39. Skel

39

SKEL

T he scent of caramel, sweet chocolate, and sex slammed into me as I entered Darkmore's office.

Jealousy hit me hard , and I took a deep drag off my pipe, exhaling a plume of rainbow-colored smoke that danced and twisted before dissipating. The familiar tingle of fear magic threatened to leak out.

The fae drugs helped, but Pandora’s soul was my cure. Scenting her arousal mixed with Darkmore’s all over his fucking cream-colored sofa made me see green.

It was obvious that she and Hunter had fucked on it maybe just an hour before.

Clenching my jaw, I fought the images that flooded my mind—her soft lips on mine, the warmth of her body on my lap. Had she looked the same on top of him?

A groan escaped me before I could stop it.

Darkmore finally glanced up from his organized desk, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. “Grimshaw, right on time. Surprising .”

“Clearly,” I muttered, sinking into the sofa and trying not to think about what had happened here earlier with my mate. The cushions were soaked with her arousal…not literally. They were dry, but the scent was intoxicating. “You could’ve cleaned the sofa. You have other students in here, you know.”

“Oh, I know.” He grabbed his coffee cup and took a sip before setting it down. I sniffed the air and realized he wasn’t drinking his usual fae wine. It was caramel coffee. “But you were my only session today afterward, and I wanted to…motivate you.” Vengeance magic rippled around him. “You know, to better yourself so you can be with our mate in a similar way.”

“Message received,” I grumbled, taking another hit.

Smug asshole.

“Have you been in contact with your sister since Pandora was able to save her from the dark magic that infected her?” He typed something out on his tablet.

“Kat’s been messaging me a lot since...well, since our mate saved her,” I admitted. “It’s been nice to talk to her again. She has a lot of questions about Pandora—questions I can’t answer because I don’t know much about her. Kat ripped me a new one after I told her the extent of last term.”

Darkmore’s eyes softened slightly, and he leaned back in his chair. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Oh, I’m sure you are.” I rolled my eyes. “Anything to make me feel worse about my actions.”

“Since Pandora has forgiven you…I have, too,” he murmured, glancing away for a moment. “It’s her call. She wants us to get along. That being said, you can call me Hunter instead of Darkmore.”

I took another drag from my pipe, the magic smoke swirling around us. "So, you’re saying we’re on a first-name basis now, Hunter?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Since we’re both Pandora’s mates, it seems appropriate, doesn’t it?”

“Sure,” I said, a wry smile tugging at my lips. “Hunter it is, then. But since you say you forgive me, how about you stop flaunting the fact that you’re intimate with our mate and I’m not?”

“I’ll do my best.” A blush scattered across his cheeks as he grabbed his cup and took another drink before setting it back down. “How did it feel to have Pandora forgive you?” He tapped on his screen.

“It felt like...she thought I was actually worth something,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “And then Kat forgave me, too, and it feels really good. I’m not sure I deserve it, though.”

Hunter nodded, typing something on his tablet again. “You are worth something, Skel. To Pandora, your sister, your dad, and to all of us.”

“All of you?” I muttered under my breath.

Sure, maybe to Bram and Dex, but I wasn’t sure about Hunter or Nyx. At least, not yet.

“Let me be frank.” He cleared his throat. “Your father and I talked, and I’ve spoken to Malice. Would you be interested in taking over the Fear Representative spot on the Demon Council?”

It was a fucking weird idea, especially after the shit I’d caused with my magic in that village. “Malice still wants me to take his place, even after I screwed up that village?”

“He thinks you can do it. So does your dad.”

“And you?” I smoked again.

He wet his lips with his tongue before sighing. “I think it’s a great opportunity. I’m proud of you for even considering it. If you decide to, tell me. I’ll set up a meeting for you and Malice.”

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words settling over me. “I’ll…talk to Malice about it. To hear the offer, at least.”

After the session, I made my way back to my room with the fae drugs keeping my fear magic in check.

Dex and Bram were already there, lounging on Dex’s bed and talking about something.

They shut their mouths as soon as I entered.

“Talking about Pandora again?” I asked, dropping onto my bed and exhaling smoke.

“Yeah.” Dex bit down on his lip. “We wish she’d forgive us like she forgave you.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I get it. I’m happy she forgave me, but she’s still distant with me. I haven’t really fucking talked to her, let alone marked her, and she hasn’t marked me.”

Bram snorted. “At least you’re making progress. What’s your secret?”

I grinned, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a small photo of a cat. “I give her cat photos with notes on the back. And…I… crawled to her when we were stuck in Rapture Cavern.”

“Crawling worked, huh?” Dex let out a dark chuckle. “I’ve been maiming her enemies and sending her photos of it with sweet messages.”

“Of course you have.” Bram shook his head. “I’ve been writing her poetry and leaving animal skull offerings. Plus, I got on my knees for her.”

“Poetry?” I glanced over at the calico kitten curled up on my pillow, fast asleep. “Well, I’m also going to give her this kitten. I’ve been taking care of it and waiting to see what she’d think. She may have forgiven me, but I still want to prove my worth. I feel like she forgave me because she felt bad for me.”

“Pity forgiveness?” Dex rose his brow. “Nah, she wouldn’t forgive you out of pity. She’s much stronger than that.”

“He’s got a point. I’m fucking pitiful, and she hasn’t forgiven me,” Bram grumbled, and we laughed.

Comet, the kitten, yawned and stretched, padding over to cuddle against me. I scratched her ears, feeling a rare moment of peace. “I think Pandora will love her.”

Dex and Bram exchanged glances.

“I guess the kitten is really cute,” Dex grumbled.

“Yeah. I like the way she purrs.” Bram scratched the back of his neck. “I think she will, too.”

We spent the rest of the evening talking about Pandora, our shared obsession evident in every word.

It was comforting, knowing the three of us shared a matebond with her.

As Comet purred softly in my lap, I allowed myself to hope that maybe, just maybe, I could become the demon she deserved—the one that she didn’t only forgive but wanted to mate.