The Prison (Book 1)

He

Thank God! was the first thought that travelled through my mind.

I knew it was him the moment he held me in his strong, powerful arms. And he knew he had me in his arms from the way his arms tightened protectively around me, cocooning me from the chaos unfolding around us. Just like he'd always done. I clung to him as if he were a life buoy in the middle of a tsunami. Emotion overwhelmed me, causing tears to well in my already swollen eyes and a lump in my throat. Immense relief combined with gratitude and uncontrollable joy swept over me like a tidal wave.

Fate had not disappointed me this time. The minuscule hope I'd desperately clung to was fulfilled: By some miracle, Schneizel had broken out of prison somehow and had come to save me!

I willed the tears back; this was no time for tears. This was Schneizel-kicks-everyone's-asses time.

"Are you alright?" he whispered into my ear, then proceeded to feather gentle kisses on my earlobe and the side of my head. He paused and inhaled, breathing my scent into his nostrils. I did the same, taking all of him in. His familiar scent enveloped me. Was it just me or did he smell even better than before, if that were even possible? I reached up both hands to touch and trace the patterns of his face, wanting to see him at least with my hands if not with my eyes, and was surprised to feel a soft beard. Schneizel with a beard? I felt my cock stirring already.

"I am now," I told him, smiling as I rested my forehead against his chest. In my ear his heart beat without reason or rhythm, pounding against his ribcage and matching the pace of my own heart. How I missed laying my ear against his chest and listening to the beating of his heart. How I missed his endless warmth and his formidable strength. How I missed that devilish smirk of his that did unspeakable things to my nether region.

How had I survived without him? Somehow, without my even knowing it, he'd become the very oxygen I breathed and depended on, so how I managed to go on living without him these past few months was beyond me.

I suddenly felt his hand on my ass. He gave the right cheek a good squeeze before asking, "Why are you naked?"

"Guess," I told him wryly. I was not ashamed to admit that I wanted him to tear these bastards new holes for the humiliation they'd brought upon me. I didn't even want to think about what they would have done to me if Schneizel hadn't showed up when he did.

He stiffened. I felt before I heard him growl deep in his throat, as if he were a lion who was furious that his prey had been devoured by another. He gently pushed me aside.

"Stand aside," he instructed and his voice brooked no argument. I obeyed unquestioningly. A dark aura suddenly draped over him like a cape, terrifying in its intensity. He radiated malevolent intent like a furnace, daring anyone to approach him.

Oh, man. Shit was about to go down.

Abruptly, the electricity returned, much to my relief. I blinkered against the sudden light. The single source of illumination in the room came back to life, casting a white light over the shocked faces of my captures.

"S-S-Sch-" The only one of the three who'd shown some sense by worrying about Schneizel and the consequences of angering him stuttered pathetically, his eyes nearly bulging right out of their sockets. He looked close to fainting. Actually, he looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Jimmy and the other one looked like they'd seen a ghost. I didn't blame them. Even with his back turned to me, I had no doubt that Schneizel's eyes had turned oblivion, just like they always did when he was furious. He had to look like a veritable demon.

"You fucking bastards." Schneizel's growl sounded inhuman even to my own ears. I shuddered just as goosebumps exploded across my skin. Boy, did I not envy them their positions. But they'd brought this upon themselves, and it was time to reap what they'd sown.

He didn't even give them a chance to scream. Like a leopard, he pounced. Throughout my stay in prison, I'd never seen Schneizel allow himself to lose control of his temper quite this way before. Even when he'd beaten up the gang that had assaulted me in the shower room, he'd been collected and always, always in control. It was both frightening and very, very sexy.

He moved with a speed that was alarming to say the least; it was unimaginable that someone of his size could move so quickly, so silently. In a flash, Schneizel was in front of Jimmy and raising him off the ground by his neck with one hand. The others drew back, too terrified to intervene. They plastered themselves against the far wall, looking like they intended to merge with it. Jimmy writhed pitifully like a fish out of water, his feet thrashing midair.

"Where is he?" Schneizel demanded.

Now who the fuck was this 'he'?

Jimmy gasped for air and tried to pry Schneizel's hand off of his throat to no avail. Even if he wanted to reply, Schneizel wasn't giving him much of a chance.

"C-Can't... b-breathe...!" he gasped, his face turning impossibly red and the veins popping in his forehead. But Schneizel's grip did not relent and he did not seem like he planned to ask again.

I knew where this was going. I'd seen him snap someone's neck as if it were a twig before. I felt the blood drain from my face and my heart squeeze.

I did not want this. Sure, I wanted them to pay for what they'd done to me, but I did not want them to die for it!

"Schneizel, don't!" I cried.

When he didn't seem to hear me, I had no choice but to intervene. In two leaps, I was by his side. I grabbed the arm that was chocking the life out of Jimmy with both hands. By now, white spit was flying out Jimmy's mouth. I tried to pull it away, but my attempt was no better than Jimmy's.

"Please, Schneizel, don't!"

He looked at me then. Our eyes clashed. In his, I saw no emotion other than the desire to kill as punishment for touching that which was his. It was all that he knew how to do. There was a blackness that I'd always realized was there, but I was now forced to confront it face-to-face. It stared right back at me, as if saying, "This is me, kid. Take it or leave it." It terrified me to no end. Before me was Schneizel, King of the Prison From Hell, the man whose mere mention commanded fear in the hearts of even the largest and strongest of men.

In truth, a part of me wanted to run away and never look back. He'd let me go, given me the freedom I'd begged and prayed for since the moment the bus rode through the gates of prison. But my love for him outgrew my fear of him, or rather my fear of what living with him would be like. Because I literally couldn't stand another moment of not being near him, feeling him, touching him, and laughing with him. I even missed the trivial things like eating and sharing a space in silence with him.

"Don't do this, please. For me," I urged and squeezed his arm.

He was unresponsive at first, but then he started to deflate right before my eyes. His murderous aura dispersed, vanishing into thin air as if it never existed. He released Jimmy, who fell to the ground like a boulder. He wheezed, clutching at his throat with both hands. The other two wisely remained out of sight.

Unable to help myself, I threw myself into Schneizel's arms. It was my new favorite place. His arms wrapped around me and he squeezed me until I could barely breathe, but I wasn't about to complain.

"How touching."

I turned to look at the source of the new voice. Beneath the doorframe, a man clad in a well-tailored suit stood with a gun in his hand. The gun was pointed directly at me. The liquid in my spine froze. Schneizel stiffened, no doubt noticing where the gun was pointed as well.

"Hello, Schneizel. Been a while." The man grinned, flashing his pearly whites. 

*~~~~~~~~~~*

Enter the villain.

Can't bear the wait? You don't have to! Check out my Pat,reon for early access to the next 10+ chapters, exclusive The Prison NSFW short stories, and NSFW art. https://www.patreon.com/feastofnoise