I took this job to make a difference in young demons’ lives, but some demons were too far gone—even if they were still young. Dreadful was clearly one of them.
Pandora curled into herself with a small whimper, and I was on my feet beside her the next moment. She was lying the same way she had when I first saw her, clothed by her own blood and pieces of flesh.
Fates.My chest ached at the memory, and I had to remind myself that we weren’t back in that cellar.
Instead of the kitten skull, she clutched thebottle I’d given her. She lay in my office, safe and sound.
Once I convinced myself of her safety, I pried myself away from the sofa long enough to cross the room and grab a blanket from my closet. I draped it over her and watched her anxiety melt away. The distressed lines on her forehead dissipated immediately, and she snuggled into the blanket.
My heart swelled with reassurance that I did something right for her, and I couldn’t wait to unleash the vengeance boiling over inside of my soul.
I went over and jotted down a new to-do list.
Make Grimshaw, Hemlock, and Shadowheart pay in their sessions. Make them see their wrongs.
Get vengeance for Pandora with Dreadful and Voidfire.
Pandora deserved vengeance above all.
15
PANDORA
Blinking away the remnants of sleep, I woke to the comforting scent of sweet chocolate. I hadn’t slept that soundly ever before. Not even at Daryl’s.
As my gaze swept the room, I met Hunter’s, and a shiver jolted down my spine.
He was staring at me while I slept, his white eyes fixated on me as though he could see straight into my soul.
Maybe he could.
My heart pounded in my throat, but I couldn't tear my gaze away. There was something primal and possessive in the way he looked at me, as if he would do anything to protect me, like he wanted to fight for me.
I liked the idea that someone would go to such lengths for me. Maybe it was delusional to believethat he was thinking such things, but it made my heart flutter with happiness at the prospect of it, and that was enough.
As I pushed up off the plush sofa, a faint smile tugged at the corners of my lips. “Hi.”
Hunter's expression softened slightly, but the intensity remained. “Hi, starlight.”
“What time is it?” I asked, screwing off the lid of the enchanted bottle and taking a few icy sips of water. I loved the way the water trickled down my throat and soothed it like a balm.
It was the most thoughtful gift I’d gotten.
“I was about to wake you up,” he assured me, rubbing the back of his neck. “Your next class is in ten minutes. I wanted you to rest as long as you could. If you’d like to sleep longer, I can get you excused from class.”
My chest warmed at the thought. I didn’t ever feel safe before Daryl and Hunter found me, but I felt safe with both of them. It made sense that I felt safe with Daryl since he was my dad, but I didn’t know why I felt so safe with Hunter.
“That’s okay.” I toyed with a lock of my hair that was in my lap. “I don’t want to miss class.”
“Are you sure?” His brows dipped into a frown. “Hemlock, Grimshaw, and Shadowheart have Demonic Curses with you. Dusk is a good professor and actually fair, so I’m not concernedthey’ll bother you, but if you’d rather not see them, you can stay here.”
I moved my hair behind my shoulders with both hands. “How do you know that?”
“I checked,” he said, the words rumbling in his chest.
He cared.
“Thank you for worrying about me, but I’ll be okay.” I smiled before stuffing my water into my bag, wishing once again that I had brought Nebula today.
