Page 267 of Scarlet Wars
The reaction was immediate.
Almost in unison, the Chiefs raised their weapons, metal snapping into place as the High Chief’s composure shattered.
“Gordon,” he snarled. “Lift the bubble so we may seize this traitor.”
I knew it.
Confirmation slammed into me all at once: the name, the authority, the power humming beneath the stone:Gordon. Creator of the bubble. Architect of this entire nightmare. And responsible for Julian fucking mind-raping me as a newborn.
Before I could make a move, Gordon unleashed his haze.
Invisible chains lashed out, wrapping around me in an instant. Not binding my body, but my senses. The world dulled, edges blurring as something cold slid through my veins.
Sedation.
Different from what Sean had used on me. I could still see. Still hear. Still understand exactly how badly this had gone wrong. But the fire inside me—rage, fear, adrenaline—was gone.
All emotions snuffed out in a heartbeat.
Fuck.
I stood there, surrounded, blades in hand, fully aware and completely numb.
I am seriously screwed.
Gordon lifted his hand again, the motion drawing every eye in the room and tightening the air until it felt too thick to breathe.
The High Chief’s mouth pulled into a vicious, satisfied smile, one worn by men who believed the end was already written.
“Don’t kill her,” he commanded with a snarl. “We still need her alive to breed the Krait.”
Gordon inclined his head, the gesture almost deferential, though something cold and unreadable flickered behind his eyes.
“But of course.”
For a suspended heartbeat, my dulled mind struggled to keep up, the world narrowing to that single, casual movement.Is this it?Is this how it ends? Standing here, surrounded, emptied out?
Gordon’s hand twisted in one smooth, decisive motion.
The world seemed to hesitate.
Then it exploded.
I jerked back on instinct, arms flying up, body locking as I braced for impact, for pain, for bones to shatter, for power to rip straight through me.
It never came.
My breath stuttered as I lowered my arms, slow, careful, afraid the hurt was simply late…
Only to see every Chief sprawled across the stone, bodies crumpled and unconscious.
FIFTY-EIGHT
EMMA
I stood frozen as Gordon released my chains of sedation, sensation rushing back in a disorienting wave.
“Don’t worry,” he said, sounding softer now, almost reassuring. “I’ve kept the Chiefs alive for you. You will still have your vengeance. All I intend to do is detain them, until you decide how they should be handled.”
