Pandora's Box | 18+ (completed)

Chapter Thirty Nine - PAIN

BEAST

Something in my chest dropped when she walked out. I wanted her to stay, for her shadow to linger. But the shock of my words was clear on her face. She looked as though she'd been slapped and her hurt knocked the air out of my lungs.

A figure came racing towards me from the side, as fast as a blur. Maybe I could have been fast enough to stop Wrath if I had tried.

But with Pandora went all my strength.

He pinned me up against the wall, his eyes glaring angrier than his Sin. The pain in his gaze mirrored the pain I'd seen on Pandora's face and for a moment I wondered if the same emotion was drawn over my face.

Even if it was, I doubted that anyone would notice.

I'd caused them all too much pain for them to notice mine. We were all hurting—we were all hurting because of my choices.

Wrath's disgust reminded me of the way Pandora's Vessel had lurched back up her skin as if the very sight of me made her recoil.

"How dare you?" Wrath seethed.

I had no answer. Not for him, not for anyone.

"Just because you don't understand what it's like to have a mate—"

His words jolted me out of my trance. Because I had a mate.

I had a mate and all I seemed to do was hurt her.

My fist knocked into his cheek, blowing him three paces back. "Say that again, Wrath. I dare you."

He wiped the blood from the corner of his lip, laughing coldly. "Why did you do it? Patience and I aren't mated and you," his rage danced like rubies in his gaze, "you made the Muse's bless us. How dare you?" he asked again, his tightened fists reaching for me.

I knew I wouldn't move out of his way. A part of me craved the sting of a punch—the sting of anything other than the tear in my chest.

"Wrath!" Patience grabbed him. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" She yanked her mate back.

Wrath brushed her hands off him. "What did it cost you, brother? Was the deal even worth it?"

It cost me nothing. The Muses knew what Pandora was made for, they knew that no one could know about us. The only thing that was costing me was the mating bond.

The Muses had told me they'd take care of Pandora's reaction to my bite but I felt everything. I felt her confusion, her loneliness, her sadness—it was like a wrap of suffocating fog around me.

Heat coiled beneath my skin; I wanted to gather her up in my arms, throw her over my shoulder and tell her that she was mine. I wanted to tell her I was sorry, I wanted to tell her that I loved her.

But I couldn't.

"Yes. The deal was worth it." I looked him in the face and next to him, Patience flinched.

"She's your mate, isn't she?" She asked slowly. "Every inch of her smells like you, Beast. It's only a matter of time before everyone realises."

"Then let's tell them," I said emotionlessly.

Before they could react, I sent the waves out. They travelled between us like the ripples of an ocean, bouncing too and fro between our minds.

"Now everyone knows, no one will tell her."

Wrath's red eyes flared with understanding. "The deal didn't cost you nothing. It cost you everything."

But my next words made his frown ease. "It doesn't matter what it cost me. The deal means that Pandora can now do what all of us have failed to do for all these years."

I left them there in the deafening silence—I wish I hadn't.

Sloth frowned at the figure in front of him. Her long brown hair glittered in the brightness of our suns.

"Are you crying? Pandora?"

Pandora swivelled around to face me—I quickly ducked out of the way. She hastily wiped her tears, planting a smile onto her lips.

"No, of course not." She pressed her hands to her cheeks, still keeping her back to Sloth. "Gluttony tested me with addiction, Wrath got me angry," she listed. "How are you going to torture me?"

•••

PANDORA

"Gluttony tested me with addiction, Wrath got me angry," I listed. "How are you going to torture me?"

I could almost hear Sloth's smirk in his words. "Easy. I want you to catch me."

I frowned, my eyebrows knitting together. A sensation ran down my spine, warm and heated. I swivelled on my feet.

Someone was watching me.

My eyes wandered around the place, across every wall, every door, every window and opening—finally, I caught onto his shadow.

I would recognise his presence anywhere.

Beast.

Sloth snapped his fingers in my face, the pink of his gaze harsh and challenging. As soon as the sound of his click left the air, so did he. Not even the signature smoke of the Sins floated in his absence.

I felt my breath catch: everything slowed around me, as though I was in the ripples of time. It was as though I was in a dream—the clock on the wall wasn't ticking and my heartbeats had stilled.

I realised with a jolt what Sloth's training involved: he was trying to send me to sleep.

•••

Leave a vote if you enjoyed!

I decided to cut this chapter a little short just because I'm watching The Conjuring tomorrow and I need time to mentally prepare myself—

Sloth was honestly the hardest for me to figure out. He's the Sin of laziness—what was he supposed to do, sing Pandora a lullaby and challenge her to not fall asleep?

*haha no seriously though, can you imagine?*

But I'm so excited for you guys to read his version of training Pandora. We still have Sloth, Pride, Greed and Envy to go--not to forget Lust and then finally...the Seraphics.

Love,
Laila.