32. Skel

32

SKEL

I was lost in a haze of rainbow-colored smoke. It was pretty as it twisted and curled like a living thing, casting shadows on the walls.

Fae magic numbed my body. I used to love not feeling, but now, I just wanted to feel. I wanted to feel for Pandora. I took another long drag from my fae pipe, and the magic-laced smoke filled my lungs. The magic eased the relentless leak of fear magic that seeped from me like a broken faucet, but it didn’t ease it as well as she did. It never would.

I was addicted to Pandora far more than I was to the fae pipe.

Glancing over toward Dex’s empty bed, I wondered where he was.

He was probably off stalking our mate.

My fingers absently played with the white streaks in my hair as I laid on my bed smoking. It was the only fucking thing I could do. That used to not bother me, but if I tried to do anything else, my fear magic leaked out—unless I was with Pandora.

She was my cure and the other half of my fucking soul. No wonder I’d felt so much for her from the start. I was just confused. I didn’t know it was the matebond that made me want her so badly. But I wasn’t the only one. Bram and Dex did it, too.

But I was the one she’d forgiven.

The tablet on the bedside table buzzed, cutting through my magic high.

I let out a sigh, the smoke escaping my lips in a lazy swirl as I sat up and reached for the devise.

The name on the screen made my heart skip a beat.

Why was Dad calling?

I hit the green button on the screen. “Hey, Da?—”

“Skel!” His voice held an edge of panic I hadn't heard since I’d wrecked havoc on that damned village. “It's Kat. She’s?—”

His sob broke him off.

Fear spiked in my throat. “She’s what ?”

“She’s infected with dark magic,” he choked out.

The words hit me like a physical blow, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of my chest.

“What?” My voice cracked, and the fae pipe slipped from my fingers. “How?”

“She's been acting erratically,” Dad continued, his voice breaking. “I don't know how long she’s been infected. I just realized what was going on and called you. I feel terrible?—”

I didn't hear the rest.

The tablet fell from my hands, clattering to the floor as a wave of uncontrollable fear magic burst from within me, warping the shadows in the room into grotesque, nightmarish shapes.

Illusions of those people that had died by magic materialized, taunting me. I sucked harder on my pipe, pushing those illusions away.

“Kat’s infected,” I stated, out loud, and it finally fucking sunk into my warped brain. “Oh, fuck. Oh , fuck .”

I had to get to Darkmore—he was on the council. He’d know what to do. Wait, no.

I had to find Pandora.

Pandora could fix her…if it wasn’t too late— no . It wouldn’t be too late. It couldn’t be too late.

Stumbling out of the dorm, I bolted across the desert campus, the dry heat boring down on me. Hot tears spilled from my eyes, but magic deep within my soul reached for my mate’s. I had to find her.

I wasn’t sure how I knew where she’d be since the bond hadn’t formed, but her soul guided me. I followed the tug, desperately.

Reform Hall loomed ahead, the sandstone structure almost glowing in the midday sun. I burst through the doors, rushing through the lobby and down the hallway until I reached Darkmore’s office.

Bursting through the door, I rushed inside, stuffing my pipe in my pocket because my magic finally calmed when I was close to her. And Pandora was there, thank the Fates.

She jolted up from the sofa, her eyes widening as she took in my fucked-up state. “Skel, what happened?”

“Shit.” Hunter stood up from where he was sitting beside her. “Breathe and tell us what happened.”

“Pandora, please,” I gasped, my words tumbling out in a frantic slew that blended together. “It's Kat—m—my sister. Help her, please. ”

Her lips parted in shock, but before she could respond, Dex emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room.

His expression shifted from confused to concerned in an instant. “Skel, dude, slow the fuck down. What's going on?”

I could barely breathe, the sobs choking me as I forced the words out. “Dad called. Kat's infected with dark magic. She's...she's erratic, he said.” I turned back to Pandora. “Please, Pandora, you have to help her. Please.”

“Little sister Kat’s infected?” Dex muttered the words, a hollow look passing over his eyes before he shook his head. “Shit.”

Pandora's gaze hardened, and she rushed to my side in a way I’d only ever dreamed of her doing. Her small hand curled around mine and squeezed. “We'll help her, Skel. Right now.”

“Skel’s your mate, so that means his sister’s our family, too.” Hunter nodded, glancing at Dex. “Take us to her. We’re all going.”

He called me Skel?

“Ready, Pandora?” Dex’s gaze shone with concern before she nodded.

His shadows reached out, enshrouding us.

When the darkness receded, we stood in the living room of my family home. It wasn’t much, but it was home. Truthfully, I fucking missed it. It had always been decorated with desert hues and simple furnishings, but I didn’t have a chance to really absorb that because the scene that greeted us was fucking chaos.

Kat stood in the center of the room, her purple eyes darkened and wild. Her black and white hair that was usually in a sleek bob was matted like a rat’s nest on top of her head. Black veins webbed out, stark against her pale skin.

Dad was slumped against the wall, dried blood matting his dark hair to his forehead, and the coffee table was shattered, glass strewn across the floor.

As soon as Kat saw me, she turned from Dad, her face twisted in rage. “Mom should’ve gouged that eye of yours out, you fucking nightmare. You’re why she’s dead!” she screamed, and the words cut deeper than any fucking shadow tendril ever could. “This is all your fault!”

Tears streamed down my face as I stumbled toward her, out reaching my hand. “Kat, I'm sorry. I?—”

“Stay away from me!” she shrieked, the dark magic warping her voice into something monstrous. “ You’re the reason this family is fucked up!”

Her words were fucking excruciating.

“Everyone stop!” Pandora’s raspy voice filled the room in a commanding way I’d never heard her use before. “Skel, she doesn’t mean it. She’s infected.” Her grip on my other hand tightened before she let go and stepped forward, blocking me from my sister. She tilted her head as she studied her. “You’re not that bad off.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Kat’s eyes widened exponentially as she stepped back.

With a deep exhale, she let out her death smoke.

My heart froze in my chest.

“Please, save my daughter,” Dad croaked, his wound finally healing up. I wondered how his reserves had gotten so damn low. How long had they been fighting?

Everyone else seemed to hold their breath as Pandora harnessed her power—her secondary power that fucking killed dark magic—into my sister.

She was still, focused, and she drew dark magic from Kat's body. Her magic felt like a static blanket over us as we waited.

The dark smoke left Kat in the blink of an eye and snapped back into Pandora like a rubber band.

Pandora stumbled backward into my arms as Kat collapsed to the floor. The black veins receded on my sister’s skin as the magic left her.

I wrapped my arms around my mate and helped her stand upright. “You okay?” I murmured against her ear.

“I’m okay,” Pandora assured me, swaying as she grabbed Darkmore’s outstretched arm. She curled her arm around his to stay steady. “She's free of the dark magic. Her soul is okay but feels weak. She needs to rest and feed.”

“Thank you so much, Pandora.” Tears filled my eyes, and I wanted to kiss her so fucking badly.

“You’re my mate,” she murmured quietly. “I’ll do anything I can for you.”

How adorable.

My fucking heart was going to combust.

Kat gasped as her eyes fluttered open, tears spilling down her cheeks. Horror filled her gaze as she whipped her head to me. “Oh, Skel, I'm so sorry,” she whispered. “I didn't mean any of it. None of this is your fault…I don't know what happened.”

“It's okay,” I assured her, making sure Darkmore had our mate before I went over and knelt beside my sister. “It's not your fault.”

Dex dropped down on the other side of her, ruffling her hair gently. “It was the dark magic talking, little sister Kat. It's evil. It makes people do terrible things.”

Kat looked up at him, a small smile breaking through her tears. “Thanks, Dex.”

“Are you okay?” Darkmore asked as he hauled my dad back on his feet. Pandora stood next to them, and she looked less weak, but my heart dropped.

I’d totally forgotten about my dad getting hurt.

“Dad!” Kat wailed, pushing up and running into his arms. “Oh, Fates, I’m so so sorry! I didn’t mean to?—”

“I know, Kat.” He hugged her tightly, pressing a kiss to her head. “It’s alright. It was the dark magic. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize what was happening. Once the veins showed, I knew. I called your brother.”

“Do you know when or how you were infected?” Darkmore asked.

She blinked her tears away before bowing her head slightly. “Oh! Darkmore, pleasure to have a member of the council here. Um, I don’t know how I got infected. I didn’t do anything different with my routine. It’s been the same for about a year. I wake up, have breakfast with Dad, go to work at Sandstone Springs, get groceries a couple of times a week at the Market, then I come home.”

Darkmore hummed. “Maybe it’s the market. Thank you, Grimshaw.”

She nodded, and then her purple eyes met mine. She looked at me, really looked at me, and her eyes widened. “Skel…you're not—you’re not leaking magic anymore…”

I managed a shaky smile, glancing over at Pandora. “It's because I'm around her,” I admitted, feeling a warmth in my chest that had nothing to do with the fae drugs. “She’s my fated.”

“Mine, too,” Dex muttered.

Kat’s mouth fell open. “Both of you?”

“And me.” Darkmore crossed his arms in a huff.

“ She’s your fated mate?” Dad sputtered, coming up and smacking me on the back. “Have you bonded?”

Pandora smiled back at us, and the sight calmed my frayed nerves. “We haven't bonded yet,” she said, her voice gentle but firm. “I’m still not ready for that step.”

“Have you bonded with Dex?” Kat asked.

“Not yet,” she rasped, tightening her fists.

“But she’s bonded with me and her other mate.” Darkmore placed an arm around her shoulders.

Dex hovered nearby, and the pain was clear in his eyes.

We understood how badly we had messed up, and the road to forgiveness was long and winding.

Even though she had forgiven me, I wasn’t going to stop apologizing. What we did was completely fucked up. She deserved so much better.

Kat reached out suddenly, taking my hand in hers. “I’m so sorry for avoiding you, Skel. I was just so scared after what happened that I let fear rule me, and I?—”

I squeezed her hand, my voice thick with emotion. “I forgive you, Kat. We're family. We stick together. You needed time, and I gave it to you.”

She snorted. “Not gracefully you didn’t.” But then her playful smile dropped. “But I shouldn’t have done that to you. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, little sister Kat, I've been neglected too, you know,” Dex whimpered. “What about me, the poor, neglected brother?”

“She’s not even your sister.” I punched his arm, and he cursed under his breath, rubbing the spot with a pout.

Kat rolled her eyes, a hint of her old self shining through. “Even if I were, you're younger than me, Dex. Don't be such a drama queen.”

Pandora giggled, and even Darkmore cracked a smile as he continued his conversation with Dad. I heard a few things about Malice and the fear demon spot on the council, but I ignored it. Now wasn’t the time to discuss my future.

The tension in the room began to lift, replaced by a fragile but growing sense of hope.

We’d been able to save my sister, and she was looking at me! My sister was fucking talking to me again!

Kat glanced over at Pandora, her eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you, Gravesend,” she said, her voice trembling. “I can't thank you enough.”

“Yes, thank you.” Dad rubbed the dried blood on his head. “We owe you everything. If there's anything we can do?—”

“Oh, no, please. Call me Pandora.” She shook her head. “And you don't owe me anything. I'm just glad Skel’s sister is okay.”

“You can call me Kat.” Kat beamed at her. “We’re going to be sisters, after all...and I’ve heard everything, you know. About what Skel did, how he messed up. I want you to know that even though he acted like a scumbag, he's not one.”

Pandora’s lips wobbled into a smile. “I know he’s not. I forgave him.”

Dex whined uncontrollably, “She hasn't forgiven me yet.”

Kat raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. “Well, what did you do to her, Dex?”

Pandora sighed, a shadow of pain crossing her face. “He cut me with his shadows and tormented me to feed off my pain.”

Kat's expression turned dark. “Dex, that's freaking awful , ” she scolded him. “What the Fates were you thinking?”

“Dex,” Dad gasped.

Dex hung his head, genuinely remorseful. “I know. I'm trying to make up for it.”

“Good luck,” she whispered. “Pandora, Dex isn’t as bad as he seems, but hopefully you’re his wakeup call. He sure as Fates needs one.”

Kat looked healthier already, but she did seem tired. I guessed that was to be expected, though. She was infected with dark magic.

It could’ve killed her.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Pandora.” Dad smiled at her. “You can call me Nelson.”

“Thanks, Nelson.” She smiled softly at my dad.

I felt a swell of gratitude and relief, tears blurring my vision again but for a different reason. Kat was safe and sound, and she came over and hugged me tightly.

“I’m so glad you're okay,” I rasped.

“I’m so glad you came to my rescue with your fated mate,” she teased, but her expression said it all—she wasn’t afraid of me anymore.