Wicked Challenge (Darkwater Reformatory Book 2) Read online

  He leaned closer. “You want to—?”

  “Should we—?”

  We laughed, though for both of us, it came out jittery.

  It was odd letting my growing feelings for him show. Back at the prison, I’d had to lock them away to keep him from using them against me. He must’ve felt the same.

  Yet here we were, kinda sorta dating while facing a life or death situation.

  His hand jutted out. “How about we step inside at the same time?”

  I grabbed onto him without hesitation. I’d found I enjoyed holding hands with Brodin. Who would’ve thought I’d ever start falling for Feral?

  “You solved the final clue,” I said. “Which means you should go ahead of me.”

  “It wouldn’t have worked without each of us playing a part.”

  “I’m curious to hear why you thought five was the right number.”

  “And I plan to tell you someday.”

  “Evasive.”

  “Honest.”

  “Will you share everything?”

  His eyes warmed. “And more.”

  “We’re going to have so much to talk about, it’ll take us five years to get through it all.”

  “I’ve got at least five years. How about you?”

  My cheeks ached from smiling. Despite the dire situation and the trials we still faced, the ground we stood on felt solid. We’d get through this and reach the Reformatory, where I’d locate my dad and take back the part of me he’d stolen when I was a baby. And then Brodin and I would find a way out of the Reformatory. The together part in all that remained to be seen.

  I squeezed his fingers. “Right foot first?”

  He nodded, and we stepped through the opening at the same time…

  We were met with a world made up of deep snow coating hills that rolled in the distance, as far as the eye could see.

  Shivers took over my frame, and I reeled backward, hitting something solid. A glance showed me the panel had sealed closed, leaving me trapped in the next challenge. Perhaps the jungle and huntress waited for the next Darkwater inmates to take the test. Or, if Jacey was right, it had disappeared forever, because she’d been told each Challenge offered different tests to each tri- or quadrad.

  A gust of wind hit me, driving me back against the door again. My hand was wrenched from Brodin’s…

  “Brodin!” I called out, fear climbing up my back like a long-legged spider. It dragged me into the shadows. “Jacey? Akimi!” The white world surrounding me swallowed my words.

  The straggling remains of deep footsteps ventured out into the snow in front of me, in a straight line, suggesting my friends had headed that way. Why hadn’t they waited for me?

  A gale-force wind gathered the falling snow and slapped it against me. It was eager to fill in the footsteps. As I leaped forward, placing my feet where they had, the spots in front of me drifted over. Keep going! If I stalled, the path would be covered and I’d never find it again. “Guys? Wait for me!”

  I picked up to a run, floundering through the drifts with my arms outstretched, struggling to keep the trail in sight at all times.

  Should’ve brought a coat. Or a hoodie, at least. My prison uniform did little to hold back the bite of the wind, though I was grateful it was dry.

  I tripped and fell to my knees. My hands froze to the ground, and I groaned as I wrenched them off. Rising, I continued shuffling forward with my fingers cupped beneath my arms. I wove when I lost the tracks, thankfully finding them again.

  Shivers took over my body but were replaced with stone-cold numbness. The dull sensation sank into my bones like crystals forming across a smooth surface. Soon, I’d be encased.

  “Akimi,” I mumbled, my teeth chattering. “Jacey. Brodin?” My heart ached. Why had they left me?

  I stumbled up a rise and turned in a slow circle. A white wasteland surrounded me. If I dropped to the ground, I’d soon be covered in snow. No one would find me. No one would know I’d ever existed.

  Movement to my right sent me spinning. I gulped and strained, trying to see through the thick wall of falling snow.

  Two shapes slowly took form, one dark, and one light. As they came closer, I made out two familiar beasts lumbering through the drifts, one big, the other small.

  “Kai,” I croaked, lifting my hand. My arm creaked, ready to snap and fall off.

  Funny how snow had coated the limb. A glance showed snow also covered my shoulders and chest. In no time, I’d turn into a Tria snowman. Snowwoman? Snow person.

  My wexal cat friend bounded through the snow to reach me, jumping from one barely discernable footprint to the next. He raced up the hill and barreled into me, wrapping his kitty arms around my thigh. A bit of his warmth sunk through to my skin, bringing back my shivers.

  Collapsing on my knees, I tried to wrap my arms around Kai, but my limbs wouldn’t bend. He rose to brace himself on my thighs and pressed his face close to mine. His hot breath hit my chest and snow melted. The cold latching onto my soul receded. More of his breaths, and my skin started tingling in a sharp, blustery pain that made a scream bubble in the back of my throat.

  I bit back the cry and lifted my head. My gaze met that of an Eerie—a mythical, ghostly saber-toothed tiger. It waited, watching from a few steps away. This shifter traveled through dreams and now, he’d entered my reality.

  “Brodin,” I breathed.

  His broad paws stomped forward, and he stopped a few feet in front of me. His chin gently dropped onto Kai’s shoulder and he huffed.

  I stretched out my arms, and he took the final steps into my embrace. His warmth flooded me, encircling me like the best hug in the world. Warming and growing stronger, I stood. Kai leaned into my side, looking up with a lifetime of concern in his eyes, before he bounded partway down the hill, using the trail tamped down by Brodin’s passage.

  Brodin nudged me around to his side and urged me up.

  “You want me to ride you?” My tone reflected how incredulous I felt. I wasn’t sure why I needed to clarify something so obvious but really… Had anyone ever ridden an Eerie?

  His head dipped and his chuff came out like a soft laugh.

  “Okay. If you say so.” Grabbing onto the thick, lush fur on the back of his neck, I used it for leverage as I leaped up. Less graceful than I’d like, I flopped onto his back on my belly. Kai bounded back and pushed on the bottom of my feet while I wrangled my legs around until I could straddle Brodin’s back.

  Kai hopped up behind me and snuggled against my back, sharing more warmth.

  Brodin stomped one front foot and I tightened my grip on his fur. He slowly turned, away from the direction I’d come from.

  While relief loosened my limbs, I leaned forward to lie on his back. I had no idea where we were going, but I trusted him to take me wherever we needed to go. Like he’d suggested, we’d do it together.

  His gait picked up, and the rocking motion soon lulled me to sleep. I woke when his motion stopped.

  “We’re here?” Wherever here was. Unless he needed to rest after carrying us—me now that Kai had left. My skin radiated heat; Kai had taken my shivers with him.

  Brodin gently bent forward, urging me to slide off his back.

  My feet hit something solid when I landed. Through the falling snow ahead, I could make out bits of a gleaming structure with towers and turrets and even a tiny flag waving gaily on the top.

  I started toward it, but turned to thank Brodin.

  He’d disappeared, either sliding back into his dreams or back into Brodin, wherever he might be.

  Eight

  Jacey

  I wandered in the snow, not knowing where to go or even if each step only took me in circles.

  Was I lost forever?

  As I stepped forward, determination filled me. I’d find Rohnan. Seek him, hunt him, or magic him from the very air around me if I had to. I couldn’t let go. He held every piece of me in his hands. He’d promised to be with me always.

  When I stu
mbled up a rise, something glistened ahead of me. From the distance, it appeared it would take days for me to reach it, but I’d press on. Each time we started another trial, I gave in to the hope that this would be the one that would tell me what happened to Rohnan.

  If only the fae king hadn’t discovered I loved him.

  My mind sunk back to the chain of events that had led me to the prison and then to the Reformatory Challenge. My uncle and I had no choice to try to free Rohnan, but if we’d know what would happen, we would’ve done things differently. Assuming there had been another way…

  My Uncle Daegan and I slunk from the tower, taking the stairs to the first floor and creeping out into the hallway. From there, we hung close to the walls as we stole through sitting rooms, studies, and even a big ballroom, each eclipsed by eerie light generated by tall multi-colored plants and too-deep silence. Finally, we reached the enormous library made up of floor-to-ceiling bookcases overflowing with ancient tomes about every imaginable form of magic.

  We scooted through the kitchens, scrunching low to the tiles to avoid waking the chef—a gargoyle who’d fallen asleep with his boulder head propped on broad arms he’d braced on a counter. Flour dusted the surface, and mounds of bread dough sat awaiting kneading. The sweet, yeasty smell of freshly baked loaves permeated the air. My belly ached, a hollowed-out cavern. It was anyone’s guess when I’d last eaten. Stress and worry had stolen any interest in food.

  Few knew about the ancient, spiraling staircase that led from a back cupboard in the pantry down to a weapon’s storage area in the back end of the cell block.

  Brushing aside cobwebs, we made our way down the steps and, without a winky in sight, I clung to the back of Daegan’s shirt. As a half Icean-cat shifter, he could locate a button in the dark. I, however, couldn’t see a damn thing.

  We paused together at the bottom of the stairs, and Daegan placed his palms on the door and hummed softly. I’d yet to master the skeitse spell that would tell me if anyone lurked on the other side of a barrier, though I was practicing.

  “Clear,” he whispered.

  I kept hold of his shirt as he nudged the door open and shifted aside rusty, broken weapons that couldn’t have been used for years. Passing through the room, we checked again for guards, then stepped out into a long, water-stained hallway.

  They’d been skimpy with the winkys here, only pinning one in place about every ten feet. Poor, wilted things barely emitted a subtle glow. If only I could rescue them along with Rohnan. But to save everyone, I’d have to take the entire population of the fae world along with me.

  Daegan would remain here to fight for others’ freedom.

  A subtle drip-drip-drip farther down the hall drew my eye, but I saw nothing other than moss-covered stone walls and a stained tile floor. And cells, long rows of them on either side, made up of steel bars and endless pain.

  The lingering odor death clung to the air. Too many witches had suffered here; they’d never made it out.

  From the intel I’d discovered, the guards had locked magic-suppressing tennas on Rohnan’s wrists and secured him in a cell at the end of the second hallway. I’d nearly bled myself dry of power to obtain this information.

  As we rushed in that direction, we didn’t speak. Didn’t make a sound. We’d already agreed we’d spirit him out within seconds of the healing. With only bars separating us from the hall, we’d be exposed the entire time I worked on him.

  Not a single security guard in sight, however. This, I’d also paid for. How long would my bribe keep them away? The only part of the escape we hadn’t been able to predict was unknown magic. Would we walk into a trap? The cell would be warded; that was a given. But how much time would we have to make it out if we triggered a spying spell?

  Stopping outside the tiny room where they’d penned Rohnan, I clung to the bars. He lay on a stone bunk, unmoving, bits of his skin exposed by rips in his stained tee and jeans.

  It shredded me to see him this way, to know they had hurt him because of me.

  I’d met this boy when I was ten to his eleven, and we’d been friends ever since. Only in the past year had I realized how we fit together better than any puzzle. I’d fallen for him, and he’d felt the same about me. Yet the king didn’t care about love. He had a friend to please, and the friend wanted me.

  Anyone who opposed the king’s wishes found themselves locked up or dead. He hadn’t gone after me when I’d told him how much I wanted to be with Rohnan. No, he’d made my boyfriend pay the price, because he knew that would hurt me the most.

  “Hurry,” Daegan mouthed. He nudged his chin toward his hand that had already shifted from the guard’s to his own. A glance down told me my beard had fizzled. We’d soon be exposed. “We’re almost out of time.” He flicked his fingers toward the lock, and it released. The barred door to the cage inched open.

  I rushed inside then stood over the bunk, staring down, not daring to touch Rohnan. What if I was too late? He lay so still. His chest didn’t rise or fall.

  Pain burst inside me, slashing through my ribs. If the king stood beside me this moment, I’d rip his throat open with my magic.

  I staggered forward, bumping my shin on the bed.

  Rohnan groaned.

  My heartbeat shuddered to a stop. Stooping down, I laid my hand on his side. “I’m here. It’s gonna be okay.”

  “Jacey.” Hearing the happiness in his voice almost made the torturous waiting worthwhile. The days stressing since he’d been taken. The power spent to buy information. Plus the fear and horror of knowing what they were doing to him.

  He’d suffered for me.

  I gulped back my grief and closed my eyes. Digging deeply, I called what little power I’d restored over the past few hours. I’d pour everything I had into Rohnan.

  So many injuries, almost more than I could believe. I wouldn’t be able to take care of them all.

  “I need more time.” The words wrenched out of me. By the fae, Rohnan’s spine! They’d sliced him, gouging deep enough to sever bone, tear through muscle, and damage his spinal cord. Without healing, he might never walk again.

  “Take care of what’s most vital,” Daegan said over his shoulder before returning his attention to the hall. “Hurry. You can do the rest once we’re outside.”

  Daegan had fully shifted back into himself and a glance down confirmed the spell had worn off me, too.

  We were in incredible danger.

  Infusing more power into my touch, I repaired the laceration to Rohnan’s spine and the one to his belly, carefully mending his torn internal organs together along the way. Then I took on the blow to his skull and the subtle bleeding deep inside. Without healing, he’d slip unconscious and never wake up.

  These injuries would have killed him within hours. My belly cramped, and I couldn’t catch my breath. What if I hadn’t been able to get here until tomorrow?

  He stirred beneath my fingers again and released a soft groan. Healing hurt almost as much as receiving the wound.

  But the pain for the patient passed quickly, passed on to the healer. As it dumped into me, shooting agony out to my pores, I slumped against the bed. I pressed my face against the stone surface and focused on breathing. My heart fluttered, a dull thud in my throat. Normally, I’d need sleep after a healing like this, but I didn’t have time to rest. Each minute wasted could mean our death.

  A push, and I straightened. Rohnan’s agony coated my skin like slick, black oil. It would take days to clear it from my body.

  “Jacey,” Rohnan murmured. Turning to face me, his eyes opened.

  I lost myself in his jagged blue depths. They captured me like they had from the first time I met him.

  “We’re getting you out of here,” I said fiercely, squeezing his hand.

  “You shouldn’t be here.” He sat up on the side of the bed and rubbed his face. “But I’m glad you came.” When he stood, he wavered, but I jumped up and snagged his arm, helping him remain upright. His arms wrapped around me.
I stood on my toes and, cupping his shoulders, kissed him. By the fae, I’d never get enough of his taste, his smell, or the feel of him holding me close.

  “No time,” Daegan said with a tap on my side. Sympathy came through in his voice. He knew how worried I’d been about Rohnan, how much I’d needed this reassurance.

  We pulled apart, and Rohnan cupped my cheeks, stroking them with his thumbs. “You’re the best thing I’ve ever seen. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Daegan took his other side while I linked Rohnan’s arm across my shoulders.

  After one shuddering step, his face tightened. He gritted his teeth and bit back a moan.

  “Can you do it?” Daegan asked, his concerned gaze cutting to me. What would we do if Rohnan couldn’t walk? My strength was faltering already, dragged down from the healing.

  “Have to, right?” Rohnan said. The humor shining on his face surprised me. How could he laugh at a time like this? “Maybe give me a piggyback ride?” Something he’d done for me more than once. Running at first then staggering, pretending he couldn’t go another step farther. Then falling into the deep grass, taking me down with him, where he’d roll me onto my back and tease my skin with his kisses.

  “How could they do this to him?” My voice croaked, and tears filled my eyes all over again. Sniffling, I shoved them away. If Rohnan could find a way through this, then so could I.

  “We’ve got to get out of here.” Daegan’s gasp rang out as we reached the cell door. He tucked his head forward, peering down the hall. “I think…”

  Wait. Did I hear footsteps? No! I’d bribed the guards and sent a case of wine. They should be drunk and snoring by now.

  My pulse thundered in my ears, and I stiffened. “Faster,” I ground out.

  “Just scanned this part of the dungeon.” Daegan could discern magic and often disable it. “Someone’s coming, but he’s still in the eastern cell block. We have enough time to get Rohnan to the closet. After that, we’ll be hidden on the stairs. We’ll be out the back kitchen door within minutes.”