56. Pandora

56

PANDORA

T he overwhelming scent of Dex’s blood turned my stomach into knots.

My heart hammered painfully in my chest as blood roared in my ears. I was forced to watch my fated mate kneel on the cold, unforgiving ground, his fog gray eyes wide with fear.

Poppy, his mother , stood over him in a similar way my mother had me. Her shadow tendrils writhed like living nightmares, dripping with dark magic. Each tendril pulsated with a sinister energy, their darkness absorbing the very light around them.

The look in her eyes was the same look Mother gave me before her shadows sliced open my throat. Cold, unfeeling, and full of intent to end a problem.

The lash of her shadow struck.

“No!” The word tore from my throat as her shadow lashed out. The raspy word echoed off the walls, a desperate, primal sound that came from the depths of my soul.

The tendril was a dark blur, slicing through the air with a hiss. It sliced through Dex’s neck—tendons and all.

I saw every horrifying moment in slow motion: the skin splitting open, the gush of blood, the look of pure terror frozen on his face as his head tumbled to the ground.

Time stopped.

The sound of his head hitting the cavern floor echoed, a hollow, wet thud that reverberated through my soul. It was a sound that would haunt me forever, a reminder of the moment my world shattered.

Hot tears blurred my vision, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the gruesome sight. Blood pooled, dark and viscous, around my fated mate’s decapitated body. The coppery scent overwhelmed my senses and choked me.

My breaths came in rapid gasps as my chest constricted, pain radiating through my soul as if my heart had been carved from my chest. I slammed against the bars of my cage, clutching them so tightly my knuckles turned white. My magic stirred but refused to respond, leaving me feeling more helpless than ever before—even more than when Mother had slit my throat.

Poppy moved with a cold, calculated grace, her expression devoid of any remorse as she opened his cage and entered. Her movements were precise, almost surgical, as if she were performing a routine procedure rather than committing the worst kind of crime.

Darkness ebbed at the edges of my vision. I pounded against the bars, my fists bruising and bleeding. “What did you fucking do to him?”

“We’re making him better, obviously.” Vane joined Poppy in Dex’s cage.

“Hold his body up,” Poppy instructed, pulling out a large bottle of dark magic from the robe she had on. Her voice was as cold and unfeeling as the shadows that she wielded.

Vane let out a sigh but did as she was told, lifting him up underneath his arms. “Go on.”

Poppy unscrewed the lid and tossed it somewhere behind her. It made a thunk a few times as it bounced before rolling somewhere in the cavern.

Then, she poured the dark magic into Dex’s headless neck, the energy crackling and hissing as it met his flesh. The air filled with the acrid scent of burning flesh and sulfur, a nauseating combination that made my stomach clench.

The agony on his face was unbearable, as his head faced me. Seeing his detached head ruined something deep inside of me.

His body convulsed as Poppy picked up his head and placed it back in place.

My screams mingled with his, and my heart truly felt like it was being stabbed by a million needles at once. The process seemed endless, each second of waiting for his magic to take root was excruciating.

Finally, shadows twisted and writhed around Dex’s neck, slowly forming and sealing the wound until his head was back in place. The scar around it was almost double the size now, and his chest heaved as he took a breath.

I collapsed against the bars, a sob of pure relief escaping my lips. The sound was raw, and it felt like I was swallowing tiny razor blades with every breath.

He was alive.

Thank the Fates.

Dex’s eyes fluttered open, their fog-gray depths colder than even Daryl’s black eyes. He looked at me, but there was no recognition, no warmth. It was as if the light in his soul had been snuffed out, leaving only a hollow shell behind. I knew it was the dark magic they’d infected him with.

There was so much of it they’d put into his body.

Poppy yawned as if every part of this bored her out of her mind. “Will you reject Bones now?”

Dex’s gaze never left me, and a shiver ran down my spine. His smile was sharp, deadly, a chilling mockery of the way he used to be. “I will reject her and ensure we become more powerful than all of the other demons in Kalista.”

Poppy nodded and walked out of his cage.

He followed behind and stretched his arms over his head, his naked form a stark contrast to the cold, stone surroundings. The orbs cast flickering shadows over his body, creating an almost surreal view.

It was the first time I’d realized that his nipples were pierced.

My heart sank further as I noticed Vane’s predatory gaze on my fated mate.

The bile rose in my throat, and the despair in my soul deepened. I could feel the weight of impending doom pressing down on me, suffocating any glimmer of hope for us to make it out of this the same way we’d entered.

“Dex, please,” I begged, my voice breaking. I had to say something—anything—to avoid him rejecting our bond. “Don’t reject me. I’ve forgiven you for so much, but this…I won’t forgive a rejection. I can’t.”

He chuckled darkly, the sound devoid of any amusement. His gray eyes weren’t foggy anymore. They were a shade darker, and they regarded me with a chilling detachment.

Poppy opened my cage with a casual flick of her wrist, but I refused to move. I didn’t want to face him. Instead, I clung to the bars, my fingers numb and cold.

“Vane.” Poppy snapped her fingers.

Vane didn’t hesitate as she stormed in and yanked me out of the cage by my hair. Sharp pain radiated from my scalp. My back scraped against the rough cave floor, and my cries of pain spilled from my lips. The stones were jagged and cold, biting into my flesh with every movement.

Despite my struggles, Vane’s strength was overwhelming. The collar around my neck weakened me considerably. I felt like one of those animated soul dolls in her grasp, powerless and broken.

“Stop being such a bitch.” Vane threw me at Dex’s feet.

Dex did nothing to stop her.

My tears flowed freely as I glanced up at him from the ground. “Dex, please. Don’t do this to us.”

Dex hauled me up by my upper arms, his grip bruising as he pinned me against the cavern wall.

Raw terror flickered in his gray eyes as his hands wrapped around my neck like a vise grip. I could see the war raging inside him as he leaned in, hot breath skimming over my ear. His voice was a ragged whisper filled with desperation and agony. “Save me, trouble.”

“Dex—” My heart shattered. It was like I was breathing in the shattered pieces as Dex pulled back.

“I reject you, Pandora Bones.” The words were hissed out.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, but nothing happened. I could still feel my soul desperately lurching toward his.

The bond wasn’t rejected—not yet.

I carefully cracked open my eyes and stared into his again. His eyes held that void-like stare, but anguish swirled deep in their depths.

He didn’t want to do this.

Poppy’s shadow tendril lashed out, cutting a deep gash down Dex’s back. I heard the splash of his blood hit the ground. The sound was a sickening wet, hollow splash that broke my heart.

He didn’t move, but tears leaked down his cheeks.

“The name she identifies as, Dexter.”

My vision blurred with tears, and I shook so badly in his hold. “Please. Don’t reject me, Dex. I’ve already forgiven you. You can…” I choked on a gasp. “You can mark me. Right now.”

“I can’t .” His sob was a jagged sound, tearing through me.

His fingers curled underneath the collar around my neck, and he yanked, shattering it to pieces just as his next words obliterated my heart.

I didn’t even register the magic surging through my veins again, a flood of power that healed only my physical wounds.

“I reject you, Pandora Gravesend.”