The Prison (Book 1)

The Lion's Den

The Lion's Den

My eyes fluttered open. Almost immediately, a powerful migraine threatened to split my skull in two. My bones felt like jelly.

After minutes of staring at nothing in particular, I finally registered what I had been staring at all this time. It was the backside of the upper bunk of a double bunk bed. I quickly looked around the room and came to the frightening conclusion that it wasn't a room but a prison cell. It was barely six by four of thick grey stone with an opening for a window with barred glass.

Next to the bunk, a surprisingly clean toilet seat was attached to the wall while a desk that had things neatly arranged atop it such as a DVD player, CDs, and books faced the bunk. Among the diverse collection of things sat a laptop.

Were inmates allowed such luxuries?

Once I was sure I could move without causing myself more pain, I gingerly sat up and got up. Cautiously, I went to the desk and examined the laptop closely with drawn eyebrows, then let my eyes roam over the other items. I picked up the sleek MacBook and turned it in my hands. Was this another smuggled item?

I didn't notice him enter the cell until I heard him demand, "What the fuck are you doing in my cell?"

Startled, I let go of the laptop and it fell to the floor and broke.

My heart in my throat, I reflexively stepped away from the shattered laptop on the ground. A mental groan echoed in the depths of my mind, shattering the false sense of serenity I had started to develop upon eyeing all the familiar devices and material placed around the prison cell.

The intruder's deep voice had startled me out of my wits.

"I said, what the fuck are you doing in my cell?" The infuriated baritone voice repeated, his every word dipped in venom, chilling me to the bone and making my skin crawl.

The feeling of imminent danger invaded my body, nearly taking control of me as the relentless urge to flee consumed me and almost took over my legs. My instincts told me that I was in the presence of looming peril.

Whoever was standing behind me was no one to trifle with.

With extreme difficulty, I willed my body to face the person I assumed was the upper bunk's owner. Whether he liked it or not, we were sharing this cell now. It was time I showed this place and its residents that I had some backbone, and that I wouldn't be bullied or harassed any longer.

When my eyes met the startling, terrifying pair of electric blue eyes, the prison cell seemed to shrink into a tiny cubicle that barely had air, suffocating me, my claustrophobic reflexes kicking in. Involuntarily, I took another step back as if I had been struck. For what seemed like hours, my eyes unblinkingly stared into my cellmate's piercing ones. They portrayed only one emotion: Unfathomable fury.

He looked so angry that it was a wonder how the entire cell didn't shake from it.

"Are you deaf?" he snapped and flashed me perfect white teeth in a sneer.

The trance broke and I finally managed to pry my eyes away and take a good look at the rest of him.

I never thought I'd find a model in prison, or a warrior angel. He stood defiant and tall with his legs apart, ready to do battle. His tanned body was lean yet obviously well-muscled and strong. The orange uniform wrapped around his body like a second skin, emphasizing his muscles. His face was out of this world. It was all hard lines and edges, a straight nose, and defined cheekbones with a few day's growth of sandy stubble sprinkled across his jaw and cheeks. His hair was so blonde that it was practically yellow, and I was consumed by the strange urge to run my hand through it just to see if it was as soft as it looked.