Page 60 of Demon Reform Academy, Term 3

Dad’s manor had a refined but rugged charm, and it was the very first place that had felt like home to me. The weathered rock floors and sandstone walls glowed warmly under the soft enchanted candlelight in the kitchen.

I stood at the counter, slicing vegetables while Jenni worked beside me, adding beef to the broth and stirring it.

“Pandora, you’re doing great.” Dad had been bustling in and out, glancing over at us with that smile that I had only ever seen him display around me or Jenni.

“Thank you.” I continued dicing the onions the way Jenni had taught me. It was my first time cooking, and she was so patient while teaching me. I was actually enjoying the process.

“Of course she is. I taught her,” Jenni gloated.

“I don’t get how you’re able to dice those without crying,” Skel muttered, wiping at his emerald eyes, which looked even brighter under the candlelight. His black and white streaked hair was pulled back in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck, and the scar down his right eye faintly caught the light.

I reached up and traced a light finger tip down it before kissing his cheek softly. “It doesn’t bother me.”

“It bothers me,” he cried softly, his eye watering.

“Oh, Fates, sorry.” I dropped my hand in horror.

“If anyone was to touch my eye with onion fingers, I’d want it to be you.” He sniffled through the tears welling up in his eyes.

“I’m still sorry,” I rasped.

“It’s okay, princess.” He smiled through the tears dripping down his cheeks and stepped back a bit.

Dad came up from behind Jenni to check on the beef stew simmering on the stovetop. “How’s it coming, sweetheart? Need any help?”

Jenni looked over, an amused smile tugging at her lips as well. We shared a quick glance. “Under control, but thanks.”

Dad rolled his eyes but grinned. He leaned over the pot and took a deep sniff, nodding approvingly. “Fates, that smells good.”

“It’ll taste even better.” She bumped her hip against his.

I couldn’t help but smile—seeing him like this, relaxed and happy. It was nice— normal , like he’d promised.

“Trouble,” Dex whined, his fog gray eyes sparkling as he braved the last of the onions I was cutting. His white-blond hair fell over his face as he leaned against the counter. “Need any taste testers?”

“Of raw onions?” I scrunched my nose up.

“I’m sure he was meaning the carrots,” Skel quipped, stealing a slice of one and popping it in his mouth. The spider tattoo on the back of his hand shimmered with fear magic as he moved.

Skel seemed to be really enjoying himself. He’d been less stressed after we’d bonded, and his fear magic had become completely stable. I hated that I had no idea the cracks in his soul had been sealed with dark magic until we bonded, but I was grateful to the Fates for letting me purge it and seal the cracks with my own soul instead.

“No, actually.” Dex popped one of the diced onions into his mouth before sliding behind me and planting his hands on my waist.

Skel winced.

I giggled. “That can’t taste good.”

“It’s not the worst.” He pulled me close enough that I felt his breath against my ear. “I like seeing you smile.”

His warmth enveloped my back, and I found myself leaning into it. I loved how comforting he’d become.

“It’s a good look on you,” Bram chimed in, his narrow red eyes softening as he spoke, looking carefree with his black, tousled hair and skull tattoo extending past the collar of his shirt. “Being happy.”

“It really is,” Hunter agreed, his icy white eyes trained on me in a way that made my skin buzz with the need to have him touch me. His dark blond hair brushed against his shoulders as he leaned against the wall, and his lips curved into a smile that told me he knew exactly what I wanted. I was sure he could feel it through the bond.

“I’d give anything to see you like this every day, dream girl.” Reed’s violet eyes were lit with affection, and a few of his dark brown curls fell into his eyes.

I was about to respond when I heard Jenni squeal. Turning, I saw her dash across the kitchen, barreling into a woman who entered with a calm smile on her face. “Mom!”

Black hair spilled over the woman’s shoulders, and her green eyes sparkled as she hugged Jenni tightly. “Well, look at this,” she murmured, squeezing Jenni. “You really were right all along, being so obsessed with Death.”

Jenni’s face turned a deep shade of red. “Yeah, I know I was.” She caught her mom’s hand, giving it a squeeze, and they shared a smile that I didn’t quite understand.

Was that how a mother was supposed to treat their daughter?

Her mom glanced over at Dad, her expression softening. “It’s nice to see you again, Death.”

He cleared his throat, nodding to her. “It’s good to see you as well, Inferno.”

“Oh, please, call me Kore!”

Dad was the one who saved her life when Jenni’s dad was infected with dark magic. He was the one who put him down, and I couldn’t really imagine how difficult that was for him. Especially since he didn’t know they were his mate’s parents at the time.

“You did more for me than I could ever repay,” she murmured. “From taking care of my daughter to helping me with…everything.”

Dad’s usual composed demeanor faltered. “I only did what was necessary, Kore,” he replied solemnly, glancing down. “Have you met my daughter yet?”

“No.” She turned to me, eyes brightening. “Are you Pandora Gravesend?”

I nodded, and she practically launched herself at me, sweeping me into a big hug. “You can call me Kore. Jenni has told me so much about you!”

“She has?” I caught Jenni’s grin over Kore’s shoulder, and my face heated.

“Of course.” Jenni winked. “You’re my best friend and my mate’s daughter.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I told her.

Kore squeezed my hand as she pulled back, smiling warmly. “Oh, you are so sweet. I could just adopt you.”

“Actually, you couldn’t.” Jenni narrowed her gaze at her mom before cackling. “Because you would be her grandma. Clearly, since I’m mated to her dad, I’d be the mom. And there’s no way I’d let her get adopted.”

Dad choked on a breath before chuckling. “Of course not.”

They dissolved into a conversation as Dex tugged me back from the counter. “Come on,” he urged. “You’re done cutting things, aren’t you?”

I nodded, and my mates tugged me out of the kitchen.

“If you go anywhere alone, leave the doors open!” Dad called after us.

My face heated.

I heard a whack. “They’re all mostly mated. Quit it,” Jenni hissed.

Dad whimpered. “Don’t remind me.”

My mates continued to lead me into the foyer, where everyone else who had been invited were trickling in as well.

“This is nice,” Reed murmured, glancing around at everything Jenni and Dad had done to prepare for this huge family meal.

“It is, isn’t it?” I met his gaze and felt our love for each other flood between us.

“Hunt!” A man with a shade lighter blond hair and red eyes strode across the stone floor with Joel beside him and hugged Hunter.

“Dad, what’re you doing here?” Hunter hugged him back before pulling back and shooting him a worried look. “Aren’t you supposed to be in hiding?”

“I said the same thing.” Joel shrugged before Hunter and him clasped each others’ shoulders.

Hunter’s dad scowled. “I don’t want to live my life in hiding. The near-death experience freaked me out for a minute, but I’ll be alright. We won’t open our business until everything’s dealt with, but I’m done hiding.”

Hunter nodded, but his forehead creased as he frowned as he met Joel’s gaze. “If you’re sure…”

“You must be Pandora.” Hunter’s dad extended his hand to me, and I took it with a small nod. “I’m Lance. Hunter’s dad.”

“I’ve heard good things,” I murmured, and we let our hands drop to our sides. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You as well. You completely enchanted my son even before the matebond.” He smiled warmly at me. “You look just like your dad. Where is he?”

“He’s in the kitchen.” I pointed toward it, and he thanked me before heading that way.

Joel grabbed Hunter’s arm with a pleading look. “Go with us?”

“Stop provoking Death—” Hunter started, but Joel shushed him.

“I can be friends with who I want to,” he defended himself. “I’d like to keep my soul, though.”

Dex snorted. “If you want your soul, maybe stop hanging around Death’s mate.”

Joel pouted, crossing his arms. “She’s my best friend.”

“Give him a break,” I spoke up. “Jenni’s just as invested in their friendship as he is.”

“Really?” Bram hummed.

Before Lance made it into the kitchen, Dad, Jenni, and Kore came out.

“Death! It’s so good to see you.” Lance clasped Dad on the shoulder, and they started talking.

“You came!” Jenni smiled and bounced her way toward us to hug Joel.

He stiffened before completely melting into her touch.

I took the opportunity to focus on Joel’s soul. There was the faintest flicker of magical essence within it. When I let the smallest tendril of my magic out to brush against his soul, I felt it buzz. It almost sparked to life until Jenni pulled away.

“I don’t see why you came,” Dad grumbled at Joel, almost stomping over to us.

I sucked back in my magic as Dad and Kore made it to us.

“Be nice,” Jenni scolded him.

“Jenni invited me,” Joel pointed out.

“Yeah, I did.” Jenni glanced between them. “Is that a problem?”

“No problem,” Dad assured her with a small pout on his lips. “That’s fine.”

“Are you jealous?” Kore hid a smile behind her drink.

“ No !” Dad shook his head. “Of course not.”

“It’s okay, Dad.” I patted Dad’s arm, and he sent me a pleading look.

But I knew better than to get involved in others’ relationships. That was like rule one of common courtesy.

“I’d be jealous,” Dex interjected, clicking his tongue ring on his teeth. “I’m very territorial over Pandora.”

“Aw.” I reached out and squeezed his hand. “You’re sweet.”

“Too sweet some may say.” Dad’s eye twitched.

“Oh, calm down.” Jenni stepped away from Joel and wrapped her arm around Dad in a side hug. “They’re fine.”

“At least someone gets it,” Dex purred, kissing my cheek.

“Bram!” Slater practically bounced over and clasped Bram on the shoulder. “Thanks for inviting us.”

“We appreciate it. Though, I was surprised to get an invite from the Gravesend family. I’m Melinda. It’s so nice to officially meet you in person, Bram.” Her warm smile lit up her face as she greeted him. “Slater has told me all about you.”

“Nice to officially meet you, too.” Bram’s voice wobbled, but he gave her a tight smile.

She carried a beautifully decorated cake, and her red eyes met mine. “And you must be Pandora. Bram’s mate, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You as well.” I smiled at her.

Bram cleared his throat and showed them where to put the cake.

Not long after, Kat and Nelson, Skel’s sister and dad, arrived.

Kat had her mate with her. He was a tall, dark-haired vampire who anxiously met Skel’s narrowed eyes. He gave a tense, respectful nod. “Hey, man,” he murmured. “I, uh…I wanted to say sorry. For high school. I know I was… a jerk .”

Skel’s eyes narrowed into slits. “A jerk?”

“You mean when you messed with our little sister Kat’s head?” Dex chimed in with an icy tone.

The guy winced, glancing down, but Skel and Dex’s gazes were relentless, not letting him escape.

“Or when you used her?” Skel shot at him.

He swallowed hard. “I was a dick. I know that. I am sorry.”

“Dex, I’m older than the both of you.” Kat reached over, slipping her fingers into Skel’s clenched fist. “Skel, I’ve forgiven him. I’ve made peace with it.”

“You may have, but I haven’t,” he muttered, his arms crossing tightly over his chest as he pinned him with a vicious stare. “Don’t expect me to be friends with you anytime soon.”

His gaze met Skel’s. “I wouldn’t expect any less. I deserve it,” he admitted, the edge in his voice betraying just how much he understood the gravity of what he’d done. “It’s been a long time coming to make it up to her.”

Kat rolled her eyes, but her smile softened as she nudged Skel’s leg with her foot. “Come on, little brother. You’re intimidating him more than you think.”

But Skel didn’t smile, and his gaze stayed locked on him. “Good,” he said flatly, leaving a tense silence lingering between them.

“Don’t forget that you were an asshole to your mate at first, too,” she grumbled.

Skel flinched, sending a guilty look my way as he nodded slightly.

The vampire finally turned to the rest of us, managing a polite smile that didn’t quite reach his wary eyes. “I’m Durge,” he said, and everyone greeted him with smiles—everyone except Skel, whose piercing glare still shadowed his every move.

Dex slung an arm over Reed’s shoulders as we all continued to mingle about, and they didn’t seem like they were missing out. Their gazes kept wandering to mine, and I felt love and happiness flood through my completed bonds.

I didn’t think Dex or Bram felt differently than the rest of them—at least, I hoped not.

As the evening waned, the atmosphere buzzed with a familiarity of normal I had only ever read about. When it was time, we settled down to eat at the huge table in the dining room. It fit everyone just fine, and we dug into the beef stew with a slice of toasted bread on the side.

Our tablets chimed all at once, three times in a row, cutting through the calm, normal atmosphere with the sharp sting of reality. The weight of everything dropped into the space between us as we exchanged uneasy glances. One by one, we pulled our tablets from our bags.

The notifications from the News Sector of Kalista glared up at me from my screen in bold text:

News Sector of Kalista Alert!

Link Malice, Fear Demon Representative of the Demon Council, ASSASSINATED.

Rachel Grimes, Drude Rep on the Demon Council, ASSASSINATED.

Sybil Shaw, Dark Magic Witch, WANTED *Highest Priority* for crimes against Kalista.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

“Malice…” Skel’s voice broke on a whisper, his horror slicing through our bond like shards of glass. His hand found mine under the table, gripping it tightly.

Skel’s respect for Malice went deep, and I felt the impact of the loss ripple through him, amplified by his responsibility now as a council member.

He was set to take over his spot.

Dex’s hand went to my shoulder, his grip firm but comforting as he got up and stood behind me. His possessive worry wrapped around my soul from the faint glimpse into our soul bond I was given.

Bram reached over and gently brushed a thumb over my wrist. There was a faint tremor in his hand, and I wondered what he was truly feeling then.

The bond didn’t give me a glimpse like it did with Dex.

I could feel Hunter’s gaze. He hadn’t moved from his spot, but his white eyes bore into me, as though ensuring I was really there, safe. “We’re not letting her get near you, starlight.”

Through our bond, I felt the pulse of his fear and his unwavering determination to protect me.

Beside me, Reed scooted closer, his arm sliding around my shoulders. “Whatever this means, we’ll figure it out. Together ,” he assured me, his warmth battling the cold dread settling in my chest.

It was clear from everyone’s expressions. Two assassinations of demon council members was a huge deal. The fact that they pushed out Sybil’s wanted status again was also a critical announcement to make.

My dad’s face hardened, and he exchanged glances with Hunter and the rest of us just before his tablet started to go off. “It’s Rowan Clearwater. Excuse m?—”

He didn’t finish his sentence.

The air in the room shifted violently as a dark figure rose from a pool of inky blackness on the floor. The goo-like portal hissed as it stayed open. The figure stepped forward.

It was a demon infected with dark magic.

His eyes were pitch black, and streaks of dark magic poured down his face like tears. The magic radiating off him was oppressive, suffocating, and it filled the room with the stink of sulfur.

“Pandora Gravesend,” he croaked, walking over to me, holding out a sealed envelope.

The way he avoided looking directly at me was unsettling. He didn’t lunge, didn’t attack. His soul held no fatal intent, which meant that he wasn’t here to end me— not yet.

“This is for you,” he prompted.

“Why are you giving her a letter?” Dad asked, his voice deadly.

“It’s not my job to ask questions,” he answered. “I just do as I’m told.”

“No, don’t,” Hunter growled, but I was already leaning forward to take the envelope.

“A letter?” I took it from the demon cautiously, feeling unease ripple through my matebonds.

It… called to me.

I couldn’t help myself. Curiosity sparked hot in my neurons, and I couldn’t ignore the pull of it.

As soon as I took the letter, he vanished into the portal behind him without another word.

“Pandora—” Skel’s warning was a strangled plea, his hand tightening on my thigh.

“I need to,” I whispered, feeling the weight of the envelope in my hand.

Dex’s shadows slithered through the room, searching for any lingering danger. I flinched at the sight of them, but I took a steady breath as I tried to calm down.

I knew he wouldn’t hurt me with them.

I just needed my body to realize it, too.

“Is that really a good idea?” Reed asked in a shaky voice.

No, it isn’t.

“Pandora, wait,” Dad urged. “You should never open a letter given to you from a dark magic infected demon.”

I know, but…

“I have to know what it says,” I said, breaking the wax seal with trembling fingers. “I’ve been a target of so many assassination attempts. This is different. They’ve never sent a letter before, and I’m so tired of running from them. When do we fight back?”

The room fell silent, the tension so thick it was almost tangible.

“What’s it say?” Dad asked finally, and everyone’s eyes were on me.

I unfolded the letter slowly, my mates closing in around me. Their emotions surged through our bonds—concern, dread, fury—each one a thread in the tapestry of fear tightening around my chest.

“We’re right here,” Reed whispered, his hand finding my back.

“Whatever it is, we’ll handle it,” Hunter promised.

Dex’s voice was cold steel. “Sybil doesn’t touch you. Not now, not ever.”

“We won’t let anyone touch you,” Bram agreed.

“Be careful,” Skel murmured.

As the words on the page came into focus, the world around me tilted.

Slicked in tar, bound to wane,

These words are cursed to chain,

Your magic will fade, and your soul will drain.

You’re a liability to the grand scheme of things, Pandora. If only you chose the right path.

Curse you,

Sybil.

Each word on the page tugged at my magical essence, draining it from me with a chilling force, but I couldn’t stop reading it.

The dark magic curse buried itself deep in my bones, coiling around my soul, siphoning my magic with a hunger that gnawed through every fiber of my being. My vision blurred, cold sweat beading on my skin as Sybil Shaw’s intentions seeped from her words, tightening like a vice around my very life force.

Cursed.

I was cursed.

The paper shook in my grasp.

“Pandora?” My dad’s voice broke, raw with terror. “Hunter, call Drecken Grimsworn—now!” His words were a command, but the fear beneath them rippled through the room as everyone spoke their concerns.

“I am!” Hunter’s voice was sharp among everyone else’s— desperate .

“I’ve got you, princess,” Skel murmured, but his voice shook.

“Stay with us,” Reed whispered close to my ear, but his words were nothing but a plea that barely reached me.

“Let me have that.” Dex’s hands trembled as he pried the letter from my fingers. “I’ll get Nebula, okay? Two seconds. I only need two seconds.”

The world blurred, my mates’ faces fading in and out of focus. My breaths came in short, shallow bursts as my strength drained away. The dark magic buried itself deeper, tightening its grip with every passing second.

I shouldn’t have opened it.

“Pandora, look at me,” Bram said, his voice trembling, but the darkness was winning.

Two seconds passed, but Nebula’s voice was lost to me.

My mates’ warm hands on me were the last sensations I felt before the curse consumed me entirely.

The room spun violently, and then everything went black.