“It is.” I expand my chest, proud and certain of what I’m about to do.
“No!” Chloe barks. “I gave you that damn pendant. You promised you’d spare my life—not turn me into some wicked old troll.”
“I lied.” I bleed a black smile.
My mother taps her gavel just enough to garner our attention. “The matter has concluded. Holden be prepared to have your spirit removed. The charges of sexual perversion while acting as an elder in your faction have been verified.”
The sand on the shoreline picks up and forms a dust devil, seven feet high. It zigzags its way over, washing through Holden, then Nevermore—then back again.
“Skyla!” Holden, well, I guess Heathcliff holds out his arms and admires his new fleshly home. “You’ve done it child. You’ve removed the curse.”
Chloe points hard at my mother. “You sentenced them!” She shouts with a visceral rage. “You can’t let Ezrina and Nev off the hook. They have to pay for their crimes, or your very word is null and void.” Chloe has the balls to wag her finger in my mother’s face.
“Skyla, inform Ms. Bishop of what my punishment detailed.” She gives a slow spreading smile into Chloe, never taking her crystal cut eyes from her.
“I believe the punishment was decreed to their form, never once mentioning the spirit that was detained in it.”
“Well done.” My mother tilts her head as though she were impressed. Honestly, it was the equivalent of a spiritual high five. My mother and I tag-teamed Chloe, and she never saw it coming. Well, neither did I, but that’s beside the point.
The sand rises again in a whirlwind and sways in Chloe’s direction.
Chloe glowers into me. Her entire being demands retribution.
“You are going to pay for this, Skyla.” Her chest heaves as she looks past me to Gage. “You will never be free of me. You will suffer greatly, the both of you. Mark this day. This is the beginning of the end of Skyla Messenger.” The tunnel of sand engulfs her. Chloe tips her head back as it dances its way to Ezrina and blows back to Chloe’s empty shell of a body.
The dust devil twirls its way to the shore and collapses as though the exchange, the horror and the glory, never happened.
“Ezrina?” I step into Chloe with caution.
“Child.” She throws her arms around me and offers a giant hug, but I keep my eyes open in the event it’s still Chloe, and she decides to thrust a spirit sword in my back.
“Well done, Skyla,” my mother chimes. “Let the edict stand.” She crushes her gavel against the firmament, and it dashes to pieces.
Chloe fumes in her newly haggard state. She turns to face me fully with her piecemealed face, her hair of fire, the dowager’s hump that is now forever hers.
“Skyla,” she gruffs. Then in a moment of curiosity she examines her hands, and they spring new, like that of a girl. Her back straightens while her eyes remain wide with wonder. “I am beautiful,” she whispers. “I am me.” Her body melts and restructures itself until she is every bit her old self again, and I take a step back toward the protective shelter of my father unsure of what the hell to make of the scene. Chloe’s hair lengthens to her waist, thick and beautiful, black as midnight. Her features sharpen. Her body grows altogether lovely, far more beautiful than she had ever been. She lets out a wild cackle as she takes me in.
Why does it feel like I’ve just been bested by Chloe Bishop?
“What’s going on?” I demand of my mother. Thankfully Holden is still locked in the body of that raven, but now I just think of him as Nevermore. And a sick part of me wishes Nevermore was still my bird.
“Simple.” My mother shrugs. “The original curse never detailed a creature of horror. Ezrina elected her haggard state.”
“What?” Nev steps into Ezrina while clothed in Pierce Kragger’s body, and I swallow hard, still trying to wrap my head around what’s happened. “I thought the punishment demanded you retract your beauty?”
Ezrina purses her lips. “I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone looking at me the way you did. Especially not the Counts,” she says through Chloe’s lips. “The only one I ever wanted to look at me that way was you.” She touches her fingers to his hair.
“Very well then,” my mother sings. “Be gone, the two of you.” She flicks her wrist at Chloe and Holden.
Chloe latches her eyes over mine. She’s memorizing this moment—funneling all of her hatred, all of her nefarious intentions in my direction. And then, like a ghost, she’s gone.
Holden lifts off his talons and suctions upward toward the nest of lightning until he, too, is no longer seen.
Chloe Bishop has come to an end.
Sort of.
“Court is convened,” my mother says without emotion as though we’ve just conducted the most banal of meetings. “We’ll see the rest of you on coronation day.”
“One more edict,” I say it bold and clear, so there is no mistaking my words. “I want Logan Oliver’s life restored—and I want it done now.”
43
The Noble Deed
The flickering storm above the lake churns and throbs as the electrical impulses go off, cyclonic and hasty. Ahava beams in hues of ethereal blues and purples as if it, too, were pleased that Chloe Bishop were forever banished to the Transfer.
“Logan Oliver?” My mother states his name like a question, as if she had never heard of him before, let alone given him the weekend pass into the future, a treble no less. She scans the area and points over to him. “Step forward.” She expands her gaze in the vicinity. “Ezrina, Heathcliff be gone.” Their bodies disappear in tandem. God only knows where they’ll pop up. Prom I suppose with Ezrina in her “hoochie mama” dress and Nev getting lucky with Nat. “Gage, you may be dismissed.”
“I’m not leaving.” He steps forward with Logan until the three of us are shoulder to shoulder.
“Sector Marshall?” She narrows her brows at him. “Do you wish to remain?”
“Not particularly but for fear my spirit wife is about to enter into grave territory, I believe it’s for the best.”
“Very well.” She touches her finger in the direction of my father and blinks him out of existence.
“I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye!” I protest.
“Why in heavens would you need to say goodbye to your father?” She looks genuinely puzzled. “Be gone the three of you.” She flexes her fingers, and Rothello and the Sector duo evaporate into a dark nefarious fog. “This concerns only us.” She stretches her lips then retracts the smile. “State your case, Skyla.”
“Everything Logan did, he did for me.” God, there is no greater truth. “He sacrificed his life so that I could get through that fire and claim victory for Celestra—for the very purpose you designed my being. You brought him from another time to be mine.” I deliberately keep my focus on my mother. I can’t stand the thought of seeing a whisper of hurt on Gage’s precious face as I fire the final rounds my ammunition. “Logan”—I glance down a moment—“I think I know why you were so adamant that I get the protective hedge. It was never for me—not for Marshall.” He gives a slow blink. It was for a child that doesn’t exist yet, Logan’s and mine. That was who we were walking along the beach with in all those visions. That little blonde head belonged to us—or at least it might one day in the distant future. It’ll come from us in love if my mother finds it in her heart to reverse this travesty. I step into my mother. “You gave visions,” I say, accusingly. “And they can’t happen if Logan is dead.”
“No, Skyla, they can’t.” She stamps it out like a threat. “Logan’s life was already resurrected by the Countenance, once. Until they develop another antidote for death, I’m afraid he’s sealed for paradise.”
“We don’t need the Countenance. We’re stronger than they are.” I never said I was above placating.
“No, Skyla.” My mother tilts her head with a look of sorrow. “Death has its boundaries, and Logan has crossed them. I’m denying your request.”
> Fear as thick as molasses seeps inside me, slow and final, coating me with misery strong as death. Logan has crossed the chasm, and my final request was denied at the hands of the one who had brought us together in the first place.
“May I speak?” Gage raises his hand a moment.
“Gage,” she says his name with an edge of sarcasm. “Do share your thoughts.”
“I’m not too concerned with sharing what I think.” He looks to Logan. “It’s my life I want to share. I’d like to gift Logan a part of my lifespan.”
My heart lurches clear into my throat. Something in me seizes at the thought of Gage decreasing his lifespan a single minute.
“I’d like to do the same,” I volunteer. If Gage is sacrificing years, then I’m right there with him.
“How many years would you each like to gift?” My mother hides a smile as if we were children amusing her with a magic show in the living room.
“Thirty,” Gage is quick with the response.
“Thirty,” I parrot as Marshall gives a heavy sigh.
Quick math tells me that would land Logan at about eighty when he finally meets his demise—a nice ripe old age. I give a private smile to Gage as I clasp onto his hand.
I’m yours Gage. I project the thought into his mind, and he looks over at me.
Skyla? He seems puzzled by his newfound ability to hear me. But I’m stronger here and under the circumstances I’m willing to be stealth as steel. I’m all yours, Gage. We’re sacrificing our years together for him, but I still want you. I want every part of you.
“Denied.” My mother’s voice rises above us like a toxic cloud.
“What do you mean denied?” I’m about ready to walk on water and kick some Caelestis ass if I have to.
“You’re the overseer, Skyla.” She crimps her lips. “I’ve gifted you a full lifespan. You have a destiny to fulfill, and if you think all of the hard work is behind you, think again. As for you, Gage—you do realize your destiny?” She lowers her chin and looks at him from under her brows. She’s asking a question that’s only privy to the two of them, and I’m one hundred percent sure I’m not going to like this.
“I do.” It rumbles from him deep and unknowable like the blackest part of the ocean.
“I’ll allow a good portion of years from you, Gage.” She frowns into the idea.
“That’s wonderful!” I jump then quickly lose my enthusiasm. I have a feeling that’s going to fly by, and I’ll be right back here, begging for Logan’s life again. Not to mention, it’s pretty shitty Gage loses “a good portion” off the backend.
“And, Logan”—she closes her eyes a moment—“I’ll grant you a small portion for your great suffering at the hands of the Countenance in your original order of days. It is my right to pour mercy on whomever I please, and it most certainly pleases me to do this for you. Therefore you’ve gained a fair amount of years in the frame of your body.”
“Thank you.” Logan bows his head. “But, Gage, I’m afraid I can’t accept your sacrifice. I refuse to take a minute of your life.”
“You don’t have a choice,” Gage shoots back. “I’m not revoking the offer.”
“Neither am I.” My mother beams a genuine smile, and the water glitters as if it approved. “Let it be clear, I’m to choose the hour that breath is restored to your body. For now, be gone to paradise.” She lifts a finger, and Logan evaporates—my heart along with him.
“Gage, we’ve no further business. I’m sending you back to Paragon, however, please note I will not be sending you to the secret room above my daughter’s bedroom, neither will I send you to her bed where you’ve made it a practice to lie at your leisure.” She drills into him with an I’ll-cut-your-balls-off look in her eye. “I implore you to limit your teleporting abilities for inter-island emergency use only and diminish world travel this instant. If it’s one thing that places the factions in peril, it’s you Levatios and your incessant need to hop around the planet. Use a plane like the rest of the population.” She gives a hard blink, and he disappears. “Sector Marshall, if you don’t mind, I’d like to have a few words alone with your spirit wife.”
“Not at all. In fact, I’d best assist Ezrina and the bird.” He gives a dissatisfied growl.
“Wait,” I say, taking a step into him. “You never did tell me what Marlena’s dress did.”
“It penetrates binding spirits, Skyla.” He touches his finger to my cheek and gives a subdued smile. “I’ll meet with you on the island, love.” Marshall sinks a kiss over my lips until he’s thin as air, then gone completely.
My mother blinks over to me and takes up my hands.
“You were right.” I nod into her as I recall our meeting from before the senior rally last December. “You said I’d have Logan three days and that was all the time we had together.” I blink back tears as those precious moments flood to the forefront of my mind. “You promised you’d fill me in on the rest one day. Is that day today?”
“The moment is now.” She threads her elbow in mine, and we begin on a slow meandering walk through field grass as tall as my knees. “I told you they’d all be yours in turn.”
“You did.” I sift through the soil with my foot a moment. “It’s heartbreaking, you know—death. And I’m not letting go of Gage either, so it looks like death has a fight on its hands.”
“Oh, Skyla, I understand that heartbreak.” She hooks her arm around my waist and warms me. “I miss you. I miss holding you and speaking with you each day. Even though you were an infant when I parted for paradise, you were the true love of my life.”
I pull back and take my mother in. Her beauty is marred with sorrow, and it’s all for me.
“I love you.” I collapse my arms around her, and we hold each other like that a very long time. The perfume of heaven breezes around us like a coat made of the most exotic flowers.
“Tell me what happens,” I whisper.
She holds my hands out and gives a knowing smile as if she were about to present me with a most extravagant gift.
“Gage will be your husband for a time,” she pauses as I take this in.
Gage. My entire person swims with relief—with lust for him. I need him in the worst possible way. And I want to savor each delicious moment.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “I truly want, Gage.”
“Then”—her expression hardens—“in the wake of his passing—”
“Wait, stop,” I plead. “Let me have Gage forever. Don’t take him. I can’t bear another heartbreak.”
“Skyla”—she brushes her finger over my brow—“there are a set number of years the Master has ordained for him—for everyone. No one knows the hour of their passing, or that of their loved ones. Consider this a gift. Gage is precious to you, yes. Appreciate the years you have together. He’s aware that his hour is near. I assume you’ll value the time he’s been allotted.” She takes in a breath. “Once he’s called home—I’ll allow Logan to return for a time, times and a half—and after that, more than willingly, you’ll accept Sector Marshall’s hand.” She purses her lips. “He has particular tastes in the bedroom that you’ll be most interested in.” She shakes the thought away. “Nevertheless, does this sit well with you?”
Figures, the bedlam in Marshall’s boudoir is so rife with perversion it was noteworthy for my own mother to touch upon.
“So, I’ll be married to Logan longer than Gage?” My heart breaks for my dark-haired prince.
“Twice as long, and a half. Sector Marshall wins in length of matrimonial years, but then you’ll be entering the winter of your life—” she pauses. “Oh, who are we kidding? He doesn’t let you age. You’ll be the envy of every woman on the planet—for far more reasons than that one.” Her brows arch into her suggestive words.
I let out a sigh and stare at the tiered waterfalls in the distance. The fire that gives the mouth of the cave that crimson glow holds my attention.
“Can’t I keep them all in my life?” I hate death.
 
; “You do, in turn, if all goes well. The future is fluid to an extent. People—decisions can change things. This is the center of the Master’s will. So many times people stray and miss the mark. Don’t stray, Skyla. Be warned—don’t stray. I spent a millennium planning your journey. Things happen for a reason. They always do.” She faces me fully and takes up my hands. “But you must do this first, love Gage with all your heart. Do not waver. Please, Skyla, only marry when you’re ready. There are no hard or fast laws, and, no, it won’t prolong his life if you choose to abstain from your relationship. The Master set a time and place for his claiming. Ready or not, death will come.”
“I see. But you do realize that I’ll do everything in my power—use every resource possible, to keep both him and Logan around forever. I’m not letting Gage or Logan die. There’s no way in hell.”
Her features soften as if she were sorry for me for ever believing I could prolong a second of their lives.
“And”—I continue—“I didn’t need a threat to love Gage. I’ll love him deeply and make sure his every moment on the planet is better than the last because I want to—because he deserves it.”
“I’m glad. He was designed for you—he was the universe’s intent for your life. But Celestra had a need, and I knew Logan was perfect for you in so many ways. Time—death, nothing was too difficult to overcome. And, he, too, was sealed as your destiny. Liam and Gage both sacrificed for Logan, each of them offering their years selflessly for the faction’s gain—those were their destinies as well.” She swipes the hair from my eyes. “And, as for Logan…” Her lips twitch as if she were vacillating. “He’s found unique favor with me.” She gives a deep sigh as if she were disappointed in herself over the fact. “I’ve instated another treble for him until the day I bring him back to you. He’ll be coming from the future this time—upon his own choosing, only when and if he so desires. Just because he’s in a treble, doesn’t mean he has to use it.”
“Oh, I love you!” I pull her into a big, rocking hug as tears stream from me freely. This is it. This is what I needed to hear. I didn’t really lose him. Logan, Gage, and me, we’ll be back together in a way.