“But I don’t know how to push past that fear.” My voice wobbled, and I took another drink of water to soothe the ache.
His tablet buzzed on his desk, and I noticed the name Joel flashing on the screen, but Hunter ignored it. “Did you know that Joel Craven, the incubus representative on the Demon Council, had issues with feeding?”
“He did?” I screwed the top on the bottle again.
He nodded. “I helped him through it. He’s my best friend, and he refused to feed—that’s what drove me to become a counselor, actually. To make a difference for demons like you and him.”
“That’s really amazing, Hunter,” I gushed, a smile pulling at the corners of my lips.
A blush bloomed across his cheeks. “Thanks. Ireallywant to help you be the best you can be, Pandora. I really do.”
“I know you do.” I reached up and squeezed the hand he had on my shoulder, and a rush of warmth spread through me.
He blinked, pulling his hand away and standing up abruptly before moving back to his chair. “Wow. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I had gotten so close to you.” He tugged at the collar of his shirt with a heavy breath as if it were hot in here, but it was just a comfortable temperature. “If I ever make you uncomfortable, please let me know.”
“You could never make me uncomfortable,” Ireplied instantly, but he just gave me a tight smile and continued the session with his guard up in a way that looked painful for him.
26
REED
“Imean, can you even believe it? Just the sheerpossibilityof her being my mate makes my heart do something weird,” I gushed, my heart pounding harder in my chest. “I’ve never felt like this before.”
Gumdrop fluttered his gills and swam closer in reply. The gentle hum of the aquarium’s magic filled the room as I prepared his dinner.
I mean, I really didn’tmeanto pull Pandora into my dreamscape a few nights ago. When I arrived, she was there already, and if that wasn’t fate, I didn’t know what was.
We lacked a matebond, but we didn’t lack a connection. That had to mean something, right?
I dropped the pellets into the tank, and his tiny mouth gaped in a silent ‘o’. I couldn't help but chuckle. "Thereyou go, buddy.”
As he ate his food, my tablet started to buzz. I straightened up and went over to where I’d tossed it on the bed after classes.
I drew my brows together as a haunting ache hit my chest. It was my mother, and she never called me.
“Hey, Mom,” I answered, anxiety spurring in my gut.
Her reply was a mess of garbled words, slurring together, “Your dad…magic…void…save him…see…again!”
I pressed the speaker of the tablet against my ear to listen closely, but each word I picked up on was tinged with hysteria.
“Mom, slow down. What are you talking about?" I tried to interrupt her, but she was on a complete spew of word vomit, sounding more like a drunk than the catatonic shell she'd become since Dad died. “Take a deep breath and talk to me calmly. What about Dad and a void?”
The line went dead.
“Mom?” I asked, even though I knew she couldn't hear me. My voice echoed through the room.
My gaze connected with Gumdrop’s. He had swam to the glass and tilted his head in concern. “I have no idea what that was about.”
I called her back several times, but each callwas met with a voicemail. It wasn’t until I was sure she wouldn’t pick up that I left a message. “Call me back when you can, okay?Please."
With a heavy sigh, I trudged over to the bed, my thoughts filling with worry.
Mom had barely said more than a few sentences to me since Dad died over ten years ago, so what could’ve happened for her to contact me like that? I’d spent enough time around Hemlock to know what someone sounded like drunk out of their mind, but what had caused that? Mom didn’t drink, at least, never around me.
But my mind didn’t stay quiet when I drifted off to sleep, and when it claimed me, I ended up in my dreamscape among the purple haze that felt like home.
Charlotte. She was pushing on the edges of it now, her presence a bittersweet comfort as she insisted on coming into my space. She must’ve been waiting for me to fall asleep.
