45. Reed

As I ran from the room, the world around me seemed to slow down, my bare feet slapping against the stone echoing against the silent corridors of Bound Dormitory. My heart pounded, resonating with an urgency that dwarfed even the wildest nightmares I could think of conjuring.

All I could think about was Pandora—my dream girl, with her strength and her smile, who had completely stolen my heart.

My eyes blurred as I pushed the doors open and ran across the sandy campus to Sunstone Revive.

I woke up hearing Hemlock, Grimshaw, and Shadowheart talking about Pandora being hurt, but nothing could prepare me for what I saw when I found her.

She was crumpled on the large gemstone that thrummed with magic, blood staining her clothes and skin, pooling all around her. A visceral pain clenched my heart and twisted at the sight.

I ran over and dropped to my knees beside her, my hands trembling with a mixture of anger and heartbreak at what happened.

“Pandora,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “Let me help you. Please, feed from me. You need to heal faster.”

Her red eyes fluttered open and met mine. “I can”t, Reed,” she breathed out, her voice hoarse. “I might hurt you.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, unbidden and hot. I couldn”t bear the thought of her in pain, of her so…vulnerable. “Are you healed?”

She nodded. “As healed as the sunstone can do.”

I wrapped my arms around her and gently lifted her. “Come on.”

“Don’t take me to my dorm,” she whispered quickly, wrapping her arms around me and burying her face in my neck. “Take me to Hunter’s office.”

“Darkmore?”

She nodded.

“Okay.”

With every step toward Darkmore’s office, my resolve hardened. I would protect her, no matter the cost. I didn’t know how this happened, but I knew I couldn’t let it happen again.

I didn’t bother knocking since his door was cracked open, I just kicked it all the way ajar and walked in.

His gaze lifted, and he went completely immobile as he comprehended the situation.

His demon form came out abruptly as he stood, and he stormed over to me, kicking his door shut. “Lay her on the sofa.”

I moved over and set her down carefully, my hands lingering on her. My cotton candy scent mixed with her caramel and blood made my head spin.

“Thank you for finding me,” she murmured softly.

Our eyes locked, and my magic flowed through me, urging me closer. I leaned in, and our lips met in a kiss that was full of promise. It was soft and sweet and everything I wanted to do when we were at Odyssey Bluff together.

I wasn’t sure how long we stayed there, kissing without any other care in the world.

Darkmore cleared his throat before he turned away, hiding his reaction.

We broke away, and Pandora’s eyes widened.

“Hunter…I?—”

He shook his head. “I’m not mad. Who did this to you, starlight?”

Why would he be mad?

I glanced between them and noticed the obvious tension. Had something happened between them?

“Dreadful and her friends,” she admitted with a voice full of pain. “I was at Odyssey Bluff with Nebula, and they came out of nowhere. I couldn’t move, the pain just kept coming…” She started to sob, launching herself into my arms and crying into my chest. “It reminded me of her.”

Who?

Hunter’s eyes flashed with understanding and what I could only describe as bloodlust. “You’re not staying with her anymore. There’s an empty dorm room next to Nyx and Hemlock. You’d have the room to yourself for the rest of the year. Would you be comfortable with that?”

She pulled back, wiping her tears away and trying to calm her breathing. “As long as Reed’s next door, I’ll be comfortable.”

“Good.” He grabbed his tablet and typed something out before setting it on his desk and holding his hand out to her. “I’ll help you move.”

“Now?” Her lips parted in shock, but she took his hand and moved to stand on shaky legs.

“Now,” I confirmed, standing next to her. “I’ll help, too.”

Darkmore and I shared a look of understanding. We both cared for her and were both going to be there for her for the foreseeable future. Both of us took one of her hands, lacing our fingers through hers.

When we got to Pandora and Dreadful’s dorm, there was already a moving team moving furniture out of her room along with her stuff.

Pandora glanced at Darkmore, who grinned.

“I sent a message to a few staff members who were happy to help.” He shrugged. “I didn’t think they were going to move all of it.”

She smiled softly, stepping closer and wrapping her arms around his waist. “Thank you.”

He smiled, hugging her back and kissing her head. “Of course.”

Maybe something had happened between them.

“What are you doing here, Darkmore?” A too-sweet voice greeted as Dreadful strode out of the room, yawning. “Do you know why they’re moving all of Gravesend’s stuff out?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” He turned, making sure Pandora could be seen by her, and glowered at Dreadful. “Do you have any ideas?”

Dreadful’s face turned sheet white, and she stumbled back. “Oh, shit.”

“Yeah,” he supplied. “Oh shit.”

“She…she’s a liar!” she sputtered.

My blood ran cold. This demon had the audacity to accuse Pandora of lying after she beat the hell out of her with her little friends?

If Grimshaw, Hemlock, and Shadowheart hadn’t found her and brought her to Sunstone Revive to heal, I didn’t want to think about what could’ve happened.

Darkmore growled so loudly the hall rumbled under our feet, and his tail flicked back and forth. “You don’t even know why she’s moving out. What exactly is she lying about, Dreadful?”

Her blue eyes widened, and her bottom lip wobbled. “Um, I—well…” She turned toward Pandora.

“It’s still black,” Pandora mumbled against Darkmore’s chest, and my brows furrowed. “My ring. It’s black, which means you still want to hurt me, Dreadful.”

“Hurt you?” She forced a giggle that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. “Oh, Pandora, that was our, um, initiation, if you will…so you can officially be part of our group! We all went through it, and now we’re totally on a first-name basis!”

“Don’t call her by her first name,” Darkmore and I snarled at the same time, but I stepped up and glowered down at her. My tail whipped around me angrily. “You call her Gravesend with respect.”

She held her hands up and backpedaled away from me. “Right, of course.”

“We’re not friends, Dreadful,” Pandora rasped. “Don’t put on a show. You’re a terrible actor.”

Dreadful gasped in surprise, genuine surprise, like she had thought she could actually smooth over what she had done.

“Don’t think you’re not going to get punished. You attempted an assassination on Death’s daughter,” Darkmore growled the words, his vengeance magic snapping outward and blasting into her.

Dreadful propelled through the air and back into her room, crumpling on the ground with the same bruises and cuts that she had inflicted on Pandora. She let out a bloodcurdling scream, and tears streaked down her face.

“Must be nice to be able to scream like that when it hurts,” Pandora murmured softly like she didn’t expect anyone to hear, but Darkmore and I did.

What had that meant, exactly? Did it have something to do with the softness of her voice?

We turned and headed down to the room just next to mine and Hemlock’s, a proximity that both comforted and unnerved me since Hemlock was there too.

As we entered the room, the movers had already finished with everything.

Shades of gray, black, and ivory enveloped the entire room. Her four-poster bed draped in rich black velvet curtains stood as the centerpiece. Antique candlesticks set atop a sleek gray desk to the right side of her room, casting flickering shadows against the walls. On the left were floating black shelves with a collection of books, and there was a black rising stand on the end table. Her closet was on the left, next to the books, and it was filled with her clothes.

It looked calming, and I knew I would sleep better knowing she was right next door, alone and safe—away from Dreadful.

The air thrummed with tension and unspoken words as Darkmore and I were left alone with her.

“Thank you, both of you,” she murmured, her voice laced with fatigue as she pulled Nebula out of her bloodstained bag and went over to set him on the black stand next to her bed. “I feel much better already having my own room.”

Darkmore and I exchanged a look, and I knew we were thinking the same thing.

“We can stay,” I offered, the words clumsy in my mouth.

“We don’t mind,” Darkmore agreed, and his demon form slowly receded. I felt my tail and horns sink back in at the calm atmosphere.

She caressed Nebula’s skull softly and shook her head. “I think I need to be alone. Tonight was too much. It reminded me too much of—” Her words caught in her throat as if painful. She pulled out an enchanted water bottle and took a sip before placing it on her nightstand as well.

Of what, dream girl? What could tonight have possibly reminded you of?

“We understand,” Darkmore interjected. “If you need me, call me or text me. Reed’s right next door. Just call, text, or go over there. Okay?”

She flicked her gaze to me and nodded. “Okay. Thanks, guys.”

We left, the door closing with a soft click behind us, and almost immediately, her sobs wretched from the other side.

My heart lurched, and both Darkmore and I placed our palms on the rough stone door. The anguish was clear in both of us as he glanced at me.

“Darkmore, are you sure we should leave her alone?” I croaked, a turmoil of raw agony tumbling through me at her sobs.

“We’re both in love with her, Reed. You can call me by my first name,” he muttered, glancing back at the door. “She’s been through more than you know. She needs Nebula right now, and we need to trust her to come to us when she needs us.”

“But what if she doesn’t know when to come to us?” My voice broke.

He didn’t answer, and in the hallway, I could feel her pain as if it were my own. I knew she would turn to Nebula for comfort, but I desperately wanted to comfort her myself. Maybe it was selfish thinking, but I wanted to see her smile.