Page 5 of Demon Reform Academy, Term 3

5

brAM

D ark magic slithered through my veins, insidiously coiling around my heart like a serpent. Not even fae whiskey could curb this fucking soul-deep pain.

Nothing could.

The only thing I felt was murderous intent. I wanted to paint the walls with the blood of everyone that irritated me.

Chaos magic roared through my soul, demanding release. Yet, Chaos wouldn’t manifest for me. He hadn’t manifested in days.

Maybe it was the dark magic blocking him. I didn’t really care anymore.

What I did care about was the fact that we searched for Pandora for days, hours, minutes, and guess what?

We finally fucking found her, and now, it was all about Death and Jenni?

What the fuck? Was everyone stupid?

Sure, they were mates. But we’d been searching for Pandora. How did it get this fucked up?

Hunter was helping Craven, and Skel was helping Dex. Reed had Pandora in his arms, but everyone was still focused on the spectacle before us—Death and Jenni. Jenni was unconscious, but their matebond shimmered around them anyway.

It made my skin crawl.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” My voice was harsh and disembodied. It didn’t even sound like me. I didn’t care anymore. “We’ve looked for Pandora for so Fates-damned long, and you’re not even fucking focused on her! She’s the one who’s been traumatized!” I gestured erratically as my frustration boiled over. “This is a fucking joke!”

“Calm the fuck down, Bram!” Skel shouted at me, struggling to keep Dex on his feet.

“What the fuck, man?” Dex furrowed his brows and stared at me.

“Everyone just stop,” Hunter ordered.

But I couldn’t stop. The dark magic inside me surged, whispering promises of power and chaos, urging me to lash out.

I’d thought finding my mate would fix this—but it wasn’t. The dark magic was eating away at any part of me that she could’ve fixed.

She couldn’t fix what was left…and maybe I didn’t want her to.

My breath quickened, and the cave pulsed beneath me. I was losing control. I’d kept such a tight fucking leash on the dark magic until now.

“Shut up!” I clenched my fists, feeling the magic crackle at my fingertips.

I took a deep breath. I needed to fucking breathe. I could contain this.

But did I really want to?

Magic burst forth, and a massive snake, dripping with dark magic, erupted from the ground. Its scales shimmered with malevolence as it coiled at my feet, hissing with a hunger that mirrored my own.

“Are you out of your mind?” Reed shouted, but I barely heard him over the hiss of the snake.

“Get the fuck away from me!” I bellowed, and the snake reared up.

“Why isn’t the tourmalyke working on his magic?” Craven croaked.

“Oh, fuck. Bram…” Dex uttered in horror.

“When did this happen?” Skel asked.

“Tourmalyke doesn’t work on dark magic, but even if it did, it would either have to contain him or be on him,” Hunter answered in shock.

The chaos was intoxicating, but it was too much, too overwhelming.

My heart raced so fast I thought it was going to explode. The darkness clawed at me, demanding that I embrace it.

It was so enticing. Much more addictive than alcohol ever could be.

“Bram!” Pandora leapt out of Reed’s arms, throwing herself at me. Her eyes filled with determination instead of the weakness that was there when we’d gotten here.

Everything shifted. The darkness quelled for the first time since it entered me as she gazed into my soul.

Her lips met mine, and for the first time, I felt a spark of hope amid my everlasting chaos. This wasn’t just our first kiss, though. I could feel her power slip down my throat as she parted my lips with her tongue.

It weaved into me, consuming the tendrils of dark magic that had taken root within my soul.

“Let me in,” she mumbled against my lips.

I could feel her power melding with my soul, pushing back against the darkness, drawing it out like poison from a wound.

“What the Fates?” Reed whispered.

I gasped, finally kissing her back and letting her fully in. The magic thrummed between us. I finally felt like I could breathe again.

“How long has he been infected with dark magic?” Dex barked.

The snake at my feet hissed and writhed, but she was my tether, grounding me to something pure and good.

Something I knew I didn’t deserve.

“We didn’t know,” Skel croaked. “Fuck. I thought he was just being a dick.”

“We all did,” Hunter mumbled, shame lacing his tone.

The darkness recoiled, and I could feel it slithering away, leaving behind only the remnants of my chaos.

“Stay with me.” Pandora pulled back, her eyes locking onto mine, filled with an understanding I hadn’t dared to hope for. “You’re okay, now. The dark magic is gone.”

“Thank you.” I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tighter than I’d ever hugged anyone.

My grandpa was more right than I ever could’ve imagined.

Pandora was my world.

“I’m—I, um, I’m… sorry. For everything I’ve, you know, said and done since becoming infected,” I told everyone, pain lacing my voice.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Death asked, his voice tight. “I could’ve drawn it out with the relic.”

“I was too focused on finding Pandora. I didn’t want anyone to worry about me,” I admitted, sniffing Pandora’s hair—her caramel scent smelled really good. “We needed all of our time and energy on finding her.”

“We’re the ones who should be sorry,” Skel said. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize it.”

I let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “I’m so much of an asshole that nobody even noticed a difference when dark magic was in my soul.”

“You’re not that bad,” Pandora murmured softly.

Hunter’s gaze softened as he stared at her. “No, you’re not that bad, Bram. We should’ve noticed.”

“We’re sorry,” Reed apologized.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “All that matters is that Pandora’s safe now.”