Page 7 of Imprisoned with the Vampire King

"Shiv? He's an angel."

Double fuck.

There was no way there was another angel in the prison. Zero chance. The Cabinet was under strict orders not to put angels into the prison, and they did their own thing in our city, anyway.

I fought a wave of panic as I tried to lean back against the wall like Dante had. He was significantly taller than me, so my lower back hit the firm mattress. My torso bent at a weird angle, too.

Dante watched me with an unamused look on his face as I scooted back so I could sit the way he was sitting.

"Why is it a bad thing that he's an angel?" he asked.

"I didn't say it was a bad thing."

"Your face said it, Pixie."

"I still have a name."

"And you're still not a pixie." He eventually looked away. "How is the pottery supposed to get us out of here?"

"It's... complicated."

"I'm sure."

He didn't sound sure.

"Mostly, we just have to break the pottery when we're in front of the elevator," I said.

"Mostly?"

"Yeah. Mostly." I cleared my throat. "How long are we going to be trapped in this room?"

"Twelve hours, remember?"

Right.

He had told me that earlier.

"Show me your wings," he said.

"That's like asking me to strip."

"I've been locked in this hellhole for twelve fucking years, and we both know you're not a pixie. Show me your wings so we can clear the air."

I grimaced.

The sports bra I had on was a specific design just for winged immortals. Most of us could make our wings disappear and reappear at whim, using the tiniest bit of our magic.

"I really don't think that's necessary," I finally said.

Dante gave me a look. "The only way to get out of this place is with angelic magic, and you're not a pixie. You taste powerful. The magic in the pottery is yours, right? You're an angel?"

I tried not to visibly react to his suggestion. "Maybe."

"Show me your wings," he repeated.

I sighed, but slid the straps of my overalls down my arms. Leaning forward just a little, I focused on my wings.

They emerged from my back smoothly, unfolding as they did. I winced when one smacked Dante's chiseled arm, and he eased my wing in front of him with a gentle hand.