Chapter 9
NINE
EMMA
“I swear!” Sean chuckled, and I rolled onto my stomach, laughing harder than I’d done in weeks.
“You did not!” I shrieked, my voice still cracking with disbelief.
“Hey, the guy has a cerulean stick up his ass,” Sean said, grinning. “It was either an innocent prank or surgical removal. As far as I’m concerned, he lucked out.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I gasped for air. “I can’t believe you created an entire fake program.”
Sean's grin widened, his own laughter catching up with mine. “I still can’t believe James Walker actually thought he had to attend ‘Emotional Openness Training.’”
I propped myself up on my elbows, grinning. “What was on the agenda?”
Sean started counting on his fingers. “Hour One: Crying Over Dead Houseplants. Hour Two: Screaming Your Feelings into a Void. Hour Three: Trust Falls with Total Strangers. And if he survived that, there was an optional Interpretive Dance Session about Personal Loss.”
I wheezed. “Please tell me he showed up.”
“Oh, he showed up,” Sean said, like it was the proudest moment of his life. “Full uniform. Sat through fifteen minutes before realizing no one else was coming—and that the instructor was me wearing a fake mustache.”
I buried my face in my arms, convulsing with laughter.
“He didn’t speak to me for three days after,” Sean added, still grinning. “Pretty sure he tried to get me transferred to Sisu—the Collective out in Greenland where nothing ever happens except frostbite and death by boredom.”
I wiped my face, still giggling. “I honestly can’t believe you’re alive.”
Sean shrugged. “Walker respects a man willing to die for the bit.”
He glanced down at the bottle between us and blinked in surprise. “Well, would ye look at this,” he said with a soft chuckle. “We’ve managed to empty the whole damn bottle.”
I tracked his line of sight and groaned, suddenly feeling the full impact of the Scotch. My head spun a little. I’m really drunk. The world around me seemed somewhat fuzzy, and my thoughts were moving slower than usual.
Before I could say anything, the air in front of us shimmered shades of green, and with a loud crack, James and Jackson portaled in.
James looked frantic, before his eyes locked onto me immediately, fury blazing behind them.
“Emma!” he bellowed, his voice razor-sharp.
Heavy boots crushed the ground beneath him as he stormed forward, each stride radiating fury.
“What the hell are you doing? Do you have any idea what’s been happening?
I’ve been trying to reach you for hours, and you’re out here…
” His gaze flicked down, landing on the empty bottle between Sean and me.
His eyes widened, and his nostrils flared.
“Drinking?”
I flinched at his harsh words, shrinking back. “James, I—"
“Do you even care what kind of mess you left behind? The entire Academy is talking about what you did! Blood everywhere—Nino had to cover for you, and you didn’t even bother to check your Nexus?” His tone was biting, and his worry was completely drowned out by rage.
His shoulders were tense, his fists flexing, every inch of him coiled like a predator ready to strike. This was a side of James I hadn’t seen in a long time—the raw, unchecked fury, the kind that promised destruction if left untamed.
His hand twitched at his side, and then he advanced—not a lunge, not a threat—only a shift, a slow, deliberate closing of space, his presence pressing down on me like a tide creeping in, heavy and unrelenting.
I instinctively recoiled, while my pulse hammered like crazy, and the words started forming on my tongue—but before I could speak, Sean was on his feet. He cut in between us, smooth and unhesitating, his stance clear as he blocked James’s path.
“Hold on, mate. That’s enough,” Sean said, his voice calm but firm. “She’s had a rough time, yeah? Maybe now’s not the time for a lecture.”
James’s eyes blazed as he took a step toward Sean, his hands curled into tight fists. “I don’t give a shit about your opinion, McGrath. She nearly tore the place apart—again! This isn’t some minor incident, this is serious!”
Jackson moved forward quickly, grabbing James by the arm and yanked him back before he could escalate further. “James, enough,” he said sternly, his words carrying quiet authority. “Sean’s right. You need to calm the fuck down.”
James shook Jackson off, but the fire in his demeanor only dimmed a little. “She can’t keep doing this. She can’t keep shutting me out.”
I’m what? Since when am I shutting him out?
Sean didn’t back down, meeting James’s glare head-on. “She wasn’t shuttin’ ye out. She just wanted some space, man. Let her breathe for a moment before ye come barrelin’ in.”
Jackson nodded, his hand still on James’s shoulder. “Look, she’s safe. You’ve made your point. Let it go.”
James stood there, torn between the anger and concern warring within him. Finally, his shoulders sagged, but his stare remained hard. “I didn’t know where you were, Emma,” he muttered. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“I’m sorry,” I replied quietly, remorse mixing with the alcohol fog in my mind. “You are right, I should’ve checked in with you.”
Sean, ever the peacekeeper, gave me a reassuring smile. “No harm done. We’ve all had a lot to process. Let’s get ye back.”
I glanced at Jackson and tried to read his expression through the haze clouding my thoughts.
He gave me a small, reassuring smile, but his attention shifted to Sean, and lingered for a moment longer than usual.
There was something in that look—something different.
Sean caught his gaze and, without missing a beat, flashed him a quick, playful wink.
It was subtle, almost too quick to catch, but Jackson’s reaction wasn’t. His face flushed, a hint of color rising in his cheeks as he looked away, trying to hide the smile tugging at his lips. The change in his manner was unmistakable—nervous, a little flustered, but intrigued.
Even in my drunken state, it was clear—the spark between them. Subtle, but undeniable.
James was still simmering, but he nodded reluctantly. “Fine. Let’s go.” His tone was cold, but at least he’d stopped yelling.
He drew a portal and nearly pushed me through it, leaving Sean and Jackson behind, exactly like last time.
“How could you not tell me?” James roared as soon as we’d entered his loft.
I hastily sat down on the couch, my head still spinning. I translated some water and began downing it, probably faster than I should have. My throat burned from the rush, but it didn’t matter. James was furious, and I would not be able to keep up if I didn’t sober up.
“Do you have any idea how that feels?” he continued, pacing in front of me like a caged animal.
“Learning your girlfriend has turned the Superior training room into a scene straight out of a slasher movie—from someone else? And even if I could get past it, instead of calling me, instead of finding me, you chose fucking Sean to handle that? To go drink with? Why?”
I rolled my eyes, my patience thinning. “I don’t think your jealousy of Sean is entirely warranted.”
James narrowed his eyes into slits, before his voice dropped dangerously low. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, aside from the obvious—that I’m clearly committed to you—I don’t think I’m Sean’s type.”
“If you’re fishing for a compliment right now, Emma, I swear to the gods I—”
“He’s gay!” I interrupted, the words bursting out before I could stop them. James froze, a flicker of surprise flashing across his face.
“And probably into Jackson, if I’m reading them right,” I added a bit more calmly.
“You think I give a damn about his sexual preferences?” James hissed. “You chose someone else to deal with the day you had. I don’t care if he prefers men, bees, or trees, you didn’t fucking call me!” His voice rose again, thundering through the room, and each word hit like a godsdamn sledgehammer.
“Well, the last time I called you, you told me not to,” I snapped back. “You said, and I quote, ‘I don’t have time for this.’ Remember?”
“You pulled me out of a war meeting to fucking time you!” James thundered, and I could distinctly see the veins in his neck bulging as he stepped closer. “If you can’t see the difference between that and what happened today, then I don’t know how to even talk to you!”
Shit. This fight was escalating—fast. Again.
“Then I don’t know how to even be with you!” he added.
The thought of losing him hit me like a punch to the gut, his statement sobering me instantly.
My breath caught in my throat, and that old, sick panic surged up before I could stop it. No. No, no, no. Don’t leave me. I don’t have anyone else.
“James,” I whispered, my anger cooling as his words sank in. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I should’ve contacted you. I knew you were busy with the Council today, and you told me you had that call with Caden at Crown. I didn’t want to bother you. But I should have…”
“Yes. You should have,” he replied dryly, but I noticed how his voice still sounded rough with emotion.
I nodded, and I tried to steady my breath. “Yes. I’m sorry. Now please, can we talk about what happened to me?”
His breathing was still heavy, his chest rising and falling as he fought to calm himself. His jaw tightened, and I could see him wrestling with his emotions, trying to keep it all together.
I stood, then slowly closed the distance between us.
“Don’t,” he said, sounding strained. “Emma, please don’t. Not yet.” His words came through gritted teeth as he took a step back trying to put space between us.
But I wasn’t going to let him retreat. I closed the distance between us, until I stood directly in front of him. Gently, I kissed his cheek, and he closed his lids, the strain in his body softening just a fraction.