Avery’s mind spun with questions as Gabe led her to the medical facility. She knew she was in prison, and that meant being surrounded by immoral, unethical people. However, she did expect some protection from the staff. How, exactly, would Danica get close enough to kill her? She still didn’t understand why she was the one being punished with solitary confinement either. It would seem the one causing the trouble would be penalized, not the victim. Maybe Danica had dangerous friends.

Medical was located on the top floor of the facility. Twelve beds were placed against a white wall, three of which were occupied. Opposite them, bar-covered windows met the juncture of the ceiling and the wall. The sun shining through them reflected off the white paint and brightened the area. Plants lined shelves below the windows, and she recognized everything from aloe vera to tulips. Avery glanced at the other patients and noted they were each shackled to the railings of their beds.

A wooden desk with a neat pile of papers was situated to Avery’s right. In the far corner, she noted a built-in safe next to a small refrigerator.

An elderly woman greeted them. She was small with spiky grey hair, as round as she was tall, dressed in white scrubs. Avery smiled at the woman, her demeanor a giveaway. Tears pricked Avery’s eyes when she realized the nurse was a Fae. Finally, she had encountered someone who wasn’t a shifter.

“Hello, Gabe,” the nurse greeted. “Who do we have here?”

“Madge, this is Avery. Avery came to us a few hours ago. Avery, Madge is going to fix you up.”

“Have a seat on the bed, honey,” Madge said as her gaze raked over Avery from head to toe. “Let’s have a peek at those arms and that knot on your head. Any other injuries I need to know about?”

“You’ll want to check her ribs,” Gabe said before Avery could answer. “Her file indicates she’s been hurt there as well.”

Madge furrowed her brow as Avery sat. “What happened to you, hon?”

“She doesn’t talk about it,” Gabe interjected.

Avery bit her tongue to keep from telling him not to speak for her. Although she desperately wanted to say something, she didn’t want to ruin the time in this little slice of heaven. Between the sunlight and the plants, she wanted to burst into tears of gratitude and appreciation, then curl up on one of the gurneys and take a long nap.

As Madge unwound her bandages, Avery watched closely and reveled in the silence. She glanced over at the three occupied beds and wondered how she could she score a bed up here instead of in the dungeon.

“Oh, these don’t look good,” Madge mumbled.

It was true. The red, purple, and blue on her arms lit up like a neon sign while the gashes now sported a yellow tinge.

“They’re hot, too. Feels like they’re getting infected,” Avery said, her gaze meeting Madge’s.

“I couldn’t agree more, honey,” the nurse replied as she patted Avery’s knee.

Madge turned and waddled over to the plants and began breaking off leaves and stems. She carried some over to her desk, pulled a small, clay bowl from a drawer and used a pestle to grind them together—all the while humming a soft tune Avery couldn’t recall ever hearing.

Gabe leaned against the doorframe with his hands jammed in his pants pockets. He didn’t look away when their eyes met, and she wondered what he thought of her, and why she should care. Their relationship was strictly warden and prisoner, nothing more. But, maybe she should have been more forthcoming about her injuries. If she wanted to be treated well, perhaps the rules of the game included her participation.

Madge returned to the bed where Avery sat and began scooping the powder out of the bowl and dabbing it on her injured arms. For just a second, she grimaced at the burn, but just as she thought she wouldn’t be able to cope with any more, it cooled, and finally went numb.

While the nurse examined her head, she continued to hum. The melodic sound jarred something in Avery’s memory, but she couldn’t place its significance.

“Lie down for me, honey,” Madge said as she patted the mattress.

She unzipped Avery’s jumpsuit, and Avery glanced over at Gabe. He immediately turned his back to her. At least he continued to show her some common decency. He could have just stared at her and gotten an eyeful of her bra and her bare torso, but he’d allowed her some modesty.

Maybe she’d even grow to trust him. Doubtful, but if she’d learned anything this past week, it wasn’t a good idea to say never.

If anyone had come to her two weeks ago and told her the future, she would have laughed in their face. A mere fourteen days ago, she never could have imagined the crimes she’d committed, the situations she’d survived, or that she would end up in prison. Therefore, she wouldn’t tell herself not to trust Gabe.

“You’re definitely banged up,” Madge said as her cool fingertips softly caressed Avery’s ribs. “However, you’ll survive.”

Avery zipped up her jumpsuit and struggled to sit up. Gabe rushed to her bedside and held out a hand. She grasped it and nodded a thank you as he pulled her upright. He then returned to his place by the door.

“Here’s what you need to do,” Madge said as she walked over to a small refrigerator. “You come back tomorrow, and we’ll put some more healing herbs on those cuts.”

Avery glanced over at Gabe to make sure he was listening. If Madge wanted her up here again, Avery would gladly oblige. When she saw him take out a notebook and pen and begin making notes, she grinned. Another point in the shifter’s favor.

Madge returned holding a Mason jar full of green liquid, then handed it to her.

“Then, you need to drink all of this by the time I see you again tomorrow,” Madge continued. “The mixture will help heal you from the inside out.”

“What’s in it?” Avery asked as she stared at the ugly concoction.

“Oh, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. I know you’re Fae. Didn’t your family ever teach you about healing potions?”

She set the jar down next to her and shook her head. “My mother was a human, and my dad… well, he disappeared when I was young. I don’t hear much from him anymore.”

Madge clucked her tongue and shook her head. “That’s what’s wrong with society today. Not enough stable family life, and the young people are forced to turn to crime.”

The urge to defend Melia overwhelmed her. “My mom was awesome. She would have taught me if she’d known anything about our culture, but she really didn’t. Just small things, like aloe vera helps to heal wounds, but it’s also great for constipation and to start fires.”

Madge smiled. “Where is she now? Have you spoken to her since you’ve been incarcerated?”

Avery shook her head, the tears once again stinging her eyes. “Um… no. S-she was murdered earlier this week.”

The silence that fell over the room hung around them like a wet, heavy fog. In seconds, it became so thick, she found it hard to breathe.

Avery glanced at Madge and then at Gabe. Both stared at her, and she noted the pity in their gazes. She didn’t want it, and it made her uneasy, so she lowered her eyes to the floor.

“I’m very sorry to hear that, honey,” Madge said, squeezing her hand. “It seems unfair that you would end up here so shortly after your mother passed.”

Avery understood that she’d piqued Madge’s curiosity, and as she glanced over at Gabe, she realized she’d riled up his interest even more.

She hesitated about explaining, mainly because of the mistakes she’d made and the gall she’d had to think she could take on the police by herself. In hindsight, a lawyer and courtroom would have been a much better option. Too late now for undoing her actions.

Maybe her story would earn sympathy points with Gabe.

“Well, my mother died. She was murdered, and one of the cops who came to tell me turned out to be Fae working as a human in case they caught any paranormal entities who got swept up in the human system. He kept an eye out and did what he could to remove them and bring them into our own little paranormal system. He ended up telling me that my mom had been murdered by a human.”

She briefly squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to block out the memory of Melia lying on the steel autopsy table, her body battered and bruised.

“But, when I went in to identify the body, I saw a vampire bite on my mom’s throat,” she continued, determined not to cry and touching a hand to her own neck. “My mom wasn’t involved with a vampire. She would have told me. We were very close. I even went through her journals, and nowhere did she mention a vampire friend or a lover.”

Slipping back to reality, she noted Gabe and Madge exchanging confused glances, but she couldn’t pinpoint their response. Maybe they thought of her as a simpering little girl who couldn’t accept the fact that her mother had been involved with a vampire, but had never told her?

“So, to make a long story short, I noticed the cop had a file about my mom. He carried it with him everywhere. I knew he was lying to me. I… I did some things I shouldn’t have, like breaking into his house. He caught me, and here I am.”

“You took on the police because you thought they were lying to you?” Gabe asked.

“Yes.”

He scoffed and shook his head. “What purpose would be served by them lying to you?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, sitting up straighter. “I just wanted to find out who murdered my mother.”

“And then what? If you found out, what would you have done?”

Avery hesitated for a moment as she considered an answer. That had always been the tricky part. She’d never really considered what she’d do once she came face-to-face with her mother’s killer. Exacting revenge would be fine, but it had never been a sure thing.

An alarm blared, and Avery glanced upward at the speaker as she pressed palms to her ears, the sound deafening.

She turned to Gabe and watched him pulling a radio from his belt and holding it up to his ear, a crease forming between his eyebrows.

He said something into the radio, then turned and flipped a lock on the door and pulled down the sash to cover the window. Madge hurried to the panel and turned off the lights.

Avery’s heart thundered in her chest as she fought the urge to run screaming from the room. The alarm blare hurt her ears, and she shook with anxiety. She pulled her knees up to her chest, shut her eyes, and prayed for it all to quickly end.

Is it a fire? Maybe there is trouble with one of the other inmates? If so, would everyone be punished, or would she have company down in solitary confinement?

After what seemed like an eternity, the alarm fell silent, but another sound met her ears, one that scared her even more.

Outside the door leading to the hallway, the screams, yells, and pounding on the walls sounded like a riot.

She stood up, unsure what to do or where to go. Somehow, the inmates must have gotten loose and were now revolting throughout the jail. Gabe glanced over his shoulder at her and put one finger on his lips in a gesture to silence her.

Madge grabbed Avery’s hand and yanked her over to one of the women on the beds, motioning Avery to help her slide the bed to the far corner. Despite the pain in her torso, she did as told and helped Madge with the other two.

The women in the beds stared around in stark confusion and fear as they pulled on their shackles. Madge whispered some words and lightly brushed her fingertips over their eyes, sending them to sleep in a trance.

Avery stared slack-jawed, awed by the woman’s power and knowledge. Madge had to be a full-fledged Fae, straight from the forests. No other explanation.

When a sound came from the other side of the door as if it were caving inward, the commotion increased outside. Madge grabbed Avery’s hand and motioned for her to sit on the floor behind the three occupied gurneys.

“Come on, Gabe,” Madge called. “They’re going to get in whether we open the door for them or not. I would prefer they destroy as few items as possible.”

Avery couldn’t see anything except Gabe and Madge’s feet. Gabe planted himself in front of the gurneys, as did Madge. The door swung opened and a rush of people filed in, the chaos now in full swing inside the medical room.

Beds were overturned, as was Madge’s desk. Avery couldn’t see who was responsible, but one voice stuck out, and it made her blood run cold.

“That faery was in here,” Danica growled as she stood where Madge had removed her bandages. “These smell like her.”

Directly to her right, Avery listened as a few people huddled and cursed in the corner near the safe.

“You’ll never get into the drug cabinet,” someone shouted from the doorway. “That old bitch has it locked up tight with her magic.”

Avery held back her breath while suppressing a scream, certain they would attack Gabe at any moment. An article she had read about prison riots mentioned that the guards were always hurt. Why would a paranormal penitentiary be any different?

Yet, Gabe stood still, his feet never moving.

Within a few moments, the room seemed to clear out, at least from Avery’s point of view. She stood, and Madge grabbed her arm, placing a finger over her mouth again to shush her.

Avery couldn’t believe the destruction that had occurred in such a short period of time. Between righting the furniture, picking up the smashed pots and plants and putting the files back together, it would take days to clean up.

Two of the rioting prisoners remained in the room—Danica and Cat. They strolled around as if taking walk in the park instead of participating in an uprising.

“I’m going to kill that little girl,” Danica said, standing directly in front of Gabe. “Somehow, some way, I’m going to get her for what she did to Jake and me.”