Page 4 of Demon Reform Academy, Term 3

4

SKEL

L osing Pandora fucking terrified me to the depths of my bones. This was the kind of fear that slaughtered villages, and it consumed me. I understood for the first time the depressing despair that could drown someone along with fear.

The scent of earth and minerals filled the air as we approached the mouth of the cave. A chill radiated out, sharp and damp, prickling my skin.

We didn’t hesitate; we plunged into the cavern with Death and Hunter leading the way. Their silhouettes were swallowed by shadows.

Our footsteps echoed down the narrow, winding tunnel.

I could feel the walls closing in around me the deeper we went. Every inhale was thick with the musty scent of rock, tinged with something metallic that reminded me of wet blood slathered on iron.

My hands brushed against the rough cold walls as we descended.

Everyone’s breathing was ragged, mirroring the frantic beat of my heart as the silence grew heavier in our group. Sounds were amplified by the weight of the earth pressing in on all sides.

The floor grew uneven, and I stumbled as we pushed forward, deeper and deeper with no sign of her or Dex. But she was here. She had to be.

“Pandora!” Death shouted, and it echoed as if fucking mocking us.

I forced myself forward, each step fueled by a primal, aching need to find my mate.

My lungs burned, my muscles screamed, and the taste of despair was thick in my gut.

“Hold on, Pandora. We’re coming.” My hands were shaking, and my vision blurred as we pressed forward. Each step was a struggle against the overwhelming sense that we were too late—that she was somehow already gone.

Fear magic thrummed through me in thick gushes, seeping from my very skin. It was out of control, threading through the air like a tempest, and I could feel it reaching out, tasting the fear of the demons running just ahead of me.

They did their best to ignore it, but panic clawed at my throat.

The darkness of the cavern swallowed us long ago. The entrance behind us was nothing but a blurred memory.

I stumbled, catching myself on the wall.

Why couldn’t I control my fucking magic?

What if my fears manifested and overwhelmed everyone again?

I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting to breathe through the oppressive atmosphere as I shoved the pipe into my mouth and inhaled deeply.

“Skel!” Bram’s voice cut through the haze fogging my mind. “Keep it the fuck together. You’re not helping anyone the way you are.”

Bram had been a dick ever since Pandora and Dex had been taken. He was always a dick, but there was something else off with him.

He’d been downright cruel to everyone.

Each snarl that escaped his lips sent a fresh wave of anxiety through all of us. This asshole was my friend, but I couldn't help but be fucking done with his shit.

I forced my eyes open, swallowing hard. “I can’t?—”

“Then you’re useless!” he growled and kept on trudging forward.

I flinched at the sharpness of his words. The sting of his accusation settled deep, but he was right.

This time.

I pushed forward behind him, each step feeling like I was wading through molasses while fighting my magic.

The cavern twisted and turned. Caverns weren’t demon friendly, but there were no predators lurking here. It was a sure sign Dark Veil had been around, I was sure. Any creature knew not to fuck with dark magic.

We’d been running through it for at least an hour. Every corner was a potential nightmare waiting to unfold. The rest of the group were a good few seconds in front of me.

Faint murmurs sent a jolt of adrenaline coursing through me.

My magic flared, and for a moment, I felt a flicker of control.

Pandora.

“This way!” Hunter shouted as we raced toward the sound.

We rounded a final bend, and the cavern opened up into a large chamber that I hadn’t expected to be here. I’d spent so much fucking time in Rapture Cavern with the cats…but I’d never explored any deeper than Pandora and I had gone when we were trapped in the sandstorm.

My breath caught in my throat.

The air in the cavern was thick and cool, carrying a dampness that clung to my skin. Flickering shadows danced across the walls, cast by the faint glow of bioluminescent fungi that clung to the cavern chasm.

Shards of broken crystal littered the ground. The jagged edges glinting like stars scattered across the sky. An iridescent sheen caught the light from the fungi, and it drew attention to the way that the crystal hummed softly, vibrating with an energy that felt almost alive.

“Tourmalyke,” Death muttered bitterly.

We’d thought as much, but I’d never seen the magic draining crystal in real life. I’d tried to get my hands on it more times than I could count for my powers, but it was incredibly difficult to attain.

My gut churned.

In the center of the chamber, three cages loomed with heavy bars forged from the same crystal that lay scattered around.

The sight of Dex cradling our mate, protectively shielding her from the grim reality of their surroundings fucked with my head.

What had Dark Veil put them through?

“Thank fuck that bitch is dead.” Bram nodded toward Dex’s mother’s lifeless body nearby.

She lay sprawled on the cold, uneven ground, her pale skin was a stark contrast to the rich earthy tones of the cave.

“What happened?” Reed’s voice cracked.

There were two other bodies inside of the locked cage, but Dex and Pandora were in front of the two open ones.

Echoes of dripping water punctuated the silence as we took in the scene before us, along with a faint breeze that whispered through the cavern, carrying the pungent scent of sulfur.

Death had been the embodiment of fury while she was missing, but now, his black eyes were wild with pure agony. “Pandora…”

She pulled from Dex only slightly, and her wide red eyes were filled with relief. Dirt and tears streaked her face.

It reminded me too much of the scene I’d seen of her in Hunter’s fear illusion, and the image of her that haunted my dreams. She looked so similar, as fragile as she did chained in that cellar, and it tore me apart.

“You came,” she rasped.

“Of course we came.” Reed’s voice cracked.

Dex’s body covered hers, and they clung to each other. They were both coated in dried blood, and they were naked.

What the Fates had they gone through?

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you, starlight,” Hunter croaked, stepping forward and slipping off his large cardigan to place carefully on her.

She tugged it around her, but her teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. “T-Thanks.”

It took me a moment to snap out of it, and I stripped out of my leather jacket and handed it to Dex. “Here.”

“Thanks, man.” He shivered as I helped him put it on. “No one brought any pants, huh?”

“Didn’t think to,” Reed answered before exhaling a long breath out.

Death went to Pandora’s side, gently moving her from Dex’s arms to his. “I’m here. I’m here,” he murmured. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t find you sooner.”

“It’s okay, Dad.” She trembled. “I’m okay. Dex was with me.”

Dex fell back onto his ass, and I could tell he was weak just by looking at him. I bent down and helped him stand, but he wavered.

Death tensed. “ You …called me dad.”

“You are my dad, aren’t you?” she rasped.

“I am.” His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he held her so carefully you’d think she was made of glass. “You are definitely my daughter.”

I couldn’t help but smile, a bittersweet feeling blooming in my chest. I was pretty sure it was the first time she’d called him dad.

“See? I knew he’d like it,” Inferno rasped, her voice breaking the tension as she wrapped a hand around a bar of her cage. “Told ya so.”

Fuck. Inferno was taken, too? How the Fates had we missed that?

“You did,” Pandora confirmed with a sniffle.

Death’s head snapped up, his gaze locking onto Inferno. “You… passion fruit ?”

“That’s why you stole my drink.” Inferno’s expression was priceless, a mixture of pure glee and shock. “I knew you were special to me! Didn’t I, Pandora?”

“You did.” She smiled weakly. “You did.”

“You…you’re my mate ?” Death’s voice was a mixture of confusion and disbelief, and he let Reed gently pull Pandora out of his arms. “I have another…you… mate ?”

Inferno started to babble, “If you don’t want me, you have to reject me seven times. Don’t ask me why. But if you ask, I’ll tell you that it’s my favorite number! So, if you don’t want me as a mate, I won’t accept a rejection if you don’t say it seven times. No less!”

Horror etched onto Death’s expression. “Reject you? Seven times?”

She nodded vigorously, her blue-green eyes welling with tears. “Yep! Or I won’t accept it. You hear me, Death?”

He recoiled. “I?—”

In a moment of sheer panic or maybe it was exhaustion from whatever they’d been through, Inferno collapsed. She fainted in a heap against the bars.

Craven caught her from behind just as she fell backward. “Someone get us out of this cage,” he coughed.

“Joel?” Hunter exclaimed in surprise.

Death was on his feet, breaking the cage open and dragging Inferno out and away from Craven in a few seconds flat.

He cradled her against him in disbelief.

Hunter rushed over to get Craven out of the cage, holding him up as he helped him walk out. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“I was a little caged up,” he joked and let out a weak laugh that made Hunter roll his eyes.

Death’s confusion twisted into something softer as he gazed down at Inferno. “Mate…my second mate. The Fates blessed me with you. I would never reject you.”

Pandora let out a weak laugh in Reed’s arms. “I love Jenni. You will too.”

“ Jenni, ” Death repeated in awe before flicking his gaze to Pandora. “She’s your friend?”

“Best friend. She’s such a pure soul. I’m happy for you both,” she croaked.

Death nodded, staring back down at his fated mate with raw surprise and love. He’d lost his first fated, so I didn’t know how this must feel for him or how he felt for her.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Reed whispered, pressing a kiss to Pandora’s temple. “Thank Fates.”

“I missed you too.” Pandora melted in his embrace, and a tear slipped down her cheek as she inhaled his scent deeply. “I missed all of you.”

I hadn’t known what to expect when we finally got to Pandora and Dex, but it definitely wasn’t this.