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29

PANDORA

T wo days had passed since we found out that Bram’s father had murdered his mother, and Bram’s pain and initial shock had turned to anger. I felt it thrumming through our bond even as we sat in Practical Applications of Ceremonial Magic, Skel on one side of me, Jenni on the other.

Jenni leaned in, keeping her gaze ahead on Ironwood as he gave his lecture. “Daryl has been worried sick about you, Pandora,” she murmured. “You should’ve seen him this weekend.”

Guilt twisted in my chest as I frowned. “I’ll spend time with him before the next mission. I promise.”

She bumped my shoulder with hers. “I get it, really. You’re needed for this shit. But I miss you and so does your dad. We both worry.”

“I miss you guys, too.”

Jenni grinned and settled back in her seat.

Bram sat beside Skel, his gaze locked ahead as well, but sadness bled through the bond beneath the anger.

I turned to him, leaning over Skel’s lap, bracing myself with his thighs, and I pressed a quick kiss to Bram’s cheek before pulling back and sitting in my seat again.

His eyes widened slightly, a pink flush creeping up his neck.

Skel let out a low chuckle. “Aw, Bram, you’re blushing,” he teased, nudging him with his elbow.

“Shut up,” Bram grumbled under his breath.

Ironwood’s voice cut through our little moment. “Amplifying magical essence is not just about boosting your power blindly; it’s about controlling the level of it. Understanding your magical essence . Mastery of the temporary boost ceremonial magic can provide you.” He paced in front of the class, his eyes scanning over us. “Bram, come up and demonstrate to the class.”

Bram’s anger flared again, but he stood and walked to the front of the class.

“Do you remember how to do this or do you need my help?” Ironwood shot Bram a condescending look.

“I can do it.” Bram rolled his eyes and stepped in front of the floor-length mirror on a stand that was set up in front of the classroom with a small altar next to it.

He grabbed a box of matches and lit the six candles on the altar one by one, mumbling his intent before pressing his fingers together to put out the fire on the match. He set it down and stared into the mirror.

The moment he tapped into his magic, I knew the ritual worked because it was too much.

His control wavered, and his power combusted. All of his chaos manifestations formed, lashed out, uncontrolled and chaotic. Chaos, the other wolves, the snake, and the hawks wreaked havoc.

“Bram, calm your fucking magic!” Ironwood shouted at him, stumbling back like his power shocked him.

I leapt to my feet and rushed toward Bram, around the chaos he summoned, pressing a hand to his chest. “Bram, breathe,” I murmured, sending my support through our bond. “You can control your power.”

“I can.” He nodded, jaw tightening.

Slowly, his manifestations slipped back inside one by one.

“Unacceptable,” Ironwood snapped. “If you cannot control your magic, you are a danger to society. You do not need to amplify your magic if it’s this much of a problem.”

“It’s not a problem,” Bram growled out as I laced my fingers in his. “I controlled it just fine once I realized it was out of control.”

“I beg to differ,” Ironwood snorted.

Rage spiked in our bond, and I squeezed his hand as I sent reassurance to him.

“I can go next,” Voidfire interrupted, stepping forward with a smile on her red lips.

For once, she actually broke the tension in a positive way.

Ironwood inclined his head in a nod. “Fine. Show us what you can do.”

She walked over to the mirror as Bram and I headed back to our seats.

By the time we sat down, Voidfire had already completed the ceremony to amplify her powers.

Ironwood’s lips twitched into a smile. “See, that’s how you do it. You don’t lose control of your powers like Bram did.”

“I won’t lose control of my powers, but now that they’re boosted…” Voidfire smirked before her gaze zeroed in on me.

“Okay, you were right,” I whispered to Bram and Skel. “We should’ve killed her before she tried something.”

“What do you mean?” Bram and Skel asked quickly.

“Curse of the Fated eyes!” She summoned her fear magic and blasted it at me.

Ironwood’s shoulders slumped. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

Oh, shit.

I racked my brain about demonic curses and remembered that fear demons were able to curse others by simply looking at others with malicious intent. The exact way Voidfire was staring at me now. The curse was known to literally bring the victim’s fears to life. Only, those fears can and will hurt them.

In some instances, the illusion can kill the victim.

“Fuck!” Skel and Bram shouted, throwing themselves in front of me, but it was too late.

Shadows twisted and coiled before us. A figure stepped forward from the darkness, and my blood ran ice cold.

Mother— no —Penny Bones stood before me, her form far too real to be an illusion. Her blonde hair was oily, slick with blood just like it had been before. Her red eyes narrowed into slits as she glared at me.

My body went rigid.

This wasn’t possible.

She was dead.

I killed her.

“No,” I rasped.

“Oh, Pandora,” she tsked. “Did you really think you could eat my soul and get rid of me? A worthless, weak , defective demon like you?” Her head tossed back as she laughed. “I’m going to have to punish you for that.”

Her voice was as sharp as I remembered. It was suffocating. Her shadow tendrils lashed out, completely bypassing Skel and Bram, striking me across the chest.

Pain exploded as I fell, and my vision tunneled instantly. Pain ricocheted through me as I landed on the stone floor. Blood splashed underneath me as Penny cackled.

“Pandora!” Skel’s scream was distant, barely cutting through the horror locking me in place.

Voidfire’s laughter rang out somewhere in the distance. “She deserves this! Her fear should kill her! She killed Dreadful, Shadeberry, and Nightwind!”

Dex’s voice pierced the fog in my mind as he stepped out of the shadows somewhere in the room. “ Wrong . Sure, she killed Dreadful. But I killed Shadeberry and Nightwind, and I made it so fucking painful for them. At least Pandora killed Dreadful quick. She did her a fucking mercy.”

Voidfire screamed.

The nightmare that was the woman that birthed me wrapped around me, taunting me.

“We have so much time to make up for, Pandora!” Her shadow tendril stabbed through my stomach, ripping the circular scar open with ease.

White-hot agony flared through me.

Blood bubbled up my throat.

I was drowning in it.

Was this really a curse? Or was Penny Bones actually here?

This pain was all too real. Logic was fleeing me.

Bram’s arms were around me, lifting me off the ground and into his lap. “Pandora, whatever you’re seeing is not real. Look at me.” His voice was strained, desperate.

“Aw, you’ve found a few mates and think I can’t hurt you?” Penny laughed again, but only anger burned in her eyes. Just like when she was alive.

Jenni was beside him, her eyes filled with fear. “Pandora, what the Fates is happening?”

“P—Penny,” I croaked before a violent lash of shadow struck my face, ripping it open with one hit. I flinched into Bram’s chest, slumping against him and praying to the Fates that Bones would go away.

“Fuck, Dex, kill that bitch!” Bram barked.

Ironwood snapped, “Voidfire, break the curse!”

She only laughed. “No! She deserves this.”

“No, she doesn’t, but you do.” Skel’s fear magic surged, smacking into her hard.

Voidfire’s laughter turned to screams. She collapsed, terror twisting her features as Penny Bones continued to mock me.

“I don’t need a curse to kill like you do. I’ll let your fears paralyze your organs until they can’t fucking keep you alive any longer.” Skel’s voice rang out.

Shadows tore into me again, making my blood splatter all around us, soaking Bram’s shirt.

“Skel, be quick!” Bram shouted.

“It’s done,” he replied, sucking his fear magic back into him.

Voidfire’s body went limp.

Penny Bones and her shadows faded into nothing but a memory as the curse shattered.

The classroom was silent.

Ironwood took a step back, his face pale as he took in the damages. “You… killed her without a curse.” His voice was hushed, almost disbelieving. “Without even amplifying your magic. Fear demons can’t do that.”

“I can.” Skel ran a hand through his black and white streaked hair. “If someone’s trying to kill my mate, you better fucking believe I’ll kill them first.”

He shook himself, regaining composure. “ Go . Now . To Headmistress Clearwater’s office. Everyone else, out.” He dismissed the class without another word.

Other demons practically sprinted out of the room as Dex shadow-traveled us to Verity Clearwater’s office, leaving Ironwood with Voidfire’s corpse.

Verity barely had time to ask what was wrong before Ironwood’s call came through. We could hear his clipped explanation through the receiver.

It was a shitty explanation , and I was bleeding all over her floor as my body healed itself.

There were so many injuries from that curse.

“Did she always hurt you like this?” Dex asked, voice strained.

I sighed, thankful for the lack of pain. “This was child’s play. She’s done worse.”

“Fuck,” Bram muttered, holding me tighter.

“Thanks for killing her,” I murmured, meeting Skel’s worried green eyes.

“Anything for you, princess.”

Verity sighed into the phone. “A noble demon, killed at our school. Not missing—killed. Yes, Ironwood. I’ve got it.”

She hung up and her gaze settled on us. “And what’s your side of what happened?”

Before any of us could answer, Hunter burst in, practically knocking the door off the hinges. “What happened?”

Reed ran in behind him, clutching his chest as he took in the state of us. “Are you okay?”

I nodded wordlessly.

“You have blood all over you,” Hunter croaked.

“And your clothes are sliced through,” Reed added.

“Voidfire cast a curse on her. The Curse of the Fated Eyes,” Skel hissed out, anger drenching his voice.

“Pandora started being whipped by an invisible shadow tendril,” Bram spat out, his body trembling under me.

“I’m sure you can guess who she saw,” Dex stated, his hands tugging at the white-blond strands of his hair. His fog gray eyes were wide with fear as they scanned me over and over again to make sure I was healed.

“Penny Bones,” Hunter muttered.

I nodded, hot tears welling in my eyes. “Of course it was her. She spoke. It was like she was really there. I couldn’t…I couldn’t fight back. I was so shocked—afraid.”

“She’s dead,” Reed murmured, coming over and standing next to us. “She’ll never hurt you again.”

“She didn’t hurt you today,” Hunter told me. “Voidfire did.”

“And she was killed for it,” Skel promised.

Verity leaned back, rubbing her temples. “It’s a clear case of self-defense,” she said. “Go on. Have a good day.”

No day that I saw Penny Bones would be a good day, but I appreciated her sentiment.