Page 119 of A Dose of Agony
Two of the witches sit on my right and the third to Jarron’s left, leaving Liz and Mr. Vandozer in demon form across the table, staring blankly.
The seats are short round stubs of pitch-black wood with glistening golden rims.
Jarron sits beside me, keeping my left hand in his lap between both of his hands. His claws scape ever so slightly against my skin. Enough to keep me focused but not enough to hurt.
Even just with this short distance away from the magma, the air is cooler. My cheeks are warm, but the hair on my arms stands up straight. My body can’t decide if I am warm or cold.
The nerves certainly don’t help.
An inch-wide crevice opens up in the middle of the table, traveling the entire length. Blue glittering liquid fills it, steaming like the magma below. It surrounds the table with the scent of vanilla and orange spice.
Two of the witches begin a somber chant in a hauntingly beautiful harmony. I suck in a breath. There is very clearly magic in the song. It seeps into my bones, making my head dizzy.
Jarron frowns down at me, but there is no worry in his heart, only curiosity.
“Make your claim, Prince Jarron,” the lead witch says.
“Candice Montgomery, human from Earth, is my chosen mate. I will never betray her or choose another. She is mine, and I have earned her heart in return. After months of courting, she has accepted me as hers.”
My heart hammers at those words. An honest proclamation that I am his.
Vincent Vandozer leans forward and hisses. My sister looks alive for the first time, but it isn’t a pleasant expression on her face. She looks shocked and betrayed.
“No,” she whispers. “You don’t understand.”
I bite my bottom lip hard. As much as I’m proud to be Jarron’s true chosen, it still pits me against my sister. I love her. And I will fight for her.
Even so, I don’t know if she’ll forgive me for winning this competition we didn’t know we were waging.
“Candice?” she whispers, pleading eyes darting to me. “You—”
“It is clearly a lie,” Vincent hisses. “A disgusting usurpation of justice and a deceit against our highest sacred right.”
“It’s true, Liz,” I say softly, ignoring his claims. “I can explain—”
“No!” Liz says louder now. “You don’t understand. He was my salvation. He was my way out of this. They won’t let me go if—” Her eyes dart to Vincent, a panicked expression on her face.
“Calm down,” Vincent demands.
Liz obeys immediately. Her muscles lose all tension. Her face goes slack.
He may as well have given her a lobotomy at the table.
“Don’t you see that?” I exclaim to the witches, pointing at my sister.
“We see it, child,” the red-skinned witch whispers so lightly I’m unsure I heard her.
Does that mean they know what’s happening? They believe that Liz does not have free will?
Despair clouds my mind, making it impossible to see anything but my sister, a magical slave to a demon right in front of me.
“Tell me your story,” the witch says to Jarron and me, voice softer now. “Tell us all how this could be true.”
“Pointless!” Vincent hollers. “There is no proof she could give to change what we all know to be true. How convenient he would stake a claim now, after I announced his rejection to the world. You have all heard the rumors, seen the signs. The rejection has split his soul open.”
The cavern drops into pitch blackness, and unnatural silence sucks the breath from my lungs. Jarron’s chest is suddenly pressed to my back, arms curled around me protectively.
“Now is not your turn to speak, Vincent. If you cannot keep your tongue under control, you will be asked to leave,” one of the witches reprimands.
