Ethan and Gabe were with us again, and a few other guys I hadn’t taken the time to meet were further down the table. Idle chatter began as everyone started to eat; then, just like that morning, a hush fell over the common area when a door slammed open from above the stairs.
Shoving a rather large bite of burger in my mouth, I glanced around wondering where the noise had come from. It wasn’t until I was on my second bite and more than halfway done that the Fabled Four made their appearance.
Gunner, the blonde who I’d called Dimples before, stormed in first and began pushing people around and knocking plates off tables as he moved down the aisle. Yeti, the russet-haired one, was right behind him, joining in on the destruction.
Behind them, the final two strolled in. I’d learned earlier that the one with mahogany-colored hair was called Ace, and the brooding one with tanned skin, ebony hair, and a seemingly always pissed-off appearance went by Hawk. Even now, his sharp jawline ticked through a light layer of scruff with what I could only assume was irritation.
Ace stomped his way toward the food without bothering anyone, and Hawk followed behind, simply scaring people with his presence. I had no idea what races of supernatural they were, but I was dying to find out. I tried not to ask too many questions earlier and appear overly interested, deciding to let the information come to me naturally. For the time being, at least.
Hawk slowed his pace as he walked past our table, and our eyes connected. For the briefest of moments, there was a spark between us, and I forgot he was an asshole I was supposed to stay away from. My body was certain he’d make for a fun weekend, but my mind quickly shut that down.
No, those guys were off limits no matter how hot they all were.
But there was something about those stormy grey eyes I’d just drooled over that made me want to see what was beneath the façade they put on for the rest of the prison. With as obnoxious as they were being, I knew there had to be more to them than just being resident bullies.
Once all four of them passed by without screwing with me, I took more bites of my food and the others around me ate in silence. Just when I pushed the last bite of my burger into my mouth, a hand smacked down on my back, and meat lodged in my throat as I choked.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Were you still eating? Let me help you.” Gunner’s hand slammed down on my back a few more times, much harder than necessary.
When the remaining food went all the way down, I stood up and realized Gunner was a solid foot taller than me, and I only kind of regretted my decision, but still didn’t back off.
My finger slammed into his chest without thinking. “Don’t touch me again.”
He raised a brow as his head moved level with mine. “What are you going to do about it if I don’t listen?”
My voice lowered, so the entire common area didn’t hear me. “I will rip your balls off, then shove them down your throat like a roasted pig.”
That was a total lie, but whenever I felt backed into a corner, my mouth seemed to word vomit whatever it wanted and apparently that was to not let this asshole think I was a pushover.
He smirked at me and raised a finger of his own, holding it within an inch of my shoulder. “I’d really like to see you try.”
Just before he closed the distance to call my bluff, Hawk stepped in. “Not today, Gunner. We don’t need the drama she’ll bring. Just leave her alone.”
Gunner straightened and backed away. “Well, I guess today is your lucky day, Siren, but don’t worry, we’ll be seeing you around.”
Hmmm, was that my free pass from them? Would they actually leave me alone just because one person said, or should I have been severely afraid of what “we’ll be seeing you around” meant?
A smart person simply would have been thankful Hawk didn’t want anything to do with me, but a part of me was too curious and wouldn’t let it go. If I was going to be stuck in this hellhole, I needed something to keep me busy, and pushing the buttons of the Fabled Four seemed to be an intriguing option to pass the time.
That was if I survived long enough to find out just who they really were.
Chapter 4
My first twenty-four hours in prison weren’t as bad as my imagination had cooked up, considering I was holed up with a bunch of dudes. We’d had time outside, then I’d been sent to the laundry room to fold shit-stained underwear for a couple hours before dinner. Definitely not the highlight of my day, but Anthony had been able to stay with me, which helped.
For the most part, the rest of the prisoners kept to themselves except for a handful who made some verbal remarks. Though, a middle finger from me and some glares from the allies I’d made shut them up relatively quickly.
When Anthony and I were back in our cell for the night, I realized there hadn’t been time for cleaning up, and the only bathrooms I’d seen were simple stalls with no showers in sight.
“How do you get clean around this place? I mean, I know we haven’t really done anything since I arrived, but I’m going to need a shower at some point,” I said.
“We get showers three times a week: Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. So, considering tomorrow is Friday, you’re in luck, but I wouldn’t get too excited. This isn’t a five-star hotel by any means.”
Oh, no. My imagination had begun running rampant again, and I was almost too afraid to ask. “Are there stalls of some sort or is it a free-for-all, peep show type situation?”
He grimaced. “The latter.”
Damn it, so much for things not being so bad. While most of the men had kept their distance from me and been respectful, I was under no assumption that would still be the case for all of them if they saw me naked. Hormones made people do stupid things sometimes, and I’d always have to remain on guard in the shower area.
“That’s a problem for tomorrow, I guess. Folding nasty men’s boxers really wasn’t what I expected today, and while I’m not physically tired, I’m mentally exhausted, so I’m going to sleep, and I’ll pretend none of this is actually happening to me.” I’d been feeling off ever since I woke up that morning.
Anthony leaned down from his bed. “It’s the magic blockers. It wears you out faster, because your body is continually trying to access something it can’t. Like a cell phone trying to find reception when there is none. Hopefully, you’ll get used to it within a few days.”
He disappeared again and I groaned. I missed my pathetic magic and caramel lattes and my cozy bed with pillows all around me. Thanks to my parents and coven for not really giving a shit about me, I didn’t have much in the way of things, but I’d fought for what I deserved, and what I did have was all mine. Or at least, it had been before I was sent to prison.
The only good thing my parents had ever done for me was not fill out a will. They’d been cocky enough to think nothing would happen to them, so everything went to me when they’d died, much to the coven’s dismay. Even though it had rightfully been my money to inherit, I’d still had to fight for it and had even given up the house on the coven-owned property, because it just wasn’t worth my time or energy to claim.
When my mind wouldn’t shut down, regardless of how tired I felt, I began counting the cracks in the wall until my eyes burned. More than an hour later, I closed them and fell into a fitful sleep filled with dreams of stormy grey eyes and four men who thought they could hide, but they hadn’t met Cara Simmons yet.