Chapter 15
Three hours later, I squinted up at the sky, the sun dipping low like a lazy yawn, smearing warm orange fire across the compound.
Trux and Rhiot worked like men possessed…
sweat gleaming on their foreheads, muscles flexing as they muttered incantations under their breath.
Their hands danced through the air, weaving shimmering patterns I didn't fully understand but felt deep in my bones.
Apparently, the limestone foundation had cracked right where they stood, creating a perfect little demon welcome mat.
Rhiot's magick thrummed steady and bright.
He crafted anti-demon wards that shimmered like bottled sunlight.
Trux, meanwhile, spun cursed traps from his fury, his energy dark and sharp.
I blinked, trying to wrap my head around it.
Trux had magick? Real, honest-to-Goddess power?
I always thought he was just... Trux. Shifter, Alpha, grump supreme. Guess even the grumpy had secrets.
Honestly, I'd seen flashes of it before…
Seph's necromancy, Grayson's psychic stunts, Kearan's healing spells.
.. even Rhiot's protection wards and nasty demon traps.
But Trux and Ryker? They always kept their cards close to their chests.
I'd have to find out what Ryker's special power was…
when he wasn't avoiding me by being a raccoon anytime I was around.
"Alpha duties drain most of his magick," Grayson murmured while he gently shoulder-bumped me, his tone calm but tinged with something heavier… like regret or maybe pride. Either way, it made sense. Alpha wasn't just a title; it was a damn sacrifice.
"Those barriers won't hold," Ro grumbled beside me, his arms crossed so tightly it looked like he might snap his own ribs. His eyes narrowed at the glowing runes, his scowl deepening like he personally hated every line.
"Maybe you could, I don't know, help… instead of standing there like a demonic nagging PTA mom?" I tossed out casually, though my heart thundered against my ribs. Baiting Ro was never safe. Never smart.
His gaze snapped to me, but he didn't argue. Didn't growl. Didn't bare his teeth. Instead, he turned back to the barrier and muttered under his breath, thick demonic words slipping into the cracks of reality itself. The faintest, tiniest hint of a smirk tugged at the corners of my mouth.
Ro working with Trux and Rhiot. The apocalypse must be near.
But the air around us felt brittle, tight with hostility. Like one wrong move, one spark, and everything would explode. I knew deep down that Ro wasn't just helping because he cared about the world burning. No. Part of him—the buried, broken part—still wanted me alive. Still tried to protect me.
Even if he acted like an absolute asshat while doing it.
"Seriously, Ro," Rhiot muttered, side-eyeing the new runes with all the enthusiasm of a cat watching a bath happen. "You're either trying to sabotage us or you're really that clueless."
Ro didn't even blink. Just arched one brow, voice cold enough to freeze magma. "Or perhaps you're simply too stupid to recognize real magick when you see it."
Yeah. Definitely apocalypse weather.
Trux's snarl cut through the air like a blade. "Shut the fuck up."
Ro and Rhiot froze mid-bicker, locked in a silent pissing contest, but Trux didn't back down. His glare dared them to push it, to cross the line he'd drawn.
"The barriers have to be finished before nightfall," Trux snapped.
I shifted closer, voice low, threading through the tension.
"Trux is right. We don't have time to screw this up.
" My heart felt like it had opted for skipping all the beats at this point from the level of fear I was feeling.
I couldn't believe there was an entire mass of demons that would be hunting me soon.
The kind of fear you couldn't outrun, even with magick at your back.
Rhiot and Trux turned back to their work, but it didn't ease the knot tightening in my chest. Demons weren't patient. They didn't wait for weaknesses. Even with all our power, all our bonds... We were hanging by a thread.
And I was the weak point.
Trust us, Parker. Grayson's voice slid through my mind, steady and sure, the way only he could manage when everything else cracked wide open. We'll make sure you're ready for whatever's coming.
I hope so. My gaze stayed glued to the barriers, half-formed and flickering, the setting sun dragging long shadows across the ground. We were running out of light. Running out of time.
Grayson's hand found my arm, his touch anchoring. "We need to move. Zandia's already sharpening her claws."
I didn't budge. Watching Trux, Rhiot, and Ro try to work together was like waiting for a bomb to go off. "I should be out there. Someone needs to keep them from killing each other."
Grayson arched a brow. Amused. Dangerous. "You really think your presence would fix that?"
I bit my lip, frustration boiling just under my skin. "Maybe not. But it'd be better than standing here doing nothing."
He leaned in, voice dropping to a growl meant only for me. "Let them tear each other apart if they have to. Your job is bigger than babysitting. You need to survive Zandia. And she's already demanding updates."
His words hit harder than I wanted to admit. Because he was right. Again.
"And besides," he added with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes, "parents rarely like the people their kids date. Throw in supernatural bloodlines, and it gets messy fast."
Reluctantly, I let him pull me away from Ro, Trux, and Rhiot. He led me deeper into the labyrinth that was the Division's headquarters, away from the fight I couldn't stop and the barriers that still shimmered and pulsed with unfinished magic.
"Promise me they'll be okay," I whispered, the words clawing out of me before I could lock them down.
Grayson squeezed my hand, warm and solid. "Promise. Seph will keep them in check"
I sucked in a breath, straightened my spine, and nodded. "Alright. Let's go."
We walked side by side into the belly of the compound, into the unknown.
And even with the darkness pressing in on all sides, even with the weight of every impossible thing still to come… I didn't feel alone.
Not anymore.
The second we stepped inside, the change hit me like a punch to the gut.
Gone was the cold, sterile room where Zandia had barked orders like a pissed-off god.
In its place? A living room that looked like it had been ripped straight from my dreams. Plush couches.
Throw pillows that begged to be touched.
Warm lighting softened the hard edges of the compound.
A command center tucked into the far wall like it had always been part of the plan.
"Wow," I breathed out, unable to fake indifference if my life depended on it.
"Do you like it?" Grayson asked, voice casual. But I felt the tension underneath.
"Like it? I love it." I turned in a slow circle, drinking it all in. "When the hell did you have time for this?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish grin pulling at his mouth. "Laid out the plans after Zandia's tantrum. Kearan saw them. Decided not to wait."
"Kearan?" My chest tightened, sharp and sweet at once. Quiet, steady Kearan, doing this without asking. Without needing recognition. Just because he thought it would help.
Grayson nodded, pride humming through the bond. "He wanted you to have a real home. Somewhere you could breathe."
It wasn't perfect. It was more. It was ours.
"Tell him thank you for me," I said, my voice rougher than I liked.
"I will," Grayson promised, his gaze warming.
Before I could drown in the feeling, he straightened. Business mode sliding back into place. "Come on. We need to focus."
I moved toward the command center, my hands brushing the leather of a nearby chair, needing that physical connection. Needing to ground myself.
"Kearan," I called, spotting him lingering near the doorway like he didn't know if he was allowed to step further inside. "Thank you. It's amazing."
He blinked. Like he hadn't expected me to notice. As if he didn't think it mattered.
"It was nothing," he said, voice low. But I heard the crack in it. Felt it.
I crossed the room in two steps, grabbing Grayson and pulling him into a hug. His arms wrapped around me immediately, solid and sure.
"Thank you," I whispered against his chest.
"Anything for you, Parker," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple.
I didn't let go. Instead, I reached out, crooking my fingers toward Kearan. "You, too. Come here."
For a heartbeat, he just stared. Like the idea didn't compute. Then he moved… stiff at first and unsure until he slid into the circle of our arms.
We held him. Held each other.
Kearan's breath shuddered against my hair. His lips brushed the top of my head. I felt it break something inside him. Then I felt Grayson's joy crash against mine through the bond.
I'm glad you included him, Grayson's voice whispered inside my mind, a brush of thought against thought.
I wouldn't leave him out, I sent back, feeling Kearan's hesitance give way to something softer. I care about both of you. And I'm tired of being in denial about it.
Grayson's eyes gleamed when I looked up. Not just happiness. Gratitude. Fierce, wild love.
When we finally pulled apart, Kearan gave me a real smile. Small but real.
Something shifted between the three of us. Locked into place. Permanent.
"Alright," I said, voice low and certain. "Let's get this done."
Kearan's grunt shattered the moment like a slap.
He pulled back fast, retreating to the side of the room without a word. His hands moved with sharp, controlled motions, spreading out thick dossiers across the nearest table.
So much for the progress I was making. The space he left behind ached. But I didn't chase him. Pushing Kearan too hard never ended well.
"Give him time," Grayson murmured, voice low and steady.
I nodded, offering him a tight smile. Kearan would come around. He just needed space to feel safe. I'd earned pieces of his trust. Not all of them.
Not yet.
"Thank you," I whispered, brushing a kiss against Grayson's cheek before slipping away.
I crossed to the table, drawn by the neat stacks of files. Each one meticulously labeled in a sharp, deliberate hand. Descriptions filled the margins—quirks, tics, habits, anything that might stick in a mind that couldn't always hold faces the right way.
"For me?" I asked, voice caught somewhere between awe and disbelief.
Kearan's gaze met mine for half a heartbeat before he dropped it, busying himself with straightening the papers he'd already aligned twice. "Thought it might help. Names, faces. Anything you could use to pin them down."
My throat tightened. "Kearan... that's—" I swallowed, the weight of it hitting harder than any grand gesture. "That's incredible."
Grayson brushed the edge of my mind, silent, steady, wrapping around me like armor. He didn't say a word. He didn't need to.
"If this doesn't work," Kearan muttered, still not quite looking at me, "we'll figure something else out. Grayson can push the names to you telepathically if it gets bad."
Both of them… always thinking about what I needed before I could even ask.
"You two..." I started, but my voice cracked. I shoved the emotion down, locking it tight. "You've already done so much. I don't know how to repay that."
Kearan finally looked up, something raw flashing through his eyes. "You repay it by staying alive," he said. "By fighting beside us."
My chest burned with the weight of it. Not a demand. A promise.
"Deal," I said, grounding myself in it. In them.
Grayson. Kearan. Me. The rest of my mates.
We weren't perfect. We were broken in ways that didn't have neat labels or pretty fixes. But we were together. And maybe that was enough.