Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
EMMA
By the time we portaled back into Crown, I was utterly drained—the kind of exhaustion that makes your legs feel like they're about to give out beneath you. If I weren’t so determined not to show any weakness in front of Caden, I might have asked him to carry me to my room.
Would’ve been the least he could do for healing him. And saving his ass in battle.
All I could think about was sinking into a relaxing bath, a glass of Scotch in hand, and the book I was halfway through —a modern-day "why choose" take on Romeo, Juliet, and Hamlet, with vampires. Weird but surprisingly entertaining.
Stepping into my room, I suddenly remembered I’d taken the book with me when I’d gone snooping in Caden’s library earlier and had accidentally left it there.
I sighed deeply at my own stupidity and dragged my exhausted legs back downstairs to retrieve it.
The massive wooden door creaked slightly as I pushed it open, and I held my breath, relieved to find the room empty.
I tiptoed quickly across the room, careful to avoid making even the slightest sound.
But when I reached the couch—no book.
I frowned, scanning the surrounding area. Maybe it had slipped behind? Determined to find it, I kneeled on the plush cushions, gripping the back of the couch as I leaned over to peer into the narrow gap behind it.
Right as I started looking behind the couch, I heard voices near the door. Shit.
I wasn’t entirely sure I was allowed in here, and the last thing I needed was to get caught snooping. In a split and very mature decision, I jumped behind the couch, pressing myself into the shadows, hoping to stay hidden until they left.
But it took only five seconds for my heart to sink. The voices grew louder, and then, unmistakably, I heard them—Caden and Sean had just walked into the room.
Yup, I was screwed.
“What the hell, man? Ye leave Crown without me and bring Emma along like she’s yer new sidekick or something, after she lied to ye about her translation?” Sean's pitch was thick with frustration, nearly echoing off the library walls.
Crap. I instinctively curled up tighter behind the couch and tried to make myself as small as possible.
“Mate.” Caden's voice was low, trying to diffuse Sean’s anger.
“Don’t ‘mate’ me!” Sean cut through scathingly. “Ye never exclude me from anythin’!” The hurt was evident in all his words.
“I’m sorry,” Caden said, attempting to calm the situation.
“I don’t need yer apology, Caden, I need an explanation. Ever since Emma showed up—an arrival which was insane on its own by the way—you’ve been acting strange. Yer inviting her on missions, letting her sit at our table…”
“She saved my fucking life during that battle!” Caden snapped with defensive anger. “You don’t think that earns her an invitation?”
“Ye know this isn’t about that!” Sean shot back, concern lacing his words. “What the hell is goin’ on with ye?”
“Nothing!” Caden’s voice was defensive.
“Caden. You’ve never kept anything from me,” Sean said, and he sounded almost sad.
“It’s complicated,” Caden muttered, before he sighed.
“Then explain it to me!” Sean demanded, as his impatience rang through.
I shrank back even further into the corner and wished I could become completely invisible. My heart was pounding so loudly, I was sure they could hear it.
“Fine, I’ll tell you,” Caden finally said, low and guarded. “But keep this between us for now. Not for my sake, but—"
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul,” Sean interrupted, the promise landing without hesitation.
Caden sucked in a slow, deliberate breath, heavy with resignation, then quietly closed the door.
“You know that guy from the future? The Krait? The one with untraceable translation?” Caden began, his voice almost a whisper now.
“James and Emma’s son?” Sean’s confusion was palpable.
“Yeah,” Caden replied, then paused for a beat to choose his words carefully.
“What about him?” Sean pressed.
“As it turns out, Stephen hasn’t been entirely truthful about him being James’s son,” Caden revealed, his words hanging in the air like a dark secret finally exposed.
“What do you mean?”
I heard the creak of the leather as Caden sat down. “When we were in Switzerland, Stephen admitted he doesn’t actually know who Alek’s father is. All he knows for sure is the father is—or was—a First Offensive, and at some point in his life, he was trained by Stephen himself.”
“Holy shit… which means…” Sean trailed off, the realization dawning on him like a thunderclap. “Oh my fucking gods, are you the father?”
“No! Of course not! At least, I don’t think so,” Caden quickly responded. “Apparently, there are three candidates who fit the description: James, myself, and the Elder.”
“You mean the Elder you killed off for Emma?” Sean asked, his voice sharp with implication.
“I didn’t kill him for her,” Caden growled. “That sicko mind-raped her as a newborn. He had to die. You know he had to.”
“Sure, you keep telling yourself so.” Sean’s words were dripping with skepticism. Then there was a pause, followed by a sudden intake of breath. “Oh my fucking gods. That’s why you brought her here. It all makes sense now! That’s why she came!”
“What?” Caden sounded confused and I couldn’t blame him.
Footsteps—Sean had started pacing, the agitation clear in the rhythm of his movement. “I wondered why she would even come here after what we did to her at Coastal. Now it makes sense.”
Caden’s tone hardened. “You mind explaining what you’re going on about?”
The pacing stopped abruptly, followed by a moment of tense silence before Sean’s next few words dropped like a hammer. “She must think you’re the father!”
What?
“What? Are you insane? Why would she think that?” Caden’s voice rose, disbelief thick in every word. “Emma’s in love with James!”
Sean didn’t miss a beat. “Are you sure about that?” he asked, the edge in his delivery unmistakable. “Because his betrayal must’ve hurt. Maybe even more than what we did to her at Coastal.”
True.
Caden stilled, Sean's statement clearly sinking in. “She might have mentioned something along those lines…” He trailed off as if piecing together fragments of past conversations.
A heavy silence stretched between them.
“Caden?” Sean’s voice broke the quiet, softer now, almost hesitant.
“Hmm?” Caden’s response was distant, his mind clearly elsewhere.
“When people find out about the future—and her role in it—and by people, I mean both humans and Radicals, we’re going to have a full-time job protecting her,” Sean said, his tone taking on a serious, almost foreboding edge.
“You don’t think I know that?” Caden snapped. “Why do you think I agreed to have her come here? We need to secure her bloodline.”
Ouch. I swallowed hard, trying not to let it affect me I was still no more than a future incubator to him.
“Right,” Sean said, his words laced with disbelief. “Because that’s all she means to ye? The mother of our future hope?”
There was a pause. When Caden finally spoke, he sounded quieter, more subdued. “I can’t allow her to mean anything more.”
The hell did that mean?
“Why not?” Sean pressed, gentler now, but no less insistent. “Ye should get to know her. She’s pretty awesome, ye know.”
Oh Sean. That made me smile.
“I don’t doubt it,” Caden replied, his voice softening slightly, the edge of certainty wavering. “But it’s best I keep my distance.”
“Why?” Sean pressed, and I could hear a note of frustration creeping into his rhythm.
“Because it’s what I want,” Caden said firmly, his reply clipped and final.
Another tense silence fell between them.
“Fine, if it’s what ye want,” Sean finally said. “Anything else ye want to tell me?”
There was a brief pause before Caden spoke again, his tone carrying the torment of regret. “I shouldn’t have been angry with Emma for not telling me about her translation. I was wrong to expect it from her.”
Sean’s response came quickly, skeptical and edged. “And why is that?”
Caden exhaled, and I could almost hear a fraction of remorse in his sigh.
“I hadn’t given her any reason to trust me with such information.
Honestly, I’m lucky she hasn’t killed me after what we put her through at Coastal.
Every time I see her arm…” His voice faltered, raw emotion slipping through.
“I keep thinking about how much she must hate me.”
As I listened to his confession, a sharp pang hit me—anger, hurt, or maybe something more complicated I didn’t want to admit.
Sean spoke again, the earlier edge stripped away completely. “Is that why ye want to keep your distance? Because yer afraid she might not forgive ye?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. No. I just think it’s for the best.”
Nothing else was said, but the heaviness in the room spoke volumes.
Sean finally broke the quiet, sounding a little tired. “All right, if that’s what ye think is best. Now can we wrap this up? I’m starving.”
Caden chuckled softly, chasing the tension from the room. “Sure. Why don’t you head down to the kitchen and get us something? I’ll go get Emma from her room.”
Fuck. I needed to get there before him. But how?
“Sounds like a plan,” Sean said. I heard the rustle of fabric as Sean stood up from the chair, followed by the soft creak of the chair settling back into place. Caden’s footsteps were faint as he moved, likely heading toward the door. “I’m hoping for something more than leftover crumbs.”
“I’ll cook you something myself if necessary,” Caden replied, his tone warm with amusement.
“I’m not that hungry,” Sean said playfully, which must’ve earned him a punch or something, as he added a grunted “ouch.”
The door creaked open, and I heard their footsteps growing fainter.
The room grew very still, with only the faint echoes of their departure lingering.
I remained hidden behind the couch, trying to steady my heartbeat, racing from the intensity of the conversation.
I had managed to portal back into my room right before Caden came knocking on my door. I told him I was too tired to eat and asked for a rain check, my mind still reeling from the conversation between him and Sean.
But not ten minutes later, another knock echoed through the room.
Grumbling, I wondered what a girl had to do around here to get some rest. As I opened the door, three figures materialized before me. I recognized them from Caden’s team—Rocco, Emile, and Kate.
My eyebrows raised in surprise.
“We heard you saved Caden’s ass during the ambush at Slava,” Rocco said, leaning forward slightly, as if seeking confirmation of a rumor.
“I did,” I replied, hoping he had kept his promise about my secret and had only referred to my awesome fighting skills. “Kicked those Radical’s asses, while your boy had trouble staying on his damn feet.”
“Even after what happened at Coastal, you still had his back?” Emile asked, his brows lifting in disbelief.
I frowned, surprised they’d even doubt it. “He’s more than just the sum of his mistakes,” I said, my tone firmer than I intended.
They exchanged glances, as if silently communicating something, before Kate spoke up, her soft voice a little hesitant.
“We were told our future—and that of our children—hung in the balance. We did what we thought would protect them. The night before your first abduction attempt, a Specialist came to talk to us…”
“Stephen,” I interrupted, realizing who they were referring to.
“Yes, Stephen,” Kate confirmed. “He explained how untraceable translation was our only chance of survival and how one person in the whole world possessed this specific ‘talent.’”
“Okay…” I said slowly, trying to keep up with where they were heading.
“We wanted to say, regarding what happened at Coastal…” Rocco began, his head dipping slightly, a rare edge of humility in his posture.
“I get it,” I cut him off, gently. “You don’t have to explain.”
They exchanged relieved smiles, their expressions softening, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their shoulders.
“We heard you were tired,” Emile said, “and we don’t want to push. But we’re having dinner together, the whole family, and we’d be honored if you’d join us.”
I swallowed hard. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to hear those words until now.
I nodded, a genuine smile forming on my lips. “Yeah, I’d love to.”
Their smiles widened, a sense of relief and gratitude in their eyes.
“Give me ten minutes to wash up, and I’ll meet you downstairs,” I said.
They nodded and left, leaving me alone. As I closed the door behind them, I felt a wave of unexpected warmth, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt genuinely good about myself.