"I really like your house," Mary told Liam as she sat down on his sofa and looked around. "It's so simple and quaint."
"Is that a compliment?" Liam asked.
"Yeah, it is. Don't worry." Mary smiled.
"Sorry I was late coming home from work," Liam apologized to her. "We had a problem with a long-time offender. He's Sean's cousin, Malachi."
Mary's heart sank. "And my cousin too. That's fun."
"No," Liam shook his head. "Don't be alarmed, but…he's Edele's son, so he's not related to you. He's had a habit of stealing magic his whole life just like his mother, but when he finally stole Edele's, she sold him out and sent him to us. We don't think he's got anything against you, but because of this whole mess with you and his mother, we're keeping him detained under lock and key just to be sure."
"That's what you said about Edele, but she got out," Mary pointed out.
"I had James put him in a prison world specifically designed for the really dangerous criminals, the ones who need to be in solitary confinement," Liam assured her. "If you want to know about them, ask your dad. He wasn't so bad that he needed the same treatment as Malachi, but he still had to be put away."
"Why would my dad know anything about them?" Mary asked. "They sound horrible."
"Well, believe it or not, your father has kind of an unsavory past," Liam told her.
"I don't think I do," Mary replied, trying to see the kind, loving man who raised her as being awful enough to be stuck in a place called a prison world. "But I suppose I can try."
"No, don't," Liam replied, shaking his head and taking her in his arms. "It's too awful to think about. In fact, I don't know why I told you when there's nothing for you to worry about in the first place."
"It's no problem," Mary smiled and zapped off her clothes so she was standing in front of Liam in a matching black lacy underwear and bra set. Then she put her hands on her hips, shook out her curly red hair and pushed Liam against the wall, kissing him deeply. "What are you just standing there for?" She asked. "We have work to do, remember? You want to take off your clothes or should I?"
"You do it, please," Liam replied. "I'm a little…a little too distracted at the moment."
Mary nodded and removed her bra and panties before undressing Liam who was very aroused and more than a little relieved to be free of his pants. He waited cause he thought she was going to give him a blow job then and there, but that didn't happen until they reached the bed. Mary took charge until the sky outside began to get dark. Then she sat back and smirked at him. He was panting, flushed, and covered in sweat. "How are you doing?" She asked, running her hands over his pectoral muscles. "Are you gonna be too tired to take your turn with me?"
"Of course not!" Liam said. "Would you…would you get me some blood, though?"
"Why leave the room when you have a ready supply right here inside me?" Mary asked.
"We went over this," Liam replied patiently. "I can't bite you until the curse is over. It will take you too long to heal. And it wouldn't be any fun if you were too woozy to take part in it."
"It won't be so bad if you take it from my wrist or my thigh," Mary countered.
"We don't have much time," Liam said. He was beginning to get impatient, his blue eyes narrowing. But Mary still looked at him with that challenge in her eyes. Clearly she wasn't gonna let this go until he did what she said. He sighed, whispered an apology against her earlobe, took him in her arms, and bit her neck, trying to ignore her cry of pain and feeding as gently as he could. He didn't take very much, letting her go almost as quickly as he'd bitten her. The limited blood loss made her mind much clearer than it would have been if he hadn't restrained himself, and she was still very much aware of every sensation as he stroked her inner thighs and between her legs while licking up the stream of blood that trickled down her neck before he captured her lips with his and, as a moan escaped her plump, red lips, he buried himself deep inside her, a process which he repeated several times throughout the night until sunup, when she finally fell asleep, her head against his chest while he stroked her hair.
"What do you know about the council's prison worlds, Daddy?" Mary asked Jonathan after school the next day. "Liam told me that they caught a guy and stuck him in one of those worlds for stealing magic, and that if I wanted to know more I should ask you."
"Oh, the prison worlds," Jonathan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Not very pleasant places to be. That's where most people who commit crimes go. You have to have done something very light not to be sent to one."
"But what about the jail at the council building?" Mary wanted to know. "What about the people there?"
"That's where people are put until they're ready to be sent where they're sent," Jonathan replied. "I was put away for stealing magic as well. And I believe Astrid's husband Alistair was also put away in a prison world at one point. Communicating from a prison world is very difficult. A lot of it is done through mirrors. There are even games that naïve children come up with where they'll call people up from the prison worlds and inadvertently allow them to escape, or at the very least, have contact with the outside world."
Mary sucked in her breath. "I wouldn't want that," she said. "You won't catch me playing that silly game, Daddy. Don't worry."
"Good," Jonathan smiled and kissed her hair. "The less I have to worry about you, the better."
"Isn't this a fun game?" The prisoner asked James as James pushed him from behind toward the door that would lead to the prison world where he would spend the rest of eternity (at least that's what James hoped.) "You know, the game where you think you can lock me up, and then I end up getting out, so you have to find me and drag me back, then I get out again, and you have to come and get me…" He laughed and took a handful of chips out of the bag he held, throwing them into his mouth.
"Oh, yes," James said sarcastically, his blue eyes angry. "It's the most fun thing in the world to have to waste my time catching you when I could be doing other more worthwhile things. Most prisoners are like you, but you're the worst."
"Of course I am," the dark eyed young man remarked, a smirk on his face and a nod that showed he'd heard this speech several times before. "You've said it, my mother's said it. Hell, she was the one who had me locked up in the first place." He paused. "That's why I left. Where is my dear old mum anyway?"
"She's dead," James replied curtly. "And if you'd had the grace to go along with her, I think we all would have been happy…Malachi."
"Oh, you're calling me by my full name, instead of Kai like everyone else. I'm so full of shame now that I just might turn around and mend my wanton ways." He paused and burst out laughing. "Yeah right!" He then told James, "Come on, Captain. You know that if I was gone, you'd miss me. Admit it."
"I will not," James shook his head and gave Kai a shake.
"I don't know why people are so scared of you," Kai continued after pulling himself out of James' grasp so he could face him. "You're nothing but a big teddy bear aren't you?"
James growled and reached out to choke him. "Be silent!" He hissed.
"Astrid won't be happy if you kill the prisoner," Kai choked out.
"Yes, she will, she gave me permission to use any means necessary to subdue you." James nodded, still holding him by the throat as he dragged him over to a heavy steel door covered in locks. He took his time unlocking the door with his free hand while watching Kai slowly turn blue out of the corner of his eye. Then, once he got the door open, he gave Kai and his chips a shove and, with an immense sense of satisfaction, shut the door with a slam behind him before going to tell Astrid that Kai's latest escapade had reached its happy conclusion.
Kai swore as his face hit the cold, hard floor of the cell head on. He sat up as blood poured from his broken nose. He slowly sat up and looked around at the nearly empty room. "Come on!" He called out. "Would it have killed you to pay for a decorator? This place is so bare and boring it's like a prison in here!"
No one answered him of course, so he chuckled at his own humor and decided, as was his usual custom in situations like this, that he needed to find a way out. His friend James had told him that he was trapped for good this time, but he doubted it. After he did his best to fix up his nose, he did reconnaissance of the small room, and to his surprise, found a mirror in a small closet. "I was wondering where you were," he smiled. After so much time spent in and out of the prison worlds, he knew that mirrors were used as a prime means of communication between the prisoner and the outside world. But (and he shouldn't have been surprised by this) this particular mirror lacked the mechanisms to send messages outward, meaning the only time he'd hear anything from anyone is if someone called him. He sat down on the uncomfortable metal chair next to the bed and tried to figure out what to do next. Then, he heard a voice, a young girl who sounded very nervous.
"I did it," she said. "I did it."
"Are you seeing anything?" Another girl's voice asked. Kai got up and approached the mirror, seeing a young girl with curly brown hair and a spray of freckles on her face. "Hello," he said with a smile. "I'm Kai, who are you?"
The girl saw him, let out a terrified squeak, and then said, "Are you…are you a criminal?"
"I hate labels," Kai replied. "Do I look like a criminal to you? Are you scared of me?"
"Please don't hurt us," the girl begged. "We were just trying to have a little fun. We didn't actually think it would work!"
"What?" Kai asked, a horrible idea forming in his mind. "What were you trying to do? Tell me, please?"
"It—it's just a stupid slumber party game," the girl replied, her lip trembling. "You…you say a spell and it calls up a criminal from the prison worlds. We thought it was just a joke. Please don't hurt us!"
"Oh, I won't, don't worry," Kai assured her, feeling very jealous of the popcorn the girls were eating. "I'm feeling very generous today, so you just scamper away and we'll continue on with our lives like this never happened."
"Thank you," the girl replied. She muttered a spell and her image disappeared from the mirror, giving Kai pause as he went to sit on the chair again. Maybe he couldn't get out on his own. But if he was able to find the right person, it probably wouldn't be hard to get out with their help. Those naïve girls hadn't been the ones. It would take time to find the right person, he knew. But would be worth it. He looked around his cell and sighed. And with a few minor changes, this place could be made very livable in the mean time.