Chapter 46 #2
James stopped moving entirely, the restless energy leaving him as his posture locked in place. “Back when we were together?”
I inclined my head briefly, unable to ignore the guilt that came with admitting what I had kept from him.
James turned his head toward my boyfriend. “You knew about this.” It wasn’t a question; it was an accusation.
Caden’s arms crossed over his chest. “We were attacked at Slava by some Radicals last year. They got the drop on me.” He paused for a beat, softening his tone just a tad. “Emma chose to heal me.”
James’s hands curled into fists at his sides, knuckles whitening. His jaw ticked as he turned back to me, anger now burning bright. “Let me get this straight. You broke us up because I kept secrets from you…” He took a step closer, his voice tightening. “…all while you were keeping this from me?”
I pressed my tongue to the inside of my cheek, the sting grounding me, and gave him another small nod.
“What the hell, Emma? You made me feel like the biggest asshole for keeping things from you, while you were hiding something this big?”
James was practically shouting at me, and for a split second, my own anger flared—hot and quick—at how easily he dismissed what that time in our relationship had felt like for me.
The words rose, ready to snap back, to remind him how isolated I’d been, how little space I’d had to trust him.
How unfair it was to expect that from me while he had been keeping everything else from me.
But then I glanced at Caden.
Who was watching me, those whiskey-colored eyes lit with quiet amusement, like he already knew which choice I’d make.
And just like that, the storm inside me…settled.
My shoulders loosened. The tension drained from my spine as I exhaled slowly and met James’s gaze head-on. “You’re right, James.” My voice came out steady, open. “That was very hypocritical of me.”
I took a small step forward, grounding myself in my admission. “I was angry at you for keeping secrets, and then I turned around and did the exact same thing. It was wrong and you have every right to be upset.”
A brief pause, softer now. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”
James blinked, clearly thrown by the absence of my usual bite. But he wasn’t wrong, and I wasn’t about to let my temper rise just because his had.
No. Thanks to Colt, I was apparently all about communication now. Internal eyeroll.
The silence in the house of horrors stretched a beat too long before Caden cleared his throat. “Right. Now that that’s settled, shall we continue this horrific quest?” He gestured vaguely down the corridor. “Or do you two need another minute to dig up more useless history?”
I shot him a withering look, which he enthusiastically answered with a wink and a smirk.
Charming asshole.
James shifted his weight, squaring his shoulders again before speaking. “It’s clear this building is abandoned.” His tone had cooled, distant now. “Since I’m mainly here as reinforcement in case we ran into Collabs, I trust Miss Healer and her assistant have it handled.”
He turned slightly toward me, something tight in the way he held himself. “Congratulations on being a Healer.” A short pause. “If you don’t mind, I’ll head back. Open me a portal.”
I gave another single nod, understanding his need for distance. As soon as the portal widened enough, he stepped through without another word, leaving something tense and unresolved lingering in the air behind him.
Caden snorted.
I turned on him, irritation rising at that ever-present air of bored amusement. “Did you really need to add fuel to the fire?”
“Oh, come on, Nightcrawler.” He smiled like none of this mattered. “The guy always acts like he’s got a cerulean stick up his ass. If we don’t mess with him a little, who will?”
I arched a brow at him. “You’re an ass.”
He grinned, entirely unbothered. “As long as I’m yours, call me whatever you want, baby.”
A snort slipped out before I could stop it, and I turned away, more than ready to move on.
“What do you make of this?” I gestured loosely at the room around us. “Human and magi tissue mixed together. And all this blood…”
The words trailed off as the coppery tang hit the back of my throat again.
Caden stilled for a second, then crouched, scanning the floor as he took in the remnants of what had clearly been brutal work. He reached out, brushing his fingers over the dark stains, his expression tightening.
“It looks like one of the rooms I cleared in Monaco,” he said after a moment, his tone edged with something heavier. “Where they kept magi.” A beat. “To be experimented on.”
My stomach twisted as I folded my arms loosely and frowned. “You think humans and Collabs are experimenting on both species? Why would they even do that?”
Caden pushed back to his feet. “No fucking clue.”
His hand settled around the blade he always carried whenever translation was out. “Let’s collect what we can and get out.” He glanced around the room again. “This place gives me the creeps.”
I huffed out a quiet laugh. “Caden Colt. Are you scared?”
His shoulders shifted, chest lifting in an exaggerated, almost ridiculous display of bravado.
“Hell yeah,” he said without hesitation. “Now move.”
My grin widened despite everything, the warmth of it cutting clean through the lingering unease.
I opened us a portal straight into Caden’s room, the magic humming between my fingers as I reached for my man.