“Dex, help her,” Skel begged me, noticing me standing in the doorway of the bathroom. “Fucking help her, man!”
“Of course.” I inhaled sharply, steadying my shaking hands as I pushed myself toward my mate. I wrapped my arms around her trembling frame, pressing her against my damp chest. She was so small compared to me, yet stronger than anyone I knew. “I’m so sorry, Pandora. I lost control of my shadows in there. Seems like it affected yours, too. Breathe, baby. Just breathe.”
Her breath hitched as she leaned against me slightly. “Dex? You lost control?”
“I did,” I whispered, guilt shredding me from the inside. “I’m so fucking sorry. My magic—it’s always been hard to contain. And I... I can’t even protect you from myself. I love you so much, and yet—” Guilt swelled in my throat. “Are you okay?”
Her breathing slowed, and her shadow tendril retreated as it slipped back into my mark on her palm. “I love you, too.” Her arms finally fell and wrapped tight around my waist. “I’m okay now.”
“Thank Fates,” the rest of the guys hissed together.
“I wish we could’ve helped.” Reed’s voice shook.
“Me too,” Skel agreed.
“Don’t be pouty,” Nebula told them. “She just didn’t want to hurt you.”
Why had she let me help, then?
“Dex knows how to control his shadows more than he thinks,” Hunter murmured, his white eyes boring into me. He walked over and tapped a finger on the paper curled in my fist. “What’s that?”
I handed him the crumpled letter. “Rod Shadowheart. Twisted. Fucked up. And?—”
“And what?” Bram asked, his voice cracking.
I turned back to Pandora, cupping her face gently. She looked fragile in the flickering light, but I knew better. She was fierce, stronger than I had ever been. Yet my voice cracked, betraying my fear for her. “He’ll do anything to get to you, trouble.”
Hunter’s vengeance magic burned through the air. “We won’t let him.”
Pandora’s hands closed over my wrists. “We’ll face your sperm donor together, okay?”
A soft chuckle broke free from my chest. “Yeah, okay.” She was right. That was all he was. A fucking sperm donor.
Her lips met mine softly, reminding me that I didn’t have to face him alone.
Everything around us was closing in—Rod, Dark Veil, all of it. But here, at this moment, Pandora was in my arms with her lips on mine.
And with her, I could endure anything.
12
BRAM
It was a Sunday. Not the fun kind, but the kind that dragged on with annoying stillness.
Pandora was at Death’s with Jenni for a spa day or something like that. Skel went to his dad’s to do something with Kat. Dex had taken Reed with him to go stalk Pandora from the shadows. Hunter was with Death at some meeting with Everglow for the Demon Council.
And I was alone—again.
I stared at the glass bottle in my hand. Amber liquid sloshed inside, whispering promises I couldn’t fucking listen to. Another bottle of whiskey hid in plain sight that I hadn’t put there. I tightened my grip.
The glass was cool against my skin, and for a moment, I swore I could taste it without even opening it. But not today. I couldn’t afford a fucking relapse. Not now. Not when Dark Veil was hanging over our heads.
It was physically painful for me to twist the cap off and watch as the liquid poured down the bathroom sink’s drain, but I fucking did it. I suffered through the scent of it rising into my face. It clung to the air, a mocking reminder of how easy it would be to give in.
And it would be so fucking easy to.
Just a drop on my tongue would be enough.
