His grip slackened. “Pandora…what?—”
I hit the rock ground with a thud, and it felt so similar to the sandstone floors of the cellar.
My body convulsed with the force of my sobs, each breath ragged and gasping as I lowered mycheek to the cold stone just like I used to before she hurt me.
“Did you use your fucking shadows on her?” Hunter barked, rage simmering in each word.
The memories of my mother came rushing back with a vengeance, each one more visceral than the last. Dex’s shadows loomed over me, but all I could see was Mother’s shadows.
I tumbled into another living nightmare.
Dex let out an audible gulp. “I mean, I’m a shadow demon. I feed off pain?—”
The wound around my neck still seeped blood, and it dripped onto the floor. The blood was a stark reminder of my life before. I constantly bled, and I was bleeding again.
A wave of nausea that rocked me to my very core sent bile rising in my throat.
I pushed up and leaned over, clutching my stomach. The taste was acrid and foul, burning my already throbbing throat as it clawed its way up from the depths of my stomach. Vomit spilled forth in a violent expulsion.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I retched again and again, my body wracked with spasms of pain and revulsion.
I killed her. She’s gone. I’m safe. Fates, I’m out of that cellar. I’m fucking safe.
“Get the fuck out!” Hunter bellowed, and a loud bang cracked through the room.
“But, she…”
“She’s hurt because ofyou, Shadowheart! I know exactly who you are, and we will be discussing this in our session; I can promise you that.”
More shadows whipped through the room, and panic consumed me.
“Fine, Darkmore.” A dark laugh burst from Dex. “I look forward to talking about this. She’s a fuckingnoble. Nobody thought she’d be this weak from a little bit of pain.”
“Mother fucker!” A roar left Hunter, vibrating the room from the force of it.
Warm, soft hands roamed my back in soothing motions and pulled my hair back. “He’s gone, Pandora. He’s gone.”
He’s gone.
She’s gone.
As I emptied the contents of my stomach onto the rock floor that reminded me too much of my life before, a sense of relief washed over me. The last of the bile dribbled from my lips, and I collapsed in a trembling heap in Hunter’s open arms.
“I’ve got you, starlight. I’ve got you.”
The shadows are gone.
8
HUNTER
My heart pounded in my chest like a drumbeat of rage as I watched Pandora, pale and shaking in my arms. The desire for vengeance burned bright in the forefront of my mind, fueling every thought with visions of retribution.
How dare Dexter Shadowheart hurt her with his shadows? There was a faint indent all around her neck that dripped blood. She was barely healing from it, and it only just started clotting. He didn’t have to do this. Her neck, of all fucking places? She just had her throat slit a couple of months ago that would’ve led to her death had her soul eater powers not awakened.
I’d wanted to do more. My vengeance powers sliced a ring around his neck that healed almost immediately, the way that he’d cut Pandora. Mycut went right over his white scar, and my magic slammed Shadowheart against the wall when he didn’t leave, forcefully thrusting the bastard into the shadows. I didn’t understand why he’d want to stay and witness her break down.
He didn’t deserve to be in her presence. Not after what he had done to her.
