Page 7

7

REED

T he start of our last term at Demon Reform Academy loomed over me—just a few hours away. Ever since coming here, my life had changed. I didn’t even recognize the demon I used to be before stepping foot in the desert academy.

Mom's betrayal cut deeper than anything else, leaving a scar on my soul that only my mate had been able to heal. Mom had left behind a relic she’d stolen from the cult she’d sold me to as a last act of atonement. I still couldn't figure out whether it was guilt or love that drove her to that choice, but if it could help us with Dark Veil, I didn’t care.

Then, there was everything that happened with Vane. Her betrayal had been irredeemable, but coming after my mate was the reason I ended her life. Amidst all of that pain, though, there was Pandora.

I'd met her and fallen completely in love with her. The matebond snapped into place, and we were bonded.

I drifted into my dreamscape, shaking off the heavy thoughts. I reached out, focusing my magic to draw Pandora into the dream with me—though I didn't need to. She was already there, as if she'd been the one waiting on me.

The dream shifted, molded by my will, until we stood beneath an endless sky. The skies stretched overhead in deep purples and soft golds, stars twinkling within. A meadow sprawled around us, wildflowers swaying in a breeze that carried no chill.

Pandora's wide crimson eyes glimmered, reflecting the sky as she slowly turned in place, taking in every detail. “It's so beautiful. So much more than the desert, but just as mesmerizing as the ocean.”

Nothing would ever be as beautiful as she was.

The words tangled in my throat as I watched her, drinking in how the wind toyed with her long black hair and how the moonlight kissed her skin.

My heart thudded, overflowing with a love so fierce it pulsed through our bond.

Her soft red lips curled into a quiet smile as she turned and stepped into my arms. I held her tightly, burying my face in her hair.

My arms instinctively tightened around her. “You're safe here,” I murmured against the silky strands of her hair. “With me, you can let go of that tightness in your chest. I can feel how you’ve been holding everything in, dream girl. You don’t have to. I’ve got you.”

I felt the moment she let go through our bond before her shoulders began to tremble. The first tear slipped down her cheek. A shaky breath rattled in her chest, and then her carefully constructed walls crumbled, leaving her bare to me.

She sobbed, raw and unrestrained, pain pouring out of her in jagged gasps.

Each cry shook the surrounding dreamscape.

The sky darkened gradually, dark purple clouds knitting together overhead, mirroring the storm of emotions she was releasing. Her control of my dreamscape bloomed, wild and unfiltered. Thunder rumbled in sync with her sobs, a low, mournful sound that broke my heart.

“I’m here,” I whispered, letting her know she wasn’t alone.

It felt like that was all I could do right now.

Rain fell, and cool droplets splashed onto my skin. It started softly, like a gentle patter in sync with the release of her tears. Then it grew heavier, and the sky cried with her.

Icy rain soaked through our clothes, but neither of us moved. Water matted her hair against my shoulder, mingling with her tears, blurring the line between my dreamscape and her soul.

She clung to me, fists curled tightly in my shirt, as if holding on would anchor her against the storm inside and out.

I tightened my embrace, grounding her, letting the rain wash over us.

“Let it out,” I murmured, my voice barely audible over the pounding rain. “Every bit of it. I’m here. I won’t let go.”

Lightning split the sky, casting fleeting light over us, and in that brief glow, I saw her face—raw, vulnerable, but freer than before. The rain kept falling, steady and brutal, washing away the weight she had carried for far too long.

All those assassination attempts on her—on all of us—did damage. But she would persevere. We all would.

After what felt like hours, Pandora pulled back, tilting her face to the sky, laughing quietly through her tears. “I love the rain.”

My heart warmed at the feeling she sent down the bond—a feeling of healing.

“I know.” I reached out and brushed wet strands from her face.

Her smile faded slightly as she lowered her gaze, studying the dark spiral of Dex's mate mark etched into her palm. “Shadow magic scares me. I can't control it. Even though I know the shadow magic belongs to Dex...I have a hard time with the fact that shadow magic is writhing inside of me. I can feel it, Reed.”

I frowned, stepping closer, closing the space between us. “Can I help you with that fear? I know it’s more Skel’s specialty, but I can help you face it. Safely , but only if you want me to.”

"Hunter has said a few things about exposure therapy," she murmured, nodding. "Let's try it. I trust you."

I brushed my magic along our bond, checking for any hesitation she could’ve been feeling, but all I found was raw determination.

With a flicker of dream magic, the meadow shifted. Shadows bled along the ground, twisting into grotesque forms—dripping hands reaching, clawing, toward her.

They remained frozen, unable to touch her. I’d never let them touch her.

Pandora stiffened, instinctively stepping back into my chest. “Reed…”

“The shadow magic you fear is just that—a nightmare. Penny Bones is dead. Her shadows are dead . They can't hurt you unless you let them. But you, dream girl, you can control them. Watch.”

I laced my fingers with hers from behind, guiding her trembling hand forward. We weaved our hands through the shadows. They recoiled at our touch, unraveling into harmless smoke.

Her breath hitched, but she didn't pull away. Slowly, she moved her hand on her own, dissolving the creeping tendrils until nothing remained.

When she turned and looked up at me, her eyes were wet but steady. "Thank you."

I leaned in and kissed her deeply before resting my forehead against hers. "I’ll help you through this. No matter what."

A deafening bang tore through the dreamscape.

It shattered.

We jolted awake, sitting up in bed simultaneously.

Pandora tossed her hand up, and her shadow tendril lashed out instinctively, slamming Dex and Skel, who had been standing at the edge of the bed, to the floor with two thuds.

“What the—?” Skel groaned, clutching his side.

“Trouble?” Dex croaked.

Pandora gasped, horror enveloping her expression. “Oh my Fates, I—I'm so sorry!”

Hunter shot up from his spot on the bed, scowling. “Can we not destroy the room and scare our mate before sunrise?”

“I think she scared us more,” Dex muttered as he and Skel got back on their feet.

Pandora clutched her head with a frown. “What was that noise?”

“It tore us out of the dreamscape,” I explained sleepily.

Bram's entire body vibrated as he looked away, jaw tightening. He stood rigidly in front of Dex and Skel, his entire frame trembling with tension. His gaze locked on the whiskey bottle in his hand.

“Bram?” Pandora's voice softened. “What's wrong?”

“Dex or Skel must've left fucking whiskey out," he grumbled.

I furrowed my brows. “I didn't see them drinking last night.”

“Because we weren’t,” Dex snapped, glaring at Bram. “We wouldn't fucking do that, man.”

“We've stopped drinking that shit to support you,” Skel said, shaking his head. “You should know we wouldn't leave it out for you like that even if we had drank.”

I felt the hairs on my neck stand up.

Bram dragged a hand through his dark hair while his other hand tightened on the whiskey bottle until his knuckles turned white. “Sorry. I just...how the fuck did whiskey get on the nightstand I was sleeping beside?”

Gumdrop glared at him from the tank, judging him not-so-silently.

I actually understood why he was so upset. He'd put so much work on staying sober. I was proud of him, and there was just a random bottle of whiskey in his face when he woke up? I'd be mad, too. But he couldn't blame the wrong people.

But how did it get in here?

My gaze flicked to the corner. Something shimmered—barely. My eyes narrowed at it as Chaos and Demo manifested from Bram and Pandora and started barking toward it.

What the Fates—? Was that left over dream magic from being pulled from the dreamscape so fast?

Before I could say anything about it, Pandora's shadow cracked out like a whip, shattering the bottle in Bram's grip.

Glass exploded, slicing into his arm.

“Shit!” Bram hissed, clutching the bleeding gash as it slowly healed.

“I’m so sorry, Bram!” Pandora jumped off the bed to help but gasped. Pain funneled through our bonds from her as glass shards bit into her bare foot.

Blood bloomed in red droplets that hit the stone as she picked her foot up.

“Pandora!” Her name was a chorus of shouts from all of us.

Dex's shadows slithered across the floor, sweeping up the shards with eerie precision and tossing them into the bin next to the door, getting it out of the way so she didn't hurt herself again.

I was on my knees beside her in an instant, panic clawing at my throat as I helped her sit back down on the edge of the bed and look at her foot. There were several gashes that healed in a few seconds, leaving only the blood behind.

We'd literally only just woken up.

“Fuck, Pandora.” Bram sat heavily beside Pandora, brows furrowed with concern. “Are you okay?”

“I—I’m sorry. I don't have control over this.” She stared down at her palm where Dex's mark rested.

Hunter came closer, cupping Pandora's face. “Hey, starlight. You don’t have to explain. We get it. It's not your fault.”

Her breath trembled, but she sagged against his hands, letting the fear melt away from our matebond as Skel’s magic settled over her.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered shut as she evened out her breathing.

Dex knelt beside me, guilt plain on his face. “This is because of me.”

I shook my head, elbowing Dex slightly. “No. This isn’t your fault. None of this is. You are her mate and a part of her. She needs that mark, and we're going to get her to the point where your shadow is a second limb to her. We’ll get through this.”

“We will.” Bram let out a slow breath, running a hand through his hair. “But what about the fucking whiskey?”

Chaos growled low again, ears pinned, and even Demo remained stiff and alert.

“I don’t know, but we should stay alert,” Hunter said. “If none of us put it there, someone else did.”

I glanced back at that corner—there was no shimmer or anything. Perhaps it was just my dream magic, but the way Chaos and Demo reacted made me think there was sinister magic around.

With Sybil Shaw targeting Pandora, I didn't trust anything or anyone but Pandora and the rest of her bonded mates.