“I wouldn’t,” Hunter urged, giving me a look that was filled with sincerity.
“Why is that circle here?” I changed the topic, and this time, my voice was less scratchy and with more volume.
They shared another look, this one far less aggressive.
“What do you know about the circle?” Daryl rubbed his jaw, his long black hair falling over his shoulder.
“Dark magic circle,” I murmured, glancing over Hunter to see it. “It looks like a shadow ritual with the focal point of the magic circle to summon tangible dark magic to the physical world. I’d only thought it to be theorized.”
“Fates,” Hunter hissed, gathering his hair up and tying it into a bun on top of his head with a tie that was on his wrist. “That was oddly specific.”
“How do you know about dark magic circles?” Daryl’s eyes were wider than usual.
A prickling sensation crept up my spine as if shadow tendrils trailed icy tendrils along my skin. The dark magic circle pulsated with malevolent energy, sending ripples of discord through the air.
My demonic senses, finely aware of the ebb and flow of magical energies, screamed in protest at the presence of this type of magic.
A man interrupted our conversation, tearing my attention from the circle as he came over from where he’d been next to the altar with a smile on his face. His brown curls caught the sunlight, creating a halo of golden highlights atop his head. “Hi, I’m Craven. The incubus representative on the council.” His blue eyes were wide as he flicked them between me and Hunter. Then, his smile quirked into a smirk. “Hunter has told me so much about you.”
“Has he?” Daryl grumbled, crossing his arms. “She’smydaughter. I’ve talked about her, too, you know.”
“Of course, Death.” Craven bowed respectfully.
“Don’t forget that she’smystudent,” Hunter added grudgingly.
“Hi,” I answered Craven’s greeting politely. “I’m P-Gravesend.”
“Oh, I know.” His eyes twinkled as he momentarily flicked them toward Hunter.
What did that mean?
“What did you find?” Daryl barked the question, and the amusement drained from Craven’s face as he switched into business mode.
“Dark magic circle with remnants of darkmagic,” he stated, glancing over his shoulder at the circle. “Seems like a dark ritual, but there are no signs of warlock or witch magic. Only demonic. It’s bizarre.”
My body tensed, muscles coiling like a spring ready to snap. A bitter taste filled my mouth, a metallic tang that mirrored the scent of blood hung heavy on my tongue.
“Have her eyes always been black like yours?” Craven muttered to Daryl.
“No,” Hunter replied for him. “They’ve always been red.”
“How do you know that?” Daryl grumbled. “I mean, you’re right, but still.”
Nausea churned in the pit of my stomach, a visceral reaction to the tainted magic that permeated my space.
My feet started to move on their own, and as I reached the edge of the dark magic circle, a searing pain lanced through my head. It was a sharp, stabbing agony that threatened to drive me to my knees.
“Pandora?” Daryl’s voice spoke, but I couldn’t really hear him.
“Pandora, what’s going on?” Hunter’s voice made my magic swirl with happiness, but I wasn’t sure why.
Colors danced before my eyes, swirling in a maelstrom of blacks and grays as my magicalenergy clashed with the malevolent forces at play.
“I don’t know.” My hands trembled as I reached out, fingers brushing against an invisible barrier that separated me from the remnants of the dark magic. “But I need to…”
A surge of power coursed through me, an electric shock that left me gasping for breath.
“Everyone get back!” I heard someone yell in the distance.
