Tainted roots

My stomach pitched, and there was little doubt in my mind as to who the "he" was. I couldn't remember thinking about him during the freezing and scorching pain. But I knew one thing for certain, whatever I felt last night hadn't come from my end of the bond.

Another unfocused memory came to the surface, making me frown. "Did I imagine that Parker was here?"

Harmony groaned and Ander's lips twitched. "No, you didn't. He was the one to save you," Ander said before pushing off the wall and exiting the room without any explanation.

I didn't question where he was going, and instead carefully shifted around on the bed until my back was pressed against the headboard. "What is he doing here? I thought he was busy doing a favor for his sister."

"He is, that's why he was here. His sister's mate is one the few that have been questioning the infected, and asked him to come and take a look," Reed answered, sitting down on the other bed.

Harmony crossed her arms and muttered, "Just my luck."

"He...he put some kind of fire in my chest," I mumbled, rubbing my chest as I remembered the burn.

"Can you tell us what you remember?" Ari asked as she adjusted so she could fully face me.

While I relayed the events of last night, Ander came back into the room with a glass of water. Which he made me drink half of. Once I finished my story, they remained silent for a few moments while they processed my words.

"That tracks with what we thought," Ari murmured, glancing at Ander.

"What?" I asked looking between the two.

Ander sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. "The 'fire' you felt, didn't come from Parker."

My brows pulled together as I slowly shook my head. "I saw his hands light up."

"He shot energy down your bond, not fire," Ander said slowly.

Groaning, I dropped my head in my hands. My fucking head was pounding, my entire body ached, and I was in no fucking mood for him to be dragging out his words. "Just spit it out already."

"Everything you experienced, came from the bond. Physically there was nothing wrong with you—despite how cold your skin felt. Everything we tried, did nothing to warm you up because it wasn't you who truly experienced these symptoms. It was Koa." A fresh bolt of pain stabbed my chest—that had nothing to do with what happened last night, and everything to do with the fact that Ari used his name. It was the first time hearing it since the night he left me, and it hurt worse than I thought it would.

I pulled my knees to my chest, hoping it would alleviate the pain. "I already figured that out."

"That's why Parker sent a pulse of energy down your bond. He was trying to kickstart Koa's healing and help him fight off whatever was doing that to him. The fire you felt was from Koa," Ari said slowly, hesitating slightly before saying his name—probably because she saw my flinch each time she used it.

A war of emotions raged in my chest. Worry for Koa and the pain he suffered, anger at having to deal with the consequences of this bond bullshit yet again. Finally, I settled on confusion, coming up blank as to what could've caused this.

I opened my mouth, ready to ask if they knew what happened. "We don't know," Ander said, knowing what I was about to ask. My mouth snapped shut as my frustration grew.

"Did all of you sleep in here?" I randomly asked, just now registering that the others had been in the other bed.

Reed scoffed and shook his head. "You really think we'd leave you alone after what happened?"

"We even watched you sleep for an hour before we even thought about falling asleep," Ari said with a yawn.

"I don't know whether to be grateful or creeped out." Despite my words, a light sensation warmed my chest, that had nothing to do with the damned bond, and everything to do with the love I had for my friends.

After smothering a yawn of my own, I checked the time on my wristband and saw it was just after six. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep after this. Not with my friends hovering over me. With a long groan, I threw off the covers and crawled out of bed. After stretching out my stiff muscles, I grabbed my bag and went into the bathroom for some alone time.

Cranking the shower to my preferred scalding temperature, I stood under the spray and let it loosen my tense muscles.

While I appreciated how much my friends cared about me, so much so that they squished into already small beds, just so they could remain close. I just needed some alone time, to process what just happened, and not have to worry about hiding my reactions.

This past month, I had diligently avoided thinking about Koa and what he was up to, but now that was all I could think about. Questions, one after another, kept racing through my mind. What has he gotten himself into? Was Starling there with him? Did this have anything to do with the creatures?

One thought kept popping up, even though I kept pushing it down. Even though he left me and all the pain I'd felt, I still cared. The thought of something happening to him, had all the air in my lungs seizing as my stomach dropped.

The sounds of the door swinging open wrenched me from my thoughts. My entire body tensed as I slowly opened the opaque glass shower door and peered around it. "It's just me," Ari said, and I just about jumped out of my skin.

Turning off the water and wrapping a towel around myself, I found Ari sitting on the counter next to the sink. "The door was locked." I nodded at the door, which was once again locked and shut.

Ari shoved her hairpin back into her bun. "I know."

"Are you going to tell me why you interrupted my shower, or do I have to guess?" I asked, changing into a clean cropped halter top, and a lightweight pair of shorts.

Ari chewed on her lip as she considered her answer. "I need to go back home."

I expected her to say she was checking in on me, or that she wanted to talk about Koa. Not this. "Why?"

"Last night shouldn't have happened." She paused, staring down at her intertwined hands, struggling to find the words. "I have a theory as to why it happened. I could be wrong…I'm probably wrong. But I still have to check, just in case I'm not."

"What theory?" I asked, trying not to get my hopes up.

"I'll tell you if it turns out I'm right," Ari said as she hopped off the counter, and wrapped me up in a bone-crushing hug. "Just remember, not everything is as it seems—not even things you see with your own eyes."

After giving me that cryptic as hell warning, she left me alone in the bathroom. Confused as fuck as I tried to figure out her words.