Page 241 of Scarlet Wars
I blinked a few times against the flashy light. “What the hell?”
He glanced down at the Nexus, tension coiling through his shoulders like a pulled bowstring. “It’s Walker.” His jaw clenched. “Wants to talk. Seems urgent.”
I cupped his face for a heartbeat, pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. “Go. I’ll be here when you get back.”
His eyes lifted to mine—and something flickered there before he kissed me back—hard, and fast, almost desperate—then pushed off the bed in one fluid motion and was out the door a second later.
The room fell quiet as I sank back into the pillows, with a smile tugging at my lips.
FIFTY-TWO
EMMA
I woke up to a strange sound.
No, not a sound, an unsettling feeling that clawed at the edges of my consciousness.
My mind was thick with the remnants of sleep, foggy and disoriented as I struggled to grasp where I was, or what had shattered the silence.
My focus drifted to the window, the familiar frame of my own room barely visible in the pale moonlight. Outside, the night was a deep, suffocating black, swallowing every detail whole. I summoned my Nexus with a swift motion, its faint glow illuminating the room as the time blinked coldly back at me: Eleven p.m.
I rolled onto my side, clutching the pillow and dragging it over my face, desperate to smother the unease, to coax sleep back into my restless body. Which didn’t work.
For some unknown reason, my body felt wrung out, hollowed from the inside, as though every ounce of strength had been stripped away, and a prickle of unease crawled over my skin.
It started subtle. A shift in the air, the faint drop in temperature that made the hairs on my arms rise. A slow chill licked down my spine. My fingers curled into the sheets as theshadows at the edge of the room deepened unnaturally, twisting into darker shapes that didn’t belong.
Out of nowhere, my Nexus flared, a spark of blue energy flickering above my nightstand, before a figure stepped into the frame.
I jumped out of bed and shot out my Skindo into my hand with a sharp thud, the weapon’s metal singing in the stillness. My pulse hammered painfully against my ribs, knees bending instinctively, feet planting, body coiled and ready to strike.
A Nexus didn’t work like this. You had to open yourself willingly to the connection. You had to accept it, consciously deciding to let someone in.
So how the hell had this one managed to slip through without my permission?
“Who the hell are you?” I hissed, the question edged with steel as I forced it through the shock, trying to mask the sudden jolt of surprise at someone forcibly breaching my connection.
My grip tightened on the Skindo, fingers twitching with tension as I angled the weapon higher, ready for whatever came next.
The High Chief’s voice echoed smoothly through the room, calm but carrying an unmistakable edge of authority. “Should I feel insulted you don’t recognize me solely from my frame, Ms. Thompson?”
I blanched, a cold shiver running down my spine despite myself. My vision narrowed, muscles coiling tighter as I shifted the Skindo with a barely controlled twitch. “How did you manage to nex me without me accepting you?”
“Gods, Ms. Thompson. That isnotyour biggest worry tonight.” His tone carried an unsettling certainty.
I gritted my teeth so hard they ached. “Want to enlighten me what is?”
There was a pause, not long, before he replied smoothly, “Well, that depends. We’ve heard some rumors we’d like to share with you. Your reaction to them—whether to confirm or deny—will dictate whether you should be worried.”
My heart hammered in my chest, but I summoned my inner Caden and forced my expression into as neutral a mask as I could manage. “Don’t leave me in suspense, Mister High Chief. What exactly have you heard?”
He gave a small, tight smile, one that didn’t reach the rest of his face. “Yes, let’s dispense with the formalities. Tell me, Ms. Thompson, is it true that you are involved in a romantic relationship with Mister Caden Colt?”
Okay, Emma. Stay calm. This was part of the plan.
I nodded once. “You heard correctly.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, probing. “Surely this does not mean you are backing out of your deal with your Chiefs. I trust we did not misunderstand your intentions regarding the bond with James Walker?”
