Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

I'M SORRY I CAUSED ALL THIS.

M y eyelids fluttered open, the dim light of what I assumed was a safe house a stark contrast to the blackness of unconsciousness. The first thing I saw was Rhiot's soothing golden eyes and his crooked grin that held a mix of sarcasm and relief. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in my side forced me to lie back down with a gasp. Rhiot's hand shot out, gently pressing against my shoulder, urging me to stay put.

Cerbie lay by my side, all six eyes filled with concern. A low growl rumbled from deep within his chest, echoing the worry that seemed to radiate from him.

"Hey, it's okay." I whispered, reaching out to stroke the middle head. The growling subsided, replaced by a soft whimpering that tugged at my heartstrings. "I'm alright. Really."

The right head lowered until it rested on my leg, while the left one watched me as a long string of slobber dripped from its jowls.

Rhiot's gaze never left mine as he carefully brushed a stray lock of hair from my face. His touch was gentle, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. "Thanks for trusting me."

"Thank you." I murmured, feeling the warmth of gratitude bloom inside me, nearly overshadowing the pain in my side. My throat felt like it had shards of glass embedded in it. Hurt like hell, but at least I was alive so it could hurt. "For getting me out of there."

"Of course," Rhiot replied with a small nod. "That's what Tsigos are for, isn't it?"

I allowed myself to sink deeper into the plush couch, the scent of charred wood and sulfur still clinging to our clothes and skin. I should probably be worried about ruining the fabric, but I couldn't seem to make my muscles move.

For a moment, I closed my eyes and let the memory of the fire wash over me... the heat, the smoke, the panic. And then I pushed it away, choosing to focus on the present.

"Rhiot?" I asked while opening my eyes once more. "What happened?"

He hesitated for a moment, as if considering how much to tell me. "We'll talk about that later," he finally said, his voice soft but firm. "For now, you need to rest."

"Okay." I agreed reluctantly, feeling the heaviness of sleep already pulling me under once more. Later, I would make him tell me whatever he was holding back. Cerberus shifted closer, his warm body providing comfort and protection as I slipped back into the darkness.

"Sweet dreams, Parker," Rhiot whispered, his hand still resting lightly on my shoulder. "We'll be here when you wake up."

And with that promise echoing in my ears, I allowed myself to drift off.

The sound of a door closing and footsteps roused me from my sleep. I blinked away the haze in my vision to see Ryker and Seph entering the room. Ryker hung back, his expression a mix of curiosity and awkwardness as he didn't move closer. Seph, on the other hand, wasted no time in kneeling beside me, her fingers gently caressing my face, as if to reassure herself I was okay.

"Hey, babe." Seph murmured, her eyes filled with genuine concern. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I used a three-headed hellhound for a bronco in a fire rodeo." I admitted, wincing as her fingers brushed over a particularly tender spot. "But it's nothing I can't deal with."

"Still," Rhiot butted in, his voice tense, "we need to make sure you're properly patched up. We're waiting on Trux, Grayson, and Kearan to arrive."

"Okay." I agreed, suddenly desperate for answers. "But first, I want to know what happened. Who started the fire?"

Rhiot exchanged a glance with Seph before turning back to me, his features drawn into a pained expression. "Your demonic powers, they..."

"My powers?" I interrupted, my heart pounding in my chest. "I did this? But how is that possible?"

"Your powers are unpredictable and seem to surge when you complete a mating bond." Rhiot explained, his voice laden with guilt. "You didn't mean to set the fire, but your powers flared up, and we couldn't stop it in time."

A wave of nausea washed over me, and I closed my eyes, trying to process the enormity of what had happened. I had caused the fire, hurt the people I cared about, and burned down the training facility. Okay, so maybe I wasn't so sad about the facility, but there were people in there who didn't deserve to burn to death.

My hands shook, and I clenched them into fists, fighting back emotions I couldn't do anything about. How could I have let this happen? How could I be so careless?

"Listen," Seph tried to soothe me, her hand on my arm. "It's not your fault. We know you didn't mean for any of this to happen, and we're all just grateful that everyone made it out alive."

"But I could have killed you all." I whispered, shame prickling at me. "Besides, when had my demon fire gone from being an illusion to real?"

"Accidents happen." Ryker murmured from his distant position in the room, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Sometimes things don't make sense."

I nodded, swallowing hard and forcing down the guilt that threatened to consume me. They were right, but that didn't ease the guilt. First, I needed answers and the truth. No more secrets, no more lies.

"From now on," I declared, my voice firm and resolute, "you tell me everything. I want to know who I am, what these powers are, and how to control them. And I won't take no for an answer."

Before anyone could respond, the door to the safe house burst open. Trux, Grayson, and Kearan stumbled inside. They were covered in soot and grime, their clothing singed and tattered. It seemed like they had struggled to escape the fire.

"Are you okay?" Kearan asked me, his voice barely above a whisper as he approached. I nodded, touched by the genuine concern in his eyes. His hands ran over my body, gently caressing right where all my injuries were. It was as if he could sense them. Then he'd mutter words I didn't understand and move on to the next one.

"Thanks to Rhiot." I glanced at Rhiot, who offered me a small, reassuring smile. "But what happened to you guys?"

Trux grimaced, wiping away sweat and ash from his brow as he knelt next to my side. He didn't seem like the type to kneel real often, so I memorized the sight. "We were trying to negotiate future expectations, but it seems you did that just fine on your own."

"None of us could put it out." Grayson added, his voice strained. "It was obviously demon fire. Nothing slowed it down, just kept growing stronger."

Kearan's hands stopped moving, but they lingered over my hand. I wanted him to slide his fingers between mine, but he didn't budge. Then I reminded myself I was supposed to be taking charge. I raised my hand, lifting my fingers until they meshed with Kearan's, then held them tight as I rested my hand on my belly. While I didn't expect him to stay that way, he squeezed my hand, then left it resting on mine. Definitely a win with him.

"That aligns to when Parker and I mated. Though it took longer than when she claimed Trux. That was immediate. This time, it was a while before the fire became an issue. I'm not sure if it's taking longer for the surge to happen or if the fire took that long to build." Rhiot sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "When her powers surged, I felt it, but didn't realize the extent until the fire was out of control. The fire was fueled by her demonic energy and her frustration at the trainers. That's why no one could extinguish it."

"Damn," Trux muttered, running a hand through his soot-covered hair. He shook his hair out before finger combing it back. "She made one hell of a point at a rather ironic moment. They'll take more care when approaching you in the future."

"Greaaat." I muttered, my heart sinking at his words. So much for getting them to like me. Now the government handlers for the team would never trust me. "I'm sorry I caused all this."

"Look, what's done is done," Trux said, folding his arms across his chest. "What matters now is settling things with the higher ups and figuring out how to prevent something like this from happening again."

"Easy for you to say," I muttered, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. "You didn't almost burn down your own home."

"Actually, I think this was a valuable lesson for all of us." Trux countered, his stern expression softening slightly. "None of us are infallible. Besides, this helps us gauge how strong your demon powers are... which explains why Ro and others are so focused on you."

"Trux is right." Grayson chimed in, his voice returning to its usual gentle cadence. "We can't change what happened, but we can make sure it doesn't happen again."

As I took in their words, I felt a strange mixture of gratitude and frustration. They were trying to help, to make me feel better, but all I could think about was the destruction I had caused. It seemed impossible for me to move past that.

I sat up on the couch, letting my feet touch the floor even though it sent pain through my side. It was less than it had been before. The movement must have spooked Kearan because he gave my hand a brief squeeze, then released me. I still counted the brief intimacy with him as a win. Someday I'd show him he could relax around me without being hurt.

I glanced around, looking for Cerbie, who'd been resting on me when I'd fallen back asleep. Nowhere in sight. Then a tingling sensation moved over my side where the pain had been the worst. At some point, he'd returned to tattoo form. Though I didn't miss his choice to guard my injury. He was the only dog, or what I could call a dog anyway, I'd ever had. No wonder people fell in love with them.

I returned my attention to the conversation with Grayson.

"Maybe you're right," I conceded quietly, my gaze fixed on the floor. "But I don't know if I can truly control this power inside me. What if something worse happens next time?"

"Then we'll face it together." Grayson said softly, his hand resting reassuringly on my shoulder. "You're not alone in this, Parker. We're here for you, every step of the way."

His words provided a small measure of comfort, but the weight of what had transpired still hung heavy in the air. My newfound powers were a force to be reckoned with, and it was up to us, as a team, to ensure that they didn't spiral out of control again. Next time we might not all survive.