Good.
That should put a stop to the shenanigans that were taking place at the jail. It’s a good holding cell for supernatural criminals, but it’s not meant for anything long-term, and it’s definitely not up to the task of keeping crazy ass alphas from trying to break out prisoners. But this place is.
I turn forward and take in the ominous spread before me. There’s a large gothic gate about ten feet away with the initials NP wrapped in barbed wire.
Nightmare Penitentiary.
I made it.
The gate itself is iron and tall, and past it, there are massive buildings that look like a cross between a decrepit castle and a creepy mausoleum.
Thorny vines are overgrown and trailing up the stone walls, and there are some menacing gargoyles carved as sentries on the top spires. There’s enough magic coming from the gate that it’s giving me goosebumps. There’s some serious power ingrained in that to keep the prisoners inside and everyone else out, which is exactly what I need.
Nightmare Penitentiary is an ominous fortress meant to keep supernatural people with all sorts of abilities and power on lockdown. It’s the most intimidating and protected place in our paranormal world. Everything about it screams scary. There are even bats flying around as a dense fog creeps in all around me just to add to the terrible ambiance.
It’s awesome.
I smile as the gate creaks open and a really terrifying dude walks out. He’s wearing a long brown leather trench coat that has a distinct steampunk vibe to it and bulging pockets, probably filled with all sorts of weapons. He has a wicked glare and a cigarette hanging from his mouth that’s making an odd amount of smoke trail behind him as he walks.
He stops in front of me, and I’m forced to crane my neck up to look at him. I’ve never wanted to wear platform shoes so badly until right at this moment. “Man, you could give a girl a real crick in the neck.”
He ignores that completely. “I’m the Warden here. You’ll be in Section One for the minor offenses. You even think about escaping, you will find yourself brought to the deeper levels, and trust me, you won’t survive down there for a single day.”
I pat him on the shoulder. “You don’t have to worry your scary little head about me, Warden. I’m a big fan of your work here. I’ll be the model prisoner, just as soon as I get my measly sentence increased.”
He narrows his eyes and looks me over like he’s not sure what to make of that. He takes a deep pull of his smoke stick. “Follow me.”
“Aye, aye, Captain Warden, sir.”
He turns and starts stalking through the gate, which creaks just as loudly as it shuts behind us. I know the magic is sealing me in, and I breathe a little sigh of relief. Our footsteps crunch on the cracked stone walkways as the Warden brings me toward one of the large buildings. I tap the doorway for good luck as we head inside.
Section One really completes the whole dreary vibe. Crumbling plaster, thick iron bars, and the sound of distant snarls. The Warden leads me down the corridor with questionable lighting, where I pass several inmates. I start waving at everyone as I pass them by.
“Hey!” I call to a gnome dude who’s doing some crunches on his cell floor. He ignores me, and I turn and wave to a chick in the next cell across the way who has an iron blindfold clasped over her eyes and snakes for hair. “Oh, a gorgon!” I say excitedly as I step up to her cell. “I’ve always loved gorgons. Your snake hair is kickass.”
She cocks her head, nose flaring as she faces me, unable to see because of her confined eyesight. “Fuck off.”
“Well, that’s not very friendly,” I say with a frown. “We’re gonna be neighbors, and we should form an alliance or something. You know, support girl power and all that.”
Her blue snakes start hissing at me, and I hold my hands up. “Alright, geez. I’ll go find someone else.”
“Inmate 11764, get your ass up here,” the Warden calls from ahead.
I hurry to catch up to him. When I spot a goblin picking at his gold-capped teeth as he sits on his bed, I stop again. “Hey there, can you please tell me what the coolest prison gangs are in this place?”
The goblin looks at me with disdain and then spits a piece of dislodged food at my feet. Ew.
“11764!” the Warden shouts in warning. He really has a problem with patience.
“Alright, you think about it and get back to me,” I tell the goblin as I catch up with my line leader again.
He unlocks an empty cell and shoves the door open. Crossing his arms, he glares at me. “Get in and shut up.”
“Cheers,” I say brightly.
When I don’t walk in fast enough, the Warden grabs me by the collar of my shirt and shoves me in. I feel a sting at my tail as I go stumbling in, and I spin to see the warden shoving something orange in one of his pockets.
“Did you just pluck one of my feathers?” I demand incredulously, looking down so I can inspect the damage. He totally did.
“For my collection,” he replies ominously as he slams the door behind me, and a speckle of magical smoke bursts out from the lock to seal me in at the same time that the chains around my limbs and tail disappear in a puff.
He walks away, and I have no fucking clue what I’m supposed to make of that. Miffed, I pet the spot on my tail that’s now a feather down before turning around to take in my surroundings.
“Ahh. Cell sweet cell,” I say as I breathe in the nice stagnant air.
Seeing the extra prison-issued uniforms that are waiting for me on the bed, I gather them and set them on the small desk that sits at the foot of the bed on the same wall. I have a metal toilet and a small sink in here, and that about rounds up the decor. Directly across from me, I can see a wall and the very edge of another prisoner’s iron bars, but at this angle, I’m not able to see the supernatural inside.
I release a relieved sigh. I settle back on my lumpy bed with my hand under my head, ready to live the Nightmare Penitentiary life.
Ah. I’ve never felt so free.
By the time the cell doors open for dinner, I’m starving.
I’m going to have to get my new system worked out here. The holding jail was super easy to bribe some guards and ally with other inmates to get the good shit. Like Pop Rocks candy and extra pillows. Luckily for me, I was pretty much made for this prison life. There’s no way this place can be harder to navigate than my family.
I don’t need my matriarch and patriarch to sell me off to be mated to a shifter who just wants me for the alliance and money. I’m not property to be auctioned off, and I’ll be damned if I’m forced to become a trophy mate hanging off some douche’s arm—or worse, under his thumb like I have been with my mat and pat my whole life. No thanks.
Unfortunately, when your lounge leader decides to mate you to someone, there is no telling them no. I’d be exiled, clipped, and stripped of the Denali name, and that’s if I’m lucky. I’m never lucky, and my no would most likely be a death sentence, even though my matriarch is my damn mother.
But getting imprisoned? There’s nothing my mat and pat can do about that. Shifter packs aren’t above supernatural law. It can’t be held against me, and there isn’t fuck-all they can do about it. This is my self-induced vacation. The perfect way to get away from everyone trying to dictate or steal my future.