Slater and I waved at his family as Pandora’s shadow demon mate stepped out of the shadows behind them and wrapped his arms around Pandora’s waist, pressing a kiss to her head.
“Ready to go, trouble?” he purred.
“Yes.” She leaned into him.
I smiled, loving that Pandora had five devoted fated mates. She deserved it more than anyone I knew after what she’d been through.
Slater and I picked up our pace and followed behind my parents. He walked right beside me, shooting me longing looks that I’d never had directed at me before. At first, it was off-putting, but I had to admit, his attitude was already growing on me.
A black snake appeared, curling around his shoulders and reaching out his head to me. He had the same bright red eyes as his demon. His tongue came out a couple of times as he got closer.
Slater blushed, taking a quick breath, and the snake dissipated.
“Cute,” I murmured.
“Yes, like you,” Slater flirted. “Sorry, I usually keep my chaos manifestation out, but since it’s the exam, I wanted him to stay unseen. He was curious about you, though.”
“No need for apologies. I love snakes.” The bridge’s white stone shimmered beneath my boots with magic. Pale blue lines pulsed through the stone in veins, responding with a low hum that buzzed up my legs and into my chest. Every step across it felt like being judged and invited as it decided my intentions.
Thankfully, my intentions were honest. I’d wanted to become a supernatural agent for as long as I could remember. That way, I could protect Kalista’s supernaturals in a more hands-on way than my parents did. Not that what they did wasn’t worthy of immense respect. I only wanted to do something different.
“What do you look like in basilisk form?” Slater asked, a little too eagerly.
“Anyone who isn’t family who has seen that form has been killed,” I giggled, reaching up and tucking a piece of my green hair behind my ear. I had done my hair up in space buns but left the front sides down. They kept poking my poor eyes, though, so I should’ve fixed that.
“Ah, so if you showed me, I’d be family.” He winked, biting down on his lip in a way that was way too attractive.
“If I showed you, I’d have to kill you.” I pouted my lips out. “That’d be a shame considering you have the potential to become an agent. Wouldn’t it?”
“You wouldn’t kill me,” he claimed cockily.
I pressed my lips together to hide my smile because he might’ve been right.
Beneath the bridge, there was no water, just light. A glowing mist of magical energy churned lazily with fae orbs within it, dense enough to drown in, if magic worked that way. Some fae magic did, but I didn’t think that was the case…this time.Hopefully. Though, that would be an interesting death for a supernatural.
As we walked farther across, everything behind me fell quiet. The forest. The teleporter. Even the wind. It was probably my awe that quieted the world for me since my basilisk senses would easily be able to pick up on those things from this distance.
Apex Elite Academy was a fortress. The outer towers shimmered with protective runes etched into the sides, and the central spire of the academy, Apex Nexus, glowed in sync with a heartbeat. The air shifted as we neared the gates, heavier and charged.
Crossing the final threshold of the bridge, I stopped dead in my tracks as I caught sight of something my parents had only ever told me about.
Apex Penitentiary was beneath this academy, that much I knew, but what I didn’t know was that the entrance wasn’t within Apex Nexus at all. I hadn’t even noticed it until now. To the left of the academy building was a jagged black pit filled with glassy, motionless water. The surface shimmered like a mirror...until itbreathed.
Just beneath the water, an open mouth waited. I knew it wasn’t the mouth of some creature, but it was a trap. It was a gaping, organic trap, ringed in rows of teeth, similar to what I’d imagine a worm left over from Kalista’s First War to be like. I knew it was fae-built, hopefully fae-gifted. Only the fae could create something so creepy.
“That’s scary.” Slater shivered, moving behind me as if I could shield him from it. “Venom baby, protect me.”
I cracked a smile as I realized that you couldn’t just walk into Apex Penitentiary. You had to dive and hope you weren’t chewed to death before reaching whatever was below. My magic prickled along my skin, recognizing the danger.
“Below that entrance, twisting through underground tunnels built like a death puzzle, leads to the penitentiary that houses only the worst of us,” Mom stated, her voice perfectly flat.
My heart pounded, raging through my ears.
“I want to go in,” I whispered, barely breathing.
“Does she need therapy?” Dad asked Pops, who chuckled.
“No. She’s just our daughter.”
