37. Pandora

Everyone was scared of me.

My heart thrummed anxiously as I stood in the center of Serpentine Stadium, the sandstone walls echoing with the whispers of my classmates. A thin layer of sand, like powdered bone and ash, coated my boots—a sick reminder of what the infected demon’s body turned into when I was done with it.

My hair—my shield—fell protectively around me, hiding me away as much as it could from the fearful gazes that followed my every move. I could feel their eyes on me, their terror was a tangible thing, and it made my scars itch beneath my clothes and the wrap around my thigh.

“Alright, class,” Ashenfell”s voice was hesitant, a rare crack in the professor”s usually confident tone. “We will continue working on control during feeding. Remember, demonic feeding is about finesse, not force.”

My eyes flicked to Ashenfell. I could see it in him—the fear. It was the same fear that had been reflected in my mother’s eyes just before I devoured her soul, a fear that was present even when I was chained up. It was the fear of what I could do, of the death smoke that curled from my lips, and the power to consume souls.

Nobody was afraid of Daryl like this…not in the same way, at least. They feared him and respected him for what he could do with sharp precision. They feared me because of what I could do without control.

I wrapped my arms around myself as Ashenfell”s gaze lingered on me. I had no desire to feed, not when the control of my power felt as fleeting as a shadow in the desert sun. Besides, my magic reserves were filled up, and I didn’t have the need to feed.

Skel’s green eyes darted to me as he swept a tongue over his bottom lip. “My reserves are fucking overfilling. So, unless everyone wants their fears tormenting them, I’m out. Thanks, princess.” He winked at me before making a hasty exit.

I flinched at his nickname for me, the word ”princess” laced with sarcasm that stung. It was a reminder of how I was viewed by him—something different, something to be wary of.

After the class dispersed, a silence fell over the stadium, leaving me to be led to the closet alone with Ashenfell and the training dolls, their artificial souls a pale imitation of the real thing. I could barely sense them.

“You need to try, Gravesend,” Ashenfell urged, though his voice was devoid of its usual sternness, “You can”t starve yourself. It”s dangerous.”

“I’m not. I’ve already eaten, and my magic reserves are full.” My fingers twitched at my side, and a flicker of black danced across my vision—the color my eyes turned when my powers surged.

Ashenfell flinched. “I’ll be back when class is over.”

“I”m scared,” I admitted, my voice a rasp, a testament to the damage done to my vocal cords.

“Well, fear is normal. Just try. Practice. I’ll be back.” With a nod, he shut me in the dimly lit room, the sound of the turning key a chilling echo of my past.

I was locked away again.

Instead of being rattled with panic and fear, I focused on the dolls, trying to call forth the magic within me, but it refused to come.

You’re fine, Pandora. Breathe.

Frustration bubbled up, hot and fierce, and I let out a choked noise of exasperation. My attempts were useless, and with each failure, the fear of being chained again, of being trapped, clawed at my insides.

My eyes were black, I could feel the magic thrumming through me, and I could sense the dolls’ souls. But my power wouldn’t manifest.

Time passed, the minutes stretching into what felt like an eternity until Ashenfell returned, his expression softening as he opened the door. “You can go, Gravesend. Any progress?”

I shook my head, feeling my eyes switch back to my regular color.

“We”ll try again next time.”

I didn”t meet his eyes as I ducked around him, my steps carrying me swiftly out into the stadium.

Reed, the only student left, waited for me, his presence a quiet, heart-warming comfort.

“Hi,” he murmured softly.

“Hi. Are you scared of me, too?” My question was a whisper as I searched his violet eyes for the truth.

Reed just chuckled, a sound that seemed to push back the shadows in my heart. “No, Pandora. I”m not scared of you.”

“But have you heard about?—”

“You devouring a soul and dark magic inside of a guy in class?” He arched a brow. “Yep.”

I sank my teeth into my bottom lip, waiting for him to tell me he didn’t want to be around me anymore.

“I’m afraid of feeding in others’ dreams,” he admitted. “But I did it anyway. I gave Grimshaw, Hemlock, and Shadowheart nightmares in your honor.”

“You did?” My eyes widened, and I stepped closer to him, inhaling his cotton candy scent.

“They needed to pay since I’m betting you didn’t tell Darkmore about what they’ve done.” He smirked as I shook my head.

He was right.

“That was actually really sweet. Thank you.” Heat spread through my chest.

“It was the first time out of my dreamscape since my dad was murdered,” he explained. “It was scary but worth it.”

“I don’t have control.” My voice wobbled. “That doesn’t scare you?”

He held a hand out for me to take, and a blush bloomed across my cheeks as I took it. “Take a walk with me, dream girl.” He laced our fingers together and tugged me out of the building.

As we walked together under the desert sun, the tension eased from my shoulders.

We didn’t stop walking until we ended up at Odyssey Bluff, the beauty of it a balm to my problems. It was beautiful here, the sky vast and free—and the water was as clear as I remembered. The colored rocks were pretty at the bottom.

“I like how beautiful it is here,” I murmured.

He squeezed my hand. “It gets even better. I wanted you to be able to appreciate the beauty. This place shouldn’t be tainted because of what Dreadful did to you.”

My heart swelled as we ambled onto the rickety wooden bridge leading from the lake to the looming cliff above. We crossed the lake, and the sun painted the sky in hues of oranges and pink. It cast the prettiest glow over the water.

We paused in the middle of the bridge, and I was lost in nature around us. The gentle lapping of the water mixed with the distant calls of birds, creating a sound of nature that enveloped me in its embrace.

I’d used to only ever hear the garbled cries of birds, hear the howling winds of the desert, and felt the stale air of the cellar. Being free of Mother was the best gift the Fates could’ve given me.

With a smile curving my lips, I turned to Reed. “Isn”t this just incredible?”

He nodded, his gaze fixed on the lake below us, where the colored rocks lay at the bottom. “It”s like something out of my dreamscape, isn’t it?”

Fates, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

“It is,” I breathed out.

His tall frame was illuminated by the soft light, his dark brown ringlets bouncing in the breeze like a halo around his head.

He turned to me with a soft smile playing on his full lips, and I felt my heart flutter. His cloudy violet eyes shone in the orange glow with a depth that drew me in, like portals to his dreamscape. He was truly an attractive man.

“I haven’t told you how my dad died,” he murmured, the sadness soaking his voice.

I reached out instinctively, my fingers brushing against the soft spirals of his hair. His cotton candy scent enveloped my senses, filling me with a sense of comfort and warmth that I wanted to give him. “You don’t have to.”

“I think I need to.” He reached up and grabbed my wrist gently, bringing the back of my hand to his lips and pressing them softly against my skin. “I love your scent.”

“I love yours,” I rasped, heat flooding me at the fact that he kissed my hand.

He didn’t let go; instead, he traced little circles into my palm. “My dad died when I was eleven. He entered some random person’s dream at his work. He did it all the time to feed, and so do most dream demons, but this person was in the middle of a nightmare. Dad must not have realized and entered the dream carelessly. He must not have entered the way I was taught, to appear from above the dream on a cloud. He must’ve entered within the dream, you know? Like right into it. The person was being hunted by a serial killer. My dad ended up the victim with his heart cut out.” He choked on the words, and tears flooded his eyes.

I pulled my hand away from him and wrapped both of my arms around his neck, pulling him close. His arms snaked around my back and held me closer.

We stood there on the bridge above the lake, hugging, and there was a tug at my heart, a pull in my soul that beckoned me toward Reed. Our magic seemed to swirl around each other, and it felt so right.

“I’m so sorry, Reed. I had no idea dreamwalking could be so dangerous.” I reveled in the feel of his warmth seeping into me as our magic danced around us.

In that moment, surrounded by the vastness of nature around us and the warmth of Reed embracing me, I knew we shared a connection forged in the Fates. We may not have shared a fated mate bond, but something told me he was mine.

Reed”s voice was a soft murmur against the shell of my ear as he continued his story, “After he died, I was lost. My mom needed me, but I couldn”t be there for her—not when I was drowning in my own sorrow. I…I was only eleven, and my dad and I were so close.”

“Reed, you were only eleven,” I repeated back to him. He was just a kid himself. He needed his mother. His mother shouldn’t have put that on him.

“Well, with Mom checked out, I went to the internet for some form of contact outside of our home. She moved us away from those I did know after he died, and I understood that, but it was still hard.”

I pulled back slightly, just enough to see his face. The tears trickling down his freckled cheeks broke my heart. “That’s good that you were able to find a connection. Being alone is the hardest thing in the world. Pain and abuse are bad, but isolation?” I shook my head as it felt like knives struck my heart at the memory. “Isolation is the worst form of torture.”

“Yeah.” He frowned, searching my gaze, but he didn’t dig into what I said as if he knew I wouldn’t want to talk about it. “Virtual worlds were the only places I could escape to—where my grief didn”t suffocate me. I met my best friend there, and even though we never met in real life, I took her to my dreamscape. She’s how I’ve been able to feed. Mom didn’t like me pulling her into my dreams. She…she liked seeing Dad in her dreams.”

I nodded as a breeze moved around us, making my hair fly all around. I understood all too well the need to escape and find solace from the pain. My thumb brushed against his cheek. “We all find ways to cope. I’m glad you found people to be there for you through that time in your life, even if they were online.”

His hand covered mine, holding it against his face for a moment longer. “She isn’t the demon I thought she was. She’s pulled my mom into something dark, and I believe she’s involved in dark magic.” My gaze widened, but he moved his other hand to cup my cheek. “She’s not my friend anymore. It feels like I’m alone again.”

“But you”re not alone, Reed. I’m here,” I whispered.

“You are, aren’t you?” He leaned close, and his lips just barely brushed against mine, sending a spark through my entire body. “Please don’t leave.”

“I…” My knees wobbled as longing spread through my heart. His lips against mine, however brief it was, felt so soft and so perfect. “I’m not going anywhere, Reed.”

He pulled back, and it looked like moving away from me physically pained him. Maybe it did. I could feel the tug of my magic urging me into his arms.

“Thank Fates for that, dream girl,” he murmured teasingly before lacing our fingers together. “Ready to head back to campus?”

I nodded, almost as if I were in a daze.

Our steps creaked along the bridge, and the view of the academy from here was breathtaking. I could’ve stayed here well into the night with him, just enjoying his company.

The walk back was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence filled with something deeper. Our connection grew stronger today, a faint whisper of our magic that I believed to be the Fates calling us together.

As we reached campus, the first stars began to emerge, pinpricks of light against the darkening sky, and a cold settled around us. Instead of heading back to the dorm room I shared with Dreadful, I wanted to stay wrapped up in Reed’s arms.

Reed kissed me on that bridge.

Well, he didn’t kiss me, but our lips touched. Fates, I think…I think I wanted more.

Even with the rest of the demons at the academy against me, I knew I would be okay because I had him.