Seconds later the door reopened, and a haggard, old woman was ushered in. She was in the standard prison-issue uniform, and her hands were shackled with handcuffs, which the guard attached to the bar down the center of the table.
“Who the hell are you?” She sneered at me, showing yellow-brown teeth that I swear took all of my self-control not to smack out of her disgusting face. People like her didn’t deserve to live, in prison or not.
“Irrelevant,” I snarled, unable to keep the fury from my voice as I eyed the woman who had broken my Vixen as a child. How anyone could do what she had allowed to happen to my girl... My fists curled, the knuckles popping and stretching as my dragon claws threatened to protrude.
“I came for information. You’d be wise to give it over.” My tone accepted no negotiation on this point, and her eyes widened as she stared at my flexing fists.
“What do you wanna know?” she asked, not taking her eyes from my hands but paling noticeably. Good. I wanted her afraid.
“You took something that didn’t belong to you. A ring.” I wasn’t asking; I was telling. “You’re going to tell me where to find it now.”
Her gaze darted up to my face as I stood, towering over her, and a small smile pulled at her wrinkled mouth.
“Boy, I’ve taken a great many things that didn’t belong to me. It’s part of the reason I’m here, you follow?” She looked at me with narrowed eyes. “You going to need to be more specific.”
Ice shot through my blood, and I knew my dragon was riding close to the surface. This mention that she was in jail for theft only served to infuriate me further. The slippery bitch had managed to weasel her way out of a much more serious sentence for child abuse and underage sex trafficking, but luckily the prosecutor had managed to slap her with a series of lesser crimes of theft and assault that had compounded to a life sentence anyway.
“A sapphire ring with an intricate gold setting. You took it from a little girl with fox-red hair.” My heart cracked at the thought of little seven-year-old Kit in the care of this vile creature.
“Ah, that little bitch,” Suzette spat, and her lip curled with a snarl. “More trouble than she was ever damn worth.”
My palms slammed down on the table with a bang that echoed like thunder, and I let my eyes meld with my dragon. Fury vibrated over my skin, and I let Suzette see in my eyes just how much shit she would be in if she didn’t answer me.
“The ring,” I snarled. “Where is it now?”
“R-Richard,” she whimpered, finally seeming to comprehend the danger she was in with me. “I left everything in my safe, and my boys said that Richard’s men came and cleaned it out. Held a gun to their heads and made them give over the combination. Said they were collecting a refund.”
“If you’re lying to me,” I growled, leaning in close. My eyes must have totally dragoned out as the room was in infinitely sharper focus than it had been a few moments ago.
“I’m not! I swear!” The pathetic excuse for a human began sobbing, and the distinct, acrid smell of urine reached my sensitive nostrils as she pissed herself.
“You’d better pray I don’t need to return here,” I threatened, turning and banging on the door to be let out. The woman said nothing as I left the room, and I stalked down the prison corridor with anger riding my every step.
How the fuck was I going to tell Vixen that the ring she needed for full control of her powers was in the possession of the man who had abused and traumatized her for two full years as a kid?
Richard Liath. Also known as Mr. Gray.
18
KIT
When I woke again, it was to the comforting smell of linen and feathers, and a smile crept across my face before I even bothered to open my eyes.
“What are you smiling at?” Wesley whispered, his breath feathering across my lips, and I knew he could only be inches away from me.
“I love waking up like this,” I whispered back, still not opening my eyes but not trying to hide my smile either. “I think I might need to start requesting cuddle buddies every night.”
Wesley had his arms around me, and one of my legs was hitched up over his waist. It was comfortable and warm and just downright cozy.
“I have no doubt the guys will be on board with that idea.” He snickered. “So long as I get dibs at least once a week.”
“Always,” I cracked my eyes open, and met his clear, blue gaze. Without his glasses obscuring his eyes, it always startled me just how blue they really were. “You look so different without your glasses,” I commented, stroking a lazy finger down the side of his face.
“Good different or bad different?” he asked.
“Neither. Just different.” I smoothed the tip of my finger across his eyebrow, then down his nose, like I was memorizing his face by feel.
“I was thinking I should start wearing contacts again. Just haven’t had a chance to see the optometrist with all the madness lately.” His soft lips curved into a lazy smile, and I smiled back.
“Why contacts?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“So my glasses aren’t getting in the way when I do this.” He leaned forward, closing the gap between us and kissing me. Butterflies erupted in my belly once more, and I tried not to pounce on him as he kissed me gently and deliberately.
“Hmm, that seems like a fair enough reason,” I murmured when we did finally separate from one another.
“How are you feeling?” he asked in a more serious tone. “You still look a little tired.” He swiped a thumb under my eye where there were undoubtedly dark circles. It was partly just due to how pale I was; the damn sleep bags showed up so easily.
“I could probably use a little extra magic top off, but it’s nothing I couldn’t fix with more sleep, I imagine.” I grinned and licked my lips. “Unless...”
“Well, I mean, it does seem only logical. After all, it takes nothing from us. I’ve consulted the guys, and they all agree that when they’ve, um, assisted in your recharge, they’ve suffered no side effects to speak of.” He had slipped back into scientific Wesley, and it really did just make me want him even more, if that was possible.
“You know, you’re a lot more confident about this than I gave you credit for,” I observed, running my hand down his naked chest and admiring his lean, muscled frame.
“Sweetheart,” he chuckled. “What do you take me for? A virgin?”
I paused, looking up at him and cocking my head in curiosity. “Are you?”
He grinned, but his only answer was to pull me back to him for another kiss. This time he wasn’t so gentle, and when my mouth opened to allow him access, he took charge.
My leg was already hooked over his waist, so it took little to no maneuvering at all for him to turn us so that I was on top and straddling his rock hard cock while he kissed the shit out of me.