Page 58 of Demon Reform Academy, Term 3

58

DEXTER

T ension drained from my limbs as we left Demonic Curses Practical Applications.

Dusk had opted to give us paper exams, even though it was practical applications and meant to be hands-on. She said curses were too dangerous to perform, but the exam fucking sucked. I definitely bombed it. I’d guessed on the majority of it since I hadn’t paid much attention in the class.

My focus was mainly on Pandora during Dusk’s lectures this term. Who could blame me? She was my mate.

I turned to Pandora, pouting my lip out as we walked out of Reform Hall. “I totally failed, trouble.”

She gave me a side glance before shaking her head. “You didn’t fail.”

“I’m pretty sure I did. Hey, you know what would make me feel better? If you tell me you love me again,” I begged, batting my eyelashes dramatically.

Skel chuckled beside me, tonguing his lip ring. “Yeah, tell him, princess. It was quite a performance last time.”

Pandora’s face turned a deep shade of red, and she crossed her arms. “Stop it, both of you.”

“A performance?” Bram asked before realization enveloped his face. He knew exactly what we did. “Oh.” His lips quirked upward. “A performance .”

“Yes,” I purred. “It was fun, wasn’t it, trouble?”

Her face was red, but she nodded anyway. “You know it was.”

“Yes, we do,” Skel flirted with her.

Her lips twitched like she was holding back a smile, and in that moment, I’d do anything to know what she was feeling. Skel knew, and he grinned.

The three of us were totally obsessed. Though, clearly, I was more obsessed than they were.

Bram kept stealing glances between us. His mind had to be imagining this performance we did. I knew mine kept replaying that night down to every dirty detail. I really felt for him, though. I knew he had to be jealous. I mean, I would’ve been jealous hearing she had a threesome without me, too.

The four of us made our way across the hot desert campus to Occult Arch—uh, I mean, Occult Cat-tuary —to help Skel and Pandora finish it up since Skel had asked us to give them a hand.

Skel needed someone who liked cats as much as he did. He’d used to invite us to go feed the cats with him at the cavern, but Bram and I never really cared for cats.

It was a cute little project they’d started, and honestly, I liked how it gave them time to bond. They’d done a great job with it, too. Other students were even talking about it. The floating paths, the enchanted feeding grounds, the grottos, all of it was really fucking cool. The cats that had wandered there were definitely living it up already.

As we walked, satisfaction spread through my veins like liquid lava. All of the other demons were steering clear of us, as if we were carrying some kind of curse.

“Um…” Pandora scrunched her nose up cutely.

The three of us stopped walking and checked her over to make sure she was okay, but she didn’t seem like she was in distress.

“Is something wrong, princess?” Skel bit down on his lip.

“Are you hurt?” Bram asked, eyes shining with worry.

“Is someone bothering you?” I snarled, glaring at every demon that walked by. Their faces paled, and they hurried along as they should’ve.

“I’m fine,” she assured us, continuing to walk with a shy little smile.

We followed after her, keeping her pace.

“What’s bothering you, then?” I asked.

“It’s just…well, have you noticed how everyone’s been avoiding us lately?” She glanced around at the demons that were running away from us—actively keeping their distance.

“Oh, that’s an easy answer.” Skel shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s because pretty much anyone who’s had an open problem with us is missing. Even Firewood is keeping her distance now.”

“Voidfire?” Pandora furrowed her brows.

“Same thing.” Bram waved off the name mixup.

We didn’t give a shit about her name.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, those demons that caused us problems aren’t missing. They’re actually all dead.”

“And all of our murders are being blamed on the dark magic plague spreading through the capital,” Bram added with a vicious smirk. “No one actually knows we’ve been behind it.”

“Very logical conclusion.” Skel nodded thoughtfully, but there was a hint of malice in his gaze. “Even the Demon Council has our backs. Thanks to Hunter and Death.”

Pandora shot us a look. “You three are so bloodthirsty. Honestly, how do you all even get along? I’m surprised you don’t turn on each other.”

We exchanged glances, and I could tell Skel and Bram were thinking the same thing.

“We didn’t always get along,” Bram admitted. “I couldn’t stand anyone in high school, but those two were less annoying than everyone else.”

Skel nodded. “We regarded each other as acquaintances . Sure, we could be considered friends from your point of view, but we didn’t really trust each other until you came along.”

My lips curled into a feral smile. “ You brought us closer, trouble. With the matebond connecting us to you, I know their main priority is you just like mine is. I always knew they wanted to be my best friends, and you gave them a chance to do so.”

Skel and Bram rolled their eyes but didn’t object, so I took that as permission to regard them as my best friends.

“Well, good.” Pandora blushed again, glancing down at her feet. “I want you to be best friends.”

“We’re totally best friends,” Skel blurted, and my grin grew.

“Yep. Best friends,” Bram agreed immediately.

I wiped a fake tear from under my eye. “I knew they always loved me...not as much as you do, though.”

She giggled, and there was actual joy sparking in her eyes. It warmed my heart in a way that I couldn’t explain. I didn’t even fucking understand it. We’d tormented her when we were all together for so long, but we were finally making amends for that.

“So, Bram…” Pandora peered at him through her thick eyelashes. “How are you doing? Have you been talking with Slater?”

He nodded, reaching up and rubbing the back of his head. “I have. Slater’s doing good. Our father’s still been trying to talk to both of us, though. I’ve blocked a few numbers that he’s called me on so far. With me, he keeps threatening to kill me. With Slater, he begs him to acknowledge him. He’s definitely losing it.”

“Is it getting dangerous?” Skel asked.

Bram gave a bitter chuckle, rubbing over the skull inked onto his throat. “It’s been dangerous.”

“I can kill him for you?” I offered.

He shook his head with a sigh. “Thanks, but it’s fine. I’ve already cut ties with the Hemlock name.”

“Huh,” I mused. I never even thought of officially cutting ties with the Shadowheart name. “Maybe I should do that.”

“I recommend it.” He shrugged. “It’s freeing not to be tied to them anymore. Even if it makes me more of an outcast.”

“Oh, I plan to.” I scanned the desert, watching the heat waves dance over the sand dunes. “As soon as I see my father again,” I spat.

“That’s for the best,” Bram muttered.

Skel stumbled a little on the sand, and Pandora’s hand reached for his as he caught his balance. Fucker. He did that on purpose. His fingers interlocked with hers as we walked. “You sure it’s worth it? I mean, he’s gonna be dead soon anyway.”

I slid my hand into her other one and squeezed. “Doesn’t matter. My parents already tainted the name. I need to cut ties with the name for me and for my sister. She doesn’t deserve to be tied to the name either.”

“I’m proud of you,” Pandora rasped, squeezing my hand back.

“Thanks, trouble. Doesn’t help that they literally carved the memory of the Shadowheart legacy into my flesh.” I flinched as I remembered that she wore scars of her trauma the same as I did. “I didn’t mean?—”

“You did,” she murmured. Her red eyes stared at me with nothing but understanding. “And that’s okay. I felt that way, too. I used to be embarrassed by my scars. So much so I hid them. I never stared at them with anything but contempt, and I still hate Penny Bones for doing this to me, but you know what?”

“What?” My voice cracked.

“Now, they’re just part of me. They’re physical testaments to what I went through, and it made me stronger.”

“I’m so fucking proud of you, princess,” Skel said quietly.

“Me too,” Bram added, running a hand through his hair.

“Hearing you be such a badass about it makes me feel a little pathetic for saying that,” I admitted, clicking my tongue ring on my teeth.

“Don’t feel that way,” she said. “I’m proud of you, too, Dex. You’ve been through horrible things, and you were forced to witness things you shouldn’t have had to. Don’t be so hard on yourself. For what it’s worth, I like your scars. You’re the one that made it possible for me to feel better about mine. Seeing the way you don't give a fuck what anyone thinks, even with scars like mine…”

“I love you,” I rasped as we made it to Occult Cat-tuary, and I pushed her against the rock that I fucked her against the night before. “I love you so fucking much, Pandora Gravesend.”

“I love you, too.” She tightened her fingers in my hair.

I crashed my lips against hers, grabbing her ass and lifting her until her legs wrapped around me. My cock rubbed against her through our clothes.

She moaned into my mouth, and it only made me harder.

“Last night was one thing because the darkness covered us, but this is broad daylight, and demons are walking by everywhere,” Skel said, breaking us from our trance of devouring each other.

Pandora slowly slid down my body until her feet hit the ground, and her cheeks were flushed.

She’s so fucking pretty.

“Sorry,” she gasped.

“Don’t be.” Bram’s heated gaze was raking all over her. “I wouldn’t have minded a performance if we didn’t have an unworthy audience.”

“I could obscure the area with my shadows,” I offered, but I didn’t miss the way Pandora flinched at the idea of my shadows.

“Rain check?” Skel asked, and she nodded shyly.

Skel and Pandora put us to work after that, and we worked all day on carving out grottos. Reed stopped by after his final and helped us finish all of them, and it was great having help to do it. No wonder the sanctuary was taking them so long to do on their own. Skel and Pandora got especially wrapped up in the cats, obsessing over them like proud parents.

When the night fell, everything was going smoothly until a scorpion scuttled out from behind a rock.

I screamed, which caught the attention of everyone else, and once Reed saw it, he screamed, too.

Bram and Skel burst out laughing at us, and Pandora had to cover her mouth to stifle her giggles.

“Kill it,” I begged.

“Please!” Reed pleaded with them.

Their laughs filled the sanctuary as Reed and I jumped and screamed. The scorpion darted around, trying to figure out how to get out of the sanctuary until one of the cats swatted it into the stream, and it was carried off.

Reed and I both slumped onto the ground, panting.

“I take it all back. I fucking love cats,” I gasped a breath. “But fuck you guys,” I muttered.

“Yeah. Not Pandora, though,” Reed added.

“Unless you mean literally .” I smirked.

Her face turned red, and she continued giving the black cat rubbing against her legs her full attention.

I loved seeing her happy—even if I had to be scared shitless by a scorpion.