Page 52 of Scarlet Wars
"I do feel…some kind of attraction to him," I admitted, my words tumbling out before I could stop them.
"To Caden Colt?" He snapped at me with anger. "The man responsible for those?" He gestured toward my arm, where the scars lay hidden beneath my sleeve.
Wrong thing to say.
“He’s more than the man who hurt me physically, James.” My voice was edged with quiet anger. “And considering the absolution you’re asking of me for your mistakes, you’re being more than a little hypocritical.”
His jaw worked, like he was grinding down whatever he really wanted to say. "You're seriously standing here, telling me you're attracted to him?"
But his tone wasn’t angry, it was wounded.
“I’m sorry, James,” I said quietly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
His nostrils flared, before he rose to his feet. “You have no idea who Caden Colt is. You might think he’s some charming villain you can change, but he’s no more than a manipulative asshole who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Excuse me?”
James’s tone turned cutting. “You come back from a few months at Crown, and suddenly you’re all over the guy who tortured you? You think that’s a coincidence? He’s playing this perfectly, and you’re falling for it. I thought you were smarter.” He shook his head. “Maybe I was wrong.”
I clenched my jaw. “James?—"
"I don’t want you to see him anymore," he said, his tone final, commanding.
Now I laughed bitterly. "It’s funny you think you have anything to say about that. Whatever I may feel for the guy, he’s still my friend."
His voice dropped dangerously. "It’s funny you think I don’t have a say inthat. I’m not only your ex-boyfriend, Emma, I’myour Leader. You came back to this Collective, and you’ll do as I say. And I say, for the safety of this Collective, no contact. Not unless I allow it."
My mouth fell open, disbelief crashing over me. "You’re enforcing this?"
"Hell yeah," he shot back, his rage haze flickering faintly at the edges of his hands. "You want to push me on this? I’ll make it impossible for you to talk to anyone outside of Cyclos."
This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t the James I knew. "You would prohibit me from speaking to my friends?"
"You can talk to whomever you want," he said, his tone firm but cold, "but not him. You stay away from Crown’s First Offensive, and that’s an order. Defy me, and you’ll find all contacts to the outside world forbidden."
I jumped to my feet, furious. "You can’t do this!"
"Watch me." His tone was flat, almost cruel. "The Great Exposure is giving me free rein to impose whatever rules I deem necessary. And even putting my personal feelings aside, it’s not safe for our Collective for you to have intimate contact with Crown’s First Offensive.”
Intimate.
“If you follow my orders,” he added, ice-cold, “we’ll re-evaluate in a few weeks.”
Tears stung my eyes, not from sadness but from sheer powerlessness. "I’ll hate you for this," I whispered.
He shrugged, indifferent. "Maybe. But the future reassures me there’s not much I can do to push you away. So let’s test that theory, shall we?"
Before he could leave, I reached out, grabbing his sleeve. "I want to visit my parents," I blurted out, the words spilling out fast.
His expression shifted slightly, confusion flickering across his face.
"I want to go to them," I continued, my voice breaking. "They now know about magi. I want to explain where I’ve been, what I am. I want them to know me. Please, James. Don’t keep me here. Don’t force me to stay away from them. Don’t…” I took a deep breath. “Please, don’t hold me prisoner here. Not again."
For a moment, the weight of his authority lifting just enough to let the James I used to know peek through. "I’m not allowing anyone into the Human World right now," he said carefully, "but if you keep away from Colt long enough, I might open the borders for a parental visit."
Trading Caden for my parents? What kind of a deal was that?
“What the hell happened to you?” I whispered, barely recognizing the man standing in front of me.
