Page 34 of Scarlet Wars
"How?"
"First, by keeping your secret."
I laughed without humor. "You attacked both our Collectives with an Amplifier, willingly or not. That’s not going to cut it."
She shrugged. "No, but it’s a start." A pause. "We’re also offering you, our alliance."
James stiffened beside me.
"Alliance?" I repeated.
"There’s a war coming," Cara said bluntly. "Humans are testing nuclear weapons, experimenting on magi, dabbling with biochemical agents… And some magi are already collaborating with them, thinking that’s the way to achieve peace."
She muttered, "Fucking Collabs. Absolute idiots, all of them" and took another sip of her drink.
"So we’ll stand with you," she added, setting down her cup. "Fight the humans and their magi-Collaborators together."
James moved, but I lifted a hand, stopping him.
"Why assume we’ll fight them at all?"
Cara snorted. "Please. You think stories don’t travel? We’ve all heard of Crown’s First Offensive willingly subjecting himself to Rachel’s authority, only to help out Cyclos and the magi in the US. Pretty sure you’re planning your own attack against those responsible for the bubble, once you figure out who they are."
She wasn’t wrong.
"And this is your idea of forging an alliance?" I asked, my tone dry. "Come here and force us to work together? Otherwise, my secret’s out?"
“Force?” Cara’s mouth curved in a mockery of innocence. “No. It’s meant as an incentive. Just like this is: I have another piece of intel I’m willing to share with you, free of charge.”
James was about to explode. His jaw clenched, his body coiled like a wire about to snap. I cut him off before he could.
“This better be something worth my while,” I said coldly. “Or I’ll let the new Leader of Cyclos execute exactly what he’s itching to do.”
Cara’s eyes narrowed, but the slight tremor in her hands betrayed her.Smart girl. At least she wasn’t foolish enough to underestimate James’s lethalness.
“If you accept my proposal,” Cara began, “I’ll tell you who handed us the Amplifier. You know, the nuclear weapon we used to attack both your Collectives.”
James sat up a little straighter, tension snapping through his posture.
But to me, retribution... Since meeting Emma, vengeance wasn't my priority anymore. I simply shrugged. “The weapon’s gone. What exactly do you want me to do with such intel?”
Cara smiled, brushing invisible lint from her shoulder. “Oh, I don’t know. Might be interesting to learn it was the same person who bubbled in the country for the president of the United States.”
What?
James’s attention snapped to her. “Who?”
Cara let out a low, velvet laugh. The kind that made my skin crawl like it had a trillion ants running over it.
She cocked her head. “I think I’ll keep his identity to myself for now. Call it my insurance policy for getting out of here alive.”
She paused, then added with a sly smile, “But I will leave you with this…”
Her gaze flicked between us. “You’ve both met him before.”
Him.
James stepped toward her, muscles flexing like he was barely holding himself back. I threw out an arm to stop him. His whole body vibrated with restrained violence.
