Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
EMMA
“Where’s Caden?”
I had no right to ask.
It had been over two weeks since I’d come all over his fingers, and I’d done everything in my power to avoid him ever since.
Why? Because I was an emotional coward. Because seeing him meant feeling everything I wasn’t ready to look at, the want, the danger, the Chiefs, but most of all…the way he could break me without even trying.
At first, he’d found it amusing, smirking every time I dodged his gaze, every time my cheeks betrayed me with that stupid flush. He’d tried, too. Reaching out. Nexing me. Sending little invitations to read or train together, each one I pretended I never saw.
And then last week… Silence.
No playful Caden. No smug Caden. Just—gone.
Which made this week the first time I hadn’t seen him at all. Not even from a distance. Not a godsdamn glimpse.
I was slowly going out of my mind, because I missed the asshole.
Also, without Caden to distract me from the gut-wrenching grief I wrestled with daily, I’d gone full dark mode. No sleep, too much caffeine, and an obsessive spiral I couldn’t crawl out of.
I’d picked apart the warrant I’d pulled from that soldier’s memory a thousand times by now, and it sucked to admit there was nothing useful there. Not a single lead.
Of course, all I had was a fractured memory of it. However I spun it, I needed the real thing.
Which is why I’d called the guys into Sean’s room, hoping someone could help me track down the original warrant.
“He’s following up some lead at Sisu with Rachel,” Sean mumbled, his attention locked on Jackson.
Alone with Rachel?
Jealousy flared so fast, I nearly tripped over my own feet—an impressive feat considering I was very much sitting down at Sean’s desk.
James stood near the window, arms crossed and quiet. Sean sat on the edge of his bed, Jackson beside him, looking at each other like they were about to fuck each other in the middle of the room.
“Any word on the Chiefs?” I asked, pushing down the irritating thoughts of Caden and Rachel off on a mission, just the two of them.
James shook his head once. “Radio silence. For now. I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”
I nodded, catching something different in his voice. Softer than I was used to. Since our last fight, he’d been ignoring me, same way I’d been avoiding Caden.
But these last few days... James had been warmer. Offering me coffee in the mornings. Asking if I wanted the last piece of cake at night. Small things.
“I still can’t believe how they behaved,” Sean said quietly. “They should know better. Between pressuring you two to form the True Bond and forgetting everything Caden ever did for them—”
“What do you mean, everything Caden did for them?” James cut in as he turned to face us.
Sean shrugged, leaning back slightly. “I meant generally speaking. Like when they nexed him for help right after the Amplifier went missing. He joined their search, no hesitation, no questions asked. Then again when Crown was tasked to track it down, he agreed to it without complaint.”
James’s frown deepened. “He joined the Chiefs on a mission? When the hell was this?”
“Last year. Right after you guys fought the Board at Alliance.”
I drew a steadying breath, trying to redirect. “Okay, so, the reason I called you guys here—”
“Hold on,” James interrupted, his gaze sharp. “Caden joined the Chiefs in their search for the Amplifier? In Asia?”
Sean raised a brow. “Yeah. Why?”
James’s expression turned to ice. “Because that’s when Stephen lured me out of Cyclos and sent me on a wild goose chase for the Amplifier, so you guys could abduct Emma.”
Sean blinked. Then his eyes widened in realization, and his face drained of color. Visibly.
I sat straighter, tension spiking. “I don’t understand. What are you saying?”
James kept his focus fixed on Sean. “If Caden Colt was supposedly aiding the Chiefs in Asia… Where the hell was he when Emma was taken by Crown’s Offensives and brought to Coastal?”
Sean stilled completely. Even Jackson, normally unreadable, looked away like the floor had suddenly become very interesting.
“James,” I said quietly. “Caden was at my parents’ house. He abducted me and brought me to a sterile room at Coastal. He’s then maimed my arm to analyze my translation. I know this because when I woke up from their sedation, that was the first time he and I met.”
James shook his head. “I believe you. Which means Caden was not in Asia with the Chiefs. Which means he’s lying about it.”
“He’s not lying about helping the Chiefs,” Sean snapped back, his tone edged with warning.
“Well, he’s not lying about Coastal either,” I added, my countenance hardening.
James let out a scoff that scraped like gravel. “You two are so blinded by him. He’s lying to both of you, and you need to stop being so damn gullible.”
Oh, dude. Wrong thing to say.
“You mean like I was with you?”
Yup. I went there. Again. Couldn’t help myself.
Sean winced, eyes darting between us like he wanted to intervene but knew better.
James’s jaw flexed so hard I thought it might crack, his fists balling tight at his sides. “Lash out at me all you want,” he said finally, “He’s still lying to you.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
My pulse thundered, my throat dry, but I didn’t let it show. “I need some air,” I muttered instead, and pushed to my feet. My chair scraped harshly against the floor, the sound uncomfortable.
Sean started to say something, but I cut him off with a sharp shake of my head. “Don’t.”
Without another word, I strode out, the door slamming shut behind me.
One of the hills at Kanata C had a beautiful view of the surrounding icefields, their jagged white edges glowing faintly under the dim afternoon light. It was quiet up here—isolated in a way that made thinking both easier and harder.
I translated a warm blanket and sat on the frozen ground, pulling it tight around me as I replayed the last twenty minutes in my mind.
Obviously, James would’ve jumped at any chance to cast doubt on Caden.
And I trusted Caden. I did.
But something about the way Sean had reacted—too defensive—and the way Jackson had gone completely still, avoiding eye contact like he’d heard something he shouldn’t have... It rubbed me the wrong way. Scraped at the back of my mind like a splinter I couldn’t reach.
I stared out at the horizon, the snow-slick world stretched endlessly in front of me and felt the now-familiar doubt in my chest.
I had no idea when Caden would be back from Sisu—the Scandinavian Collective out in Greenland—and the uncertainty gnawed at me until I gave in and nexed him.
Me: When are you back?
The reply came seconds later.
Him: Tonight
Just one word. No punctuation. No warmth.
Fair enough. Considering I’d ignored him for the better part of almost three weeks, he was well within his right to keep it cold.
I heard the crunch of leaves behind me, boots against dry earth, knowing without a doubt who’d be there if I turned around.
“If you’re coming to explain what happened at Coastal,” I mumbled, “I’d rather hear it from Caden himself.”
My tone wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm either. It carried the weight of exhaustion, of knowing deep down that someone—again—had lied to me.
Sean didn’t answer right away. Simply lowered himself beside me, some uncomfortable vibe between us.
“He can’t do that, Emma,” he said at last, his tone quiet.
“Why not?”
“Because…” He hesitated. “It’s not his story to tell.”
I swallowed hard, and a nervous feeling pressed against my ribs. “Whose, then?”
Sean looked at me and I knew before he even spoke. His eyes, rimmed with unshed tears, were already telling the truth.
“Mine,” he said.
Bracing myself for what was coming, I gave him a simple nod, indicating I was listening.
Sean exhaled deeply, as if what he was about to say was physically painful. “The day ye were abducted... Stephen nexed us at Crown. He said an opportunity had come up, but we had to move fast. James was leaving Cyclos for a few days, and we needed to act before he came back.”
“I know all of this, Sean,” I snapped, my patience thinning. “Caden sent Eliot in to lure me to my parents' house.”
Sean shook his head, his voice firm. “No, Emma. Caden wasn’t at Crown.”
I frowned, my confusion deepening. “What do you mean?”
“When Stephen contacted us, Caden was halfway around the world, in Asia, tracking the Amplifier with the United Chiefs.”
My heart began to race as Sean’s words sank in.
“I’m his second in command, Emma,” he breathed, quiet but unwavering. “When that nex came in, it was my decision. I gave the order to Eliot to lure ye out. I told Killian to sedate ye. I ordered the abduction.”
The world spun, and I started breathing hard.
“We needed a place to hold you, fast, so I contacted George Ortell, leader of the Resistants at Coastal. He found us an abandoned building, and I set everything up.”
“But... My arm,” I whispered, barely audible.
Tears tickled down Sean’s face, each one carving a path through his guilt.
“When they brought ye to me, I didn’t know how to translate blood out of someone.
I’m not a Healer, and I couldn’t get one on such short notice.
I... I tried to get some out, but I didn’t know what I was doing, and.
..” He glanced at my arm, shame twisting his features. “I did that.”
“It was an accident?” My voice cracked.
Sean nodded. “No one was supposed to hurt ye, we were only meant to make ye think ye were in danger. To lure out yer translation.”
I couldn’t breathe. “But... Caden?”
“I nexed him as soon as I saw the damage I’d done,” Sean continued, filled with regret. “He came as fast as he could, but by the time he arrived, it was too late to fix it. Luckily, ye were still unconscious and hadn’t felt a thing.”
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the ground.
“It should’ve been simple: sedate ye, take some blood, return ye home. Ye’d never have known who we were. But I screwed up, Emma. And I am so incredibly sorry for it.”