Magic is the New Black: A Limited Edition Collection of Supernatural Prison Stories, page 1
Magic is the New Black
Contents
Resisting Her
The Midnight Breakout
Rebel Academy Prequel
Darkblood Prison: The Warden
Maximum Security Witch
The Captive Alpha
Unchained
A Bad Break
Wrongfully Convicted
Dark Phoenix Rising
Penumbra
Call Me Wicked
Viral
Prison of Vampires
First Strike
Patient Zero
Undercover Vamp
Asylum Bent
Caged By The Truth
Psychic Prisoner
Gifted
Friend Or Fae
A Werewolf’s Oath
Trapped
Xan the Man
Taken
Conned and convicted: A vamp camp prequel
Magic is the New Black © 2020 Margo Bond Collins, Dangerous Words Publishing
All copyrights remain in control of the individual authors over their own works: Copyright © 2020 Heather Renee, Alicia Rades, Megan Linski, Rosemary A. Johns, G.K. DeRosa, Corinne O'Flynn, Eva Brandt, Margo Bond Collins, Wendi Wilson, Nicole Zoltack, Stephany Wallace, Cara Wylde, Marty Mayberry, Alice Wilde, D.A. Stein, Ginna Moran, Sullivan Gray, Lisa Manifold, Analeigh Ford, Atlas Rose, Samantha Bell, Vi Carter, Selene Drake, Kate Karyus Quinn, Demitria Lunetta, Marley Lynn, M. A. Roth, K. D. Atkins, Aella Black, Faith Summers, C.L. Riley
Cover Design by DARK IMAGINARIUM
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Resisting Her
An Elite Supernatural Trackers Short Story
Heather Renee
About Resisting Her
Sometimes the easiest things to do are the hardest to live with.
Jaxon and his brothers have one job at Mandora Supernatural Prison: hunt down magical beings for breaking laws and bring them in for the warden to deal with. But when they’re assigned the task of tracking down a low-level witch they’re sure doesn’t belong behind bars, nothing is as simple as it seems. Doubts filter through causing Jaxon to consider letting this feisty female be the one that got away.
That is until the warden forces their hand and puts the witch’s life in danger. Once Jaxon lays eyes on her, he knows everything is about to change. Though, whether it’s for the better or worse is still to be determined.
Chapter One
The file that laid before me wasn’t the worst I’d seen. Hell, it was probably the easiest assignment we’d ever been asked to do, but there were a few things bothering me. The most prominent was that the demon inside me was all too eager about finding the mark. Something about the girl’s picture excited him, and I refused to give the piece of shit within me an ounce of happiness if I could help it.
The soul-sucking demon residing within my unwilling body had been a gift I would have loved to return long ago, but I’d been stuck with it since I was sixteen years old, mere days before I landed myself within the confines of Mandora Supernatural Prison. A hellhole where I’d since become a bounty hunter of sorts for the warden and where I met my three brothers from other mothers.
“What do you think, Hawk?” Yeti asked me. He was an empath, and the nosy bastard was probably sensing my hesitation. I trusted the guy with my life, but he was sometimes irritating to be around.
My hands ran over my dark, buzzed hair before resting behind my head as I leaned back in my chair. “I don’t know. We’ve always known the warden didn’t play by the rules, but this seems to be taking things too far. This girl doesn’t need a prison, she needs a coven.”
From the information in the file, the golden-haired beauty I couldn’t stop staring at seemed to be completely on her own. She either had no control over her magic or she was an idiot who thought she could get away with using it against humans. Supernaturals didn’t have many rules, but unlawfully using magic was one that didn’t often go unnoticed.
“I’ll be her coven. Did you see the ass on that witch?” Gunner waggled his eyebrows, and a snarl ripped from my chest that I hadn’t expected.
Where the hell did that come from?
“Whoa, Hawk. I was just playing. If you want first dibs, she’s all yours,” Gunner said with a hint of curiosity I couldn’t fault him for.
My stupid demon was acting out of control. Between that and knowing the witch hadn’t committed any real crimes, I wanted to figure out a way to avoid bringing her in at all costs. We were so close to getting out from under the warden’s thumb, we couldn’t afford the distraction she might become if my demon was that interested in her.
Changing the subject, I asked, “Is it too soon to just leave and let someone else be the warden’s trackers?”
Ace glanced up from the papers he was reviewing. He was the quietest out of us four, and often the most observant. “No, we’re not ready yet. We need the warden to agree, or we’ll be fighting for our freedom a hell of a lot longer than we want.”
Tilting my head back, I stared up at the ceiling of our private room. Shortly after being locked up, the warden realized I could easily beat the shit out of any of the prisoners that came at me. Even though I knew next to nothing about the supernatural world, he’d taken me in and taught me everything I needed to know about hunting beings who didn’t deserve to be free.
As time went on, though, I realized not everyone we were asked to track down belonged within the walls of the prison. In the beginning, I didn’t mind. It wasn’t my life being ruined. In fact, my life continued to get better with each magical being we brought into the prison, but none of that started until Ace showed up about a year after me.
The four of us had our room and a bathroom to share, and while it wasn’t spacious by any means, it was a hell of a lot better than an actual prison cell. We often left the confines of Mandora, and even though we were working when we did, it still gave a small sense of freedom.
Over the last year, our little group decided the warden was getting into some shit that was much bigger than he could handle. We wanted no part in it and needed to come up with an exit plan.
The main problem was that Warden Gillian knew too many people, so if we didn’t convince him to agree to our plan, we’d be worse off on the outside than we were on the inside of the prison.
But as I continued to stare at the file on Cara Simmons, a lonely witch who was being charged with bogus crimes, I thought “worse off” might not be so bad if it meant keeping innocent people like her away from the warden’s greedy hands.
“Are you alright, Hawk?” Yeti asked as a wave of calm came over me.
“Don’t use your girly shit on me,” I snapped.
He rolled his eyes at me. “Well, don’t project your emotions like a teenager and I wouldn’t need to. I could always ‘Notebook’ you instead.” The smirk on his face told me he’d love nothing more, but he usually reserved that particular trick for Gunner.
Everyone but our fae brother enjoyed it.
Standing up from the couch and moving away from the file on the table, I pushed Yeti and made my way to the door. “I need to let out some aggression. Anyone want to join me in the gym?”
We had access to the indoor workout center the guards used, while the other inmates were stuck using the outdoor one. It wouldn’t be so bad if the prison was located in a warmer climate, but we were in Northern New York and it was February. Winter was a bitch, even for supernaturals who ran hotter than normal temperatures.
“I’m in, but you’re sparring on your own. I learned my lesson the last time you were all wound up.” Gunner grimaced.
“Chicken shit,” I mumbled, then turned to the other two. “Yeti, Ace. You two coming?”
“No, just come get us before lunch and we’ll join you then,” Ace answered, and Yeti nodded in agreement before he let out a yawn.
Ace and Yeti were complete opposites to me and Gunner, and it helped to keep our group dynamics from getting out of hand. We each had a role to play and we did it well.
Finding the type of bond that we had in a place like Mandora Prison was the last thing I’d expected, but considering my welcoming into this world, I couldn’t have been more grateful for them. Though, I rarely showed it.
There was a certain expectation of us. We were known as the Fabled Four within the walls of
Except, part of me knew that if we brought in this newest mark, everything would change. Whatever the warden wanted with Cara, it wasn’t good. Not for her, and not for me and my brothers. I’d let a lot of Warden Gillian’s wrongdoings go, but this time, maybe it was time to finally tell him to piss off.
During our three hours in the gym, I’d ruined two punching bags and managed to convince Gunner to go a few rounds with me on the sparring mats. I’d taken it easy on him, but he still whined like a little bitch.
“You have some serious anger issues. Fae aren’t violent people—we’re smart and resourceful. Which makes me question my sanity when I let you beat on me when I can’t use magic against you,” Gunner droned, and I grinned.
“You can use all the magic you want next time. See if we can make it a fair fight, putting my strength up against your power.”
His eyes widened with glee. “You’re on.”
Since the four of us were all different types of magical beings, we didn’t typically use our powers against each other, but it was fun to push our boundaries on occasion.
When we got back to our room, Yeti was sleeping on the couch while Ace was still in the same spot going through the witch’s file that we were supposed to bring in. Even though I really wanted to know if he learned anything new, I ignored him and grabbed a quick shower before Gunner could. Selfish bastard always stole all the hot water.
After I got out, Gunner was already changed, and the others were ready for food. Following them, I waited until we were headed down the corridor before asking Ace if he’d found anything interesting.
“I’m just trying to figure out why she would be useful to the warden. From the bogus write-ups, I think I figured it out, though. The witch seems to have a compulsion power. Gillian might need her to get him out of some trouble, but she doesn’t seem to have control over her actions. I’d need to observe her to know for sure, though.”
“So, we have a siren on our hands. Even better,” Gunner said animatedly.
Ace shook his head. “Not a siren. Just a witch with extra powers she may not understand. Seeing as how she has no coven, it’s not surprising.”
“Siren. Witch. Doesn’t matter. She’s still sexy as hell, and it’s been a while since we had a fun assignment. I say we head out after lunch,” Gunner continued.
Before I could punch him in his face, Yeti placed a hand on my shoulder but didn’t use his ability on me, which I appreciated. “What are you thinking, Hawk? Why are you so hesitant?”
“Just a gut feeling. Something about her is interesting to my demon. Along with the warden’s interest, I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring her here.”
None of them replied to my comment as we entered the common area of the prison where the food was served, but I could see on their faces that each of them was at least taking me seriously. We’d have to figure out a way to convince the warden she got away, but I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be as easy as I hoped.
Gunner and Ace moved between the tables, ruining the other prisoners’ meals and being assholes. On occasion, I felt bad for our bullying, but it kept people at bay and that was really for their own good.
I’d yet to meet another supernatural within Mandora who could compare to the four of us, and if we made friends who couldn’t keep themselves safe, they would be a liability. One I wasn’t willing to take on.
So instead, we treated the other prisoners like shit and made sure they feared us. The warden liked it that way, and we didn’t have to feel guilty if anything happened to them. The smaller our circle stayed, the less responsibility I felt for anyone else.
After we grabbed our food and coffee, we headed back to the room. All four of us decided that bringing Cara Simmons to Mandora Supernatural Prison was a shit idea. We just had to make sure the warden didn’t know we let her get away.
Chapter Two
Later that evening, I headed to the warden’s office on my own. We avoided having all four of us in his presence at once in case things went sideways. It gave the rest of us a chance to escape if necessary.
There was a time, just a year ago, when the warden was almost a father figure to me. That was only until the guys opened my eyes to the inner workings of the supernatural world and I learned more about what being a demon meant. Most importantly, I realized that even people with the best intentions can turn evil.
“Hey, Deacon. Is the warden busy?” I asked the guard at the desk.
“No, but I think he’s getting ready to leave for the day. You guys headed out to get the girl?”
“Not sure. I had some questions about that before we considered it,” I said with little emotion as I leaned against the desk.
Deacon was one of the few guards I trusted within the prison. Most of them were dirty and took advantage of their position, but I stayed out of that drama as best I could. Being the warden’s tracker was more than enough to keep me busy.
Deacon leaned in closer and glanced around. “I didn’t see the file on this one, but the warden is desperate for her. Be careful asking too many questions. If you ask me, he’s getting more reckless, and when he came back from his last out of town visit… something about the magic around him gave me pause.”
Shit. Maybe talking to the warden wasn’t a great idea. Maybe it was better if we headed out and failed our first mission on purpose. Though, I had no doubt he’d see through our failure and punish us for it.
The door to Gillian’s office creaked open before I could decide what I wanted to do. “Ah, just the person I wanted to see. Come on in, Hawk.” The warden gestured to me.
Deacon met my gaze, and his eyes told me everything I needed to know as I walked into the office.
Don’t say a damn word.
“Are the four of you prepared to leave?” Warden Gillian asked as he sat on the plush seat behind his oak desk.
“Almost. We just need another day or two for research. The file was pretty thin.”
His brow raised. “You’ve been successful with much less in the past. What’s so different this time?”
“Nothing really. I just want to make sure we’re not walking into an ambush. Pretty rare for a witch to be on her own. What if she’s a decoy and there’s a coven standing by willing to fight for her protection?”
Gillian eyed me curiously, and I couldn’t tell if he was buying the lies that I was spewing or not, which made me nervous for the first time in a while.
“I see your point. Well, maybe I’ll send a scout ahead for you. I wouldn’t want my best trackers to be put in a situation they couldn’t handle.”
He was trying to push my buttons by making us seem incapable, but I wasn’t going to let it work. He could talk down to me all he wanted—it wasn’t going to change my mind about postponing bringing in the mark.
“I’ll be by tomorrow morning to let you know if I find anything else out. Be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. I won’t be kept waiting much longer without consequence,” the warden finished while stroking his greying beard and narrowing his beady eyes at me.
