Chapter 13
WHY ARE YOU SO HELL-BENT ON RUINING MY LIFE?
Ro paced the room, his shoes clacking furiously against the cement floor. His anger was palpable as he raged at me. "Where is it, Parker? Where's the ring?" His demonic, glowing red eyes burned into mine.
"Get out!" I shouted, my voice trembling with annoyance. Grayson tucked the sheets around me before pulling on his boxers. He stood between Ro and me, his muscles taut and ready to fight. "How did you even get in here? And why are you so hell-bent on ruining my life?"
Ro waved a dismissive hand at Grayson, a disdainful sneer curling his lips. He reached out and grabbed my arm with an iron grip, causing me to wince in pain.
Grayson growled, "Let her go, Ro. You have no right to touch her."
But Ro must have used his demonic powers, creating an invisible barrier that kept Grayson from coming any closer.
I couldn't see it, but I felt it… the intention put into it.
I gritted my teeth, fighting back the urge to throat-punch my demonic gene donor who was far more powerful than I was. "Fuck off, Ro! Just leave me alone."
Instead of listening, he shoved my hand in my face, forcing me to look at the finger that should've been adorned with the golden soul ring. It was gone, and Ro's fury intensified.
"See what you've done?" he snarled, his human teeth elongating into fangs that glinted with menace.
His grip tightened on my arm, making me whimper in pain.
I couldn't understand why the loss of the ring meant so much to him, but I had other concerns.
Grayson's safety was paramount, and I needed to defuse the situation.
"Ro, please," I urged, my voice barely a whisper. "Whatever happened to the ring, we can fix it. But you need to let me go and leave Grayson alone." My heart ached, my thoughts consumed by the potential consequences of Ro's wrath.
"Look, I don't know how it came off," Ro growled, his face inches from mine. "But you shouldn't have been able to remove it, and you need to put it back on."
"I didn't take it off!" My voice rose in defiance as I locked eyes with him, refusing to back down. "So, it must've just fallen off."
"Impossible." Ro's tone was dismissive, but a flicker of uncertainty danced across his eyes. "You must have done something, Parker. It's not where it's supposed to be." His gaze darted around the room, searching for any sign of the missing ring.
I frowned, glancing at Grayson who stood tense and ready to intervene if necessary. "What's the big deal? I know the ring is important for me, but what does that matter to others?"
"Concentrate and find it," Ro commanded, ignoring my question. "If it's not here, then it's somewhere else… which means someone else can claim the power from it."
"Wait, what?" Grayson interjected, shooting Ro a look of disbelief.
Ro's glare intensified as he muttered something in a demonic language under his breath. I felt a chill run down my spine, and I clutched the sheet to my chest as I sat up straighter.
"Hey!" I shoved Ro, anger coursing through me. "You better not do anything to Grayson!"
"Pathetic," Ro sneered, shaking his head. "Being attached never ends well for our kind, Parker. Creatures are only interested in demons for how they can control our power. Mates are no different, fated or not."
His words stung, and I felt my heart stutter in my chest. I knew I had to protect Grayson, but the fear of the unknown weighed heavily on me. What if Ro was right? What kind of chaos would I release now that I'd somehow lost an unremovable ring?
"None of this helps us find the ring," I snapped, trying to redirect the conversation. "So, let's focus on that instead of arguing about who I can or cannot care for."
As Ro continued to search the room for the ring, I closed my eyes and concentrated, desperately hoping to sense its location. But all I could feel was the growing unease within me, the uncertainty of what would happen if we couldn't find it.
The door slammed open, and Kearan burst into the room, a tall glass of iced coffee in hand. His eyes widened as they darted between Ro, Grayson, and me, taking in the tense atmosphere. He set the iced coffee on the nightstand next to me, his expression unreadable as he studied my face.
"Thanks, Kearan," I murmured, trying to ignore the turmoil in my chest. "I'm fine. Just trying to figure out how Ro got in here."
Kearan's gaze flicked to Ro, then back to me. He gave a slight nod, but remained silent.
Ro scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "It should be obvious to you if you weren't so distracted. The wards and protections broke when you did whatever you did to take that ring off."
"Dammit, Ro!" my voice erupted in frustration. "I didn't take off the fucking ring!"
His growl was low and guttural, a sound so inhuman that it sent chills racing down my spine. Fear clawed at my insides, twisting them into knots. Sometimes, when he was acting like a shitty parent, I forgot he was actually a demon. "Semantics aside, Parker. I need to know what you did."
I took a deep, steadying breath and spoke slowly, clearly, enunciating each word. "I did not take off the ring." Holding up a finger to silence Ro before he could interrupt, I continued, "I just bonded with Grayson, and I think that might have something to do with it."
Grayson nodded in agreement, his dark eyes filled with concern. "Every time you've bonded with one of us, your demon powers have surged, causing chaos."
Ro snorted rudely, rolling his eyes. "Why do you keep bonding with them if it's destroying things?" He paused, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Though I must admit, I'm proud that you're causing chaos."
"Thanks for the support," I muttered sarcastically, my frustration growing.
"Enough!" Kearan's quiet but firm voice brought our bickering to a halt. "None of this is helping. We need to find the ring."
"Exactly," Ro sneered, turning his attention back to me. "You must know where you sent it. Somewhere safe, perhaps. Somewhere it would belong and wouldn't be found."
Grayson furrowed his brow. "What's the big deal with the ring, anyway?"
"Simpleton," Ro snapped. "It's a soul ring, containing the soul of a human that Parker bartered with."
Grayson groaned, rubbing a hand over his face while Kearan pinched the bridge of his nose. I didn't understand what the big fuss was about.
"Okay, so it holds a soul, but that's it," I admitted, trying to wrap my head around the situation. "But why is everyone so freaked out?"
"Because," Grayson sighed, his expression pained, "if word gets out that the ring is missing, every supernatural creature in existence will be hunting for it. It's a game-changer, Parker. Whoever has that soul ring will have a shit ton of power."
"Fantastic," I muttered, my heart sinking as the gravity of our situation settled over me.
"Then we need to find it before anyone else does," Kearan said softly, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the turmoil inside me.
I took another deep breath and steeled myself for the fight ahead. The ring had to be found. I had enough supernatural creatures bothering me as it was.
"Sooo," Grayson mused, his voice low and filled with concern, "since you're new to the whole demon thing, Ro used the ring as a way for you to hold the soul.
But now that it's not on you, there's going to be a massive disruption in the supernatural world.
Creatures will be putting bounties out on anyone who can find and retrieve it. "
I stared at him, my heart skittering around in my chest as my brain processed his words. Kearan remained silent when I glanced at him, but he nodded in agreement, his expression somber.
"Great, just what we need," I muttered bitterly, unable to contain the surge of anxiety that threatened to consume me. So much for thinking I finally had control over things and that they might actually start calming down.
Suddenly, Trux and Rhiot burst into the room, their expressions frantic. Trux let out a string of curses before charging at Ro, but Rhiot grabbed him, grunting as he tried to hold him back.
"Trux, calm your shit down!" Rhiot hissed, struggling to maintain his grip on the enraged man.
Ro, however, seemed unfazed by Trux's aggression. He looked him over with an expression that suggested he recognized Trux was losing control to the Hesolga. I expected Ro to say something about it, but instead, he simply addressed Rhiot.
"Keep control of your friend, rat," Ro drawled, a smirk playing on his lips. "I don't feel like dealing with his pathetic attempts at fighting today."
"Fuck you, Ro!" Trux spat, lunging at the demon once again. This time, Grayson stepped in.
"Trux, keep your composure," he warned, his voice firm but gentle.
"Ro, stop provoking everyone," I scolded, my hands on my hips. "We have a big problem on our hands. The least you could do is try to get along with everyone for once."
Ro shrugged, the smirk never leaving his face. "I'm a demon. Chaos is in my nature."
"Don't even get me started," I huffed, knowing that arguing with Ro would be futile. "But we need to find that ring before it causes even more chaos."
"Agreed," Kearan chimed in. His voice was steady and calm, a soothing balm amidst the tension in the room.
"Let's work together on this," Grayson added, his eyes meeting mine. "We'll find the ring and set things right."
"Since I have no idea where it might be, what is your suggestion?" I waited for a smart-ass remark.
Ro waved away Trux and Rhiot, his eyes narrowing as they fixed themselves back onto me. "We have to find the ring," he insisted. "And if you don't know where that is, it's probably in the only safe place I can think of… Eloise's grimoire."
"Her what?" I froze, my heart skipped a beat or three. Grimoire? That was something witches had. At least according to TV. My mother wasn't a witch, so why would she have a grimoire?
"Her grimoire," Ro repeated, clearly enjoying my confusion.
I tasted the word on my tongue, repeating it several times. But each time it felt like a foreign object in my mouth, something that didn't belong. "Wait, wait, wait." I shook my head, trying to reconcile what Ro had just told me. "My mother was a witch?"
"Fuck," Grayson bit out.
Ro burst into hearty laughter, the sound echoing through the room like rolling thunder. "Oh, Eloise never told you?" He wiped a tear from his eye, barely able to contain his amusement. "Of course she wouldn't have! That would mean admitting what she did."
Trux, Rhiot, Grayson, and Kearan frowned, as clueless as I was. I felt my cheeks heat up with anger and embarrassment. How could my own mother keep something like this from me?
"Even for a demon," Ro said, finally reigning in his laughter, "I wouldn't be so cruel as to keep someone's bloodright from them."
"Enough!" I snapped, my fists clenched at my sides. "Just tell us where we can find this grimoire and let's get this over with."
"Fine," Ro smirked, clearly still enjoying himself. "But I warn you… what you're about to discover might change everything you thought you knew about your mother."
"Let it." I growled, my anger fueling me. "I'm tired of secrets and lies."
"Whatever happens," Grayson murmured softly into my ear, "remember that you're not alone. We've got your back."
"Thanks," I whispered back, feeling a small sliver of comfort.
"Very well," Ro said, his eyes gleaming with mischief.