Page 30 of Imprisoned with the Vampire King

Part of that mastery had been learning to use my magic without giving away what I was. Pixies were all vastly different in their usage, so I'd been taught how to mimic their movements while still weaving power the way I needed to.

It took a little more focus, but I could handle it. Mostly.

I thickened the blanket's fibers, and softened them too. The blanket wouldn't hold heat quite as well, and would fall apart a little faster thanks to the darkness of my magic, but its owner wouldn't realize that for a while.

Mending or changing a blanket was a different type of magic than building something like the penitentiary. Mending was a one-time thing, so my power regenerated quickly after I released the threads.

Building something that functioned on its own required permanent power to maintain it. That affected my power supply as long as the magic was in place, which was why I barely had anything in the tank.

Reaper held out a hand when I was done mending, and I tossed the blanket to him. He felt it and squeezed it. Then nodded his head for me to continue.

I grabbed the next blanket.

More of his people showed up throughout the day with comfort items and clothing to add to my to-do pile.

I was exhausted by lunch time, but they weren't willing to let me leave.

By dinner time, I was barely functioning.

Reaper smacked me lightly on the shoulder and told me I'd done well, when I passed him on the way to the cafeteria.

Despite my discomfort with Dante in the solitary confinement room earlier, I felt intense relief when I stepped into his waiting arms at the bottom of the staircase.

He growled something at Reaper, who just chuckled and made a dickish comment. I didn't look back at him. I was too worn out from the magic use and constant exposure his awful aura.

Dante held me to his chest as he led me to our cell immediately, instead of to the food line or our normal table.

"What are we doing?" I mumbled.

"I took our food to the cell already. Shiv needs to check with you on the magic, and you need to rest," Dante murmured, as we neared our space.

"Shit."

Dealing with River again was the last thing I wanted to do after a crappy day.

Thankfully, he just wanted to check that he was on the right track, so the visit was short. It was less awkward than our meeting in the laundry room, too. He seemed to be figuring out the way I'd woven my magic around the elevator, which I hoped was a good sign.

We wouldn't really know for sure until we reached the elevator and tried to leave.

I was refusing to admit there was a possibility that he wouldn't be able to weave himself out.

Jazz was a siren, so she was more at risk in the prison than most people, on top of being unable to leave River because of the mate thing. They both had to go when I did. Yes, I'd locked River in the penitentiary for a good reason, but he wasn't a risk to anyone.

I couldn’t leave Dante, either. He was starving, and had been for more than a decade. Reaper would definitely kill him if River and Jazz escaped, too.

All four of us had to leave together.

Worst case scenario, I would have to mate with Dante to get us out, and that was fucking terrifying.

I didn't want to say that, though.

I fell asleep while he was still eating, despite the discomfort in my shoulders and the pit in my stomach.

The next day went the same.

So did the day after that.

Dante waited at the bottom of the stairs with our food that evening, without my pottery. Jazz and River would be bringing that to the elevator when we met there in the morning.