Page 31 of Scarlet Wars
“I lost control,” Emma continued, her tone still cold. “I… blew up the whole floor without even thinking of the bubble. It just…happened.” Her gaze drifted to the far wall. “I don’t even know how I survived. But I did.”
I waited for something,anything. Some crack in the ice. Some flicker of emotion. But there was nothing. She was…blank.
“I ran,” she added quietly. “Ran straight into trouble. Got myself out.”
No anger in her voice, no regret. Nothing.
“We’ll find who’s behind this, Emma,” Jackson said softly, his tone filled with sympathy, but her attention remained fixed on the wall, as if nothing he said could reach her.
Caden’s chest heaved before adding, “We’ll handle it.”
Her eyes found his, and I wanted to strangle him for even looking at her. “Whatever.”
Her focus then finally shifted to me, but there was no life in her, no spark. I swallowed hard, my chest constricting at the sight of her like this. The Emma I knew was gone, and this version of her...it terrified me.
“You’re in shock,” I said softly. “Maybe you should talk to someone about this… Get someone to help you process this.”
Her expression flickered for a second, but then that icy mask I hated more than Colt snapped back into place. “I’m not in shock, James,” she said, her tone cold. “I’m simply telling you what happened.”
Bullshit.
I exchanged a glance with Jackson, his expression as grim as mine. We both knew she wasn’t okay, and this wall she’d built around herself wasn’t going to come down easily.
“We’ll give you some space,” Caden said, stepping back to the door, his demeanor surprisingly calm.
But Emma didn’t seem to care. She stared blankly ahead, like nothing we said mattered.
I could feel the anxiety gnawing at me, twisting in my chest. I didn’t know what to say, what to do. I wanted to pull her out of that cold shell she’d retreated into, but every instinct screamed if I pushed too hard, she’d slip further away.
She was safe. Physically. But for the first time, I wasn’t sure if we’d get her back.
EIGHT
CADEN
Emma had been borderline catatonic for almost an entire week.
Her body functioned the way it should. She went on walks, ate whenever someone suggested she should, and stayed hydrated. But that mask she wore when her emotions threatened to overwhelm her had become a permanent fixture.
Grief is a fucked-up darkness to handle, but I knew Emma well enough. She wasn’t catatonic because she was gone—it was simply how she coped. She’d snap out of it when she was ready. Recognizing it for what it was, I wasn’t too worried.Yet.
Unlike James, who was unraveling more every time he saw her. I made a mental note to keep an eye on him, to make sure he didn’t lose it and make things worse for her than they already were.
To add to my never-ending to-do list, Rocco nexed me Sunday night from the command center at Crown. “Can we talk for a minute?”
Seated alone in my room for once, his timing was spot on. “Sure. What’s up?”
His expression was tense; his usual confidence edged with unease. “Emile contacted me last night, still undercover withthe Radicals we fought at Hunza. He told us they have changed leadership.”
That surprised me. “Since when?”
“After we took the Amplifier. Apparently, most of them were against using it in the first place, and with their weapon gone, they rioted and killed their leader.”
I scoffed. “Convenient story to tell,afteryou’ve lost the battle that cost you its weapon.”
Rocco snorted, crossing his arms. “I implied something similar.”
“Who’s their new leader?”
