“I understand that if you infect your son with dark magic, he will die an unbearable death.” Islammed my hands on the surface of the desk, and she jumped.
“But they said he would be stronger, more perfect.” She cast her gaze downward.
“You will serve as our informant,” Blackthistle told her.
She jolted again, and when her eyes flew to the headmaster, she froze. I wasn’t a fear demon, but I knew for sure Link was having a feast on hers. “I—yes. Whatever you say.”
“I will send you to your husband if you so much as think about infecting your son, got it?” I growled at her. “I’ve seen those infected. They rot from the inside out. I knew you were a shit mother, but you are worse than he alluded to.”
Her mouth fell open as shock enveloped her expression. “He…you spoke with my son? He thinks that?”
“I’m his counselor,” I informed her before turning to Joel, specifically because he was an incubus and could perform the specific demonic curse we needed him to. “Make a demonic pact with her to make sure she understands the terms of her being an informant. Make sure not infecting Reed Nyx is in it.”
He nodded, and with a few incantations, he bound her with a demonic curse, ensuring her compliance and silence, or she’d die a poisonous death.
As the meeting ended and Cass Nyx was escorted out of the office, Joel nudged my arm. “Talk to me, Hunter. Honestly, you have fuckingstarsin your eyes. But they’re also haunted. I’ve never seen that look on you, and it’s weird.”
“What look?” I frowned.
“Like you’ve been given a puppy with a demonic curse to die in three days,” he deadpanned, crossing his arms.
“Pandora is...perfect,” I admitted, my voice a low murmur in hopes that Death didn’t hear me talking about his daughter since he was in a deep conversation with Link about something. “But she's freshly freed from a lifetime of shackles, literally. She needs time.”
Joel’s blue gaze widened. “You have feelings for her, though.”
I glanced away, watching the council members discuss a few more last minute details about the dark magic cases in the capital. “Yes. But her path to healing has to come first. I can’t hurt her, and if I share my romantic feelings for her too soon, that’s what it would do.”
He clapped me on the shoulder, a very welcomed show of support. “You’ll be able to share soon. Demons bounce back from trauma faster than any other supernatural. You’ve told me that.”
“That’s true,” I murmured. It was proven aftercountless studies that demonic energy helped us cope with serious traumas. The theory was because demons were so cruel, our energy had to make us malleable to cope with it.
“But remember, others don’t have the same concerns as you,” he said, squeezing my shoulder before dropping his hand and getting to his feet. “You might not be the only one who likes her.”
My lips parted at the realization that if someone did have feelings for her, they probably wouldn’t hold them back because they didn’t know she was healing from something.
My thoughts shifted to Reed Nyx, and I knew he had feelings for her that were more than friendship—and I’d encouraged him to get closer to her.
An ache bloomed in my chest as I watched the other council members disperse, but Blackthistle lingered by the door as if he had been listening to Joel and I.
The headmaster had always been nosy, and he’d always set off alarms with my instincts, but nothing could compare to the chill down my spine when I met his gaze.
A heavy coat of dread hung in the air, and I knew it was a sign of the dark magic that was out to destroy everything that we, as demons, knew.
33
REED
“Pandora's dad is something else,” I mumbled, lying on my stomach toward the edge of my bed as I talked to Gumdrop. “Death literallyatea fragment of Hemlock’s soul.”
Gumdrop bubbled in response, and I chuckled softly.
“I know, that was my reaction, too!” I took a bite of the purple cotton candy next to me, and the sweet flavor melted on my tongue. “It was the first time I’d ever seen himnotdrunk. Of course, he was still as angry as ever.”
My tablet rang with a call, and my heart sank as my mom’s name flashed on the screen.
“It’s Mom.” I hesitated, taking another quick bite of the cotton candy, then swiped to answer. I braced myself for whatever she was going to say.
“Reed, oh, Fates, they've caught me!” she sobbed, words tumbling out in a frantic spiel. “I thought...I thought I could bring him back, but it’s ruined!”
