Page 5 of Scarlet Wars
“Rachel.” I softened my tone, letting a lower timbre carry the words. “It’s great to see you again, and I’m glad to know our friendship still stands.”
Her features softened visibly as she nodded once, then turned to lead the way to the heart of her home.
The Collective’s grounds fanned out wide, with smaller cabins and structures dotted throughout the woods, connected by cobblestone paths. The place had an undeniable sense of order and serenity, almost peaceful despite the urgency gnawing at my insides. A nearby lake shimmered in the evening light, reflecting the sky as if nature itself was watching over the people here.
Rachel gestured toward the main building, where I remembered most Council meetings were held. “Let’s get you settled in your old room at Arbor Hall. There’s much to discuss.”
I followed her inside, the scent of cedarwood mixing with the lingering aroma of a wood-burning fireplace. The familiarity of it all barely registered, since my mind was elsewhere, focused on Emma and on how every second was stretched too long.
As I stepped into the warm interior of Kanata C’s hotel-style Hall, my steps suddenly faltered, and a rush of adrenaline surged through me, turning my blood to fire.
There he was—seated at the long oak table like he belonged—even though it was the last place he should’ve been.
James. Fucking. Walker.
TWO
CADEN
James’s creepy green eyes met mine, and for a moment, the room seemed to close in. My pulse hammered in my ears, while my mind caught up to the sight of him.
"Walker." The name rumbled from my throat, low and threatening, as shock rippled through me, locking me in place for the briefest moment.
He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, looking at me with a certain threatening edge to his stare.
Rachel’s gaze flicked between us, before her lips pressed into a thin line.
I moved, each step methodical, my gaze fixed on him like a predator closing in on its prey. James slowly pushed himself to his feet, as I closed the distance in a few swift strides.
“Whatthe hellare you doing here?” I snarled, my words jarring against the quiet like a slammed door.
James didn’t flinch, didn’t even seem all that surprised by my harsh tone. “Jackson and I got out just in time. My Leader’s tour allowed me to leave right before they bubbled in the country.”
“What about Emma?” I asked, every word a godsdamn warning he’d be wise to answer.
His jaw tightened, right before he averted his gaze for the briefest second.
No. He wouldn’t have…
“You left her there?” I hissed, grounding my heels. “By herself? Beneath a bloody bubble?!”
James didn’t say a word, but he didn’t need to. Guilt was written all over him.
The sight of it made everything in me go very still. My pulse didn’t race, itslowed.The rage didn’t boil, it sharpened, sliced through the fog in my head until all that was left was purpose.
Hurt him.
Before he could react, my fist connected with his face in a clean strike, sending him stumbling back.
“I fuckingtrustedyou with her!”
Rachel’s hands were on me in an instant, and I let her pull me back, though every muscle screamed to move, to finish it, tomakehim bleed. “I trusted you to keep hersafe!”
“She wasn’t at Cyclos when I left!” James shouted back, blood trickling from his split lip, as his own anger burned through every muscle in him. “I couldn’t take her with me.”
Rachel’s grip locked even firmer around my arm.
“Then where the hell was she?”
