Noticing the shift in me, his pupils blew wide, and locked on me like a loaded weapon, dark and razor-focused. The air between us turned molten. Nothing existed outside of that look—possessive, ravenous, unflinching. It wasn’t a question. It was a promise. And it was going to wreck me.
My heartbeat went wild, pounding so hard I felt it everywhere: in my throat, in my fingertips, between my legs.
My eyes dipped to his mouth and lingered there, shameless and wanting.
His hand came up, slow and certain, and slid along my jaw before wrapping around the side of my neck, thumb brushing just beneath my chin. His palm was hot, grounding, but the tension behind it was anything but gentle. He wasn’t asking for permission. He wasclaimingspace he already believed was his.
My lips parted, aching for contact.. He leaned close enough that his breath scraped against my mouth, hot and uneven, his lips barely hovering over mine. His thumb pressed lightly against my pulse, feeling the frantic rhythm there, and I could swear it almost broke his restraint.
I tilted my head, instinctive, chasing him even though he hadn’t pulled away. His other hand slid around my waist and yanked me flush against him—no slow buildup, no hesitation. Just heat, body to body, every curve of me pressed to solid muscle and simmering intent.
I gasped, and he let out a low growl. Like a fucking predator, about to devour its prey.
I couldn’t think. Could barely breathe. His mouth still hadn’t touched me, and somehow that was worse. He was toying withthe tension, letting it stretch, letting me feel the want in every part of him, without giving me the release.
The heat between us was unbearable—dragging every breath deeper into my lungs like I was starving for him. Every little bit of my skin felt hypersensitive, aching to be touched, claimed,stripped bare.
I was burning. Burning for this man, holding me like I washisto hold.
His fingers tightened in my hair, and his mouth brushed over mine—not a kiss, not even real contact, only the threat of one. His lips hovered there, teasing, ghosting over the skin he knew I wanted him to claim.
And when I exhaled, shaky and wrecked, he smiled—just slightly, just enough to show he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
“Caden,” I whispered, barely a sound, his name breaking over my tongue like a plea and a dare.
The world around us faded, all of it narrowing down to this one moment, this oneinchseparating us from changing our lives forever.
Just one more inch, and his mouth would crash into my own.
One more inch, and the world would tilt on its axis, everything we knew burning away in the heat of our kiss. My plans to leave, the reunion I thought I needed—it would dissolve into nothingness, consumed by the gravity ofhim—dark, magnetic, and wrong in all the right ways.
One more inch, and he’druinme.
One more inch, and there’d be no going back.
Just. One. More. Inch.
But then, like a cruel twist of fate, both our Nexuses flared to life, overflooding us with such sudden, overwhelming urgency, it shattered the moment, dragging us back to reality. Messages flooded in from every direction, an onslaught of anxiety andpanic, coming from so many people at once, it was impossible to know who was contacting us first.
“What the fuck,” Caden hissed, dropping me gently to my feet. My mind was still spinning, reeling from the electric charge that had nearly consumed us, but the intensity of that moment quickly receded as reality crashed in.
James’s face suddenly filled Caden’s Nexus, the familiar features jolting me like a shock to the system. Seeing James like that, after months of quiet, was a punch to the gut, knocking the breath right out of me, and I gasped, audibly.
“Colt,” James’s voice boomed through the clearing, deep and commanding as ever, yet edged with something darker—urgency, fear.
His focus shifted, landing on me, his eyes widening, then scanning my face, and trailing down to where my hands still clung to Caden. The silent understanding of what had nearly transpired between us a moment ago flickered in his expression, and a world of pain and hurt flashed across his face.
“Walker,” Caden growled, his voice low and dangerous. “What is it?”
James hesitated for the briefest of moments. Then, as if steeling himself against whatever emotions threatened to surface, he turned his head back to Caden.
“The Resistance failed. Word got out the Radicals lost their Amplifier. The United Chiefs have pronounced the Great Exposure a go. Kanata C merged with Canada an hour ago. The other Collectives are following.”
He paused for a beat, then said, “It’s happening. The Great Exposure is happening.”
EPILOGUE
PROBABLY EMMA
