Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,21

strands of dark hair lashing across my face.

“All set, Talon.” Dash motioned at the surging vortex. “First stop, SIA headquarters.”

“Great, thanks, man. I’ll give you a jingle when we’re ready to come back.”

He nodded and tucked his hands in his jacket. “Enjoy your trip.” He tossed me a smile, and I gave him the best one I could muster. I hoped he hadn’t heard our little fight in the tunnel.

Talon’s big hand closed around mine, and he dragged me through the glowing portal before I could break free from his iron grasp.

Chapter Eight

“Azara, Azara, come on, please stop.” Talon’s heavy footfalls smacked on the pavement leading to SIA headquarters.

I quickened my pace, hoping he wouldn’t make a scene in front of the agents manning the guard station only a few yards away. If I made it to the sleek silver structure, I’d be safe from whatever lame excuse Talon was about to throw at me.

The small guardhouse was situated at the foot of the sprawling compound in the snow-covered valley nestled between the soaring peaks of Draeko. If I weren’t so pissed, I might have taken a second to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

I could just make out a few dark shadows through the thick glass. A few more steps, and surely, the guard would come out to check our credentials. A blast of frigid wind pushed me forward, and a loud thud shook the ground right behind me.

Craptastic.

Talon’s mountain-fresh scent wrapped around me a second before his hand did. “I said: stop.”

I whirled at him, debating whether or not to make a scene in front of the guards. Maybe they couldn’t hear everything from their little enclosure, but they’d definitely hear me if I screamed. I chased the stupid thought from my mind and tried to get a grip on my raging temper. Talon hurt me like no one else could, and it drove me nuts. “What?” I finally snapped.

“You need to get a hold of yourself, Azara. Whatever happened back there doesn’t matter right now, do you understand me? This—what happens today is what you need to focus on.”

I gulped in a breath of frosty air, hoping to cool my insides. I knew he was right, but it only infuriated me more that he could be so logical.

His hold on my upper arm loosened, but he didn’t release me. Silver orbs bored into mine, and I was trapped. “I’m sorry. And I’m not blowing off what happened in the tunnel, I just need you to let it go for now. You don’t deserve to be locked up at Darkblood for ten years, and this is your only way out. I promise we’ll discuss it later, and I’ll even let you get a free hit in next time we train.” The hint of a smile hitched up the corner of his lip.

“Pshaw. Let me?” The fury waned at his feeble attempt to distract me. And maybe a hint of his rational line of thinking was bleeding through our bond.

“We both know it’s the only way you’d land a punch on me.”

“We’ll see about that.” I shoved my hands in my pockets and pivoted back toward the entrance. This time he released my arm and followed in step beside me.

A familiar blonde poked her head through the crack in the door of the modern structure. “I thought that was you guys,” said Ella. She spun back to speak to a burly shadow behind her. “These two are good to go. I’ll bring them in.”

A sharp buzzer sounded, and the outline of an entryway appeared on the cement wall. A lock clicked, and a silver door glided open with a whoosh. Pretty cool. Last time we’d come, Talon had flown us in through the back—the way I imagined most of the agents did. I hadn’t gotten a chance to see the main entrance, and it was definitely impressive.

Slabs of gray stone stretched out as far as I could see from left to right and up toward the towering peaks. From the bird’s eye view I’d gotten last time, I realized it was big, but seeing it up close was something else.

The door led to a sterile corridor with white walls and halogen lights. We didn’t get far before we crossed a security checkpoint. Two guards in navy uniforms patted us down then sent us through a scanner. As I went through the high-tech contraption, the 3D image of my naked body flashed before me. Hello… Heat seeped up my neck, and I