Page 50

50

PANDORA

T he sun hung high in the sky, scorching us with the golden rays that streaked across the crystal-clear water of Odyssey Bluffs. The heat of the desert pressed uncomfortably against my skin, but the gentle breeze rolling off the cliffside was a reprieve.

I had my long black hair pulled up into a high ponytail, and my black one-piece bathing suit clung to my body in a way that made me feel confident instead of self-conscious. But that had more to do with the fact that I was around my mates than anything else.

The guys all looked amazing, more so than usual. Ever since we’d all been intimate together, it was like our matebonds had deepened even more.

I was drooling over my mates, and I wasn’t ashamed about it.

None of them had shirts on, just swimming trunks, and I could not stop staring.

Bram stood at the edge of the shore, his short black hair damp with sweat, and his red eyes scanning the clear water. The skull tattoo on his neck, the wolves on his chest, the wolf on his arm, and the hawk on his other arm were all on display.

Reed stood beside Bram, his dark brown coils bouncing as the breeze hit. His violet eyes were trained on the water as they talked about Gumdrop. His arms were crossed, but I could still see the small stars dotted along them. His freckles spattered his cheeks, and my heart ached at how attractive he was.

Hunter’s shoulder-length dark blond hair caught in the breeze, and his white eyes with that pretty gray ring fringed with long white lashes assessed me with clear concern. But he didn’t need to be concerned. I was perfectly okay as I ogled the map of Kalista splayed across his chest. I wanted to trace the skull over the Demon Capital with my tongue.

Skel’s messy black hair streaked with white blew in the wind as he grinned at me with emerald eyes filled with mischief. The scar over his eye also caught the light. Tattooed snakes curled around his arms, and a cliff similar to the one here during a thunderstorm with lightning was on his chest with a scorpion on his neck, and poison black liquid dropped down both of his thighs until dark magic goo covered his shins. His tattoos were so attractive. Very common fears for all supernaturals. He bit his lip ring and reached up and ran the hand tatted with a spider through his hair.

Dex’s white-blond hair caught the golden light, too, and his fog gray eyes were glued to me as he smirked like he knew exactly what I was thinking. His tattoos of shadows wrapped around his biceps and down his arms, and his nipple piercings were also something I couldn’t ignore. The scar around his throat and scars on his back caught the light the same way mine did, but they only made me love him more.

All mine.

All five of them were my fated mates.

For a moment, I forgot everything—the pain, the trauma, the history that I carried with me of the bluffs: all from being attacked to falling off the cliff and drowning. None of that mattered anymore.

Nebula’s voice pulled me into the present, and I dragged my gaze away from my mates and toward his skull that sat atop my bag in the sand. “I’m proud of you, Pandora. You’re not spiraling into memories of the past horrors here. Perhaps your mates were right to take you here today.”

I smiled, my cheeks aching from how big I grinned. “They did promise me a day of fun.” I stretched my arms over my head. “So, let’s all have some fun.”

“Do be safe. Sybil is…drawing on my power again. I will manifest when I can,” Nebula whispered in a strained tone. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You can’t help what she does.” My eyes glistened with tears, the happiness I’d felt dampening with the knowledge that witch was hurting my best friend again. “Nebula…”

“No,” he hissed. “Go, enjoy . I’ll manifest soon. You five, teach Pandora to swim. Be normal, but do not let this ruin your day.”

“We promise,” Hunter whispered, respect drenching his tone, and Nebula de-manifested.

My heart ached.

Bram groaned. “Does that mean we have to actually get in the water?”

Dex smirked. “Yeah, dude. It’s called swimming for a reason.”

“I’d rather summon a chaos serpent to ferry me across the water,” Bram muttered. “Swimming is a lot of work.”

I laughed, already feeling lighter than I had in weeks, even though Nebula couldn’t participate in the fun right now.

We would make Sybil Shaw pay for that later—today, we had to take a moment to breathe.

My mates had brought me here to celebrate finishing our finals, but I knew it was more than that. They wanted me to reclaim this place—to make new memories that weren’t stained with blood and terror. And I wanted that, too. Reed had already done that for me, though, when we’d made love in the storm here. To be able to experience positive moments with all of them was welcomed, too.

Hunter stepped forward and laced his fingers through mine. “Are you sure you want to learn to swim here ?”

I knew he was referring to when I drowned. The very idea of willingly stepping back into this water should have terrified me, but instead, excitement thrummed through me. If I could swim, no water would have any hold over me. “Yes. I want to learn.”

“Let’s get in, then!” Dex was the first to move, launching himself into the water with effortless grace. Water splashed, sending cool droplets onto my skin, cooling me off as they hit.

“See you in the water, princess!” Skel followed, grinning as he waded in, and I felt the wave of desire for me to join through his bond.

“I’ll be right beside you, dream girl.” Reed stayed close to me, watching my every move.

Bram stood at the edge, still grumbling about his magic snake method as he glared at the water, and if I hadn’t known better, I’d think he wasn’t able to swim either.

Hunter let my hand go and rested his hand on my shoulder instead. “If at any point this gets too much, we stop. Got it?”

I nodded. “Got it.”

Hunter and Reed grabbed my hands and waded in with me. The first shock of the water stole my breath. It was freezing, a stark contrast to the heat pressing against my skin, and my entire body tensed as I waded deeper.

The sun-scorched rocks beneath my feet became slick as the cool waves lapped against my thighs, sending goosebumps racing up my arms. “It’s so cold,” I gasped, instinctively gripping Hunter and Reed’s hands tighter.

“You’ll get used to it, dream girl,” Reed reassured, his violet eyes crinkling at the corners. He squeezed my fingers.

Dex, already neck-deep with his white-blond hair soaked, smirked. “Or you can just cling to me for warmth. I don’t mind that at all, trouble.”

“I’m an option, too!” Skel shot him a grin. “Don’t forget that.” He waded past me, flicking some water my way before winking.

My heart pounded as the water rose higher as we walked further in. Memories of sinking under, my lungs burning, losing consciousness?—

I let out a sharp breath and shook those memories from my mind.

“Okay,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. “What do I do?”

Dex moved through the water until he stood behind me. “Alright, trouble, first step—get used to floating.” His hands rested on my hips as Reed and Hunter let go of my hands. “Lean back, let me support you.”

I hesitated, ready to flail.

“I got you,” he promised, his breath hitting the back of my neck.

Swallowing my anxiety, I let him guide me. His hands were warm even in the chilled water, and I leaned into the sensation of the water lifting me.

“Dex…” My muscles tensed.

“Relax,” he murmured. “Breathe, baby. Feel how the water holds you.”

It took a few moments, but the tightness in my muscles unwound. The water no longer felt like it would drag me under. Instead, it swaddled me.

“That’s it,” Reed praised softly.

“Now, try to float on your own,” Dex instructed, withdrawing his hands.

The moment his support was gone, I couldn’t help but stiffen, and I started to sink.

Before I could protest, strong arms caught me. “Hey.” Skel’s voice was close, soothing, despite the teasing lilt. “You’ve got this. Try again. This time, I’ll help.”

Dex moved back as Skel’s arms steadied me under my arms. I leaned back again, focusing on letting myself relax, and I actually floated.

“That’s it.” Skel slowly let go, but I didn’t panic.

A giggle bubbled out of me. “I’m doing it!”

“You’re doing it, princess,” Skel praised.

Hunter gave a small nod of approval from where he stood in front of me. “Now, let’s try moving.”

Reed took over, demonstrating a slow, even kick.

I mimicked him, and soon I was gliding through the water on my back, awkward but improving. All I had to do was stand, and the water wouldn’t drown me. I was safe to try.

Hunter taught me how to move to my stomach, and I could stay afloat in longer periods, now.

Bram, though, was struggling himself.

“Why can I not stay afloat?” he demanded, his powerful frame thrashing as he tried to mimic our movements.

“Maybe because you’re panicking like a drowning cat?” Skel snickered.

“I am drowning, you ass!” Bram sputtered before promptly sinking.

Laughter rang through the air as Reed reached over, gripping Bram by the arm and helping him up. “You are not drowning. Stand up. You’re just terrible at swimming.”

Bram grumbled, flipping his wet hair out of his face as he stood. “Chaos magic would be so much easier.”

“Didn’t you swim here before with us? Why are you struggling now?” Dex laughed at him.

“I used my snake to glide me through,” he admitted. “Plus, I can swim when I need to, but it’s just difficult when it’s not life-threatening.”

“Well, we can’t all cheat with a giant snake,” Dex told him before turning back to me. “Alright, Pandora, let’s see you swim to me.”

I hesitated, then kicked off. My arms pushed through the water, and the cold no longer felt breath-stalling.

I reached Dex, breathless but smiling.

“Great job, trouble.” His arms wrapped around me as he pressed his lips to mine.

“You did it,” Hunter said, his voice filled with pride.

“Yeah,” I breathed, pulling back from Dex and laughing as the sun glistened off the rippling surface. “I did!”

* * *

After we ate the lunch Reed and Skel packed for us, we took a walk along the bridge that led up to the cliff.

I felt the weight of the past pressing down on me from the last time I’d run up this bridge, but the warmth of Reed’s hand in mine kept me grounded.

“This was where we had our first kiss,” I murmured, looking up at him. “It was my first kiss.”

Reed smiled, brushing his thumb over my cheek. “I love that. I was trying really hard not to be awkward.”

I laughed, but my breath hitched when his lips descended on mine. His kiss was perfect as usual, and I tasted cotton candy on his tongue.

Skel suddenly grabbed me and pulled me into another searing kiss. His hands slid possessively down my back.

Before I could recover, Dex claimed my lips next, his touch setting me on fire.

I felt their jealousy streaking through the bonds.

Bram pouted. “What about me?”

I rolled my eyes and pulled him close by his face, pressing a lingering kiss against his lips.

“I don’t want to miss out on this.” Hunter’s hands cupped my face, and he slanted his lips over mine, his kiss deep, slow, and devastating.

Heat seared my core, and I desperately wanted to make love to all of them, right here on this bridge.

The moment burned between us, and our matebonds flared with desire—until Dex stiffened.

“I smell him,” Dex whispered. “It must be a charm. Hunter, keep her back!”

“Your father?” Skel asked roughly, and we were all on alert, scanning the bridge and all of our surroundings.

“Yes!” Dex shouted.

Nebula was tucked away in my bag on my shoulder, so I knew he was safe.

Dex’s shadows struck toward his left, snaking around something invisible before a charm was ripped away and tossed into the water below us.

Rod, Dex’s father, appeared out of thin air, but the next second, he was hurling acid at his son out of a jar.

Dex’s face melted before my eyes, his scream piercing through my skull as he stumbled back and barely grabbed the rope on the bridge before toppling into the water below.

“Dex!” I cried out, moving toward him, but he held a hand up to stop me.

“I’ll be fine!” His skin melted down his cheek bones, and my heart felt like it was ripping from the pain that came through the matebonds—two of them.

My gaze snapped to Bram, who jerked, and blood bubbled from his lips. I looked down to see a blade buried in his stomach.

“Where the fuck did that come from?” Skel asked.

Hunter barely caught Bram before helping him to his knees.

“Did you honestly think I came alone? I’m not your only enemy,” Rod hummed before his hand shot out and clamped around my throat, dragging me over the rest of the bridge and toward the edge of the cliff. His hand transformed into his demonic claws, and they pierced my skin, but I didn’t care. I needed to keep my eyes on my mates. “Shhh, it’ll be okay as long as you don’t do anything stupid.”

Hunter, Reed, and Skel tensed, but they didn’t make a move, afraid Rod would rip my throat out if they did.

“Get her away from him!” Dex snarled. “Who the fuck else is here?”

Another man became visible the next moment, another charm hitting the wooden bridge and bouncing down into the lake. The man had red hair and purple eyes. He ripped the blade from Bram’s gut, and it dripped with his blood.

“Nobility must die,” the man screamed, eyes wild as he locked his gaze on Hunter.

“Harry, dude, chill the fuck out,” Rod scolded him. “This isn’t why you came with me, remember?”

Harry Hemlock? This was Bram’s father, and the serial killer being hunted by the council.

“Great. It’s a fucking sperm donor party,” Dex bit out.

Rod buried his face in my hair. “You know, Penny Bones—your mother, you don’t even look like her. Yet…”

I fought the bile rising in my throat, but I couldn’t focus on the crazy demon holding me, not when my mates were wounded, not when?—

Blasts of demonic power rippled through the air.

Reed, Skel, and Hunter’s magic exploded, freezing both Harry and Rod in their tracks before they dropped like rocks in a deep slumber, screaming in terror, before and after. Their skin smelled of burnt flesh from when Hunter’s magic struck them.

“Pandora!” my mates screamed for me.

My magic surged from me, tendrils forcing down Rod’s and Harry’s throats, wrapping around their souls. Their souls were black, dark, and twisted, but I managed to strip them of their magical essence, making them completely powerless.

Reed’s magic kept them trapped in their nightmares as I did it.

My power slinked back into me.

Hunter reached me first, grabbing my shoulders and physically moving his hands over my body to check for injuries. A breath of relief left him as he pulled me against his chest and inhaled my scent. “Thank Fates you weren’t hurt.”

Reed and Skel grabbed Bram and Dex from the bridge, and their wounds were already healing as they made it to us.

“I’m okay,” I promised. “I stripped both Shadowheart and Hemlock of their magic. They’re practically human now.”

“They’re powerless ?” Dex uttered.

“Yes,” I confirmed.

Dex and Bram shared a murderous glance.

“Wake them up,” Bram told Reed as he went to stand over his father’s body.

Dex did the same. “We’re ready to face them.”

Reed nodded, gesturing to the two of them, and they woke up.

“Fuck!” Rod shouted, confusion furrowing his brows as he crawled toward me, but his eyes widened as he realized he couldn’t access any of his magical essence. “My magic, where is it?”

“Both of you have no more magical essence,” I answered as Hunter wrapped me tighter in his embrace and Reed stepped in front of us so he couldn’t see me.

“Impossible!” Harry snarled, jumping to his feet and swaying, jabbing a finger at Bram. “You! You piece of shit! You’re fucking worthless! You can’t even die right!”

“You were supposed to be mine!” Rod screamed at me.

Dex lost it, and his shadows exploded, wrapping around Rod’s throat, tightening with each second, slicing through skin and tendon with ease. “She’s mine. Not yours!”

Rod cackled. “But I’ve seen her come, you know, that makes her mine, too, doesn’t it?”

Dex’s horns expanded, and his tail swished dangerously behind him. “Thanks for reminding me, you fucking sperm donor.”

Dex’s shadows pushed into Rod’s eye sockets, popping each eye out and tearing the tendon as he yanked them out.

Rod let out an ear-splitting scream that made me feel like my ears were going to start bleeding. “Stop it! I’m your father! You will respect me!”

“I’ve never respected scum like you.” Dex grabbed his eyes in his palm before prying Rod’s mouth open and stuffing both eyeballs into his mouth, closing Rod’s mouth forcefully. “Now, accept your punishment for seeing something you shouldn’t have. That’s what you always told me, isn’t it?”

Rod’s protests were muffled as Dex made his father eat his own eyes.

Once he swallowed both, he gasped, whimpering in pain as he jerked away from Dex’s shadows, but his attempts were useless. “You are not worthy of me!”

“It’s you that’s not fucking worthy of me or my sister!” Dex screamed in his face. “I sever ties with the Shadowhearts for myself and my sister, Selene!”

Rod’s neck buckled under the shadow magic that tightened one last time, and his head popped off, rolling to Dex’s feet.

“Fuck you, Rod Shadowheart.” Dex’s bare foot came down on his father’s head until it splintered, crushing it. An awful squelching noise resounded as he stomped on Rod’s head over and over again.

“You ruined my fucking life!” Harry spluttered at Bram, shoving his finger into Bram’s chest again. “Melinda never would’ve known about Janet if you hadn’t been born! You piece of shit demon!”

“ You’re the piece of shit!” Bram screamed as his magic roared to life. Chaos leapt out and growled at Harry. The spectral wolf was just as eager to kill him as Bram was. “ You’re worthless. You were always the problem, never me! You’re fucked up, Hemlock. Way more fucked up than I ever was.”

He laughed like the lunatic he was. “What are you going to do? Your fucking dumb ass puppy going to bite me? Get real, son. You’ll never be able to win against me.”

“Chaos is going to do worse than bite,” Bram revealed, his red eyes glowing as his demon form took over. “Don’t forget, I’m not your son. I severed ties with the Hemlock family.”

“So, what?” Harry laughed, belittling Bram again. “You’re just a nameless low-class piece of shit, now!”

“Nah.” He shook his head. “Melinda and Slater are adopting me, Hemlock. You can call me Havoc now.”

Pure, unadulterated rage swept over Harry Hemlock, and his face turned completely red.

“Chaos, kill him.” Bram shoved his father to the sand easily before Chaos pounced.

Hemlock’s screams were horrific as he was torn apart limb-by-limb by Bram’s chaos manifestation.

Chaos ate every piece of Harry Hemlock until he no longer existed—bones and all.

“I’m finally free of a man who made me feel small and broken my whole life.” Bram dropped back onto the sand trembling as Chaos trotted over and sat next to him, his large wolf head resting on Bram’s shoulder.

Dex jerked his leg away from the completely mushed-in skull fragments and brains and fell to his ass. Shards of Rod Shadowhearts’s skull fell out of the bottom of Dex’s foot. It healed from being sliced open by the skull fragments. “I never thought I’d escape that fucking monster.”

Relief, guilt, anger, and closure stemmed from both Bram and Dex.

I kissed Hunter’s cheek before moving away and knelt beside Dex, pressing my forehead to his. “You’re stronger than you think,” I whispered.

He exhaled shakily. “So are you.”

I moved away from Dex and did the same for Bram. “You’ve always been capable.”

He let out a shaky breath. “Thank you.”

Hunter cursed, muttering about not realizing they had invisibility charms until it was almost too late. Thankfully, they’d guessed someone had invisibility charms. We thought Rod Shadowheart was involved, but none of us guessed Harry Hemlock had been with Shadowheart.

Chaos nuzzled me, and Demo, my little chaos puppy, yipped for attention as she manifested.

“Gotta let the rest know.” Dex got up and grabbed my tablet from my bag before snapping a photo of Rod’s corpse and sent it to our group chat with Jenni, Joel, and Dad.

Pandora Gravesend

IMAGE of Rod’s corpse

Pandora Gravesend

P.S. This is Dex

Oh, and Harry Hemlock’s dead, too. No body to snap a pic of, though.

A second later, my tablet rang.

“Pandora?!” Dad’s voice boomed through the speaker.

“Dad,” I sighed, closing my eyes. “We’re okay.”

“Pandora’s safe, and she wasn’t hurt,” Hunter added.

Dad sighed in relief. “You can’t just send something like that and not explain, Dexter.”

“Sorry, Death.” Dex pouted his bottom lip out.

Jenni’s voice followed, warm and vengeful. “Dex, thank you…for avenging my dad and getting your revenge, too.”

“No need to thank me. He suffered.” Dex’s body trembled as he glanced back at the mutilated corpse of Rod Shadowheart.

“We could tell,” Dad mumbled, almost like he was impressed.

For the first time in a long time, the weight on our shoulders felt just a little bit lighter.