52. Dexter

52

DEXTER

“ P andora!” I jerked upward as I woke, my forehead slamming against cold, iron bars. Pain exploded in my skull, and I gritted my teeth, stifling a groan. My magic reserves filled as the pain faded, and my senses flooded with the damp, musty scent of the cave around me. The air was thick with mildew and blood. The distant drip of water echoed off the cavern walls.

Blinking, I tried to clear my vision to see my fated mate, but I could only make out jagged stone walls that seemed to close in on me. They were covered in a sheen of wetness that glistened like a thousand tiny eyes watching my every move. I could smell that the moisture wasn’t just the water from the cave but blood. The ground beneath me was uneven and cold, rough against my skin. My fingers dug into the rock, and grit slid beneath my nails as I tried to catch my bearings. The taste of iron lingered on my tongue. I’d bitten my lip when I hit my head, but it had already healed.

My shadows danced around me, swirling and writhing in confusion. They sliced through the air, making a zipping sound. The walls of the cage that confined me pulsed with malevolent energy. Each heart beat was like a hammer against my ribcage.

I pushed myself to my knees and peered through the bars. In the cage next to mine, a figure lay crumpled on the ground. My breath caught in my throat as my soul longed for hers.

Pandora . Her black hair fanned out like a dark halo, and her thick lashes brushed her cheeks as her eyes were shut. Her expression was serene despite the absolute fucking horror of where we were, and when my gaze slid lower, a guttural growl escaped my lips, raw and primal.

My heart combusted at the sight of jagged, raised and dipped scars that covered her stomach…and they wrapped around, disappearing behind her back that was against the rock floor.

“Pandora!” My voice echoed through the cave, but she didn’t stir. Panic surged through me, and my shadows lashed out, slicing through the air as I tried and failed to shadow-travel to her.

“Look who’s awake,” Rod’s voice drawled, dripping with smug satisfaction.

I turned sharply, my heart pounding even harder. Rod and Poppy Shadowheart—my parents—stood a few feet away, their silhouettes framed by the flickering light of an orb.

Rod’s black eyes gleamed with twisted joy, his lips curving into a cruel smile.

Poppy stood beside him, her expression one of cold detachment, though her gray eyes sparkled with malevolence.

“Mother. Father,” I spat my greeting. My voice dripped with barely contained rage. “What have you done?”

Rod’s chuckle echoed off the walls, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine. “We’ve merely set the stage, Dexter. For your initiation.”

“But more importantly, for Dark Veil’s grand plan.” Poppy shrugged.

I recoiled, my shadows wrapping protectively around me, trying desperately to shadow-travel both myself and Pandora out of here. “You’re insane. Both of you.”

Rod stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Pandora. “She’s quite pretty, isn’t she?”

I slammed my entire fucking body against the iron bars, ignoring the pain hissing through me. “Don’t fucking look at her!”

His smile grew. “Such a shame you’ll have to reject her.”

I bared my teeth, my shadows lashing out toward him, but Poppy was faster.

Her shadows sprang to life, dark tendrils that struck out and sliced across my face with painful precision.

Agony exploded in my vision, and I screamed, clutching my face as blood poured from the wound.

“You will need to learn your place.” Poppy yawned. “You will do as we say, or you will suffer. Haven’t we made that clear yet?”

I struggled to breathe, the pain overwhelming me, but I forced myself to stand. “I’ll never reject her.”

Rod’s laugh was a low, chilling rumble. “Oh, but you will. Whether you like it or not.”

I shook my head, my vision blurring with tears of pain and rage mixed. “No. I refuse.”

Poppy’s shadows struck me again, this time, slashing across my chest, my arms, my legs. Each cut was agony, and I couldn’t hold back the screams that left my lips as I crumbled to the ground.

“You’re a coward.” Poppy tsked. “Afraid of pain and afraid of us. But you will understand, Dexter. Dark Veil craves a rejected bond just like the one from history. Grayson Haven wielded it, and he was nothing but a shifter. Imagine a demon .”

My heart rate sped up at the mention of Grayson. I knew all about the stories. I grew up hearing about that wolf shifter being spoken of like a fucking savior. Their minds were twisted with darkness.

“And you will be that demon,” Rod claimed.

“A rejected bond isn’t guaranteed,” I gasped out. “It might not even happen.”

Rod stepped closer, his eyes boring into mine from between the bars. “But it might. And if it does...the Demon Capital would be ours . This is your initiation, Dexter. Prove your loyalty.”

“No.” I shook my head.

I wouldn’t ever reject my mate. I couldn’t ever hurt her again.

Their shadows struck me again and again, each one tearing through my flesh. My screams echoed through the cave.

The pain was unbearable, a relentless torrent that almost consumed me entirely, but I clung to one thought, the only glimmer of hope I would ever have— Pandora .

I reached out, my fingers trembling, toward her cage. She lay so still, her breathing shallow and faint.

Was she okay?

My vision blurred with pain, but I managed to stretch my hand through the bars, my fingertips just inches from hers.

“Pandora,” I croaked, my voice raw and broken.

My shadow magic, weakened from the relentless assault from Poppy, flickered around me in a desperate attempt to shield myself.

Poppy’s sigh pierced the air as she continued to inflict pain, each lash a reminder of their power over me.

“You see, Dexter,” Rod interjected between slashes. “This is what happens when you defy us. Dark Veil demands loyalty. Absolute loyalty, and you will give them that.”

I felt my resolve start to crumble, the agony threatening to consume me, but I couldn’t let them win.

I couldn’t let them take Pandora from me. Summoning the last vestiges of my strength, I strained forward, my fingers brushing against her hand.

Her skin was cool to the touch, but her soul soothed mine from the simple skin to skin contact.

It was short-lived.

Poppy’s shadows coiled around me, lifting me off the ground and slamming me against the bars of my cage. My vision darkened, the pain too much to bear as I fought to stay conscious, to make sure they didn’t touch my mate.

“You’re a fool, Dexter.” Poppy shook her head. “A foolish, stubborn demon.”

As darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, I saw Rod step closer to Pandora’s cage, his eyes glinting with dark intent. “Pretty, dark Bones,” he murmured, reaching out to touch her face.

“ No ,” I choked out, my voice barely a whisper. “Don’t touch her!”

“Did you know that her mother was my fated mate?” he whispered. “She was already pregnant with this demon when I met her.”

“No!” My shadows crept toward her, covering her naked body from his gaze. “Stop looking at her.”

“I rejected Penny Bones to form a dark rejected bond. It didn’t work, but it drove us both mad anyways.” He chuckled. “Luckily, your mother saw fit to take me under her wing. And Penny took care of her daughter. I never would’ve guessed Death would’ve been her father, though.” He frowned deeply.

“Shut up, Rod.” Poppy sighed. “Penny was useless. If we had a bond, our rejection would’ve worked.”

“You’re right, my dear.” Rod stepped back from Pandora, and my strength knocked out from under me.

A surge of helpless rage and despair consumed me. No matter what it took, I had to keep her safe. I would make my parents pay for every ounce of pain they inflicted on us and for killing my sister.

I crawled toward the side of my cage and reached out one last time. My fingertips grazed hers, and then, darkness swallowed me whole.