Page 8 of Demon Reform Academy, Term 3

8

DEXTER

“ I want to rip my eye out and have her wear it around her neck so I can watch her all the time,” I declared shamelessly.

The intensity of my obsession for my fated scratched mercilessly at my bone marrow. What was she doing right now? Who was she with? Was anyone messing with her? I’d fucking string them up by their guts if they were.

“ Oh .” Hunter typed something on his tablet before his white eyes flicked back up to mine. “That’s creative.”

“It makes my skin crawl when she’s not near me or in my sight, and it has been that way since the bond snapped. Ever since we were taken…it’s gotten so much fucking worse,” I explained further, running my fingers over the scar around my neck absentmindedly.

I needed to know she was okay.

This entire session was fucking bullshit, and he knew it as well as I did. My time was better off spent watching our mate and ensuring her safety.

Hunter sighed, glancing over at his cabinet that held the fae wine before grabbing his cup of coffee and taking a swig. He winced—he was still trying to drink caramel coffee. He really needed to fix the proportions. The more sugar, the better. “Dexter, there are enchanted charms that can do that for you. You don’t have to be so violent about it.”

“Oh, right.” I snapped my fingers. It’d been a while since I visited the fae market. “I’ll get her a necklace or a ring or something that lets me see her. Great idea, Hunter.”

“ Or you could just give her the time she needs and then mark her. The matebond lets you know she’s okay, and you’ll feel her emotions,” he said logically.

“When she was taken by Dark Veil, she was in fucking Rapture Cavern—a cave you guys fucking searched— and the matebond didn’t let you feel her, Hunter. I want a charm,” I growled out.

He let out a steady breath of air and nodded. “I understand your concern about it, but matebonds are stronger than charms. If a matebond wouldn’t work, neither would a charm.”

Fuck. He had a point.

“So, she’s safe right now?”

His lips twitched into a smile as he tilted his head. His dark blond hair fell into his eyes, and he focused on the bond. “Yes, Dexter. She’s safe. She’s actually…happy.”

“She’s been coping with what happened much better than I’ve been,” I muttered, slamming my eyes shut. “I know it’s only been a week since you got us out of that mess, but...”

All I could see when I closed my eyes was my mate’s frantic expression as Poppy sliced my head clean off.

“Not as well as you’d think,” Hunter murmured. “She’s been struggling, but she is coping. She’s really hung up on what happened to you in that cavern. You had your head cut off again. How many times is that now?”

“ Five . Five times, now,” I croaked as the scar around my neck throbbed. It’d grown by another centimeter, and my sanity was barely hanging on. “Is she doing okay still?”

He shut his eyes for a moment. “She’s okay. Five times is a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a shadow demon maintaining their sanity after it happened more than twice.”

I shrugged, feeling the pieces of my mind start to wander toward Pandora. I really fucking hoped she was okay. “Who says I have any sanity left?”

“You’re sitting here talking to me,” he stated simply. “How do you feel about your mother being dead?”

“She’s not my mother,” I snarled, reaching up and adjusting the claw clip in my hair. “And I’m fucking relieved that she’s dead and wiped from Kalista. Pandora destroyed her soul, and you destroyed her body. I’m more grateful than I could ever convey.”

“You deserve more vengeance for what you and your sister had been put through. You’ll kill Rod Shadowheart, too. That vengeance will be all yours.” He took another sip from his mug with a wince.

“You need more sugar,” I told him. “Coffee’s fucking bitter. Try espresso, a shit ton of caramel, and some milk.”

He raised a brow and nodded. “Okay. Thanks. I will.”

I nodded, scratching my arm. My thoughts drifted back to Pandora. “Is she okay?”

“She’s okay, Dexter. I’ll tell you if I feel anything, even just a spike of anxiety. But she’s with Jenni and Death,” he told me. “She’s perfectly fine.”

I nodded again.

Jenni had scolded all of Pandora’s mates for not being on a first name basis with her, so now we were. It was fucking weird to see Death act all loving with Jenni, but it was… nice . Pandora liked it, so I wouldn’t complain.

Whatever made her happy made me happy.

“About Dreadful…” Hunter trailed off, his jaw tightening.

Pandora and I had told everyone everything that went down after it happened—at least, a summarized version of the events. It was pretty fucking brutal. We never hid that, but Hunter’s entire job was to be able to get us to dive into our trauma.

I figured he’d already done so for Pandora. Guess it was my turn.

“Poppy threw both her and Jenni in front of Pandora’s cage. Made her choose who to keep alive, but the catch was, Pandora had to kill the other,” I bit out. “Or Poppy would kill both of them for her.”

“And what did she choose to do?” He folded his hands under his chin and stared at me.

“She killed Dreadful.” I shot him an irritated look. “ You know that. She told you. She ate that bitch’s fucking soul all while Dreadful was bitching at her. She was as dreadful as ever, even facing her death.”

“How do you feel about Pandora’s choice?” He nodded and moved to tap on his tablet again.

“Fucking proud ,” I said, feeling my heart squeeze painfully in my chest. “Poppy was going to kill them both if she hadn’t chosen. A choice between Dreadful and Jenni was easy, and you know it. Poppy was more sinister than that, of course. That cult wanted to use Pandora. Otherwise, she would’ve just tossed me and Jenni at her feet and made her choose between her best friend and her mate.”

“And who do you think she would’ve chosen?”

“Jenni,” I answered immediately. “And she should . I haven’t been a good mate to her. There’s no reason she would choose me.”

“You’re wrong,” Hunter whispered, his white eyes shining with sympathy.

“No. I’m not.” Bitterness swelled in my mouth. “And that’s fine.”

“I asked Pandora, Dexter. She answered me while she cried about how bad she felt for her answer.”

“And?” My throat tightened.

“She would’ve chosen you. She loves Jenni, but she said she’d choose you because you’re her fated. She understands the gravity of that. She couldn’t bear to lose part of her soul. You are part of my mate’s soul. You need to start realizing how much you mean to her.”

My lungs filled with hope as I sucked in a breath. “I love her, Hunter.”

“She’s well on her way to loving you, too,” he admitted. There wasn’t a hint of a lie in his expression. He didn’t put off any feelings of deception, and I knew he was telling me the truth.

How could a soul so pure want someone as broken as I was? Why did the Fates stick her with me? I shoved those thoughts back the moment I thought them. It didn’t matter why or how.

All that fucking mattered was that my fated mate had forgiven me, and she had feelings for me. I was going to protect her for the rest of my Fates-damned life—and I would do that above all else.