Page 78 of A Taste of Torment
But after only an instant, I recognize something more. It’s pain. I swear I’ve never seen more anguish in my life.
“It wasn’t deep, but your talons broke the skin on her chest,” I whisper with a wobbly voice. “And our parents came running within moments. I was angry that you’d hurt her. But I was even more angry that I couldn’t do anything to stop it. We knew your parents were magical, from a different world. We thought that was cool before we saw what it meant for ourselves. Before we felt your magic controlling us." I shake my head. I don’t need to go into detail about how much I screamed and cried for him to stop or how I convinced myself I hated him because he wouldn’t.
“But I thought you were gone. Or at least, that’s what I convinced myself. I mourned you like you died because in my mind, you had. And that’s what I expected when I came here. I thought I’d have to look into the face of a boy I once cared about and see a monster, like I did that night.”
Jarron’s shoulders go slack, and he leans forward until his forehead is leaning against the door frame. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers. “I didn’t even…” He shakes his head. “Trevor told me that I’d changed in front of you. Scared you. But that you were fine. I came to see you the next day, and you called me a monster.” His body shutters.
I don’t say anything more because there isn’t anything more to be said.
“My father had this long talk with us about how differently people react to what we are. Some will hate us. Some will desire us. Some will try to manipulate us. Only a rare few will accept us truly. When we find those people, we have to hold on to them.”
I swallow, watching him force air through his lungs.
“I was determined you were that person. You had to be. But then, as time went on and you responded to my letters with that goodbye note, telling me you didn’t want to have anything to do with anything magical—including me. I was angry. Hurt. Confused. But I never realized I harmed her. No one ever told me that.”
He straightens but still doesn’t look my way.
“Now, it’s too late. I can’t even tell her I’m sorry.”
Jarron pulls open the door and steps into the hall quickly. He waits only a moment for me to join him. His gaze is set straight ahead, his arms crossed as we walk. I want to apologize again. I want to tell him I believe he’s not really a monster. I want to tell him I can be that person, the one that accepts him and cares for him.
But I don’t know if any of that is true. Or if it should be true. Can I be that person? Should I be?
After all of this is over, can I be his true friend? Because I really don’t know.
We walk in silence, the weight of that conversation still hanging between us like a physical wall. I don’t know how to bridge this.
And so, we say nothing. All the way across campus. Until the Minor Hall gate comes into view and he stops. When I turn, only to find dark, dead eyes watching me.
“Goodnight, Candice.”
He walks away before I even pass through the gate.
30
Bite Me. Just Kidding, Please Don’t
I tossand turn that night, thinking through that entire evening with Jarron. How his touch affected me. How he wanted to bite me—and I wasn’t afraid. How he wouldn’t kiss me, even though it made all the sense in the world.
His story about the nighttime sandcastle.
My story about his change. He didn’t even remember it. He didn’t know he hurt her. The injury really wasn’t that big of a deal; it was more about the feeling behind it.
I tried to pull him off of her, but his magic sucked the air from my lungs until I couldn’t move.
He grabbed my sister’s throat and growled, a shrieking inhuman sound. Not at all like the warning growls he does now. His eyes were so black there were no whites to them at all. His bat-like wings curled over his hunched back.
Jarron was gone, replaced by something utterly alien. It was horrific. A moment I’ve never gotten over.
I could have watched my sister die right there and been powerless to stop it.
And it was him. Jarron.
How could I ever feel powerful again if I couldn’t even stop someone who loved me from hurting me? It wasn’t long after that my parents revealed the truth about the threats on our lives by the witch potionist. Honestly, I think they wanted us to be thankful to the Blackthorns for their protection, but it had the opposite effect.
Liz and I came to an easy conclusion. We would never be truly safe or welcome in the supernatural world.
Our parents were supportive of our decision to remove ourselves from their business and the world of magic completely, even though it harmed our relationship as a family.
