Page 21 of Demon Reform Academy, Term 3

21

PANDORA

“ S erial killers are like…the norm.” Jenni huffed, flipping through the pages of her textbook. “Why do we need to write an essay about it?”

“Because it’s not just serial killers in the way of killing three or more beings.” I rolled my eyes in amusement. The scent of old books mingled with the faint aroma of passion fruit and caramel from how long we’d been here. “It’s about the demons who kill three or more innocents . Like Dark Veil.”

The sunlight streaming through the tall windows caught the pain flashing in Jenni’s blue-green eyes. She offered me a weak smile. “I’m fine, it’s just—” A sob caught in her throat.

I instinctively reached out and grabbed her hand. Her soul was aching. “Dark Veil killed your dad,” I finished for her. “I know, and I’m so sorry, Jenni.”

The silence in the library only amplified Jenni’s sobs. She pulled her hand away and leaned forward, resting her head on the textbook.

I got up and crossed over to her side, moving a chair closer to her and wrapping my arms around her trembling shoulders. “You don’t have to shoulder this pain alone. You have me, and you have my dad— your mate .”

“I want Dex to make his father’s death hurt ,” she cried.

“He will,” I promised, ignoring that prickling feeling of being watched again. It wasn’t Dex. Dex watching me never made me feel this way. “I know he will.”

“Ladies,” a male voice made both of us jump in our seats and whirl toward the man standing at the table.

It was Nightwind. One dark blue eye regarded us as he swept his dark blond hair out of his face. I would never get used to his missing eye. Dex did a good job with that.

“What do you want?” Jenni snapped, wiping her tears away furiously.

“I wanted to apologize to you both.” He frowned, glancing down at his feet. “Dreadful has been missing for a while, and her absence made me realize how much influence she had over me. She never liked you guys, so I didn’t either. I’m sorry.”

“You’re a great actor,” Jenni sneered, crossing her arms.

“It was Dreadful’s influence that made me like that. I couldn’t—I couldn’t ignore her pheromones.” He swallowed hard, his eye focused on me. “Please, excuse me.”

He turned and fled the library altogether.

“Oh, fuck.” Jenni’s gaze widened as she looked at my textbook.

On top of it was a dark maginite crystal with a letter under it. It reeked of blood and sulfur.

I didn’t even touch it before my magic whirled out of control.

A silent scream sliced my brain as my magic enshrouded the crystal. There were no souls within it; only dark magic. I let out a pained gasp as my smoke slipped back between my lips and bottomed out in my gut.

I fell out of the chair and onto the stone floor, doubling over as raw agony twisted my stomach. My muscles spasmed as my nails dug into the sandstone floor. Just like last time, my skin heated like it was being scorched from the inside out.

The dark magic literally burned. My healing warmed it before I was scorched again.

“Pandora!”

Sweat dripped off me onto the ground. The dark magic attempted to spread inside of me, and I clutched at my stomach as my magic fought it.

“Fates, Pandora. I’m here,” Jenni said in a panicked voice. “I’m not leaving you.”

Sulfur and decay soaked the area, and each breath was laced with it.

“What the fuck happened?” Dex’s voice boomed.

My mouth filled with a bitter flavor as it tried to escape.

“Dark magic…dark maginite…letter…” Jenni explained.

I retched as a rush of dark goo burned up my throat. It splashed onto the floor, and the agony of my magic fighting the dark magic intensified.

“I got you, trouble, I got you,” Dex murmured in my ear.

Another explosion of agony burst through my body, but then, everything went black.

“What the Fates happened?” Reed’s hushed whisper pierced my ears as I grasped my bearings again.

“We were in the library, and suddenly there was this dark maginite crystal just sitting on top of her textbook. She didn’t touch it or anything, but her magic covered the crystal, and then boom. Dex showed up, and she passed out,” Jenni explained in a pained voice. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t do more.”

“There’s nothing you could’ve done. You stayed with her. That’s enough,” Dad’s voice was soft. “But we do need to find out who left it for her.”

“Dark magic was being used to overload her,” Dex spat. “My parents used to imbue items with dark magic and send them to demons they wanted to infect or kill. They never used crystals, though. Not until Pandora, at least.”

“According to this note, they wanted to infect her.” Hunter’s growl shook the room as I reached up and rubbed my head.

“What note?” I rasped. My head was pounding.

“Pandora?” Dad sat down next to me with worry etched onto his face.

“Oh, thank Fates,” Bram breathed out from his spot on the floor next to Reed and Gumdrop’s tank.

I blinked a few times until my vision cleared and sat up. We were in my dorm room, and all of my mates were surrounding me.

“How’re you feeling, princess?” Skel asked, smoking his pipe as he leaned against the wall closest to the bed.

“I’ll kill him as soon as I can find him,” Dex swore. He was next to Skel, and his fog gray eyes were clouded with murderous intent.

“How are you feeling, starlight?” Hunter’s hand came up and brushed my cheek, making me realize he’d been sitting on one side of me while Dad sat on my other.

“I’m okay. My head hurts,” I rasped.

“I’d imagine. Jenni said you were in agony.” He handed over my water bottle, and I took it.

I swallowed down a few drinks before putting the cap on it and handing it back. “Yeah. It hurt. I’m building a tolerance to using that power, but when I’m not eating a soul with it and replenishing my reserves, the dark magic is just painful.”

“It will always be uncomfortable,” Nebula hissed. “Dark magic is from the Veil. It’s not meant for Kalista. Until you, truly destroying dark magic was impossible.”

“How do you know so much about dark magic?” Bram asked him.

Dad’s lips pursed. “What are you talking about?”

“I think they’re talking to Nebula,” Jenni whispered to him.

Dad frowned. “I can’t hear anything.”

“He’s literally made of dark magic.” Dex rolled his eyes. “Of course he knows about it.”

“What?” everybody in the room asked, turning their heads toward Nebula.

“His soul manifests in the form of dark goo. You really didn’t catch that?” Dex blinked at everyone else.

“It’s time they know,” Nebula told me, and I nodded.

“His soul is bound to his skull by dark magic,” I corrected with a rasp. “He’s not dark magic.”

“How did that happen?” Skel’s eyes widened.

“I thought you said he was killed by your mother when he was in your arms?” Reed asked, hurt lacing his tone.

“He was.” I ran my hands over my face. “Sybil cursed him when Mother killed him.”

“Sybil Shaw?” Dad blurted, confusion clear as day on his face. “Can you back up and explain properly?”

“Nebula was Sybil’s familiar until she forsook him and let Mother kill him. She sealed his soul to his skull in the form of a dark curse.” My eyes pricked with heat. “All because he chose to go into the cellar and check on me.”

“He was her familiar?” Dad sputtered, glaring accusingly at Nebula. “You were Sybil Shaw’s familiar?”

Nebula sighed in irritation. “As if I knew she was a psychotic dark magic witch. She was normal when I met her.”

“That’s how you and your mates can hear and talk to him,” Jenni murmured, her eyes widening. “He… bonded with you.”

“He said he bonded with me because he chose me, but it’s not a familiar bond. Not as strong, anyway. He was her familiar before she dipped into dark magic,” I explained.

“He has to be…at least two-hundred years old,” Dex muttered.

“I’m three-hundred, actually.” Nebula huffed.

My mouth fell open. “Three-hundred?”

“Don’t age shame me.”

“I’m not, but I didn’t realize that?—”

“I’m old?” he chuckled. “It’s fine. I lived a long life. I just chose the wrong witch to lend my power to.”

“I’m so sorry, Nebula.”

He sighed. “What did the letter say?”

Hunter handed me the letter, and I read it aloud as my eyes scanned the page.

Pandora Bones,

You don’t look like her, but you are of her blood. You’re stronger than she was, and strength is where potential lies. Penny was beneath you.

My son doesn’t know how to treat a fated, but I do.

Once you’re infected as I am, we can take over Dark Veil. Shaw won’t ever see it coming. You have the power to kill her, and once you realize it, we will become unstoppable.

Let the darkness into your veins and reach the potential I know you have. I’ll be there for you every step of the way.

Rod Shadowheart

“He won’t be a problem for long,” Nebula chortled. “He’s threatened Sybil’s life. She will know, and he will die.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Dex muttered, his jaw incredibly tight. “But his death is mine to claim.”

“I’m not keen on being left out here.” Dad pouted.

Jenni patted his shoulder lovingly. “That’s okay.”

His pout grew.

“We’ll protect Pandora,” Reed promised. “We have to.”

“Of course we will,” Skel added.

“No one is going to hurt you.” Bram’s red eyes met mine with conviction.

“He won’t be able to corrupt me. I’m literally built to kill dark magic,” I stated with nothing but raw truth simmering beneath my skin. “What’s one more threat?”

“One too many,” Hunter muttered, running a hand through his dark blond hair.

“Agreed,” Nebula hissed.

“Agreed,” Dad groaned, running a hand down his face.

“Hey, you and Nebs agree on that,” Skel informed my dad.

He side-eyed Nebula with a small nod. “At least we agree on the well being of my daughter.”

“And we always will,” Nebula murmured.