The Dragon and the Rose

  Coop folds his arms over his chest and scoffs. “It figures that Wesley’s favorite hangout is just a hop and a skip from the biggest bonfire in the universe.”

  Gage appears on the horizon as a silhouette as he and Wes meet halfway.

  “It’s almost romantic,” Dudley chides.

  “Holy crap. Is that Gage?” Coop hits me over the arm. “Dude, that’s Gage.”

  “Yes—it is.” I fill him in on what happened a few weeks back regarding the dark covenant, the drinking of Celestra blood no less, the Videns and their strange lineage. “Something big is going down tonight.”

  “After Jock Strap blew out the candle tonight, he wished for length of years.” Dudley isn’t Gage’s biggest fan on his best day, and right about now I’m aligning with the Sector. “His father willingly offered to make all his Femtastic fantasies come to be, in exchange for one little detail.”

  “What’s that?” Coop’s eyes grow, the size of fists, as we all take a few steps closer.

  “We’re about to find out.” I lead us over to the side. Despite the fact they can’t see or hear us, it’s unnerving standing in their faces. I’m not about to put Dudley’s cloaking skills to the test.

  “What do you need?” Gage seems friendly. There isn’t one hint of sarcasm or anger tinting his voice. “I’ve got a meeting with the Videns.”

  Dudley huffs. “It’s nice to know his social calendar is brimming.”

  “How are things going with that?” Wes pats him on the back as if they were old friends just shooting the shit. “Did you present them with the opportunity to join our ranks?”

  I look to Coop. “The Steel Barricade? I thought that was a done deal. You either chose that night or gnashed your teeth outside the not-so-pearly gates once the chromosomal shit hit the government fan.”

  “Looks like he’s about to bend the rules for family.”

  Gage pulls back his lips with a grimace. I know that look. He’s remorseful as hell.

  “I did present it. They’re heavily considering it. And things are going great. Coach Morgan offered me an executive coaching position on the team.”

  “Congratulations.” Wes slaps him on the shoulder. “You going to take it? You should. It’s your passion. You need to be doing something you enjoy the hell out of.”

  Something in my stomach cinches because that’s exactly what I would have told him. It makes me want to vomit seeing Wesley step so seamlessly into that brotherly role I filled for so long, that I’m still determined to fill. Gage hasn’t told me about the position. I guess things are far worse off between us than I imagined.

  “I’m thinking about it.” Gage shifts from foot to foot the way he does when he’s dying to say something but holding back. I could gain a plethora of knowledge simply by studying his body language. Take that, Wes. Are you so close to your new little bro that you know he wants to drag the conversation in another direction? That I hope to God he wants to beat the shit out of you—stick his fist in your gut and watch you bleed out for show? Maybe even drink your blood as an homage to Celestra—to the people his wife is in charge of—the people he once vowed to protect.

  “Skyla and I are just hitting our stride.” Gage relaxes as the screams of those beneath us rise in a chorus. “I think with school and work, I’d hate to add anything else to take time away from our relationship. I think we just need to bond at this stage in our marriage. Things aren’t so great with the living arrangements right now. I’m not a fan of staying at the Landon house, but our hands are tied.”

  “Demetri said he made you an offer.”

  “It’s true. I refused, but I’m thinking of taking him up on it—just enough to get by, an apartment maybe. How about you? You thinking about taking up residence on the flipside? You hear Paragon calling? The surf is great on the north shore. I’ve got a board you can borrow.”

  I’ve got a board you can borrow? Every board in that shed is mine. He’s the one borrowing from me, and now he’s outright offering to gift my things to the enemy. My blood boils without warning. A part of me wants to go over and kick some dirt in his face just to get the show on the road.

  “I might take you up on that,” Wes says as they take a few steps out, and we dutifully follow. “So you know that the Dolomite’s were a bust.”

  “Sorry to hear it. But the good news is that the effects we were looking for are almost there.”

  “They were temporary. Almost doesn’t cut it. I wish there was some way to get Ezrina to side with us. She’s the key to everything, and she damn well knows it.”

  “I guess removing the markers is scrapped. But don’t worry. We’ve got enough people in the Barricade to populate an entire kingdom. The rest of the Nephilim still aren’t powerful enough to stop us from our true intentions.”

  True intentions. And there you have it.

  “They’ll find a way. They won that fucking war. Your wife may not weigh more than a bag of chips, but she’s got a will and a might and a roar that can rearrange the order of the universe.” Wes slings his arm over his brother’s shoulder. “I know this isn’t easy for you. If the roles were reversed and I had to sidestep Laken—”

  Coop’s chest bucks with a laugh. “He did just that.”

  “I know for a fact I’d want her with me. That’s why we’re not together,” Wes laments. “She wouldn’t leave the enemy. She’s fallen into a trance and outright rejected her heritage. You can’t abandon who you are, Gage. You were born, created, destined to lead our people. I may have resented it for a moment, but working with you—it’s like we’re a team. You make a great leader. I never feel left out. I never feel like number two around you.”

  “He’s number two all right,” Coop quips.

  I do know what Wes means. Gage really does know how to make you feel as if you’re important. When Gage is in charge, it’s as if the entire team is collaborating for the greater good. Wes is right. Gage makes a great leader. Too bad he makes lousy decisions. Just the fact we’re all congregating over the unholy heart of hell is exhibit A.

  “So what do you need, buddy?” Gage touches the back of his neck and yawns to life. Body language says he feels at home. He’s relaxing with friends—with one of his favorite people. I can’t remember the last time Gage did that around me. “Name it.”

  “Name it?” Even Wes is amused by this ready-to-serve version of my nephew. “So what was that private exchange you and the old man had tonight? Does that have anything to do with me naming it?”

  Coop shifts. “As much as I can’t stand Wes, he’s perceptive as hell.”

  “Too perceptive,” I agree. “Too cunning, too smart for his shape shifting britches.”

  Gage bends back and gazes up at the nonexistent moon, there’s nothing here but the ever-present doom and gloom. This isn’t paradise. Not even close. Why can’t Gage see that?

  “I let Demetri know I want to hang around—be with Skyla until we’re old and gray.”

  Wesley’s jaw redefines itself.

  “It looks like Paxton didn’t want to hear that.” Coop observes.

  “A few more decades under your belt?” He asks for clarity. “I can see why. Skyla is a beautiful woman. I guess if you hang out until she reaches the finish line, she’ll never reach her full potential.”

  “You mean with Logan and Dudley.” Gage glances over as if he meant to.

  “She’ll reach it with me,” Dudley doesn’t miss a beat.

  “Yeah, I guess.” Gage makes a half circle in the dust with his shoe. Translation, I feel like an ass, but I’m going to do it anyway. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m okay with it, but I know Logan—he’s still pretty wrapped up in what they had.”

  Had. Past tense. Not my favorite word.

  “Skyla mentioned she didn’t want me to die. She hates death. It’s the separation, it’s too painful for her. I know she wants to speak with Ezrina—that she wants to get her mother to help out, too, but it’s not happening for me.”

  “That’s why
you need to thank your unlucky stars for that man. You may not fully appreciate the fact you’re part Fem, but look at it from this perspective, you have the world—your entire future on a string. You’re going to build a family with Skyla. You’re going to see your children, your children’s children grow up and live this damn life to its fullest just the way the Master intended. Death in your youth was never meant for you, Gage. Even I could see that a mile away.”

  “Thanks, man.” Gage looks in our direction. His eyes pierce right through mine, and I freeze.

  “He can’t see you,” Dudley is quick to assure. “Ironically enough, he’s wishing you were here.”

  “Skyla and I aren’t having kids.” He stuffs his hands into his back pocket. Feeling very safe. “She’s not up to gifting Demetri dominion anytime soon—or ever. It’s all you man. You and Bishop do your thing. The heritage falls to you after I go. My lineage begins and ends right here.”

  Wes nods. “I can handle Bishop, but I wish to God it were Laken.”

  “It’s not too late.” Gage smacks him on the arm—chumming up, getting cozy with his newfound bro. “It’s not like Coop put a ring on it.”

  “What?” Coop straightens.

  “You’re just saying that.”

  “You’re right.” Gage laughs, and his voice echoes like a balm across this scorched, dry land. “Coop’s a good guy. She could have done a lot worse. He’s good for her. They’re fighting on the same side of the battlefield. You need that with the person you’re with, and you have that with Chloe. That’s huge.”

  “How would you know?”

  There it is. Of all the people to call Gage on his bullshit, it’s Wes.

  “All right, tell me what you need before I deck you. I’ll make it hurt, too.”

  “So tempting.” Wes and Gage start in on a standoff.

  “If he starts throwing punches, I want in,” I tell Dudley.

  “Here’s what I need.” Wes pats him on the back. “I need a body.”

  “Okay. I’ve got acres of bodies at the cemetery. You want it fresh? I can gift it to you hot off the grill.”

  God, I hope he’s shitting him. If Barron knew he was offering up the morgue on a platter—some poor deceased soul’s body as an offering—he’d revoke his right to live. Barron can bring down the boom when he wants, and something tells me he would very much want.

  Wes turns to him until they’re both shadowed by the dim glow that overtakes this place, turning them into a pair of silhouettes.

  “Gage.” Wes grows stern. His expression serious as shit. “I need the body of a Celestra.”

  “Dead or alive?” Gage doesn’t hesitate with the question.

  “Either. It needs to be strong. This is the last piece to the puzzle.”

  “What about Chloe?”

  “She’s useless. Ezrina’s DNA has been stripped. Candace deformed her cellular structure. It’s safe to say her angelic standing has been revoked. Her physical body is still good. She’s able to bear children. I know she’d gladly gift you dominion. Skyla would never have to know. Dominion brings unlimited power to generations of our offspring. We could both use her as a vessel. But, if you’re willing, I’m offering her to you first. You can still have it all, Gage.”

  Gage doesn’t say anything. He can’t be serious.

  “I don’t love Chloe—not even close. And, like I said, I’m not interested in dominion. You go for it. As far as I’m concerned, this life will do. I’m pretty certain I can accomplish everything I need to during my reign. I’ll let the future rest on your shoulders. We’re a team remember?”

  Wes relaxes for the first time since we’ve arrived. Gage just gave him the reassurance he needed to hear. He may not have the crown, but he’ll have the lineage. Dominion will be gifted to Demetri through his poisoned seed.

  “How long after I deliver this to you will we be able to distribute the elixir to hide the marker?” Gage is anxious for the details, and I wonder why.

  “Trials on a select few can begin immediately. I’ll start with the prisoners.” He motions behind him at nothing in particular, but I know where the prisoners are housed. I was a prisoner here once myself. “Then you and I will partake—the inner circle, then the masses.”

  “The body. If I gift you a living being what happens?”

  “You’re a bleeding heart, Gage. You’ll have to lose that. It’s not the trait of a king. But yes, they are considered a sacrifice.”

  “Got it.” His voice is raspy, quiet even. Gage turns to walk away, and Wes pulls him back.

  “Only the strongest Celestra you can find will work.”

  “I have just the person for you.”

  Gage turns and looks right into me. I’d bet good money he wasn’t looking through me this time.

  Gage is about to cross a body off his to-do list, and I have a feeling I know which one.

  6

  A Season of Sorrow

  Skyla

  Gage. He wove himself into my existence before we ever met. Our lives had formed a tapestry that transcends time in both directions. It’s only when we’re gone that the fully formed picture will come to light. Will it be a thing of beauty that hangs proud in the heavenlies? A thing of horror that begs for the fire? According to my mother, Gage was destined for me from the beginning until she intervened and plated up Logan like a muscular Celestra dipped in honey. It’s Logan who I fell hard for that first day in Paragon, but, soon, Gage ran the race for my heart with equal footing to his fair-haired cousin. The three of us joined forces in the name of our people, and a war was flung in our faces, many died, sacrifices were made. Death itself was dealt to both Logan and Gage, laid out on the table like playing cards—a bad hand that no one dared pick up. And, now, this is our time. Gage and I have run the race, achieved our marital status through a hard-won victory, the banner over us, eternal love. Everything in my heart desires to preserve who we are, but with him leaving me, night after night, with him choosing not to reveal his peculiar wanderings, acting in secret, coming and going like an evening shadow, he’s placed everything we’ve worked for in peril. If he doesn’t come clean soon, our lives may never be the same. Gage has made an enemy out of himself whether or not he’s aware of it.

  Host University is alive with energy on this shortened holiday week. Omen, the ruby-eyed dragon, ejaculates a tongue of bronze fire from his mouth as the fog twirls around his neck like a pole dancer. I can’t help think of Gage when I look at that serpent. Chloe being the ridiculous dancer rubbing her belly to his nose.

  Thanksgiving is Thursday, and, being that Demetri is no longer a guest at the Oliver home, my mother has decided to take on the meal herself. She’s invited the usual suspects, so, accordingly, drama will follow, but a part of me will be envious of Liam and Logan who instead will indulge in Emma’s yearly masterpiece. That woman may be up for Monster-in-Law of the decade, but she can sure cook a mean turkey. Hey? Maybe Gage and I can hit them up for leftovers? Who needs to incur some serious Black Friday debt when Gage and I can gorge on a free gourmet meal all day long? Besides, I’ve yet to tell Logan about Gage’s continued dirty nocturnal habits. Not that I can verify they’re dirty. I mean it’s not like they include Chloe or anything. God they had better not include Chloe. Just the thought of Gage spending time with Chloe makes me detest her ten times more than I ever thought possible. I hope he realized his error in teaming up with her after that Dolomite debacle. Chloe is useless on every level. I can guarantee him that salvation for the Nephilim won’t come at the hand of the Wicked Witch of West. I’m not sure how it will come. Not to mention I can’t sleep at night knowing the Counts are still holding Celestra prisoners in those tunnels. The next person’s neck I wrap my hands around will be my mother’s. If Candace Messenger is good for one thing, it had better be in aiding to get those people out of their certain hell.

  A group of girls strut by in heels and various level of inappropriate undress. I swear it’s like a fashion show half the time around here—
a lingerie fashion show.

  Speaking of which. I pluck my phone out and pull up that racy picture I took of myself before getting dressed this morning. There I am. I shake my head at that come hither expression staring up at me with my pink lace bra and barely there matching thong. I’m texting it to Gage as a part of our no-vanilla November campaign. I caption it, Just thinking of you! Hope you’re having a great day!

  Of course, I then plan on deleting it from my phone as soon as I hit send. God forbid Beau Geste gets ahold of it and starts waving it around at dinner.

  “Skyla!”

  I jump as someone calls my name from behind and manically type into my phone, scroll for Gage and hit send.

  A wild breath releases from me as I turn to find Laken waving happily.

  “Are you on your way to class?” Her cheeks are pink from the icy wind, and she’s appropriately snug in a grey wool coat.

  “Nope. I’ve got an hour to kill. And you?”

  “Same. But I’m trying to squeeze in any time I can get for that novel Dudley is having us write. That spirit husband of yours is taking away all my free time. I’m barely done with the first draft, and it’s due next Monday. Doesn’t he realize we’ll all be in a tryptophan coma straight through the weekend?”

  Shoot—I was supposed to get started on my essay last week, too. She’s right. Marshall really knows how to crack the whip at the least opportune time.

  My phone buzzes softly, and I give a private smile fully expecting to see an equally non-vanilla text from Gage, but it’s not—it’s from Liam?

  You sure are friendly! I am having a great day now. Thanks for asking!

  “What?” I whisper mostly to myself.

  “Dudley—you know, he’s really cracking the whip.”

  “Oh, right,” I say, still a bit stunned. “Marshall is the ringleader, and the classroom is his favorite circus. Sorry.” I make a face. “Say, where are you guys headed for Thanksgiving? I’m sure my mother wouldn’t mind putting out a few extra seats.”