~ Pandora ~
“You didn’t leave,” Pandora stated as she opened the door, surprised to see eleven titans staring back. Even though Kira had mentioned something the night before about convincing them to stay and to come back this morning, she hadn’t quite believed it. Not really. A titan changing his or her mind was a rare thing.
She would know.
She was stubborn as hell.
“Not yet,” Alison said, the unofficial leader now that the director had passed.
But I can’t think about that, Pandora chastised herself. The wound was too fresh, still bleeding, and if she thought about it at all, it would be too much.
I need to stay focused.
Today is about business.
Tomorrow, maybe, when they’re gone, I can fall apart again.
But not today.
Not when there is still so much to do.
“Well,” Pandora said, swallowing back her pain and clearing her mind. “Why don’t you all come in.”
They did, and all eleven of them followed her to the dining room, where Jax, Kira, and Luke were already waiting. They’d set extra chairs up and had two pots of coffee with a whole slew of mugs on the table, just in case.
“I told Kira and Luke to stay because, well, this is their house,” Pandora joked, letting a small smile dance across her lips as a little bit of the tension in her voice melted away. “But also because I thought it would be good to have some conduits here, good to have their perspective. I know my fa—” She stopped, choking over the word. And then she coughed lightly to clear her throat. Business. Stick to business. “I know the previous director didn’t want to let outsiders into titan business, but I’m hoping not all of you feel that way. He was a tough, outspoken man, and it was very difficult to disagree with anything he said. Without him here, I’m hoping we can have a more open discussion about the future of the titans and what it means now that our powers are not as invincible as they once were.”
Pandora paused, subtly casting her gaze around the room. A few of the titans were openly frowning. A few were nodding along. And a few were undecided, watching with hesitant curiosity. So far, things were going better than she’d expected.
Maybe there was a reason Jax’s father had been replaced so quickly.
A reason his voice had been shut down.
Maybe there were more dissenters than she’d thought.
“Before I say anything else, I just want to see where you all stand. Please raise your hand if you actually believe what I’ve been telling you, if you believe Samael is dead.”
Nothing.
Crickets.
This is getting off to a great start.
“Okay…” Pandora gulped softly. “What about this instead? Please raise your hand if you believe I did the right thing by at least stopping the cycle of endless sacrifice, by destroying his body and the prison, even if Samael somehow survived.”
One, then two, then three hands slowly raised.
Not ideal, Pandora mused, taking a deep breath. Eight of you think I should be dead, but I can work with it.
She sighed.
“Regardless of what you do or don’t believe, these are the facts. The prison is gone. Titan power is weaker than it’s ever been. And whether Samael survived or not, it’s time for the titans to join the modern era, to adjust. Because ruling by fear isn’t effective, and even if it were, it’s not an option for us anymore. Which is why Kira and Luke are here, really. I know some of you, or maybe all of you, hate me right now for doing what I thought was necessary, even if it meant stripping you of your strength. But I created the titans. And I created the conduits. And once upon a time, we were all fallen angels, fighting together for what we believed was right. I always meant for the titans and conduits to be a team, so if the titans are going to learn to work with, instead of against, the rest of the supernatural community, I think this is a pretty good place to start.”
“We did not come here for a lecture,” Alison stated into the tense quiet. The especially from you at the end of her sentence may have been silent, but it came through loud and clear. “Nor did we come for a debate. We came because the conduits mentioned that you would be open to handling the situation of the mindreading today, before any more time has been allowed to pass.”
Pandora turned an accusatory glare at Kira, who shrugged while an apologetic wince passed quickly across her features. Might have been nice if you’d remembered to mention that part… Pandora grumbled, pursing her lips before returning her attention to the archivist.
“I told you yesterday, I’ll submit to a mindread. But first, for once in my life, I want the titans to hear what I have to say before they disregard my opinions. I know that I’m responsible for putting all of you in the uncertain state you’re in, so even though it’s only been a few days since you all wanted to kill me, I’m trying to move past it. I’m trying to do better. I’m trying to help. And this alliance, or truce, or maybe eventual partnership with the conduits is the only way I know how.”
A somewhat annoyed expression passed over Alison’s face, but she took a deep breath and smoothed her features out. “We’re listening.”
“Then I have a question for you,” Pandora said evenly. “What are you planning to do if vampires descend on the enclave?”
“That’s a very unlikely situation—” Alison began, but Pandora cut in.
“Is it?” she asked, overly sweet. “We’ve coexisted with them because they’ve known we can’t hurt them, and we’ve known they can’t hurt us, but now all of that has changed. And vamps are power hungry, that’s no secret. Why would it be so unthinkable that they’d come after the enclave, searching for new blood? Having been a vampire myself, I can assure you, the smell of the power thrumming through titan veins is incredibly intoxicating. Tempting, even.”
Alison took a deliberately slow breath.
Pandora’s heart lurched, her father’s absence like a weight tugging on her chest. If he were there, he would have stopped her cold. If he were there, he would have interrupted and silenced her with one lethal phrase, sharp words that would slice, the sort of wound only he knew how to make. Even now, her thoughts were hardened, waiting for the blow.
But it wouldn’t come.
Because he wasn’t there.
And she didn’t know how to deal with the implications of that fact—with the pain, yes, but also with the smallest bit of relief that she was finally getting a chance to speak.
So she didn’t.
She pushed her emotions to the side, swallowed every complicated feeling, and pressed on. “Before, we were just as strong as vampires and just as fast and just as unbreakable. So even though we couldn’t kill them, we didn’t have to worry about them either. But now we do. So how would you stop a hundred vampires from destroying our people if they wanted to? I mean, without any conduit help, of course.”
“We would alert the proper government channels and would send for aid,” the tracker, Susan, spoke up.
“Right, right, obviously.” Pandora nodded along. “Considering that the enclave is tucked deep into the Rocky Mountains, far away from all civilization, and we only have two heliports in case of emergency, how long exactly do you think it would take them to arrive? Three hours? Maybe four?”
“Possibly.” Susan murmured the word through tight lips.
“Do you know how much damage even one vampire can do in a few hours?” Pandora asked, voice no longer sweet but challenging and full of fire, that same blue fire of justice currently flaring beneath her skin, spurned by her rage at their rigidity. “I know, because I spent four years of my life as a vampire. And if I wanted something, there was nothing in the world that could stop me—nothing except for them.”
Pandora pointed to Kira and Luke—who actually, not too long ago, had been the two conduits stopping her in the middle of a heist and completely ruining her plan. Amazing how much the world could change in such a short amount of time.
“We are not powerless,” the quaker who replaced Javier spoke up, tone verging on a growl.
“No, you’re not,” Pandora agreed. “A hunter could probably still face off against a vampire and survive, if a healer were there waiting. A mindbender might be able to wipe their thoughts or put them to sleep. An alchemist might be able to create chains strong enough against their considerable might. But what if it wasn’t the enclave? What if you were on the field? On a mission? Outnumbered? What then? All I’m saying is that if you worked with the conduits, if you were allies, the outcome would be better for everyone. You could provide them with more protection from other supernatural creatures, and they could provide you with protection from vampires. You could go on missions together. Maybe eventually, we could coexist. Invite some conduits to the enclave and invite some titans to Sonnyville. Work together.”
“I voiced a similar—” the head healer began softly but promptly stopped after one look from Alison. Her lips pursed, but she audibly swallowed back her words. Even without the tattoo, titan loyalty was ingrained into her blood.
But Pandora smiled.
One. I’ve got at least one person on my side.
And most of the others were sitting quietly, observing, keeping their thoughts to themselves. But if there was one dissenter, there might be more.
So, obviously, Pandora took this as the perfect moment to press her luck.
Here goes nothing…
“And I’m not just talking about the safety of the titan people.” Pandora spoke into the quiet, turning her head slowly so she could meet each and every gaze pointed in her direction. “I’m talking about our souls.”
Kira smiled encouragingly. Luke waggled his eyebrows in support. And Jax, well, he was the only one not paying attention to her. His green eyes were bright as they silently fumed at the men and women sitting at the table around him.
“I’ll admit, I might be a little biased, but do we really want to be a people who believe murdering one of their own kind, even for the greater good, is remotely okay? Do we want to be a people ruled by fear? Or do we want to be brave? Because, people who are ruled by fear use torture and cruelty to get their way, but people who are brave use kindness and compassion.” Pandora charged on before any of the titans could speak, barraging them before they had a moment to configure a response. “I met a very brave woman who became my friend while I was locked in that titan jail, and even though you tortured her and kept her in prison for months without reason and ripped her away from her family, she still has compassion for you. And she’s powerful, more powerful than any of us. But instead of sitting at this table right now, trying to figure out a way to help us, she’s hiding. Because you let fear rule you, and in turn, you made the people who could be our allies too afraid to step forward.”
“The werejaguar?” a soft, deep voice asked.
Pandora turned to find Peter, the head mindreader, watching her. There was something haunted swirling across his dark-brown irises. Pandora curled her fingers into fists when she realized what it was.
Shame.
You, she seethed on behalf of her friend. You must have been the one to beat her. To try to break her. All to get inside her head. All to find me.
She wanted to fly across the table.
She wanted to wring his neck.
She wanted to weave her blazing sword of justice and slam it right down his throat, because of all the injustices, the brutal beating Naya took might have been the hardest for her to handle.
But Pandora took a deep breath.
She smoothed her hands against the wooden tabletop, pressing into the rough surface and letting her muscles bulge until all the rage eased out.
They were here to move on.
To move forward.
All of them.
“Yes,” she said, voice scratchy and raw. “The werejaguar, whose name happens to be Nayelé. Who was trying to search for her brother, an innocent boy who’d been illegally turned into a vampire, when the titans pretended to grant her aid but instead locked her in a prison. Who was experimented on by government officials. Who would still be in that prison instead of here, safe with the brother these conduits cured, if the titans had their way. Who was one of the few people to believe in me when I wasn’t sure if I should believe in myself. And who was tortured by you for the high crime of being my friend.”
Okay, so some of her anger got out.
But that was about as diplomatic as it would get.
The mindreader dropped his gaze to the table, unable to look at Pandora. But that was fine with her.
“It’s amazing what happens when you look at people for who, and not what, they are.” She released a heavy sigh as the frustration turned to sadness. “To you, I was the sacrifice. But what if I’d been an innocent child born into an unfair destiny who needed compassion and not hate? To you, Naya was the werejaguar, something you could use, a tool or a weapon you could forge. But what if she’d been a girl looking for her brother who’d been kidnapped? A girl with a mother and a father who were worried about her? A girl with an entire town, an entire people, depending on her to return home safely? To you, supernaturals are things—a werewolf, a fae, a witch. But what if they were more? What if they were all allies, and what if we all worked together to weed out the bad apples, to hunt the demons and the monsters? Because, inevitably, there will be more than a few. But I bet if you looked beyond the labels, you’d see that the same people who are too afraid to come to you for help are the same people who want the bad guys caught just as much as you do.”
Pandora blinked, realizing she’d stood up at some point during that impassioned speech and was now breathlessly lording over everyone else at the table. She hastily sat down and folded her hands in her lap, but kept her shoulders squared, proud and strong and defiant.
Alison cleared her throat. “We will take what you’ve said into consideration. Now, if you will, could we move on to the mindread, please?”
Oh, come on! Pandora internally shouted. Externally, her eyes widened, bugging out of her face, but she otherwise remained calm and nodded.
The world didn’t change in a day.
Baby steps.
One at a time.
But glancing at Peter, she realized maybe she had made a step today. Because there was something in his eyes as he approached her for the mindread, something twinkling with an understanding that wasn’t there before, something silently promising that he’d finally heard her loud and clear.
And if she could change one mind, she could change two.
Then three.
Then four.
And however many it took to drag the titans, kicking and screaming, into a new age. Because even though she didn’t technically owe them anything, and a few months ago, would have rather died than return home, something had shifted when her memories had unlocked. Pandora remembered that she’d made the titans, she’d created them, and for centuries, before they’d turned on her, she’d loved them. For a long time, they’d been her children. And though that perspective had faded, the connection was still there, buried deep down, burning brighter every day. Because she wasn’t a thirteen—she was one of the original twelve.
She was a titan.
And she couldn’t abandon them when they needed her most.
Pandora turned to Jax, noticing his silence for the first time. He was leaning back in his chair, one ankle resting on his knee, fingers holding his chin, eyes sharp and contemplative and…
Different, Pandora thought, noticing the dark evergreen swirls in those eyes that were normally soft and bright. The way he was sitting. The way he was looking. It was all wrong.
Why wasn’t he helping her?
Why wasn’t he speaking?
Before she’d killed Samael, Jax had been nervous for the titans—worried about all the changes they’d face, about their newfound weakness. He, of all people, should be helping her change their minds and open their hearts.
And yet, there he sat.
Silent.
Composed of hard edges that didn’t make sense.
His gaze slowly swiveled to hers, nothing but his eyes moving, as though he sensed her appraisal. Pandora blinked. By the time she opened her eyes, his expression had shifted dramatically. Jax offered her a wide, open smile full of encouragement.
Peter coughed under his breath to catch her attention.
Pandora jolted, focus jumping to where the head mindreader stood in front of her, waiting patiently.
“Sorry,” Pandora muttered, gaze darting back to Jax briefly. But whatever she’d noticed was gone. He was Jax again—her grinning, loving, supportive Jax. She turned fully to Peter and collapsed into the back of her chair with an exasperated sigh. For now, the debate was over. “Go ahead.”
He flashed her a quick look of gratitude and then put his fingers to her brow.
The world disappeared.
Just like with Pavia, the ground seemed to fall out from beneath her, dragging Pandora under as she tumbled through time and space, back, back, back through her memories. Colors flashed, flying by in a rainbow swirl that made her dizzy as she spun deeper and deeper into the vortex of her own thoughts. Up was down and down was up. Red bled into blue bled into yellow, faster and faster, until it all turned black. Dark and empty. A void she was flipping and sliding and plummeting through until she landed.
On her feet.
Surrounded in fire.
Hands grasping strong shoulders.
Pandora opened her eyes to find Sam’s brilliant blue eyes watching her while a smile played coyly across his lips.
“Hello, Pandora,” he drawled, voice shooting a delicious shiver down her spine, a pleasure she’d never been able to deny. “Welcome to my hell.”