“Enough,” he shouted, now radiating real authority. The silver haze shimmered, its hold unyielding but eerily effortless, as if he could keep us frozen like this all day.
I gritted my teeth and fought against the invisible grip tightening around me. Caden barely moved, watching us with his infuriating composure, like he’d expected this reaction all along.
“Fucking Radical,” I spat, my skin crawling as I sat back down, sheathing my Skindo.
James followed suit, though his focus never shifted away from Caden.
“I already told you back at Coastal—we’re not Radicals,” Caden—Logan, whoever the hell he really was—shrugged casually, like this was any another conversation. “Those assholes stole an Amplifier and attacked my Collective with it. Same as they did yours. Believe me, we arenotRadicals.”
I tried to keep my cool, and focus on understanding what was going on but seeinghimmade me lose it. The guy responsible for my scars, my nightmares. Fuck, I wanted tokillhim!
“Emma, calm down. We’ll tell you everything, but you need to get a handle on your emotions.”
Does anyone remember the genius who first thought it was a good idea to tell an already furious woman tocalm down? No? Probably because they didn’t live to talk about it.
I nearly strangled Stephen.
My eyes found Caden’s, and he fuckingsmiledat me.
“Do you have a death wish?” I hissed, and of course, his damn smile only widened.
“If you’re the one doing the killing, I might.”
Anticipating James’s reaction, the silver haze shot out again, restraining him before he could so much as twitch.
“Are we going to start talking like adults, or not?” Stephen’s patience was thinning fast.
My heart pounded, each beat hammering in my chest, a relentless reminder of how little I actually understood.
I drew in a shaky breath, forcing my rage down and trying to focus on what mattered, then turned to Stephen. “So the Radicals were never after me? All this time—it was you?”
My throat constricted, and my eyes burned with tears, as the betrayal sank deep—like a blade turning slow and cruel in my gut.
He nodded slowly, his face etched with pain and regret.
“Why?” James repeated, with his teeth clenched. His fists curled at his sides, every muscle in his body wound like a coiled wire, ready to snap. “What possible reason would you have—unless you’re a Radical like him?” He jerked his chin toward Caden.
“I am not a Radical, James. Neither is Caden,” he said evenly, the smallest sliver of impatience shining through. “He’s Crown’sFirst Offensive, just like he told you. He’s never lied about anything.”
“That’s not true,” I whispered. My hands were trembling but I forced the words out. “He told me his name was Logan Stark and told me he was First Offensive of Area 4.”
Caden raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
Staring him down, I spat harshly, “I have an impeccable memory,” though I wasn’t even sure why I was bothering to engage with him.
“So it would seem. Not sure it does you any good if all you remember are the lies,” Caden retorted with a snicker. “Then again, with all the lies your boyfriend fed you, I’m not surprised you do.”
“Lies?” The words felt foreign, hollow. “What lies?”
I snapped my head toward James, searching his face—my eyes pleading, begging him not to have betrayed me as well.
“Yes, James,” Caden pressed, his words laced with venom. “What lies did you tell Emma?”
James’s jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. “You don’t speak her name if you want to keep that tongue of yours intact.”
“Boys!” Stephen interjected, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation, looking every bit the weary father trying to manage a heated argument between sons.
“James?” I squeaked, hating how scared and small I sounded. Surely, he wasn’t involved in this madness. I held his gaze, hoping for him to deny any connection to this insanity.
