Page 49 of Demon Reform Academy, Term 3

49

PANDORA

I watched from inside, my hands pressed against the cold glass of Hunter’s window as a storm raged outside. Lightning forked across the sky, brilliant streaks that lit up the endless stretches of sand, turning the dunes into what looked like shifting silver waves. Thunder followed with a rumble. Rain lashed against the window in sheets, driven by the wind that howled beautifully outside.

The faint vibration of it all resonated in my chest, in the air, in my bones. Storms had always been a strange comfort—perhaps because Mother never visited me when they raged on. It was just Nebula, me, and the storms.

“Here,” Dex murmured.

I jolted a little from him stepping out of the shadows. Turning, I saw that he was holding a globe. Inside, a thunderstorm raged over the ocean, caught in a perfect loop. I could even hear the storm inside.

“It reminded me of you.” His fog gray eyes bore into mine. “You’re always watching the storms with a serene expression. I love that expression on you.”

My heart clenched.

“Thank you,” I rasped, reaching for the globe. It was smooth in my hands, and it vibrated with the force of the storm inside. “I love it.”

Dex’s hand curled around my throat as he tugged me close, leaning down and kissing me. His lips moving softly against mine, and an ache throbbed at my core. “Try to sleep tonight. Okay, trouble?” He pulled away reluctantly and strolled over and found an empty spot next to Reed.

Not even a few moments after his head hit the pillow, he started snoring and mumbling my name.

I smiled, feeling the rumble of the storm in my palms and the energy of the storm outside.

All of us had collectively moved into Hunter's room after Aspen nearly killed me. Reed and I had moved Gumdrop and Comet in as well. Hunter even bought an enchanted bed that was insanely big and took up an entire side of his room. The mattress cooled and heated based on whatever we wanted, and I loved it.

It still felt strange to be sharing a space like this with all of my mates. We’d all moved into Hunter’s room for safety, but the storm outside and the weight of the past few days pressed down on me, keeping sleep at bay.

“Cozy, isn’t it?” Nebula’s voice filled the air. “Five souls bound to you. Five souls who will always be reliable and loving to you.”

Comet was sleeping curled up on Skel’s stomach, Bram was sleeping next to Skel on the side of one bed. Hunter was out cold between Skel and Reed.

There was an open spot in the middle of them all for me.

“And you. I have you, Nebula,” I reminded him softly.

“You do,” he agreed. “I can’t express how content I am seeing you be surrounded by the love you’ve always deserved.”

Tears pricked at my eyes as he de-manifested. “Thank you…”

Reed stirred awake and noticed me by the window. Carefully, he managed to get out of the bed without waking anyone.

Striding over, he placed a hand on my cheek. “Can’t sleep?” he asked, voice thick with sleep but laced with concern.

“No,” I admitted, turning to place the globe on the bookshelf next to the window. “More like…I don’t want to.”

“Then we won’t,” he murmured. “Do you mind if I stay up with you?”

“I’d love it if you did.” I smiled, but it felt distant. Hollow . I didn’t feel like myself lately. Something had shifted in me, something I couldn’t place. Hunter said it was a stress reaction, but I wasn’t so sure.

“I’ve been walking at night,” I said quietly, glancing at the storm outside.

Reed’s brow furrowed. “I know. Dex has been watching over you. Do you want to go for one now?”

Of course, he had been.

I hesitated but nodded. “Yeah, actually. I do.”

Reed and I slipped out quietly, leaving the others to sleep.

Outside of Bound Dormitory, the storm still raged around us, and as we walked, the desert felt alive with magic. The wind tugged at my hair, and the rain soaked the cold desert sand underfoot as we walked.

Reed’s hand curled safely around mine, and I loved the rain drenching me completely.

Odyssey Bluffs came into view, and I had a horrible memory slam into me. Flashes of noble demon’s faces, their mocking laughter, the brutal pain as they beat me until my magic reserves were empty and I couldn’t heal. Then, they beat me more. All during a storm in the first term of this academy.

But the strangest part was that I didn’t feel anything about it. No hurt, no rage, no grief.

“I remember the last time I was here during a storm like this,” I said softly, staring out at the bluffs. “I remember what happened to me…but I don’t feel anything about it.” I looked up at Reed, my voice trembling. “I don’t feel scared anymore. Is that...is that wrong? Am I broken?”

He turned to me, violet eyes taking on a galaxy gleam from his demon form taking over. “You’re not broken, Pandora,” he said firmly, his hands coming up to cup my face. “You’re healing from trauma. Sometimes that means not feeling things the way we expect.”

Thunder rumbled overhead, vibrating through the sky, and a sudden crack of lightning struck the ground so close I could taste the electricity in the air. The rain poured harder, soaking us both even more, but Reed’s hands stayed steady on my cheeks.

He pulled me closer, his other hand slipping into his pocket. “I actually have something for you too.” He pulled out a pendant. “I figured you could use a new one, since you always seem to lose yours.”

I giggled softly. “I gave the aquamarine one to Aspen.”

“I know. Jenni was gloating about how her necklace saved your life,” he chuckled weakly.

“Yeah, she’s pretty proud of that.” I nodded.

Worry shone in his gaze. “This one’s different. Dex and I went to the fae market earlier. It’s enchanted to hold the scents of your mates and strengthen our bond. I had all of us put our blood on it, so it’s only missing yours.”

I stared at the necklace, the gemstones that represented my five mates. Something inside me shifted as their combined scents hit me.

“May I?” Reed took my hand gently, and his extended claw glinted with the lightning strike near us.

My heartbeat quickened as I nodded.

He pressed the tip into my thumb, just enough to break the skin. A single droplet of my blood welled up, and Reed guided my thumb to the necklace. Rain pelted us, but somehow, it didn’t mess with the droplet of my blood falling onto the center of the pendant.

The moment my blood touched it, a subtle ripple of magic pulsed. In the center of the pendant, an opal gemstone materialized inside it, replacing the blood.

The stone thrummed with magic.

Reed’s lips spread into a smile, and he fastened the pendant around my neck, his fingertips brushing my skin briefly, sending a shiver down my spine. The gemstones on the pendant settled just above my heart.

For the first time in a few days, I felt... something big . An overwhelming sense of love from my matebonds.

“I love it,” I whispered, my fingers brushing over the pendant.

“How do you feel?” Reed asked, his voice low, almost teasing.

“I feel good,” I murmured.

“Let me help you feel a little better than good,” he offered, and then, his lips were on mine. The rain slammed into the sand around us, pelting against our skin as he pulled me closer.

A surge of love and desire flooded me, and I wanted to drown in it.

His hands slid down my nightgown, and I melted into him, every nerve in my body awakening under his touch.

“Help me feel, Reed,” I pleaded against his lips.

“Anything for you, dream girl.” He slipped his fingers into the waistband of my panties and pulled them to my ankles before lowering us both onto the wet sand. His mouth plundered mine, and I wasn’t even aware of when he pulled his cock out until he slid inside me in one long thrust, stealing the breath from my lungs.

He didn’t stop for me to adjust, he just stroked himself in and out of me, hard. “Like this?” he asked breathlessly over my mouth.

Moans fell out of me, but he just drank them in, sliding a hand between us and finding my swollen clit.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he chuckled, continuing his brutal pace. My pussy clenched around him, and I desperately wanted him to go harder.

Rain pattered down on us, and lightning struck close. I felt the ground tremble, but I couldn’t care less.

Reed’s thrusts rocked me so hard, I clutched at his shoulders to hold on.

I moaned with each one, his cock ramming into me at a pace that he’d never quite managed before. My body wound tighter and tighter until the pleasure shot to ecstasy, and I screamed soundlessly with my release. My pussy spasmed and clamped down on Reed’s cock as he came with a low, demonic growl.

“I love you, dream girl,” he panted.

“I love you, Reed,” I rasped. “So much.”

The storm raged around us, wild and untamed, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t numb. I felt alive, I felt everything, and with Reed inside of me, I felt normal again.