The Dragon and the Rose

  “Thank you.” She pulls him in and rubs her bloodied cheek against his arm. “The three of you are always there when I need you most.” Her eyes spring open wide, and she does a quick sweep of the room. “Where’s Gage?”

  “He’s on his way.” I hope.

  Ezrina works on Skyla for hours, cleansing, mending. Barron arrives and helps suture her wounds. Her own body should be able to heal itself by morning.

  Gage storms in with his hair wild. A black eye and split lip.

  “Where’ve you been?” I knew something was off when he didn’t fly through that door hours ago.

  “Sorry.” He staggers toward Skyla. “It took me a little longer than expected to get out of the Transfer. Demetri had me bound. Ellis finally helped me break the hell out of there.”

  “You’re hurt.” Skyla opens her arms as he falls into her.

  “Ellis and I sort of got into it.” He touches the back of his hand to his lip and examines the crimson stain. “It was stupid.”

  “I’m just glad you’re here. I can’t do this without you, Gage. You make me feel safe.”

  Gage doesn’t say a word. The despondent look on his face says it all for him. I know he thinks everything that’s transpired the last few months is his fault—and it might be but mostly it’s not. I don’t want him to feel like that. I know what a shithouse self-loathing can be to live in. I’ve taken up residence there. I think if you traced back the events that landed us in this very room with Barron suturing Skyla’s wounds, it would all lead back to the day I thought it was a good idea to off a bunch of Counts. And the rest is our screwed-up history.

  Skyla turns to me. “How’s Brody? I heard you in the Transfer. You’re right. He doesn’t deserve to die.”

  “Healing.” Ezrina answers for me. She holds up a vial filled with florescent pink fluid. “New serum. We’ll see how he feels in the morning.” She flicks it with her fingernail, and it gives a loud wail—high and flat like crystal.

  “Hey, are the Dolomites you extracted from me able to clean our cells?”

  Ezrina’s eyes widen with a smile all their own. “Quite the opposite.”

  Barron perks up. “We should lace their water with it. Watch the Barricade humiliate themselves before the entire world. I, for one, would love to see their plan backfire on a global level.”

  “Skyla’s serum isn’t able to affect the Barricade.” Dudley pulls Skyla’s hand to his lips and kisses it. “Wickedness and holiness can no sooner mix than oil and water. Its advantages are strictly for experimentation purposes for now.”

  “What about Logan’s serum?” Skyla looks incensed at his implication. “He’s far from wicked.”

  “Not far—neutral.” Marshall relishes the correction. “He swore to their allegiance. Nevertheless he has no Caelestis in him. He’s a prime candidate for their dastardly deeds.”

  Barron pats Skyla on the hand. “I don’t expect sepsis to set in. Ezrina has conducted a thorough cleanout. I predict a full recovery by morning.” He looks to Gage. “If you don’t mind, your mother and I will drop by and see how you’re both doing.”

  “Sounds good.” Gage pulls his father into a strong embrace. I know there’s been a lot of tension between the two of them as of late. Demetri has brought tension by the truck full.

  “Let’s get you home.” Gage presses a kiss to Skyla’s forehead, and my heart breaks. I wish I could be the one to take Skyla home, ironically that would simply be upstairs. I want nothing more than to protect her from this seemingly endless bullshit.

  Skyla looks from Gage to Dudley. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather hang out at Marshall’s, at least until I feel a little better. There’s no point in worrying my mother.”

  Ezrina produces a white, thick robe with a blue butterfly embroidered right over the heart, and I smile. I know exactly where she got that from.

  “Found this in the closet upstairs.” Ezrina scowls out a smile. “Yes, Skyla, we understand you have a great body, but not everyone needs to see it.”

  Skyla’s mouth falls open as Gage helps her pull the robe over her. “I do believe Ezrina MacHatter just made a joke.”

  Nevermore walks into the room. “And I believe I was the one who didn’t need to see a thing.” He lands a sweet kiss to Ezrina. I shake my head. It’s still Chloe and Pierce to me.

  Dudley scoops Skyla into his arms as they walk off into a blooming fog.

  “You want to go old school?” I knock Gage in the ribs. “I’ve got the truck outside.”

  “Dude”—he shakes his head—“old school is the only thing I’m interested in anymore.”

  Gage doesn’t say two words all the way to Dudley’s.

  The lights are all on. Music pumps from the house until the windows rattle, and, for a second, I wonder if I’ve pulled into the Harrison’s driveway instead.

  “You think Ellis is behind this?”

  “Nope. I jacked him up pretty good. I have a feeling this is all Liam.”

  We head inside and find a swarm of bodies, mostly female, correction, almost exclusively female. The haunted speculum Dudley keeps by the piano is swirling with a blue mist in its reflection. The women here are dressed as can-can dancers with their frilly dresses shorter in the front than they are the back, and from the waist up it just looks like lingerie.

  I spot Skyla on the couch with Giselle holding a mug by her side.

  “I’m going to get Dudley to shut this thing down.” Gage heads out to find him, and a body steps in close to take his place. Two bodies. Carly Foster and Carson Armistead.

  “Hey sexy.” Carly giggles in my ear. I can smell the vodka pluming from her breath. “Fun night, but I think we can make things a whole lot more interesting if we head upstairs.”

  Carson pulls me in by the waist and touches her nose to mine. “We can double our pleasure. I’ve got a belt we can put to good use and rumor has it you’ve been a very naughty, naughty boy.”

  “Nice offer, girls.” I take a step back. “But I’m going to have to pass.”

  “Oh shit, I think that’s Logan!” Carly covers her mouth and bubbles out another string of giggles.

  “Sorry!” Carson does the same and they saunter off in Liam’s direction.

  “Hey—what’s wrong with me?” My voice gets lost in the music pumping through the place. It’s not like I was anxious to head upstairs, but the invitation gave my ego a nod.

  “Come here, sexy.” Skyla’s not even the slightest bit amused. I glance around, and neither my nephew nor Dudley are to be seen.

  “I’ve got this.” I take the tea from Giselle and pull Skyla in close. “You’re the only one I want to go upstairs with.” I give a wry smile. “When it’s time—if that ever comes again.” My heart wants to stop at the idea, hell it already has. “I want you with Gage. I like seeing you happy. I like seeing him happy. I thought about what you said—about keeping him around. I get it. Hell, I want to keep the douchebag around.” I lean my head back and close my eyes. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m in full support of your decision. If you want, I’ll even go to bat for you with Candace.”

  The tiny dimple in her left cheek digs in, and I resist the urge to kiss it.

  “My mother will most likely say no.”

  “I’ve been known to change her mind.”

  “Are you sure about this?” Her sad eyes drag over my features as if pulling lead weights.

  “I’m positive. In the end at least we would have tried. He’s generously volunteered so much for us.”

  “Logan.” Skyla pulls me in and buries her face in my neck. “Oh, Logan.”

  And this, right here is about as intimate as we might ever be again.

  Hours drift by, and the party rages on at Skyla’s request. She said she didn’t mind the chaos. She said it reminded her of happier times that weren’t so serious, so laden with heartache—without the promise of the Nephilim’s world caving in.

  Dudley and Ellis busy themselves by shooting a bull’s eye off in
the distance with arrows. So far, Ellis is up two on Dudley. Amusing as shit.

  Drake and Ethan sit nearby, energetically going over future business prospects to venture into. It turns out Ethan’s Glow-in-the-Park car defacing venture isn’t exactly taking off. Drake, on the other hand, can do no wrong. I should have sold those damn shirts at the bowling alley while I had the chance.

  “Dude, who knew the sun was so fucking important?” Ethan smashes his fist into his knee.

  But I’m not really paying attention to any of the bullshit flying around me. I’m too busy aching over Skyla and what could have been. It doesn’t change the fact I meant what I said about Gage—it’s just a new reality that for some reason I can’t wrap my head around. A part of me is still championing our love. What Skyla and I have is indestructible, nothing on earth, not a Sector or Fem can put a dent in the feelings we have for one another. No matter how hard I try to focus on the fact we’re both determined to keep Gage around, I can still hear destiny calling.

  A light tap lands over my shoulder, and I look up to find Gage. Something in his eyes softens and for a moment he looks like the same kid I grew up with, but he’s changed. All that dark scruff he’s sporting on his face testifies to it.

  “You guys about ready to head out?” I stand, ready to go in and say goodbye to Skyla.

  “In a minute.” His dimples dig in. “Hey, we need to talk man. You mind?” He nods toward the corral, and I’m sensing he wants privacy.

  Gage and I head out into the powder-white fog, past the barn down by the creek on the lower side of the property.

  “This romantic enough for you, sweetheart?” I take a seat on the trunk of a fallen pine, and Gage does the same.

  “Perfect.”

  “So what’s up? Skyla okay?”

  “She’s amazing. She’s doing great. I know she’ll pull through this.”

  “Chloe doesn’t know when to stop.” I wince into the mist. “I asked Dudley to fix Skyla’s necklace. Make it shorter, impossible to remove. She doesn’t need to wear the heart I gave her.” I swallow hard. “Just the pendant.”

  “Skyla isn’t getting rid of the heart. And you two think alike because she mentioned something about Dudley welding it to her neck.” His fingertips bounce over one another. “Look, today was a shit storm, and, before you try telling me it wasn’t my fault, I’m going to tell you right now I won’t bother listening.”

  “I didn’t plan on telling you it wasn’t your fault.” I hold back a smile. “I was going to tell you it was mine.”

  “You’re hilarious.” He scoots in until our knees touch. Gage takes a deep breath and expires it in a vat of fog. “Today made me realize that I don’t always know what life is going to throw at me. Just when I think I’m headed down a straight path—the next thing you know, I’m guzzling Celestra blood—turning in my sainthood for a pair of horns and a pointy tail. I thought I had football in the bag, and then I broke my back.” He shakes his head. “I thought I could protect Skyla, and she’s covered head to toe in stitches. God forbid Wes get any new ideas.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m really digging the pity party, but we should probably head back.” I give him a quick pat. “I don’t want you to dwell in your misery. I’m pretty sure that holding Skyla in your arms tonight is just the thing you need to feel better.”

  “That’s the thing. I can’t—” He turns his head and sniffs hard into the wind. “If anything were to happen to me, I’d appreciate it if you’d step in and take care of Skyla.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” The back of my neck prickles. This isn’t like Gage. But, then again, he doesn’t know how insistent Skyla is that he doesn’t go anywhere near the grim reaper. He still thinks he’s inching his way to the edge of life’s cliff.

  “I just want you to know that I’d be okay with that. If anything happened to me, I’d want to know she was happy, and I’d want to know that you were happy, too.”

  Almost the same words I used in reverse earlier.

  “You’re not going anywhere, Gage.” A slow building rage brews in me. “Admit it, you’d be a little pissed that I was fucking your wife.”

  “I know what you’re doing,” he growls. “And believe me, I love Skyla. You don’t need to get me all riled up to fight for her. That’s easy enough to do. Just listen for once, would you? I’m saying that I know with every ounce of my being that next to me, no one on this planet would take care of Skyla the way you would.” He drops his head a moment and groans before coming up for air. “In the event anything happens.” His Adam’s apple bobs up and down. “I bring her flowers every Monday. Would you do that for me? It can be your thing, too. It just makes her smile on a day she’s determined to hate.”

  “Yes. I would do that for you—for her. But hey”—I knock my knee into his—“I don’t know what’s getting to you, but everything is going to work out. I promise. Today was just a shit sandwich. Sometimes life doles those out. Sometimes you’ve got to eat them. Skyla and you will pull through this.”

  “And the downfall of the Nephilim? And the fact she’s headed to court because she’s married to a fucking moron? And don’t for a second act surprised. I’m a thousand percent sure you already knew that.”

  “Okay, I won’t. In fact, I’ll admit the future is looking a little less rosy at the moment than either of us want, but, trust me, things are going to iron themselves out. I’ll fight with you against the Barricade.”

  “I am the Barricade!” He roars it out into the night.

  “No need to brag.” I fold my arms across my chest as we both stare out at a lonely stretch of Paragon, the creek trickling quietly by.

  “I can’t get away from who I am, Logan. As long as I’m with her, she’ll be in jeopardy of anything and everything that Demetri is ready to drag us into. You don’t know him like I do. Once he crawls into your mind he controls it.” Gage picks a stone up and tosses it into the water. “Scratch that. It wasn’t Demetri. It was all me. I like the power. I like how it tastes. I wanted all I could get, and, the more I dug in, the more danger everyone around me was in. Including you.” He scoots in and slings his arm around my shoulder. “I’ll never forgive myself for giving your body to Wes. I swear on all that is holy, I never imagined him picking you clean. He said he needed skin samples. I thought I’d have you back in a few days, and I let that melt into months. Now you’re just a bag of bones stuck in Ezrina’s refrigerator.” A silent laugh pumps through him. “When I fuck up, I take everyone down with me.” He lets out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorrier for that than I have been for just about anything. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

  “Done.” I don’t hesitate. “Ezrina has plans for me. I’ve got Candace in my back pocket.” An errant flash of lightning illuminates the night sky. “You and I are going to push through this. You’re going to be just fine. Skyla and I both want that for you. I’ve never cared what biology dictated between us. You’ve always been my brother, Gage.”

  “Same here.” He leans in a moment. “Just remember one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You and Skyla have my blessing.”

  11

  Kingdom Come

  Skyla

  The night wind picks up and blows the fog offshore, giving the residents of Paragon a glimpse of the starry hosts—a carnival of splendor that hides behind the white veil the island wears like a bride. Then the clouds roll in, angry and dark. The wind rips their intestines open and they pour out their wrath on the one they love most. Sometimes that’s just the way love works. Without meaning to—with our good intentions—we rip open the bellies of those we love most and hurt them in the most spectacular way.

  “Love you,” I whisper as Gage and I wake up to another wet morning. Holden is crouched on the ledge of the window, and I toss a pillow at him for being a day late and a protective hedge short once again.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” Gage peels open my robe and lands a kiss to each of the girls.


  “Is it possible for me to grow jealous of all the attention you give to my boobs?”

  That fantastically sexy smile spreads over his face, and those magic dimples of his have my sweet spot twitching.

  “How about I greet every inch of you that way—starting here.” He lands his beautifully soft lips over mine.

  “Good thing we don’t have class today.” I pull him over me, and a brisk knock erupts at the door.

  “Sorry to wake you”— Mom sings from the other side—“Gage, your parents are here!”

  I smirk at the pot-bellied dresser blocking the exit as if it were Mom herself—more like Emma.

  “Let’s get this over with.” I pull myself onto my elbows, and Gage blinks with a slight hurt look. “I’m sorry.” I touch my hand to his face and give his stubble a light scratch. “How about this—I promise to turn over a new leaf with your mother, if you promise to continue this wonderful conversation you were having with my body.”

  “Done.” He’s quick to steal a kiss. Gage runs his finger over the long, white strips of gauze wrapped around my arm. “You mind if I take a peek?”

  “By all means.”

  Gage carefully unrolls the gossamer-thin bandage only to reveal my flesh renewed.

  “It’s just a little pink,” I say, touching my raw skin.

  “It’s perfect.” He runs his finger over the place where Chloe slit me.

  “I wish I would have squashed her like a bug when I had a chance. Evil never reforms itself—it just festers and grows. Honestly, sometimes I think she can’t help herself. A wicked leopard can’t change its spots.”

  Gage lets out a full breath. “I’m afraid I agree with you on that.”

  We hop in the shower together, something we don’t do often enough. I love slippery Gage—Gage foaming with bubbles, his hair white with shampoo. For some reason it gives me a little extra pleasure knowing that Emma is below our feet as we scrub each other down. I take a moment just to appreciate the way the water luges down his abs, falling in line with that hard V at the base of his hips. We get dressed before our affection starts to grow—his is a little harder to hide than mine.