”
“Yeah, by your mom,” I retort.
“This girl is obviously a menace to society,” the prosecutor insists, and I see the judge nod once. Already, the minotaur is staring at me as if he wants to stomp me beneath his hooves. The animosity saturates the air.
I know, no matter what I say or do now, Judge O’Vine will still find me guilty. There’s an unforgiving glint to his eyes and a sneer to his lips.
“Ms. Doe, you have been accused of murder in the first degree of a Council Member. What do you plea?” he seethes.
“Guilty,” I answer immediately. “Absolutely guilty. I shanked that bitch.” And then, as an afterthought, I add, “Asshole cumstain. Go shove a bloody tampon up your nose.”
His eyes flash with raw, unparalleled rage. Smoke emits from his pierced nostrils.
“I hereby sentence you to life in prison at Nightmare Penitentiary, effective immediately.” He knocks the gavel once more, sealing my fate.
And my future.
I settle into the guard’s mind, using his eyes, as the door clangs shut behind us.
The Warden’s office is exactly as I remember it. Posh and elegant with hundreds upon hundreds of strange, magical artifacts.
The guards escorting me turn toward the man in question, and the Warden drops the cockatrice feather he’s been playing with.
“Nina Doe. Long time no see,” he says, opening up one of his drawers and grabbing out a box of cigarettes. He lights one, blowing smoke directly into my face. “You’re lucky I’m giving you another chance after what you did to my men.” He gives me an inquisitive stare, and I can sense the underlying question behind his statement.
He doesn’t believe I’m guilty of what I’m accused of. Ironic, considering I actually committed the crime. Well, part of the crime. I wasn’t the one who attacked and killed his men.
I remain stubbornly silent, my face an impassive mask I have perfected over the last two months.
“This is your last chance, girly. Act out again, and I won't be so forgiving,” the Warden warns me, moving around his desk to lean against it. His long trench coat flutters around him as he languidly smokes his cigarette. He nods to the guards on either side of me. “Take her to the Labyrinth.”
I try to hide my ecstatic smile, I honestly do, but I know it escapes unbidden when the Warden’s eyes narrow suspiciously. Still, he doesn’t stop his men from injecting me in the neck.
Soon.
I’ll see them soon.
I know I’m in Abel’s mind before my consciousness even settles. He’s staring at himself in the mirror, humming beneath his breath as he brushes back his blond hair. Smiling at his reflection, he spins on his heel, using the brush as a microphone.
“And who’s the sexiest man alive?” He points finger guns at himself. “You are.”
He’s wearing a form-fitting navy blue suit that I have no doubt Damien got for him. It fits his athletic build like a glove, showcasing his muscular biceps and tapered waist. He’s so beautiful that it physically pains me. Beauty like his, both inside and out, shouldn’t exist.
He begins to sing louder—something about a lot of single ladies and putting rings on it—when Cain enters behind him, brows furrowed. Cain looks just as dashing as his twin with a dark blue suit and black tie.
“What the hell are you doing?” Cain asks, quirking a brow. Abel spins toward him, grabs his shoulder, and begins to sing even louder in his face. “Fucking hell, Abe, get a breath mint.”
“Ha. Ha. Ha. I have brushed my teeth ten times in the last four minutes. You want to know why?” He drops his head onto Cain’s shoulder despite the sex demon’s grunt of annoyance. “Because our girl is coming home today!” He lets out a whoop, jumping up and down like a little boy. Cain can’t hide his own wistful smile.
Butterflies grow inside of me.
“Talking to her mentally isn’t the same as seeing her,” Abel continues, gritting his teeth in the mirror to make sure there is nothing in them. “Though, we have great mental sex. It’s like phone sex but only mentally.”
I giggle as I recall some of the conversations with my men during the last two months. While we couldn’t be together physically, we got creative. It’s strangely erotic to watch them masturbate. Heck, even Damien played along.
Abel pauses suddenly, head canting to the side, before his face goes slack in horror.
“Bambi!” he squeals like a little girl. “Are you in my head right now?” He throws his hands in front of his body as if he’s naked instead of fully dressed. “You can’t see me yet! It’s bad luck!”
Hi, Abe, I say fondly.
Abel spins to face the wall, but not before I catch the shit-eating grin on his face. “Are you here yet? Are you? Are you? Are you? Because I’m going to fuck you until you can’t—”
“Ignore him,” Cain speaks up. “I do. Daily. Are you here yet?”
The guards are bringing me down now, I answer.
Abel bounces from foot to foot before grabbing Cain’s sleeve and pulling him out of their cell.
“Let’s grab the others and go see our girl! Fuck, I missed you, Bambi. I swear my balls are permanently blue.”
“Stop talking about your balls,” Cain snaps.
Abel snorts. “Oh, please. Just yesterday you were planning a candlelight date for Nina that will end with a big bang, if you know what I mean.”
“Shut the fuck about, Abe,” Cain retorts. “You were asking Braelyn for dating advice earlier today.”
Braelyn, during the two months I’ve been gone, has been working on fixing relations between Rion’s gang and Blade’s gang. I’ve been able to talk to her a few times, and she told me she wants to implement a “foreign exchange program” between the two groups. Haley and Rebecca have already volunteered to travel to the shifters’ side of the Labyrinth.
“Fuck off!” Abel hits Cain’s shoulder sending the sex demon stumbling back a step.
My vision—Abel’s vision—begins to get blurry, my surroundings turning glassy.
I think I’m waking up, I say quickly.
“We’ll be there,” Abel assures me. “We’ll always be there.”
I wake up to someone brushing at my tangled hair. I moan lightly, turning my face into the calloused hand.
“Open your eyes, Babygirl,” Kai whispers in my ear. “I need to see your beautiful eyes. Fuck, I missed you.”
A contented sigh leaves my lips as I finally regain consciousness.
I appear to be sitting on a fluffy bed, an equally soft blanket splayed out around me. There’s a kink in my neck that hadn’t been there previously, and my eyelids are unbelievably heavy.
With ease, I slide into Kai’s mind to survey my surroundings.
We’re in a part of the Labyrinth I haven’t visited before. Gold trinkets and jewels are scattered around me, some mountainous in size. I spot everything from necklaces to tiaras to gol
d-capped teeth.
“Where am I?” I murmur dazedly, still struggling to regain my bearings. “Where is everyone?”
“I kidnapped you,” Kai says in satisfaction. “And we’re in my cave. Dragons like shiny stuff. It’s a compulsion to steal and collect them. Though...you’re the most beautiful treasure of all.”
I blink my eyes open slowly, groggily, and place a hand to my forehead. It’s surreal to think that after all this time, I finally reunited with one of my mates. Alyssa and the Compound can’t hurt me anymore. Tears trail down my face as I lift my arms to Kai.
“Babygirl,” he whispers reverently, pulling me toward him. Wrapped in his arms, I feel sheltered from the world. Nothing can harm me now. “Fuck, I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too,” I whisper into his neck. His citrus scent surrounds me, encompasses me. I can’t differentiate where I end and he begins. “I love you.”
“I love you so, so much. God, being with you again... I thought you were dead. I was so fucking worried when Alyssa took you and then when you had to go to trial.” He brushes his lips against my forehead, body trembling. “Why didn’t you fight back?”
I pull away from him, cocking a brow.
“At the trial,” he explains. “Why didn’t you tell them the truth about Alyssa? That she kidnapped you? That she killed Raphael? Why did you allow yourself to be blamed?”
I cup his prickly cheeks tenderly. God, I missed him. I haven’t even realized how much until this moment.
“Because I needed to come home,” I reply at last. Not wanted to. Needed to. Being with these men is an innate compulsion inside of me, similar to my need to eat and breathe. “You’re my home. You, Rion, Damien, Abel, Cain, and Bronson.”
