Elias didn’t trust himself to speak. Instead, he slid the master key into the lock. The metallic click echoed far too loudly in the sleeping block—the sound of surrender. He stepped inside the cell and pulled the door shut behind him, turning the key from the inside. The security camera in the corner had been conveniently “malfunctioning” for the past week, an issue he had personally delayed fixing.

Zion rose slowly to his full height, towering over Elias by a good six inches, his broader frame radiating controlled power and barely leashed desire. He didn’t reach out immediately. Instead, he circled the warden once, close enough that their chests nearly...