BEAST

Envy's words continued to ring in my ears as I felt the final bolt of my restraint snap. The scent of  Pandora's heat was all around me—sweet and heady and intoxicating.

The thought that Pandora was in heat and that she had no idea was enough to make me growl. She deserved to know. She deserved to know that she was mine and she deserved to feel the pull of our bond.

I clawed through the corridors in search of her as my beast tore through me, aching for control. Because if my Sin had things its way, Pandora would never have left my bed in the first place.

I would have fucked her to oblivion.

•••
PANDORA

Pride and I stared at Humility as we waited for him to continue.

"Different," I repeated. "How?"

Every single Sin that had trained me so far had put me through hell and then dragged me back by my tears. Humility's suggestion of trying something different left a bitter taste in my mouth.

He rubbed his hands together as he locked sights with his mate. They had a silent kind of language—as though a single look held the lock to everything they were trying to say.

"No," Pride shook her head slowly as though she were in shock. Her voice turned harder. "Absolutely not."

The corner of Humility's lip quirked upward. Both of their eyes turned into a sharp purple. Where Pride's eyes were stormy—angry and impatient—Humility's eyes had a gentleness to them.

"Are you scared?" he asked teasingly. "Scared that I'm stronger than you?"

Pride hissed at him. "Stop playing games with me, Virtue," she snapped. "I'm not doing it."

Humility rasped a chuckle. "Relax." He slid the tips of his fingers down the length of her arms, his head dipping in toward her ear. "I won't bite. Promise."

She shoved him back. "Jerk."

I rocked on my ankles nervously. "Will someone tell me what's going on?"

"Of course," Humility grinned but before he could continue, Pride clasped her hand to his mouth. He took a shocked step back before amusement filtered over his face. I watched as he curled his arm around her waist. "Touchy, are we?" he muffled out against her skin.

"Ugh!" She shrugged free of him, her palms held up in surrender. "Fine. I'll do it."

He stroked a piece of hair off her cheek. "That's my girl."

"I. Am. Not. Your. Girl."

"No." The air became heavy; all of the patience on Humility's face evaporated. "Your not."

Pride looked away, something like sadness and guilt tinging her cheeks in a faint pink.

I cleared my throat. "You still haven't told me what...what we're doing."

"He thinks it would be more of a test if both of us trained you," Pride answered. "You'll fight my Pride and his Humility at the same time."

My eyebrows furrowed with panic. "But—how? I can't do that."

"It's simple," Humility shrugged. "You just need to hold on to your thoughts. Think of a decision that you've been trying to make."

He paused as I sifted through my mind. I blinked as the same familiar golden eyes pierced through my thoughts. Even as I turned to look back at Humility, the echo of his bright gaze continued to linger in the corner of my eyes.

"Okay." I hugged my arms to my chest. "What now?"

Pride let out a sigh. "Make a decision."

I swallowed. "Right now?"

She nodded. "We won't know what your decision is about," she scratched the back of her head, "or who it is about but neither of us should be able to change your mind. If you've been prideful in your choice, you need to make sure Humility doesn't change that and if you've been selfless in your choice, you need to make sure that I don't influence you."

There was a heavy weight on my shoulders.

Prideful or selfless? Prideful or selfless?

To go to Beast, or to forget about Beast? To tell Beast I loved him, or to never look at him again?

To let him use me, or never let him hurt me again?

Humility and Pride both held one of their hands out. "Ready?" they both asked at the same time.

Wordlessly, I slipped my hands into theirs.

For a second, there was nothing. Nothing but the shadow of my decision rocking about inside my head. My Vessel curled out around my mind in a protective, dark barrier. That black power in me coiled and twisted uncomfortably as their Sins and Virtues began to pound against me. Pride sent a sinful blast charging through my gut; I battled against the suffocating veil of her pride.

No. I would forget about Beast. I would forget about him because otherwise, he'd consume me. Perhaps he already had. I thought of him day and night—in my sleep and in my wake. I deserved better.

Humility's face perked up as he infiltrated my blood, the Virtue—the goodness in him thrumming in time with my heartbeat.

Yes. I would go to Beast. I would go to him because I craved him. Because every inch of me called to him as if he was a drug that I'd become addicted to.

Pride's face tensed with concentration. She flipped and sliced through my mind, pushing the pieces of my thoughts around like the broken bits of a puzzle.

No. I would never look at Beast again. I would never look at him because every glance reminded me of how easily and how recklessly he hurt my feelings. As if my heart was made of paper and all it took to break me was a twist of his fingers.

Humility tugged forcibly at my thoughts, winding his grip around my mind.

Yes. I would tell him I loved him. I loved the way he made me feel safe in his arms, the way he made me feel beautiful with his touch. I'd seen Beast worship me like I was a rare form of art. He had to know that I—

"Enough!" I bellowed. My shout bounced around the room and I could have sworn to hear an audible snap as both Humility and Pride lost their control over me.

"Pandora?" Pride asked softly.

I struggled to catch my breath, my shoulders shivering.

A smirk curved through Humility's lips as I rose shakily to my feet.

"Wipe that grin off your face," I said weakly. "Neither of you won that round."

No one won but I lost.

I let the heat settling in my womb lead me through the Unholy Court. My Vessel reached out from within me to take over. It lightly guided me in the right direction as though it knew how vulnerable I was—as though it knew that I was so close to shattering. I'd lost all control of my senses. I could only think of one thing. And right now, I couldn't find him.

I halted before the wall outside my bedroom. Scratches had been etched into the plaster, long and fierce like the claws of a beast. My heart stopped beating as I spotted him. His bare back was tensed, his muscles clenching and unclenching as he stood before my bed, his fists tight by his side.

"Beast?"

"Fuck," he swore under his breath as he turned around. Traces of his Sin lingered on his features and I could tell his beast was just beneath his skin, waiting for the chance to pounce.

He fell back a pace back as I placed my hands over his chest. His jaw tensed and he cursed again and again under his breath. "Where were you?" he growled. He dipped his nose into the curve of my neck. "I looked everywhere."

"I have something to tell you," I whispered breathlessly.

Before I knew what I was doing, I had his hand in mine. Our hands went lower—down my throat, down my stomach, down until I couldn't think.

His lips parted, dark locks of hair falling over his eyes as he pinned his gaze down to where I'd placed his hand. When he looked back up at me, I let out a gasp.

His eyes were so dark, so impossibly consumed by his Sin. He tilted my chin up with his index finger.

"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, little one."

•••

Uh oh.

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Laila.