Enter the brutal world of Endlock, a prison where the wealthy hunt the inmates for sport. The first novel in an electrifying dystopian romance series, this high-octane debut about forbidden love, found family, and a fight for survival will leave you breathless.
Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Brooke Fast’s To Cage A Wild Bird, which is out now in eBook format.
In the city of Dividium, the law is simple: commit a crime, and your punishment is a life sentence in Endlock.
Raven Thorne is Dividium’s most notorious bounty hunter, living on the edge of society. But when her younger brother, Jed, is sentenced to Endlock, Raven will do anything to save him—even if it means getting herself arrested.
Now trapped in a prison where danger lurks around every corner, Raven must use all her cunning and strength to protect Jed—and herself if she is to complete her perilous mission. But there’s one obstacle she never expected: the prison guard who stirs something deep inside her. The man she should hate. The man whose true motives seem impossible to pin down.
In a world where trust is a weapon and love is a liability, Raven must decide if she will risk everything to tear down a vicious system.
EXCERPT
The Lower Sector curfew is now in effect. Citizens are not permitted to leave their homes under any circumstance until morning. If found in the streets, you will be arrested on sight.”
Councilor Elder’s monotone voice droned from the speakers on repeat, cutting through the silent streets.
“How much farther is it?” I asked.
We’d been walking in the dark for several minutes, sticking close to the buildings and scanning the shadows for patrolling guards.
My heart thundered in my chest, and only now, as I was following a stranger down a dark alley, did I realize my stupidity.
The ale and the way Vale’s lips had looked in the lantern light had gone to my head, but now, with the cold breeze slipping its fingers beneath my worn jacket and the threat of patrols, I knew I should be safely tucked in bed back at my apartment.
“It’s just a bit farther,” Vale said, reaching out and grabbing my hand.
His warm fingers curled around mine, igniting something inside me.
Maybe it would be all right, then.
Maybe this once, I could take the night off from thinking about Jed and rent and my next payout. I could do something for myself.
A clatter came from the street at the end of the alley, and I froze.
“I heard something over there,” a light voice, too close for comfort, called from the street.
“Just leave it, Glin,” a rumbling baritone answered. “Our shift’s almost up. If we find someone, there’ll be paperwork, and we won’t be home for hours.”
I felt a tug on my hand, and Vale pulled me backward, holding a finger to his lips.
With my next step, I kicked an empty bottle, which shattered against the brick of the nearest building. I turned to Vale, wide-eyed.
Silence.
And then the sound of quick footsteps.
I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as I scanned my surroundings for an escape route.
The alley was lined with apartment buildings, but there were no emergency exit staircases or ladders to climb. No lower-level windows to slip through and nothing large enough to hide behind.
I felt for the dagger strapped to my thigh.
“A blade will be no use against their guns,” Vale whispered.
I paused.
If I couldn’t fight, it was over.
The only way out of the alley lay in front of us or far back the way we’d come.
My throat tightened, and I froze, unable to draw a breath.
I was going to die at Endlock, just like my parents.
And Jed would be left to fend for himself.
I clamped my shaking hand harder around the handle of my dagger, pulling it from its sheath. I wouldn’t let them take me alive.
Then there was a hand on my arm.
“Do you trust me?” Vale was close enough that I could feel his breath on my cheek.
“Not at all,” I breathed.
He walked toward me, and I backed away until my shoulders met brick and there was nowhere left to go.
“I promise I can get you out of this,” Vale whispered. “Let me kiss you.”
I nearly laughed at the absurdity of the suggestion but paused, as everything seemed to clarify around me.
My hands trembled, the guards’ footsteps pounding closer as I drew what I knew were my last breaths.
There was nowhere to run or hide.
No chance of making it out of this alive.
But I could decide to live my final moments in pleasure instead of fear.
I slipped my dagger back into its sheath.
“Okay.”
If Vale was surprised, he didn’t show it. His large hands slid up the sides of my neck until his fingers framed my face, his thumbs beneath my jaw. And then he pressed his lips to mine.
He groaned as my mouth parted beneath his, and his tongue traced over my lips before delving into my mouth.
I pulled him closer, my pulse ratcheting up as I ran my hands up the back of his neck and into his hair until I reached the tie holding the smooth locks back from his face. I yanked the tie free and tangled my fingers in his hair, relishing the softness.
Someone was speaking in the background, but I couldn’t make out their words.
Adrenaline filled my veins, fear merging with lust as I lost myself in Vale, kissing him harder, breathing him in. One of my hands slipped beneath the hem of his shirt and over the smooth plane of the muscles of his abdomen. Molten heat pooled in my core as I let out a soft moan, and he bit my bottom lip in response.
“Careful, Little Bird,” he growled. “You’ll make me forget we’re not alone out here.”
I’d already forgotten.
“Face the wall and put your hands up.” A flashlight pierced the darkness, momentarily blinding me.
“Don’t move,” Vale whispered, running his thumb over my still-parted lips. Then he turned to face the guards, his body blocking me almost entirely from view.
“I said—” the guard began.
“I heard you,” Vale interrupted, voice low. He was doing something with his hands that I couldn’t see, rolling up his sleeve to show them something on his wrist, a watch or his wristband or—“
Vale, I think you should listen to them,” I urged, using his body to shield my movements from the guards as I pulled my dagger free once more. “They’ll hurt you.”
But both of the guards had gone quiet, and the flashlight fell from my face.
“We’re sorry. Please, carry on.”
I froze, knowing I must have heard them wrong.
But the two guards turned and practically ran back to where they’d come from, leaving me in stunned silence, staring at Vale’s back.
Nausea churned in my stomach as I realized what I’d done. Who I’d kissed. Because there was only one thing that would keep someone in the Lower Sector from being arrested after curfew.
I didn’t speak until a minute later when the guards’ footsteps vanished, and Vale finally turned to face me.
“You’re a guard.” The words shook as I pushed them past my lips even though I was sure I was right. Vale hadn’t shown a hint of fear while the guards were rushing toward us.
He was one of the Council’s minions and I’d kissed him. My hands shook around my dagger, itching to stab him. Only the thought of Jed had me sheathing the weapon instead.
“Something like that.” He grimaced at whatever he saw in my eyes.
I reared back and punched him square in the face. I heard a crunch and a grunt, but I ran before I could see how he’d react.
