Siren Redeemed: Paranormal Prison Romance (Thief of Hearts Book 4)

by C. R. Jane

  When I didn’t respond, he said, “How about I sweeten the deal. You find me the items that lead to the stone, and not only will I call the bounty off Selena, but I won’t give her back to Julian.”

  “How will you do that?”

  “You seem to be under the illusion that I fear the vampire. That’s where you’re very wrong.”

  We looked at each other, no words, and we both knew I had no other option but to agree to this insane plan. But considering he’d just added complete protection from Julian for Selena as payment, well, I was suddenly extremely vested in finding the Cintamani Stone.

  "Deal." I nodded.

  “Good. Now get the fuck out of my face.” He smiled widely, the look sickening me.

  Before I said something I'd regret, I marched out of his office, and made a beeline straight for the library. I knew the librarian guard, and she'd get me access into the private section only a few select were permitted. Predominantly the Warden’s private collection.

  In less than an hour, I was sitting up in the caged section of the library at the single table with a flickering light overhead, my eyes glued to the ancient book in front of me. The writing was tiny, and I hunched forward to read the only paragraphs I'd found on the Cintamani Stone in these books. It droned on about the stone being special as it had been one of four blessed relics that had fallen from the sky, and how it was thought to be one of several Mani Jewels in Buddha’s collection, but that no one had ever seen it, so many believe it was a myth. I cursed the Warden internally because if this turned out to be nothing but an illustration of his fucking greedy need, I was going to shove a whole fucking pile of stones down his throat until he choked on them.

  I kept reading until I came across a passage that had me catching my breath.

  He who possesses the Cintamani Stone, the ancient jewel revered by Buddha, will be granted the extraordinary power of wish fulfilment.

  I exhaled loudly, and reclined back in my seat. "That damn rat bastard," I murmured under my breath. Of course the Warden wouldn't tell me that part. So what if we did find the stone and used it to get her out of prison for good?

  My stomach tightened at the thought of how impossible this task was, but we didn't exactly have many other options either.

  I shot to my feet and darted out of the library, running through the hallways, searching for Keon and Laz, even Seth would do. I had to tell them what I'd uncovered and that maybe there was a chance to save Selena. I might be deluding myself, but I also refused to give up.

  When I searched everywhere and couldn’t find any of them, including Seth, who hadn’t been in his cell, I found myself swinging back toward Selena's cell. My heart hammered heavily against my rib cage at the possibility of freeing my siren. To be with her outside this hellhole, to adore her like she deserved, to never leave her side.

  I slowed when I reached her cell, and strolled right inside.

  Selena sat curled up on the bed and crying into her hands. My heart shattered like glass at hearing her agony.

  "Selena." I moved to her side and sat on the bed with her, taking her into my arms. "Did something else happen? Where the fuck is Laz?”

  Chapter 7

  Selena

  Alaric was terrifying as he stared around the room, looking like he was ready to murder someone. I ignored his death glare, and threw myself at him. It felt like forever since I'd seen him, and I needed to know he was real. Ten guards had dragged Laz away an hour ago. He'd fought back as hard as he could, but eventually, I'd screamed and pleaded for him to stop fighting. I couldn't take watching him get beaten. They’d pulled him away, a look of utter rage and disappointment in himself written across his face. The near-death experience with Guthrie had already left me shaken up. But having Laz taken away like that just reminded me how fucking powerless I was in this place.

  If I ever got my power back...

  I shivered and wondered for the first time if I even deserved my power back at this point. There was something dark inside of me, something slithering around insidiously, transforming my insides as it went along.

  "I knew we couldn't trust that worthless sack of shit," Alaric growled, slapping the door shut, and I realized that I'd been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't bothered to tell him why Laz wasn't here. Crap! The guys weren't exactly thrilled about Laz's sudden place in my life. They were looking for any excuse to push him permanently away at this point.

  "He got taken away. Someone must have been watching, and they sent at least ten guards. Laz would have had to slaughter them all to stay, and that wouldn't have gotten us anywhere," I told him soothingly. Somehow, his anger was making me calm down. At least calm down enough to stop practically hyperventilating.

  "He should have done anything to stay and protect you," Alaric argued, even though we both knew he was just blowing smoke at this point. Alaric pulled me tighter against him, and I soaked in his delicious smell. I wasn't sure how it was possible to smell godlike in a cesspit like this, but somehow Alaric managed it.

  "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you," he groaned into my hair. "I'd die if something happened to you. Right after I burned the whole world down." He pulled away from me and slid one hand around my neck, while the other hand slid up to grip my hair. His thumb softly rubbed across my pulse, as if he was reassuring himself that I was still alive. "You were alone this week," he growled, his thumb becoming frantic as I moved.

  I couldn't muster up the energy to put on a brave face. It hadn't been his fault. It had been no one’s fault but the Warden's. But this week had been one of the hardest of my life…and that was saying something.

  "You're here now," I finally stated, staring up at him, suddenly understanding how you could drown in someone's eyes. Caught in the pools of gray, I’m lost in their depths, the color somehow managing to set me on fire and calm me at the same time. I needed to stay in this moment. I needed to forget about everything outside the small walls of my cell. Just for a second.

  "You're here now," I repeated softly, his eyes blazing as my hands trailed up his chest. "Now what are you going to do about that?"

  He finally got my meaning, and his breath hitched as he licked his lips slowly. He stopped his maddening tracing of my pulse and instead took my face in his hands and kissed me lightly. Impatient, I deepened the kiss immediately; my tongue came out, ready to dance with his. I swallowed his groan as he willingly stepped off the ledge with me, allowing me to desperately pull his shirt off. I dragged my lips away from his, and moved them to his chest. His skin was hot to my touch, almost feverish. I licked at the edges of his sharply defined tattoos and let my lips travel along the hard contours of his muscles as he leaned his head back, breathing hard.

  He seized me suddenly, taking back control. One arm circled my waist and pulled me close, while the other traveled up my back and higher, winding into my hair and forcing my mouth against his. His tongue relentlessly explored my mouth. I loved the way Alaric kissed me. He kissed me like he was starving, and I was the only thing that could satisfy him. His kiss was raw and intense, ripping me open and tangling himself with my insides until I felt like I couldn't live without him.

  He leaned me back on the cot. Hovering over me, he used his knee to push my legs apart, and I felt the whole thick length of him pushing against my throbbing center.

  I stared at him in awe, my gaze heavy-lidded with lust. He was so fucking gorgeous. Broad-shouldered, tanned, and muscular, with a classically chiseled face that was created to destroy hearts. It really wasn't fair for one male to have so much. His tattoos coated his skin, leaving no doubt he was dangerous.

  He was also huge, rigid, and erect. Seriously unfair.

  My insides convulsed with the desire to feel him.

  Alaric slowly undressed me, the movements at odds with the ferociousness of his kiss. He moved me around as if I weighed nothing, somehow not breaking our kiss for a second.

  He eased my shirt and bra off with barely a break of our lips. My pants and underwea
r followed, and then he finally pulled away from me. To look at me. "Fuck, you're perfect," he murmured, his eyes tracing my skin even though he'd seen me naked for what feels like a million times before.

  Running his hands down my thighs, he lightly grazed the throbbing place between my legs which was wet and ready. “It fucking kills me to be away from you for a moment. I just want to live in this perfect pussy.” I arched underneath him, wanting more and wanting it now.

  His dirty words had their own kind of raw power.

  It was safe to say that I was obsessed with everything that his mouth did.

  I whimpered as he continued to lightly trace my folds, intentionally not giving me what I was desperate for.

  Fuck savoring the moment. He needed to give me what I wanted. Now.

  With a suddenness that left me breathless, he spread my legs wide. When I felt the tip of his cock opening me up, I cried out a little from the insane pleasure it brought.

  “You make me crazy,” he swore, and then rammed himself inside of me without warning. Thank fuck he was done holding himself back.

  It was impossible to forget how big Alaric was, but my breath still hitched as my body stretched to take him all in. I pulled my knees back, widening my legs as far as they would go, while Alaric withdrew a little and then thrust the whole of his powerful cock in mercilessly. The exquisite mix of pain and pleasure was exactly what I wanted… exactly what I needed.

  I urged him to go harder, not caring that my moans were probably carrying throughout the prison hallways. It was reckless, wild, just like Alaric himself. There were no rules right now. Our only focus was chasing pleasure, however we could get it. I lived for this feeling of wild abandon. I never wanted it to end.

  I closed my eyes, raising my hands above my head and then gasping when he gripped my wrists hard on either side and used that leverage to increase his rhythm.

  “Alaric,” I whimpered, “I’m close. I’m so close.”

  He nipped at my neck. “I know you’re close, baby. Fuck. Never. Felt. Anything. As good as you. You're strangling my cock, sweet girl."

  I focused every bit of my concentration on the rising wave inside me. I knew what was coming wasn't going to be some quick high that lasted a few seconds, and then disappeared. No, Alaric was bringing me somewhere that would consume and shatter me like he did every single time.

  He didn’t let up as I shook underneath him, that chaotic ecstasy rising rapidly inside of me with every thrust of his hips against mine. I moaned and shouted, calling out things that would embarrass me if I were able to think at all.

  But that was what was perfect about this. I couldn't think at all. All I could do was feel. Pumping into me deep and hard, he waited until I’d gone over the edge before he lost himself in his own ending. I pulled his large hands over my breasts, and he kneaded the flesh as he came, shuddering and pushing himself even deeper. I wrapped my legs around him tightly, wanting to keep him inside of me as long as possible while he growled and cursed, filling me with his release.

  "Perfect, baby. You're perfect," he whispered as his thrusts slowed down.

  The afterglow was real. I swore there were sparkles in the air surrounding us, a haze of glitter that cocooned us on my tiny bed that was barely big enough for one person, let alone two. I sighed, a deep exhale of contentment that was hard to comprehend in a place like this with would-be murderers lurking around every corner. Here in our tiny piece of heaven none of that seemed real. There was only this. Only us.

  "Sleep, baby. I'm not going anywhere," he whispered gruffly against my skin as he pulled out with a low groan and curled my body around his.

  His order wasn't necessary, though. I was already on my way to dreamland before he was halfway through speaking.

  The low murmur of voices woke me up. I blearily opened my eyes and sat up, gripping my blanket tightly so that it still covered me as I looked at who was talking near my cell.

  My eyes flew open when I saw Keon and Alaric in a deep discussion, their stoic faces and stiff bodies letting me know they weren't exchanging pleasantries.

  "What's happened now?" I asked, my voice coming out gravely from sleep and screaming during sex.

  Their gazes flicked to me in tandem, and something fluttered deep in my chest at having both of their attention on me at the same time. I shifted in the bed, feeling ridiculously horny despite the scary vibes I was getting from them. I was about to hear shitty news.

  "It's good news," Keon said lightly, his forced cheerful tone ridiculous sounding. The men in my life weren't really "light" individuals. They lived in the dark, and I'd fallen in love with them there. Instead of dragging them into the light towards me, I'd willingly followed them into the shadows.

  And I think I was alright with that.

  "Keon," I groaned, heaving myself off the cot and ignoring their hungry looks as I scrambled into my clothes.

  "Seth will be walked to his weekly meeting with the psycho psychologist in ten minutes," Keon said, glancing at his watch. "We need to speak with him."

  "Can someone tell me what's going on?" I squeaked as Alaric grabbed my hand the second I'd pulled on my shoes and tugged me out the cell door that Keon had already passed through.

  We strode quickly through the halls. Prisoners went quiet at the sight of Alaric and Keon, and it was nice to walk without feeling like someone was going to jump me at any minute. Several guards passed us. If they thought it was strange that Keon was walking with Alaric and me, they didn't say.

  My heart leapt when we turned a corner. Seth was there, being roughly dragged by an ugly S.O.B. guard who had him by the hair. I opened my mouth to yell at the guard, even though I knew that would be a stupid move, but Alaric squeezed my hand before the words could leave my mouth.

  "You're needed in the shifters’ section," Keon said casually, the authority in his voice leaving no room to argue. The guard leered at me, yanking sharply on Seth's hair once more before releasing it. He was an ugly fucker. Several of his teeth were missing, and there was a jagged white scar stretched across his craggy skin. There was a second of tension where the guard stared at Keon, but finally he shrugged, giving Keon an insincere smile.

  "Of course," he said as he walked by us. "You seem to get all the fun assignments, Keon," he called over his shoulder before he disappeared around the corner.

  "Selena," Seth called out breathlessly as he stumbled towards me. It looked like he'd gone through another beating recently. There were dark bruises marring his beautiful skin. Keon undid his cuffs, and he was on me before I could examine him further. He buried his face in my neck, almost pushing me to the ground as he did so. It was only Alaric's hands on my back that kept me up. Seth took deep inhales, and I cringed thinking I probably smelled like dirty sex and the prison. Seth didn't seem to mind, though. He cuddled against me, continuing to breathe me in, like I was covered in strawberries and cream instead of sweat and cum.

  "Seth," I whispered, stroking his hair softly and thinking how good it felt to feel him against me. Seth was complicated. A hard, beautiful shell surrounded the most perfect heart I'd ever seen, and the moments where he gave me a glimpse of it were worth everything. It killed me what he was forced to go through in this place.

  "Dale will be back soon. Fucker knew I was lying," Keon stated, shifting uncomfortably at Seth's overt display of affection.

  "Just one more minute," Seth murmured, his lips tracing my skin and sending shivers down my spine. He slid his hands into my hair, and tilted my head back for better access. My stomach dropped as our mouths met and our tongues collided, a throbbing starting between my legs. The kiss wasn't sweet or sensual. It was desperate, like every moment seemed to be with him since I'd met him.

  Fisting his jumpsuit, I pulled his body to mine. His cock pressed into my stomach, making my knees weak. My brain stopped functioning, my body controlling its need. His hips pushed further, his thickness growing against me as I arched back. A small part of my brain realized that he was pushin
g me against Alaric… who was also growing hard.

  "Seth," Alaric grumbled, trying to sound annoyed, but it was obvious he was affected by what was going on.

  “Fuck,” Seth growled, bringing his forehead to mine; his breathing as erratic as mine. “There's never enough time.”

  Alaric pulled me away from Seth, and my brain started functioning again.

  "I made a deal with the Warden," Alaric abruptly announced.

  That announcement definitely pushed my brain into hyper-drive.

  "What kind of deal?" Seth asked sharply.

  "We're getting Selena out of here," Keon answered.

  "But how?" I asked, a stupid pulse of hope beating in my chest.

  "The Warden loves his treasure. So, I made a deal for Selena's release… in exchange for a little treasure hunt."

  "That sounds easy," Seth said sarcastically. He'd taken my hand and was gripping it tightly, his hand slightly trembling in mine.

  "What kind of treasure hunt?" I prodded.

  "There's a stone somewhere in this place. Or at least there's supposed to be. One that’s supposed to grant wishes," answered Alaric.

  "Like that ridiculous Aladdin’s lamp that humans are so fond of hearing about?" Seth scoffed.

  I glanced at Seth, wondering why his attitude seemed to get worse.

  "So, that's really it, we just go on this treasure hunt...and then we're out?" I pressed, the seed of hope growing bigger.

  Alaric's face dimmed. "We're still figuring out the ‘we’ part,” he admitted.

  Before I could say anything else in response, the sound of boots marching towards us echoed down the hallway.

  "Shit. That's Dale. We need to move," Keon hissed.