Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
EMMA
Was I certifiably insane following Caden instead of James? Yup.
Did I do it out of spite, abandoning all reason and rational thought? Yup.
Did I regret it the moment I stepped through the portal to Crown? Double yup.
What the damn hell did I just do?
While cursing my own stupid choices and resenting my own everlasting stubbornness, we entered Caden’s Collective, hidden deep in the Scottish Highlands.
My eyes widened as they took in the sheer grandeur of the landscape before me.
The rugged, untamed beauty of Crown stretched out endlessly, forcing me to confront its raw power.
The Highlands were a stunning mosaic of deep green moors, rocky crags, and wild heather blooming in vibrant shades of purple and pink.
The air was cool and invigorating, carrying the fresh scent of pine and earth, with a hint of rain clinging to the hillsides. I drew in a deep breath, allowing it to fill my lungs and steady my racing heart. Each inhale was a soothing balm, easing my nerves, grounding me in this gorgeous new world.
In the distance, I spotted a series of imposing castles, each one perched atop a different hill or crag, as if risen directly from the earth. Some were crowned with spiraling towers reaching toward the sky, while others featured wide, sturdy battlements, clearly built for defense.
“Wow,” I whispered, momentarily forgetting who I was with.
“We convene with the others at Caerleon Manor,” Caden said, his tone clipped.
Then nodded to his left, where one of the largest fortresses I’d ever seen, loomed on the hillside.
Its dark stone walls and towering spires cut sharply against the gray clouds, giving it a solid and imposing presence.
Although enclosed by a thick outer barrier, the greenery of the Highlands seemed to soften its edges.
A light mist hung around it, adding an almost otherworldly aura to it.
“The others?”
“The rest of my team.”
I nodded, but my brain was doing backflips.
Had I officially joined the "I've Lost It" club? Membership perks: willingly teaming up with the very people who had kidnapped me, treated my arm like a science project gone wrong, and who I’d almost sent packing in tiny, charred pieces back at Coastal.
What a charming little reunion this was shaping up to be.
Sure, I could’ve gone back to Cyclos. That was an option.
A smart option. But the mere thought of James made my heart drop like an elevator with cut cables—fast, brutal, and taking my sanity along for the ride.
Caden’s entourage of professional killers seemed like the better company, which said a lot about my life choices of late.
Speaking of the latter, making my way to Caden’s manor was starting to feel more like a forced cardio session.
I wasn’t sure if mister “Legs like Legolas on Steroids” realized my stride wasn’t built for his pace or if he simply didn’t care.
Either way, his long steps had me practically running to keep up.
Maybe if I tripped and sprained an ankle, he’d notice my existence.
Or maybe not—he looked pretty committed to his personal Olympic speed-walking event.
“Can you slow down a bit? I’m having trouble catching up,” I called out, as frustration crept into my voice.
He didn’t bother to look back. “Then maybe you shouldn’t have come.”
“Excuse me?” I snapped, feeling my patience wearing thin.
“You shouldn’t have come,” he repeated, every word laced with venom.
“Seems like a bit of an overreaction to my simply asking you to slow down,” I shot back, unable to mask my irritation.
Suddenly, Caden halted, turning to face me with a dark intensity in his eyes that made my breath catch. “Why the hell did you?”
I raised an eyebrow, trying to match his intensity. “Come here?”
He nodded only once.
“For your charming personality of course. Simply couldn’t get enough of it. Especially when you started beheading people on my account, being separated from you was no longer an option.” The sarcasm was clear, but if I thought it would throw him off, I was sadly mistaken.
Caden snorted, then a bitter smile played on his lips. “So, what, you trust me now?”
I let out a humorless breath. “Gods, no. But…” The words faltered, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure how honest I could afford to be. “Right now, you’re the lesser evil, and as long as you need me to procreate, I think I’m pretty safe with you.”
“Safe?” he echoed, then let out a short, dark laugh. In a flash, he spun around and grabbed me by the throat—his grip firm, threatening, and cold as stone.
“What makes you think I wouldn’t throw you in a dungeon and rape you over and over again until you’re with child?” he hissed, his face now inches from mine.
It goes to show how insane I was when I didn’t panic, nor shrunk down at those horrible words. Instead, I shrugged, and kept my voice dry as I retorted, “Considering the small size of your dick, I think it would hardly be an inconvenience.”
For a brief moment, surprise flickered across Caden’s features, but it quickly faded, replaced by his usual unbothered demeanor. He released my throat, curling his lip in disdain.
“Small, huh? We’ll see about that,” he grumbled. His tone was controlled, but the threat pulsed beneath every syllable.
I swallowed hard. Antagonizing this man was definitely not on the list of the most intelligent things to do.
We continued walking in silence, the grand house drawing nearer with every step.
I was surprised we hadn’t encountered any Layers of Protection yet.
Shouldn't I need clearance? I wasn’t about to show him James’s ring, and I knew people died if they crossed protections without it.
Or maybe Caden was banking on me getting myself killed before we arrived.
“Do I have clearance?” I asked, trying to keep the nervous edge out of my question.
Caden nodded. “Got it sorted as soon as you said you were coming with me.”
When?
“So where do I need it?”
“You mean, what’s the Layer of Protection?” He smirked. “Worried someone’s going to attack you from the outside? Don’t worry, Thompson, my guess is the bigger threats where you are concerned, will come from the inside.”
“Great,” I muttered under my breath.
“See the fog?” he asked, nodding toward the dense mist that seemed to hover around the castle.
I nodded, eyeing it warily.
“It’s poisonous to anyone without clearance. Unlike Cyclos, which built its protections around the entire Collective, we each guard our own. Every fortress has its own method to keep out unwanted visitors.”
As we approached the mist, my heart pounded in my chest. The thick, swirling veil looked almost alive, and I could feel the chilling edge of its threat pressing down on me. But Caden didn’t hesitate, so I forced myself to keep moving, trusting my clearance would keep me safe.
We stepped into the choking cloud, and I braced myself for something—anything—to happen.
But the only thing I could discern was a sudden chill as the fog wrapped around me, cool and damp against my skin.
I held my breath, half-expecting the air to turn toxic, but nothing happened.
The haze parted slightly as we moved through it, and within moments, we emerged on the other side, unscathed.
Caden didn’t even glance back to check on me as we headed toward the bastion’s massive entrance. Not really sure why I expected him to.
The closer we got, the more I could appreciate the sheer size of Caerleon Manor.
The towering masonry ramparts rose above us, dark and imposing, yet somehow inviting in their ancient, weathered state.
The heavy oak doors creaked open as we approached, and I felt a rush of warmth from within, a stark contrast to the chill outside.
Stepping inside, I noticed how the flagged floors were smooth and worn from centuries of use, and the high ceilings were supported by massive timber beams. Dim torchlight flickered along the surfaces, casting long, dancing shadows and giving the space a warm, amber glow.
Decorative cloths hung on the interior, illustrating scenes of battles and legends, their colors faded but still vibrant enough to tell their stories.
The air inside was saturated with the scent of wood smoke and something spicy, a scent which made me feel remarkably…at ease.
As we walked deeper into the fortress, the halls stretched before us, empty—no voices, no movement, no one in sight.
Caden led me down a long corridor, the sounds of our footsteps echoing off the stone walls.
The whole thing was a maze of hallways and chambers, and I struggled to keep track of where we were headed.
Finally, we reached a large wooden door, which Caden pushed open to reveal a spacious, glow-lit arcane room.
A huge round table dominated the center, its surface polished to a rich shine, its dark wood gleaming under the soft ethereal light.
Surrounded by at least thirty chairs, each chair was crafted from heavy oak, sturdy and imposing, with intricately carved designs along the backs, shimmering faintly, like they remembered old magic.
“This is the command center, where we’ll meet the others,” Caden said, giving a curt nod toward the table. “I have to go find Sean. You’ll wait here until the team arrives.”
I nodded and stepped inside, unsure of what to say.
As Caden turned to leave, I did not—against all odds—crumple into an emotionally shattered pile of tragic nonsense. My legs were trembling, my heart was conducting a full-blown rebellion, and every repressed feeling seemed ready to make a grand theatrical entrance.
No! I would not succumb to them. Not now, not here. I steeled my resolve, determined to maintain a poker face at all times. No one here would see me as anything but strong and fearless. No weakness!
I tried to focus on my new surroundings, the air thick with the scent of blackcurrant and smoke, a comforting smell that reminded me of something warm, though strangely out of place in a room meant for strategy and control.
This place was as far from home as I could possibly be, yet I knew it was exactly where I needed to be right now—far away from James and Stephen, whether for better or for worse.
Sean was the first to enter.
I wasn’t sure how to react. My initial instinct was to go say hi to him—there was no reason not to. But then I remembered the odds were high he had been at Coastal and was at least partly responsible for what happened to me there.
He, however, instantly walked up to me, his expression a mixture of concern and familiarity. “Emma,” he greeted, his voice gentle but laced with a trace of hesitation, “Caden filled me in on everything—about the thousand revelations you’ve had to swallow in the last few hours.”
I shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to respond.
He continued, “I know this must be overwhelming, and ye probably need some time to process it all. I only wanted to say, as far as I’m concerned, we’re still friends. I…” He hesitated “When we met, somethin’ clicked and I want ye to know, I really do care for ye.”
I searched his face for sincerity, and found it. “Thanks, Sean. I appreciate it.” I wanted to say more, but I had no words to spare.
Sean nodded, his expression softening. “I get it, ye know. Take yer time. If ye need anythin’ or if ye want to talk, I’m here. I know it’s not easy, but we’ll figure it out.”
I nodded, still not knowing what to say.
The next person to walk in plunged my emotional state to its darkest depths: Eliot. The traitor who’d deceived me about my adoption and ensured I left the safety of Cyclos, only to be abducted by Caden and the rest of the people about to walk in next.
What the damn hell am I doing here?
Eliot glanced my way, his eyes widening with a mix of shock and shame. He froze for a moment before retreating to the farthest corner of the room. The remorse was so evident on his face I almost felt a pang of sympathy. Almost.
His arrival was followed by a dozen more people, some I recognized as those I’d supposedly killed at Coastal, some I didn’t, each taking their seat at the table with a mix of curiosity and disdain.
Great.
Finally, Caden entered, and with a flick of his fingers, the door swung shut behind him, sealing with a soft thrum of magic and an air of quiet authority.
He didn’t just walk into a room—he claimed it.
Every movement was deliberate, controlled, as if the very air adjusted to accommodate him.
Broad shoulders squared, his black military attire only emphasizing the sharp lines of his frame, the ease with which he carried power.
His presence was suffocating in its intensity, the kind that demanded respect without a single word needing to be spoken.
A leader through and through—cold, untouchable, the kind of man people obeyed without question.
He motioned for me to take a seat at the table, his expression unreadable, completely indifferent to the unease curling in my gut. I was surrounded by the very people responsible for my worst nightmares, and he knew it—and didn’t care.
I took a seat next to Sean, keeping my features neutral. I’d be damned if I let any of these assholes see how much their presence twisted everything inside me.
Caden’s gaze swept across the room, assessing, commanding, before he finally spoke. “I know you’re all eager to hear how and why Emma Thompson has joined our ranks. However,” he said, pausing long enough to hold the room, “there’s a more pressing update I need to share.”
He began a slow, deliberate walk around the table.
“As you know, we had a few operatives working undercover with the Radicals these last few months. Due to unexpected circumstances, I decided to pull some of them out. One has just returned from a nearby camp and will be briefing us on their findings.”
A ripple of curiosity and concern spread through the room. I fidgeted in my seat, my thoughts still consumed by relentless worry about what the hell I was doing in there—sitting among enemies, with the object of my nightmares at the helm of it all, unreadable as ever.
The heavy iron-bound door creaked open, and a figure stepped into the room.
My gaze was drawn instinctively, and when familiar eyes locked onto mine, it felt as though time had frozen.
All my anxieties about being out of place here vanished in an instant, replaced by yet another a gut-wrenching wave of betrayal that hit me like a punch.
She was here. She was one of them.
Enya.