Page 40 of Demon Reform Academy, Term 3

40

PANDORA

D ad cleared his throat and hid the bouquet of roses behind his back as he saw me open the doors of Reform Hall where we planned on meeting this morning. I’d just left Hunter’s office, and he planned on waiting for me. “Good morning, Pandora!”

“Morning, Dad.” I smiled, tilting over slightly to see how many he was holding. “ Eight roses for Jenni?”

He deflated, holding the roses back in front of him and plucking the only pink one out of the oranges and reds to give to me. “Actually, one is for you. Seven are for her since that is her favorite number, and I wanted to get her roses. Is that odd?”

“No. It’s actually really sweet,” I said softly, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear as I took the rose from him. “She’ll love them.”

“Good.” He smiled down at the roses. “Do you like yours?”

“I do.” I nodded. “I’ve never been given flowers before. Thank you.”

“You haven’t?” His gaze darkened. “You have five mates. Three of which were terrible to you. You’re telling me that none of them have given you flowers?”

“To be fair, they have given me things…just not roses.” I bit back my giggle.

“What have they given you?” He arched a brow, his lips twitching in irritation for them.

“Well, Hunter gave me the enchanted water bottle?—”

“Yes, I know that.” He motioned for me to continue.

“Then, Reed always gives me food and shares his purple cotton candy stash. Plus, he always takes me to different places in his dreamscape…”

“And the three losers?” he prompted.

“They aren’t losers.” A demonic growl resounded out of me, and I gasped in surprise. “I’m sorry, Dad, but please don’t call my mates that.”

His eyes widened a fraction before a soft smile played over his lips. “I understand, and I apologize, Pandora. I’m just…incredibly upset with how they treated you beforehand. I’d heard Bram speak to you in an unfavorable manner before…and that was in front of me. I can’t imagine how awful they were to you when I wasn’t around. Hunter told me some of it, but not all. Either way, they aren’t losers, you’re right. But the mistakes they made against you were grave. I have…difficulty letting that go.”

“It’s okay,” I murmured, feeling the matebond’s rage quell. “I understand where you’re coming from. I was so angry with them once the matebond snapped in place. I didn’t want to see or talk to them for weeks. I wouldn’t accept their apologies at first, and they did apologize. Profusely . Skel took pictures of stray cats and wrote apologies on the back of them. He got on his knees in public. He crawled to me in private?—”

Dad flinched. “Didn’t need to hear that.”

“Dad, Jenni’s dirtying your mind. He did it out of pure devotion to pledge his life to me. It was emotional, and he apologized so much. He explained his past, and I made the decision to forgive him. Then, I made the decision to seal our matebond because I love him.”

“You love him?” His face paled. “I knew you loved Hunter and Reed, but Skel Grimshaw, too?” he grumbled. “I guess it makes sense, though. He’s your mate, too. What about the other two?”

My heart lurched. “Dex told me he loved me, but I haven’t said it back…but...”

“I mean, uh, have they gotten you anything? Did they really apologize?” He glanced anywhere but at me.

I held back a chuckle. “Yes. Dex got me chocolates, and he maims and tortures anyone who hurts me. Then, he sends me photos of the aftermath with a cute message after.”

“Huh.” He tilted his head. “Maybe he isn’t so bad. If only I didn’t scent him on your skin before you and him sealed your bond with marking.”

“We haven’t marked because of me. Not because of him. Also, Bram’s sober now,” I continued with a red face. “He apologized on his knees, and he gives me animal skulls with poetry,” I murmured. “I haven’t told him, but I’ve forgiven him.”

“That’s good,” he replied, meeting my gaze again. “I’m more concerned why you and Dex haven’t mated. You love him, don’t you?”

I gave a sharp nod before exhaling a long draw of breath. “I’m not ready to wield shadow magic.”

Understanding flickered across his face. “Not all shadow magic is used for evil, Pandora. Dark magic is the only magic that can’t be used in a positive nature. Shadow magic isn’t something to be afraid of.”

“I know,” I rasped. “But I’m just now able to see shadow magic without having a panic attack. I don’t know how I would react if I had it embedded into me.”

“If you’re the one wielding it, I have no doubt that you would handle it well.”

“Thanks.” I let my fingertips graze my scars and Hunter’s mark. “Dex said the same.”

“Guess I can’t eat any of their souls, then,” he muttered under his breath, giving me an encouraging smile that rivaled a wince.

“No, you can’t. How are you and Jenni doing?” I raised a brow and watched his expression melt into a carefree smile.

“We’re great. I’m sure you’re aware. The only problem I have is that she’s befriended Craven,” he grumbled with a huff. “I can tell he likes her, but she doesn’t see it. Something about trauma bonding after being locked in a cage together. I don’t like it.”

“I think it’s okay,” I assured him. “Jenni loves you. Like she’s absolutely obsessed with you. She’s allowed to have friends.”

“Of course she is.” He frowned. “But… he likes her.”

“And she loves you,” I pressed.

“I love her.” He swallowed hard before running a hand down his face. “The reason I wanted to meet with you this morning was to teach you the last bit of your powers. You’ve mastered everything else.”

Excitement rushed through me, and I tightened my grip on my bag slung over my shoulder. “What else is there?”

He glanced around and led me to the side of Reform Hall before leaning in and whispering, “Soul eaters can manipulate another demon’s or another supernatural’s magical essence since it’s tied to their souls. Magical essence being tied to souls is common knowledge, but the fact that soul eaters can manipulate it? That is top secret information, privy only to soul eaters and their mates. Do not share this with anyone but your bonded mates.”

“Of course.” I bobbed my head up and down with anticipation. “I noticed that magical essence was tied to souls when I saved Joel from dying. I may have accidentally manipulated his magical essence instead of consuming too much of his soul like I thought…the dark magic was consuming every part of him. It was everywhere. My power acted on its own.” I blinked in realization. “Is there any way to unlock his magical essence? To help it grow again?”

“You managed to manipulate magical essence without any prior knowledge of it…” Surprise flickered over his expression. “That explains so much of what he’s going through, but yes. There is a way to get his magic back. However, manipulating magical essence is not as simple as healing a physical wound.”

I leaned closer. “How does it work? I mean, manipulating magical essence…what exactly can I do?”

He hesitated for a moment as if he were lost in thought. “Magical essence is the very foundation of a supernatural’s power. It’s like a thread that connects their soul to the magic they can wield. When a soul eater manipulates it, they can do several things—drain it, weaken it, or strengthen it.”

My mind raced, piecing it all together. “So, if we drain someone’s magical essence, they lose their power?”

“Not just their power,” he said gravely, locking eyes with me. “If too much essence is taken, they lose a part of themselves. Their abilities, their identity…even their will to live can fade. It’s like draining the color out of a vibrant painting. What’s left behind might be only a husk.”

I swallowed, the weight of his words sinking in. “But strengthening it? If you can manipulate it to drain, you can also…replenish it after?”

“In theory, yes. So long as they are still alive and breathing,” he admitted, his gaze softening. “A skilled soul eater can infuse magical essence back into someone, help it regrow. But it’s a delicate process. You’re essentially working with the very fabric of who they are. If you’re not careful, you can do worse than kill them.”

I shuddered at the thought. “But you can’t just…give them more magic, can you? What’s lost is lost?”

“Not entirely. Magical essence, like a soul, has the potential to heal. It can grow back over time, like a plant regrowing after it’s been pruned. But the damage has to be halted first. Dark magic, like what you consumed from Craven, is parasitic. It devours essence. It was left unchecked for some time, and it almost consumed everything in him. There’s no regrowth after that.”

“So what can be done?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper now. “If I did this to Joel?—”

“You didn’t,” he said firmly, his dark eyes piercing mine. “Dark magic did this. You saved his life. Sure, you may have accidentally activated this power, but Pandora, if you had done nothing, he would be dead.”

“You’re right.” I thought back to how corrupted his soul had been. I had almost been too late to save his life. “What can we do? What if Joel can get his magic back?”

“Stopping the dark magic is the first step. Once the corruption is gone, you can guide the essence back and help it flow to his soul properly again. That’s where the manipulation comes in. You’ll have to coax it. I say you because while I am the best of our kind at manipulating essence, Craven’s magical essence is too small for me to do it. I think you may have success where I would fail.”

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I asked, “And if it’s too far gone?”

“Then…there’s nothing anyone can do,” he answered. “If the soul and essence had been too drenched in dark magic, it’s lost. That wouldn’t be your fault. It would be Dark Veil’s.”

“So, manipulating magical essence is more than just supernatural power…it’s control over life itself.”

He met my gaze with a grim smile. “Exactly. It’s a responsibility as much as a gift. Never forget that.”

“I won’t.” I furrowed my brow. “When Skel and I bonded, I healed cracks in his soul that were laced with dark magic…and I think I manipulated his magical essence so it would stop leaking.”

“That’s incredible,” he murmured. “I’m so proud of you, Pandora.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Let me walk you to Demonic Powers,” he offered.

I nodded, and we left the side of Reform Hall and headed to Serpentine Stadium for my class.

As we entered the training hall, Jenni appeared out of nowhere, running up to us with her usual bubbly energy.

“Pandora!” She hugged me tightly before launching herself at Dad, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Daddy—I mean, Death!” Her face turned cherry red as they both froze, their mortified gazes darting to me. “I’m so sorry.”

I threw my hands over my ears as I started walking away from them. “Oh, Fates, I’m leaving, now.”

“Sorry, Pandora!” Dad called after me.

“Oh! You brought me roses!” Jenni exclaimed.

“Seven, for you,” Dad replied, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it.

I cringed at their sweet exchange. It was cute but also nauseating. He was my dad.

I spotted Ashenfell across the stadium. His face paled the moment he spotted Dad, and he scrambled over to him. “D-Death…” he stammered, bowing so low it looked painful. “An honor…a pleasure…”

Ignoring him, I pushed forward toward my mates, who had gathered at the back. Dex, Bram, Skel, and Reed’s gazes latched onto me.

Dex’s fog-gray eyes followed me like a hawk’s, his white-blond hair falling messily across his forehead. Shadows curled faintly around him, but they didn’t scare me. He stared at me as if I was the one thing keeping his fraying sanity together—and maybe I was. His fingers flexed restlessly, and his tongue ring clicked against his teeth.

Bram stood slightly to the side of the others, his chest rising and falling like he was anxious. His red eyes burned with devotion and the deep-seated guilt he always had around me. His black hair framed his tan face, and the glint of his septum piercing caught my eye as he inhaled sharply. He stared at me like he knew he didn’t deserve me, but he wanted to prove himself worthy anyway.

Skel’s green eyes were bright with excitement as his gaze raked over me. The jagged scar slashing over one of them twitched. His lip ring caught the light as his mouth parted slightly, drawing in a shaky breath. His tattooed arms hung at his sides, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. He looked at me like he was starving, like I was his addiction.

Reed’s violet eyes met mine last, wide and soft, like I was a fragile dream he was terrified of losing. His brown afro shifted slightly as he tilted his head, brushing over the dark skin of his forehead. He looked at me the way he always did—like I was the embodiment of everything he’d ever wanted.

My power surged, opening up my un-sealed bonds, and their emotions battered me through the matebonds—love, fear, desperation, longing—blurring together into something overwhelming. My breath hitched as I moved closer to them, their gazes rooted on me as if I were the only thing in the world that mattered.

They made me feel wanted. They made me feel like I belonged. It was all I ever wanted, and they gave it to me.

Before I could reach them, something struck me—hard.

My body jolted as if lightning had hit me. The sound of the impact, a sickening crack, echoed in my ears. Pain exploded as my rib cage shattered under the force, radiating through my chest, causing me to stumble back. Shards of bone pierced inward.

A ragged gasp escaped my lips. My vision doubled, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I would pass out.

I glanced down. Dark, shadowy tendrils clawed their way out of the gaping wound in my chest, twisting outwards like smoke. Blood gushed in rhythmic pulses, mingling with the inky blackness of shadows. They writhed, as if alive, clawing at the air and my skin before disappearing completely.

The metallic scent of blood hit me like a slap, sharp and sickening.

A shadowy figure darted past the edge of my vision, too fast to track, but I could feel their predatory soul for a brief moment.

I sucked in another gurgled gasp.

I couldn’t breathe. My hands flew to the wound instinctively, pressing hard against the flow of blood, but it was no use. It oozed between my fingers, staining my white blouse until it was more red than white.

Pain flared, hot and cold, making my knees buckle.

“Pandora!” my mates shouted, their voices filled with raw panic.

Horror surged through the matebonds, a violent wave of fear and rage so strong it nearly knocked me over again.

Dex’s shadows reacted, catching me before I hit the ground. His face was pale, his eyes wide with a terror I’d never seen before as he looked over my wound.

“Shadow bullet,” he growled, his voice trembling as much as his hands.

Everything slowed.

The chaos around me was a muffled roar, and it felt like I was sinking underwater.

My mates’ frantic movements blurred into a fever dream.

Reed’s face appeared above me, his features twisted in anguish as he gripped my trembling hand. “Dream girl, we’ve got you. Just hold on. Please, hold on.”

My vision blurred, the edges darkening as the throbbing pain was overwhelming.

But I couldn’t answer. My throat was thick with blood, the metallic sludge choking me. Every heartbeat was agony, but each pulse was weaker than the last. Blood loss was leaving me teetering on the edge of consciousness.

I blinked slowly, trying to focus on Reed, but the pain made my vision swim. Memories of Penny’s torture sessions crashed into me. That same helplessness, that same creeping inevitability, wrapped around me like the chain that used to be around my ankle.

“Stay with us, princess,” Skel murmured, stroking my hair.

“I—I can’t…” The words barely escaped my lips, blood bubbling as I choked on the sound.

My head lolled back against Dex’s chest, my strength ebbing away.

“Don’t fall asleep!” Bram’s sharp voice echoed through my skull, but even his harsh tone was tinged with fear. He dropped to his knees beside me, his hands hovering uselessly as if afraid to touch me and make things worse. “Do you hear me? Stay awake, Pandora!”

Their panic fueled my own, but my body wouldn’t respond. It was like I was drowning again. No matter how much I clawed for air, I couldn’t surface.

The matebond surged, opening up to all of them—waves of anger, desperation, love —but it felt like a distant entity I couldn’t reach.

I could barely see through the haze of pain, but I heard Dad roaring commands.

“Find them!” he roared, his voice full of tangible fury. “They must be in the shadows! Bring me their heads!”

“There’s no one in the shadows!” Dex snarled, his shadows whipping through the air as if searching for the unseen attacker. He glared down at me, his own face streaked with tears. “Pandora, hang on, please…” His hands were trembling as he held me, his hands over mine as he tried to stop the blood.

“I’m… tired ,” I croaked, tears slipping down my cheeks.

The world around me was fading, darkening at the edges. The pain was unbearable, but it was the cold creeping into my limbs that reminded me of when Penny slit my throat.

I would’ve died had I not awakened…perhaps, I needed to feed.

But…I didn’t have the energy to.

“No,” Dex whispered. “No, trouble. You don’t get to give up. You don’t get to leave us.”

“No. No , you fight,” Bram barked at me. “Fight to stay with us, Pandora— please !”

“You’re stronger than this,” Skel urged, his fingers tangling in my hair.

“You’re stronger than all of us,” Reed rasped, tears soaking his face as he leaned down and kissed his mark on my temple.

“Dude, what the fuck?” Nightwind muttered somewhere in the crowd of demons.

“I don’t get how there are so many attacks on campus,” Shadeberry stated, as if this bored her.

“It’s because they replaced the barrier with a dragon scale instead of a drake scale,” someone else alluded.

But I couldn’t care less. I felt myself slipping, fading .

“Take her to Sunstone Revive— now!” Dad’s roar shook the air, and I heard Jenni crying.

Dex’s shadows surged, taking us to Sunstone Revive in the blink of an eye.

I was barely conscious, but the waves of exhaustion and the constant assassination attempts were finally starting to get to me. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I lay against the sunstone with my mates around me.

The warm glow licked at my skin, stitching me back together.

“I’m so tired of this,” I croaked.

“I’m so sorry, dream girl.” Reed clutched my hand.

Skel grabbed my other hand. “We’ll protect you, princess.”

Dex held my arm tightly. “We will kill whoever shot you.”

“Nobody is going to get away with hurting you,” Bram added as he grabbed my other arm.

Hunter’s presence was closing in as they comforted me. He must’ve been losing his mind with worry after feeling all of this through our bond.

Reed’s hand was suddenly torn from mine as his body convulsed violently. His scream ripped through me worse than the bullet had.

A syringe jutted from his neck, and black veins spidered out, spreading like a vicious wildfire.

It was a dark magic injection. It was potent. It had to be if it was working that fast.

What the Fates was happening?

“Reed!” I tried to move, but my limbs wouldn’t respond.

Behind Reed, a gaunt demon with greasy hair cackled, his eyes leaking black tears. “It was a promise. I promised Charlotte I wouldn’t hurt the dream demon, but his mother promised us him. It’s fair. Oh, Veil, she’s going to kill me. But I don’t miss. It hit your heart,” he muttered. “I hit her heart, didn’t I? Right in her heart—demons don’t die from that, but the brain—ah, the brain’s the sweet spot…”

“Shut up!” Bram lunged, but the demon darted back in a blur.

The sunstone flared as it healed me, but Reed’s convulsions yanked my focus.

His pain roared down the bond, suffocating me. I couldn’t let him suffer like this—I had to do something .

I summoned my magic, forcing the smoky darkness up from my throat. It spilled into the air like a predator. It slithered through the space between us, seeking the infected demon.

His laughter turned to choking gasps as my magic encircled him. “No—no, the Veil!” His screams were cut short as my power jumped down his throat. It sought to eradicate the demon of dark magic and his soul.

I penetrated deeper, breaking through the dark magic’s resistance. I consumed his squirming, tainted soul. My magic was relentless and hungry as it latched onto his essence.

The demon’s eyes widened in fear as it felt the inevitable pull of its soul being consumed.

Slowly, my smoke devoured it from within and came back to me, disintegrating every foul piece of corrupted magic.

He fell lifeless, but I didn’t stop.

His soul fueled my heart’s healing.

My dark smoke came out again and moved into Reed, past his lips.

He writhed in agony on the ground. The infection tore at his veins, but I pulled it into me, shredding the dark magic strand by strand. Every inch of it lashed against me, trying to burrow deeper into his soul, but I wouldn’t let it.

The bond blazed with unbearable pain as I fought to eradicate the dark magic from my mate.

“Pandora!” Skel shouted, his voice breaking.

The last thread of infection gave way, and my magic surged, swallowing it whole. My power killed it inside of me as I collapsed against the Sunstone, my chest heaving.

“I’m so sorry.” Reed sagged to the ground, his breathing shallow but steady. His trembling hand found mine. “You saved me, dream girl. You always save me.”

My vision dimmed again just as Hunter reached us, but I couldn’t hear him. Around me, my mates’ voices were desperate and distant.

Exhaustion pulled me under.

This was too much.