Page 19

19

PANDORA

T he ocean stretched out before us. Its surface shimmered under the soft caress of the morning sun as a salty breeze blew through my hair, teasing loose strands across my face. Usually, the beach relaxed me, but the air felt wrong—thick and tainted with sulfur. It barely smelled of the calming brine I correlated with the beach.

“It’s good to see you all again,” Jesper, the supernatural agent with long white hair, greeted us. His sharp brown eyes scanned us quickly.

He wasn’t alone. At his side, the Apex Elite Academy student who had been shadowing him at the meeting—April—stood with an eager tilt to her posture. Her curly brown hair caught the morning light as she gazed up at Jesper, admiration flickering in her dark eyes.

Around them, a group of ten or twelve agents stood in loose formation, their weapons at their sides. Their stances were rigid with anticipation.

Dex had shadow-traveled us here moments ago, depositing us onto the damp, sun-warmed sand of Gleaming Gulf.

“You as well,” Hunter said, nodding to Jesper with the calm that only came with experience. Experience my mate had since he was on the Demon Council and worked vengeance cases in the past. His posture was rigid, but there was a flicker of wariness through our bond. “What’s the plan?”

Jesper barely had time to answer before April leaned in, practically glowing with enthusiasm. “Jesper has the best plan,” she gushed, her voice lifting as she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

Jesper took an awkward step away from her, his usually composed demeanor cracking for just a second. It was clear she made him uncomfortable. “According to our intel, the ritual site is just ahead.”

“And the plan once we get there?” Dex probed. His hands were already flexing, his fingers twitching like he was ready to summon his shadows at any second.

He’d been hesitant to use his shadows around me, but I was starting to get used to them. I hated that I couldn’t push the fear from my mind altogether. I wasn’t afraid of Dex or his magic. What I was afraid of didn’t exist anymore.

Penny Bones was dead, and so was her magic.

“Destroy the site. Kill the dark magic if there is any, and make sure to ruin all artifacts.” A flicker of frustration crossed Jesper’s face, his jaw tightening. “I wish I knew more about what we were walking into, but this is all we have. Sometimes we’re thrown into situations without enough information as field agents, but we just have to do what we can with what we know.”

The air crackled as we made our way toward the site coordinates.

“There’s a lot of dark magic coming up,” Nebula hissed from my bag.

Every muscle in my body tensed.

My mates reacted just as quickly to Nebula’s words, their movements subtle but immediate. Reed shifted closer. Hunter’s fingers brushed mine. Dex’s shadows were visible, tightly curled around him. Chaos manifested next to Bram. Skel was so close behind me I could feel his warmth.

Beneath my boots, I felt the shift as we approached the ritual site. It was as if dark magic had tainted it, seeping into the grains beneath us. Ahead, symbols were scorched into the earth, the blood staining them still wet and glistening under the weak morning light. They spiraled inward, their patterns complex but deliberate, all converging toward a dark stone altar that stood unnervingly still amidst the shifting dunes.

Candles, half-melted and drooping, had been pressed into the sand around the ritual site. Their weak flames flickered unnaturally. Shadows twisted around them, lengthening and contracting in ways that didn’t match the natural sway of the wind.

A shudder rolled through me.

The scent of blood mixed with the salt in the air, the tang of it sharp and metallic. The evil of this place settled deep in my bones, putting my soul on edge.

Waves lapped at the edge, but even that sounded wrong. Muted. Like the ocean itself was recoiling from the corruption staining the shore.

A chill slithered down my spine.

“It’s a trap!” Nebula yelled, alerting my mates and I.

“Get ready!” I shouted, my voice cutting through the eerie silence.

“Be prepared for an ambush!” Jesper tensed, his fingers twitching into dragon talons, while the student shadowing him shrank behind him in fear.

The other agents moved as one, shifting into defensive stances, their eyes scanning the shadows with trained precision.

That was when the cultists emerged.

One infected demon floated up from a dark magic portal. More un-infected demons trudged their way up from behind a nearby dune.

“They’re guards,” Jesper said grimly. “Makes more sense that they didn’t leave it unguarded. Get ready for a fight.”

The infected demon turned her head, the movement sharp and unnatural. Her translucent skin barely held together, the veins beneath it blackened and pulsating. Her eyes—if they could even be called that—were empty sockets, leaking tendrils of dark magic that coiled and twisted around her face.

She lifted her arm and pointed at me. “You! You’re a dead demon.”

I exhaled slowly, tasting the magic swelling up at the back of my throat. My lips curled. “Not as dead as you.”

Power surged from me, tendrils of my power lashing out of my mouth.

The moment it slinked down her throat, she unraveled. Her soul and the dark magic infecting her were swallowed up by my magic. I wrenched both from her body, and my power spiraled toward me in a consuming rush. Her soul’s energy fueled my reserves slightly as my magic snaked back out and rushed for the altar and the tainted symbols carved into the sand.

My dark cloud slunk back into me, and a sharp, searing agony tore through my gut. I convulsed, barely having any time to double over before thick, black tar spewed from my lips, burning as it left me.

The taste of decay and rot, of dead dark magic, filled my mouth.

A hand pressed firmly against my back as Reed whispered in my ear, “I’ve got you.” His other hand rested lightly against my shoulder.

His warmth was the only thing keeping me from collapsing.

I spat the last remnants of the darkness onto the sand, my stomach twisting painfully.

The demon’s soul had barely replenished my reserves.

“I’ll end this now.” Skel moved in front of me and inhaled sharply, his breath hitching as he tapped into the well of magic inside him.

The air around us vibrated, thickening with his magic. It made my skin prickle. The temperature seemed to drop, a cold weight pressing against my chest as Skel’s magic swelled.

A pulse of raw terror exploded outward, rippling like a shockwave.

It crashed into the cultists before the supernatural agents could even draw their weapons. The moment it reached them, their bodies went rigid, eyes blown wide with horror.

Whimpers and shuddering breaths filled the air before their knees buckled beneath them. Some fell to the sand, clawing at their own faces, shoving their own claws through their eyes and into their brains as if trying to rip away whatever nightmare Skel had inflicted upon them. Others stumbled back, legs trembling, before finally dropping onto the cursed sand. Their lips moved in silent, desperate prayers—prayers to the Veil, or perhaps pleas to be forgiven by the Fates.

Their small cries and pleading turned to full-blown screams just a few seconds later.

One cultist let out a ragged, earth-shattering shriek. His hands fumbled for a weapon on his side—only to turn it upon himself. The blade sank into his flesh with a sickening squelch, crimson spilling over his robes.

More followed.

Steel glinted in the weak sunlight before slicing through skin and muscle, blood staining the sand like ink seeping into parchment. The scent of copper filled the air, heavy and thick, mingling with the briny sea breeze and the lingering stench of dead dark magic.

The cultist’s bodies collapsed one by one, lifeless.

Nobody else had to fight.

Skel’s overwhelming fear surged through our bond. It wasn’t his power that unsettled him—it was the loss of control he thought he’d succumb to.

But he was in control.

His magic receded easily, leaving behind a familiar hollow exhaustion that I was also feeling.

“Fuck.” His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

Reed’s firm grip kept me steady as I straightened. My stomach still churned from discarding the dark magic I’d killed, but I pushed it aside and reached out through Skel and I’s bond, sending warmth, love—anything to counter the feeling in his soul.

I knew he was afraid of losing control the same way he had when he’d driven those villagers to suicide, but this was different. His magic targeted demons we needed to kill, and he didn’t lose control. He’d done a great job.

The suffocating weight of his fear eased off as he felt my reassurance.

Jesper stared at Skel, his mouth slightly ajar.

The agents around him mirrored his expression—some in awe, others in pure shock and quaking fear.

“Holy shit,” one agent muttered, his voice shaky.

“That was?—”

“Terrifying,” April croaked, her eyes darting between Skel and the rest of us. A shadow of unease flickered across her face. “I’ve never even heard of a fear demon doing something like that.”

“There’s a reason for that.” Dex stepped forward and positioned himself between Skel and the agents. His shadows slithered around him in warning.

Skel let out a relieved breath.

The agents hesitated before snapping back into formation, as if shaking off the full display of Skel’s magic.

“I was worried that I would lose control,” Skel admitted as he turned to face me, his hands trembling. The green of his eyes was darker, the usual vibrancy dulled by his fear.

I squeezed Reed’s arm as a thank you for him being there while I puked and moved forward to wrap my arms around Skel, pulling him close. “You didn’t,” I whispered against his shoulder. “You were in complete control.”

His muscles remained tense beneath my touch, but after a moment, he let out another slow breath. “I was.”

“You did great, Skel,” Hunter whispered. “Excellent control.”

He swallowed hard, his head turning to the lifeless bodies of the cultists sprawled across the sand. A faint tremor ran through him. “It wasn’t even my full power. That was… maybe a quarter of it.”

I pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. His pupils were still dilated. “I trust you, Skel. You need to trust yourself.”

“Pandora healed your soul,” Bram murmured the reminder. “You can’t lose control the way you used to.”

“Exactly.” Dex clapped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Plus, that was fucking awesome, honestly. You stopped that before it got a lot worse. Saved us a fight.”

Jesper exhaled heavily, rubbing his forehead. His usual composed demeanor had been rattled by my mate, though he quickly masked it. “ True . I guess we weren’t really needed here, huh?”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Hunter’s eyes scanned the ritual site. “What’s left to do?”

Jesper’s gaze flicked to the altar. The dark stone was slick with blood, and the carved symbols pulsed weakly with the remnants of magic. He strode forward without hesitation. “We have to destroy the altar.” He raised his taloned fist—and brought it down with force.

The impact rang out like a crack of thunder.

The altar splintered, deep fractures racing through the stone before it crumbled, collapsing into itself. It was reduced to nothing more than rubble.

“We’ll leave the cultist’s bodies for the cult to find.” Jesper dusted off his hands. “Sabine wants you to stop by HQ to talk to her.”

Hunter’s brow furrowed. “Who needs to be in attendance?”

“You six and myself. My team can be dismissed now.” Jesper turned to the agents, who dipped their heads in a respectful bow before turning to depart.

April, however, lingered, pouting her lips out. “Can’t I come?”

Jesper sighed, his patience visibly thinning. “I suppose it would be a learning experience, since I’m your mentor at the moment.” He took an extra step away from her.

“Dex?” Hunter raised his brow at him with the silent question of taking us to the Supernatural Council’s headquarters.

Dex smirked. “My pleasure.” With a flick of his wrist, his shadows surged, curling around us.

The last thing I saw before we vanished was the crumbled altar, the bloodstained sand, and the bodies left behind.

We were plunged into darkness before being deposited into the bright office belonging to Sabine Bloodwyne at the Supernatural Council’s headquarters.

The moment we appeared, the sharp sounds of an argument filled the air.

“I don’t see why I can’t take the entrance exams, at least!” The voice was firm, laced with frustration, and it belonged to a woman with her arms crossed in a defiant stance.

She looked like a smaller, more vibrant version of Sabine herself. She was honestly stunning.

Her golden eyes gleamed with fierce determination, and her vibrant green hair cascaded in waves down to the middle of her back, its deep forest roots fading into neon at the tips. The contrast made her look almost ethereal. The scent of midnight orchid clung to her like an aura. Her soul was unlike any I had ever sensed. Not dark, not tainted, but different.

Sabine exhaled heavily, rubbing her temples as if this conversation had happened more than once. “Rune, sweetheart…” Her voice carried the weight of exasperated patience. “Your dad does not want you to be a supernatural agent, and Apex Elite Academy is a one-way ticket to that life.”

Rune huffed, shifting her weight to one side, cocking her hip. “Well, Pops says it’s fine. Even Tobias is in the academy. He’s only eleven months older than me. I need you to outvote Dad for me. Please! ”

Sabine groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Stop causing conflict between your dads.”

Before Rune could argue further, Sabine flicked her dull green eyes toward us, finally acknowledging our presence. “I’ll talk to him, but we have company right now. Drop it, okay?”

Rune turned—losing her footing and immediately stumbled straight into Jesper. “Oof!”

Jesper made an alarmed squeak, nearly toppling over from the unexpected impact. “I—I’m so sorry,” he stammered, his usual composed demeanor unraveling in an instant as he carefully reached out and helped her steady herself.

Rune blinked up at him like she was entirely unfazed. “Uh, it’s cool. I walked into you, you know.”

Jesper, however, looked ready to sink into the floor as he quickly moved his hands off her like she burned him. “Still, my apologies.” He bowed slightly, his movement stiff, but I caught the bead of sweat forming on his temple.

Rune tilted her head, her golden eyes scanning him, amused. “It’s fine. You’re Jesper, right?” Then she smiled—a casual, confident grin. “Mom’s told me all about you. Intelligent, competent, a real agent she can trust.”

Jesper’s heartbeat stuttered, and thanks to my demonic hearing, I could hear it. “I—um, thank you. It’s an honor for Coordinator Bloodwyne to think so highly of me.” He reached up, smoothing back his long white hair.

“Maybe you could teach me agent things.” Rune’s eyes lit up with excitement at her own idea.

“Rune,” Sabine groaned. “You cannot be trained by my agents, either.”

“Mom!” Rune pouted, but Jesper looked like he was about to pass out from even having her attention on him.

“We will discuss this later, Rune. Okay?” Sabine sighed.

“Sure.” Rune smirked and nodded before flicking her gaze at Jesper again. “I’ll see you around, agent.”

“You will?” Jesper’s eyes widened. “I—uh, yeah, sure. S-See you around, Rune.”

Though, a sharp glare came from his side and was directed at Rune.

April—the student who was shadowing him.

She stood near Jesper, eyes narrowing at Rune with an intensity that practically radiated daggers.

Rune wasn’t even bothered, though. She merely raised a brow at her. “Did I do something to piss you off?”

April’s lips parted in shock, but before she could rebuttal, Sabine cleared her throat. “April, I know you’re shadowing Jesper, but he can brief you on this meeting. You’ve been through a pretty tough mission. Why don’t you go get some rest?”

April visibly stiffened before gasping softly. “Of course, Coordinator Bloodwyne. Thank you.” She quickly ducked her head, then scurried out of the room, her exit careful, measured.

Rune rolled her eyes.

Sabine turned back to Jesper, bringing the conversation back on track. “Brief me, please.”

Jesper straightened, gathering himself from his interaction with Sabine’s daughter. “The ritual site was corrupted with dark magic but contained to the site itself. There were guards and one infected demon, but Gravesend neutralized it, and Grimshaw—” He hesitated briefly, his gaze flicking toward Skel. “—has some very…unique abilities. We didn’t have to do much except destroy the altar.”

Rune’s golden eyes flickered with interest as she snapped her attention to me and Skel. “So, you two completed the whole mission practically by yourselves? Fate's, that's so fucking cool!”

“Indeed.” Sabine’s lips twitched into a smile.

“We were happy to help,” I replied.

“It was good practice,” Skel admitted, scratching the back of his neck.

A beat of silence passed before Rune grinned wider, her eyes locking onto me with an intensity that sent a faint ripple through the air. “I can almost taste your power,” she blurted, her voice tinged with curiosity. “Your magical energy is intense. I like you.”

Heat bloomed across my cheeks at the sudden compliment. “Thank you.” I paused, studying her again before adding, “Your soul is probably one of the most unique I’ve ever sensed. I like you, too.”

Rune’s grin softened into something more genuine. “Aw, thank you!”

“Unique how?” Sabine asked, frowning.

“In a good way,” I immediately reassured her. “It’s all over the place but organized all at the same time, if that makes sense?”

“Chaotically organized, I like it.” Rune stretched her arms above her head, her expression shifting back into something mischievous. “Okay, this was fun, but I’ve got a new poison from Cursina to test, so I’m out.”

“A poison?” Jesper visibly paled. His brown eyes widened in alarm. “No, that’s not?—”

Sabine waved a dismissive hand. “She’ll be just fine. It’s her unique power, after all.”

“Unique power?” Jesper paled further but didn’t argue.

Rune was already halfway to the door when she called over her shoulder, “Don’t forget to talk to Dad for me!”

Then, she was gone, disappearing into the hall, the door clicking shut behind her.

Jesper’s eyes lingered on the spot where she had been, as if still processing the whirlwind that was Rune Bloodwyne.

Sabine refocused on our group. “We have another mission scheduled for next weekend. Infernal Grove. Saturday, the seventh. Be prepared, okay?”

At the name, Bram flinched. A ripple of worry gnawed through our bond, sharp and immediate.

I flicked my gaze to him, hearing the way his pulse quickened and feeling the unease that settled in his bones.

He swallowed hard but bowed his head in acknowledgment, the same as we all did.

“I’ll prepare our team,” Jesper confirmed, before turning toward us. A flicker of something unreadable crossed his expression, but his voice remained steady. “I look forward to working alongside you again.”

“You as well,” Hunter said, his gaze snapping to meet mine.

A slow, searing heat curled in my chest.

Burning hot retribution.

We were going to sabotage anything Sybil Shaw tried to do—we would be her karma.