James gasped, cutting me off, his eyes wide with a dawning realization that made my stomach twist with dread.
“This can’t be,” he whispered, barely able to get the words out.
“What?” I breathed, heart pounding as the dread took hold.
James turned to Stephen, his face drained of color. “You?” The word was almost swallowed by the shock, but the accusation was clear. “You’re the one… The ‘he’ who ordered the abductions?”
“What?” I almost laughed, disbelief washing over me. But when I looked at the silver haired man, the guilt etched on his face shattered any hope this was some kind of misunderstanding.
James trembled with fury. “You had her bleed out? You ordered her to be sedated? You had him…” He pointed at Caden, his finger shaking with rage. “Torture her? Experiment on her?”
The room pulsed with the intensity of James’s wrath. He sprang to his feet, his entire body radiating a deadly intent, ready to kill both of them right then and there. His cerulean haze started encircling him, wild like a tornado, ready for total destruction.
I sat there, frozen in shock.
James’s stare locked onto Stephen’s, and his voice, still trembling with emotion, broke through the silence.
“Youhurt her. Youhurther. You hurt…her.” Each word was laced with disbelief, his entire body shaking with the knowledge of betrayal. Whatever pain I was going through, was nothing compared to the agony radiating from James.
I reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it slightly. Whatever was going on, we were in this together.
“Why the fuck would you do that?” For the first time ever, I saw tears in James’s eyes. The rage he’d been holding back was slowly starting to pour out, raw and unfiltered, and my heart nearly broke seeing him so distressed.
Caden’s voice was calm, almost cruel in its clarity. “Can’t you guess, James? You’re sitting next to a woman withuntraceabletranslation.”
“That’s what this is all about? My translation?” I asked, forcing my voice to stay cold. “Why? Are you Radicals?”
The question hung between us, heavy and unforgiving. I was terrified of the answer—but I needed to hear it.
“We’re not, Emma. I promise,” Stephen replied softly, but I wasn’t inclined to take his word at face value.
“Then what are you?”
He scratched his neck before answering. “We’re Resistants. We don’t believe the Great Exposure should happen, but all we’ve done is counteract the global consensus. We’ve never threatened innocent lives.” His eyes searched mine, as if trying to reassure me of his noble intentions.
“Except for hers,” James hissed, his eyes blazing with fury.
Caden's lips twitched into a faint smirk. “Whatever you believe, her life was never in danger.”
I snorted, unable to contain the bitterness bubbling up. “I think you’ve misplaced a few memories.”
Caden’s eyes narrowed, a dark glint flashing in them. “You might not want to take that tone with me.”
Wrong fucking thing to say.
In an instant, James and I both shot out our Skindo, the movement so in sync it was like we were one—mirroring each other like a magical Bonnie and Clyde.
Caden’s smirk widened, not an ounce of fear in him. “I guess I should be honored. One little threat from me and you both jump up likethat.” He then turned tome, ignoring James entirely. His pitch-black haze shot out so quick I almost missed it, then wrapped itself around my Skindo tattoo, caressing it like a fucking lover.
The sickening intimacy of it sent more than a few shivers down my spine.
"How’s your arm?" His presence was deceptively soft, almost disarmingly charming—like velvet wrapped around a blade.
His words hadn’t even faded, and my body was already in motion.
Ilungedfor him, Skindo flashing as I moved, and I roared like a lioness pouncing on its prey. But before I could reach him, a surge of silver light shot between us, slamming into my chest like an unyielding force. The impact sent me stumbling back, my feet sliding against the ground as the energy locked me in place.
Beside me, James had already started forward, his whole demeanor burning with intent—but Stephen’s translation caught him, wrapping around his arms and torso, holding him firm.
