“I don’t know, but it won’t be for long.” I called on my power, letting my smoke escape my lips and surround the ring, eating away at the dark magic that swirled inside of it.
It writhed and twisted, resisting being consumed by my magic. But I pushed, purging it forcefully until the only magic inside the ring was the enchantment meant for it. My stomach heaved as my power slunk back into me, but I kept it down.
I picked the ring up, staring down at the now-cleansed ring. “There.”
“Wait,” Reed murmured. “Why the Fates was it here?”
“Itwasn’t,” Dex growled.
“Could it have been misplaced?” Bram suggested weakly.
I turned the ring over in my fingers, my brows furrowing. “No. It wouldn’t have been here if I had. It shouldn’t have been infected, either.”
“Which means...” Skel trailed off.
Hunter raked a hand down his face. “It wasn’t misplaced. It was stolen and brought back.”
Everyone in the room tensed.
“By the same person leaving alcohol for Bram,” I muttered bitterly.
“But who?” Dex asked. “Dark Veil? They aren’t trying to infect Pandora anymore, and what would enticing Bram to drink do?”
“Maybe they’re changing tactics,” I mumbled. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Whatever it is, I don’t fucking like it,” Dex seethed.
“None of us do,” Hunter agreed. “But Pandora needs to stop grabbing dark magic things.”
“I agree with that,” Dex said.
“You know I can handle dark magic, though,” I grumbled, crossing my arms.
“Aw, she’s cute when she’s being a brat,” Bram commented.
I gasped.
“You are,” Skel agreed. “It’s hot.”
Reed nodded. “True, but to double back a second…even though youcanhandle dark magic doesn’t mean you should.”
“Sorry,” I murmured.
“Don’t apologize.” Dex put a finger under my chin and lifted my head. “Just stay safe for us.”
Dread pooled in my gut along with the dead dark magic. I knew I had a chance to take revenge tomorrow, and I would do everything in my power to mess up anything Dark Veil had planned.
19
PANDORA
The ocean stretched out before us. Its surface shimmered under the soft caress of the morning sun as a salty breeze blew through my hair, teasing loose strands across my face. Usually, the beach relaxed me, but the air felt wrong—thick and tainted with sulfur. It barely smelled of the calming brine I correlated with the beach.
“It’s good to see you all again,” Jesper, the supernatural agent with long white hair, greeted us. His sharp brown eyes scanned us quickly.
He wasn’t alone. At his side, the Apex Elite Academy student who had been shadowing him at the meeting—April—stood with an eager tilt to her posture. Her curly brown hair caught the morning light as she gazed up at Jesper, admiration flickering in her dark eyes.
Around them, a group of ten or twelve agents stood in loose formation, their weapons at their sides. Their stances were rigid with anticipation.
