an upgrade to our security spells.” Tarak reached out as I met him, and we shook hands. Raphael walked up, and I watched Tarak’s nose twitch and his lip curl. “What is that smell?”
“I don’t know. He smells human to me.” Most of the time. I didn’t find his not-human scent unpleasant, so I wasn’t sure why the werewolves thought he was gross. Not every one of them reacted, but I had a feeling that was a manners thing, not a lack of sense of smell.
“Ah.” Tarak didn’t seem too pleased, but he reached out to Raphael. “Sorry. I’ve just never encountered a smell like that before. You must be Raphael. I’m Tarak. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Yeah.” Raphael shook his hand, but I could tell he wasn’t happy. Then again, I wouldn’t be happy to shake hands with someone who said I smelled bad. Tarak picked up on it and looked at me again.
“Let’s get this over with. I need to talk with you for a moment. Do you mind if Korey takes Raphael closer to the door?”
I hit the button on my key fob and nodded as it opened, revealing the weapons I had brought.
“Do you mind if I arm him?” I asked.
“Not at all.” Tarak shrugged like I figured he would, but it was always polite to ask in this situation. I knew he would never tell me no to arming myself, not with my position and reputation, but that didn’t mean my plus one had the same privilege.
I grabbed a holster and a couple of guns, holding them out to Raphael. He put them on fast, checking the chambers and loading everything as he went. I was honestly glad to see he was good at it on his own. Other than close-quarters combat with weapons, I didn’t have much to teach him about self-defense, and that training was touch and go.
I slid my sword belt around my waist and positioned my talwar to the left, attached a holster for a Beretta on my right hip, strapped a knife to my right thigh, then tucked smaller ones in each boot. When I was finished, Raphael was already walking off with Korey.
“What do you need?” I asked, looking at the Warden, only a little worried. I never liked when the Wardens had something to tell me.
“He’s not in solitary this time,” Tarak said softly.
That cold wave hit me again, making my chest tight.
“Is he on good behavior?” I tried to make that come out even, but there weren’t many in the world I was genuinely scared of—one just so happened to be a member of my own species and in the prison. On normal days, I didn’t think about him. I wasn’t sure why his existence was bothering me now.
Maybe it’s because I had to bring Raphael.
“Yes. He hasn’t been in a fight with another inmate for a year,” Tarak explained. “He’s not talking to the guards or threatening anyone. There’s a chance you’re going to see him in the yard or the library. I just want you to be ready.”
“I am,” I promised, checking my weapons instead of looking at the werewolf. It wasn’t a lie. I was ready—for anything.
“You know he’s not the only enemy you have in this building, right? I know he’s a bit close to home, but—”
“Tarak, if you want this to go smoothly, you’ll drop it,” I said quickly. He only nodded in response, and the discussion died as quickly as it started.
We walked toward the building and met Raphael and Korey at the door. Korey held it open as Tarak stomped in first, his commanding presence growing as we moved into the building and walked through various security checkpoints. Finally, we were at his office.
“Where would you like to start?” he asked.
“Let’s start with the easy stuff. The external security seemed fine, and Eliphas is developing upgrades. That’s good. The fewer the breakouts, the more effective the prison.”
I went to his window and peeked out the blinds, checking the yard below. Every Warden had a view of the yard. I could see several supernaturals wandering aimlessly while others stood in cliques. It was a lot like a human prison. Some were playing basketball, some were using the outdoor gym equipment, and if someone didn’t have a group that protected them, they ended up being vulnerable to others. There were some on the inside who worked to procure things they weren’t supposed to have, normally bribing guards to get those items. Visitors