Page 50 of A Drop of Anguish
I only want him. But he can’t know that because this is already too complicated as it is.
22
The Devil Losing Control
The next days areweird.
Jarron is weird. No more is the sweet and attentive prince I dated last semester. Now, he is a domineering immortal raging through the halls. I can feel his magical presence everywhere like a thick sheet. Walking through the school is like wading through cold, ever-shifting waters.
This is not like last semester, where I’d been told that Jarron worked hard to make it clear I washiswithout needing to mark me.
I didn’t see evidence of that effort. Now, it’s clear as day. Or more specifically, as dark as night.
Literal darkness permeates the halls. Black fog clings to my ankles and swirls over the walls.
Jarron’s warning lingers over everything and everyone.
On top of Jarron’s magical warnings, I’m now receiving apology gifts from wolf packs I’ve never heard of. Nearly a dozen flower arrangements, two boxes of silver jewelry, and a bunt cake.
The supernatural world is weird.
Why are they sorry someone from their species hurt me? No idea.
There are rumors that the entire Lonecrest pack is utterly terrified. They’ve lost several alliances and are now withdrawing into the rural parts of their territory. Not that I care. Don’t raise super creeps and maybe they wouldn’t be in this situation.
Now, it’s like I’ve got the plague again. The whispering is louder and more obtrusive than even a few weeks ago, but I may as well be in a literal bubble. No one will walk within four feet of me.
Except, of course, my small group of friends.
My potions class goes by quickly; I can block it all out and focus on my work. I think the most annoying class is combat, in which everyone just forfeits every time they step into the ring with me.
Janet curls her arm in mine and leans in close.
Various students pass me and dart to the side of the hall, as if I held a venomous snake on my shoulders.
“Everyone says you’re a mad potions master that’s going to take over the school and poison anyone who threatens you,” Lola whispers in my ear.
I chuckle at that.“Better than some of the other rumors I’ve heard.”
A set of wolves pass by with their heads bowed dramatically.
We enter the lunchroom, and I decide to bite the bullet and pass through the archway right away. I grab a wrap and chips, but I don’t touch them when I sit.
“It’s lasagna night in Minor Hall.” Janet winks, and I give her a sincere smile. They know me so well.
Thompson is sitting at our table, waiting. His expression is casual, but his shoulders are tense.
“Everything okay?”
His eyebrows rise. “It’s been an interesting day.”
“Oh?”
“I’m sure you’ll see soon enough.”
Heads turn to watch Jarron, the demon prince, march into the hall, shadows billowing behind him like a cloak. His magic is a heavy weight over the whole room.
It’s a bit dramatic, bordering on cheesy, but still hot.
