Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,28
not why.”
The C.O.’s thick chest rumbled, and a deep chuckle slipped through his lips. “You were in the infirmary for days.”
“C.O. Actaeon!” he growled. “Enough.”
He slapped Logan on the shoulder and grinned. “Fine. I’ll leave you to your business with this one, but be careful, okay? And check your com cuff.”
“I appreciate your concern.” Our new warden shook his head and waved him off. His silver bracelet pinged, and an image flashed across the device. He frowned and loosed a sharp breath.
We walked in silence from that point on as Logan steered us through the obsidian-walled labyrinth. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the tendon in his jaw twitch. Whatever he’d seen on his cuff couldn’t have been good.
When we reached the staircase, I finally recognized the area from my tour with Flix. I really needed to learn my way around this place.
“Just up to the second level.” Logan pointed to the steep steps and motioned for me to go first.
The words thank you burned at the back of my throat, but for some reason I didn’t spit them out. I needed to know more about his relationship with Delacroix. Nearly a decade had passed since I’d met this man and a lot could change in ten years. Not trusting anyone was a cardinal rule of prison, wasn’t it?
When I reached the final step, the click-clack of heels drew my attention down the dim hall. Even the administration wing was coated in the same dark obsidian.
“Oh hi, Logan!” A cute redhead in a white uniform waved at the mountain of a gargoyle to my left. “How are you feeling?” Then her sparkling green eyes turned to me, and she snapped her jaw closed. “Sorry, I didn’t realize she was an inmate.” She glanced back and forth down the hall before facing him again. “She’s not supposed to be up here without a guard escort,” she whispered.
“It’s okay, Fiona, I know her.”
Her auburn brows knitted. “Oh.”
“Azara, this is Fiona, the prison healer.”
Nodding, I extended my hand before thinking better of it and tucking it under my armpit. “Nice to meet you,” I said instead.
She gave me a tight smile and turned her anxious gaze back to Logan. “Don’t forget to come by later so I can take a look at your wound.”
Again, his cheeks flushed, and I suppressed the grin trying to split my lips. “Will do, thanks.” He placed his hand on the small of my back and turned me toward the opposite end of the corridor. Fiona’s eyes bulged out, but I dropped my gaze, hiding behind a curtain of dark hair and hurried forward.
The last thing I needed was for the healer to get the wrong idea about Logan and me. If I remembered correctly from Mom’s stories, the gargoyle was over a hundred years old. Hottest centenarian I’ve ever met…
Logan stopped in front of a thick oak door, old iron bars fastened across the middle and a gold plaque with the word Warden in big bold letters. Set into the wall beside it was the same biometric scanner found all over the fortress. It amazed me how this place mixed old gothic style with modern tech.
“Well, this is me.” He waved his palm over the reader and the door creaked open. He motioned for me to enter, and I slipped between his hulking body and the doorjamb. My arm grazed his chest, and it was like skimming the side of a mountain. Logan was the first gargoyle I’d ever met in person, and everything I’d heard seemed true. He was literally as hard as a rock. I almost giggled at my own innuendo. Geez, Azara, get your head out of the gutter. This is Dad’s friend!
The warden’s office was dark just like the rest of the ominous fortress. Oak siding lined the obsidian walls and soared above on the rafters. Stacks of files and folders littered the large desk, along with a cumbersome computer that reminded me of ones I’d seen in the human world back before the new millennium. A leather sofa sat against the wall, a pillow tossed to the side and a blanket crumpled on the floor.
“Sorry for the mess,” Logan said as he ushered me to a chair in front of the desk. “I’m just getting acquainted with my new position.”
I lowered myself into the seat, and for the first time since I’d arrived here, felt at ease. “When did you start?”
“Um, about five days ago.” He folded his big body