Page 123 of Just One Bite
"I'm not doing this if I don't know if you'll keep your promise."
"Fine. I'll go first. Hold the phone up to the stone."I turned my phone to face it."I ,the creator of this secret, will keep this secret and seal it into the stone. I must not tell anyone or release the information contained in the file or any other damaging information on Parker Owens . This information cannot be released by me or anyone else for the term of our arrangement and will be destroyed once the condition is met."
The stone illuminated briefly as the arrangement set.
“Now, repeat after me: I, Olivia Osborne, will keep this secret and seal it into the stone. I must join The Hunt and stay until completion or suffer my consequence of the release of the file on Parker Owens.”
I reluctantly said the words and the stone glowed again.
“What is the point of this? Making me enter The Hunt won’t gain you anything.”
“Do you really think he’ll want you after you agree to be someone else’s mate?”
My heart sinks as the castle comes into view, and the memory fades.
When I reach the edge of the treeline and the familiar weight of safety, I try to type out the words to explain what’s happening, but my fingers won’t move. The stone vow worked.
Another text comes through:Told you, Rabbit. Now be a good girl and keep our secret.
“Skipping class now?”
Parker’s voice is next to my ear, and I gasp. He’s leaning against a tree, his blazer open and his hair messy like he’s pushed his hands through it over and over again. He pulls a vial of potion from his pocket and swirls it in the air.
“I thought I’d bring my girlfriend a little gift from our class project.”
“I’m not your girlfriend anymore, remember?” Parker’s entire livelihood is at stake. This time, I have to protect him.
“Still my lab partner, though.” He smirks, eyeing the people passing on the lawn. “Come on, try it.”
I stare at the potion bottle in his hand. Maybe he’s on to something. Maybe this potion could override the Secrecy Stone and let me say what I need to say.
Hope flutters in my chest when I reach for the bottle, but Parker catches my hand and inspects my palm and moves a finger over my thumb.
“The Secrecy Stone, huh? Tsk.” He sighs, then brings my hand to his face and licks my thumb to heal it.
“You should ask before you do that.” I still don't know how closely I'm being watched.
“And maybe you should have told me what was going on before you agreed to a secret vow, Olivia.” His gaze darkens and sears into mine. “You should have just come to me. We could have figured it out.”
His nostrils flare, and he grips the tree beside me. Maybe he’s right, but this is his future. Everything he’s worked for is on the line. Being on the pro Rageteam is his dream, and I have to support that dream like it’s mine.
He gives me a bottle of potion. “This is a long shot but might help.”
I pop the cork and take a quick sip. Its power falls over me like a fine mist, and I’m lighter. Open. Like my skin is buzzing. My feet stumble back, and the bottle slips from my hand, spilling to the ground.
“It’s okay. You’re safe.” Parker steadies me.
“I know.” The words pass from my lips quickly. It’s as if the pause before I think the words is gone. “I’m always safe with you.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
My mouth moves to say the words.They’re framing you. I didn’t have a choice.
“I can’t.” I wish I could relay the words through our bond.
He sighs. “It was worth a shot. Can you tell me who it is? Is it Barrett? Aster?”
“I don’t know who.”
