At first, he didn’t think it would work, that she’d remain stubborn and too afraid, but then her breath caught, hiccupping before releasing shakily.
When he felt the wetness of his shirt sticking to his skin, he moved them closer to the bed, her steps clumsy as she clung to him. He threw back the covers while keeping one hand around her, and then maneuvered them down onto the mattress before they settled down comfortably. She sought solace against his chest, in him, and no matter how dire the circumstances, it felt good to be there for her.
He held her close, soaking up her warmth and petting her hair and stroking her back. Tears fell, her breaths hiccupped, and all he could do was murmur sweet nothings and be there for her.
Maybe hours or perhaps just moments later, she finally eased into sleep. Her breaths calmed, her tears dried, and the tight grip she had on his shirt went limp.
Hope ran a hand through her hair and tugged some of the strands out of her face before pulling the covers up around them. If sleep was the only place she could find peace at this time, he would make sure she could remain there as long as possible.
TRUTH
“Well, this sucks,” a familiar voice grumbled, echoing around their new prison.
Truth groaned, and if he wasn’t just a voice in someone’s head, he’d have tugged on his hair.
“Thank you, Misery, for pointing out the obvious,” Truth droned.
“What? I’m just saying. Fuck Pandora. That bitch,” he continued.
If they had physical bodies, Truth would have grabbed him by the shoulders and shaken him. He hissed. Pandora had somehow reactivated the curse.
“No Hope or Death? Betrayal?” he asked. No one responded and relief filled him. At least they were with Daria. They could keep her safe.
“Poor Daria,” a feminine voice crooned softly. “I feel so bad for her. We all just… vanished.”
Pain’s voice answered Persy. “I know, I know. It’s awful, but it’ll be okay. They’ll get us out, right?”
“Right,” Truth answered automatically. He had faith in their friends. They’d get them out, kick Pandora’s ass, and be reunited with D—
“I mean, probably? We can hope, at least,” Misery said. “Hah, hope. Get it? Because Hope is our only h—”
“We get it, Misery,” Truth answered dryly. “We get it.”
Daria was alone… with Hope and Betrayal and Death.
Was it awful of him to wonder if she’d be okay without them?
He hoped she was brave enough to lean on the others. She was most… physical with Betrayal, but that guy could be such an asshole. Truth grumbled. That demon better fucking turn on the charm while they were gone. They’d better keep her so distracted and happy with bath bombs and foot rubs and snacks she wouldn’t even be able to think about his and Misery’s absence.
Who’s going to cook?
“It’s fucking boring in here,” Misery complained, and Truth groaned out loud.
“Please don’t make me sit in here and listen to you complain until we get out. Please,” he called.
Misery harrumphed and went silent, and guilt pierced through him. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I’m pissed too, but we’ve gotta stay positive.”
A deep sigh sounded. “I know. I know we do. It’s just… hard.”
“I miss her too,” Truth told him. His heart already ached something fierce for Daria.
“I hate waiting. And that’s all we can do here.”
Misery was right. Trapped in, well, Truth assumed it was Sofia, they couldn’t feel or smell… they were just… entities. Voices and thoughts without bodies. They couldn’t do anything to help. They truly had nothing to do but wait.
And to think we spent thousands of years like this.
It couldn’t have been but a few hours since they’d been trapped, and already the helplessness was weighing heavy. And it would only get worse.
“Hey, it’ll be okay,” Misery said, and Truth almost laughed at the thought of Misery comforting him.
“It will,” he agreed, putting more bravado into his voice than he truly felt.
“At least Daria didn’t have to watch one of us die.” Misery’s voice softened, and Truth’s chest tightened in sympathy.
Ever since Sofia and Wrath had gone missing, they’d all feared the worst. And it had come true.
Pandora had used Wrath against Sofia, gotten her to consent to the curse. But then Pandora had betrayed her at the last second.
Or at least, that was what they’d assumed from the screaming agony clear in Sofia’s voice. From the blood still staining the concrete floor in front of her. They had a front row seat to everything happening around Sofia, and all Truth could see was that five-year-old girl whose heart was now crushed under the cruel fist of Pandora.
“I can’t wait to kill her,” Truth murmured. He relished the day they ended this all, ended Pandora.
But for the time being, all they could do was wait. And dream of the day Truth could hold Daria in his arms again. Smell her sweet scent.
“I’m fucking bored. How’d you guys do this for two thousand years?” Pain asked.
If Truth had eyes, he would have rolled them. “You get used to it. Eventually.”
“I sure as hell hope we won’t have to wait long enough to get used to it,” he responded.
“Me too, man. Me too.”
As Sofia screamed again, making Truth wince at the utter pain in her voice, another voice spoke up. A voice belonging to the last demon they expected to hear from.
“We won’t. Not if Sofia has anything to do about it.”
DARIA
When her eyes first opened, Daria could pretend for just a moment that things were normal. That Truth and Misery and everyone else were downstairs, making breakfast and goofing off and trying to be quiet while failing miserably.
But then the events of the day before came rushing in like a dark wave, drowning the fog of sleep and receding to reveal reality. The silence in the house was loud, heavy, and depressing.
A soft, sleep-drenched sigh came from beside her, and she turned her head on the pillow to find Hope. His brows, usually furrowed in concentration or seriousness, were relaxed as he slept, his face appearing softer. The sunlight streamed in one of his windows, painting his warm colored skin a beautiful, deep gold in the morning glow.
While lying there beside him with the comfort of the bed beneath her and the warmth of him pressed against her, Daria could almost pretend that everything was okay.
But then her worries would creep back in.
What if she never saw Misery or Truth again?
What was the last thing she said to either of them? In the rush of emotions she’d been overwhelmed with in the moment, she couldn’t even remember.
Before she could spiral and follow those thoughts down to their dark hole, she shoved them out of the way. There was no room for that if she intended to beat Pandora.
And she did. There was no other option.
They’d find the blade, steal it, and kill Pandora.
Where sadness curled and snaked through her chest, a spark lit and burned it away—anger. Determination. She would kill Pandora if it was the last thing she did. Not only for Truth and Misery, but for every demon and person who had been hurt in her misguided quest.