Page 119 of A Taste of Torment
Someone rushes up the hall toward us and stops, panting. “Come get Auren,” the young demon girl says. “Before she gets killed.”
I frown.
Bea runs ahead toward the sunroom. I don’t hear any commotion, nothing but silence and the now-pounding of Bea’s and her friend’s footsteps fading away.
But then, my breath comes out in a puffy white cloud.
I don’t know what’s happening, but Jarron is very unhappy.
40
Keeping Secrets Will Always Backfire
I stopat the end of the hall. The room ahead is dark and shadowed, but I can see the silhouettes of several heads, watching the two supernaturals in the middle of the room.
Jarron’s chest is rising and falling in rapid breath. There’s another male with thick muscled arms and silver eyes staring him down. Behind him is Auren. She looks less confident than her wolf protector, her arms crossed tightly, shoulders a bit hunched. But she keeps her chin up.
The wolf shifter’s attention darts to me. “Oh, good, here she is.” Henry, I recognize. He’s the alpha’s son. The strongest wolf in the school. But he’s still not nearly as powerful as Jarron, so what’s he playing at?
Bea is already at Auren’s side, pulling her by the elbow. Auren’s expression is filled with quiet fear, almost sadness. “Let this play out,” she whispers to Bea.
“Playing it out leaves you dead.”
Auren shakes her head and turns to me. “Not yet.”
Jarron is staring down at an open book in his hands. A book with a purple leather cover.
My heart plummets.
Mystery solved. I know who has my journal. And this couldn’t be worse for me.
“Want to tell us all about your girlfriend’s recent studies?” the shifter says.
Jarron frowns. “The hell are you talking about?”
I step forward, desperate to get that out of his hands. I don’t know what I’d do with it after. The shifter has obviously already read it. Jarron has seen some of it—he’s looking down at my scrawled writing now.
“Ask her.”
Jarron doesn’t turn. “No, I’m asking you. You’re the one that came in here, spouting insults. You’re lucky I haven’t gutted you already. Give me a good reason I shouldn’t string you both up right now.”
There’s a flash of fear on the wolf’s face, but he recovers quickly, shifting foot to foot. “She’s been researching us.Allof us.”
I cross my arms, trying to hide the rush of fear. Jarron grabs the wolf’s collar, lifting him off his feet. “Your point?” He challenges.
Henry is no longer able to hide his fear. “She has profiles on all of us. Writing down our personal information.”
Jarron pauses, but then he throws Henry to the ground. “Get out of here before I rip you to shreds.”
“No, listen—”
“Enough!” Jarron shouts. “One more word against her and I’ll kill you, damn the consequences. None of this is news to me. So, unless you’d threatenmeif you found out I was taking notes on you, I suggest you shut the hell up now.”
The wolf scrambles to his feet but remains in a crouch.
Auren takes a tiny step forward. There’s no malice in her expression, only submission and a tad bit of determination. “Do you know that you’re in it too?” she whispers.
Jarron clenches his jaw.
