47. Pandora

The chill of the autumn air in the Demon Capital was a balm to my soul. It was still warm but a thousand times cooler than it had been.

I navigated through the campus grounds for my first day back to classes after the incident with Dreadful and her noble friends. I’d been holed up in my room since Hunter and Reed left me there, but I knew they stayed outside my door that entire first night. Even when my sobs were so loud, I could almost feel them wanting to burst down the door to get to me.

But I needed to be alone. I needed to talk to Nebula, and I did. He was there for me while I pushed everyone else away. I knew it wasn’t the healthiest coping mechanism, but I just needed to breathe.

I couldn’t believe how lucky I’d been that Dex, Hemlock, and Skel had been the ones to find me. But I could tell I hurt them by not being able to tell them who had hurt me like that. I needed to try and explain that I wasn’t trying to withhold that information. My throat had just been damaged to the point I couldn’t speak.

It’d been an entire week since then, and Reed pulled me into his dreamscape each night to let me sit on the beach and think. He hadn’t asked questions or talked, but he was there, and he held me when I needed it.

The attack had forced up memories of my mother that I had buried down. I had been helpless when Mother’s shadows cut into me, and I was helpless when the nobles beat me.

Hunter had told my father what happened, and I knew Daryl had said something harsh to Hunter because he had been so meek around me since. Hunter hadn’t come to visit my dorm since the night he stayed outside it with Reed.

Daryl had been alarmingly infuriated, so much so that he held a meeting with the Demon Council to petition the Dreadful family to be ripped of their nobility due to an assassination attempt on his daughter. He said if they didn’t agree, he would just kill her. His plea was accepted, and the Dreadfuls were stripped of their nobility. Unfortunately, Dreadful was forced to stay at the academy even with her change in status.

Reed had told me that she had been missing a hand when he saw her on campus last week, and I had no idea what could’ve happened. For a demon not to regenerate or heal from an amputation, it meant the body part couldn’t be reattached with the bone for whatever reason. But I didn’t exactly care, either. She’d beat me just like Mother had. Not with shadow tendrils, but in the way she stopped just before I’d passed out from the pain. Dreadful was just as evil, so she deserved it if she lost a hand.

Making my way into Reform Hall, I ambled into the Demon Basics classroom and took my usual seat, but Reed wasn’t there. Placing my academy-issued tablet on my desk, I typed out a message and sent it.

Pandora Gravesend

Is everything okay?

Reed Nyx

Why? Are you hurt? Do you need me to come to your dorm?

Pandora Gravesend

No, I’m not hurt. I was just wondering why you weren’t in class.

Reed Nyx

You’re in class?

I didn’t know you were going back today. (Frowny face)

Hunter has me doing something for the council, but I’ll be in Demonic Feeding. Your dad will be there, too, apparently.

Between you and me, Hunter seems totally scared of your dad, but who could blame him? I’d be scared, too. (Laughing face)

Hunter? My heart swelled with excitement that they were on a first-name basis now.

Pandora Gravesend

No worries! (smiley face) See you soon!

I locked the tablet with a click and put it back into my bag. My fingers brushed against my thigh wrap. It seemed like everyone was staring at me today, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t give them another reason to stare.

“Gravesend,” Nightwind murmured behind me.

I jolted in my seat before glancing over at him with a cautious glare. Dreadful had tried to get me alone with them, using him as an excuse. I didn’t even know if he had been a part of the group that had hit me, but I wouldn’t put it past him. “What?”

He ran a hand through his dark blond curls as his blue eyes softened. “I’m glad you’re back. I was worried about you.”

“I’m sure you know what your friends did.” I clipped my tone.

A faint wave of pheromones wafted from him, skimming up my arms and doing nothing to calm me like he seemed to want. “I didn’t know about it until after it happened. I wouldn’t have let them do that to you.”

“I don’t know if I believe you,” I whispered. “They used you as an excuse to get me alone, and I didn’t fall for it. But they found me anyway.”

“Someone cut off Dreadful’s hand,” he mentioned weakly. “And she’s been stripped of her nobility. She got her karma.”

“She may have, but what about everyone else?” I whispered harshly. “There were at least seven demons that attacked me.”

His gaze dropped, and he shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it.”

Swallowing a lump in my throat, I turned back around as Dusk started her lecture. She went into a full discussion about demon instinct and mob mentality. She explained how fear and anger could spread and amplify within a group to the point of them ganging up on someone they see as a threat or as weak to eliminate them.

I couldn’t help but notice a parallel between the lecture and what had happened to me. I didn’t think that was a coincidence.

After class, I rushed out without talking to Nightwind again. My stomach churned with the way his pheromones spread over me. I hated them.

I walked into Serpentine Stadium and spotted Reed right away.

His violet eyes met mine, and he rushed over, wrapping his arms around me and spinning me around once before dropping his lips against my ear. “I’ve missed you so much, dream girl.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” I hugged him tightly before pulling back just a bit.

He leaned in close, and his breath fanned over my lips, smelling sweet like cotton candy. But before he could kiss me, I jolted at an interruption.

“No hug for your dad?” Daryl joked, striding over to me with awkwardly opened arms.

Reed’s arms smacked to his sides like touching me burned him, and he lowered his head in respect toward Daryl for a moment before meeting his eyes. “Death, it’s good to see you.”

I stepped into Daryl’s hug, and he trembled as I wrapped my arms around him. “Hey.”

“So it’s not just Hunter, then?” he murmured as we pulled back.

I shook my head, biting my lip.

He knew.

“Interesting,” he hummed, glancing at Reed. “You’re the one who found Pandora, right?”

Reed bobbed his head. “I’m the one who brought her to Hunter, but I wasn’t the one who brought her to Sunstone Revive. That was those three.” He pointed to the corner of the room.

I followed his direction and stiffened as I met the gazes of Dex, Hemlock, and Skel. A violent chill worked its way down my spine at the eye contact.

Dex’s tongue ran over his bottom lip, and I caught a glimpse of his tongue ring. He winked at me.

My body flushed with heat.

Hemlock took a swig of his current alcoholic beverage before nodding in my direction, but his gaze kept flicking between Reed and I.

Skel’s green eyes were glued to me like he couldn’t believe I was there. He brought his pipe up and took a few hits before rolling his eyes back and blowing the wisps of smoke up in the air.

What was that reaction for?

“Seriously?” Daryl asked, running a hand through his long hair. “I guess they’re not as bad as I thought if they helped you, but don’t think I forgot about Hemlock disrespecting you last time.”

“Yeah, I know,” I murmured as Ashenfell called everyone to pair up with someone to practice feeding. “How’s everything going with the dark magic?”

His dark eyes swept the chamber before he sighed. “It’s at a standstill right now. We haven’t had any dark magic developments, and we’re investigating several leads right now. How are you feeling, though?”

“I’m okay.” I glanced over at the three demons who had saved me again before I ended up staring at Reed.

He’d walked off to pair up with another dream demon for a feeding exercise, and he was in his full demon form. I loved his purple horns and tail, and his galaxy eyes were a dream alone. There was also a galaxy-type haze surrounding him as if his dream magic were tangible. I watched him talk to the other dream demon as they laid on one of the red mats to go to sleep, and his lips looked so soft—I knew they were soft from experience.

Heat flushed up my neck as I thought about the fact that I had kissed Reed in front of Hunter. Oh, my Fates, I had!

“I think Hunter”s good for you,” Daryl said casually, causing me to stiffen.

I’d almost forgotten he’d walked in on Hunter and I kissing. “I like him...but I also like Reed,” I rasped lowly.

Daryl did a double-take, his eyes searching mine before he let out a tired exhale. “Demons, just like all supernaturals, can have multiple fated mates. It”s rarer in demons, but it does happen,” he explained carefully as if navigating a freaking war.

Fated mates. My heart swelled. I hadn’t said anything about fated mates to Daryl when it concerned Hunter or Reed. I’d always craved a fated mate, but to have more than one? The concept confused and excited me, the idea that amidst the trauma of my past, matebonds could form.

“You know, if you could learn to feed properly, to sustain yourself and keep your magic reserves filled, those bonds might strengthen and snap into place,” he told me with a smirk.

My heart thumped wildly in my chest at the thought. Matebonds? Demons had several different ways of forming a bond depending on the classification of demon, and I needed to read into it. Demons were special in matebonding because they shared bits of their power with their fated mates. But I also didn’t want to get my hopes up. “Can you teach me to feed on a soul without eating it whole?”

“Oh, of course, I can teach you how to snack on a soul.” He grinned as if me asking him for help absolutely delighted him.

We moved over to the back of the room, and Daryl whistled loud enough to gain everyone’s attention.

“Can we get a willing volunteer?” He smirked.

Everyone’s gazes darted away, back to their partners, except for Dex and Reed.

But Dex was the one to jump up from where he lounged on his mat with some other shadow demon. “I’ll totally volunteer to help trouble out!”

“Trouble?” Daryl scowled, shooting me a look. “Why’s he calling you that? You’re not trouble.”

I gave a half-shrug, my face on fire with embarrassment. “I don’t know. He’s always called me that.”

“Come on, then,” Daryl sighed, waving him over.

“Sure thing, Death!” Dex grinned maniacally and strode over, and the scent of blood that clung to him filled in around us. It wasn’t like a disgusting smell, though; it was oddly sweet and comforting. “What do you need me to do?”

“Stand on the mat in case you pass out,” Daryl told him, and he obliged.

Dex’s fog gray eyes met mine, and his grin widened more.

“Remember, Pandora,” Daryl’s voice was a low rumble. “Demonic feeding is an art as much as it is a necessity, but that rings true so much more for soul eaters. We will not devour; we will savor. Only take what you need, leaving enough so the soul may heal, replenish. In a day or so, it’ll regenerate and be like you took nothing at all.”

I nodded, my throat tight. I had only ever fed on whole souls, and I only ever did it out of desperation for survival. The thought of taking only a fragment was freeing, and once I knew how, it would change everything.

The stadium fell silent, all eyes locked on my father and Dex.

Daryl outstretched a hand toward Dex, and the air seemed to thicken with soul magic.

“You have to use your soul-eating gift to see the soul, and instead of imagining devouring all of it, you need to focus on shredding a piece off. Only focus on that fragment,” he said.

I watched as Daryl’s head tilted, and a faint, ethereal light began to emanate from Dex’s chest, his soul. Thin tendrils of his soul essence drew out, coiling like Skel’s smoke into Daryl’s body. It wasn”t a violent move; it was precise, almost tender.

The light flickered, dimmed within Dex’s chest, but it didn’t fade away. Dex’s knees buckled slightly, but he remained standing, his chest vibrating with a chuckle.

“Holy Fates, that was weird.” He reached up and ran a hand through his hair, stumbling back a few steps. “Shit.”

Daryl turned to me, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. “Your turn,” he said simply.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I stepped forward to face Dex. “Um, is it okay for me to feed on his soul after you already did?”

“I only took the smallest fragment,” Daryl drawled, shrugging. “He’ll be fine. Won’t you, Shadowheart?”

Sweat rolled down his temple, and his white blond hair stuck to his forehead as he shot me a grin. “I’m fine, trouble. Show me what you can do.”

My hand trembled slightly as I mirrored my father”s earlier gesture, my palm hovering over where Dex stood. My eyelids fluttered shut, but the magic didn’t resonate in my palm like Dary’s did. It emanated from my gut, and I moved my palm away from Dex, resting it on my stomach.

Soul magic swirled deep down inside of me, and I focused on it, willing it to only pull a fragment that would sate my hunger without devouring his soul altogether.

Magic slipped from my lips as I opened my eyes and watched the smallest wisp of smoke leave me and enter through Dex’s nostril. It found a fragment and covered it, gently drawing it up before the magic escaped his body and bottomed out in my stomach again.

I felt Dex’s soul fragment inside of me. The heat of his essence flowed into my reserves, filling it a quarter of the way up. It was intoxicating, the rush of power, the filling of my magic reserves without snuffing out a life.

“That’s it, exactly,” Daryl said, his voice soft enough that only I could hear. “You did it without failing.”

Excitement and a sense of belonging that I had never known before flooded me. “I did it!”

“Good job, trouble.” Dex smirked before crashing to his ass on the mat and giving me a thumbs up. “Shit, I’m tired.”

“I’ve got some council matters to talk to Blackthistle about, but you did great.” Daryl reached out and patted my head with a loving look in his eyes.

I blushed and nodded. “Thanks, Daryl. Good luck with the investigations.”

He nodded at me before ruffling my hair a bit and turned to leave.

Reed’s arm slipped around my shoulders as Ashenfell dismissed the class, and I leaned into his warmth.

“I knew you could do it, dream girl.” He grinned and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I’ve gotta meeting with Hunter, but I’ll definitely let him know about this.” His lips brushed against mine, leaving them tingling before pulling back and leaving the stadium.

Nightwind was in front of me as soon as Reed had left, and I hadn’t even seen him come in. He didn’t usually have this class with me, did he?

“So, that’s why you won’t give me the time of day? Too busy kissing the lousy dream demon with a human mom?” His words were laced with venom as he spoke of Reed. “I’m so much better than he is. Why would you choose that over me?”

Anger seared through me, but before I could let out my rage on Nightwind, Dex moved between us in a blur with help from his shadows, his presence startling me.

“It”s fucked that you would let someone speak about your boyfriend that way,” Dex spat out, his words like daggers, as he narrowed his gaze on me. It was obvious that he was mad at me, but it had to be about something else. He hadn’t even let me get a word in edgewise before interrupting, and I was about to yell at Nightwind. “Maybe Bram”s right, and you”re just a little bitch of a noble.”

I gasped, flinching back at his words. Hemlock and Skel had called me out for my nobility, but to hear Dex do it hurt.

“I really thought—” He cut himself off with a whisper before disappearing into his shadows. He didn’t give me a chance to deny any of what he had said.

I swept my gaze toward Hemlock and Skel, and their expressions twisted with murderous anger.

My heart raced, my mind grappling with the hostility that seemed to close in around me after such a good experience in class.

What had happened between the start of class and now?

I finally focused back on Nightwind and his sneered expression as he looked down on me. “Do you honestly expect me to believe you didn’t have anything to do with that attack Dreadful planned?”

He stumbled back with his eyes widening. “W—what do you mean? Did Dreadful’s heel kick you delirious?”

“How do you know she was wearing heels?” I arched my brow, and he covered his mouth with his hand quickly. “As for Reed, he’s better than you, and I would pick him over you every single time.” I shook my head with a sarcastic laugh bubbling up my throat.

“She’s not worth fucking, Nightwind. Do you really want a pussy tainted with lowly demon dick?” Voidfire wrapped her arms around Nightwind’s waist, peeking out from behind him. A flash of that night smacked into me at the sight of her face. She’d been there when they beat me; she was part of it.

“You’re right,” Nightwind sneered at me. “She’s clearly got bad taste.”

“He was only nice to you because he wanted in your pants,” Voidfire giggled. “But that’s okay. I’ll let him into mine instead.”

I shook my head in disbelief at the two of them. “What’s your goal here? I don’t care about Nightwind. At all.”

“No, you care about demon scum.” He curled his lip in disgust. “Like Nyx and those three dumbasses you seem to keep defending.”

A rage bubbled up inside of me, uncontrollable and fierce as my power surged through me, out of my mouth, and into theirs as I drew in half of their souls.

Their limp bodies hit the sand, and their essence filled my reserves as I stood over them.

“Oh, fuck,” Hemlock slurred. “Did she kill ‘em?”

Skel pinched his brows and smoked his pipe again. “Nah. They’re alive.”

With the taste of souls still lingering on my tongue, I fled out of Serpentine Stadium with a cold seed of anger in my heart.

Why was it that when one thing went right for me, everything else fell apart?