“What’s your name?” She asked.
“Milo.” I hated that fucking name. So of course, she flashed me a smile.
“I love that name.” Somehow it didn’t seem as fucking bad after hearing her opinion of it.
Back in the real world, outside of my vivid memories, someone bumped into her in line and I watched as a small growl escaped her throat and she looked at the large man. He smirked at her and she spoke softly. “I would suggest not fucking touching me again.”
One thing I could say about Valentina? She always offered a lot of warning in advance. If you didn’t listen that was your own god damn fault.
“What the fuck are you going to do about it?” Why was everyone so focused on acting like they had the biggest dick in the room?
I understood that everyone was big on asserting dominance but was it that big of a deal to be the 2nd tier? I mean shit, it wasn’t like most people would bother you anyway. No. This shit was a pride thing. These assholes didn’t like that a 5’6 petite woman was scarier than they were so it was like this epic fucking challenge for them every single day.
“I am going to burn you alive.” She stated setting her tray down and facing him, her eyes more grim as the moments passed. I could tell that Valentina didn’t relish in killing. She didn’t love it like Dimitri did. She didn’t do it instinctively like I did. It just was part of the lifestyle here, plus she tried to maim before actually killing. Well, usually.
“Bullshit,” He snarled stepping up into her space.
She sighed and looked at me, “Can you keep the ash off my food?”
I smirked slightly as he growled and reached a hand forward to grab her, a single finger pointing to press against his chest. The man screamed as his skin turned into a stonelike surface, cracked, and turned into an ashy residue that floated along the tile flooring, silencing the room. I removed my arm from covering her food and she flashed me a tired smile before grabbing her tray, I followed her back to the table. I narrowed my eyes at the food she’d gotten and mentally promised myself that if we ever got out of here I wanted to make sure we had a kitchen stocked full of food… oh, and some fucking hot showers. That would be amazing. I closed my eyes pinching the bridge of my nose, trying to clear the vision of Valentina in a shower with me. Instantly, my dick was hard and I was adjusting myself trying to focus on my food as she spoke.
There were a lot of emotions that I could ignore, but this odd sense of a need to provide for Valentina always sort of messed with my head. I wasn’t a provider. At all. Yet, I found myself worrying about the oddest shit with her. I wanted her to be bathed in the luxury she deserved, yet all I was able to fucking provide right now were some god damn drawings to decorate her ceiling.
“Every morning,” She scowled twisting her hair back, “every batch of recruits.”
“What’s going on Valentina?” I asked as Dimitri offered her a bit of a concerned look. Well, for him, that was essentially a slight brow twitch. I think it would scare the shit out of me if he ever laughed or expressed any strong emotion.
Her elegant hand rested on the metal top as she looked at the two of us, ignoring her odd friends, not that they were paying attention as it is. I wasn’t exactly positive what purpose the two of them served. It was clear they worshiped Valentina a bit but they were terrible conversationalists and usually were talking to themselves or silent. Right now they were off in their own worlds, not caring about anything around them. I envied that level of insanity. Or maybe I was already there and didn’t realize it.
“I’m never going to get out of here, am I?” Valentina questioned her voice in a half plea to tell her different, “It is going to be the same shit, every single day until I die. That’s the true punishment here, the fucking monotony of it.”
“I don’t call you dramatic very often, Cupcake,” I goaded, “but that was dramatic.” Possibly true though if we didn’t figure something out.
She growled and hit her hand on the table, “Milo, I’m serious. Can’t you see that we are getting used to this shit. I need out. I need to get the fuck out of here.”
A dark shadow crowded our table and I scowled because it was Sgt. Vaughn. Fucking asshole. She turned and frowned, “I never see you in the morning, why now?” No greeting just a blunt question. I loved that. Valentina was always suspicious of change.
He grunted, looking at the blood on Dimitri’s shirt before looking back at her. “It was reported that a magic eater was by your cell this morning, is that true?” I could see the concern in his face but it wasn’t like the fear that wracked my own body. Fear for her. They killed indiscriminately. They would kill her. I wouldn’t be able to survive this place without her. I would end up killing everyone around me or killing myself from the insanity of it all. I inhaled trying to breathe through the bout of anxiety that hit me hard in the chest.
That was another problem. How the hell was I supposed to protect and love Valentina correctly when I was so god damn dependant on her? If she only realized how much I needed her, she would probably view it as a weakness.
It was hard to capture what daily life was like here. There were stone walls, gray skies, and creatures of every sort. There was never silence unless Valentina created it and most times at least a few people were killed at every fucking meal. Violence was the norm and if someone wasn’t being violent they were usually sitting in a corner crying or talking to themselves. This place made you insane, taking it from being a correctional institute to a fucking mental ward. Neither of those really fit though. This place was a prison through and through, anyone who told you different was a god damn liar.
“Just passed by,” She noted quietly her eyes darkening.
He growled and shook his head, “I’ll talk to them…”
“Don’t,” She stated looking annoyed, “it was fine. Nothing happened, Vaughn. But if you bring it up, it could. Just leave it the fuck alone.”
The man crouched down from his tall height and spoke quietly, “If you think I am going to let them get away with...”
Her finger pressed to his lips as he let out a low growl, “Stop. We will talk later. I’m not doing this. It is way too fucking early in the day for this shit.”
He grunted, muttering under his breath, before striding away looking like a kicked puppy. I watched him go and shook my head, the man annoyed me more than most. He had power here and while I knew he attempted to keep her safe, it wasn’t good enough. She needed to be outside these walls and back in another realm.
For the record, yes. I’d tried to draw a portal but summoning interdimensional portals was harder than drawing ones out of this fucking castle. The issue with drawing ones to get out of this place? I had no idea what it fucking looked like out there.
You can’t draw something you’ve never seen.
Chapter 3
Valentina
What if I never got out of here?
I mean that was entirely possible. Leaning into Dimitri’s chest, I narrowed my eyes at the teacher as she looked up as if to say something about where I sat. If I wanted to sit on this man’s lap, I would damn well do it. My fingers ran through Milo’s curly hair in front of me as he tilted his head back looking somewhat at peace. Maybe, he would be so bored from this class he’d actually get some sleep. Four minutes until this class would start and then one hour until it would be over. Honestly, it was a nice break from the endless drone of yard fights and threats. Once you were the top of the chain in prison it became oddly boring.