Tainted roots

Once again Reed was leading us through the sandstone walkways, to the biggest building near the center of town. It was here they were conducting their interviews, and examined all of the evidence from the cases. Now that we realized Parker was the sorcerer helping out, he allowed us access to the building.

At every entrance were guards to go along with the wards set around the building, preventing unsanctioned portals. The building had an unexpected gothic vibe, with dimly lit hallways—that were unexpectedly and thankfully cool—lit by torches hanging along the wall. We followed a set of stairs up to the second floor, and I was relieved we weren't going down into some dark or dank dungeon.

At the top of the stairs was a short hall leading to a spacious circular room, with a high ceiling and a skylight, letting in the bright morning sun. Shafts of sunlight fell on the tables full of papers, crystals, and half-empty potion bottles. Beside the table was a translucent holographic screen, showing all the locations where the blackouts occurred. Only these weren't the pristine places we visited yesterday. Walls were demolished, flecks of blood coated the floors, and furniture was broken.

Another table sat on the other side of the projected screen, this one held multiple sets of clothes, ranging in style and colors. On the right side of the room was a sofa, and a couple of plush chairs, where Parker and five others sat.

Their conversation halted when we entered the room, the unfamiliar elementals giving us curious glances. Parker stood from his chair and strode over to us, where he pulled me into a tight hug that lifted me off my feet. "You scared the shit out of me wolf. Don't ever do that again," he murmured into my hair. As he set me back on my feet, my stomach stirred ever so slightly. So faint, I was once again left wondering if I imagined it or not.

"I hear I should be thanking you for saving me," I said as I took a subtle step back, just in case. While my friendship with Parker was growing into one similar to mine and Reed's, I didn't know how my unstable bond would react to him, especially after last night's episode.

It was almost like he left his laidback and carefree demeanor back home. His expression was serious as he scanned my face. "You were never the one at risk of dying, your mate was."

Like a punch to the gut, all the air in my lungs exited on a sharp exhale, while my chest painfully clenched. I ended up hunched over, with my hands on my knees as I attempted to slow my quickening breaths. His eyes lifted to whoever was standing behind me. "Like I said last night, it was lucky I showed up when I did." He turned and headed toward the table containing the clothes.

Once my breathing evened out, I glanced over my shoulder and found Ander standing a couple of feet behind me. A muscle feathered in his jaw, betraying his blank expression as he stared at the projected screen. I knew he was struggling to reign in his temper, just as I knew it was aimed at Koa.

The four elemental men and elemental woman, who I assumed was the one that was attacked, had begun talking quietly amongst themselves, giving us the illusion of privacy. Their hair color ranged from blonde to black, and their skin tones ranged from a light tan to a rich dark brown.

"What are the clothes for?" Harmony asked, joining Parker at the table, where she stood several feet away from him. At least she wasn't rolling her eyes or scoffing.

"Those two should just fuck and get it over with," Reed murmured in my ear. I tried holding back my snort but was unsuccessful. Without looking back at us, Harmony raised her hand and flipped us off.

Rather than laugh or make a joke, Parker ignored Reed's comment. "These were the clothes they were wearing when the blackouts occurred. I'm hoping to find the residual magic of whatever spell was used on them—if it was a spell."

Harmony's hands hovered over the clothes, staying a few feet away. "Are you using crystals, spells, or potions?"

"I'm using a combination of a spell and a potion," Parker answered, pulling his hair back into a low man bun.

Parker went into detail about the type of potion he was using, and Harmony suggested adding some type of oil and paste, made up of herbs I already forgot the name of. One of the unknown men offered to get the herbs she suggested.

Out of my element, I joined the others in the sitting area and plopped down on a comfortable armchair. Ander and Reed joined them at the table and began throwing out more ideas.

The elementals gave a polite hello as they introduced themselves. It may have been a dick move on my part, but I was only half paying attention when they spoke and only remembered the girl's name; Aylee. It must've been obvious I wasn't fully present, because they almost immediately went back to their conversation about creatures that cause memory loss.

Rubbing the heel of my hand to my chest to alleviate the slight buzz of energy, I glanced over my shoulder and watched Harmony and Parker. Both of them were bent over the table, looking at something I couldn’t see. This was the most civil I had ever seen these two act around each other. I doubted it would last. But it was a start.

The other man came back into the room carrying a box of potted herbs and dropped them off at the table. "It's nice to see you're doing better," he said to me once he sat on the sofa.

My brows pulled together as I tried to figure out how he knew about last night. "I imagine you don't remember much from last night. I'm Major, Rosie is my mate," Major explained, giving a small smile.

It wasn’t too surprising I didn't notice him in the bedroom last night. My eyes had been squeezed shut for most of it, and when they were open, it was hard to see with the bright lights.

"I left quite the first impression." I gave a small laugh, shifting around in my seat as I rubbed my chest again.

He chuckled, a grin lifting his full lips. "That you did."

I couldn't focus on what he said next, not when the fucking bond flared in my chest. Thankfully, pain didn't accompany it this time. A slight tugging sensation shook the cord and sent a buzzing warmth through my veins.

Closing my eyes, I leaned back in the chair and dropped my head back, breathing in deeply through my nose.

Every time that stupid bond showed up, I was forced to think about him and be reminded all over again, how he left without any real explanation. I have duties that can't be ignored. What kind of bullshit explanation was that? Would it have killed him to go into more detail? Sometimes late at night, the self-deprecating part of my brain would tell me that it was a lie, and what he wanted was to get away from me.

As if to fuck with me, the slight tug increased to an insistent pull. The urge to stand growing along with it.

My breath escaped my lungs on a sharp exhale as I sat upright. The urge to stand was now so strong, I had to clench the arms of the chair to stop myself from falling onto my knees. My grip was so tight, the arms of the chair groaned in protest.

Several sets of footsteps drifted down the hall. No...No. No! Panic built within my stomach, warring with the growing relief.

I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't prepared.

I tried not to look over my shoulder at the new arrivals, I really did. From the humming warmth in my chest to Harmony's quiet gasp, I already knew who it was. No matter how much I fought it, I couldn't stop myself from peeking over my shoulder.

Starling was at the front of the group, looking the same as last time—well, minus the blood and messy hair. The only difference was the now confusing mess of emotions. Before, I had believed she would be a new addition to our friend group, but then Koa left and she followed without saying a single word.

Instead of looking at the back of the group—where my eyes wanted to drift to—I focused on the man next to her. The blood mage was tall, not quite as tall as Ander, but close. His forrest green eyes studied the room, and by the careful way he watched everyone's movements, I had the suspicion that he was at least a hundred years old.

Shifting around in my seat, I was more than a little uncomfortable with staring at a stranger the way I was. But if I wasn't staring at him and observing his features, from his golden brown hair to his olive skin tone, I would end up looking at Koa. And I wasn't ready for that. He must've felt my gaze on him because he looked my way. Thankfully, there wasn't any anger at being stared at, just open curiosity.

Power emanated from him in waves, cementing my suspicion of his age. Even I could tell how powerful he was, and I wasn't as sensitive to magic as the others in this room. I knew next to nothing about him, but I instantly knew he wasn't someone you wanted as your enemy. Not only because of his magic. There was something in his eyes, something I couldn't put my finger on, but knew to respect.

On a knee-jerk reaction, my eyes snapped away from his and met Koa's. The breath stalled in my lungs as my heart rate sped up. My legs felt like jello—good thing I was already sitting.

My memories didn't do him any justice. I hadn't correctly remembered the undertones of his wavy black hair—now a couple of inches longer—or the exact shade of copper swirling with the gold in his amber eyes.

He wore a dark gray sleeveless shirt, putting his huge arms on full display. Had they always been that big and muscular? It was almost like he was teasing me. Testing my willpower to see if I could resist him. He was wearing shorts for crying out loud! The arms of the chair groaned again from my death group, and there was a good chance I might break the damn chair.

I swore I could smell his incredible spicy and rich scent. Even though there were more than twenty feet between us.

It wasn't fair that he looked this good. A part of me wished I imagined how gorgeous he was, and when I saw him again, I'd realize he was ugly. He didn't even look like he almost died last night.

My body tensed even more at that thought, and my eyes did another sweep over his body. His skin was the same rich brown, with no new cuts or scars. He didn't appear to be favoring any part of his body. Hell, he didn't even seem drained of energy. I wasn't the one going through that shit, and even I was out of it today. Stupid fucking dragon.

His eyes tracked over my face, almost like he missed me like he was rememorizing my features. The back of my chair felt like a flimsy barrier between us, but it was better than nothing. I still wasn't sure how I would react to him, once the complete shock at seeing him again wore off. A raging hurricane of emotions were swirling through me, and it was hard to settle on just one. And that damn bond thrumming happily in my chest, filling my body with buzzing and warm energy, wasn't helping matters. Neither was the throbbing in my core or the rush of dampness between my legs.

I wanted to blame the bond for the intoxicating need to rush over and throw myself in his arms. It was what I'd been doing this past month. Telling myself over and over, that all we had was due to this bond. That none of it was real. I knew it was a lie, every single time I whispered it to myself late at night.

The beginnings of a bond may pull your attention to them, and make you notice them. But it didn't force your attraction or emotions. It reacted to them and was strengthened by them, not the other way around.

Damn, looks like I actually learned something from those hours of research yesterday. Go figure.

"You look well for someone who almost died last night," Parker said conversationally, yanking me out of the hypnotic spell of Koa's gaze. Parker leaned back against the table, his hands resting behind him.

Koa's only response was a raised eyebrow as he crossed his arms and shifted his attention to Parker. Still a man of few words.

"I'm assuming you're the sorcerer," Staring said, appraising Parker as she drifted closer.

"Well now, that depends on who you think I am," he drawled, his cocky confidence returning. "If you're referring to the sorcerer who saved your friend's ass last night; then yeah, that's me."

"How did you know to do that?" Starling asked, stopping a few feet away from him, and tilting her head to the side.

"Jade." He drew out the word, looking confused as hell like he was being asked a trick question.

This wasn't what Starling expected him to say. A frown pulled at her face and she glanced back at Koa and the blood mage. Koa in turn shifted his attention to me. I could feel his stare on the side of my face. I didn't face him, instead, I watched the stranger purse his lips and turn my way.

"You didn't know," Parker said, pulling the attention away from me.

"Know what?" Koa demanded, speaking for the first time. And like everything else about him, his voice was even better than I remembered. The deep rumble of his words was intoxicating, and the throb between my legs intensified. A beautiful torture, because the last time I heard his voice was when he said goodbye.

"Jade felt the side effects," Parker explained, and Koa's attention whipped back to me. Shock and horror filled his expression. "When I showed up, she had nearly lost her voice from screaming."

It was then that I realized, Parker was the only one doing all the talking. Reed stood off to the side, arms crossed as he bit his lip in quiet contemplation. All he'd seen of Koa the last time, was him being a dick and then kicking my ass, which wasn't a great first and only impression.

Harmony went with the petty route and chose to ignore him as she continued crushing herbs into a paste. Beside her, Ander leaned back against the wall, staring off to the side of the room where nobody stood. A muscle ticked in his jaw, while continuously spinning his ring around his finger.

"Do you remember what happened?" The man asked, with an accent I couldn't immediately place.

While I felt better having the chair as a barrier between us, my body was beginning to get uncomfortable looking over my shoulder. So, with a low sigh, I stood up and faced the blood mage. "Yes."

He raised a brow expectantly, apparently not used to someone like me. "Can you tell us what you remember?" He asked when his nonverbal question remanded unanswered.

"Oh, you wanted details, my bad," I said with feigned surprise, earning a snort from Parker, and a choked laugh from Starling. In my peripheral vision, I saw Koa wipe his hands down his face.

Going into details about last night was unappealing, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get out of this conversation without saying something. "All I really remember from it is this icy pain stabbing me in the chest and my head. Everything else felt unbearably hot in comparison. Whenever someone would touch me, it felt like actual fire on my skin." I didn't look at Koa the entire time I spoke. I couldn't.

The stranger didn’t speak, instead, he looked off to the side, his expression shuttering. Horror was painted across Starling's expression as she continued staring at me.

"Wasn't this what he experienced?" I asked, aiming my question at Starling, not ready to speak to Koa directly.

Starling wasn't the one to answer my question. "I don't remember what happened. I blacked out."