His brows raised. “Who’s Charlotte?”
I blinked a few times before realizing that I had mentioned her. “Charlotte’s my best friend. We met online after Mom moved from the Capital, and we became close enough for me to pull her into my dreamscape. We talk about everything.”
He hummed low in his throat, tilting his head. “Is there anything more than friendship between you?”
I choked on a breath before hitting my chest acouple of times with my fist. “Fates, no. Charlotte is…Charlotte.”
“What about the new person you’re seeing in your dreamscape?” He arched a brow. “Is there anything between you and them?”
“Her,” I corrected sheepishly, feeling my face heat. “Pandora, actually. She entered my dreamscape so easily, and we talked forever when she was there.”
He tensed, straightening his posture. “Pandora, really?”
I nodded, drifting my gaze to my lap as a smile tugged at my lips. “She’s really special.”
“Yes, she is.” His voice was thick with an emotion I couldn’t place. “Do you l…trust her?”
My head snapped up. “I trust her, but even with Pandora, I don’t think I could enter her dreams.”
“Try pulling her into your dreamscape again,” Darkmore suggested, but I heard the hesitation in his words. “Then see how you feel. A shared dream with you in control, but focus on the fact that she has no control of it. She’s trusting you. That alone might be a step toward feeling safe.”
I mulled over the idea. “You think so?”
“I do,” he murmured before rubbing his cheek. “And between you and me, I think Pandora is the most trustworthy and kind demon I’ve ever met.”
My eyes widened as I studied that warmth thatcrept into his eyes. “You like her, too?” The question tumbled from my lips.
“In a way, yes,” Darkmore admitted, though his tone suggested a lot more than a platonic affection. “She's strong and caring. I feel very protective of her, and yet, I think she could offer you a sense of stability.”
I sucked in a deep breath, letting that information settle. A strange tangle of emotions webbed around my chest. He was our counselor, on the Demon Council, and worked with her dad. There were a lot of reasons for himnotto develop feelings for her, but a weird part of me didn’t mind it.
He would be good for her—and so would I.
“You care about her,” I murmured, cheeks heating up. “So do I.”
Darkmore glanced away for a moment, his gaze resting on the spines of the books lining the mahogany shelves of his office. “We all have our...wants,” he said, the corner of his mouth twitching into a shadow of a smile. “I know my role is to guide and protect her.”
I felt a knot of sympathy for him, knowing there were probably lines he wasn’t supposed to cross. “I guess that makes two of us who see something special in Pandora.”
“I guess it does,” he replied, meeting my gaze again. “You would be a great connection for her.She needs kindness, and right now, that’s something I…we can give her.”
I couldn't deny the warmth that thought brought me, but that was stunted by the realization that Darkmore's feelings were deeper than I had thought—especially since he couldn’t act on them. “I'll try to pull her into my dreamscape again,” I murmured before I changed the subject to another topic on my mind. “Can you talk about the dark magic that was on campus?”
Darkmore hesitated before nodding, his face becoming a mask of professionalism only. “Yes. Dark magic is making an appearance. We have found a way to contain it.” His finger traced the edge of his desk. “You shouldn’t worry.”
“How can I not worry?” I glanced out the window to where the sky had turned a dusky purple. “Do you know where it came from?”
“The council has theories but nothing concrete.”
“I'm worried about what that means for all of us.” I chewed on my inner cheek. “Pandora looked so haunted when she came to class after seeing the dark magic circle. I’m worried about everyone, but specifically her.”
“She did?” Darkmore's expression turned grim. “We're all concerned. But the council will find a way to stop it before it's too late.”
My thoughts turned to Gumdrop, my sweetaxolotl, and I found myself wanting to talk to him about all of this. I knew I probably would once I got back to the dorm.
“Everything we’re talking about is stuff I would be telling my pet axolotl, Gumdrop,” I admitted, shifting on the sofa. “Gumdrop was the only other being there for me growing up,” I found myself saying. “After my dad died, it was just him and me. Sure, I had Charlotte to message and talk to, but Gumdrop wasthere.”
“That’s good.” Darkmore nodded understandingly, and his shoulders relaxed. “Bonds with animals can be strong. He's been a source of comfort for you, just as Pandora might be if you let her.”
