Dragon Marked: Supernatural Prison #1 (3 page)

“Sounds like an inside job,” I heard Braxton mutter.

I turned and met his gaze, the fine skin around my
eyes tightened as his words penetrated my brain. I agreed with him, and surely
that would narrow the pool of suspects considerably.

Jonathon spoke then. “We don’t want you to panic, we’ve
had no word that Vanguard is to be hit, and our hold is strong.” He sent out
some calming vibes, which for an alpha of his power worked on everyone, even
those not shifter. “We’ve tightened up security, and we urge no one to run by
themselves in the forest for a little while.”

He leveled his warm gaze on me. I kept my expression
calm, eyes wide as if I were innocent. Nothing escaped my father’s attention,
he knew what the Compasses and I had been doing. He’d turned a blind eye but
there was a subtle warning in his tone now. No more night runs searching for
the prison, which would rankle the boys. Something about being denied their
rights to view it really pissed them off.

Jonathon finished his speech. “We’ll keep you
appraised of what happens. Our belief is that we’ll soon bring those involved
to justice and they’ll join our prison system in a different manner.”

The next lot of news came from Galiani. “The body of
one of my brethren was discovered on the edge of the forest this morning.”

Gasps and curses rang out again. Shit, they were hitting
us with the serious news this afternoon. A dead fey. The element wielders were
damn hard to kill, so what had happened? I glanced at Jacob. It was always terrible
to lose a member of your supernatural race. I could see his chest vibrating,
his anger palatable. He sat rigidly next to Braxton.

Galiani was still speaking. “At the moment we’re
investigating, and it’s pretty clear that this was no natural death. We don’t
take kindly to supernaturals killing each other. I suggest if you were
involved, turn yourself in before we find you. If you have any explanation …
well, the punishment might be a little less severe.”

I doubted that, the fey could be the most hard-assed.
They had a cold, clinical sort of approach to many things. Which was something
that separated them from the rest of us. Vampires, shifters and the demi-fey
contingent were more animalistic, the magic users very earthy and grounded.

The council were still looking around the hall. Did
they really think someone was going to jump up and say, ‘Yeah it was me, I
killed your fey?’ I noticed they hadn’t named the victim. I wondered if they
were keeping the identity a secret for a reason.

“Fine,” Galiani spat out after a few tense moments.
“The magic users are working on it and there will be no place on Earth you can
hide where we won’t find you.”

My father cleared his throat and I could see the
apology in his eyes as he opened his mouth. Great, seemed we were ready to move
onto my mother – I mean Lienda – I had no mother.

“We have welcomed the shifter wolf, Lienda Jackson,
back to the community,” Jonathon said. “She has journeyed far and is resting
now. She brings with her a daughter.” He turned his head to the side. “Come out,
Mischa, and say hello to everyone.”

Wait, what?

My ears were buzzing and there was some sort of weird
fuzziness descending over my eyes. What was happening? Was I having a breakdown
or was this just shock? Had I heard him correctly?

Pain knocked the disorientation from me. I looked down
to notice I’d half shifted my hands to claws and they were cutting into my
palm, drawing blood. I heard Maximus grunt as the scent hit him. He’d told me
on more than one occasion that my blood had a very distinct scent, one he’d
never encountered from any other supernatural. Easy to recognize.

The black-haired female was hesitant, head down as she
crossed the front stage. She looked small and nervous, shuffling across the
floor to stand beside my father. As she lifted her face, I gasped. What the
hell? She was a carbon copy of me, but instead of blue eyes hers were a light
turquoise green.

Jonathon spoke over the murmurs from the crowd. “This
is Mischa, my daughter and younger sister to Jessa.” As the second bomb was
dropped on me I barely noticed the multitude of faces that had turned in my direction.

Holy hell, knock me over with a feather. How was this
possible? This wasn’t just Lienda’s daughter, it was Jonathon’s also. I had a
sister he’d never told me about. Her wide doe eyes scanned the crowd before
landing on me. We stared at each other for an indefinable amount of time.
Tearing myself from her gaze, I let out a howl and took off from the room.

My wolf washed over me and I was shifted before I hit the edge of
Stratford. I didn’t think, I just ran and ran, tearing through the fallen and
decaying undergrowth. I was not big for a shifter; my wolf was the size of a
large human dog. My coat was the same blue-black as my hair, and since the sun
was setting I blended right into the dark of the forest – the forest which my
father had just laid down the law about running alone in.

Good thing I didn’t care for his rules.

The canopy was thick in this wilderness. It was
against our laws to tamper with our forest; it was allowed to grow free on its
own. Though the magic users and fey often poured their energy into the land,
which led to some unusual flora. As I dodged and darted through the dense
undergrowth, the landscape was flashing in shades of black, gray, and green. In
wolf form my senses were sharper, and I always relied heavily on scent and
sound, sight was almost secondary. Before my very first shift I’d had fears of
what it might be like to turn into an animal, but besides the fact I was guided
by instinct more, it was still me. I didn’t lose Jessa to gain the wolf, we
coexisted and were really the same being. Two sides of the same coin.

I’d been shifting for over six years and now didn’t
even have to think about the process. It just happened when I called on the
energy. My wolf stayed curled inside of me until I reached for her. On occasion
she fought her cage but mostly we lived in harmony. But there was another small
part deep inside that I didn’t touch, an energy which frankly scared the shit
out of me.

I called it the
demon
. My wolf and I had lived
with the demon my entire life. When I was seventeen I’d tried to explain this
dark energy to my father. I’d hedged around the fact that it was a large,
unknown power hidden deep below my wolf. He’d had no idea what I was talking
about. Despite my fear of this unknown energy, I treated it like my wolf,
although I kept it caged permanently. So now the three of us sort of coexisted.

Dysfunctional-Relationships-Are-Us.

For the first time in a long time, though, I was
struggling. My shock and energy were fuel for the demon. It was beating at the
cage. How could my father have kept this from me? The fact I had a sister out
there. A more innocent looking pup I’d never seen. She’d been terrified in the
hall. I could smell her fear and I wasn’t the only one. They were going to tear
her apart. I wondered where she’d grown up. Had she known of her shifter
abilities? Surely our bitch of a mother had at least clued her in. The first
change was rough and if you didn’t know it was coming … well, it would probably
feel a lot like dying.

In wolf form my thoughts and emotions were simpler,
which meant I knew without any doubt that I hated Lienda and was pissed with my
father. But I wasn’t sure how to feel about the sister, Mischa.

I needed more information.

A familiar scent flooded my nostrils, and even though
I couldn’t see anything I knew he was out there. Vampire was distinct, sort of
a mix of dark, rich spices. Tantalizing with a hint of danger. Then as I
rounded the corner, there he was leaning casually against a tree.

Maximus Compass.

“You about done yet, Jessa babe?” His pose still
looked relaxed, but tension was radiating off him.

I knew that with his vampire speed he’d have caught up
to me immediately. He’d been letting me have my run.

He straightened. “Time to change back, Jess, you’re
needed in town. We’re having a little trouble with Brax. You might have to stop
him before he kills your parents and burns Stratford to the ground.”

Shit. Braxton didn’t lose it much, but when he did …
well, things got messy fast.

I decided not to shift back yet; I was quicker in my
wolf form. I circled around and took off the way I’d just run.

Maximus kept pace with me. “It’ll be faster if you let
me carry you,” he said.

He was right, and the only reason he hadn’t just
scooped me up was my wolf would have attacked him. Something he knew from
experience. But it was okay if he gave me the choice. Without breaking stride I
jumped into his arms. I decided not to shift back, no need to be naked. Sure, I
wasn’t shy of my body – I was a damn shifter, we were always naked – but I didn’t
need Maximus carting my naked butt around. 

I closed my eyes as he took off, his speed fast enough
to blur us to anyone watching. I always got a bit motion sick when travelling
at vampire speed. The journey into the forest, which had taken me fifteen
minutes, was over in seconds. Back in front of the town hall, Maximus dropped
me to all fours, before turning his back – in deference to my own personal
preference for privacy. I called on my energy and shifted back to human form. I
stretched out my limbs and shook off the moment’s disorientation as colors and
light flooded my vision.

I strode ten feet to reach one of the many clothes-bins
that littered Stratford. Reaching in blindly I grabbed the first couple of
things my hands touched, looking down I nodded. This would work. I shoved the
white t-shirt over my head and pulled on denim cutoffs. They were a little big
but I just rolled the band over once, exposing a line of tanned midriff.

I hurried back to Maximus. On the way I noticed the
main double doors were blocked by a large scaled tail. Black with hints of blue
tipping the edges. Braxton was the size of a house in his dragon form, and he
was wedged in the entrance. Dragons were the most powerful, rare, and scary, of
the shifter forms. By size alone they dominated the supernatural races.

As I reached Maximus, I grabbed his arm. “We’re going
to have to use the side entrance.”

We moved fast. I could hear screaming from inside, but
the lack of magic in the air told me it hadn’t escalated too far. Yet.

Reaching the door I scrambled with the handle; the
damn thing was locked. Maximus reached around me and snapped the silver clasp,
before cracking the whole door right off the hinges.

“I could have done that,” I shot out as he threw the
metal aside. He just grinned, flashing a little fang. Showoff.

It was chaos inside. The weaker were pushing back from
the drama, and as soon as they noticed the exit we’d provided, they started
scrambling to get through. Which of course made it damn difficult to go in the
direction toward the dragon. Maximus stepped in front of me and used his bulk
to bulldoze us through the crowd. I gripped the back of his shirt so as not to
lose him in the panic. I was grateful he was in front. It would be easy to be
crushed in this crowd, especially by the trolls and gargoyles. When they hit
you it felt as if they were made of wood and stone, which was not surprising, as
those were their other forms.

As we made it further into the hall I noticed that the
council leaders, some elders, and other powerful members of the five supes
races, were standing around Braxton in a semi-circle. It was some type of
standoff. The dragon wasn’t attacking yet, but smoke poured from his huge snout
and nostrils and the rumbling roars that were shaking the ground told me he was
reaching the end of his patience.

Some random supernatural hit me hard from the side. With
a shriek I went head-over-ass and landed on my face. Smooth. My wolf was real
proud of that graceful move. Before I could pull myself up, Maximus lifted me
without effort and hauled me over his shoulder. Wasting no more time, he
started barreling through the crowd.

Increased growls and rumbles flooded my ears. Braxton’s
long snout had shifted direction and was now roaring at us.
What the heck?
Slowly,
Maximus lowered me to the ground.

“She’s fine, Brax,” he said, holding both hands in the
air. “No one is touching her.”

Right.
Dragons were possessive, and in this form Braxton had
less control over his base instincts.

I pushed my way around Maximus and glared at the
deadly but visually stunning dragon. He was massive; he’d had to tuck his wings
in at his side to have room for movement. The black and blue of his scales
shone even in the dying light. The bright yellow eyes surveyed the room, before
locking me in his gaze. He roared again and I decided to take a stand. In
general I didn’t think much before I acted, and my plans were often considered
to be brave or stupid. Usually both.

“Braxton Compass,” I scolded him, moving right up into
his strike zone, my hands on my hips. “Your scaled dragon ass is blocking the
doorway.”

Jacob, Tyson, and Maximus crowded behind me. They were
ready to snatch me up if their brother made the wrong move. But I knew it would
have to be pretty exceptional circumstances before Braxton would lose enough of
himself to hurt me.

The massive beast lowered his head until we were eye
to eye. He would scent trickles of my fear, but despite my body’s involuntary
response, I wasn’t really afraid of Braxton. His dragon was a little
unpredictable, but he was strong enough to keep both of them controlled. I knew
he’d pulled this stunt to remind the council where the real power lay and that
he didn’t like secrets being kept, especially when they personally affected us.
I wondered for a second then where Mischa had ended up in the crazed exodus
from the hall.

The dragon and I continued our stare-off, my dark blue
eyes locked on his yellow. “Let’s call it a tie,” I finally said, grinning and
raising my eyebrows at the same time.

With a huff of smoke that enveloped my entire head, he
lifted his long snout full of razor sharp teeth away from me. There was a pull
of power, and with a bit of a light-and-energy-show he started to shift back to
human form. I let out the breath I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding, my
heart rate finally slowed, and when Jacob moved to grab Braxton some clothes I
turned to find my father right beside me. My smile faded out to a glare.
Jonathon was far too close for my liking right now.

“I’m not talking to you.” I pointed a finger, uncaring
that he was my alpha and council leader. “How could you have lied to me all of
these years?” I hated that my voice trembled on those last words. My anger
sometimes turned me into a hot mess of tears.

He opened his mouth, but I wasn’t in the mood to hear
more lies so I held up a hand.

“Don’t. I’m going to need some time to process my
feelings on this. Right now I’m about five seconds from losing my shit. I might
not be as big as a dragon but I’ll do my damn best to tear this place to the
ground.” And I would. My energy was rolling inside of me, threatening to free
the demon.

Maximus dragged me under his arm. “Jessa will be
staying with us tonight,” he said.

I shook him off. I needed to stand on my own two feet
right now; independence was keeping me from dissolving into tears. Although if
the lump in my throat continued to grow in size, it was going to choke me soon.

Braxton moved to stand at my back. I could feel the
heat and his unique spicy scent wrapping around me. When I rolled my head to
the side, blue and yellow eyes captured me. He was back in human form, but his
dragon was still riding him.

“Don’t ever do that again.” His voice was low and
deadly. “I could have killed you.”

I shrugged. Maybe … maybe not.

He shook his head before turning to the others in the
room. “We’re the future leaders of the American Supernatural Council.” His tone
was guttural. “This is the last time I will say this. Stop lying to us – and
before more bullshit falls from your lips, omitting information is the same
damned thing.”

The council leaders were changed every quarter of a
century or upon death. Positions went to the most powerful in that age bracket
– simple but effective. The Compass brothers were coming up to their time, only
a few more years. At twenty-five, they would be blood-bound to their
supernatural races. No one knew who would lead the demi-fey – they were more
secretive, only revealing their choice the night before the crowning.

Kristoff stepped toward us, his hard gaze locked on
Braxton. “What did you say?” His voice was a whisper of disbelief. A hand on
his shoulder had him pausing. Jonathon had halted him. The sorcerer sneered
before throwing off my father’s hand. “Don’t touch me, Jonathon. Deal with your
shifter.”

My father tensed but didn’t engage the magic leader
further. He turned to us. “Don’t forget that we’re still the rulers right now.”
Since Jonathon was council leader to all shifters, Braxton’s show of dominance
was his problem. “If you pull one more stunt like this, we’re going to have
serious problems.”

If the low growls from the Compasses were any
indication, we already had a problem. I was not interested in this happening
tonight. Jonathon was still my father, and no matter how angry I was with him,
I didn’t want a fight to break out. I suspected he’d lose to the powerful
dragon shifter.