“You will be,” she promised.
Charles cleared his throat. “I do hope I’m not speaking out of turn, but Madam Havoc—no, Melinda and Slater are the best demons I’ve ever met in the Demon Capital. You couldn’t get better family.”
Melinda and Slater both smiled at Charles.
“Thank you,” she whispered to him.
Before we left, I reached out to grasp Bram’s arm. “Do me a favor. I want you to sense their souls with my magic.”
“Sense their souls?” He hesitated, glancing back at his brother. “Okay, I’ll try.”
He took a deep breath, and I felt my magic swell inside him. I pressed my magic against him, guiding him to sense Slater’s soul—and Melinda’s, too.
Overwhelming care and love flooded Bram, and it took his breath away.
He stumbled back a few steps before looking at me, his expression a mix of shock and confusion.
“They mean what they say,” I whispered.
He didn’t respond, but as Dex shadow-traveled us back to the dorms, the weight on Bram’s soul seemed a little lighter.
17
BRAM
Fuck.
Sweat made the blanket stick to my skin as I jolted upright in bed.I blinked profusely as my eyes adjusted to the darkness.
I could still see the vivid outline of my father standing over someone, ranting about the privilege of nobility. It was the same shit I always heard growing up, but something was different. Someone was screaming, and then…
My heart hammered against my ribs as I locked gazes with Pandora, who gently slid out of bed and pointed toward the bathroom.
She didn’t have to tell me twice.
Her concern for me flooded the bond. Nobody had ever shown concern for me the way she had. I wanted her more than anything right now. I needed to fucking ground myself in the present instead of drowning in repressed memories of my childhood, and she could do that for me.
She could heal me.
Shifting up, I maneuvered around the guys. Comet swatted her paw at me as I moved over Skel, but I managed to slip out of bed and join her without waking anyone else up.
As soon as the door clicked shut, she wrapped her arms around me. “Nightmare?”
Her sleepy voice went straight to my dick, but I tried to ignore it as I masterfully fixed myself.
“Uh, yeah,” I replied lamely.
She was absolutely stunning. Her big red eyes were tired, and long silky black hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders.
Her pouty lips parted in a yawn as she planted her chin on my chest and looked up at me. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I shook my head slightly. “I honestly don’t know how to explain it. I swear it’s like I’m having dreams of repressed memories or something.”
The skin between her eyebrows crinkled as she frowned and pulled away for a moment. “Hmm. Maybe we should have Reed look into it?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted with a sigh as I sat my groggy ass down on the bathroom floor. “If he could figure anything out, I don’t know if it would fuck me up more or help me cope.”
“That would be up to you. You don’t have to dwell on it if you think it’s best to leave it in the past.” She kneeled next to me and wrapped her arm around my back, leaning her head against my shoulder.
