Page 13 of Demon Reform Academy, Term 3

13

brAM

I stood at the entrance of the academy with sweat slicking down my spine, sticking my shirt to my skin. The dry, desert air was thick and still, but there was an edge of something sharp in it. Or maybe I was just going fucking crazy.

The sand beneath my boots crunched softly, grinding beneath my restless weight as I shifted from foot to foot, fighting the dark itch at the back of my brain. The itch that still whispered to me when nerves bundled in my gut.

Just one drink to take the edge off.

Just one.

The sun glared off the windows of Serpentine Stadium, bouncing blindingly off the sand and forcing me to squint. I really needed to invest in sunglasses—or, hell, anything to soften the gnawing anxiety souring my mood.

I didn’t know why I was so fucking nervous, or maybe I did, but it wasn’t something I was ready to delve into yet.

Closing my eyes for a second, I sucked in the dry air and let it scrape down my throat. I needed to drown the craving before it dragged me somewhere I didn't want to go.

Slater was my brother—well, half-brother—but still. We’d been messaging every day since Pandora saved me from the dark magic that had infected me almost four weeks ago now. I should’ve been able to handle seeing him in person.

He was becoming someone I was relying on, and that was fucking terrifying. The last person I relied on died on me. I hadn’t even let myself rely on my mate yet, so to rely on a man I barely knew made my brain scramble.

But I could do it, right? I’d survived dark magic, after all.

A sudden gust of wind blew sand across campus, sending a faint smell of jasmine and daisies my way.

I blinked, recognizing that scent—it was Slater.

He headed toward me with a confident stride. His red hair glowed like flame under the sun, and his red eyes flashed with unnerving brightness as he spotted me.

“Bram!” he called with that usual wide grin on his lips as he reached out to clasp my shoulder.

The gesture was nice—but my body locked up and an involuntary flinch I couldn’t control hit me. Tension coiled tight in my muscles.

“Sorry.” He dropped his hand as guilt flashed across his face. “Thanks for accepting my invite today.”

“You’re good.” I looked away, scraping the toe of my boot against the sand as I tried to ignore the itch in my blood. “Thanks for...you know. Being there for me while I was going through everything. When Pandora was missing, I was infected with dark magic and was a complete dick. But you still helped me, even though I didn’t deserve it.” My throat tightened.

I hadn’t expected how fucking difficult it would be to say that.

Slater’s mouth twitched, as if he were trying not to laugh. “Bram, you’re my brother. I don’t care if you get a little pissy with me.” His voice was easy, calm, like he wasn’t asking for anything in return. He was too nice for his own good. “Besides, like you said, you were infected with dark magic. I knew something was wrong. Thank the Fates for Pandora, huh?”

I felt a pang in my chest at how easy he made it sound. But I couldn’t quite shake the fear that clawed at me.

Relying on people was a dangerous thing.

“Yeah, thank the Fates for her.” The tension in my shoulders lifted after thinking of her. She always had that effect on me.

Slater grinned. “Grandpa always said you’d find your mate. He told me the same, but unlike you, no mate yet.”

“You’ll find her,” I told him with conviction. I didn’t exactly know how I knew that, but somehow, I knew he’d find his mate, too. “Don’t give up.”

“I don’t ever give up,” he claimed with a grin. “I’ll find her and mate her. Just you watch. I’m sure Pandora and her will be the best of friends when it happens.”

I cracked a smile. “I bet.”

We started walking toward Reform Hall, and we fell into an uneasy rhythm.

I was hyperaware of every grit of sand against my boots and every rough breath that didn’t seem to fill my lungs right.

It was my first lunch with Slater, and staying here on campus felt safe for me—safer than anywhere outside these walls where temptation was, waiting to undo me. The cafeteria here didn’t serve alcohol.

Slater walked beside me, casual but observant, like he could sense the tension that buzzed around me.

“How’s sobriety going?” he asked, nudging my shoulder lightly. It sent a spike of anxiety down my spine.

I sucked in a ragged breath. “It’s a daily struggle,” I admitted, feeling the words come out raw—too raw. “But I’m managing. Pandora… she saved me when I was the one who should’ve saved her.”

“And how is my sister-in-law?” he asked with a playful note in his voice.

That one was a simple question, but the weight of it hit me hard.

“She’s in Demon Capital History right now,” I muttered, shifting my gaze to the dusty path before us. “But, um. She hasn’t even bonded with me yet. I don’t know if you could call her that. She hasn’t forgiven me.”

“She will,” he said with a shrug, his voice irritatingly calm. Like he just knew for a fact she’d forgive me after all I’d done to her—after all I’d fucking said to her. “You hurt her a lot, Bram. Give her time.”

The guilt was a heavy weight pressing on my shoulders. It made every step feel like I was dragging iron shackles behind me. “I know, and she has every right to have time…and, as selfish as it is, it still hurts.”

“I’m sure it hurts her more.” His words sank deep into my fucking soul, but they were the kind of truth that left a mark. “You can’t be selfish with her, Bram.”

“Yeah…you’re right.” My chest ached with the memories of my mistakes, of those words I could never take back.

I’d always been good at hurting people, but healing—that was foreign. I’d never learned how to heal myself or others.

I was only good at causing chaos.

As we stepped into the enchanted coolness of Reform Hall, my bag buzzed sharply at my side, snapping me out of my thoughts. I paused and pulled my tablet from the bag, seeing the name flashing across the screen.

My mother: Janet Hemlock.

Just seeing her name sent a prickling dread through me.

I gave Slater an apologetic look. “It’s…my mother. I should probably take this.”

“Don’t apologize. Go ahead.” He went over and sat down in a nearby chair as I stepped to the side and answered the call.

Her voice came through as venomous as always. “I can’t believe you, of all the demons in the damn capital, are in contact with that bitch’s son!”

The words hit me like an icy slap, and I flinched.

“Havoc’s a whore, and you’re prancing around with that fucking boy she had with your father!” Her voice seethed through the receiver. “How dare you?”

A burning wave of embarrassment swept over me, but I swallowed it, feeling the words clawing their way out from the depths of my soul. “So what? Slater didn’t do anything wrong. Actually, neither did Havoc. You’re the one who disrupted their mating bond.”

Her response was like a lash, and it came faster than I’d expected after I’d stood up to her for the first time. “You’re a worthless fucking demon, Bram! I should’ve never given birth to you. So fucking disappointing. You were supposed to make him love me, but what did you do? You made him hate us both!” The words came out in a rising pitch, a shriek that felt like it might shatter the stillness of the hall.

I winced. The shame sunk like a weight in my chest. I struggled to keep my breathing steady.

Before I could even think of a response to her, Slater reached over. He took the tablet from my hand and ended the call with a hard, decisive tap.

His face flushed with anger. “That was your mother?”

The sting of embarrassment crept up my neck. “I’m sorry,” I muttered, shaking my head. “That…wasn’t the worst of it. Pretty tame, actually.” I glanced away, swallowing hard. “But she shouldn’t talk about you or your mother like that.”

“Bram, no. You shouldn’t have to deal with that.”

I opened my mouth to respond, feeling a familiar anger bubbling up, ready to smother the vulnerability I’d let slip. But the words caught in my throat, replaced by an ache that felt more hollow than anything I could drink away. “I don’t…I don’t know how to react. I usually just get angry. I don’t want to be angry anymore.”

“You don’t have to be. Block your parents, Bram.” He offered the tablet. “Both of them.”

“I have ,” I muttered bitterly. “They just call me again. I guess they’re getting new devices or something to bypass it.”

Slater’s hand found my shoulder, steadying me. This time, I didn’t flinch. “We’ll work through it, Bram. I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”

For a moment, I just stood there, feeling an unfamiliar calmness.

Maybe with him here, I could finally find a way forward. Maybe I could even be the mate Pandora deserved.