LAILAH
FIVE
Two days passed in a routine of sleeping late into the day then waking up and getting right into research, tracking down any leads they could think of.
I wasn’t that much help but Jay handed out tasks for us which made it easier, but when we hit a wall, we knew we needed to bring Parker into this.
For all that he was a big child and didn’t take much in life all that serious, he was one talented computer whiz.
We all kept running into roadblocks being unable to get the information we needed.
Parker would easily be able to hack into what we needed with the right technology and know-how.
Cami made the call and filled him in on what was going on.
It appeared that he’d been staying with my parents of all people, but from what Cami gathered, he’d been holed up, working on his own angle dealing with the demon problem.
I was curled up on the couch, leaning on Brayden with Micah sprawled out next to us when the knock came at the door.
Immediately, my stomach started to churn with worry, having no idea how this was going to go.
It was such an odd place to be, missing him, knowing that even though I wasn’t sure how I felt about him, he still held a part of my heart.
My trust in him was shattered, but I missed Parker’s lightheartedness, the pranks he would play on the others.
He could always find a way to lighten a tense situation in the right way to make us all laugh, or at least smile.
The past few days had been so quiet and brooding as we processed all that we’d been through and survived.
Parker completed us and added to the group in a way that only he could, but I didn’t know how to even start to work on things when we had all this other stuff going on.
On the other hand, it seemed so stupid to be this upset with him.
Lilith set him up to fail, using everything they could to ruin him.
But ultimately, he made the choice to abandon me to save Phoebe, and that was what broke us.
“Hey, Cami, thanks for reaching out and giving me a chance.” Parker’s voice echoed down the hall into the living room.
His deep tone rumbled across my skin, bringing tears to my eyes that I brushed away quickly as he entered the room.
There he stood, looking as haggard, if not slightly worse, than the rest of us.
Dark circles rimmed his eyes, his hair was a mess, and he had the starting of a beard, like he couldn’t be bothered to shave.
“How can I help?” was all he asked, taking a moment to look at each of us.
“How much did Cami tell you?” Jay asked, taking point on this.
“That the demons took your mom to use against you if they failed with me, and your father isn’t interested in helping to find her,” Parker answered.
Jay nodded and turned the laptop around so Parker could see the screen.
“I need your help hacking into these companies where we traced some money movement. They match to the previous camps but we can’t get to the other end of things.
There has to be people helping them in the normal world, funneling funds to keep them hidden.
If we can get our hands on one of those people, then we can figure out where they are now.
From what we gathered, their camp is too big for them to keep moving it the same way they did before, so it has to be hidden well. ”
Parker cracked his knuckles and sat right on the floor, in front of the coffee table the laptop was on and got to work.
That was it. There wasn’t any other discussion or pushback like he normally would give if he didn’t feel included in the master plan.
The tension in the room, just having him here, was suffocating, so I slipped off the couch and headed into the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea.
“You okay, Lala?” Cami asked as she hopped up on the counter next to where I was working.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “How do you even begin to learn to trust someone again? There isn’t a magic formula to fix something like what we’ve been through.
Most people might think I’m silly and not see the big deal, but when that Oath connection between us crumbled away, it was as if a part of me died.
These aren’t normal relationships that I have with these men, and I can understand why losing one of them would cripple or even kill me.
We are bound to each other through love, magic, and spirit.
That isn’t something you can move on from. ”
“When I lost Kim, I wasn’t sure that my heart would ever mend,” Cami whispered, her voice tight with emotion.
“I know it isn’t the same but I understand that kind of heartbreak.
It’s been three years now, and I didn’t truly believe that I would find a love like that again.
It took the right person to come alongside me, willing to be patient as I figured things out and let me take my time as I got to know them.
Maggs understands that Kim will always have a place in my heart and isn’t threatened by that.
She even asked me to tell her stories about Kim, so I can share that part of my life with her, since we were together all through high school. ”
“Cami, I’m so happy that you have Maggs and she is everything you need, but I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.” I sighed, leaning on the counter and dropping my head into my hands.
She ran a gentle hand over my head in comfort.
“I know I give the big idiot a hard time, but give him the chance to prove to you that he can be trusted again. Don’t push him away.
I’m not saying forgive him, he hasn’t earned that, but instead, keep an open mind to the possibility that he can be willing to be what you need right now.
Parker is part of your soul. Losing the Oath didn’t change that.
He got lost and fell off track. Does he deserve to grovel and pay his penance?
Absolutely! Just as Maggs kept letting me know she was there for me and cared, waiting for me to be ready. Let Parker have that chance.”
“You make that sound so simple.”
“It’s not. I hated Maggs for a long time because she didn’t take the hint I wasn’t interested in anything other than a fling.
Attachments and falling in love again were the furthest thing from my mind but she refused to let me ignore her.
Then we became friendly, and I went to her parties, found out she worked for the Elementi and knew our dangers, which Kim never did.
When I saw her again after the summer, I decided she’d stuck around after all the shitty things I put her through, so she must really like me.
So, I gave her the date she’d been asking for.
Now, I couldn’t ever picture my life without her.
I’ll always love Kim, but Maggs is my forever person.
She took the time to prove to me she wasn’t going to walk away from my woundedness.
” Cami paused then shifted. “You hear all that, dipshit? I just laid out everything you needed to do if you really want to make this work.”
My head snapped up as I realized she wasn’t talking to me anymore and found Parker lingering in the doorway of the kitchen.
I gulped, wondering how long he’d stood there and what all he heard of our conversation.
Not that I said anything I wouldn’t say to his face, but I didn’t know if I was ready for him to know exactly how I was feeling.
Cami hopped off the counter, gave me a peck on the cheek, and left the kitchen, knocking Parker with her shoulder as she went.
“I have no right to ask for a second chance, Lailah, but I’m not strong enough to walk away from you,” Parker murmured as he took a few steps closer, still leaving plenty of room between us.
“What I did to you, and the pain I’ve caused you, make me worse than the demons we’re fighting.
I will be whatever you need me to be, without question.
Just say the word and I’ll do it. Just allow me the chance to still be in your life.
I’m never going to ask for more than that, since I don’t deserve that kindness from you as it is. ”
Hearing his plea and the vulnerability in his voice, my heart ached as it echoed the pain I could sense from him.
The kettle whistled on the stove, breaking me out of my paralyzed state and gave me something to do as I figured out how I wanted to respond to his request. Parker didn’t speak, move, or try to push for an answer as I finished making my tea. I turned to face him.
“Help us find Jay’s mom and survive this battle with the Dark Lord, then we can figure out where we stand,” I answered. This wasn’t a yes or a no, but it would give him the chance to be useful and see if there was something left to save between us.
Parker sagged as if relieved, which confused me. “Thank you for letting me stay to help and not tossing me out for good. I know I said this before but I won’t fail you or the others again.”
“There are rules though,” I warned. “I can’t have you move back in or stay here overnight if it’s not necessary.
After things happened with Lilith, my nightmares are back and I need to know that everyone in the house is a safe person.
The other part is, I’m not the only person you need to repair relationships with.
You and the others need to work your shit out on your own time.
I’ll give them the same speech but I can’t handle you guys fighting among yourself in front of me. ”
“I can deal with all of that,” Parker answered, a determined look on his face.
“Alright then,” I said moving past him with my mug, returning to the others where I paused as they all looked at me.
“I just explained my expectations to Parker with him being here and helping but one of those expectations is the same for all of you. All of us have issues to work on if there is any hope to fix things but I won’t tolerate you fighting in front of me.
We need to deal with the big picture, so whatever beef you have gets dealt with elsewhere and on your own time.
” They all nodded as their eyes shifted from me to Parker who was standing behind me.
“Anyone else have concerns they need to voice?”
When no one spoke up I let the issue drop and returned to my spot between Brayden and Micah. I only had so much emotion to give to things and for this matter, I reached my max.
The rest of the day fell into a peaceful atmosphere as we worked on our sections of things, allowing Parker time to look through what we’d found and see what he could come up with. The sun faded and stomachs rumbled, making me smile.
“I’ll get dinner started,” I announced, getting up as Brayden grabbed my hand, making me pause.
“Do you want any help, Angel?” he asked.
Leaning down, I kissed him and shook my head. “No, I need a break from dead ends and cooking helps me think. I’ll call you guys when it’s ready.”
I sent up a prayer as I left them alone for the first time since the whole thing went down that they wouldn’t kill each other.