Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
EMMA
Back at the Manor, Caden sprinted up the stairs at warp speed, leaving Sean and me huffing and puffing to keep up.
Enya and the rest of the team were already gathered in the command center, their attention locked on the hovering four-dimensional screens lining the walls.
The screens displayed everything from live feeds to detailed maps of the Human World, based on the intel Enya had provided only a few hours earlier. Damn, these people worked fast.
“What the hell’s going on?” Caden demanded as he stormed into the room.
“Slava got in touch,” Enya responded calmly. “Seems they are facing a bit of an issue.”
“Does Petru need our help?” Caden pressed.
“No, of course not. It’s Petru fucking Stoyan. His Council only thought we’d want to know.”
I leaned closer to Sean. “Who’s Petru Stoyan?”
Sean lowered his voice. “Leader of Slava, the Eastern Europe Collective and the most feared one in that area. He’s rumored to have strangled more people with his bare hands than ropes did during King Edward III’s regency.”
I blinked, the intensity of his statement sinking in. “That’s…graphic. So why wouldn’t he need our help?”
“Because Petru Stoyan is ruthless, cutthroat to the bone. All magi in Slava are trained as Offensives from the start. They only get to choose whatever path they want after their first cycle,” Sean explained.
“The Radicals are moving in on him? Serious misstep,” someone whose name I hadn’t caught yet, noted.
Caden nodded sharply. “We need to solidify our alliances for the Double-Edged War. Petru was always at the top of my list to talk to—he’s never backed down from a fight. This just speeds up the process.”
“Is that what we’re calling it now? The Double-Edged War? Officially?” I asked Sean in hushed tones.
He shrugged dismissively. “Who the hell cares about its title? It’s a fucking mess, is what it is.”
“Who’s next on the list?” Enya asked.
“Alliance, Kanata C and Sahara,” Caden replied, already turning his attention to the next task.
“I’ll portal out tomorrow with Sean, ask Petru for his assistance in the war, and we’ll be back a day later.
From there, we’ll need to strategize who to approach about what and when.
We also need to alert people to the hazards of the tracking devices and find the damn Amplifier while we’re at it. ”
I was taken aback by how candidly Caden discussed everything with his team.
With James, it had always been, “You can tell this person about that but not about this, don’t mention that, only share this.
” I still wasn’t Caden’s biggest fan—him saving my life notwithstanding—but I had to admit, it was refreshing to feel like everything was on the table here.
As Caden spoke, my mind began to wander. The burden of recent days was starting to catch up with me, and I struggled to stifle a yawn.
“So, everyone clear on their next steps? Meeting adjourned,” Caden said with finality. The team quickly rose to their feet, some of them casting glances at me, as sharp as daggers.
As I watched them leave, a sudden realization hit me: I’d be alone in the house with these rather hostile people while Caden and Sean were off to Slava.
Not like they were a much safer option but still, the lesser of two evils.
I hesitated for a moment, considering my options. I could ask…?
Without another thought, I hurried after Caden and Sean, only catching up with them by the time they got to a cozy room perfectly set up for studying or reading.
The space was lined with walls of bookshelves, filled with a diverse collection of volumes and artifacts.
In the center, two chesterfield couches invited relaxation, surrounded by soft armchairs and a warm, ambient light from standing lamps.
The room exuded a welcoming, intimate atmosphere, a stark contrast to the coldness of the command center I’d left behind.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you’d mind if I tagged along to Slava?” I asked, slightly out of breath.
Sean began to respond, “Of course n—”
But Caden cut him off. “Actually, I would mind.”
Sean’s eyes widened.
“Even if it’s just a formality to get Petru on our side, it’s still a mission outside the safety of these borders. If we encounter any Radicals, you’d be at risk,” Caden continued dryly.
Odd. Hadn’t stopped him before.
“I’m trained to handle those situations,” I countered.
“Maybe,” Caden replied, barely pausing before adding bluntly, “but you proved you’re not always capable of doing so. And I’m not putting you and whatever state you could be in at risk again.”
“My state?” I hissed, my tone threatening. I hoped.
“Yes. By taking forever to figure out how to portal out of a collapsing building, you put yourself and your body at risk. Especially if there’s even the slightest chance you’re pregnant. I’m not risking you having a miscarriage.”
I’m what now? Pregnant? What the hell?
Had I put on some weight since Coastal I was unaware of?
Sean chimed in; wariness clear in his voice. “Wait, ye think she might be pregnant with the Krait already?”
“I’m not pregnant,” I bit out, as I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks.
Caden crossed his arms, keeping his expression maddeningly stubborn. “Have you seen a Healer?”
“No, but—”
“Then you can’t be sure,” he cut me off, his tone harsh and ice-cold. “And until you are, I’m not taking any more chances.”
My hands clenched into fists. “I am not fucking pregnant.”
“Fertility suppressors aren’t a hundred percent effective,” he said flatly.
“They are when you don’t have sex,” I snapped, as I glared without blinking.
His eyes widened, clearly blindsided by it. “You… What?” His confusion was obvious, but there was something else there too—something I couldn’t quite place.
Grinding my teeth, I felt the frustration boil over. “Not that it’s any of your business, but James and I never had sex.”
Caden rubbed the back of his neck, his brow creased like he couldn’t process the information. “You two were together for months.”
“Yeah,” I said through gritted teeth, “and in case you missed it, he was fighting a war over here almost the entire time.”
Our eyes locked, and for a brief moment, something shifted between us.
“You’re still not coming,” Caden said, jolting me back to reality.
Anger surged inside me again. “Why the hell not?”
“Because,” he leaned in closer, his voice low and hard, “you’re a lot less powerful than I thought. If you can’t even portal yourself out of danger, I can’t trust you to save yourself. And we kind of need you, and that body of yours to save our whole fucking future. So you’re not coming.”
His words landed like a slap in the face, and I wanted nothing more than to punch him out. But I couldn’t let him see me being rattled. No weakness.
I held his gaze, not letting any emotion slip through. But inside, I was fuming. Anger. Humiliation. Maybe even a hint of betrayal. I nodded, though, keeping my voice level. “Fine. If that’s what you think is best.”
Caden seemed momentarily taken aback by my lack of resistance, but he didn’t push further. Instead, he gave a curt nod and left the room. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with Sean.
Sean turned to me, a playful grin on his face. “What’s got his knickers in a twist?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood.
I sighed, then shrugged as if I didn’t care. “Apparently, I’m not living up to his expectations.”
Sean chuckled, flopping onto the couch beside me.
“Caden’s always been a bit of a perfectionist. Ye should have seen him trainin’ me and the rest of the team back in the day.
He had us running drills until we were half-dead.
” He shook his head, still smiling. “He’s tough, but it’s his way of pushing us to be better. ”
“Yeah?” I was struggling to hide my irritation. “And how did you all feel about it?”
“Oh, we hated him,” Sean said with a chuckle. “But we learned. Even if we did plot to swap his shampoo for horseshit more than once.”
A smile tugged at my lips despite myself. “So that’s where he got his hair color from?”
“Ye didn’t think he was a natural black-haired god, did ye?” Sean asked, leaning back with an amused grin.
“Don’t think he’s any sort of god. Unless there’s a deity of ego and death?”
Sean tilted his head slightly, as if he was seriously considering the question. “That one might be called Hades. Or Jackson.”
My eyebrows shot up, and a pang of regret tightened around my heart for the one friend I had left behind in Cyclos.
“Jackson? You think he’s the god of ego and death?”
Sean shrugged, feigning indifference. “His ego is definitely out of this world.”
I frowned. Jackson had his flaws, but his ego didn’t seem particularly extraordinary to me.
“Sean…” I ventured cautiously. “Do you… maybe like Jackson?”
Sean burst out laughing, a bit too loudly, then cleared his throat, suddenly aware his over-the-top reaction had given him away.
“I mean, he’s not bad to look at,” he admitted grudgingly.
“No he?”
“But he’s so self-righteous and always thinks he’s right. Never listens to anyone else’s opinion. He’s incredibly stubborn, haven’t you noticed?” Sean interrupted, as if he hadn’t even heard me.
“I haven?”
“Also, he’s convinced he has this gods-given talent for knowing what someone else is thinking. Even if he’s just thinking what he thinks they’re thinking, he’s sure he’s right all the time.”
His rant grew more animated, so I reclined in my chair, letting him continue to vent about my only friend, who seemed to occupy Sean’s thoughts far more often than I had realized.
The next day, Caden paired me with Enya for training, concentrating on my so-called “focus.” While he and Sean were busy preparing for their trip to Slava—the one I wasn’t allowed to join—Enya unleashed her full force on me.