Page 182 of Scarlet Wars
Sean looked at me, with a crooked smile tugging at his mouth. “What can I say? I’m nosy when I’m drunk.”
I snorted, shoving my empty glass aside. “And when you’re sober.”
His smile faltered for a second, hesitation flickering in his eyes. “We don’t have to talk about it if ye don’t want to.”
I rubbed at my temples. “I am kind of exhausted. You mind if we call it a night?”
Disappointment tightened his features, but he smoothed it away almost instantly. “Of course. Let me walk ye to yer room. Least I can do since neither of us can portal right now.”
“Speak for yourself,” I muttered, bracing a hand against the table as I tried to push up. My knees wobbled, and when I scooted down the chair, it was anything but graceful. “Okay, fine. Maybe you’ve got a point.”
Sean nearly tripped over a chair leg on the way out, and I had to grab his jacket to keep him upright.
“Graceful as ever,” I muttered, steadying him with a hand to his chest.
“Excuse ye,” he said, nearly walking straight into the doorframe before catching himself. He spread his arms wide like it was all part of the act. “That was a tactical maneuver. Very advanced.”
I rolled my eyes, shouldering past him into the hall. “Yeah, sure. Next time you faceplant, I’ll call it combat training.”
“Please do,” he said solemnly, straightening his jacket like he was about to receive an award. “Adds to my mystique.”
We both broke into drunk laughter, the sound echoing too loud in the empty corridor. Our boots scuffed against the stone as we stumbled side by side toward my room, shoulders bumping now and then when one of us swayed too far.
Staring at my best friend, I realized the warmth in my chest wasn’t from the alcohol anymore.
By the time we reached my hallway, Sean slowed, his hand brushing the wall for balance. His gaze slid sideways to me, hesitant, testing the ground like every word mattered.
“I don’t know if this falls under the ‘no talking’ category of subjects,” he said carefully, “but I heard somethin’ about a kiss between ye and Caden, right before the Chiefs showed up.”
“Uh-huh.” I pushed open my door and stepped aside, letting him in. Sean didn’t hesitate, practically collapsing onto my bed like he used to.
“So that really happened?”
I nodded, kicking my boots off and dropping onto the mattress beside him with a sigh. “It wasn’t the first time either.”
Sean didn’t answer right away, simply studied me with that patient, careful look I knew so well.
My head was fuzzy, my emotions running too loose from the alcohol.
“And how do ye feel about it? About him?” Sean’s question was no more than a whisper, careful, coaxing, like he was speaking to a cornered wolf. Which was exactly how I felt.
“It’s…complicated.”
And then, as I stared at my brother, I started blurting out everything at once. “Someone lured me to New York to jump through a blue portal.”
“I heard. Jackson told me ye visited the future,” he said gently, like it was a question but also not.
I nodded, my throat tight. “Yeah. I did. And… Fuck, Sean, it was—” I dragged a shaky hand through my hair, the motion awkward against the mattress. “I sawus. Caden and me. Being… together.”
His brows flew up. “Together how? Like, having sex?”
A humorless puff of air escaped me. “Yeah. And it wasn’t just sex. It was…very intimate. Real. Makes me sick to think whoever set this up saw it too.”
Sean let out a low whistle through his teeth. “Why the hell would anyone want you to see that?”
I hesitated, staring at the ceiling instead of at him. “Our future selves were talking. Caden called me his wife and we were…” My voice cracked. “Trying to get pregnant.”
I took a deep, shaky breath, pushing through the tightness in my chest. “And right before the scene ended, future Emma seemed to…talk to me. As if she knew I was there. Like she could see me watching.”
