A crutch.
A chain.
A cure.
A safe haven.
I had spent years numbing myself, afraid—so fucking afraid—of what I was, of what I could do. Fear was my nature, my very essence, and I had numbed it with fae magic, thinking it would quiet the raw pain inside of me.
But it had only made me weaker,moreafraid.
My matemade mestronger.
I squeezed the pipe so hard my knuckles ached. I wasn’t the same demon I was when I needed this thing.
Pandora was worth more than any high.
“Skel?”
I turned just as Pandora and Dex entered the room. The moment their eyes landed on what I held, I felt the concern in Pandora’s bond.
Dex’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “She gave it back? Fucking dark magic cult isstillgetting in here?”
“Seems so. She sent it to mess with me. Left me a note that said I wasn’t even worth the effort of infecting.” A dry laugh scraped my throat.
Pandora stepped closer. “Are you okay?”
I exhaled a long breath. “Yeah. I am.” I walked over to the trash can and, without hesitation, tossed the pipe in. It landed with a dull clatter, and the tightness in my chest immediately eased.
Pandora smiled, padding over and wrapping her arms around my neck before kissing me—a soft, tender kiss pressed into my lips.
My pulse thundered as I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close.Fates, I loved her so much.
When we broke apart, I met her gaze and said, “I’m finally free from that damned pipe.”
Dex smirked, crossing his arms. “Proud of you, dude.” His shadows swept the room. “Nobody is here anymore, so I guess we’re as good as we can be.”
“Thanks.”
Bram opened the door and came in but paused as he shut it behind him. “Uh, what happened? Why do I feel like I missed something important?”
“Reed and Hunter are still in a session,” Dex explained with a shrug. “So we’re killing time as we wait for them.”
“Killing time,” Bram repeated with a raised brow. “I thought we were going for dinner?”
“When Reed and Hunter get back, we will,” Pandora promised.
He smiled and nodded. “Okay.”
She’d really tamed his anger, and I was fucking glad for it. It was odd to see Bram so reasonable, but it was also good. He really needed to relax.
A few minutes later, we ended up sprawled out on the bed, talking and laughing at stupid shit. It was…easy andfun. I loved feeling the way I did when I wasn’t numb, and I loved the way Pandora made me feel more than anything.
I wasn’t the only one, either.
Bram leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Pandora’s lips, and a streak of petty jealousy shot through me.
“Really, Skel?” Pandora pulled back with a giggle before pressing a kiss to my lips. “You’re jealous?”
