Page 38 of Demon Reform Academy, Term 3

38

DEXTER

S he was mine.

I buried myself inside of her body, but I desperately craved to bury myself inside of her heart and her soul.

I understood why she didn’t want me to mark her yet. The trauma she had with shadow magic was deep. I knew it would take time, but fuck. I desperately wanted to mark her. I loved her.

Hunter and Reed showed up shortly after Pandora fell asleep, and I left her in their care—even though my mind kept assaulting me with images of her being hurt in some way or another. It was sickening, and my shadows were desperate to wrap her in a cocoon so she’d be safe.

I’d just stepped into the darkness, but I needed to know she was okay.

Taking a deep breath, I inhaled the caramel scent of her embedded into my skin and continued on.

Slipping out of the shadows, I landed on my bed with a bounce. “You’ll never guess what just happened.”

Skel’s green eyes flashed with sexual frustration as he picked up a book and tossed it at me. It hit me in the leg. “I felt when it happened through the bond. That’s my mark, you know.”

“But it’s her boob. Her nipple.” I shot him a feral grin, kicking the book off the bed where it landed with a thud. “And fuck . She’s perfect.”

“You fucked her, didn’t you?” Bram’s red eyes widened in surprise. “ Fates. Did you mark her?”

“We fucked, yeah.” I shot him a feral grin before faltering. “But…I didn’t mark her yet. She’s not ready to bear a shadow demon’s mark. I get it. She was tortured by shadow magic, and if I mark her, she’ll constantly have shadow magic around her—inside of her.”

“But you were intimate,” Skel added thoughtfully. “I could feel a lot of emotion from her during it. She was happy, and if it matters, without her fear of shadow magic, she would’ve marked you.”

I nodded, letting my shadows whirl around me as I lifted my hand and stared at it. The dark tendrils seeped between my fingers and spiraled around them. “I figured as much.”

“Your relationship with her has improved a lot,” Bram murmured, his head falling into his hands. “Skel’s marked her. Then, there’s me. She hasn’t even forgiven me yet—not that I blame her. I want to make it all up to her.”

“Why don’t you invite Pandora to lunch with Slater?” Skel suggested, playing with the scattered white strands in his hair. “You’ve planned a lunch with him, right?”

He hesitated before grabbing his tablet. “Yeah. I’ll try.”

It was silent for a moment as his fingers tapped on the screen. Shortly after, it buzzed with a reply, and a scarlet blush smattered across his cheeks. “She…she’s going to come.”

“Told you inviting her was a good idea,” Skel gloated with a smirk. “ You are the one that needs to be inviting her. She’s obviously unsure about how to bond with you. If you want to get to know her, you have to try harder. ”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Determination like I’d never seen before crossed Bram’s face, and he smiled. “Thanks.”

“Oh, and if you’re curious, she likes being choked,” I informed them gleefully.

Skel choked on the soda he was drinking, and Bram’s mouth fell open in shock.

“What the fuck?” Skel sputtered, hitting his chest as he caught his breath. “You choked her?”

“I asked first.” I rolled my eyes, sitting back up. The desire to have my eyes on her crawled up my throat. “Point is, she’s not as fragile as we thought she was. She’s fucking strong, and I’m in love with her.”

“Did you tell her that?” Bram asked.

I nodded. “She hasn’t said it back, and she doesn’t have to. But I do love her.”

“Good.” Skel glanced away. “I love her, too. I just haven’t told her yet.”

“You’ll have the chance.” Dread sank into my gut, and anxiety scratched at my bone marrow. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Need to stalk our mate?” Skel guessed.

“Yep,” I muttered.

“Good idea,” Bram said. “You never know when any…”

Skel’s lips curved into a smirk as his fear magic conjured a scorpion next to me. “ Scorpions may be lurking.”

Fear shot down my spine, and I yelped, blurring into the shadows and away from the fear illusion. “Fuck you guys!”

Their laughter followed me into the darkness as I went into Hunter’s room to watch my mate sleep.