The weight of this responsibility settled on my shoulders, and a sense of determination filled me. This was the exchange… The price I had to pay to get the answers I needed about mating. Which meant I would have to step up and take control of the teams. Yeah, that wouldn't go over well. I wouldn't let her or anyone else undermine me. My demon side might be volatile and uncontrollable sometimes, but it didn't define who I was, and it definitely wouldn't stop me from excelling in my new role.
"Thank you, Zandia," I replied, keeping my voice level, restraining my biting tone. I was over her. Now I knew why the team had reacted the way they did when she arrived. If I never saw her again, it would be too soon.
"See that you do," she said, her gaze piercing through me as if she could see straight into my soul. "Your mates will need your strength and leadership now more than ever."
"How many days has it been since... well, you know,"
"Days?" Zandia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Parker, you've already asked more than enough questions. It's time for you to figure things out on your own."
With a snap of her fingers, she disappeared from the room, leaving me feeling frustrated and more determined than ever to find the rest of the answers I needed. As I looked around, my mates suddenly reappeared, each of them giving me a questioning look as they tried to understand what had just transpired.
My heart felt like a ticking time bomb, each beat reverberating throughout my body.
"Guys," I said, swallowing hard. "We have a lot to talk about."
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.
