Page 21 of Cruelly Fated (Princes of Avari #1)

Eighteen

KYON

I perched on the edge of the bleachers, the metal frame groaning beneath my weight as I leisurely scanned the yard. Afternoon shadows stretched across the courts, the sun slipping behind the walls like it had watched enough endless basketball matches and inmates lounging about around the clock.

Still no sign of Valor. No call from my lawyer.

Yesterday, my legal team had dumped everything they had in front of the judge, complete with new evidence and new statements, enough to blow the case wide open. Valor had visited me right after, hopeful as hell that we’d hear the ruling today. But now it was pushing late, and I had no word.

That was unusual. Valor didn’t make promises he didn’t keep. And I paid my lawyer too damn much for him to go MIA when everything was on the line.

The yard lights flickered on then dimmed. Earlier, the prison suffered an electrical short circuit that took out all lights. Ever since they operated on backup generators that tended to push a surplus of voltage at times. All fences had been buzzing for the past two hours.

Perhaps the electrical issue spread city-wide. Even a temporary blackout could snarl Avari’s traffic and disrupt cell towers. That would explain Valors delay in getting back with me.

Across the yard, gargoyle gang members sprawled, glaring boldly in my direction and waiting for an excuse to pounce.

What set them on edge today? The aggression wafted from them in waves and my jaw ticked in response.

I resisted the itch to get up and tear someone’s face off, though. Now wasn’t the time.

If that judge reversed my conviction, I’d be out of here. Free. And I wasn’t about to blow it by starting a fight in the eleventh hour.

A metallic clang cut through the yard, announcing dinner. I stayed put until the crowd cleared, then rose and made my way to the mess hall. Letting anyone get behind me today was like inviting them to slit my throat .

Inside, the gang watched me like vultures. Every one of them sat rigid and silent, eyes locked on their target. I inspected their table, no food trays in sight. Gargoyle scum. Were they planning to make a move here? In broad view of the guards?

Even twenty-to-one, they’d barely scratch me before I wiped the floor with their scrawny bones. And the guards would be on them in seconds. Perhaps my father had caught wind that the judge might rule in my favor, and this was his counterplay.

I accepted the metal tray with my meal. Something brown and runny sloshed on top, the usual mystery stew that smelled like despair. I wasn’t going to eat it, but I took it anyway, gave the server a nod, and headed for my spot beside Pete.

My old table by the wall offered a better vantage point, but I made an effort to sit next to Allie’s grandfather whenever I could. It reinforced my message: Touch him and die.

Overhead, the lights winked out. Once. Twice. A low hum followed.

Heads lifted and unease rippled through the room like a current. But not from the gargoyles. No, they didn’t even act surprised. Their gazes remained pinned on me, their hands fidgeting now and legs bouncing.

My jaw tightened, and my muscles coiled, spurred on by the dragon’s instinctual fight mode.

Darkness descended over the mess hall. Then the generators stuttered to life, but only emergency lights came on, one by one in an eerie sequence. Something didn’t sit right with me. If the prison didn’t have full power, some of their systems would be down. The question was which ones?

The gang got up, grinning maliciously. Each planted a sneakered foot with their foolproof security anklet on the table. In perfect sync, they pressed a release button that should’ve only worked for the guards, and their bracelets sprang open, clattering to the floor.

Overbearing silence fell over the hall, then chaos erupted.

Inmates who’d been watching, let out wild whoops and cheers, some following suit and unlocking their own restraints.

Fuck . They’d hacked the prison’s security?

The gang members lunged into the air, shifting mid-flight into their stone-skinned gargoyle forms, and landed around my table like a pack of winged wolves.

I rose to my full height, rolling my shoulders back and letting a snarl curl on my lips. If this was how they wanted to play… My fingers drifted toward the cuff on my own ankle.

“Uh-uh.” The leader clicked his tongue.

My gaze followed his. Behind him, two of his men held Old Pete in a choke hold. One razor-sharp claw hovered inches from the old man’s throat. Allie’s grandfather gasped, his face drained of color, and his gaze set on me. They were using my only protégé as their leverage.

“Leave yours on,” the leader hissed, his voice barely human. “Or he ends up like them.” He pointed at lifeless bodies strewn around us .

Guards lay sprawled, their blood pooling into puddles beneath them.

Quick and silent deaths. Who knew gargoyles were this efficient?

I grimaced at the piles of tables and chairs in front of the doors.

They would slow down reinforcements. I would have to play this out smart to make sure I lasted long enough.

My dragon clawed at the inside of my ribs, begging to be let loose instead. Heat swelled beneath my skin, and steam curled from my nostrils. One twitch of my fingers and the stone-hearted bastards would become gargoyle smithereens.

But Pete…

I glanced at the old man. I had grown fond of him. And then there was Allie. I’d rather die defending her family than be the reason she suffered another loss. I backed my hand away from my ankle and, straightening, I lifted both hands, palms out.

To my left, a gargoyle let out a low, grinding rasp. The others clicked their claws against the floor in some sort of code. I cracked my neck and knuckles, feigning ease. We had all the time in the world to start this brawl, right?

I lunged.

Relying on surprise to tip the scale in my favor, I collided with the small cluster to my left. I drove one gargoyle into the wall and flung another over the table. Yelps and crunching of stony bones filled the air.

I whirled as a tide of snarls and wings surged toward me. Outnumbered didn’t begin to cover it. Dozens of fists pummeled my body. I gave up trying to guard my ribs and shifted my strategy to inflicting as much damage as fast and precisely as I could.

I had to last. For Pete. For the slim hope that someone was on their way. And because, for the first time in a long, brutal stretch of years, I cared if I came out alive. Because of her .

The creatures slashed at me, the edges of their wings sharp as razors, slicing air and skin alike.

Blood soaked through my shirt and dripped down my sides.

My limbs began to lag, each reaction slower than the last. A grunt tore from my throat as something heavy slammed into the back of my leg, buckling me.

They wanted me on the ground. Easy prey. Cowards.

I caught the next gargoyle by the throat and squeezed until I felt the cartilage crack and give with a sickening pop. His head lolled to the side like a snapped marionette. I swung his limp body into the wing coming at me from the left, using the dead as a shield against the living.

Didn’t matter. His comrades shredded him like meat, talons tearing flesh from bone until the remains collapsed into a puddle of gore at our feet. Two of them slipped, stumbling face-first into the blood-slick floor.

My footing faltered on the mess of limbs and liquids.

Six gargoyles hunted me now, crouched low in a crescent shape, their claws clicking rapidly against the tile. Careful not to trip, I stepped over a dismembered arm as I repositioned near a cleaner patch of floor.

The dragon inside me huffed, hot breath rising through my nose in angry streams. He was caged, but not muzzled .

I flicked a glance toward Pete. Still alive and pinned beneath a curved claw.

The gang leader leaped onto a table, his talons scraping the metal top, and let out a deep rattling croak. The gargoyles herding me hissed back in response.

My stamina was draining fast, and with it, the last of my adrenaline. Every step now dragged like I was wading through wet concrete. This pause in the fight wasn’t buying me time—it cost me. I was fading, second by second.

I clenched my fists tighter, grinding my knuckles bone-to-bone and reminding myself what waited for me outside these walls. I had something to fight for now.

I surged forward, ready to strike, when a heavy thud landed behind me.

I twisted on instinct, adjusting my stance to keep both threats in view.

The newcomer wasn’t just another thug but a massive SOB, twice the size of gargoyles I’d fought today.

His wings cast shadows over the bloody floor.

His stony gaze flicked to me, then slid past to the six comrades.

The gang leader let out a screech, the kind that raked over eardrums like rusted nails. It sounded like a command.

But the big guy didn’t flinch.

Recognition finally clicked in.

Aragon .

I should’ve known. No other gargoyle towered like that. And no other would step into this chaos unless it served their own agenda.

So why did he ?

He had no stake in this. No loyalty to me, or them. If anything, joining either side would only sink him further with the gargoyle clans. That’s what got him a ticket to the penitentiary to begin with. His name featured number one on gargoyles’ precious shit list.

I smirked to myself. If there was one thing more dangerous than a loyal fighter, it was a disgraced one with nothing left to lose.

Aragon spread one wing and extended a lone talon toward the leader in the most badass flip-off I’d ever seen.

The gang boss screeched, his stone throat blackening.

I arched a scar-cut brow at Aragon. He jerked his chin at the snarling circle and rolled his eyes as if to say: Seriously? I’m with you, dragon .

He flanked me. The gargoyles wavered, weighing their odds of facing both of us. The leader leaped behind his troops, barking guttural orders. Jaws clacked and talons clicked.

Aragon and I launched first. I hammered the nearest gargoyle with a straight elbow, shattering his nose, then caught the next in a head-butt that rang my skull and dropped him like rubble.

Claws raked across my back, and a line of fire lit me up.

I spun, snapped the attacker’s wing, and let him crumble.

Aragon tore through two gargoyles with ease and slammed the boss to the tiles, one colossal foot on the creature’s chest and a talon poised at his jugular. The ringleader stilled in surrender, and the remaining fighters retreated .

I cut a look to Pete and his captor. The thug released the old badger shifter at once. Pete stumbled and fell to his knees but seemed unharmed.

An explosion rocked the hall. Doors burst inward, tables skittering like dice as guards lobbed canisters.

Hissing clouds mushroomed out, and acrid gas clawed down our throats, locking our muscles in place.

I forced my legs to move and gripped the table edge before sliding helplessly to the blood-soiled floor, unable to withstand a military-grade paralyzing agent any longer.