I slump deeper into my chair.
“You’re afraid. I understand. But everyone, no matter what the culture, takes risks when they fall in love. You either trust them with your heart or you don’t.”
I do trust Jarron, but I feel so out of my depth with all of this. I hate not knowing.
“You are not supposed to find proof. There’s danger in that, not just from outside forces. Has anyone ever told you what happens to a demon when they’re rejected?”
My eyes flash up to hers.
“Their souls are torn apart. The demon spirit splinters from their essence, and it becomes a war between two separate and powerful beings. It changes them completely.”
Several images pop into my mind. Darkness permeating the school halls.
Jarron in human form, talking to me with that demon voice.
Thompson telling us about the rumors that Jarron’s demon is taking control.
My demon and I are not on the same page about some things.
Shit.
Then, I remember the excerpt from that book about the Rejected Prince. He changed. Turned violent.
Is that—could that be happening to Jarron?
I felt like things were better with him, but then again, I have barely seen him in weeks. He’s been in Oriziah so much it’s difficult to say. And the one time he did come to see me, he was in his demon form. He said it was “hard” for him to change back.
Ice floods my veins. More evidence of something I do not want to be true.
I’m supposed to trust. Have faith.
“Rejection doesn’t always have to be formal,” she says softly, as if reading my thoughts. “Just choosing not to be with them once you’ve learned the truth is a form of rejection.”
The kind of rejection Liz is doing right now? Maybe against her will, but it’s still happening. Is Jarron struggling through the phases of V’rta rejection? Am I a Band-Aid for that? And if so, can I even blame him?
“Has anyone been keeping you updated on what’s going on here with the war?” she says suddenly.
I whip my attention back to her. Is she trying to change the subject? “A little, but Laithe doesn’t like to share much. I only hear bits and pieces.”
“That’s what I expected. The truth is, you don’t have to know, but I feel it’s only fair that if you want to, you have access to the truth.”
“Truth?”
“It’s not going well.”
My stomach sinks. “What do you mean? Laithe said things are fine, that no fighting has started, and Jarron is safe.”
“Just because no blood has been shed yet doesn’t mean it’s going well.”
My heart picks up speed.
Then again, can I trust Bea’s words?
“I’m not saying this to scare you.” She raises her hands in surrender. “It’s not like it’s a lost cause or anything. If I thought that, I honestly would not be here talking to you now. But there’s little the crown can do to stop the uprising at the moment. The people of Oriziah, as a whole, have always been more powerful than the royals. If they united behind one cause, it wouldn’t take much to topple the whole system, and that’s happening now.”
“But… not all Orizians agree.”
“True, but they are not so convinced that they’re willing to passionately defend the prince either. So, if the opposition is growing, neutrality on the other side is not helpful. It is still the High Orizians against an increasingly growing population of rebels. Once the fighting begins, it will end quickly, particularly because one death will quell the masses. Jarron’s own loyalists will turn on him quickly to save themselves if it means ending the rebellion. As much as the prince is adored and followed so closely, there are too many that would turn on him and make Trevor the new ruler in a second if it meant saving themselves or their family. It’s a small sacrifice to too many of them.”
