Page 121 of Scarlet Wars
My tone wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm either. It carried the weight of exhaustion, of knowing deep down that someone—again—had lied to me.
Sean didn’t answer right away. Simply lowered himself beside me, some uncomfortable vibe between us.
“He can’t do that, Emma,” he said at last, his tone quiet.
“Why not?”
“Because…” He hesitated. “It’s not his story to tell.”
I swallowed hard, and a nervous feeling pressed against my ribs. “Whose, then?”
Sean looked at me and I knew before he even spoke. His eyes, rimmed with unshed tears, were already telling the truth.
“Mine,” he said.
Bracing myself for what was coming, I gave him a simple nod, indicating I was listening.
Sean exhaled deeply, as if what he was about to say was physically painful. “The day ye were abducted... Stephen nexed us at Crown. He said an opportunity had come up, but we had to move fast. James was leaving Cyclos for a few days, and we needed to act before he came back.”
“I know all of this, Sean,” I snapped, my patience thinning. “Caden sent Eliot in to lure me to my parents' house.”
Sean shook his head, his voice firm. “No, Emma. Caden wasn’t at Crown.”
I frowned, my confusion deepening. “What do you mean?”
“When Stephen contacted us, Caden was halfway around the world, in Asia, tracking the Amplifier with the United Chiefs.”
My heart began to race as Sean’s words sank in.
“I’m his second in command, Emma,” he breathed, quiet but unwavering. “When that nex came in, it was my decision.Igave the order to Eliot to lure ye out.Itold Killian to sedate ye. Iordered the abduction.”
The world spun, and I started breathing hard.
“We needed a place to hold you, fast, so I contacted George Ortell, leader of the Resistants at Coastal. He found us an abandoned building, and I set everything up.”
“But... My arm,” I whispered, barely audible.
Tears tickled down Sean’s face, each one carving a path through his guilt. “When they brought ye to me, I didn’t know how to translate blood out of someone. I’m not a Healer, and I couldn’t get one on such short notice. I... I tried to get some out, but I didn’t know what I was doing, and...” He glanced at my arm, shame twisting his features. “I did that.”
“It was an accident?” My voice cracked.
Sean nodded. “No one was supposed to hurt ye, we were only meant to make ye think ye were in danger. To lure out yer translation.”
I couldn’t breathe. “But... Caden?”
“I nexed him as soon as I saw the damage I’d done,” Sean continued, filled with regret. “He came as fast as he could, but by the time he arrived, it was too late to fix it. Luckily, ye were still unconscious and hadn’t felt a thing.”
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the ground.
“It should’ve been simple: sedate ye, take some blood, return ye home. Ye’d never have known who we were. But I screwed up, Emma. And I am so incredibly sorry for it.”
Sean paused, struggling to steady his breath. He pressed his hands together and brought them to his lips, like a silent apology he couldn’t say out loud.
“Why?” I breathed, too shocked by his admission to ask anything else. “Why lie about this?”
“Our relationship with the United Chiefs was already rocky back then, with them pushing for the Great Exposure, and Crown resisting the consensus. If they’d found out what I did… What Crown was responsible for…” He shook his head slowly. “The whole Collective would’ve been branded Radicals without a second thought.”
He exhaled hard, hands falling limply into his lap.
