Dex prowled forward, and I backpedaled until my back was flushed against the sandstone wall. The shadows cast by Dex's demonicform danced with a life of their own, twisting and contorting in the dim light of the lobby.
My heart hammered in my chest, and primal fear coursed through my veins as I felt his shadowy presence looming over me.
“I said, stop it!” I choked out, my voice raspy and shredded sounding.
Dex’s fog gray gaze pierced through me with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine. His tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip as he planted his forearm on the wall above my head and leaned closer. “Why do I scare you so damn much, trouble?”
Tears pricked hot in my eyes, blurring my vision as panic threatened to consume me.
“Fates, you taste so fucking sweet...that flavor is definitely more than fear or pain.” His shadow tendrils glided softly over my cheek and arm, a welcomed difference from clawing at me harshly. But it was also more unsettling because it seemed like they were searching the depths of my soul for answers I wasn't ready to give anyone.
A hand grasped Dex’s shoulder and pulled him off of me before Reed’s face came into focus. His kind gaze and familiar features calmed my frazzled brain. Without a word, he turned and positioned himself between Dex and me.
“Who do you think you are to get between ashadow demon and their prey?” Dex’s voice was hard, deep, and almost disembodied.
“Dex, dude, chill,” Grimshaw told him.
“Let him do whatever he wants,” Hemlock grunted at Grimshaw.
“Yeah, let me do what I want,” Dex begged enthusiastically.
By the grace of the Fates, Hunter’s voice cut through the air like a knife. "Get the fuck away from her!”
“Of course a noble comes to the rescue,” Grimshaw muttered under his breath before walking away.
“Told you she was like them,” Hemlock added unhelpfully as he strode beside his friend.
I peered out from behind Reed and locked eyes with Dex.
“She’s not like those bitches at all,” Dex decided with a knowing smirk, and his shadows coiled around him before he disappeared into them completely.
Why had that statement given me butterflies?
“Oh, Fates.” Reed deflated, the tension draining from his shoulders as he let out a weary sigh. “That was intense.”
We both took a collective breath as Hunter made his way to us.
“What in Kalista happened?” He directed the question toward Reed withgenuine concern.
“Pandora argued with some nobles in the cafeteria, then followed me out here. Those three followed and cornered her,” he explained. “They have some weird obsession with her. I don’t like it.”
“I don’t either, but you did good standing up for her.” Hunter turned to me, and his white eyes softened. "Come with me," he murmured.
I nodded, offering Reed a small, appreciative smile. “Thank you for stepping in.”
“Thank you for doing the same,” he said, and his fingers twitched before he balled them into a fist.
With one last glance back at Reed, I followed Hunter out of the lobby and to his office.
14
HUNTER
Rage funneled through my veins so hard that I couldn’t hear from the thumping of blood in my head.
Each step forward came with a different way to maim Shadowheart for pinning Pandora against the fucking wall while hisshadowstouched her.
Enchanted nails driven through every inch of his body to pin him against a wall.
