“Circumstantial evidence doesn’t prove total guilt,” he argued, pacing the room as he fixed his cufflinks. “Besides, we need to focus on how often we’re using the relic. It’s not secure when we have to keep bringing it out to absorb dark magic. We only have one.”
“What choice do we have?” I snarled, and Blackthistle glanced pointedly at Pandora.
“Not a fucking chance, Blackthistle,” Death growled.
Pandora stirred, catching our attention as she jolted up, abrupt and disoriented. “Hunt—Hunter?” She glanced around before seeing me, and her shoulders sagged in relief. “Daryl? Wait, what happened?”
“You ate some more dark magic and a soul.”Blackthistle tilted his head, scanning her body as if expecting dark magic to be there.
She blinked at him like he was crazy before clutching her stomach and pushing off my couch, stumbling to the small trash bin next to my desk and hurling black tar into it.
It looked like she was puking dark magic, but we had checked before. Itwasn’tdark magic. We just didn’t know what it was that she was puking up.
Lurching to the trash can, she continued to empty the contents of her stomach, her body trembling with the effort.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, her voice weak.
I moved over and wrapped an arm around her waist before helping her to her feet. “You okay?”
She winced, leaning against me as she tried to maintain a regular breathing pattern. “I’m okay.”
“But how do you feel?” Death asked, moving closer and staring at his daughter with care in his gaze.
“I need air,” she rasped, moving her sweat-stuck hair off her face. “I want to go for a walk.”
The instinct to protect surged within my soul. “It's not safe?—”
“She’s in control of her magic now, and she can use it to protect herself. She can go for a walk if she wants,” Death scolded me, looking at me with a warning.
I relented, but something in my gut told me not to let her go. “If you need me, call. I'll be there, okay?”
Her lips curved into a satisfied smile as she wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned into me. “Okay.”
I held her tightly, inhaling the scent of caramel. She made me feel complete in a way nobody else ever had.
The door swung open as we pulled apart, and I kissed her forehead.
Grimshaw, Hemlock, and Shadowheart stood in the doorway with what looked like…jealousy etched on their faces as they glared at Pandora.
“I’ll see you later,” she murmured softly before turning and brushing past the three of them, her exit swift and determined.
They each watched her walk down the hall before turning their glowers toward me accusingly.
“Good, the three of you came,” Blackthistle greeted them with a smile. “I was hoping you would tell us exactly what happened tonight with the dark magic circle and the infected demon inside of it.”
I gritted my teeth and glanced at Death.
With one look, I knew he hadn’t known he called them down either.
Hemlock had recounted their discovery of thedark magic circle for the three of them. Shadowheart had evidently gripped his stomach in pain, then Grimshaw took Shadowheart to their dorm, and Hemlock reported the dark magic circle to me. It was useless information that we had already gotten, but Blackthistle seemed oddly interested in Shadowheart’s pain around the dark magic.
Once the three were dismissed, Blackthisle, Death, and I were left to discuss the spreading of dark magic. Unfortunately, how to stop it was the question none of us could come up with a solution for. I hated not knowing the source of this plague, and my hand subconsciously traced the contours of the Kalista map tattooed on my chest, each line a promise of vengeance to be fulfilled.
The relic's safety, Pandora's health, and the underlying threat of Dark Veil all required a plan—a meticulous, obsessive plan that wehadto devise if we stood a chance against the dark magic.
50
PANDORA
