I don't know, I admitted, my heart pounding. The idea of Ro harboring any kind of affection toward me seemed absurd, but the more I thought about it, the more plausible it became. Maybe he's not as heartless as he seems.
"Enough of whatever this is," Ro interjected, clearly irritated by our silent conversation. "Focus on finding the grimoire and that damned ring."
Ro crossed his arms, watching Grayson and me with a mixture of irritation and defiance. Grayson raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by Ro's bluster.
"Keep your mind reading to yourself," Ro growled, his eyes narrowing.
Grayson tilted his head, considering Ro for a moment before turning back to me. He might care more than he lets on. While he is a demon, he is your father. But there's something going on that we don't know about yet. Grayson telepathically shared, his thoughts tinged with uncertainty. My heart raced as I tried to process the possibility that my demonic father might have been looking out for me in his own twisted way. It seemed impossible, but Grayson's instincts were rarely wrong.
"Alright, I'm done with all of you." Ro barked, drawing our attention. "You have five days to find that ring, Parker. That's how long I can keep you hidden from demons not confined to a hell realm." He paused, the gravity of his words sinking in. "The ring will be like a beacon, calling to every creature with even a drop of demonic blood. So, we need to fix the facility's protections."
His announcement sent a wave of unease through the room. Trux immediately went into work mode. "We'll get on it right away. But it will take some time to repair the demon barrier."
"Time you don't have," Ro muttered darkly.
CHAPTER 15
LET THEM TEAR EACH OTHER APART IF THEY HAVE TO.
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.
