Dark magic? What the hell was she talking about? Alarm bells rang out annoyingly loud, but just how stupid had I been?
I trusted Charlotte with my life before now…
“My mom is following in his footsteps soon.” She smiled sweetly, but it sent a vicious chill down my spine. “We’re going to carry out Dark Veil’s plans.”
“W—what?” I openly gaped at her, the woman who had once been my best freaking friend. Betrayal burned deep in my veins, coursing through me.
“It’s anhonor, Reed!” She tilted her head, red curls bouncing with the movement. “My mother will be one with dark magic soon, and I plan to do the same,obviously. It’s how evolution works. The more demons exposed to dark magic, the faster demons will be able to wield it without dying.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works, Charlotte.” I frowned, and a gnarled purple branch movedbetween us.
Even my dreamscape was keeping her away from me.
She waved me off, knocking the branch away as she took another step toward me. “Dark magic is unlimited in what you want to do. The void that dark magic can fill is immense. You can be a part of it, too.”
I took a couple of more steps backward. I didn’t recognize the person in front of me. “What does that have to do with my mom?”
“Oh! Your mother,” Charlotte continued, her smile widening as she clapped her hands together. “I willalwayslook after my best friend’s mom. Dark Veil agreed to initiate her so she could bring your father, her fated mate, back to life.”
“She’s human,” I choked out, brows furrowing. “That’s insane.”
“Yeah,” she giggled, pushing her hair out of her face. “It obviously wouldn’t work for her, so she offered you up to host the dark magic in her place. She understands our mission.”
Betrayal, pain, and anger exploded in my soul. I stumbled back from her further.
“No. I won’t be associated with dark magic!” With a forceful wave of my hand, I expelled Charlotte from my dreamscape for what would be the last time, her image dissipating like smoke.
Panic constricted my chest and clawed at my throat as I gasped a ragged breath. My mother, myown flesh and blood, complicit in a dark magic cult? Dad wouldn’t want this.
My vision blurred as I struggled to breathe, and my dreamscape spun out of control.
Subconsciously, I must’ve reached out for Pandora. She appeared before me with her wide red eyes in shock. Her red lips parted before spreading into a brilliant smile. Her long black hair was pulled back into a slick ponytail. She was stunning, and it stopped my panic in its tracks.
“Hi,” I murmured, drinking in the sight of her.
Her smile faltered as she looked at me. “Reed, what’s wrong?”
“I…”
The words tumbled out of my mouth completely unfiltered. I told Pandora about Charlotte and how I met her—how I trusted her because she was my best friend, my only friend for so long. I told her about my mom’s call and everything that Charlotte had just told me. I felt stupid. Completely stupid.
“You’re not stupid.” Her words were sharp. “It sounds like your friend is in deep with a dark magic cult, and there was no way you could’ve known about it. What did you say it was called?”
“She called it Dark Veil.”
“I’ve heard that name before somewhere,” she mumbled before shaking her head. “I’m going totell my dad this so he knows that you and your mom are in danger, okay?”
I nodded numbly. “Thank you. I just…I can’t believe she offered me up to acult.”My voice broke, and I ran my hands through my hair and tugged.
“I’m sorry,” she rasped, moving closer, and her caramel scent calmed my nerves. “If solidarity helps at all, I know what it’s like to have a terrible mom.”
“Yeah, you do, don’t you?” I glanced down at her. She’d mentioned that she had eaten her mother’s soul the first day we’d met, and I knew then that her mom must’ve been terrible. But she never really elaborated on why.
“I told you how I found Nebula and that he’d been killed by shadow magic, right?” She wrapped her arms around herself and looked down.
“You did.” I let my arms fall to my sides as I listened.
“Nebula found me when I was in the cellar, and I tried to hide him…but he was a kitten, so he didn’t know to hide from her. When she came down, she saw him. Her shadow tendril sliced his head off.” Tears slid down her cheeks and dropped onto the clouds at her feet. “I still remember the way his blood felt spraying onto my face. He was in my arms.” She sniffled and looked up, tears spilling from her eyes. “I didn’t even get to wash the blood off.”
