Page 87 of A Dose of Agony
I’m certain he will, actually. But I know I need to tell him anyway because he is more important than doing things on my own. I need to believe in him to do everything he can to save Liz, just as much as all the rest of it.
We’re a team. We’re supposed to be a team.
He’s put me first in so many ways, and I continue to do the opposite.
I am a coward, but I want to change that. I’ll force myself to be the brave, fierce girl who deserves him.
But I need more time.
He steps forward, closing the gap between us that I’d created when he broke the magical bond I had with the Akrasia Games. “What truth are you afraid of?”
“Don’t you already know that?” I spit, ashamed of my own cowardice.
“There’s more,” he says softly. “There’s more you’re hiding from me. There’s more reason than just fear that I chose your sister over you.”
Those words, hypothetical or not, cut me deep. The tears break free and stream down my cheeks. Just hearing him say that fear out loud is fucking devastating.
I hadn’t realized just how much it would bother me to hearhimsay it.
I hadn’t realized how much power this fear had over me.
His shoulders deflate at the first sight of those tears. “I don’t want to pressure you,” he says, “but it’s so frustrating. I’m so close. You look at me like you’re ready to take the risk. To bet on me. On us. Like you’re ready to understand, but then you pull away. Why? There’s another reason. Something is holding you back from me; I can feel it.”
I blink. He’s right, but how do I—I can’t tell him yet.
“Could it be because you’re afraid I’ll learn some hidden truth about you?”
My wince is answer enough. His nostrils flare, eyes turning pitch black.
He’s right; I am hiding something from him. Something big. So, I don’t feel like I have the right to be mad about that. I don’t have a right to be mad about any of this.
But he does.
Jarron’s shoulders are hunched, his eyes dark, but he says nothing when he enters the speakeasy. Again, he’s not in complete control of his demon. Does that mean something?
“Is that why you came back?” I don’t know why the words blurt out. Maybe it’s to distract him from his train of thought. He is close to uncovering my secrets, and I don’t want him to be. Or maybe it’s just because it’s crossed my mind a few too many times to quiet the wonderings. “To convince me to take your mark?”
He frowns. “Why does that sound like an accusation?”
It wasn’t meant as an accusation, but I still can’t help but wonder if it means something.
Was that the real reason he took the risk of leaving his home world that’s on the brink of war to spend time with me? Was that his goal and why he’s pushing me more now?
If so, it means it’s important enough for him to leave his world at such a volatile time.
“Why is it so important for me to accept the mark?” I ask it as gently as possible. It’s not an accusation. It’s an honest, sincere question.
He sighs. “Candice, I can’t—”
“Can’t or won’t? What would happen if you were to bring home a marked person and claim her as your mate? Would the war end?”
He frowns. “No.”
“Not without standing before the Bright Tribunal first?” I say absently, working throughthe information.
The shift is instant. The room cools. Jarron’s shoulders sink, his jaw clenched as he stands up straight. “Where did you hear that?”
My eyes flare. I try to hide my reaction, but he saw it. He’s watching my every move so closely.
