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brAM

T he desert stretched endlessly outside of Death’s manor. It was a rolling sea of golden sand dunes that rippled underneath the setting orange sun. Something about it made my heart feel like it was about to combust in my chest.

But maybe it wasn’t the scenery. Maybe it was because of Pandora. She walked beside me with her black hair pulled back into a long ponytail that swished as she moved.

I couldn’t take my mind off the fact that she was my mate, and I’d marked her to save her life. We’d spent all yesterday after the curse was broken, fussing over her in bed. We would’ve done the same today, but she insisted she needed to go on a walk to stretch her legs.

Chaos and Demo barked and ran ahead of us, playing and causing havoc as they did. When Demo manifested, I felt a tug on my soul. It was more proof that Pandora and I sealed her bond, and I gave her a piece of myself.

“This is nice,” she murmured, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “I’m glad Reed and Hunter suggested that we have one-on-one time after bonding.”

“It was a nice suggestion,” I agreed, heat blossoming across my face. Nerves tangled in my gut as we walked. I’d never get used to being able to be around her like this. I knew I didn’t really deserve her, but I also knew that I wanted her—desperately. “Do you want me to carry your bag for you?”

“I’ve got it.” She shook her head, patting the bag softly. “Nebula’s been extra protective after I was cursed by Sybil, and he’s been insistent about going wherever I do.”

“How are you feeling, really?” I reached up and adjusted my septum piercing, a nervous habit that I couldn’t seem to shake.

“I’m good,” she replied easily, her red lips curving into the sweetest smile. “I’m bonded to all five of my mates, and I’m alive. I don’t have a reason to complain.”

“But?” I cocked a brow at her as hesitation spiked our matebond.

“But...” she sighed. “When I was cursed by dark magic, it felt as though I was drowning—actually drowning, Bram. Drowning but not dying. When I fell into the water, everything went black after the pain in my lungs got too much, but when I was cursed, the pain was endless. Nebula’s cursed by dark magic, and I hope that isn’t how he’s feeling.”

I nodded. “I understand feeling that way. I hate to say it, but being bound to a skull isn’t exactly the bliss of going home to the Fates. Even though that sucks, I also know that Nebula has you. He loves you, Pandora. And now, he has us, too.”

“Yeah,” she murmured softly, looking out into the expanse of nothing but our chaos manifestations, howling and playing in front of us. “You’re right.”

It was eerily silent; the stillness punctuated by the faint hiss of wind sweeping over the ground and by the crunch of sand under our feet. The air was infused with a dry, mineral-rich scent that was drowned out by the sweet caramel aroma from my mate beside me, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.

I fucking loved her scent.

“I’m surprised Dex gave me the first turn for alone time with you,” I admitted, sweeping a hand through my hair. “I think he has ulterior motives.”

“He probably does,” she giggled, and my heart pounded almost painfully against my ribs from how beautiful it sounded.

“So, um, what does Nebula like?” I asked, side-eying her bag. He’d de-manifested before we went out to walk, and he promised not to eavesdrop, but I didn’t trust that. He was too protective of Pandora to just dip out like that.

“He likes stories.” She took a glimpse into her bag and smiled. “He also likes poetry.”

“Really?” My brows shot up in surprise. “I can actually do that.”

“What do you mean?” She pursed her lips.

“I need to make him like me,” I explained. “I know he hates me, and I understand why he does. I really do, but I’d like to change that.”

“He only hates you because of all the animal skulls you give me,” she revealed with a light laugh. “He’s jealous of them, I think.”

Shock riddled through me, and I gasped. “What? Seriously?”

She nodded, her giggles filling the air.

“But you like them, right?” I stopped walking.

She turned to face me. “Yes, Bram. I like them. It’s why I keep them displayed on my shelf.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” she assured me.

“Skulls are remnants of life. I never really thought about the significance of that before I started gifting them to you, but that’s exactly what they are. I’ve gotten attached to giving them to you because while I’ve given you my life from here on out, I wanted to give you remnants of other lives too. I just feel like you deserve everything, and I know that I’m not enough for you. I want to give you more—but I don’t have much to give,” I admitted painfully. Admitting it was something that fucking broke me, but it was true. I knew that much.

“But you are enough,” she said softly, reaching out and threading her fingers with mine. “I love the skulls, but I also love spending time with you. I want to get to know you even more. I mean, we’re bonded, fated mates, and we don’t really know a whole lot about each other, do we?”

Guilt swelled in my throat as I shook my head. “No, we don’t.”

“And I want to change that because everything you’ve been giving is enough.” She tucked a piece of stray hair that had fallen down behind her ear before turning to continue our walk.

Her foot got caught on something, causing her to trip and stumble forward.

I tugged on her hand and pulled her against my chest to keep her steady. “I’ve got you, brat.”

“Brat, really?” She tilted her head back and glared at me with defiance.

Really cute defiance.

“Sorry,” I murmured, helping her catch her balance. “I mean it lovingly.”

“Do you, now?” she mused, planting a hand on my chest and looking up at me before stepping back slightly. “Don’t be sorry. It’s much better used this way rather than the way you used to use it.”

I flinched, glancing down and picking up what she’d tripped over. Dusting the sand off the weathered bone, I realized it was a weasel skull. “Skull of a weasel, much like myself. A skull that brings shame and regret, but it also brings rebirth and new possibilities.” I handed her the skull. “You deserve only the best, and I intend to give you the best version of myself. I’m still working on it, but I will give that to you.”

“Bram, I want you at your best, of course, but I’ll take you at your worst, too.” She took the skull, slipping it into her bag with Nebula.

“You…will?”

“Of course.” She moved forward, wrapping her arms around my neck and tugging my lips to meet hers.

The desert air tasted dry, but she tasted of salvation.

Her lips were soft against mine as we kissed, and I slipped my tongue past them. I couldn’t help but pull her body against mine and deepen the kiss, exploring her mouth as I did.

Desire shot down our bond from both of us, and I moaned into her mouth from her neediness.

Holy Fates, she wanted me.

We kissed, open-mouthed, open-bond, and I lost myself. My hands gripped her hips and pulled her closer. My mouth rained hungry kisses upon her with the desperation of a rainstorm in a year-long drought. This wasn’t a sweet, nervous kiss. This was a hot, demanding need. Our tongues slicked together, and she let out a soft moan that I swallowed like a starving man.

Breaking the kiss with a gasp, I lowered my mouth to her throat and licked down her neck.

“Bram.” My name was a plea as her arousal soaked the air between us.

A low, rumbling growl turned to aggressive howling, and I wrapped my arms around her protectively, breaking our trance.

“What is it?” she murmured, desire thickening her rasp.

Chaos and Demo backed up next to us, pointing their anger at something in the distance.

“They’re pissed, but I’m not entirely sure why.” I frowned, squinting my eyes and staring out at nothing but sand dunes. “I don’t see anything.”

“Perhaps they stopped you from doing what you were doing before Pandora ended up with sand in places sand doesn’t need to be,” Nebula hissed from her bag.

My face heated fast, and I rubbed the back of my neck with a nervous chuckle. “Right, good point, Nebs.”

“Don’t call me Nebs,” he scoffed.

“But Skel does.” I pouted.

Pandora squeezed my hand and started tugging me back toward her dad’s manor. “Skel does because he doesn’t listen to Nebula when he tells him not to.”

“True,” Nebula grunted. “And Skel doesn’t give her other animal skulls. I’m the only skull she needs.”

“You’re the best skull she has.” I admitted, following her lead. “I just want to give her something, okay?”

Nebula sighed.

“Also Dex calls you Nebs, too.” I frowned.

Nebula huffed.

Chaos and Demo growled and stayed behind us as we returned to the manor, and the only thing I could think of was that there must’ve been a predator out of sight.

The desert was home to many dangerous creatures.

“So, ever since we completed our bond yesterday, my magic has been stronger,” I told her, feeling the chaos within me swirling like a storm. “It’s actually taking effort to control, which hasn’t ever been an issue before.”

“Like how Skel lost control?” Her brows bumped together as she frowned.

“No. Nothing like that. I can control it, but it’s stronger.” I shrugged as a dark thought crept into my mind. “It’d probably be easier to take a shot to deal with, though.”

“Hmm.” She tilted her head. “Demo is really wild. Honestly, even my own powers seemed to have gotten a power boost since completing the bond with all of you, but that’s normal for fated mates. About the shot, though...”

“Yeah?” I swallowed thickly.

I hated that I even wanted to drink when I knew it was the root of my problems. I hadn’t touched alcohol since I’d drank with Pandora months ago. Still, that desire didn’t go away.

“When you feel like you want to drink, come find me. I’ll help you through it, okay?” Her pretty red eyes narrowed, piercing me straight through my heart.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I promise I will.”

The entire walk back to the manor, she held my hand. It was the most intimate moment I’d had, even more so than when we were kissing earlier. Something about the innocence of her wanting to touch me had my heart tangled in adoration.

Chaos and Demo stayed behind us, growling, and only de-manifested when we entered Death’s manor.

“Back already?” Jenni rested her hands on her hips with a mischievous smile on her lips. “I wasn’t expecting you back until late. I just started dinner.”

“It was just a walk,” I muttered, trying to push the embarrassment away.

“A walk where he had his tongue down her throat,” Nebula grunted.

Thank Fates Jenni couldn’t hear him.

Pandora and I blushed anyway, and I squeezed her hand gently, which she returned the next moment.

Dex stepped out of the shadows and wrapped his arm around her shoulders before smirking at me. “My turn.”

His shadows covered them both, and her hand was no longer in mine as he shadow-traveled them away to Fates knew where.

A chuckle broke free from my chest as I shook my head. “I knew he had an ulterior motive of letting me have time with her first.”

“He always does,” Hunter commented, entering the foyer and leaning against a wall. “Did you have a good time?”

I nodded, my heart thudding faster in my chest at the thought of her. “Yes, we did. Even found a weasel skull.”

“ Oh .” His brows shot up. “Nebula’s not going to love that.”

“Yeah, he didn’t.” I winced.

“We got word that there’s now a drake scale warding the academy again, so there shouldn’t be any more random outsider attacks,” he told me as he glanced around Death’s sandstone manor with calmness. Though, I could see the tension in his eyes. “Not to say that there won’t be, though. Rowan Clearwater also apologized for how long it took. It’s apparently a huge process now to get them because scales are being stolen at a rapid rate.”

“Where do they keep them?” I frowned. “Surely, somewhere secure.”

“Yeah. Locked up in Apex Penitentiary is one place, and the other is in a safe room in the Supernatural Council’s Headquarters in Fate Hollow.” Hunter shrugged. “It’s not good, but we don’t have the time or energy to worry about that. We need to focus on Dark Veil and this dark magic epidemic.”

“No kidding,” I muttered, running a hand down my face. “We have to keep her safe.”

“I know,” he agreed. “She’s so angry, now. At almost everything. I feel it in the bond.”

“I do, too.” The matebond flared with desire from Pandora, but there was a sinking seed of rage within it, too.

“She wants to fight back,” he said. “Against Dark Veil and against Sybil Shaw.”

“I don’t blame her.” I shuddered as pleasure exploded through the matebond, and my dick throbbed in response. “Seems like they’re having a good time.”

Hunter’s lips cracked into a smile. “Yeah, it does. Figures .”

Fates, all I wanted was to protect Pandora. If she wanted to stand against Dark Veil and fight, I’d be right by her side.