22. Pandora

None of the noble women seemed to like the fact that Bound Dormitory had communal bathrooms. They cursed under their breaths almost every time I saw them in the bathroom. I may not have particularly enjoyed sharing the shower space with others because of my scars, but I loved having a toilet and running water at my disposal. After what I had come from, this was a luxury that I didn’t want to take for granted.

I loved having closed in showers and sinks, so much so, that I started showering during the day instead of waiting for the night. I just covered my dressing before leaving the shower stall, and everything was fine. The others were irritated because they didn’t like to share the space.

But honestly, the bathrooms were a warm earth and sandstone, much like the rest of the dormitory. There wasn’t much to argue about. They were nice, clean, and functional.

The rough rock floors were cold against my bare feet as I stood in front of the porcelain sink, staring at my reflection in the fogged mirror.

“This is going to look so good on you, Gravesend,” Dreadful cooed with a saccharine sweetness that betrayed the barbed undertones.

“I’m not so sure,” I murmured, frowning as her fingers ran through my inky long locks with the hair dye enchantment she’d pulled out of her bag this evening after getting back to the dorm from her own hair appointment somewhere in the capital. The dye was an enchanted purple powder imbued with magical essence and a strong scent of herbs.

I didn’t know how she was able to get off campus since the reform academy forbade it, but I wasn’t about to say anything. It wasn’t my business what she did. My main concern was why she wanted to do anything with me anyway. It was obvious that she and I didn’t get along well, but she had tugged me along to the bathrooms without so much as asking if I had even wanted this.

“Don’t be like that,” she whined, flicking her golden locks with pale pink strands scattered through it back with a smile that didn’t quite reach her icy blue eyes. “The enchantment isn’t only efficient, but it’s quick. Only takes a minute to set.”

“I appreciate the gesture, Dreadful, really,” I assured her. “It’s just that this kind of thing isn’t really something I’m normally comfortable with.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” she snorted before blinking innocently. “I mean, it’s good to get out of your comfort zone or whatever.”

I bit back my reply, staring at the lilac streaks forming throughout my hair. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but…I didn’t really like it. It clashed with my red eyes.

“I’m so glad we had no classes today. Even if it was because of that dark magic circle that popped up on campus,” Dreadful mused. “A free day is a free day, right?”

“I don’t like thinking about dark magic.” I frowned as she stepped back and brushed the remaining powder off her hands. “But I guess you’re right. It was nice to have a day off.”

“Go on then. Shake it out. The witch at the store said this was their best,” she said as the muscles around her eyes twitched. “And for the record, dark magic isn’t something that can be wielded by demons. Whatever is happening probably doesn’t have to do with us, anyway.”

“I don’t know. I feel like they wouldn’t have canceled classes if it wasn’t serious enough.” I ran my fingers chaotically through my hair, watching the magic dusting fly off, and the purple in my hair became vivid.

Fates. I hated it.

My palms turned clammy, but I didn’t say anything. Maybe I could convince Daryl to get me something to dye it back?

She rolled her eyes. “You worry too much. Besides, I missed counseling with Ravencliff today; thank the Fates. That succubus is such a bitch. All she does is yap on and on about how much she fucks the students. Great for her, but aren’t we supposed to talk about me?”

“That’s what therapy is, yes,” I agreed, thinking about all of the times I’ve talked with Hunter and how helpful his words were. “She should be talking you through your past and helping you see things differently.”

“You”re so lucky you have Darkmore instead. He”s hot as hell.” She fanned herself dramatically, and a hint of her pheromones rolled off her. “I’m sure if I had him, I could get him to fuck me on his desk.”

I flinched as white-hot anger surged through me. Magic scattered over my skin like static electricity. For once, I thought my magic reserves being low might’ve been a good thing, even if it did wear me down. If they’d been full, I was certain I would’ve swallowed her soul whole for talking about Hunter like that.

Why did it bother me to think of him with her…with anyone?

Maybe it was just with her. I hadn’t pictured him with anyone else before…until now, and yeah, never mind. With anyone.

My chest ached at the thought of him with anyone but me, which was ridiculous. I knew I wasn’t in any state for a relationship like that. Not after being alone for so long.

“Please don’t joke about him like that.” I glanced in the mirror to find the purple tint was fading away as if it were never there. My gaze widened as relief washed over me. Thank you, Fates!

My normal black hair hung down, free of any color but black.

Dreadful scoffed, her demeanor changing quicker than usual. “I wasn’t joking, and what the Fates? That’s fucking weird.” Her polished, nice act slipped again as she gaped at my hair. “I guess I”m the only one with cool hair. What”s your problem with Darkmore, anyway? You like…piss on him when I bring him up.”

I glanced down at my ring, watching as it shifted to an ominous black, signaling malice directed my way. “I never wanted the highlights, Dreadful, and Hunter deserves more than how you’re talking about him.”

She huffed, and I could see jealousy and anger bubbling beneath her facade. “You’re already fucking him, aren’t you? Do you think just because you’ve rode on his cock that he’s off limits for me? I bet you thought you were just too fucking good for the hair dye, too, huh? I was even being nice to you after you bitched me and my friends out in the cafeteria. What the Fates is wrong with you?”

I quietly gathered my belongings with trembling hands. Shame and irritation bloomed through me as I safely tucked Nebula into my bag.

Why had I even gone along with her? Why did I think she could be nice?

I’d never been able to walk away from conflict before. I had been chained up, forced to take the brunt of all of the heat for so long.

Not this time.

“Gravesend,” she sighed, running her hand through her hair. “I’m sorry, wait! Come on!”

I ignored her, slipping past a couple of other girls who had just walked in and left the situation altogether.

Steppingout into the evening air, the campus sprawled before me in the form of rolling dunes and a faraway paradise under the twilight sky. The setting sun painted the desert in hues of gold and crimson, casting long shadows that danced with the winds and reminded me eerily of shadow magic. But I ignored the skittering fear down my spine.

There weren’t very many students walking this evening and the ones that were kept to themselves.

After the drama with Dreadful and the failed hair dye, I just wanted to get some air and escape the suffocating confines of the dormitory. I couldn’t help but compare the way being trapped with Dreadful was like being trapped with Mother, only I had a way away from Dreadful.

As I wandered around campus, the soft sand yielded beneath my feet. It wasn’t that long ago that I had desperately craved a feeling of something other than the sandstone rock ground of the cellar. I found myself thinking about the difference of the familiarity of my own company and Nebula, and the newfound interactions with a select few demons that made me excited but nervous.

The realization struck me like a shadow tendril, and I paused my strides. I didn”t like being alone anymore. The silence that once offered solace without Mother now felt stifling, suffocating.

My hand instinctively reached for the bag at my side, where Nebula rested. With him, I wasn’t alone anymore.

As I passed Occult Arch, the air crackled with tension as I recognized a figure reclined arrogantly beneath the arch, his form a stark contrast to the calming landscape around him.

It was Hemlock, and his scent of spicy bourbon hung heavy in the air, exuding an aura of chaos that both repelled and, reluctantly, I admit, drew me in.

His black tousled hair framed his sharp features, accentuating the rugged lines of his face. His tattoos were on display as he didn’t have a shirt on, and I did my best not to drool. I knew he had tattoos, but to see them all so clearly, I had to look.

The ink embedded in his skin depicted wild nature and, well…chaos. Across his broad chest was a pack of five wolves etched around a larger, more prominent wolf, and their eyes seemed to glint with a life of their own. The center wolf”s gaze was piercing, almost like it guarded the heart beneath it. His right arm was a canvas for a flight of hawks, wings outstretched in different stages of ascent. They soared from his wrist to his shoulder. His left arm was the domain of a solitary wolf. This one was shown with its head thrown back in a howl. Climbing up his neck, just visible above the line where his shirt collar usually sat, was the dark outline of a skull. Its hollow eyes and crooked grin added more chaos.

I visually traced each piece of art as if I were seeing a snippet of his soul displayed in black ink. For some reason, I had a feeling that even though the intensity of his inked skin was alluring, it was the man beneath the tattoos that drew me in.

Glossy red eyes, sharp and filled with malice, cut into me as I came closer. His sneer sliced through the moment of admiration I felt for him. “Oh, look, the noble slut graces me with her presence.” His words dripped with disdain as he took another swig from the bottle in his hand.

Each syllable was like an arrow that found its mark in the tender flesh of my heart. The accusation cut deeper than I’d like to admit, even though I knew it was a lie.

My fingers instinctively sought the feel of the bandage wrapped around my thigh, a shield against anything he could say. Nothing he could do would be worse than what my mother did.

“I”m not a slut. I”m just walking around. I’m not here to see you.” I forced my voice to get louder, but it was raspy.

“Oh?” he drawled, sitting up and resting his elbows on his knees. “I think I know why you’re over here. I mean, your little friend already outed you on wanting to fuck me. Not just me, but Dex, and Skel too. How quaint.”

“You don’t know anything about me,” I bit out, hot tears of frustration gathering in my eyes. “If you were paying attention, you’d know that’s not something I want.”

His mirthless laughter echoed around us, a cruel symphony that reverberated in the stillness of the desert night. “I know enough. Dreadful”s been having a field day with you, hasn”t she? You are friends.”

”We”re not friends,” I forced out, my voice raw with pain and frustration. ”She”s mean.”

“Mean?” His head fell back as he laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard, and then a surge of chaos magic exploded.

Chaos magic manifested in the form of a spectral wolf, which leapt from the tattoo on Hemlock’s chest.

Its large paws sank into the sand, the imposing wolf towering over me. It snarled and lowered its head threateningly.

A yelp escaped me as I stumbled backward, tripping over the uneven sand and plopping my butt into the messy grains.

“What are you doing?” I gasped, panic rattling my bones as I stared at the wolf born of chaos.

Hemlock”s laughter taunted me, filling the space between us. “All of you nobles are the same. You know they’re bitches, but you still hang around them.”

“Not anymore,” I croaked, my tailbone throbbing from the way I landed.

“You”re pathetic,” Hemlock spat out, his disgust for me palpable. “Can you speak up? I can’t hear you.”

I knew he could hear me. We didn’t have demonic hearing for nothing, but I wouldn’t let him get to me. I’d heard worse from the woman who birthed me.

“From what I’ve seen, you’re nothing but a drunk bastard who bullies others because you think you know them.” Pushing against the sand, I climbed to my feet and met his gaze over the chaos wolf with a steely resolve.

Hatred burned hot in his eyes, but he said nothing.

“Did you hear what I said, or should I repeat it?” I turned on my heels, and the moment my back was to him, hot tears spilled down my cheeks.

He probably scented the salty tears, but I kept walking because I refused to let Hemlock see me cry.