Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

THE DEMON POWERS WILL EMbrACE THE PART OF YOU THAT IT CHOOSES.

W hen I abruptly stood from the couch, Grayson looked at me with a raised eyebrow. Rhiot frowned. Trux crossed his arms as he watched me. I gestured, my arms flailing through the air as I tried to voice my frustrations. If they kept withholding important information, trying to pacify me with positive reassurances, and everything else they kept doing, I'd never figure out how to control my powers.

I leaned against the wall near a hallway with my arms crossed, facing all of them. "Enough with the comforting words and excuses of why you can't tell me the full truth. I want answers. I want to know everything about my powers and how to control them, and I want to know now."

"There's no reason to get upset." Trux warned, his gruff voice a stark contrast to the soothing tones of Grayson and Kearan. "Be patient with yourself. You're part demon. There will always be a struggle between the two natures, just as shifters struggle with their two sides."

"Patient? I nearly killed you all!" I shot back, my hands trembling as they balled into fists. "No, I won't sit idly by while everyone around me is in constant danger. It's time you start telling me everything there is to know about my demonic side. No more secrets."

"Look, we get that you're scared, but we can't just force information on you." Trux argued, his eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "There are things you aren't ready to know yet, and trying to fill your head with too much too soon will only make matters worse."

"Who are you to decide what I'm ready for?" I demanded, my voice rising with each word. "You've been keeping secrets from me since day one, and look where that got us! I need to know everything if I'm ever going to gain control of these powers."

"Enough!" Rhiot shouted, stepping between us. His face was flushed, a rare display of anger in his otherwise composed demeanor. "We'll figure this out together, but arguing isn't going to help anyone. We need to be united if we're going to overcome this."

"Rhiot's right." Grayson agreed calmly. "We should take a step back and think rationally about how to approach this situation."

"Fine." I huffed, glaring at Trux. "But I expect answers. All of them."

"Agreed," Trux muttered reluctantly, his jaw clenched in frustration. "But you have to understand that some things might be better left unsaid."

"Like what?" I challenged, my anger flaring once more. I was so tired of his bossy Alpha attitude and his need to control everything. Sometimes it was hot as fuck, and other times it made me want to throttle him.

"Like the fact that your demonic powers could eventually take over you." Trux said bluntly, his eyes locked on mine. "The more you use them, the harder it will be to control the darkness inside you. And if you can't keep it in check, well… you've already seen a glimpse of what can happen."

"Trux!" Rhiot scolded, his voice sharp as he shot him a disapproving glance.

"She wanted the truth, so I gave her the truth." Trux snapped, refusing to back down. "She can't have it both ways. It's not pretty, and it's not easy, but that's the reality we're dealing with here."

As his words sank in, dread coiled tightly in my chest, wrapping its icy tendrils around my heart. It was true. I had seen firsthand the devastation my powers could cause when left unchecked. But knowing that there was an even darker threat lurking within me, waiting to take over, was almost too much to bear. Deep down, I'd felt it though... The temptation to not hold back plus the way they slipped out when I let my guard down. They were controlling me, not the other way around.

"Fine." I gruffed, swallowing hard as I tried to steady my emotions. "Then let's get to work. Let's figure this out right now. No more hiding things from me."

"Next time, I won't even try to hold back." Trux's jaw clenched, his expression darkening as he looked me over. "Now that's dealt with, I'm going to call those assholes back."

"Not without me." My arms crossed over my chest as I straightened my back. He couldn't keep doing things for me without including me.

Trux shook his head. "That's not a good idea. They want to take advantage of you, and I refuse to let that happen."

"I don't care." My heart rate spiked as I watched Trux's jaw clench, the tension between us reaching its breaking point.

He turned on his heel, heading for the door with a determined stride. But when he reached out to grasp the handle, it refused to budge. It wouldn't even turn. His frustration grew through the mating bond as he pulled harder, but still the doorknob didn't move. The door remained stubbornly shut.

"Damn it." Trux snarled, throwing all his weight against the unyielding barrier. "What's going on?"

"Let me try." Grayson stepped forward, his body tense and his eyes narrowed in concentration. He placed his hands on the door, murmuring something under his breath, but it did nothing to release the lock.

"How many Agenwi does it take to open a door?" Rhiot asked sarcastically, folding his arms across his chest.

"Shut the fuck up." Trux snapped, glaring back at him with a ferocity that made even Rhiot take a step back.

"What do you suggest we do?" Grayson shot back, visibly frustrated. He charged over to another exit, but that doorknob didn't budge, either. Grayson made a strangled noise in his throat as he flicked his fingers at the obstacle. "The last building we were in burned down. I don't like the idea of being trapped."

"Everyone, just calm down." Seph interjected, her soothing voice cutting through the rising panic. "There has to be a logical explanation as to why the doors won't open."

I met Rhiot's gaze as he steadily watched me. His expressions were neutral as he remained silent.

"Great plan." Grayson muttered darkly, running a hand through his tousled hair. "Except for the part where we're all at risk of burning to death."

"Grayson, just—" Seph began, but was cut off by Grayson cursing.

"It's all of the doors. None of them will open." With fingers splayed wide open, he waved his hand around, gesturing to the perimeter of the house. He shook his head as his gaze shot back to Trux. "Every single one of them is refusing to budge."

How did Grayson know they were all locked without trying to open them? Before I could ask, Trux responded.

"I don't sense any curses. There's no explanation that I can find for why they won't open."

A sensation washed through me, urging me to look at Rhiot again. The word 'you' formed in my mind. I tilted my head as I realized it was him who'd thought it. In response, I shook my head, though I wasn't sure if I was denying that I was reading his thoughts or that I was the cause.

Seph joined in as she shrugged her shoulders. "I got nothing, boss."

Ryker pulled out his tablet, his fingers deftly tapping on the screen.

My attention returned to Rhiot like he was a beacon. This time he raised an eyebrow at me, then nodded as the word repeated in my mind.

"Security cameras and motion sensors haven't detected any movement or infiltration. If someone is about to attack, they're undetectable." Ryker announced as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Maybe it's something in the house itself." Grayson offered, his gaze darting around the room as if searching for any hidden clues. "Some sort of protective spell or hex we've triggered."

"I'd be able to sense it." Trux shook his head. "Besides, this is one of our safe houses. If it had been tampered with, our protections should have let us know."

"Or perhaps it's not the house at all." Rhiot suggested, his eyes flickering to meet mine.

Everyone turned to look at me. My stomach dropped to the floor at Rhiot's words.

"Me?" I stammered, taken aback by the accusation. "Why would I?—"

But then I remembered the fire, the uncontrollable blaze that had been born from my own untamed abilities. Could it be possible that I was responsible for trapping us here as well?

"Please!" Grayson urged, his distress clear on his soot-streaked face. "Parker, if it's your powers keeping us trapped here, you need to release us."

I looked at my Tsigos, their eyes filled with a mix of fear and hope as they awaited my response. Part of me wanted to deny that I was responsible for our predicament, but deep down, I couldn't ignore the low level surge of power coursing through me.

"Alright," I whispered, closing my eyes and focusing my energy on the doors. I envisioned them swinging open, freeing us from this prison. But as I concentrated, I felt an overwhelming urge not to let go, to keep the doors sealed shut. It was intoxicating, this newfound control over my abilities... even if it was unintentional.

"Anything?" Seph asked, her voice laced with urgency.

"Nothing's happening." Grayson replied, his voice strained as he tried to pry the doors open with brute force. Was his desperation from his most recent brush with fire, or was there something older that spurred this fear in him?

"Damn it, Parker!" Trux shouted, frustration bursting forth like a volcano. "You have to stop this now."

"Trux, calm down." Rhiot warned, placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to defuse the situation.

"If she can't control her powers even around us, then she'll never learn to rein them in." Trux snapped, his eyes locked onto mine. "She's finally got a chance to prove she has some control over her power, and she's not."

His words cut through me, and I couldn't deny the strange thrill I felt. It was twisted, but I was enjoying the feeling of control, the sense of power that had eluded me for so long. I struggled to reconcile these dark thoughts with the person I thought myself to be.

"Is that true?" Rhiot asked, his voice soft but unyielding. "Are you really incapable of stopping it?"

"Maybe I am." I admitted, the words tasting like ash on my tongue. "But it's not that simple. I don't know how to let it go. I want to, but yet, there's a part of me that doesn't and I can't seem to get that side to let go."

"That's a fucking excuse." Trux growled, his patience wearing thin.

"Trux, enough." Rhiot warned, stepping between us and holding up a hand. "Parker, we're your friends, your family, your Tsigos. We're here to help you, but you have to trust us."

I looked around the room at their faces, each one betraying a mix of anxiety, determination, and even compassion. They were right. I had to trust them, even if it meant relinquishing the power I'd finally gained control over.

"Fine... I'll try again." I agreed, closing my eyes once more and focusing every ounce of my being into releasing the hold on the doors. But as I strained against the invisible force that seemed to grip the room, nothing changed. The doors remained steadfastly shut, and the oppressive air of confinement only grew thicker.

"Something's wrong," I muttered, panic rising in my chest. "It's not working."

"Keep trying." Rhiot urged, his faith in me unwavering. "Demon powers work on base urges and desires. Even if you want something, unless it's with your entire being, the demon powers will embrace the part of you that it chooses."

"Come on, babe, you got this." Seph whispered, her voice barely audible.

"I'm trying!" I shouted, desperation clawing at me like a wild animal. As the tension in the room reached a boiling point, I felt the weight of their collective desperation bearing down on me.

But despite my best efforts, the doors remained locked, sealing us within the confines of our own desperate hopelessness. And as we stared at one another, trapped and unsure of what to do next, I knew that our nightmare was far from over.