Pandora approached him, a wicked gleam in her eyes that he wanted to carve out violently.
“I see you’ve caught on,” she hissed in his ear. Then she leaned away and continued sauntering around the both of them as Sofia blinked her eyes completely open. She was foggy, her eyes tracking lazily, but they latched onto him and darkened, as if she, too, had caught on to what was happening.
“I have to say, when I first learned of you two, I didn’t approve. But now I think it’s all going to work out in my favor.”
The hiss of a blade sliced through the tense silence, and Wrath kept his gaze on Sofia’s, ignoring Pandora.
“Don’t do it,” he mouthed at Sofia.
Her jaw clenched, and she struggled against the bindings of her chair.
“No!” she shouted.
His heart pounded violently behind his ribs as she struggled, sorrow rooting itself in his heart.
I exist only as a pawn to hurt her.
Surely as he knew Pandora was evil, he knew he wouldn’t leave this room alive. Knew that these were his last moments with Sofia.
“Sofia,” he called out. She didn’t hear him, continuing to struggle against her binds until he saw her skin color red from the restraints. “Sofia!”
Her head jerked up in his direction, tears welling in her eyes to trail down her cheeks. He wanted to wipe them away, feel her skin against his one more fucking time.
It only gave him another reason to hate Pandora, and he vowed, pleaded, and promised to whoever would listen that he got a chance to exact revenge. For Sofia, for all the demons she’d terrorized.
“Sofia, don’t give in. No matter what she says, or what she does. I don’t care what happens to me. Don’t let her win,” Wrath told her.
Sofia nodded jerkily, eyes wide and tear-filled.
“Ah, you agree now,” Pandora jeered. “But what about when he starts screaming?” Pandora asked.
With that, she calmly approached Wrath, serrated blade in hand, and sliced it across his chest with no hesitation. Then she stepped to the side to admire her handiwork, giving Sofia a front row show.
The slice took his breath away, his skin splitting beneath its sharp edge, but he didn’t make a sound. Pain laced through him, throbbing through every nerve ending she’d hit.
He bit the inside of his cheek, steeled his expression, and avoided Pandora’s gaze. He locked his eyes onto those of Sofia, the woman he loved, and shook his head at her.
Pandora couldn’t win, she couldn’t lock all the demons away. There would be no one to stop her, because after this, she wouldn’t just let Sofia go. No, Sofia would be in for a lifetime of captivity. Pandora would never let her go. And Wrath wouldn’t be there to protect her.
No one would, not if Pandora succeeded. Sofia had to see that, had to know that no matter what she did, she couldn’t win.
“Sofia? Do you accept your role as host of the demons?” Pandora asked.
Teeth gritted, gaze locked on Wrath’s, she shook her head.
Pandora huffed, rolling her eyes, and brought the blade down on his skin again, this time across his upper arm
He sucked in a breath as quietly as possible, but otherwise showed no response. Fury flamed through him, flickering hot and bright as he met Sofia’s gaze. There was nothing he could do but take it.
And he did.
Minutes or hours later, he couldn’t tell, Pandora huffed an annoyed breath. Blood dripped from his body in so many places he’d lost track. He hurt so much he couldn’t tell where one cut began and another ended.
“Get him down,” Pandora shouted. Sweat streamed down her face and her hand shook from wielding the blade for so long. But she wasn’t done.
She wouldn’t be done until she got what she wanted.
Deceit and another demon stepped forward, Doubt, he thought, and Wrath was too weak to do more than snarl at them. He blinked blood out of his vision, finding Sofia again.
The chains dangled and clinked together as they lowered him, and then each of them took him by an arm and held him up.
“Is this what you want?” he mumbled to Deceit.
The demon didn’t answer, and Wrath didn’t feel like turning his head to the side to see his expression. Instead, he only had eyes for Sofia. Even with her face red and tears tracking her cheeks, she was still beautiful. Always would be.
“We were created together, and this is how you want it to end?” he continued, speaking to the demons on either side of them. “If you think you’ll be spared, you’re wrong.”
“Oh, shut up,” Pandora growled. She turned on Sofia, her black hair fanning out like a wave of anger. He could feel the annoyance, the frustration, the wrath inside her. She was determined to get what she wanted.
“Do you want him to die? Because I will stop at nothing to make this work. You will agree to be the host, even if I have to sacrifice him. Is that what you want?”
Sofia released a sob, one born of fury and helplessness and sorrow.
“Do it,” Wrath dared.
At least if I’m dead she can’t use me against Sofia anymore.
“No!” she cried, and struggled against her bindings. “Pandora, don’t.”
Pandora froze, turning to him slowly, and arched a single brow.
“You have a wish for death?”
I have a wish for you to stop using me against her.
“Sofia, do you agree to host the demons?”
Sofia paused, meeting Wrath’s gaze, and his heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t agree, she couldn’t—
“No,” she hissed.
Pride filled him. Sofia was so strong. She would be okay without him, she had to be. And if she wasn’t…
“If anything happens to her,” he began, speaking once again to the demons beside him. “I will tear you limb from limb. Even if I have to do it from beyond the grave.”
Pandora turned away from Sofia, stalking toward him, her fingers tightening around the hilt of the blade. His heart squeezed, chest growing tight at the thought of leaving Sofia alone.
He kept his gaze on her. Her spring green eyes, always filled with warmth. He remembered her soft touch, her sweet voice, her… everything about her. Sofia was perfect.
As Pandora stepped in front of him, he looked over her shoulder and found Sofia’s warm gaze. It reminded him of spring, of the sunshine and laying in the grass. That was what he imagined.
“Sofia, I’ll ask once more. Do you agree to host the demons? If you say no, Wrath will suffer the consequences.”
Her gaze flickered, some emotion passing through them that Wrath couldn’t recognize, not as he blinked the blood from his vision again. Time seemed to stretch on for an eternity, and part of him wished it would. At least he’d still be with her in some way.
“Well? Do you accept the demons, or will Wrath die?” Pandora urged again.
Sofia’s lips quivered, and she leaned forward against the ropes, her skin turning red from the friction. “Pandora, please don’t.”
“Then answer the question!”
“Don’t do it, Sofi—”
“Stop talking!” Pandora shouted, and turned the blade to rest against his neck. The pinch of the sharp edge against his flesh was nothing compared to what she’d already done to him, but the finality in her tone, the determination in her grip, made him realize this was it.