26. Pandora

26

PANDORA

“ I ’ll do it.” Hemlock’s eyes bore into me with a different kind of heat than they ever had before. They dipped to my lips before slowly rising to meet mine again. “If you’re okay with that.”

Did he know that I’d kissed Skel?

Hunter and Reed’s surprised reactions when I’d told them flitted through my mind as I thought about it, and my heart skipped a beat.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” he rasped, running a hand through his hair. “I’ll be your partner whenever you need one.”

“Get in line,” Skel grumbled, taking a hit off his pipe. “Right, princess?”

Our gazes met briefly, and heat rushed to my cheeks and down my neck as I remembered the cavern.

He smirked, and his green eyes sparkled with excitement. He was thinking about the kiss too.

“I can be your partner.” Dex pouted his lips. “I’ve been your partner before, you know.”

“Her partner is her choice,” Reed reminded them, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

The entire dynamic with Dex, Hemlock, and Skel had changed after finding out about our matebonds. I still wasn’t sure how to process it after how they’d treated me, but it was happening naturally.

I wasn’t ready to forgive Dex or Hemlock, but I didn’t feel the need to ice them out either.

“Sorry, girl, but I don’t want you to eat my soul. You’ll have to pair with one of your mates.” Jenni winked, bumping her elbow against mine. “Eating me is reserved for your daddy.”

“Oh, Fates. Jenni, come on.” I groaned, slapping my hand over my face before taking a hesitant step forward. “Okay, Hemlock. Since you asked first, I’ll partner with you.”

“Really?” His expression lit up in a way I’d never seen before. It made my heart skip a beat at how pretty he was when he smiled. His dull red eyes brightened, and his lips curved beautifully. Hemlock was very attractive, but so were all of my mates.

I nodded, and he extended an arm toward the plush red mat we were going to practice on.

The rest of my mates and Jenni paired off and claimed the mats closest to us so we were all in the same area.

We were in Practical Application of Demonic Feeding, and Ashenfell thought it was time for me to practice on an actual soul since I’d exhausted all of the artificially animated dolls last class. Before I even had the chance to agree, Hemlock had been the first to offer himself up for it.

It had been a surprise for me that he wanted to, but I had to admit that I didn’t hate it. I actually liked that Hemlock was taking an interest in me.

Hemlock’s messy black hair flopped over his eyes as he stepped close. Those dark red eyes glowed with a mixture of curiosity and something darker. Tattoos of wolves and hawks snaked up his muscular arms, and the glint of his septum piercing caught the light of the training chamber.

My heart pounded as I tried to get myself into the right frame of mind to feed off his soul. The thought of consuming a part of his soul made my chest ache, but I knew I wouldn’t hurt him. I had better control of my powers now to make sure of that.

“Ready?” Hemlock’s voice was a low, rumbling whisper, and his tongue darted out to wet his lips.

I nodded.

My soul craved his. Deep down, I had to admit to myself that I craved him.

Pushing thoughts of desiring my mate from my mind, I focused on the magic stirring within me. Dark cloudy wisps of my power slipped from my lips, a tangible essence that hungered for souls. It floated through the air before finding its way into Hemlock’s mouth.

I could feel it, the connection, the pull of the matebond, and his soul within his body. It was intoxicating .

Once again, I had to force my thoughts away from the matebond and desire to merge his soul with mine. Instead, I needed to consume the smallest portion of his soul.

My magic wrapped around a small part of his soul and carefully separated it, bringing it back inside my body with a soft thump in my gut.

Warmth and belonging spread through my veins at my mate’s soul filling my reserves.

Hemlock’s eyes fluttered shut, and he dropped to his knees, the sound of his descent echoing through Serpentine Stadium.

A soft groan escaping his lips. “Fuck.”

“Did I hurt you?” I went to kneel down and help him up, but he didn’t budge.

“No.” His head stayed down as he took a shaky breath. “No. I’m fine. It didn’t hurt. But…I’m sorry, Gravesend. I’m so fucking sorry for how I treated you. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, and I know that—” His voice broke. “But I also know that you deserve an apology from me with me on my knees in front of you instead of written on paper.”

Nerves knotted in my stomach as everyone’s eyes turned to us. It was just like when Skel did this in class, and the other demons chuckled in judgment of him.

The souls around us reeked of judgement.

“Hemlock, I hate to remind you of everything you did.” Hot tears pricked at my eyes, but I inhaled a shaky breath to continue. “But I feel like I should. Out of all of my mates, you hurt me the most. Dex carved into my flesh, and somehow, the way you talked down to me hurt worse.”

“I know.” He bowed his head lower, and tears dripped onto the mat with little plunks. “The shit I did and said replay in my mind constantly. I thought of you as a spoiled noble, which you aren’t, but I didn’t give you a chance to prove otherwise. That’s on me. I made up my mind about you, and I treated you like you wronged me when you hadn’t.” He sucked in a crackled breath. “After you stood up for Dex, Skel, and I to the nobles, I followed you because I thought you had some fucking agenda—which you didn’t. I called you so many things?—”

“You called me a spoiled noble, a bitch, and a slut every chance you had,” I choked out accusingly, tears scorching lines down my face. “You hunted me down to tell me to mind my own business after I came to you to apologize to you after Daryl fed off your soul and ripped your septum piercing out. It wasn’t my fault that I interrupted your argument with your brother, but you acted like it was.” A sob broke free from the depths of my soul, showing my raw hurt to him.

“I did that, and I’m so sorry,” he choked out. His shoulders shook with the force of his own sobs.

“I found a dark magic circle, and I was scared. I ran into you after, but you didn’t even believe me, Hemlock. When you found me beaten under Occult Arch, you brought me to Sunstone Revive, and I thought you actually cared. I really did,” I cried, holding my aching chest with both hands. “But you got mad at me for my inability to tell you who did it. I couldn’t speak because they damaged my already fucked up throat. ”

“I did all of that, Gravesend, and you’re my fated mate. No apology will ever be enough.” He reached out a trembling hand toward me but stopped short. His hand fell back to his side.

“You also told me that nobody would fuck me anyway when we were learning about pregnancy prevention in class.” More tears fell from my eyes as the hurt welled up so much, it suffocated me.

“I lashed out, but even when I thought I hated you, I never believed that. I’ve always been aware of how beautiful you are. It pissed me off that I was so attracted to you.”

His guilt and shame slammed into me from a forceful glimpse at our otherwise muted bond, and it hurt so bad that my arms went numb.

“Alright, class dismissed,” Ashenfell called out, but nobody left.

Instead, we became a spectacle for the demons around us.

Reed stepped at my side, placing an arm over my shoulder. “Don’t put her on the spot like this, Hemlock.”

“Fuck,” Hemlock cursed under his breath, hanging his head. “I’m not trying to do that. I’m trying to give her what she deserves—which is a public apology from someone who royally fucked her over.”

Jenni approached next, looping her arm through mine. “Let’s de-escalate, shall we? Pandora and I are going to have some girl time in her dorm.”

Reed smiled at me, slowly removing his arm before kissing my lips softly. “I’ll see you later.”

Grateful for the distraction, I followed Jenni, but I couldn’t stop myself from looking back at Hemlock.

He remained in the kneeling position with his tears hitting the mat, and his self-deprecation shot down the bond again.

My soul desperately wanted to comfort him, but I also couldn’t forget how miserable he’d made me last term. Everything he did hurt me. And he’d done so on purpose.

Just because we had a matebond now didn’t mean it erased that pain.

Jenni and I sat cross-legged on the bed, surrounded by an array of nail polishes and stickers that she’d brought with her. The harsh golden light of the desert sun filtered through the curtains of my dorm room, casting elongated shadows on the walls.

I looked down at my nails, and a tinge of heat crept onto my cheeks, along with the sting of disappointment. First, the dye Dreadful used didn’t work, and now, the nail polish Jenni tried didn’t work.

My heart dropped.

Was I defective?

Mother’s claims echoed in the back of my head.

Jenni leaned in closer to watch the pink color fade from my nails, and her eyes sparkled with interest. “I’ve never seen that happen before, but no worries. Nail polish can be fickle sometimes,” she said with a wink, her tail flicking playfully behind her. “Good thing I’ve got a backup plan.”

I sighed in relief. For some reason, Dreadful’s irritation at my hair not holding color had filled my head, and I was worried that I was going to ruin Jenni’s fun with our nails. But Jenni’s infectious energy quickly dispelled my fears.

This was exactly why she was my best friend.

“Look what I’ve got!” she exclaimed, pulling out a kit of press-on nails from her bag. The nails were vibrant and adorned with little designs of cats.

It immediately made me think of Skel, and a different kind of heat flushed through me.

“These are adorable. Thank you!”

A giggle burst from her lips as she applied the press-on nails on top of my regular nails. “So, about your dad, you know I’m absolutely in love with him, right?”

“I know, Jenni. You’ve mentioned it a few times,” I replied, a small smile tugging at my lips.

Jenni’s tail swished back and forth as she placed another nail on. “He’s just perfect! Anyway, I need you to know that I literally would choose you over him if I had to. Chicks before dicks and all that.”

“You would?” My heart kicked up speed. I’d never really had anyone who would choose me…besides my fated mates, of course. I was sure they would choose me. But it was still really nice to hear that my best friend would, too.

“Of course.” She sighed. “I really do wish he’d notice me, though.”

“He definitely noticed your scent,” I confessed. “You know, Daryl came by after you left that day because of the dark magic.”

“He did?” Her expression fell for a moment, and her gaze darted to the spot where I’d puked the dead dark magic up. “How did he notice my scent?”

“You left your lemonade, and he scented the passion fruit. He literally stole your lemonade and drank it. It was so weird.” I giggled.

“No shit?” She gaped at me, her eyes widening in horror. “My soul eater lover had an indirect kiss with me, and you didn’t tell me until now?”

“I’m sorry!” I howled with laughter, clutching my stomach with the hand she’d finished putting nails on. “I’m telling you now.”

“Death likes passion fruit lemonade and my scent.” She sighed dreamily. “Best news ever . Do you think you could like steal his shirt and give it to me so I can sniff it?”

“Jenni!” I exclaimed. “That’s still my dad! I’m not going that far!”

“Not even for your best friend?” She gasped in horror.

I shook my head. “Sorry, but no.”

“Worth a try, I guess.” She pouted, finishing up my last nail.

I held my hand up and looked at the cute kitten art on them, feeling my lips tug into a smile. “I love them!”

“Oh! I have something else for you.” She reached into her bag again. This time, she pulled out a small, ornately decorated box. “Alright, girl, it’s time for some ceremonial magic.”

“What? Why?” I furrowed my brows.

“You’re sexually active, and only one of your mates—that you’re aware of, at least—has done this. Right?” She rolled her eyes playfully. “ You need to be safe.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “You’re right. I’ve been with Hunter, and I actually plan to be with Reed tonight.” My face heated as I voiced what had been on my mind all day.

She squealed, throwing her arms around me in contagious excitement. “Oh, Fates, yes! I’m so happy for you!”

“Thank you!” I grinned.

I was excited, too. I really wanted to mate my sweet dream demon.

She pulled back and opened the box, revealing an assortment of magical items: red and white candles, black tourmaline and rose quartz crystals, and a small vial labeled moon water. She arranged them meticulously on the bed, creating a small altar, just like I’d studied in Ceremonial Magic.

“Okay, so you’re going to need to focus your intention and magical essence,” Jenni told me. “But I’m sure you’re already aware of how to do this. So, just tell me if you need anything! My mom has me do this every year, even though I’ve told her countless times that I’m not having sex.” She let out a frustrated breath.

“I know, I know, you’re saving yourself for my dad,” I giggled, excitement zinging through me as I lit the candles with an enchanted flame crystal she’d brought. The candles’ flickering flames danced.

“Damn right I am.” She handed me a tower of rose quartz, symbolizing love and protection. Then, she handed me the tower of black tourmaline for the protection aspect.

I held both crystals over the flames and shut my eyes. I visualized a soft, pink light with a black glow enveloping me, a shield of love and safety that would allow me to express my sexual desires safely while pausing my body’s ability to get pregnant for the course of a year.

Once the magical protection around me felt secure, I opened my eyes. Grabbing the moon water, I poured a few drops over the crystals, causing them to sizzle in the fire.

The room hummed with energy, and a tingling sensation spread through my body. The candles’ flames danced higher, casting elongated shadows on the walls, and a surge of energy pushed through me, a confirmation that the magic had worked.

When the flames whooshed out, I grinned. “Thank you for helping me do that.”

She smiled back. “That’s what friends are for, right? To look out for each other.” Her tail flicked playfully again, and she added, “And to make sure your nails look fabulous while doing it!”

Time slipped away from us, and before I knew it, I had to head to my next class: Demonic Curses with Dusk.

Unfortunately, Jenni didn’t have this one with me.

As I entered the room, I realized how late it had become. Dex, Skel, and Hemlock were already seated, leaving a spot for me between Dex and Skel.

All of the other seats had been taken, so I couldn’t sit anywhere else.

I trudged over and sat down, lacing my fingers together on top of my desk with a sigh.

Dex slid his elbow over his desk, his head resting on his hand. His cheek was squished as he smiled at me. “Nice nails, trouble.”

I tapped them against the desk, ignoring the way my heartbeat picked up in speed at his compliment. “Thanks.”

“I love the cats on them,” Skel murmured, biting down on his lip ring.

“I…thought of you when Jenni brought them out,” I admitted.

“You did?” The smile that stretched over his lips was huge.

“Yes, because of the cats you feed in the cave.” I covered a smile with my palm. “They’re so sweet and cute.”

“You guys went and fed cats together?” Dex’s brows furrowed. “When?”

“Yesterday.” Skel blushed, flipping his pipe around. “We got stuck in there by a sandstorm.”

“You did?” Hemlock gaped at us.

I bit down on my lip as I remembered how I kissed him in that cavern—and how badly I wanted to lose myself in him. A flame of desire kindled between my thighs. I squeezed them together, hoping the others didn’t smell the arousal. “It was…nice.”

“Just nice?” Skel tilted his head with a smirk. “I think it was the best time of my life.”

“I don’t know about that.” I bit back my smile, running a hand through my long strands. “We had an intense conversation.”

He nodded. “It was needed, and I’d crawl to you all over again because you deserve that kind of repentance.”

My heart thumped faster in my throat as my blush deepened.

“Crawl?” Hemlock choked.

Dex inhaled sharply. “Did she… forgive you?”

A rough whimper tore from Hemlock.

Skel winced, looking at me to answer, and I just nodded slightly. I didn’t want to hide that fact from them. I had forgiven Skel.

“She did, but I’m not entirely sure I deserve forgiveness for how badly I treated her. I’ll be making it up to her for the rest of my life.” His green eyes sheened over with tears, and my chest tightened.

“Your nails…they look good on you.” Hemlock’s voice cracked as he glanced over at them from his spot beside Dex.

I nodded politely, still remembering him on his knees apologizing to me this morning, and a searing pain sliced down my chest.

I still wasn’t ready to forgive Hemlock or Dex.

Dusk entered and cleared her throat. “Good afternoon. Listen closely. Your final assignment will be an essay on demonic curses, their dangers, and their necessity. From here on out, you will be writing it, editing it, revising it, and perfecting it. It must be a minimum of twenty pages with the correct format.”

Dex, Hemlock, and Skel groaned collectively, tilting their heads back in a way that I found incredibly sexy.

My lips parted at the thought, and I shook my head back and forth as if trying to rid it from my mind.

Where had that thought come from?

“Trouble, can you help us? We suck at essays,” Dex begged, his bottom lip jutting out in a pout.

“He’s not wrong.” Skel pouted, fluttering his long lashes at me. “Please, princess?”

“We could use the help,” Hemlock grumbled, his gaze on the table in front of him. “I don’t think I’ve written an essay since middle school…”

Part of me wanted to give in and help, but study sessions weren’t necessarily a smart idea since I still hadn’t forgiven Dex or Hemlock.

I shook my head. “It’s not due for another month at the end of the term. At least attempt it on your own first. I mean, I’ve never written an essay before attending here. I doubt I could be any help to you.”

“Well, we could help each other then.” Dex smiled widely, his shadows circling over the large white scar on his neck. “We could have a little study session with all of us—like a little family.”

“We are all your mates.” Skel twirled his pipe in his hand. “That classifies us as family.”

Dex and Skel high-fived, sporting matching smirks as their gazes burned into me.

I winced at the longing from the glimpse of our bond, but before I could answer, most likely giving in and agreeing, a black tar-like portal opened up next to Dusk in the front of the room.

A chill splintered in my chest as a demon burst through the portal.

Dusk jolted, stopping mid-lecture, stumbling back, clutching her chest. “ Who are you ?”

All of us jumped to our feet.

The man's sickly gray skin had black veins spreading across the exposed skin, which pulsed slowly. Greasy, light brown hair was slicked back from being so dirty. His eyes were completely black and leaked obsidian tears down his cheeks as they locked onto me. “You’re marked for us, pretty , dark Bones.”

Before I could react, Skel pushed me behind him as Dex and Bram threw themselves in front of us.

The man took one step forward.

“If you walk any fucking closer, you’re dead,” Hemlock growled, the sound vibrating through the classroom.

He took another step.

Dex’s shadow magic gathered into a large, sharp tendril that cleaved down and sliced the man in half from his head through his torso.

“Warned you,” Dex snarled.

Instead of red blood, a black tar-like substance that I knew had to be dark magic stuck to the other side of his body, stretching slightly before bringing the halved body back together like it had never happened.

A disembodied laugh pierced the air as he advanced toward us again.

Hemlock’s chaos wolf leapt from his body, accompanied by a cobra that struck the demon in the calf.

The infected demon was unfazed and took another step. His dark gaze seared into me, rooting me to the spot.

There was so much excitement in his gaze.

“Kill,” Hemlock commanded.

Snarling, the wolf jumped, morphing into a larger size and snapping its jaws over the demon’s head. The wolf landed, growling as dark magic dripped from its mouth and floated back to the headless demon. His head formed back in an instant, and he advanced again.

“Stop!” I shouted as my magic fled my body and sank into the demon’s. It consumed the dark magic and the dying soul within him.

As it hit my gut, my power surged through me, and I stumbled backward.

The body fell to the ground with a thump before turning to ash.

Skel caught me, his arms wrapped around me protectively as Dusk cleared the classroom of the other students.

It was only one soul, but the amount of dark magic warred in my belly. Agony ripped my stomach apart before my magic won out. Tears dripped down my face, mingling with sweat.

“Princess.” His warm breath hit my ear. “Tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” I managed to croak out as exhaustion swept over me. It didn’t feel like I needed to puke, but I could tell there was a lot of dead dark magic sitting in my body.

Even though puking sucked, I wanted my body to purge it.

“He was here for her,” Hemlock spat out, blazing eyes flicking over me as though to ensure I was okay.

“They’re being bold,” Dex muttered, more to himself than us.

“Dex, shadow-travel us all to my office. Now,” Hunter gritted out, striding into the classroom and over to us. Worry lines creased his face as he stared at me, and the panic through his bond was dizzying.

“You good?” Dex’s eyes met mine.

I nodded. “Do it.”

His darkness enshrouded us, and we stepped into Hunter’s office the next moment.

My stomach bore down before I pushed out of Skel’s arms and fell to the ground in front of the trash bin, puking up all the dead dark magic into it. Hot tears gathered in my eyes, and I heaved.

Next to me, the air turned heavy as another dark magic portal opened.

I leaned up from the bin and looked over. “Oh, Fates.”

Dread filled my blood like lead as a woman floated up through the portal, dark veins crawling over her skin.

“Pandora!” Reed’s voice screamed, and I hadn’t even noticed he’d been in the office.

“Get the fuck away from my mate.” Hunter’s vengeance magic crackled the air, striking the woman.

Her skin burned, turning black before slowly graying out again, and she tilted her head. The infected woman outstretched her hand and extended to me a letter and a gem.

“He forgot to give you these.” Her black eyes vacant as she smiled rotten teeth at me.

My powers reacted instinctively and brutally, devouring the gem’s contained souls and dark magic, as well as the woman’s, all in one go.

Tears streamed down my face as I struggled to catch my breath between the feeds. Rippling pain seared my stomach in waves, and I doubled over the bin again, puking out the dark magic I’d killed.

“Fuck,” Dex muttered. “She’s amazing.”

“Amazing?” Skel’s voice went up an octave. “She’s purging dark magic from her body!”

“She’s still amazing,” he grumbled.

“She’s okay, right?” Hemlock mumbled.

“Yes,” Hunter said. “She’s okay.”

“You’re going to be fine, right, dream girl?” Reed’s voice wrapped around me as he pulled my hair back as I heaved into the bin.

The scent of sulfur burned my nostrils as I puked and puked until it left my body, and then, power surged forth from within me.

“Please, touch me,” I begged, falling back into Reed’s warm arms as my ass hit the rough stone floor. “I need all of you to touch me,” I rasped. “Too much magic.”

Raw magical energy flooded my reserves, spilling out and threatening to leak my power from my mouth. Sweat beaded on my temples as I held it back.

Skel kneeled in front of me, green eyes shimmering with concern, but I flinched from his hand.

“Except Skel—I can’t—he can’t—be overfilled,” I panted.

Understanding flashed in his eyes as he let his hand drop. “I’m sorry, princess.”

Hunter kneeled beside him and cupped one side of my face with his hand. “Give me some, starlight.”

Dex’s hand cupped the other side of my face. “Give me all you can, trouble. I can handle it.”

Hemlock’s hand curled around my shoulder. “Give however much you need to.”

“Let it go, dream girl,” Reed murmured from where he was holding me.

My eyes fluttered close as my magic combusted. It poured through to my mates through their contact, and my lungs inflated as I sucked in a sharp breath.

I continued to share my magical essence until I could get my power under control.

“Princess…” Skel’s sharp tone made my eyes fly open and glance at him. His hand was trembling as he read the note the infected woman had in her hand when she appeared.

“What does it say?” Hunter barked, his thumb gently caressing my cheek in sync with Dex’s.

The feeling of both of them touching me like that was so comforting.

“It says you have the ability to harness the dark magic within you without deteriorating like the demons being sent as your gifts, and that you’re the first of your kind.” His voice wavered.

“Fuck,” Dex uttered.

“Shit,” Hunter wheezed.

“Wait, that’s not that bad,” Dex said, his brows scrunching in concentration.

“What the fuck, Dex?” Hemlock barked.

“Listen, if they think she’s important to their cause, they won’t hurt her. If they find out what she can actually do…” Dex trailed off.

“She’ll be a target in an entirely different way,” Hunter finished, and they shared an intense look with each other. It made me think they knew more than I did, but my mind was so clouded I didn’t even want to ask.

Exhaustion settled in my bones. “I want to go back to my dorm and sleep,” I croaked.

“I’ll take you,” Reed murmured in my ear as the rest of my mates removed their hands. It left me wanting their touches again. All of them. “I was going to stay tonight anyway.”

I smiled up at him and nodded as he helped me to my feet. “Thank you…” I turned to the rest of my mates. “Thank all of you for protecting me.”

“Sleep well, starlight,” Hunter murmured, bending down and sealing his lips over mine in a gentle kiss before pulling back. “I’ll call your dad and talk to him.”

Skel fidgeted with his fingers before resting a hand on my shoulder and squeezing softly. “Good night, princess.”

“Night, trouble.” Dex winked, but there was worry in his eyes that he couldn’t hide.

“Have a good night,” Hemlock muttered, glancing away with his jaw tight.

“Come on, dream girl,” Reed mumbled, pressing a kiss to my head and leading me away from the rest of my mates.

Dark Veil thought I was important enough to send me two infected demons as gifts. They thought I was wielding dark magic and storing it, but what would they do if they knew I was killing it?