Page 95 of A Dose of Agony
It thrills him, deeply. Me too.
Excitement and amusement fill me as I hear their whispers and smell their sweet, tempting scents. Close and closer, I encroach on their hiding place. They’re behind the red tree in the Montgomerys’ front yard.
“I can’t believe you told him that,” the younger of the two complains.
“Oh, whatever. No one cares that you sucked your thumb as a toddler,” my bright one says. “You’re too uptight about how they see you. Next, I’m gonna tell them about the last time you peed the bed. Do you think Jarron will still like you then? Little bed wetter!” Her giggle is like music, melodic and lovely.
“You’re just jealous that he’s more into me than he is you!”
I hold back a growl at those words. Anger begins to boil in my chest.
I push down the demon inside. He’s passionately protective but sometimes forgets that they are sisters. They bicker and argue, and that’s normal. We don’t have to aid her.
We will show them who truly has our attention.
My heart lifts at that thought. One day, we’ll prove our devotion to our chosen. One day. But she is young. We are young. And she’s stubborn. So stubborn and independent, and I adore that about her, but she will not be an easy one to prove we deserve her devotion back.
I love a challenge, he tells me.
So do I.
I begin to smile when a crack reverberates through the darkness.
I blink, shock settling like wetness over my chest. I turn the final corner to find her holding her cheek and the other girl glaring. It’s hard to breathe. My hands clench. Anger, deep and thick, wells up in my chest.
“I can’t believe you just hit me.” Her whispered voice may as well have been shouted. Tears fill her eyes, and when she pulls away her hand, I see her cheek is glistening red.
Rage overwhelms me like an avalanche, and I explode.
We will show them what happens when anyone touches my bright one.
Reality whirls back, slamming into my chest and leaving me spinning. It takes a moment to resettle. I am back in my own body, in bed with Jarron.
“She hit me?” I don’t remember that at all.
Jarron nods. “I overreacted, I know,” he says, head bowed in shame.
I touch my cheek, like I’ll be able to feel the sting years later. Liz and I fought over stupid things sometimes. She wanted to be the center of attention, and she often was, being younger, prettier, and sweeter than me. That was okay with me most of the time. But that didn’t mean I was willing to just give it to her all the time. I gave her a hard time and embarrassed her on occasion.
I don’t remember the argument or the slap, now overshadowed by the traumatic events that followed, but it’s not surprising either. If Jarron hadn’t entered the chat, one of us probably would have run home crying, and the other would have followed, pouting and eventually apologizing.
“My demon would like the opportunity to apologize officially for that moment.” He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip. “Believe me when I say neither of us wanted to scare you or harm her.”
I nod. “I know.”
I didn’t know that at the time, clearly, but I believe him now. I’ve seen who he is. I remember his face when I told him what happened that night. He was shocked. Devastated.
“Why didn’t you remember it all?”
“It was an intense moment for us both—my demon spirit and me, I mean. For you too, I’m sure, but in a different way. When this rage pulled him out of me when we weren’t prepared, we blacked out and were running on instinct. She was a threat. She needed to be dealt with. I don’t think there was much, if any, rational thought left in my body. Every instinct at the time was focused on you. Protecting you. My demon likely didn’t understand. To him, you were his. And Liz harmed you, making her an enemy. He was newly awakened in that world. His thoughts and understanding of human ways and relationships were only beginning to take shape.”
“And he wants to apologize for it?”
“Face to face.” Jarron nods.
My lips tug up in the corners. “I can think of a few ways for him to make it up to me,” I mumble, mind flying back to that charged moment in my bed in the middle of the night. Jarron’s arms tense around me, and my cheeks suddenly flame hot.
I forgot he can read my mind now.
