Removing my pants and lace underwear first, I slipped into the granny panties and bottom half of the jumpsuit before I undressed my top half. Shrek Two was still staring at me, so I glared at him and turned toward the wall. Though, that didn’t help much because there was a mirror reflecting my image back to the guard, but it didn’t show all of me, so it was better than nothing.
My normally smooth creamy skin was marred from being thrown around, and my hazel eyes had dark circles beneath them. My thick golden hair was matted in places I’d likely have to spend hours trying to unknot.
Shaking my head, I tore my gaze away from my reflection and focused on getting dressed, moving along with my task as quickly as I could before Shrek Two decided to make my life even more of a shit show. I swiftly removed my black crop top, followed by my favorite bra. I’d probably never see it again, even if I got out of this hell hole.
As soon as my arms were through the holes, I buttoned the front from the top down, turned back toward the guard, and slipped into the cheap shoes. His eyes moved over my body, and then he nodded stiffly before stepping closer to grip my arm.
“Let’s go,” he demanded as he drug me from the room.
We were only seconds from the main cell area, and I almost died when I took a quick look around. This wasn’t the women’s section of the prison. They’d thrown me in with the men, and if I didn’t die within the first week like the warden previously assumed, it was likely I would wish I had.
Chapter 2
Shrek Two yanked me forward when I froze in the entryway. There had to be a mistake. I didn’t belong with a bunch of criminals, let alone an entire cell block of males.
“Why am I here?” I asked in shock.
“The less questions you ask, the easier it will be,” he answered without the bite I expected.
He continued to drag me forward and the catcalls began, making my skin crawl. None of this was okay. I hadn’t really been freaking out yet, because I had been certain this was all just a mistake that could be easily cleared up. Now? I was in way over my head and had no idea what I was going to do.
Shrek Two threw me against the bars of a cell I prayed was empty. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. A tall, lanky dude lazily swung his legs down from the top bunk as the door was unlocked.
“What’s going on, Deacon?” the prisoner asked, and I finally learned Shrek Two’s real name.
“You’ve got a new roommate. Try to keep this one alive longer than a week,” Deacon grumbled before throwing me once more, as if I weighed nothing.
I landed awkwardly against a lovely urinal and threw up in my mouth before scrambling back to my feet just in time to see the cell door being slammed closed.
The guy before me was staring and seemed just as confused as me about why I was in his cell. He didn’t look scary, but in the supernatural world, looks could be deceiving.
“Listen, dude. I don’t want to be here any more than you want some chick in your cell,” I said, silently hoping that was correct. “So, don’t mess with me and I won’t cut off your junk.”
First rule of prison: Always act tougher than you really are.
The second rule? No idea. I was making things up as I went.
A lopsided grin appeared on his face as he ran a hand through his dirty-blond hair. “It’s your lucky day. Not only do I not care if you’re in my cell, but you won’t find any trouble from me. I’m just counting down the days until I’m out of here, so consider me a friend for our hopefully temporary time together.” His hand reached to shake mine, but I didn’t take it. “My name is Anthony.”
His hazel eyes watched me patiently as I continued to size him up, holding my head high and trying to ignore the fact that he was at least a solid foot taller than me. The only saving grace was that he didn’t appear to have much muscle on him, which meant he wasn’t a shifter. Shifters could be shady bastards. At least, the ones I’d dealt with in the past had been.
Finally, I caved and shook his hand. “I’m Cara. What are you in for?”
There was no way I was going to bed without knowing who was sleeping in the same cell as me. He might have been lacking in some areas, but even a child could be a murderer, sadly.
A slight blush crossed his face. “Hacking. I was doing a favor for a buddy—a human one, nonetheless—and before I knew it, a fairy appeared before me. She knocked me out with some fancy dust, and when I woke, I was in here, naked as the day I was born.”
Damn. Well, I guess things could have been worse for me. At least I had awoken fully clothed. Though, my fairy had tried to kill me. Naked or bleeding to death? I wasn’t sure which was worse.
“What about you?” he asked when I didn’t respond to his comment.
“Honestly? I’m not sure. They wouldn’t tell me, just that in some way I’d used my witch magic unlawfully.” I shrugged, hoping that was a normal occurrence and he didn’t think I was lying.
“Huh,” was all he said before hopping back onto the top bunk and laying down.
My eyes widened in disbelief. Maybe my luck hadn’t run out just yet. I’d heard the stories about Mandora, and I fully expected this guy to at least make lewd comments toward me or, even worse, to make a move. How was it possible I was paired up with someone who was actually going to leave me alone?
My unfortunate upbringing had made me doubt any sort of kindness shown to me, which meant I wasn’t buying his nonchalant attitude, and I needed more info. Moving forward, I used the lower mattress to step on, so I could see his bunk better. He was reading a gamer magazine and paying zero attention to me.
Shoving his leg, I called out his name.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“That’s what I want to know. Why aren’t you being an asshole?”
He put the magazine down and sat back up. “Look, it’s like I said before, consider yourself lucky during cell time. I don’t want any trouble. I simply want to go home. The less attention I draw to myself, the sooner that will happen. You’d do best to remember that. I’ve been here for two months, and I only have one left.
“I don’t mind helping you while I’m still here. Just remember these things and you might have a chance of surviving, even in the men’s block. First, don’t go to the bathroom alone, ever. If you can’t find someone you trust to watch your back and you can’t wait until you’re back in your cell, piss yourself. The worst criminals enjoy hanging out in there and have no qualms about roughing people up just for entertainment.”
My body shuddered as I began to really process where I was and who I was surrounded by. This did not bode well for me.
“Second, eat as quickly as possible. If you don’t, someone else will take your food. While they feed us good stuff, more than half of these guys have been here since the prison was opened and they enjoy causing torture in all forms. Third, don’t challenge the Fabled Four. Just stay out of their way and off their radar. They’re the most likely to screw with you.”
Hmmm, three rules to keep myself alive until I sorted my issues out. I was pretty sure I could do that as long as I managed to stay away from prisoners he described in the bathrooms. “Who are the Fabled Four?” I asked.