Pandora is given a box. Quite simply, she must never open it.
And Pandora is normally very good at following rules.
Until she isn't.
Out comes her curiosity and out comes the contents of her box.
It's not all the disasters you've read about in t...
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𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡. THE SHIFT IN A PAINTING
•••
I frowned, my eyes widening at his golden ones. "Stop that."
He loosed a wry chuckle.
The same deep, sensual rumble spoke again. Seriously, love. I didn't realise it was that hard to stop thinking of me.
My cheeks heated. "Don't flatter yourself, you prick."
His face neared mine until I wasn't sure I was breathing. "I don't need to. You flatter me every night."
The red in my cheeks flushed darker. "How often do you rummage through my head?"
"Whenever you can't keep a lock on them."
Envy snorted. "Learn to keep a lock on your own thoughts first, Beast."
"She's not lying," Sloth's face scrunched up, "day and night, all of our thoughts are on a fucking broadcast."
"Everything?"
Beast's head dipped in toward my ear. "Don't go getting ideas, Pandora."
I turned my head, his breath fanning over my cheeks.
"Too bad," I whispered. "I already am." And then I started, my eyebrows furrowing. "I see your memories, right?"
Beast's silence was answer enough and I regretted the question almost instantly.
"Memories of when we were turned into," Sloth tensed, "the things we are today."
That hole in me only grew as the Sins continued. But that gaping abyss no longer grew from my fury—it grew from their sadness as if the darkness in me was trying to absorb their grief.
I realised I wanted to. I wanted to absorb their sorrow, to return the glow that had been lit upon their faces mere moments ago.
"We were mortals once." Gluttony took another swig out of her flask. "And then we each died at the hands of the Sins we stand for today." She looked down at her hands, as if the story of her life was etched amongst her palms.
Envy had that same, lostness in her eyes. "I died of jealousy. I fell in love and then watched as he whisked another woman away."
Wrath's fists clenched until veins rimmed up his arms. "And I, anger."
"Me of greed."
"And I died of lust."
My breath caught in my throat at the pain scrawled over Beast's expressions.
He caught my stare and shrugged as if shrugging that memory off his shoulders. "She simply broke me before I could break her."
I smoothed my hands down my legs, aching to change the subject. "How do you do it? The mind-reading?"
