“Because I’m going to lose the dragon, and even if part of me lives, will I really be alive? I’ll never fly again, never touch the clouds. I will be earthbound and missing the biggest part of me, and I’ve seen this. I’ve seen what happens when shifters lose their animals. They don’t come back from that. Usually they beg for death anyway. Even if I live through this and could take you out on a date when I get out…I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“Even if it’s what I want?”
“Wants and needs are very different when you are around a man like me, Riyah. You might want me, but you need better than anything I could ever give you.”
“Vyr—”
“Something’s happening. Emmitt’s pissed. He’s in his observation room yelling at someone on the phone about no more inmates are to be brought to the lower levels. Can you find out what’s going on?”
“Yeah. I’ll bring you with me.” Riyah bolted out the door, but the hallway was empty and too quiet. What the hell?
She rushed down the tile hallway, her black pumps clicking against the tile floor with every hurried step. She passed the upper level cafeteria, but the group of inmates who were scheduled to be eating right now were nowhere to be seen. Trays were left where they were, food half eaten, cups were overturned, water was dripping down the side of one table. The only person remaining was one of the kitchen staff named Euless.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
The old man didn’t even look up at her, just continued to sweep up a mess one of the inmates must’ve made before they left. “New inmates are being brought in,” he said in a bored voice.
“Do they lock down the entire facility every time there are new inmates?”
“Nope.”
She stood in the open doorway, waiting a few seconds before she got irritated and barked, “Euless! What’s going on?”
With a sigh, he leaned on the broom and glared at her. “Nox Fuller and Torren Taylor are here.”
Riyah went dumb. There was an entire three-count where she just stood there with her mouth hanging open. “Th-the-the…crew?” They did it?
“Yep. The Red Dragon’s crew is gonna be in the same building as him, and everyone is freaking the fuck out. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have mixed vegetables to clean off the floor, because that’s what I do. I clean up after grown men like they are three-hundred-pound toddlers. I hate my life. Have a good day.”
Right. “Okay, see you later, Euless. You’re doing a fine job.” Riyah speed-walked away, continuing her journey down the long, abandoned hallway. She waited until she passed the camera up in the corner before she whispered, “Vyr.”
“Yeah? I’m here. What’s happening? You shut me out. Is it bad?”
She panted as she jogged in her damn high heels toward the front, barred window. She looked out on the grounds. It was all mowed grass, barbed wire fences, and security towers with a dozen weapons trained on a white transport van.
There were twenty guards, at least, surrounding two men that were stepping out of the van. The first was blond with piercing blue eyes and a full beard. He was laughing like a lunatic, and then he went serious in a flash and lurched at one of the guards, who flinched back. The man laughed again. Even from here, with her less-sensitive human hearing, she could make out his voice clearly. “You should’ve seen how stupid your face looked, man! It matched your stupid looking hair.” He was built like an eighteen-wheeler. Oh, she’d done her research. He was the half-crazed loner grizzly shifter and only son of the Cursed Bear, Clinton Fuller. He was a monster when he Changed and was notorious for fighting everyone and everything. She was staring at none other than Nox Fuller.
Another man followed right behind him, handcuffed just like the blond, wearing a matching tan prison outfit, his neck and arms completely covered in tattoos. He was taller than the other, much wider in the shoulders, with jet black hair, a short beard, and blazing green eyes. He wore a smirk on his face, like he was amused by Nox’s trash-talk. Torren Taylor, aka HavoK, aka the new Kong—biggest, baddest, brawler silverback shifter in existence. He was also completely devoted to his best friend and alpha.
“Holy shit,” she whispered.
“What?” Vyr asked.
“I wish you could see this. They did it.”
“Who?”
“The Sons of Beasts are here.”
She was met with stunned silence.
“Vyr,” she murmured, watching the guards escort the two giants into the prison. “Your crew came for you.”
Chapter Eight
Vyr couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think straight, couldn’t look away from his reflection in the two-way mirror glass. He looked awful, but in his eyes, he saw something he’d only begun to feel recently when Riyah had shown up—hope.
They were here? Torren? Nox? Did Nevada and Candace make it into the girls’ side on the west wing of the prison?
My crew, my crew.
The dragon clenched inside of him, and it was an unfamiliar feeling. It was desperation from the monster, but he’d never been desperate before. Only angry.
They were here. He let off a shaky breath and closed his eyes, reached out for them with his mind, but they weren’t there like Riyah was. He hadn’t seen Torren and Nox for six months, and he’d lost the connection to them. If he could just see them face to face, he could fix the broken bond, but there were too many walls between them right now.
The dragon writhed again, doubling Vyr over, and there it was—the anger. He was angry that he’d been cut off from his people.
Torren, Torren, Torren. Nox. Fuck, he wanted out. Needed out. Needed to see them.
“I just want to see them.”
“I know.” Riyah. She was still here, still in his head, and he was in hers.
He’d forgotten for a moment.
“I’m going to see what I can do, okay?” she said low. “I’m going to talk to the guards right now and see what I can find out.”
“Ask how they got in. Ask what they did to land in here. How much time did they each get? Are Nevada and Candace on the women’s side? Fuck. Riyah, I don’t feel right…”
“Vyr, you have to settle down. I can feel you getting riled up, feel the dragon, and you can’t do that right now. Go sit on the bed.”
He gritted out, “I’m not some dog you order to—”
“Sit.”
His growl rattled the room and shook the walls. Chips of cement rained down on him and the lights flickered. He was losing it.
“Steady breaths,” Riyah whispered. She must be walking where people were because she rarely whispered.
His body buckled, and he went to his knees on the way to the bed. Shit!
“Vyr, listen—”
“Where are you? I need…I need…” You. He wished he could say that last part, but he couldn’t get her hooked on him. Not when he was halfway to hell already. He couldn’t drag her with him. She deserved a good life.
“Babe, stop. Everything is okay. I’m stepping into the restroom…checking stalls…I’m alone. I just called you ‘babe.’”
Her tone sounded shocked, and Vyr huffed out a breath. “I liked it. I liked it. I’m babe. Fuck, Riyah, listen. You need to get out of the facility.”
“Oh my gosh. Vyr, I’m coming down to you.”
“No!” he yelled out loud. “Leave. Please!”