Page 94 of Cerulean Truth
"Last chance," I rasped, my voice roughened by the primal growl clawing its way out of the depths of my being.
When he didn’t answer, I closed my eyes, trying to find a hold against the pull of darkness. It burned like a wildfire, fueling my determination. Everything else seemed so insignificant compared to the pain Emma had suffered. I still had no idea what she meant to me, but I knew she was important. Too fucking important.
And if it meant sacrificing my position as Leader to protect her, then so be it. My jaw tightened again, as I succumbed to the overwhelming need for revenge.
With a newfound resolve, I opened my eyes, meeting the Radical’s pleading stare head-on.
I rose slowly to my feet, my voice steady and resolute. "You’ve made your choice. You are no longer of use to me, so you will now pay for what you've done," I declared, my words carrying the weight of my conviction. The Radical’s defiance wavered, and for a moment, so did his mental walls. But it was too late, my mind was made up. He had underestimated the lengths I would go to and he would pay for this miscalculation with his life.
As I raised my weapon, time seemed to stand still, the world holding its breath for no longer than a few seconds. With a swift motion, I struck, the sound of metal meeting flesh reverberating through the room. There were no screams of pain. No pleadings for mercy. There was only death. The Radical’s body crumpled to the ground, his chair untouched.
Standing there, surrounded by the crimson aftermath of my decision, I felt strangely re-energized.
I translated his bloody head, now detached from his body, onto the interrogation table, keeping it in clear sight for the next person entering the room.
As the blood dripped from the table onto the floor, I summoned the second Radical, hoping the visible fate of his friend would generate some much-needed motivation in giving me what I needed.
When Number Two walked in, noticing the fleshy remains of his friend on the table, clear terror crossed his features. His eyes flickered from the severed head to my face and I returned his panicked gaze with a wicked smile.
“Welcome back.”
Coming out of the Bastille,I nexed Maurice, calling him and his wife into another meeting. Since the night of the reception, I was spending almost as much time with the Maumars as I did with Emma. My life had changed drastically over the last few weeks and I’d hit more levels of stress on a daily basis than ever.
I hastened to our secret meeting spot and found the Maumars in intense conversation with each other.
"What happened?" They skipped the pleasantries, their concern evident.
"I had an interesting conversation with Number Two today," I began without delay, omitting my dealings with Number One.
The Maumars raised their eyebrows in unison. "Do tell."
"Apparently, there's ahe, who will stop at nothing and has a vested interest in Emma."
Number Two had lived to see another day, though hearing him confess someone was actually after Emma, had nearly pushed me over the edge.
"A ‘he’?" Maurice furrowed his brow.
I nodded. "Yeah. It seems someone is orchestrating everything behind scenes, but I haven't uncovered any clues about their identity yet."
“Do they know about her untraceable translation?” Maurice asked, worry etched on his face.
I shook my head, “I don’t know for sure, but what other reason could there be for them to go after her blood?”
"We don’t know but keep pushing, James. You'll get there," Maria acknowledged, clearly impressed with my progress.
I gave her a short nod, effectively ending our interaction before they could ask me about Number One.
After they left, I reached out to Jackson, feeling the need to talk about…anything.
"Can we meet at the Cube? Now?" I asked when he answered his Nexus.
Instantly sensing the gravity of my tone, my friend wasted no time and arrived minutes later, finding me tucked away in one of the secure bubbles I'd created to ward off prying ears.
"What is it?" were his first words on seeing me.
“Something happened,” I muttered. I knew I would put Jackson in a horrible position by opening up to him about what I’d done, but I trusted my him with my life.
“Clearly.”
