His hard features lighted on Braxton. “Keep her under control. Muzzle the bitch if you have to.”
Braxton moved then, in his usual move that was faster than the eye could track. His hand hovered over the vampire’s neck, but he didn’t touch him.
“Don’t threaten me or Jessa. I don’t want to take you on, but if it comes down to it, I will. And you will not best me.”
Something slid across the red depths of Vlad’s eyes, and without another word he turned away. My worried eyes followed him, he was very old and powerful, I did not want Braxton anywhere near him. We were at the start of the food now, so it was a convenient distraction for him to turn away. But it also spoke of his hesitation with the Compasses. I wouldn’t have guessed their reputation ran deep enough to have penetrated the prison system. Maybe they’d left an impression when they’d been in here for their short time.
Silence reigned as we traversed the length of the buffet. For once I couldn’t even find enough food to fill my plate. For the first time since we entered the prison, I was depressed.
I dropped my tray with a huff and slowly sank onto a bench seat. Braxton grinned as he sat down right next to me. “All that we’ve gone through in the last few days and finally you’re upset because of shitty food.” He flashed me a double row of blindingly white teeth.
I picked up a bread roll which could actually be used as a weapon. It was like a rock.
“Shitty?” I almost screeched, throwing my rock down. “This food is so bad it should be used to feed the criminals who are on death row in the human prisons. It would actually kill them.”
We didn’t have death row in our prisons. When supernatural criminals were hunted down, many of them received immediate death sentences in the field, mostly because it’s in our nature to fight back. But our laws state that if you come in quietly and accept imprisonment you get to keep your head. Which was the reason Vlad, who wore the blood of millions of humans, was still kicking. It wasn’t exactly a law I always agreed with, but that’s what we had.
I picked at the lumps of crap which were masquerading as food on my plate. Tension filtered through my body as a large figure dropped into the bench seat across from us. I lifted my head, wishing I could call on my wolf. I was really lost without her.
The new arrival was a massive vampire male, bald headed, with scars riddling his visible skin. He had one particularly nasty gash: red, raised and ropy, which ran from the corner of his right eye and down to his chin. He didn’t say anything at first. I think he was hoping his appearance alone would work as intimidation. Braxton and I just stared back, although I did have my bread rock in my hand again. A girl needs to be prepared. Just sayin’.
“I’ve heard a few rumors of your reappearance, Braxton.” His voice was low, and sent chills down my spine. He was dead inside – you can always tell by the voice, nothing good left there anymore. “And of the little wolf that’s been glued to your side.”
“Last time you started trouble, it ended badly,” Braxton drawled. “For you.”
He grinned; his teeth were a little pointed. “Ah, but this time you are minus your brothers. With the addition of a pretty large vulnerability.”
His eyes settled on my face and I wanted to turn away. I felt dirty just having his gaze on me. But I’d played this game before – not with a crazy criminal of course, but I knew that the first to break eye contact lost. I might be a little separated from my wolf, but being alpha never went away, and I was all alpha.
“Jessa is more than enough backup,” Braxton said. My limbs warmed at his compliment. The Compasses spent so much time protecting me that I often wondered if they knew how well I could fight. I was trained, I could be a weapon. I just never needed to, because of my four-guard-men.
Scar-face stared at me for an extra beat before giving a nod. “Jessa, now I realize why your scent is so familiar. You remind me of my jailer … and I have such fond memories of Jonathon Lebron.”
Ah shit. Our flying under the radar had not lasted long.
“Your father is on more than one list in here, wolf princess,” he said as he stood. “I’ll be seeing you.”
He walked away. I wasn’t sure if he realized that he’d just lost our staring, dominance contest. Being a vampire, he probably didn’t care.
His threats had my heart beating a little rapidly, but panic didn’t settle fully into my limbs. No point inviting worry yet. If things were going to go to shit I’d deal with it at the time.
“Worried?” I tilted my head to see Braxton.
He grimaced before throwing down the last of the ass-food that had been on his plate. I couldn’t believe he’d managed to eat any of it.
“We’ll see,” he muttered as we dumped our trays and left the eating area.
He led me to the section of room that we’d walked past but I hadn’t explored, a gym and pool combo filled with many muscle-bound inmates.
“I need to work off some steam,” Braxton said.