Page 348 of Scarlet Wars
She bit her lip. Her eyes dimmed slightly, shadowed by something deeper. “It’s about my parents. When Maurice told us he didn’t have anything to do with that first warrant for my arrest...”
Her words were barely above a whisper.
“When he told me how much he loved my mom, how he had nothing to do with it—my parents’ deaths—I believed him.”
“He might have been lying,” I countered carefully. “He was a master of manipulation.”
Her gaze dropped to her hands, which were fidgeting with the edge of the blanket.
“I know. But my gut tells me he wasn’t the one. And if he didn’t kill them... If he wasn’t the one who gave the order...” She swallowed. “I still don’t know who did. I still don’t have that first warrant. And it’s as if that’s the part I can’t outrun.”
Her voice cracked at the end. Just a little.
Just enough to break me.
I reached out, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and cupped her cheek, grounding her in the only truth I knew for sure.
“We’ll find it.”
Her eyes lifted to meet mine, doubt swimming right beneath the surface.
“I promised you, Emma,” I said with all certainty. “I swore I’d help you find the truth. And to help you get your revenge. I have no intention of breaking either oath.”
I leaned in, pressing my forehead gently to hers.
“And the war that’s coming? It doesn’t change a damn thing.”
I pulled back far enough to look her in the eyes.
“We’ll find whoever did it. And when we do…”
A beat.
“We’ll make them pay. Together.”
She didn’t say anything right away. Simply stared at me, like she was memorizing every word. Like she was holding onto them for the battles ahead.
Then she nodded. Once. Solid. Steady.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Together.”
And this time, it felt like more than a vow.
The room Jameshad assigned to me was packed in less than ten minutes.
Gotta love translation.
A soft knock at the door made me grin like some high school idiot in love with his first girlfriend.
I thought it was Emma, already missing me like she always pretended not to.
“Really? Can’t even last two min—” My voice trailed off as I opened the door and found Cara Sinclair standing there instead.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, the grin already slipping off my face.
She lingered in the doorway, oddly hesitant. That alone should’ve been a red flag.
“I came to clear the air between us,” she said.
