Chapter 6
THIS ISN'T THE LAST WE'VE SEEN OF HER.
I looked at each of my mates, feeling a knot forming in my stomach. How could I ever explain everything that had happened with Zandia? There was so much they needed to know, but it felt like there was an invisible force blocking me from revealing the truth.
"Alright, someone start talking," Trux demanded, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene before him. "What the hell just happened?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. The memory of Zandia's icy grip around my throat flashed through my mind, and a surge of frustration flared inside me at not being able to explain what had happened.
"She won't be able to tell us," Rhiot reported after I struggled to find the words I needed. Everyone sent me questioning looks, but all I could do was shake my head.
"Rhiot's right," I said, feeling a pang of frustration at this newfound inability to communicate with them. "Of course that came out. Dammit. I can't tell you."
Seph frowned at me as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Parker, we need to know what happened when you were with her. And what's that on your neck?"
Ryker watched me from his spot, standing behind Seph. I was glad he was in human form, but he didn't seem keen on interacting with me. After what Zandia said, I needed to talk to him, but I wanted to do it privately.
Grayson stepped forward and stared into my eyes as he touched the blood on my neck with his fingers and then brought them up to inspect them. "It's definitely blood." He said as he turned back toward Kearan, who nodded his agreement.
Kearan looked at me intently before speaking up. "Parker has been blocked from telling us anything about her time alone with Zandia." His voice was quiet but firm as he spoke. "It's classic Zandia."
Trux growled low in his throat while Seph clenched her fists at her sides. Both Grayson and Rhiot looked ready to pounce on something or someone, while Ryker just watched everyone with narrowed eyes.
"We should have known it wouldn't be that easy," Grayson muttered under his breath.
"Wait, what does that mean… classic Zandia?” Seph interjected as she stepped forward. "If Zandia did something to prevent Parker from telling us what happened, how do you know?"
"Why do you think?" Kearan held up a finger as he thought for a moment before answering, "Did you really think I'd be able to tell you how I know?"
"Sonofabitch." Seph bit out.
Ohhh. Kearan's meaning dawned on me. Zandia had done something similar to him. I wondered which side the woman was really on.
"So, how do we find out what happened?" Grayson asked, his brow furrowing in concern.
"We don't." Kearan corrected as he looked back at me. He carefully inspected the wound on my neck again. "It's a vampire bite."
"A what?" Trux snarled as burst into wild, pacing steps.
Kearan ignored their reactions and picked up where he left off.
"Vampire bites have an inherent compulsion spell attached to them that gives a certain power over the victim.
In this case, she must have infused it with a command to prevent Parker from revealing certain information about their meeting. "
"That explains why she can't tell us anything about Zandia," Grayson chimed in with a knowing look on his face.
Although I was relieved that they finally knew why I couldn't speak about Zandia, I was still frustrated by the situation. There had been enough secrets and misunderstandings between us already, and this would only make things worse.
"Can you reverse it?" I asked Kearan, my voice barely above a whisper as I watched him work. His fingers trailed over my skin, tracing circles around the bite. It was soothing and made the pain from the bite disappear.
"No," he shook his head as if emphasizing his point. "But I can heal the wound to make sure you don't get an infection."
A heavy silence fell over the group as they processed this new piece of information. My mates exchanged wary glances among themselves as they tried to come up with a solution, but it seemed like there was no easy way out of this mess.
Grayson stepped forward, determination etched into every line of his face. His gaze locked onto mine with unwavering intensity. "We'll find a way through this," he promised, his voice firm yet gentle at the same time.
"We need to get out of here," Trux growled, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at me. "We can't stay here. First, we need to clean up this mess, deal with the agents, and then get to one of our safehouses to figure out how to fix this."
My stomach twisted in knots as I watched Trux's reaction. He was clearly furious, and I couldn't blame him. My own confusion and frustration only added to the growing tension between us.
"Trux," I began, but he cut me off with a sharp wave of his hand.
"No, Parker," he snapped, his voice tight with anger. "I'm the Alpha and I'm in charge."
I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to explain what had happened, but everything felt so jumbled and chaotic inside my head.
"Trux," Seph said softly, her eyes pleading with him to calm down. "We need to figure out what Zandia did to her first before we can decide on any next steps."
Trux's expression softened slightly as he looked at Seph, but the anger still simmered beneath the surface.
"No, you're not." The words were out before I could stop them. Go figure. I could say one of the few things that would piss off the Alpha.
The team fell silent as they looked at me. From the turmoil flooding me from the mate bond, Trux was more than angry. Closer to supernova. This wasn't going to go well.
"Parker," Grayson finally spoke up, his eyes meeting mine with unwavering determination. "What did she do?"
I swallowed hard, not entirely sure of what I could share without triggering Zandia's compulsion.
"She... uh... she sa-" Panic shot through me as I realized how much angrier Trux would be when I finished explaining.
"Can you tell them about your promotion?" Grayson asked softly as he gently took my hand in his own. "I can read it from your mind, so you should be able to share."
"Yes," I replied without hesitation.
"Okay, then." Grayson said as he looked at everyone else.
"Trux, before you do something rash or say something you can't take back, remember you're not thinking clearly.
You're feeling the Hesolga creep up. It's not helping the situation.
Besides, I get the feeling that whatever choice Zandia gave Parker wasn't much of a choice. "
My gaze met Grayson's as he smiled softly at me, his grey eyes welcoming. I appreciated him more than ever in that moment as he stood up for me against Trux.
"Parker," Grayson said, his voice soft and reassuring. "Go ahead, tell us."
I took a deep breath, focusing on the memory of our conversation. "Zandia said she was promoting me to the head of the division," I began, watching as confusion and surprise rippled through the group. "She also mentioned that I would be in charge of all the teams, including ours."
Seph frowned as she tried to process this new information. "But why would she do that? She doesn't give a shit about the teams. That was made clear the last time she showed up."
"I have no idea," I admitted, feeling a sense of unease settle over me. "But she made it clear that we had more responsibilities than just completing our mission."
Ryker's eyes narrowed as he studied me. "What else did she say?" His voice was cold and detached, reminding me once again that we hadn't fully resolved our issues.
My heart sank at the reminder of my failed mating with him. I wanted nothing more than to fix things between us, but there were still so many unanswered questions and unresolved tensions between us. At least he was talking to me. That had to be a good sign. Right?
"I know you're mad at me," I blurted out before realizing what I was saying. Trux's expression darkened at my words.
"Parker," Ryker cut in, his voice leaving me chilled. "We'll deal with our mating issue later."
Grayson squeezed my hand before continuing. "What else did Zandia say?"
I nodded, grateful for Grayson's intervention as I refocused on our conversation with Zandia.
"She congratulated me on my promotion to head of the division and told me it was quite an accomplishment for someone like me." The words left a sour taste in my mouth as they echoed through my mind.
"What else?" Trux demanded, his eyes blazing with anger as he struggled to control his emotions.
"She mentioned that Ro has connections far beyond our realm," I replied hesitantly, knowing how much this would upset Trux. "And that his influence reaches deeper than any of us can imagine. I think she wants to use me to get rid of him."
Trux's fists clenched at his sides as he fought back the urge to lash out. This news only fueled his rage further. Now that Zandia mentioned it, I could see the Hesolga taking hold over him even more every day. It explained why he was growing more hostile every day.
"This is ridiculous!" Trux growled under his breath as he paced back and forth like a caged animal.
"That's not all." My voice wavered slightly as an unsettling memory resurfaced in my mind. It felt like there was something important about this memory, something crucial, but try as I might... It slipped through my fingers every time.
A familiar sense of frustration washed over me, followed by an intense wave of sadness.
Zandia's words bounced around in my mind.
"Or is he just a pawn in a much larger game?
" It felt like there were pieces missing from this puzzle—important pieces—but no matter how hard or long I searched, I couldn't find them.
Grayson wrapping his arm around my waist pulled me back to the present.
"This isn't the last we've seen of her."