Dragon Marked: Supernatural Prison #1 (10 page)

I felt a little better knowing that the Compasses weren’t in with all of
the hardcore criminals. I could only imagine the fights they’d get into there.

After an hour or so of discussion and comforting for Jo and Jack,
everyone left.

Except Mischa and Lienda.

Louis said the privacy dome on the house would last until the morning, so
we spoke freely.

Jonathon stepped over to Lienda, reaching out and linking their hands
together. “Your mother and sister will be staying here from now on, Jessa.”

Even though I thought it was for the best, I still bristled. I hated
being told things instead of asked. But I couldn’t begrudge him his mate back,
and to be fair the four of us needed time together to try to learn to be a
family. If that was even possible.

He was still speaking: “The more I think about it, I doubt this has
anything to do with your … special abilities. But still, it’s better to be
safe, so try and be cautious. Don’t find yourself wandering through the forest
alone until after the trial.”

“So you think it’s usurping of your position on the council?” I asked,
tilting my head to the side as I waited for his answer.

My parents exchanged a look, but before I could get a good read he
answered me: “No, I think the Compasses are wrong. The more I look at the
evidence, the more I’m convinced this is not about our family at all. I think
it’s about them.”

My eyes widened. “So what’s with all this secret meetings and shit,
making it look like we’re afraid?”

My father grinned, showing all of his teeth. “Just in case someone wants
us to think this is about the Lebrons, I’d hate to disappoint them. I want them
to keep up appearances for a while.”

I growled so loudly it seemed to shake the foundation of the house.

Lienda finished his sentence. “So we can’t tip them off yet. We’re hoping
they’ll trip themselves up. They just need to make one mistake.”

I flexed my hands, forcing the change down. “I don’t like this plan. You
know where they’re being held, let’s break them out.” I wouldn’t take the risk
that they would end up in the prison. There were thousands of criminals in
there, they could so easily be killed.

Jonathon shook his head. “Then all of us will be considered criminals and
the entire supernatural community will be looking for us. How long do you think
we could run before they captured us?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity. Fuck. We could not escape the entire supernatural
world. They were everywhere, on every continent, and those who searched for
criminals … well, they were damn good at their jobs.

I lowered my head as I continued to fight for control; my wolf and the
demon inside were warring for me to free them. It was as if a tearing sensation
was ripping through my chest, but I managed to hold the seams together. I
wouldn’t lose it now. Braxton, Maximus, Jacob, and Tyson needed me, and I would
not let them down.

Eventually I calmed enough that I could sit with my family and go over
our plans for the next few days. After that, I went up to my room and attempted
to get some sleep. I couldn’t help the dark thoughts as I lay in a tense huddle
under my cover. Only last night I’d slept between two of my favorite people in
the world and now I was alone. A few stray tears dripped from the corner of my
eyes, but I refused to let any more fall. Just as I had not let go of my wolf
downstairs, I would not fall apart yet. I would fight and I would kill anyone
who tried to stop me.

The next
few days passed in a blur of suspicion and pain. I was struggling, worrying
myself stupid about the four of them. I wasn’t sure I believed they were just
waiting in a cell by themselves. Someone wanted them in there for a reason, and
that wasn’t to throw them a birthday party. So far Mischa and I had had no
trouble in their absence, besides the pitying looks, and some nasty smirks from
my BEF. So it didn’t look as if someone got them out of the way to knock me
off. Which meant it was about them. Which, for me, was far worse.

The morning of their trial we had our first snow for the year. Since I
loved it when the world was dusted with fresh powder, all white and clean, I
was taking it as a good sign for the quads. For once I was the first
downstairs, and was sitting at the table in our dining room staring at the piece
of toast in front of me. Under usual circumstances my lack of appetite would
have me thinking I was dying or at least very ill, Jacob would have already
thrown me over his shoulder and charged me to the medical building. I flung my
fork down. Damn, this week had sucked balls.

Minutes later, Mischa entered the kitchen. Her hair was free, curling
down her back, and she was wearing jeans and a black sweater. Simple. Like my
own jeans and long-sleeved skivvy. Despite the fact Lienda and Mischa had ended
up here because of the imprisonment of my best friends, I really liked how full
our house felt. Before this, Dad and I’d rattled around in here; it had been a
bit lonely. Now I wouldn’t feel so guilty about hanging with the Compasses, knowing
Dad wouldn’t be alone. When I got them back of course.

A smile crossed Mischa’s face when she saw me, and for a second I thought
she was going to hug me. But she refrained. “Did you get any sleep?” she asked,
examining me.

I shook my head, raising my eyes to meet hers. “Nope. I’ve been too
pissed off all week to sleep.”

Especially last night. I’d spent it fuming and planning elaborate ways to
kill whichever assbucket was responsible for the incarceration of the
Compasses. I noticed Mischa flinch again as I cursed.

“We’re twenty-two,” I said, unable to help a slight grin, “and you seem
afraid of a swear word.”

One corner of her mouth curled up. “Mom never let me curse. Guess it’s
just instinct to cringe. I keep thinking a walloping is coming my way.”

Interesting. Sounded like Lienda might have been a tougher parent than
Jonathon. In some ways anyway.

Lienda strolled into the room. “It’s a terrible habit.” She was dressed
in a severe black suit. It wasn’t hard to tell she’d worked as an executive
assistant to a CEO of a huge multi-national business in the outside world. I
felt claustrophobic just looking at all of her clothes. “Ladies don’t curse,
even if they are wolves in their spare time.”

“Morning, Mom,” Mischa said, raising her cheek for a kiss.

Lienda complied before moving toward me. She hesitated behind my chair. I
tensed, wondering if I could handle any overly familiar contact. We’d kind of
been skirting around it for days, trying to find our middle ground. In the end
she just ran a light hand over my loose hair.  I relaxed. I wasn’t sure I could
handle a kiss, but I liked the sense of having a mother. Even if it did
continue to take me by surprise. 

Jonathon joined us, and when he kissed Lienda gently on the lips, I
averted my eyes. I just wasn’t used to seeing my dad show affection for a
woman. It kind of freaked me out a little. But I wasn’t a complete selfish ass,
they deserved some happiness after all of their years of sacrifice. I didn’t
know of course, but I could imagine the torture and pain they’d felt to not be
with each other for the past twenty-two years.

We were quiet for the rest of the morning, each lost in our own thoughts.
The front door opened at 8am and the very punctual sorcerer entered. Louis was
dressed in ripped designer jeans, a white ribbed long-sleeved shirt, and black
boots, which added an inch to his already impressive height. He looked like a
model, not a hundred year old powerhouse mage. Jo and Jack followed him, both
dressed formally. I hugged them. Jo squeezed me extra hard and I could sense
her nerves.

“We will get them out,” she whispered to me. “Even if this does not go
the way we hope today.”

I loved the Compass parents. They were some of my favorite supes, having
put up with me over the years. I’d spent as much time in their house as my own.
It was a huge comfort to have them there, no matter which way the trial went.

We sat and waited for Torag, who arrived about ten minutes late, which
for a troll was almost early. As a group we left the house and strolled toward
the town hall. Somehow I ended up at the back with the intimidating sorcerer.

“So which one of the Compasses is your mate?” His voice seemed to vibrate
when he talked, as if he had so much power inside that it even coated his
words.

I blinked rapidly a few times, catching his gaze. His purple eyes were
stormy today, not to mention unusual and hypnotic. “None of them. I don’t have
a mate,” I said, pulling my attention from his compelling force field.

“Right.”

I swung my head back around. That one word had said so much. “What?” I
had to ask.

“You act the same way as a mate. Maybe you just don’t realize yet.”

I snorted, the air whistling out through my nose. “Those four have been
my best friends for twenty years. I’d die for any of them, but still we’re only
friends … pack.”

His eyes hardened then, the purple shifting to almost black. “All true
love stories should start as best friends, because that’s the minimum
foundation needed to survive the tumult of a relationship.”

There was the echo of years and layers of experience in his wise words.
He was trying to teach me something, then the moment was gone.

“If you are not with any of them, I’d be interested in spending some time
with you.”

My feet shuffled and then proceeded to trip over themselves. He caught me
before I face planted into the road.

I stared up like an idiot as his arms tightened around me.

“What … why?” I stuttered, before slamming my mouth shut.

I sounded like a freaking star-struck idiot. Sure, he was famous in
Stratford, and I’d bet all over the supernatural world, and right now he was …
asking me out, but still, I was acting like one of those girls.

He continued to hold me, the corner of his lips shifting as if he was
refraining from smiling. “You interest me, have since your … unusual birth.” He
set me back onto my feet. He made the task seem effortless.

We started walking again, and I mulled over his offer. Of course he knew
of my marks, his spell had been keeping me safe. But still … his words were
resonating in my head. For my fun dalliances, I tended to stick with shifters;
it was just easier. They understood the way I liked to keep things casual and
they feared and respected my power. Louis was different, but I couldn’t deny my
attraction to him. He was mesmerizing.

“If you make sure the Compasses are freed, I’ll consider your offer,” I
murmured, hiding a little behind my loose hair.

He laughed. “I do like a challenge.”

I shivered again at the energy-strength of his words. He was one scary,
interesting, sexy-ass mage. I’d just never imagined sleeping with a magic user.
Well, for Louis, I could surely make an exception. Rounding the corner, I
forced my hormones under control and focused on the task at hand. Jonathon
wanted us to take note of who was present at the trial. He said the
supernatural we were looking for would want to see the trial. In fact they were
probably involved in the process. 

“Stay close to your father,” Louis said, his hand brushing along my arm,
and then he was gone.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the darker room. There were about
twenty people milling around. I moved across the space to join my family,
Torag, Jo and Jack in the front row. Louis had moved to the raised dais, across
from Kristoff, who was presenting the evidence against the Compasses.

Supernaturals don’t get a trial by jury. The evidence is offered to our Book
of Guidance, a large tome that rests in the center of the dais. This magical
guide absorbs all the information and acts as an impartial judge. I’ve never
trusted it myself. It’s archaic and seems rife for magical manipulation. Plus,
it views all crimes as purely black and white, and we all know there is an
awful lot of gray areas in the world. But what was the alternative? To have
supernaturals act as a jury left the process open to mass manipulation. There
seemed to be no truly fair way to judge these crimes.

I sat up straighter in my hard-back chair before scanning the room.
“Where are they?”

“They’ll be here soon,” Jonathon said.

The area behind us, which seemed to be the unofficial Compass-support-zone,
was starting to fill with females. Lots of teary eyed, overly primped females.
I sighed.

“Is it always like this?” Mischa was warily eyeing the sobbing
supernaturals.

I narrowed my eyes. “Yep, unfortunately, hanging with the boys equals
dealing with their
ladies
, and I use that term loosely. Most of them are
groupies, hoping to get noticed.”

The Compasses were pretty picky, but they were still men and there were
plenty of supernatural females to go around. They were the top dogs in this
meadow, so generally all they had to do was look in the direction of a female
for a little longer than a heartbeat and they were surrounded. Surprisingly
enough, Braxton was the most circumspect. In fact, I didn’t know of more than a
handful of his hook-ups over the years. 

Damn I missed the boys. My chest tightened and I gripped the bench in
front of me so firmly I could see the white of my knuckles. Mischa reached out
and wrenched my fingers free one by one and took my hand in hers. I was struck
by a strange sensation. My heart flip-flopped a little. I had a sister, a twin.
Somehow just knowing that made me feel less alone in the world.

“I’m really glad you returned,” I said. I stayed facing forward to hide
my emotional leaking.

“Me too.” She squeezed my hand harder and we sat in companionable
silence. I knew our parents were watching us, I could feel their stares, and …
I scented the air – they were happy. Insert some sort of wolf-pack love
anthology here and you get the gist.

Lots of glances were being thrown toward our group. Some covert and
others very obvious. So far I wasn’t seeing many viable suspects for the
murderer, too many weaker powers in here. It was someone who was smart, strong,
and evil. Which at the moment still had Kristoff as my number one. It was ten
minutes until the start of the trial. Once the time ticked over, the doors
would shut and nobody else could enter or leave until the spell was lifted. As
a shifter I chafed at the sensation of being caged, but I’d deal.

Right before the doors were about to close, a hush fell over the room and
then the first of the red band wizards entered. Five led the way, and then my
breath caught in my throat as I got my first glimpse of the Compasses. The boys
were brought in one-by-one in a straight line, their hands again secured behind
their backs with the magical cuffs. They were surrounded by magical security. I
examined the four of them closely, but they looked the same. A little scruffier
maybe, and a whole lot less fashionable – dressed in gray sweats – but there
was no damage to them that I could see.

Mischa’s grip on my hand was the only thing that stopped me from rising
and running toward them. Maximus, in the front, his face bore no expression,
but there were firestorms burning in those dark eyes. Braxton wore his
trademark smirk, the one he used when he was preparing to beat the living crap
out of someone who’d been stupid enough to run their mouth. That look worried
me. It was his dragon that gave him the strength to throw himself into risky
situations. But I didn’t want them being reckless.

Not today.

As far as I was concerned, they’d better not do one thing to jeopardize
their release from Vanguard.

They stopped moving when they reached the center of the dais, standing
between Louis and Kristoff and facing the room. All of their gazes touched on
me – I was surrounded by chattering idiots who thought they were looking at
them – and smiles crossed their four handsome faces, full dimples gracing the
room. Damn, I was pretty close to joining the pathetic souls behind me and
fanning my face to lessen the heat.

Instead I blew them a kiss, and my eyes leaked for a split second before
I pulled myself together. I was just so happy to see them alive and not hurt.
Louis was also staring at me, a knowing smile across his face. Which I was kind
of wanting to slap. He should keep his opinions to himself. I did not need
anyone coming in and upsetting the status quo.

The clock ticked over and the doors were slammed shut. The securement
spell washed over the room in a haze of yellow. The trial started out normal
enough. Kristoff started laying out the evidence against the four of them.
There was something from each, including Tyson’s spell, dragon claw marks, a
flaming circle from Jacob, and apparently the murdered vampire and Maximus had
had a raging argument last week outside the training hall. That was the motive
apparently. Seriously, the Compasses argued with everyone … it was not a
killing offence. Of course Kristoff then dropped the main bombshell.