Page 117 of A Taste of Torment
“This conversation took a turn I didn’t expect,” Lucille says, looking at the ground uncomfortably. “I’m gonna go grab a bite… of food. Cooked… never mind.” She skitters off, and the group giggles, including me. Jarron gives me an encouraging squeeze.
“Well,” Stassi says, quieter than before, his eyes still wide, “if you do follow in Bea’s footsteps, I’m just saying, we could make it a party.”
“I didn’t think wolves were into the blood and torture bit,” I say.
He grunts, looking a little pale. “Well, no, we’re more into pleasure indulgence, but we’re also fatally curious.”
“There will be no parties in my bedroom,” Jarron assures the group.
“Well, on this amusing note.” Bea hops to her feet. “Candice lets go grab your things, yeah? We have much more to discuss.” Her lips slide into a wide grin, exposing her ultra-white teeth with sharp points.
I resist a sigh and stand. Jarron leans forward, eyeing Bea, his fingers still clinging gently to my thigh, like he’s not ready to let me go.
“Settle down, big boy. I’ll take good care of her.”
His eyebrows rise at her tone, but then he relaxes back into his seat with a sigh. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
* * *
“So,”Bea purrs as we head down the hall toward her room. It’s only a few hundred feet from Jarron’s and right across from Trevor’s. They must have a sort of “demon royals suite” section of Elite Hall just for them. Being in Elite Hall makes me feel like I’m living in a luxurious hotel. “Tell me about you and Jarron. Something has changed, yes?”
I twist my lips. Something has changed, but I’m more curious about what she thinks it is. “Why do you say that?”
She raises one brow, like she’s annoyed I’d bother denying it. Then, she sighs as she flashes red magic at her door. It swings wide, exposing her massive villa. “He’s significantly more relaxed today,” she says. “Before, it was like he was walking on eggshells with you.”
I frown. “Really?”
“It was clear to all of us that he wanted you, but we could tell you weren’t in it all the way. That’s changed. Am I right?”
I lick my lips. “I suppose so.”
“It was strange to see the powerful Orizian heir scrambling for the attention of a human when a thousand other girls have been vying for his attention—with no luck—for years.”
“Scrambling?”
She smiles. “You didn’t see him before,” she comments as she grabs my bag and holds it out to me. “He was the king of this school, strutting around with his head high and no emotion. Not for anyone or anything. He didn’t show interest in females or males, no matter how much they tried to catch his attention. Even when he enacted his punishment for someone who threatened his power, it was cold and swift. He didn’t partake in conversations at lunch. He’d sit there with his arms crossed, mind somewhere else. The moment you walked through those doors, Jarron changed. It was quite impressive, the shift in countenance. Suddenly, he wasn’t a king; he was a desperate suitor, tripping over himself to get to you.”
I frown, taking the items from her outstretched arm. My clothes have been cleaned and folded neatly.
My lips part, unsure of her take on the situation.
“That’s why everyone was so convinced you’d used a potion on him.” She shrugs. “And now, after last night, his confidence is back. He’s still significantly more open emotionally, not closed off like before, but he’s poised again. Willing to examine everyone else instead of only you.”
I look down at my pile of things, mind still spinning through her words.
“I don’t know what you did, but you’ve got him hooked. Your life is going to change drastically from here on out.”
I frown, her words fading out. I’m holding my folded clothes, still warm from the iron. I open my bag and check my items. Two potions books, my potions journal, with all my detailed notes of what I’m working on. My bottle of finished nullifier. But I’m missing something.
“It’s so surprising that he’d be like this with you. I guess it makes a little sense; you’re so much like her.”
I blink. I had been barely listening to her. “What?”
“Elizabeth. You’re a close second, I’m sure. And since he never really got a chance to get to know her, it—”
“What?” I say again more forcefully.
She stops, looking at me like I grew an extra head.
