Page 110 of Possess Me at Midnight

Everyone in the room stops, stares. Collective disquiet fills the space.

Finally, my brother takes his seat with a quiet huff. “Apparently, this is me now. I don’t like it. Clearly, you don’t, either.”

“Aww, not feeling like magickind’s chipper Boy Scout anymore?” Shock smirks.

Bram glowers back. “Fuck you.”

“You’re not my type, especially now.” Behind his ever-present sunglasses, Shock seems to dissect Bram.

Does he mean the fracturing of Bram’s magical signature? He must see it. We all do.

“What do you know about Mathias’s mystery spell?” I ask.

“Haven’t figured it out?” Shock raises an imperious black brow and shakes his head.

“Don’t start with your riddles, you dodgy prick,” Bram growls. “We don’t have time. Tell us.”

“You think I take orders from you? Aren’t you cute?”

I don’t disagree with Bram’s assessment, but now isn’t the time to provoke Shock. We need his help too badly. I do my best to placate him instead. “Please. Can you explain it to us?”

“You really should let her talk for you more. She’s smarter and better looking by half,” Shock drawls to my brother. “Ever heard of the Devouring Shadow?”

Chapter

Thirty-Seven

I wrack my memory, but… “No. What does that mean? What does it do?”

“What do you think?”

I grit my teeth. “Did you come here to play twenty questions or to help?”

Shock shrugs. “Depends how entertaining you lot are this morning.”

Despite my best effort, the bastard gets under my skin. It’s all I can do not to throttle him. I know why Bram asked him to join the Doomsday Brethren when he began the group, but honestly… I think it was a mistake.

“You’re entitled to your opinion,” Shock drawls. “I really don’t care.”

Why did you come if you’re not going to help? I let the words fill my head, knowing he’ll hear them.

“Who said I wasn’t going to help?” Shock shrugs, the leather of his jacket creaking with the move.

Bram rakes a hand through his hair, sharp eyes turning progressively darker. “Stop toying with my sister and fucking talk, or I’ll thrash you within an inch of your life.”

“You can try.”

“We’re not here to amuse you,” Ice finally cuts in. “Unless you want magickind destroyed, we need answers.”

Shock heaves an exaggerated sigh, like an overburdened parent whose kid asked for a bedtime story. He tilts his head toward Bram’s seething expression, his smile razor-sharp. “The Devouring Shadow doesn’t merely wound the body; it fractures the soul—right down the middle, severing the light from the dark. Guess which half is winning?”

A cold knot forms under my ribs. “What are you saying? That…that black cloud?—”

“Proof the spell took. It works in two ways. First, the unconsciousness allows the cleaving of the soul to begin while ensuring you can’t fight back. Then, the dark half begins feeding on the light. Darker impulses like anger, cruelty, and ruthlessness take over.” Shock’s casual tone makes his revelation even more chilling.

“And now that I’m awake?” Bram demands, his knuckles white against the heavy, dark table.

“The dark healer who came gave you enough light and energy to choke off the smothering black cloud. But inside? The soul split is still in full swing. If you don’t find a way to repair it…” He shrugs with infuriating nonchalance. “Your light half will die.”