49. Hunter

The texture of the wine label under my fingers was sleek, and the placement of the sticker was a small comfort as I pulled out the wine bottle from my cabinet. The caramel fae wine sloshed softly into my coffee cup, the scent that reminded me of Pandora.

I took a sip, allowing the familiar magical warmth to settle my nerves.

Across from my desk, Pandora lay on the plush sofa, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.

Death and Blackthistle were toe-to-toe in a heated conversation, and Blackthistle was a brave son of a bitch for getting on Death’s bad side, council representative or not.

“Why the hell was there a dark magic circle beneath Occult Arch anyway?” I asked, trying to move the conversation in a more productive direction.

Death’s jaw tensed, and he glanced at me cooly. “We need to find out how and why this happened. This is about the safety of every student on this campus, my daughter’s included.”

Blackthistle ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair with a sigh. “If your daughter can absorb dark magic, she could be invaluable against this dark magic plague.”

Death’s magic flared as he got into the headmaster’s face. “She”s not a tool to be used, Blackthistle. She”s been through enough.”

Blackthistle raised his hands in surrender, his eyes shifting toward Pandora. “I misspoke. Her well-being comes first, of course.”

But there was something to the way he had backed down so easily. It sent chills down my spine.

“There was a huge dark magic circle found on the roof of Bound Dormitory yesterday, and now this?” I pinched my brows and took a quick sip of caramel fae wine before continuing, “Demons are still popping up infected with dark magic in the capital. We’re nowhere near finding the source of it.”

“The investigation is pointing toward the Shadowheart family,” Death stated, running a hand down his face. “Craven has mentioned that they’re involved more deeply in dark magic than we imagined.”

Blackthistle”s face tightened, a flash of anger passing over his features. “Craven is new to the council, and he doesn’t handle investigations properly. We need solid evidence of the Shadowhearts. Without it, these are just accusations.”

“Circumstantial evidence is still evidence,” I defended Joel. So what if he had been new to the council? He knew how to run a fucking investigation.

“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. It wasn’t dark 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 the dark 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 we had to devise if we stood a chance against the dark magic.