Chapter 9
NINE
CADEN
A few days later, we’d just come out of another long meeting with Rachel, who, surprisingly, had been nothing but accommodating to our military demands.
Her Offensives and Crown’s Offensives were cooperating well, and as long as the humans hadn’t figured out where Emma was hiding, the threat on her Collective was nearly non-existent.
I was grateful to her, just not as grateful as she wanted, considering I’d turned her down for the second time since my arrival.
Crown was also safe for now, with European human leaders talking and negotiating, mostly trying to figure out which Collectives had paid taxes over the last hundred years. But the bubble over the US was still intact, and we needed to find the magus responsible fast.
Five days after our meeting with Sinclair, I was reading in Rachel’s library when James barged in like he was contractually obligated to cause a dramatic scene.
“I just got nexed by the United Chiefs.”
That made me look up, startled. A direct nex from the very people still running the Magi World since they’d wiped out the Board at Alliance was almost unheard of.
“Three kids in Cyclos.” He sounded hollow. “Translated.”
My blood went cold.
“Their parents couldn’t stop them, their haze shot out too quick.”
I didn’t ask. I knew what it meant.
James’s gaze caught mine. “They incinerated on the spot.”
I closed my eyes, pushing the bile back in my throat.
James started pacing, his boots echoing against the floor. “My Council found a way to contact the United Chiefs. My people are demanding I return immediately to declare war on whoever’s behind the bubble.”
“So nothing more than a nice, casual war with the president of the United States,” I muttered, already trying to piece together what it would mean for the rest of us.
James’s mouth tightened, his demeanor anything but calm. “Which is exactly what the Chiefs told the Council. They’ve bought me some time, but not much. We need to find the magus behind the bubble, and fast.”
I stepped toward him and grabbed his shoulder—a rare moment of comradery. “Then let’s do so.”
We didn’t say anything else, but the same unspoken worry pressed down on both of us.
At this rate, war between species was becoming inevitable.
On top of it, we still had no answer for why the president labeled Emma a terrorist and signed off on the execution of her parents.
And more urgently than all of it, we needed a way to keep her safe. Somewhere secure. Somewhere far from the bullshit she was being dragged into.
Which is exactly what James and I were discussing later that night in Arbor Hall, alone. The fire crackled in the background as we ran through options.
I was about to suggest contacting Slava for help when the door swung open.
Emma walked in, and for the first time in weeks, there was something in her eyes, something that wasn’t numb or distant. My heart jumped into my throat, hope and relief rushing through me.
The icy mask she’d been wearing was gone, replaced by one hell of a fierce expression.
“You two!” she yelled, her voice forcefully carrying across the room.
Shit. That didn’t bode well for either of us.
She stalked toward us; her face flushed with anger. “Am I to understand you are trying to figure out my life without me? You’re discussing me as if I’m not even here? Do I look like a damn toddler to you?”
Rage.
A fucked-up stage of grief to go through.
There wasn’t a damn thing either of us could say to temper it. So, I kept quiet, knowing better. James, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have gotten the memo.
“Emma,” James said softly, trying to soothe her, “we only want to help you. Protect you.”
She snorted, the sound bitter. “Really? Protect me? Like you protected Julian and his precious secrets? What’s the matter, James? Not enough rapists in the world for you to protect these days?”
Wow.
“Emma!” James shouted, his shock unmistakable.
“Oh, I’m sorry, does that hurt your feelings? Me telling the truth?” Emma's tone dripped with venom. “Yeah, I know it’s not a concept you’re very familiar with, but—"
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” James cut her off, his frustration boiling over. “I only kept silent about it as part of a deal! To get Julian off the continent! To make sure he never came back! I did it so the True Bond wouldn’t affect you! I did it to protect you!”
“A deal you made about my life!” she yelled back, fury blazing. “How dare you? How dare you make that decision without me?”
“You were in a coma!” he shot back, raw with anger.
“I don’t care! You hear me? I don’t fucking care!
Maybe that’s why you didn’t tell me when I woke up, but we were together for months after that!
Months, James! And you still chose to protect that rapist’s secret over telling me!
Even with him gone! Why? Were you afraid I’d seek him out?
Take my revenge? Did you not trust me enough to handle it if you’d just explained it to me?
Just like you didn’t trust me to… Fuck!”
James froze, the words clearly hitting him hard. She was right. She was dead-on, and he knew it.
“You’re a godsdamn liar, James,” she spat. “No matter which way you turn it.”
“Emma,” I interjected, starting to feel bad for the guy, “it’s not all black and white.”
She turned on me, her gaze suddenly locking on mine, as if she’d only just realized I was there.
Her eyes were ice. “Oh, of course you would say so. You’re the bloody king of the gray zone, aren’t you?
What now, Caden? You want to torture me some more?
Bleed me out again, just to make sure you’re still on top? ”
I swallowed hard, the weight of her words like a punch to the chest. Fuck me, she was savage.
“Because let me tell you something, Caden Colt,” she continued, taking a step toward me.
“You might think the death of my parents traumatized me, and everything that happened after, but that’s nothing compared to the shit you did to me.
Or have you forgotten how your goons bled me out, tied me to a tree, ensuring I’d have nightmares for months, before abducting me and maiming me for life? ”
She swirled her visible haze around her arm and made the scars beneath her tattoo appear. “Look at this!” she yelled, pointing at the horror I was responsible for. “Look at what you did to me!”
My fists clenched involuntarily. Her words cut me like a knife straight to the gut, twisting with every syllable, however true they rang.
She took a step toward me. “You want to be there for me? Help me get through my ‘trauma’? Hah! You’re the one fucking responsible for it!” she spat, her words laced with bitterness.
Then, just as quickly, she pivoted, turning her back on both of us. But even from behind, I could see her hand subtly wipe away the tears that had started to fall.
Without facing either of us, she whispered, sounding raw and hoarse, “I hate you both.”
She drew a green portal and disappeared, vanishing to gods know where.
I stood there, fists still clenched, my entire body rigid. My gaze shifted to James, who was standing in a similar state—fists tight, jaw set, frozen in place.
And for the first time, I felt a genuine connection to the guy.
“She’s lashing out,” I grumbled, trying to make myself sound more reassuring than I felt.
“I know that,” James hissed through gritted teeth. “That’s not what bothers me.”
I raised a brow. “What bothers you, then?”
His gaze flicked toward the portal Emma had vanished through. “If she’s lashing out at us, she won’t let us be there for her.”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I think this is how we’re there for her. Losing people you love...it makes you angry. At everything. Grief doesn’t just make you sad, it heightens every emotion you’ve got, including anger. Trust me, her lashing out at us, it’s good.”
James’s green orbs found mine, narrowing slightly. “Speaking from experience?”
I shrugged, the weight of old memories settling over me. “I had a family once.”
James nodded, his expression softening, thoughtful. “I didn’t.”
Silence hung between us for a moment, the weight of both our histories settling in.
And just like that, some sort of weird-ass truce was born.
I’d meant it when I told James lashing out was the best thing for her right now. But deep down, I shared his concern. She needed someone to be there when the anger finally burned out.
“I need you to portal in here.” My words sounded strained later that night, while I gripped my Nexus as if it were my only lifeline.
Sean stilled for a beat, before his brows furrowed. “Why?”
“Because Emma needs you right now.” I paused. “She’s grieving hard as fuck, and she’s lashing out at me and James.”
Sean’s expression shifted. “Lashing out?”
“Yeah,” I huffed. “She brought up Coastal, saying I was the king of the gray zone, whatever the hell that means.”
“Christ, Caden… Don’t ye think it’s time ye told her the truth about Coastal?”
I clenched my jaw, the familiar wave of impatience rising. “I swear, Sean, you ask me one more time, and I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you ever use your tongue for.”
He sighed deeply, the weight of his frustration evident. “It’s not right.”
“I don’t give a fucking shit.”
“Don’t ye think she should know—”
“Sean! What did I just say?”
He finally piped down, his gaze dropping for a second. “Fine. What do ye need?”
I let out a breath, the tension in my chest still simmering. “As I said, you need to portal into Kanata C. She needs you, brother. She was catatonic for days, but now she’s raging, which is fine, but I’m scared she’s going to…” I paused, my throat tightening. “Just get your ass in here.”
My mind began racing with memories, each one worse than the last, the fear clawing at the edges of my thoughts. Before I could go further down that spiral, Sean cut through.
“Caden… She’s not Rose.”
I clenched my jaw, trying to hold back the flood of emotion that threatened to break loose. “I know that.”