“There’s a reason Sybil Shaw is the only supernatural to be labeledwantedtwice.” He let out an amused chuckle, and Nebula huffed in reluctant agreement. “Her magic may be dark, but it’s on par with mine. Only a witch or wizard as strong as the caster would be able to break this curse. That’s me.”
The weight of his words settled over me.
I had to complete the bond with Bram and Dex if I wanted to live—if I wanted Hunter, Reed, and Skel to make it out unscathed.
It felt like my body was withering away to nothing with the barest fragments of my soul holding it together. I could feel it. The only parts of me that were fighting the curse were the parts bound to my mates. If I hadn’t been fully mated to the three I was mated to, I was sure the curse would’ve killed me the instant I read that letter.
But…
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I was supposed to bond with them in our own time—whenwewere ready.
Grimsworn looked up at my mates. “Each of you has a matebond with her, but it’s incomplete on her end until she bonds with all of her mates. If she’s to survive this curse, she needs to be fully marked byallof you.”
Hunter’s face fell slightly as he registered Grimsworn’s words.
Skel’s gaze turned steely.
Reed’s violet eyes were on me with nothing but reassurance.
Dex shifted uneasily, his hand flexing at his side.
And Bram…Bram looked like he was about to break from the news. He looked up and froze. Pain crept into his expression.
“Pandora…” Dex’s voice was soft, but the uncertainty in it clawed at me, each word heavy with a fear I knew he hadn’t spoken aloud yet.
“You said you weren’t ready,” Bram spoke with a cracked voice.
I swallowed, but my throat still felt like sandpaper. “I know what I said.”
The flicker of hesitation in Dex’s gray eyes went deep. He knew why I wasn’t ready. He knew probably better than anyone why I was scared to take his mark—his shadow tendril.
He took a shaky breath, looking away.
Bram’s hands balled into fists, and his lips pressed tightly together before he let out a heavy exhale. “Pandora, I haven’t…I know I haven’t earned your trust or your love yet, but this isyour lifewe’re talking about.” His gaze dropped to the floor, shame flickering in his eyes.
The tension in the room was thick.
Hunter’s voice cut through the silence like a knife. “This isn’t about what she’s ready for or not—as much as I hate to say it like that…”
“It’s about what she needs,” Reed finished for him, his violet gaze locking on mine.
“And she needs them,” Skel stated matter-of-factly. “Bothof them.”
Dad’s jaw tightened as he nodded his agreement.
“You need them,” Nebula said.
“I’d do anything for you,” Bram murmured, finally looking back up. “With your consent, of course.”
“You know I want to mark you,” Dex croaked, glancing up. “I love you, trouble.”
My heart twisted as I looked at them.
I wanted to speak, to reassure them, but the curse’s grip was tightening again. Every single breath was a struggle. The weakness pulled me deeper into the inky darkness at the edge of my soul.
Everyone’s eyes were on me. I knew they were waiting for my answer, but this was one choice that wasn’t difficult to make.
The curse slithered through my veins like poison, consuming any part of my soul and magic that it could. The fear of never seeing them again seized my heart harder than anything I’d ever felt before.
