"Not even close. Seriously, don't screw with them. I meant what I said about the rules, Cara. Just keep your head down. If there is coffee left over after they leave the room, you can chance it then if you’re really desperate."
Damn it all to hell. This was bullshit. The Fabled Four were going to be the death of me, and I hadn't even laid eyes on them yet.
Regardless of my irritation to men I’d yet to meet, I thanked Anthony for the heads up, because he really was going above and beyond for me. Something that certainly hadn’t gone unnoticed. I would have to find a way to repay his generosity.
By the time we got to the table he had chosen, I was already done with most of my food, making me regret not getting more. I didn't think I'd be able to eat so fast while walking, but my lesson was learned for lunch. As we sat down, I started to pick at my roll that was dry and hard, but somewhat edible. At least, I pretended so.
Another guy joined us but didn't even raise his head to acknowledge our presence until he was more than halfway through his food. I opened my mouth to ask why everyone was damn paranoid about their food since I’d yet to see any reason why, but my words fell to the wayside when a hush came over the room.
My hand froze midair as four Greek gods appeared in the room. Holy shit.
Please don't be the Fabled Four. Please. Please. Please.
"That's them. Do. Not. Stare," Anthony hissed.
Of course, it was them. Anthony elbowed me when I didn't remove my glare. One of them, I kind of recognized. From what Anthony had said the night before, I gathered that at least two of them had been present when the fairy drugged me. One had been somewhat nice—the other, not so much—if my memory was intact.
As they got closer, I continued to stare at each of them. They had hair buzzed to identical lengths, as if they’d had haircuts on the same day, and were over six feet tall, with the one in the back taking the lead in height.
He caught my attention the most, because he looked extremely pissed off, as if the world owed him something and hadn't paid up yet. It made me smirk, because it served them well to be angry about something, considering the fear they'd put in the other inmates. Nobody should have that much power over others.
The blonde one seemed to have a perma-grin as he moved through the room. When his eyes landed on me, it faltered for the first time, but not for long. He leaned in closer to another dude with dark hair and creamy bronze skin and whispered something. Soon, they were all looking at me, and Anthony was promising me a painful death through gritted teeth.
Finally, I got smart and looked away. Though, I kept them in my peripherals in case they decided to come any closer to our table and I was glad I had.
A hand swiped out and knocked the croissant I'd been picking at from my grip. "Oops. Hope you weren't still hungry, Siren." Then, he proceeded to step on the bread and squish it into the ground just for good measure.
"Nope, you did me a favor, Dimples," I replied coolly, giving him a nickname like he had me. Though, it didn't go unnoticed.
Several heads snapped up to watch the show that was unfolding, and I internally chastised myself for not being able to keep my mouth shut.
He turned toward the stoic one with russet hair he’d whispered to before. "Yeti, do I look like a Dimples to you?"
Yeti pondered the question and then shrugged. "I don't really care what you look like. Either squish the bug or let's keep walking before I make someone cry. I really don't have the energy for this today."
The one I'd called Dimples leaned in closer to me. "Name is Gunner. If you have the nerve to address us again, at least know who you’re talking to, Little Siren."
Because I had a death wish and wasn’t one to be out-intimidated, I moved in even closer, so our noses were almost touching. "Well, Gunner. How about you remember this? My name isn't Siren. It's Cara. Respect me and I'll do the same to you."
His finger lifted and tapped my nose. "You're going to pay for this show of bravery, but not today. Count your blessings that I haven’t slept much in the last forty-eight hours, which means coffee first. But don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be seeing you again real soon."
The others in their group were already gone, and I had no more food left. Probably no more friends left, either, considering I’d done exactly as Anthony had asked me not to.
The reality of my situation was smacking me in the face, and it was truly sinking in that I was actually locked up in prison with a bunch of men. As much as I didn’t want to let anyone push me around, maybe I should have tried a little harder to keep my attitude in check.
Unfortunately, those thoughts were a little too late. I was locked into the sights of the Fabled Four, so I just needed to deal with it the best I could and not let them get to me in the future. It was only one interaction and the consequences maybe weren’t all that bad considering they’d walked away pretty quickly.
In reality, I'd probably just royally screwed myself, but I was ignoring that little voice in my head for the time being.
Chapter 3
Breakfast ended, and while my stomach was sated, my mind wasn’t. The Fabled Four took their coffee and food, then disappeared. To where? I had no idea, but I really wanted to know. The more I knew about them, the better I could protect myself and anyone around me.
“What did I tell you? The rules are important if you want to survive. If those guys don’t kill you for that little show in the common area, try to remember to obey the damn rules next time you see them,” Anthony barked at me angrily.
“Listen, dude. I appreciate your help, and I’m sorry if I put you in a bad spot, but growing up the way I did, it was always me against the world. In order to truly survive, I either had to stand on my own two feet or make friends with the biggest and baddest mofos around me. Unfortunately, that type of thought process is still ingrained in me, and since you are neither big nor bad, I may forget your rules and screw up. It’s not meant to be disrespectful of your help. It’s just part of who I am. Plus, I’m slightly stubborn.” I smirked, trying to lighten the mood.
He scoffed. “Slightly? Right.” Then he winked at me, and I took that to mean all was forgiven which made me breathe a little easier.
A group of guys were playing basketball, and I followed Anthony to benches at the side of the court. A few others were hanging out, enjoying the rare February sun that had made an appearance on what was normally a dreary month.
December to February was typically hellish in Northern New York with bouts of snow and rain that kept most people inside if possible. I’d been living in Albany before being brought to Mandora, which I was pretty sure was located near Wolf Lake State Forest.
Very few people knew its exact location, because not many were stupid enough to go search for a place they didn’t belong. Mandora was one of many supernatural prisons located around the United States, and there were plenty more all over other countries as well.
Supernaturals began to be regulated more closely after a group of shifters got the bright idea that it would be fun to expose their more superior forms to the humans in order to have more freedom. It hadn’t worked out for them, though, and they ended up being the first residents of this particular prison.