Chapter 29
TWENTY-NINE
EMMA
I found myself wandering the halls of Arbor Hall for what felt like hours, pacing aimlessly through corridors that all looked the same, letting my boots echo against the stone like they were the only proof I hadn’t disappeared completely.
In the span of only a few days, I’d managed to undo every scrap of progress I thought I’d made last year, unraveling myself until I was right back where I’d started: cut off, alienated, standing on the outside looking in.
James: pissed off.
Caden: furious.
Me: angry at Sean.
Which meant I was basically running out of allies at record speed.
When I nexed Saoirse though, she replied not even a second later, so fast it almost startled me.
“You okay?” she asked, as her tone carried that brittle edge she tried to pretend wasn’t there.
I wanted to vent. I needed to vent. To unload everything clawing at me from the inside out. To tell her how the walls felt like they were closing in and how every conversation today had scraped another layer of skin off me.
But her face was drawn tight, stress pinning her mouth into a thin, exhausted line, and the dark circles under her eyes told me everything her words didn’t.
So instead, my brows formed a frown that wasn’t nearly as worried as I felt and said, “I am. Are you?”
She nodded quickly, almost mechanically. “Yeah. Just drowning in work. Our Leader, Charles Bailor, isn’t exactly a fan of doing his actual job, so being First Offensive at Crown is basically two full-time careers wrapped into one. Without the credit. Obviously.”
I snorted. “Obviously.”
“So what’s up, Thompson?” she asked, trying for casual, but I could hear the strain bending her words.
Crap. Saoirse could’ve been my lifeline—usually was—but right now she was barely keeping her own head above water. Clearly, every second of her life was being swallowed by her new role, and I couldn’t pile my mess on top of hers, not when she was already buckling under the weight.
“Nothing much,” I said lightly, smoothing the lie with a practiced ease. “Just missing you.”
Her smile was tired but soft, and it made something ache in my chest. “Right back at you, my love. We’ll nex later, yeah?”
I nodded, letting the connection break, even though part of me wanted to hold on just a little longer.
Jackson, against all odds, simply didn’t answer my nex. I had a pretty good idea why, since me being furious with Sean, and him and Sean being whatever the hell they were, shoved him into an impossible position. I couldn’t even hold it against him.
Which left me circling like a storm without a center, restless until I realized there was one person I could turn to.
Someone who could also help me figure out this whole presidential warrant-thing.
Someone I had never thought I’d willingly reach out to.
Rachel.
I found her in her study, the scent of ink and old paper lingering in the quiet air.
Afternoon light streamed through the tall window, casting long shadows over the shelves lined with maps, books, and half-burned candles.
She was hunched over her desk, pencil in hand, sketching something into the corner of a worn ledger.
I hesitated in the doorway, then softly knocked on the frame. “Rachel.”
She looked up, her expression softening. “What’s up?”
I stepped into the room and ignored the floorboards creaking beneath my boots. “Do you have a second?”
“Of course.” She smiled, warm and open. “I’m only journaling. What’s on your mind?”
Stop fidgeting, Thompson.
“I, uhm…” I cleared my throat, hating how small the sound felt in the room. Jesus. I could fight off Radicals, torture and kill humans without breaking a sweat—but reaching out to someone, trying to make friends? I clammed up faster than a teenager whose mom just found his internet search history.
“I wanted to…apologize again. For what happened when those US soldiers came here to arrest me.” I flexed my hand. “And I wanted to thank you; for making sure they couldn’t.”
Rachel’s smile was quick, and warm, but not careless; it carried the weight of a woman who knew exactly what she stood for.
“Great Exposure or not,” she said, her tone firm but not unkind, “when people threaten anyone granted stay under my roof, I will defend it—and them—with the full force entrusted to me.”
Damn it. That woman was all kinds of awesome.
I gave a sharp little nod. “Well, I’m grateful. Really. And I… I wanted to talk to you about something else.”
Her brow arched, curious, and she leaned back in her chair, the leather creaking faintly as she motioned for me to sit in the one opposite her.
I eased into the seat, sinking into soft leather that felt far too comfortable for how tense I suddenly was. My pulse was thudding in my ears, but I forced myself to speak. “Do you remember those first moments when the US military crossed the Canadian border?”
Rachel’s frown deepened. “You mean when I came to warn you and Caden?”
I nodded, sliding my chair forward a little, leaning into the space between us. “Yes. You said they had a presidential warrant for my arrest.”
“They did.” Her voice was even, steady, but her brow pinched slightly, like she already anticipated where this was headed and didn’t like it. “They told Vincent Strazzo, my Leader, as much; and he alerted me right away.”
“Right. Well, the reason I left the battlefield that day was because the soldier I was…”
Rachel’s brows rose. “Strangling.”
I cleared my throat. “It was really more of an interrogation. He mentioned having seen a copy of the warrant. And I wanted to see it for myself, to try and understand why the president of the United States would suddenly brand me a terrorist out of nowhere.”
Rachel tilted her head, studying me in that way that always made me feel like she was measuring my soul. “That makes a lot of sense,” she said at last. “I’m sad you didn’t tell me this before. I would’ve understood your actions that day a little bit more.”
I shifted in my chair, shoulders hunching. “I was still in the wrong to leave you guys hanging. You were justified in your anger toward me.”
Her mouth curved faintly, though her demeanor stayed firm. “Not saying I wasn’t. Only that I thought your actions were fueled by revenge. But now I understand. You were searching for the truth behind your parents’ death. That makes a difference.”
Something in my chest cracked a little, and the word slipped out before I could stop it. “Thank you.” It came out quieter than I meant it, soaked in more relief than I liked showing.
Rachel inclined her head. “Is this what you wanted to tell me?”
I shook my head, steadying myself with a breath. “No. It’s about the warrant.”
Her expression shifted, but her voice stayed calm. “Go on.”
“I pulled from that guy’s memories a dulled version of the warrant.
He’d only read it quickly, and all I could piece together were scraps.
Traitor. Terrorist. Threat to national security.
” My throat felt dry as I forced the words out.
“Nothing concrete. Except the President’s stamp burned across the page. ”
Rachel’s frown deepened. “You want a copy of the real thing?”
I nodded slowly, feeling the weight of it as I admitted, “I’ve been going over every flicker of memory I pulled out of that man’s mind, but it’s not enough. Not even close. I need the truth. Is there any way you could help me get a copy of that warrant?”
With a flick of her fingers, her Nexus flared to life. Yellow droplets shimmered into the air, then bled together into the shape of a crisp white document. “Here you are.”
My jaw dropped. “You had this all along?”
Rachel’s smile was small, apologetic. “I had no idea you were looking for it. In my Collective, Emma, we communicate with each other. Tell me what you need, and I will always try to help.”
She gestured to the paper with a tilt of her chin. “My Leader got me a copy last week. The only way to protect you is by knowing exactly what we’re up against, so I wanted to read it for myself.”
My hands were trembling as I reached out, the document cool against my skin. My focus shot instantly to the bottom, where the emblem glared up at me—bold, undeniable, the seal of the president of the United States.
“What reason,” I muttered, “could the President possibly have had to brand me an enemy of the state out of nowhere?”
Rachel shook her head; her expression pinched with sympathy.
“I don’t know. Some here think the Collabs are behind it.
Clearly, someone’s feeding the President magic, and since the Collabs are the only ones siding with humans right now—with their creepy experiments and that godsdamn bubble—it isn’t exactly a stretch. ”
My grip tightened on the paper until it crumpled at the edges. “Why the hell would Collabs hunt me in the first place?”
Rachel shrugged. “Maybe they found out about your untraceable translation and think you’re a threat to interspecies peace. Maybe they heard about the Krait and want to make sure you never procreate. Maybe both. Or maybe they just want an excuse to hunt anyone who doesn’t fit.”
I rolled my eyes. “Charming folk.”
My gaze dropped to the date stamped near the bottom of the page—two days after my attempted arrest.
The blood drained from my face. “What the hell? This was signed after my parents were killed.”
Rachel’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Look!” I thrust the paper toward her, jabbing a finger at the date. “This warrant was issued after I was already on the run!”
My breath came fast, ragged, like I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. “Which means this isn’t the one they shoved at my parents when they came to arrest me.”
The realization cracked through me like lightning. I shot to my feet, pacing the narrow strip of floor, words spilling faster than I could catch them.
“There were two warrants. There had to be. First, the one those militants brought to my door, the one that labeled me a threat before I’d even done anything. And then this.”
I held up the paper, my fingers trembling so hard the seal blurred. “This one came later, after the president found out ten of his men were dead. After I killed them.”
“Emma,” Rachel said softly, “calm down.”
But calm was impossible. My heart was a drum in my chest, my thoughts jagged as glass.
“Which makes way more sense. Of course he’d sign off on something after that. I mean, who wouldn’t?”
I turned to Rachel, my questions quieter now, but heavier. “But then… Where’s the first one? And who the hell branded me a terrorist?”
She blinked, thinking. “There must be a record of it somewhere. Where do humans even keep arrest warrants?”
I paused, before settling back in the leather comfy chair. “There’s the Warrant Information System. It tracks the status of all federal warrants. It’s managed by the Department of Justice.”
Rachel raised an eyebrow, then let out a low chuckle. “Well, look at you. Guess that law degree’s still good for something.”
I snorted, leaning back and rubbing a hand over my jaw. “A lot less than I thought it would be when I started out.”
Rachel tilted her head, one brow raised, her fingers drumming lightly on the table. “So what now? You planning to hack into a federal database?”
I opened my mouth, but the answer never came, because the door slammed open so hard the walls rattled.
Sean barreled inside, breathless, hair sticking damp to his forehead, eyes wild. “You sent Jackson and James to Alberta?” His voice cracked like thunder, raw and furious. “Without backup?”
Rachel’s frown was immediate, her calm unshaken. “It is a simple recon mission,” she said evenly. “Our LiaPrism picked up translation we couldn’t identify.”
“Recon?” Sean roared, the word ricocheting off stone walls. He jabbed a finger at her, completely dismissing me like I wasn’t even in the room. “Jackson is not an Offensive!”
Rachel rose slowly, her height and composure radiating authority. “He’s out with the Leader of Cyclos, Sean. I’m confident it will be fine.”
“Fine?” Sean’s laugh exploded, harsh and jagged, shattering through the chamber like glass. “Fine?”
He surged across the room in three strides, the floor shaking with each step, then slammed both palms against the table so hard the wood groaned. He leaned forward, close enough for spit to fleck the surface, blazing like wildfire, every word torn out of him like it burned his throat.
“Well then, excuse me for bursting your little bubble,” he snarled, venom dripping from every syllable, “because they were fucking kidnapped and are being held in the godsdamn US!”