Page 48 of Demon Reform Academy, Term 3

48

DEXTER

R eed and I strolled through the fae market, dealing with the overwhelming fucking assault on our senses the fae realm always promised.

Colors bled together in rare hues—plants with leaves so green they glowed under the pale lavender sky with three suns. The earth fae stalls were made of enchanted bark, twigs, and woven vines that seemed alive, creeping . Fire fae’s stalls were made of literal flames, air fae had one piece of bark floating for a stall, and the ice fae’s stalls were pure ice.

Magic clung to the air like humidity. It tasted sweet, and it melted on my tongue, prickling the back of my throat like a static charge waiting to ignite. The fae were powerful supernaturals. Their magic was much more advanced than ours.

I felt the very earth breathing beneath my shoes. Like a heart buried deep beneath us. Maybe there was. The fae were…mysterious to us. Their way of living was much different.

Reed strode beside me, taking in everything. It was his first time here.

I wished I could’ve been a better tour guide for him, but all I wanted to do was scratch at my skin and peel it back until I could breathe freely again.

Pandora. Was she okay? My brain itched with my obsessive worry for her. I needed to know. I needed to be there, in the shadows, watching her.

“Is she okay?” I murmured.

“She’s fine,” Reed promised, placing a hand over his heart with a soft smile. He was touching her soul mark on him. Envy flitted through me. I was happy for them, but I couldn’t ignore my jealousy. It gnawed at me—especially when I didn’t know if she was okay without my eyes on her.

“Come on, Dex,” Reed said, glancing back. I hadn’t realized that he’d gone that far ahead of me. “Let’s find something she’ll love.”

I shot him a feral grin, my eyes scanning the market. Supernaturals flitted between the stalls—fae, of course, but others too. All supernaturals were permitted to attend the fae market since it was beneficial for their economy. The fae could enchant items much better than the witches and warlocks in Kalista. We just had to be mindful enough not to give them our first names or make bargains with them.

That was the whole reason the Demon Capital went by last names. Demons long ago were tricked by the fae. Legend has it, all demons used to wield fire. But one first name exchange with a fire fae, and that magic was lost for demons all together.

I didn’t know the technicalities or even if it were true, but it was scary enough not to fuck with first names around fae.

We stopped at a stall draped in moss, the earth magic vibrating with the energy of the fae who ran it. He had green hair, wild and twisting like vines, and his golden eyes gleamed with unsettling fervor.

The earth fae smiled wide when Reed stopped in front of his display. “Ah, you’re looking for something special for someone special.” The earth fae’s voice dripped, thick and sweet like sap.

His fingers stroked a pendant that lay before him—a pretty design, made of what looked like woven gold and silver roots, wrapping around a pale, empty spot for a gemstone.

But the pendant was only hollow. No stones.

Reed reached for it, his violet eyes totally entranced by it. “What’s this?”

“Ah, an enchanted pendant. You see,” the fae continued, leaning forward, “this pendant is designed for soulmates, or fated mates, as some call them. With a drop of blood from each of you, your matebond will strengthen. The feelings of your bonded mates will amplify even more than they already are. The pendant will also carry the scent of each mate, and once their blood is added, their birthstones will appear. The blood of the central mate—hers or his—will be placed in the center.”

“What does it look like already formed?” Reed asked.

He pulled one from his neck with a bright smile and showed us one already formed. “I’m the central mate. I have two handsome mates that I adore. One is a fire fae, and the other is an ice fae.” The gemstone shone with faint sparks of red, blue, and green in the center.

It was...beautiful. Even I could admit that.

My stomach clenched, but not from the beauty.

Pandora. It would look perfect around her pretty neck.

Reed’s eyes lit up. “I’ll take it.” He pulled out a card and handed it over.

The earth fae beamed, his green hair shifting like restless vines. “I do hope your mate enjoys your gift.” He handed Reed his card and the pendant in a decorative bag.

“She will,” he murmured.

We moved on, the market growing even wilder as we ventured deeper. The air changed. It was crisp and sharp with air magic as we approached the next stall—a fae with hair that seemed to shift and move like storm clouds stood behind her stall. The stall was filled with different globes.

Inside each, a miniature storm brewed, but the settings were different. The one with the ocean churning as lightning cracked in tiny flashes caught my eyes, though.

Reed smiled softly. “She loves storms.”

“I know.” I glanced toward him. “Is she okay?”

He looked at me with an assuring smile. “She’s fine, Dex. I can feel her. She’s just been...off, you know? Stressed. But she’s not in danger.”

I nodded, though it didn’t settle the absolute fucking chaos in my chest. We’d all noticed it—Pandora wasn’t herself lately. I prayed to the Fates it wasn’t something worse than stress.

It was the whole reason for this trip, after all. We wanted to cheer her up.

“Maybe I should buy something that lets me see her?” I muttered, glancing around for any enchantments that would do just that.

Reed elbowed me. “Dex, get her something she’ll love. You and her will bond, and then that gift for spying on her will be useless.”

“It would never be useless,” I grumbled, but he shot me a look.

I bought the storm globe.

By the time we left the fae market and made it back to campus, the sky was darkening, and the cold air settled over my skin.

The day had slipped away, all without my eyes glued to my mate. My thoughts remained wrapped around Pandora, her face, her laugh that I hadn’t heard enough of lately.

“Ready to go see her?” he asked before I could ask him if she was doing okay.

That was when I saw it. On the ground near the entrance of the fae portal.

A scorpion.

I froze, stomach lurching, and my mind blanked for a second. I’d always been scared of the fuckers, but after the one stung Pandora? Absolutely fucking petrified of them now.

Reed turned, and his gaze dropped. “Is that a?—”

“Yeah!”

Screams erupted from us as we bolted, my shadows whipping around us and leaving whatever dignity we had behind with the scorpion.