At the mention of his name, Emma visibly shivered, and my jaw locked as fury rose, quiet and cold. That bastard had hurt her more than I ever wanted her to be.
“What about him?” I asked, my voice carrying a sharp edge I didn’t bother softening.
Sean hesitated for a beat before announcing it. “Maria stepped down as Leader. James has been officially inaugurated.”
My gaze snapped to Emma. Her face had gone pale, her fingers twitching at her sides.
Fuck.
I exhaled through my nose, biting down on the urge to say something she didn’t need to hear right now. Instead, I turned my focus back to Sean.
“So what does that mean exactly?”
Sean cleared his throat. “It means James will begin his diplomatic tour, presenting himself to the other Collectives. It means his ruse is taking off. It means…”
“He’s about to destroy the first LiaPrism,” I finished for him, the gravity of the situation sinking in.
Sean nodded. “It’s starting.”
“How many LiaPrisms are there?” Emma asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“As many as there are Collectives. A lot.”
I sighed, feeling the pressure of the task ahead. “We’ll need to coordinate with him. See what he needs. James never even wanted to include his own Council in the mission, so aside from Maria and Jackson, he has no backup. No one at Cyclos knows about his real assignment. If he needs our assistance, he can count on Crown’s Offensives.”
“Does that mean…” Emma’s words trailed off, her face paling again, “we’ll need to work with him?”
Without thinking, I reached for her hand and squeezed. A small, grounding gesture.
She looked up at me, something raw flashing across her face, something making my chest ache in a way I fucking hated.
I wanted to burn the world down to erase that pain.
“We’ll keep you as far away from him as we possibly can,” I murmured, my voice low. “You won’t have to see him until you’re ready.”
She nodded, a flicker of gratitude softening her features, hitting me harder than it should have.
When I glanced back at Sean, I found him watching me. Expression unreadable. But his focus was sharp—piercing, almost clinical.
“What?” I snapped, irritated by the scrutiny.
He blinked, then shook his head. “Nothing. Only observing.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Nothing to see here, Sean.”
His lips thinned, but he didn’t push it.
I turned back to both of them, shifting gears. “I’ll coordinate with Cyclos in the upcoming weeks. We strategize as we go.”
We rose to our feet and opened a portal back to Caerleon Manor. Emma quickly jumped through, but right as I was about to do the same, Sean grabbed my arm.
“Ye wanna enlighten me here, Colt?”
“About?” I replied, not caring for his hostile tone.
Sean watched me for a beat, then said, “Caden, yer my best friend, but that girl has seen enough misery to last a lifetime.”
I shrugged him off. “I’m not disputing that. What’s your problem?”
