Page 54 of Demon Reform Academy, Term 3

54

PANDORA

I almost died.

It wasn’t necessarily something new, but it was the first time I’d taken a killing blow to the head. I remembered the icy sensation of dark magic sealing over the wounds as everything regenerated. I’d never felt something like that before.

I didn’t even know how to purge myself of it, but it had saved my life, hadn’t it? How did I even get infected?

As I stepped out of the shower, the steam that had enveloped me spilled out, creating a soft haze in the bathroom. Water trickled down my skin, pooling at my feet before disappearing into the bathroom mat.

Maybe I could handle dark magic in my body—maybe it wouldn’t make me decay.

I grabbed a towel and ran the plush fabric over my damp skin. Once I was dry, I tossed the towel onto the sink.

Opening the door, I felt the rush of cool air cascade over my bare skin. The scars on my stomach and back caught the light as I walked out, their pale, jagged lines contrasting against the redness of my skin from the hot water.

I couldn’t bring myself to care about them, though.

The sandstone floor was warm beneath my feet as I slipped into the room, and the low buzz of conversation filled the air.

Hunter sat on the edge of the bed, his sharp eyes darting over his tablet, his posture tense.

Reed was bent over Gumdrop, murmuring softly as he fed him.

Comet was asleep on her bed.

Dex and Skel huddled in front of the bookshelf, and a forced chuckle escaped Dex as he flipped through a scrapbook of Bram’s poems.

“Read this one.”

Skel leaned in, peering over Dex’s shoulder before pointing to a particular page and reading it aloud, “ To mend the pain and heal the scar, to be a better fated. Aww, Bram, you’re such a romantic.”

“Fuck you, guys,” Bram’s voice was tight with embarrassment, but there was a fondness to it.

“It’s cute,” Dex added with a smirk. “Who knew you were actually poetic?”

Bram’s face flushed crimson, his red eyes narrowing at the two of them. “They’re for Pandora. Not you two.”

Skel gave him a lopsided grin. “Sure, sure. But seriously, why haven’t we ever heard of your poetic nature until now?”

“You knew I was giving her poems,” he defended himself.

“Yeah, but we didn’t know they were this good.” Dex raised a brow. “Why not?”

“Because Pandora’s the only one who has read them,” Bram grumbled, snatching the scrapbook from Dex and shoving it back onto the shelf.

“I am?” I stepped closer, drawing their attention as I pressed up on my toes to kiss Bram’s cheek. He froze under the brush of my lips, his entire body stiffening. “I like the poetic side of you, Bram.”

His face, already flushed, deepened to a brilliant shade of scarlet. His red eyes softened with awe as they flickered down over me. The teasing vanished from the room as his gaze took in every inch of me—completely exposed, scars and all.

The silence that followed felt different—heavy with unspoken emotions. Emotions that felt fuzzy for some reason.

The shift in the air was immediate.

Bram’s mouth opened as if to say something, but nothing came out.

I realized that this was the first time he had ever seen me like this. Not just naked, but vulnerable. The scars that marked me as broken—no—as someone who had survived , were on full display.

It should make me nervous, shouldn’t it?

Why didn’t it?

Hunter’s head snapped up, the tablet forgotten as it fell onto the mattress. “How didn’t I sense you come in?”

Reed straightened, his hand pausing midair, still clutching Gumdrop’s food container. “I didn’t feel you come in, either.”

Dex and Skel turned in unison, shock on their faces.

“I didn’t hear the door open,” Dex said.

“How did we miss you coming in?” Skel mumbled.

Bram blinked, still looking at me like he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. “I...I didn’t...” his voice trailed off, the blush creeping down his neck. “I mean, you—you’re beautiful, Pandora.”

“Pandora.” Hunter’s voice was low, his gaze dark as it swept over me. “You should’ve told us you were done. I would’ve carried you to bed.”

I giggled softly. “I can walk.”

Reed was at my side in an instant, his hand skimming my lower back. The warmth of his touch sent a shiver down my spine, but his expression was all worry. “You should be resting,” he murmured. “After what happened…you shouldn’t even be on your feet.”

“We barely let you shower alone,” Skel reminded me.

“Waiting on you to finish about killed us,” Dex added grumpily.

“I’m fine,” I said, but the tremor in my voice betrayed me.

“Fine?” Hunter’s voice was sharp. His white eyes glowed faintly as his demon form crept up. “You almost died . You think we’re just going to let you walk around like nothing happened?”

“You shouldn’t even be out of bed,” Skel agreed, his lip curling in frustration.

“Please, Pandora. Rest,” Reed urged.

Bram stepped forward. His gaze locked on mine, flickering briefly to the scars visible against my flushed skin. “Pandora…” His voice cracked, but he swallowed hard, regaining control. “You scared me.”

“I—”

“You scared all of us,” Reed continued, cutting me off. “We almost lost you. I almost lost you.”

“Do you have any idea what that would’ve done to us?” Hunter croaked.

“Do you honestly think we want to live without you?” Dex asked simply.

“Without you, there’s nothing worth living for.” Skel shrugged.

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat.

“I’ll get her water,” Hunter announced abruptly, standing and striding toward the bedside table. His movements were sharp, precise, like he was holding himself together with sheer will.

He was mad.

He grabbed it and held it out to me. The ice clinked softly, and the water inside sloshed against the sides.

The sound was somehow more inviting than it should have been.

My throat felt like it was lined with sandpaper, each breath scraping painfully against it. Every time I felt this pain, hatred for Penny Bones welled up inside of me.

Instinctively, I moved toward him, reaching for the bottle. But before I could touch it, I was halted by a fierce growl.

Nebula manifested in a surge of black goo—something I knew now was dark magic. His soul shifted as it slopped out. “You really haven’t noticed the dark magic swirling in that enchanted bottle, Pandora?”

“What?” I snapped out of my water-craving haze, my gaze darting to the bottle. “My…bottle?”

Hunter’s eyes widened as he held the bottle up to the light. The liquid inside wasn’t as pure as it should’ve been. Small, sinister black swirls of tar twisted within the water, moving with unnatural intent.

“The bottle’s infected?” His voice was thick with shock.

“Why didn’t you say anything until now?” Reed’s question was directed at Nebula as he moved toward me, placing a protective hand on my lower back.

“It wasn’t noticeable until now,” Dex answered for him, his brow furrowed as he pointed to the slow-moving tendrils of blackness. “Look closely. That wasn’t there before.”

“Correct.” Nebula’s voice was a hiss. “But Pandora should have sensed it—felt it within the magic she holds.”

His words stung, but he wasn’t wrong.

“How did I miss it?” I whispered, the realization cutting into me like a blade.

Fates, how long had it been like that?

Nebula hissed again, his dark form rippling with agitation. “Because you are distracted—and far too lenient with where you leave your bag.”

The weight of his words settled heavily in the room, thickening the air around us.

“I didn’t know,” I rasped. My voice cracked under the pressure of my guilt, the knowledge that something so dangerous had been inside me for Fates knew how long.

I had to purge it.

The moment I pulled on my magic, it reacted violently. A sharp, burning sensation ignited in my core. Before I could even process what was happening, my magic surged, desperate and wild, taking control to expel the dark power poisoning me.

A suffocating black smoke erupted from my mouth, thick and choking. I fell to my knees with a gasp, my nails scraping against the cold stone floor as the smoke slithered through the air.

It shot toward the enchanted bottle still in Hunter’s hand, enveloping it, forcing its way inside.

But it didn’t stop there.

The dark magic turned, like it recognized me as a threat, and lashed out—pouring through me with a searing intensity that burned like fire in my veins. My magic surged again, this time chasing the tainted power with relentless determination, but the dark magic had spread too deep. It fought back, clinging to me, refusing to be destroyed.

“Pandora!” Hunter’s voice was filled with panic, and he was instantly at my side, one hand on my back as he steadied me.

“Don’t touch the dark magic!” Nebula barked. “We don’t know if it’s dead or not with her being infected herself.”

My stomach twisted, agony exploding in my core as my muscles contracted violently. I doubled over with a strangled cry, black tar spewing from my mouth in thick, vile streams.

It hissed and bubbled as it hit the floor, the acrid stench of decay and raw magic filling the room.

“She’s suffering!” Reed cried out, his voice breaking as he knelt on the other side of me, his hand covering mine. “Pandora, breathe out of your nose. You can do this.”

The dark magic had been hiding inside of me for who knew how long, festering, eating away at me without my knowledge. The realization sent a cold shock through my system, and my power kicked it up a notch to eradicate it, to purge it until there was none left.

Sharp and agonizing pain exploded in my stomach. My muscles contracted violently.

I retched, black tar spewing from my mouth in thick streams. It poured out of me, coating the floor as it hissed and bubbled. It was nothing but the remnants of the dark magic I hadn’t known was inside me.

Each wave felt like it was tearing me apart from the inside.

It was unbearable, like my insides were being ripped apart piece by piece. The black tar poured out in relentless waves, each one tearing at my throat as it forced its way free. Sweat slicked my skin, and I trembled violently, unable to control the spasms wracking my body.

“She’s burning up!” Skel’s voice was sharp with alarm as he pressed the back of his hand to my forehead.

“What the Fates do we do?” Dex croaked.

“Let her finish,” Nebula growled, though his voice softened slightly as he added, “Her magic is fighting it. She can do this.”

My vision blurred, the edges darkening as the memories crashed down on me in sharp, brutal fragments.

Nightwind.

Shadeberry.

The bullets that pierced my skull.

I should’ve died. I almost did . The magic that had infected me…it kept me alive.

“I don’t like this,” Dex snarled. “It’s too much—she’s hurting.”

I could barely think, barely breathe, the sour taste of bile and dead dark magic lingering in my throat as more dark tar forced its way out.

“Pandora.” Bram’s voice was quieter, shaking as he crouched beside Reed, his hand hovering above my head. “You can do this.”

I shook uncontrollably, still naked, still vulnerable.

“She is doing it.” Nebula’s growl reverberated through the room, a low, threatening rumble. “She’s purging what should never have been allowed to linger inside her.”

The dark tar continued to spew from my mouth, thick and viscous, leaving a bitter, metallic taste on my tongue. Each wave was weaker than the last, but the pain didn’t subside until the final gush of black magic spilled onto the stone.

I collapsed forward, catching myself weakly on trembling arms, just barely missing the dead dark magic. My palms pressed into the floor, the cold stone grounding me, but I couldn’t even lift my head.

“You did good, starlight.” Hunter draped his shirt gently over my trembling body, shielding me from the chill and their lingering gazes before helping me up to sit on the edge of the bed. His bond poured warmth into me, soothing the raw edges of my soul.

I leaned into him, but my body still shook uncontrollably. “Thank you,” I rasped.

“You are stronger than you think, Pandora,” Nebula said softly, his growl fading into something almost nurturing. “But you cannot afford to be careless.”

I nodded weakly, clutching the fabric of Hunter’s shirt tighter as I tried to gather what little strength I had left.

The memories slammed down on me again—stealing my breath.

Shadeberry.

The bullets.

The pain.

The darkness that followed.

Tears spilled from my eyes before I could stop them. They burned hot against my cheeks, unstoppable as the reality of what had happened slammed into me.

“I shouldn’t have survived,” I choked out between sobs, my voice trembling with the weight of the truth. “I shouldn’t be here. The dark magic—it kept me alive. I—” My words dissolved into gasps, and I pressed my hands to my face, trying to block out the memory of being shot. It should have killed me.

“Don’t.” Dex’s voice was sharp as he sat behind me on the bed. His arms wrapped around my shoulders, tugging me gently away from Hunter and against his chest. “Don’t say that, trouble. You did survive, and that’s all that matters.”

“And you beat it, princess,” Skel added, crouching in front of me. His hand found mine, and he gripped it tightly, his green eyes blazing with fierce determination. “You’ll always survive.”

“I’m so sorry I didn’t realize you were infected.” Reed knelt beside Skel, and he cupped my cheek, wiping away my tears with gentle strokes. His thumb brushed against my skin soothingly, but it didn’t stop the flood of emotions surging inside me. “I saw the signs.”

“I didn’t know you well enough to realize something was wrong,” Bram said, moving to sit on the other side of me. His voice was filled with regret, eyes searching mine as if trying to take away the pain. “I should’ve asked, should’ve known .”

“I knew something was off, and I should’ve asked Nebula. I just...I thought it was a stress response. I didn’t think it was possible for you to actually be infected. I’m sorry.” Hunter’s hand didn’t leave my thigh where his mark rested.

I couldn’t stop crying. The weight of their concern, their guilt, and my own pain was too much. My body trembled violently, and my breaths came in ragged gasps as I tried to hold myself together.

“We’ve got you,” Skel whispered. “We’ve got you, princess.”

“You’re not alone,” Bram murmured, his hand brushing over mine as if he needed to feel the reassurance of my touch.

“Not now. Not ever,” Reed agreed.

“I shouldn’t have made it,” I choked, voice barely a whisper as my body trembled violently.

“Don’t ever say that, trouble. Please,” Dex begged.

“You know it’s true,” I sobbed.

“No, princess. That’s not true.” Skel’s jaw tightened. “You survived because you’re strong.”

“He’s right,” Hunter murmured softly.

But their words didn’t make the fear go away.

I fell into their arms, and they held me together, even though I felt like I was falling apart.

I didn’t know how long I cried with them until the door slammed open so hard it shook the walls.

“Pandora!” Dad’s voice sliced through the room. His entire form trembled with a barely contained fury, black eyes wild and blazing as he stormed toward me. The air around him crackled with his raw power. “What happened? Who did this to you?”

I couldn’t speak, and I couldn’t explain through the sobs wracking my body.

My mates hesitated before making way for Dad as he knelt before me.

Dad’s hands gripped my shoulders. His touch was warm, but his trembling betrayed the anger and fear inside of him.

My chest heaved as I collapsed into him, his arms immediately wrapping around me, pulling me into the safety of his embrace.

His voice broke as he whispered, “I’m here, Pandora. I’ve got you. No one— no one —will ever hurt you like this again. Not while I’m alive.” His arms tightened around me, and I could feel his body quaking as if he were trying to absorb every ounce of my pain.

My mates hovered around us, each of their expressions filled with the same guilt and protectiveness.

Jenni slipped into the room, her face pale as she shut the door behind her. “What—what happened?” Her voice was soft but filled with concern, and she hurried to my side, kneeling beside Dad. “Hunter told Death to come see you. That something happened, but I’ve never seen you so sad, Pandora.”

Hunter was the first to speak, his voice low but clear. “Nightwind cornered her. Shadeberry…she shot her in the head from the shadows. Three times in the fucking head.” His voice cracked. “We found out she was infected with dark magic, which is why she survived Shadeberry’s attack. She just purged herself of the dark magic before you got here.”

Dad’s face darkened further, his voice dropping into a low growl. “And where are those soulless bastards?”

“ Dead .” Hunter’s eyes flickered with restrained anger. “Dex killed Shadeberry and Nightwind. Reed took out Vane for feeding information to Shadeberry that caused her to attack.”

“Good.” Dad’s voice held a lethal edge.

There was a long pause before he spoke again, his voice softening as he looked down at me. “Pandora, you fought through all of that. You survived…you purged yourself of dark magic. I’m so damn proud of you.” His dark eyes took on a glossy sheen, but the growl in his throat told me just how hard he was fighting to keep his anger in check.

Dex shifted awkwardly, clearing his throat. “The infection…it made her invincible. That’s probably the only reason she survived.”

Dad’s jaw tightened. “Demons survive a lot, but brain damage? That’s not something demons live through often.” His words were bitter, the reality of what happened slicing through him.

“I just want to be normal,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “For once, I want to know what normal feels like.”

A heavy silence fell over the room. My mates exchanged glances, their eyes dark with unspoken thoughts, but no one said a word. They didn’t have to.

None of us really knew what normal was.

Dad broke the silence, glancing at Jenni with a small smile. “If that’s what you want, you’ll have it. Next weekend, after your finals, we’re having dinner. At my house. With your mates. And their parents.”

A confused laugh bubbled up through my tears. “Dinner?”

Jenni’s excitement was instant, her face lighting up as she punched the air. “Yes! A normal dinner! Oh my Fates, this is going to be amazing! I’ll bring my mom, and we’ll finally have that dinner I’ve been begging for!”

Dad visibly stiffened at the thought. “Great,” he muttered. “That’s… great .”

“And I can teach Pandora all of my recipes like a good step-mom!” Her eyes flicked to mine in happiness.

A watery smile tugged at my lips. The thought of something as simple as dinner—a normal family dinner—was perfect.

We just had to get through finals first.