Page 49 of A Drop of Anguish
“Do you like that?” he purrs. “Or does it scare you?”
I shouldn’t like it, and yet…
Jarron suddenly stands up straight and blinks rapidly, his expression full of tension. “Candice?” he whispers, staring into my eyes, like he’s just now realizing where he is. He finally breaks the connection with a curse under his breath.
“What the hell just happened?” I ask. The regular Jarron is back, and I don’t understand how or why they transitioned liked that. It sure looks like this Jarron did not have control over it.
As much as I don’t fear his demon the way I used to, that still seems like a very bad thing.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
“Did you just lose control of your demon in the middle of a conversation with me?”
His face falls. Shame. He feels shame for this fact.
“I’m not mad,” I tell him. “I’m not afraid—I mean, worried maybe, but not like traumatized.” I take in a long breath and hold it. “Talk to me? Please?”
Anger flashes over his features for an instant, but it fades quickly. “I’m—It’s hard to explain, but my demon and I are,” he runs his fingers through his hair, “not on the same page about some things.”
I huff out a laugh. “That’s not the explanation I was expecting.”
His eyes soften, shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. “What were you expecting?”
I shrug. “You make it sound like you’re having a tiff with a friend, not having some deep inner struggle.”
His lips twitch.
“Is it something bad?”
“No,” he says quickly. “My demon will not harm you, even if,” he points between us, “this happens again.”
“Oh.” My cheeks redden. “I was more concerned about you, actually. Are you okay?”
He looks surprised. “I’m—Yeah, I’ll be all right.”
Something is clearly off with him, and I can’t imagine losing control to his demon at random is a good sign, but he also doesn’t want to share details. I can’t exactly blame him for that.
“We can go now, if you’re ready.”
When I nod, he silently glides toward the door while I grab my bag. He waits, holding the door open for me.
We walk in silence through the halls. People stop to watch us, but I find I’m starting to get used to the attention. It’s annoying, but I’ve run out of the capacity to actually care.Stare, don’t stare. Whatever. Just leave me alone.
And right now, everyone is definitely leaving me alone. I’m not sure I’m convinced they are afraid of me and not the demon who’s threatened to destroy anyone who harms me, but for now, the result is the same.
The silence between Jarron and me is thick but not necessarily uncomfortable. It’s tense because there’s so much I’d like to say, but at the same time, I feel good just being around him again.
I want to tell him I missed him.
But that seems unfair.
We finally reach the entrance to Minor Hall and stop, both just staring at the shimmering magic that blocks any powerful being from entering. It doesn’t feel as formidable now that we both know how to override the magic. Only a few weeks ago, Jarron, the most powerful being in the school, entered through it after I used the nullifier on him.
Is he thinking about that too?
“Candice,” he finally says. I twist to meet his stare. “I want you to know that, no matter what I do or say in the coming days, I’m doing it to keep you safe.” He looks up to the ceiling, his muscles tense. “But my threats do not include anything you consent to. I’m not going to stop you—”
I hold up a hand. “I know. And I don’t want anything else anyway.” I don’t want anyoneelse.
