Ironic, though, since I’m about to turn against them.
The Tenebrous Woods form around me, dipped in midnight. The air is congested with the stench of a fire that burns in the distance.
I spot Wes and Demetri near the mountain of Celestra skulls that seem twice as high as it was before. A fire encircles the large, flat, granite altar with a trio of golden chalices set on a tree stump nearby.
“Brother.” Wes slaps me over the back as I join their circle.
“Son.” Demetri grips me over the shoulder, and my dinner does a revolution in my stomach.
“Are you ready?” Wes asks while ushering me closer to the flames.
I look up at the tower of bony grimaces as the flames roar to life around me.
“I’ve been ready.” I sling my arms around Demetri and Wes. “I was born for this.”
The three of us walk through the wall of fire and onto the granite stone of sacrifice. Demetri hands us each a chalice brimming with sanguine liquid that glimmers in the night. We raise our goblets to the sky, and they catch the dim reserve of light, shinning like three golden suns.
“To the Steel Barricade.” Demetri’s voice twists through the night. “The wine in your hands has been blessed with the finest Celestra reserve. This blood marks a new covenant, one that allows the Fems to prosper as they were destined to, so long ago.”
“To the dawning of a new era.” Wes raises his cup ever higher. “One that sees the end to the Nephilim and the beginning of a new breed of angelic beings.”
Our chalices meet with a muted click before we drink down the blood of the innocent.
Demetri turns to me. “To the fruit of your loins, long may they prosper.”
The sky explodes in a colorful fit of blue and red lightning. A horrible scream emanates from deep in the woods as if a live sacrifice were offered at this exact moment in time, and I pray to God that’s not the case.
“Place your hands over the stone,” Demetri instructs, and we do with Wes landing his on top of mine.
“The older shall serve the younger.” Demetri looks to Wes, with that same shit-eating grin brewing on his lips. “Reverse the order.”
I land my hand on top of Wesley’s as Demetri pulls a spirit sword from the sheath strapped to his hip.
“Under the sanction of light and darkness, I declare a new ordinance—one that binds through blood, through life and through death, before Him who is invisible, immortal, eternal. We are gathered today under the cast of darkness to declare our loyalty to the Fems everlasting. So it is—so it shall be.”
The spirit sword sparks to life as the blade illuminates an electric blue, disrupting the maudlin colors of this tainted underworld.
Demetri raises the dagger high over his head, his eyes glow like fires from the pit of hell.
Skyla and all of our love, the vows we took before man and God all swirl through my mind like a tempest. It’s happening. I’ve slipped. I’ve fallen into the skin I was destined to reside in all along.
Demetri lets out a roar as he brings down the blade, pinning both Wes and I together.
The sky explodes in another colorful fit of fractured light as the Tenebrous Woods lets out a roar of its own.
The electrical show in the sky manifests into a twirling tornado above our heads before touching down over the spirit sword and moving its knife-like currents through all three of our bodies. The woods begin to fade away as we dematerialize.
Glimpses of my life with Skyla pulse through me, one picture after another spin in a dizzying circle of memories, of dreams and wishes that all point to the intense love we share—how right and beautiful it is.
I wonder if Skyla can ever forgive me.
I wonder if she should.
Logan
I’ve waited for a lot of things in my short life, waited for the rain to end, waited for the sun to emerge from the perennial fogbank the island is constantly locked in, waited for love to come—and all of those things eventually happened. I know the prophecy that Candace gave me is real, and I hang onto the fact that Skyla and I will be together one day. It feels more like a pipe dream at the moment, but most things usually do until they actually come to fruition. And, even then, some things simply feel too good to be true. That’s what it felt like being married to Skyla for three bliss-filled days.
I’m waiting for Skyla in a waking dream I’ve left open to her tonight. The only way we can get into Tenebrous is without our bodies. As soon as she’s sound asleep, she’ll be here. I’ve summoned her, and we’ll head out together to inspect this latest round of Countenance bullshit—the Bullshit Brigade—or, as Wes has aptly named it, the Steel Barricade. But he’s forgetting I’m a Count, a dead one at that, so I get the all access tour with or without his permission. There’s not a binding spirit on the planet that can circumvent me in this nocturnal state. Skyla and I are as good as gold. For once the lack of air in my lungs is working to our advantage.
I sit on the grassy knoll, in the world of my making, as I wait for her to materialize from thin air. I’ve brought Skyla here before—blue skies, sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows—a peaceful stream thrown in for good measure. The funny thing is, it doesn’t look too unlike the real deal. The Paradise of God, Ahava—all of the heavenly places and spaces I’ve seen look remarkably just like this one with the binding ingredient being love. Love you can feel. Love that penetrates down to the dregs of your soul, blessed by joy everlasting—all of the same emotions I’ve had just being near—just thinking of Skyla.
“Boo.” A gentle voice emits from my left, and I turn to find Skyla lying next to me in all her ethereal glory. Her hair is alive and electric, each strand lit up with its own filament of light. Her eyes shine like blue topaz, dazzling and splendid under the charge of the blazing sun. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Not a problem. I’ll just back up the train by about fifteen minutes. Nothing a little light drive can’t cure.” I glance behind her. “What about Gage?” It doesn’t seem natural to see one without the other anymore.
She shakes her head. “I didn’t think it was a good idea. I’m not sure Gage can hide from Demetri or Wes.”
“You’re right. They’d sniff him out of a celestial crowd in a heartbeat.” I take up her hand and gaze into her breathtaking eyes. “You ready to do some party crashing?”
“If it involves taking down some Counts, I’m always in.”
“Taking down the Counts.” A dull laugh rattles through me. “That’s all we ever seem to do.”
The Tenebrous Woods form around us, dark as hell. The stench of a fire burns in the distance.
“It’s that way.” Skyla points over to the tower of skulls that twist into the night like an oppressive omen of things to come.
We make our way toward the altar Wes prepared with a ring of fire surrounding it like a barricade, a pedestal with three gold goblets sits high on a tree stump.
The Counts are conducting a waking dream of their own tonight, one in which each member of the Countenance will decide if they’re turning their back on the Nephilim to join Wesley’s newly minted band of pussies. Skyla and I are simply hoping to glean any information we can from ground zero.
Skyla picks up my hand and interlaces our fingers as we crouch behind a juniper bush. I close my eyes for a brief moment just savoring the sensation of her skin over mine. I miss this. I miss everything about Skyla even if I am holding her quite literally.
What do you think that altar is for? She gives my hand a squeeze. The waking dream is open for private voting, isn’t it?
It’s ritualistic. I squint over at it. Probably to commence the covenant in the name of their people.
Wesley steps out of the woods along with Demetri, and they stop just shy of the wall of flames.
“Do you think he’ll come?” Demetri pans the woods as he asks the question.
“He will. I have faith in him.” Wes glances around as if he’s not sure at all.
A set of footsteps crackle from the
blood-soaked path that leads to the tunnels, and a dark figure emerges from the shadows.
“Gage,” Skyla gives it in less than a whisper.
Shit. My eyes widen as I look out at the clearing in disbelief.
“Brother.” Wes slaps him over the back as he joins their circle.
“Son.” Demetri lands a hand over his shoulder, and, right about now, I regret coming. I’m horrified this is happening—more so that I’ve brought Skyla here to witness the event.
“Are you ready?” Wes asks while ushering Gage closer to the flames.
We have to help him. Skyla pants with an urgency that can only be quenched by getting Gage out of this mess.
Gage looks up at the tower of Celestra skulls as the flames roar to life.
“I’ve been ready.” Gage slings his arms around Demetri and Wes. “I was born for this.”
Skyla and I watch as the three of them walk through the wall of fire and onto the altar. Demetri hands each of them a chalice, and they raise their goblets to the sky.
“To the Steel Barricade.” Demetri’s voice twists through the night. “The wine in your hands has been blessed with the finest Celestra reserve. This blood marks a new covenant, one that allows the Fems to prosper as they were destined to, so long ago.”
“To the dawning of a new era.” Wes spikes his cup in the air. “One that sees the end to the Nephilim and the beginning of a new breed of angelic beings.”
Their chalices click before they drink down the blood of Celestra prisoners.
Demetri looks to Gage. “To the fruit of your loins, long may they prosper.”
The sky shatters with lightning in a patriotic blend of blues and reds. A scream shrills from the heart of the forest, and Skyla gives my fingers a squeeze as if death were coming for her—and it might be.
“Place your hands over the stone,” Demetri instructs. “The older shall serve the younger. Reverse the order.” He pauses. “Under the sanction of light and darkness, I declare a new ordinance—one that binds through blood, through life and through death, before Him who is invisible, immortal, eternal. We are gathered today under the cast of darkness to declare our loyalty to the Fems everlasting. So it is—so it shall be.”
Demetri wields a spirit sword high in the sky, and it lights up a burning electric blue, dangerous as hell to the touch. He thrusts it to the stone where Wes and Gage are huddled. It’s a blood bonding. That sword would have killed any other Nephilim. It has the power to disable Dudley from his angelic properties for days at a time. This only goes to show how powerful—how resilient, the Fems really are.
The three of them clap out of existence, leaving a plume of cobalt fog in their wake.
Skyla steps out into the clearing, stone cold, with a vacant look on her face.
“It was never the Counts we needed to fear.” She glances my way with a fire in her eyes. “It was Gage.”
Chloe
The sun cuts across Devil’s Peak like the opening of a wound as dawn breaks over Paragon. Wes and Gage have spent the last few hours bonding. It’s a beautiful thing to witness. There is nothing like the bond between brothers—it’s the lineage—the blood is what really qualifies you as family. All that other bullshit the world tries to feed you is simply a feel good message that belongs in a cheesy greeting card. You can hate your brother with all your heart, and he will still hold your blood—still be your closest relation. You can hate someone outside the family bonds just as vehemently, but the only title that will garner them is enemy.
I slip silently between Wes and Gage, and their conversation quiets.
“It’s done,” Wes says, staring out into the virginal morning. “The Steel Barricade is fortified with Counts that have willingly migrated.”
“And the others?” I ask, warming his back with my hand. Wesley is a man right down to the bone, my man, for now. I glance to Gage, forever hopeful.
“They chose their destiny,” Wes asserts.
“I agree.” Gage takes in a lungful of fresh morning air, filling his body with the night dew that chose to linger. “I’d better get back. Skyla will think something is wrong.”
Wes gives the slight hint of a smile because we all know it’s laughable.
“It was real,” Gage says, holding out his fist, and Wes crashes his knuckles against him. “Chloe.” He nods over at me, and my entire body catches fire from the inside out.
Gage has finally come back to me. All of those lonely days, those tear-soaked nights, and yet here we are, elbow to elbow. Skyla never saw it coming, nor will she.
The brilliant sun catches the lip of the horizon and blinds us with its tangerine surprise before fading into the dense layer of mist that coats the water. I wrap an arm around Wes, the other around Gage and savor this moment—both brothers in my arms. Gage, the boy I gave my heart to, is right here with me where he truly belongs. In every single way, I feel complete.
Gage gets up and takes off, so I follow.
“Wait,” I call and he turns to me one last time. His eyes illuminate the exact shade as the spirit sword. “We pulled it off.”
A tiny smile twitches on his lips. “Yes, we did.”
I glance over my shoulder at Wes, still zoning out into the infinite expanse, and I step in closer to Gage.
I hold out my hand, and he takes it.
He’s dangerous, I say. Gage can hear my thoughts now that his full potential has been unleashed—there’s nothing he can’t do—including, turning against Skyla. Make no mistake, Wesley wants all of the power. If you’re not careful you’ll get yourself killed.
Maybe I want all the power. Maybe I’m the dangerous one. His dimples depress. Gage gives the first genuine smile all night. Besides, I’m not afraid to die.
I won’t let you.
Gage leans in. I’ve seen the future, Chloe. It’s you who kills me. His expression sours. He holds murder in his eyes, and it’s all for me. My heart splinters into shards at the thought of him hating me.
Gage walks away, evaporating, fading into the fog until he becomes a part of the curtain that lies over this island. His dark hair, that beautiful body—it’s all gone—wastefully off to Skyla.
I would never hurt Gage. My body shakes in a rage at the thought. I would never touch a hair on that boy’s head. I might have done so in the past, but, the new me, this everlasting version knows his time is fleeting. There’s not a thing I would do to speed along fate. I’ll fight destiny, tooth and nail, to keep Gage alive.
I glance back at Wes as he strides toward me, looking every bit like the man I love. His eyes glow an electric shade of cobalt—Wes knows I like him best that way.
He reaches out for my hand, and I give it.
“Be Laken,” he whispers.
“Not today.” I morph my features—my bones melt as they reconfigure. My hair lightens until I bear the resemblance of Skyla Messenger.
Wes gives an understanding nod. “What did he say?”
“He said I was going to kill him one day. Can you believe that?”
“It’s probably me you’re going to kill.” He gives a soft chuckle as we walk briskly toward the edge of Devil’s Peak. The angry Pacific churns down below with its brutal assault against the jagged rocks. An icy breeze picks up, chilling us right to the bone.
“Oh, hell,” I say, pulling him in tight—our feet at the razor’s edge of the cliff. “Why don’t we just kill each other?”
Wes gives me a firm shove off the side, and I catch him by the wrist, pulling him down along with me as the two of us sail hundreds of feet toward the rocky crags below.
Here we are—Gage and Skyla falling to our deaths. It’s so romantic I almost want to cry.
We sail through the rocks, the shore, Paragon terra firma, straight down into the pit of my new hell, the Transfer with its bitter souls, its fermented air and spoiled food.
This is a new dawn—a new era—and Gage Oliver doesn’t know the half of what he’s gotten himself into.
For that matter—
I pull my new partner in celestial crime in tight as we continue to plummet—neither does Wesley.
Nothing could be better for me.
Demetri Edinger has come through once again.
Nothing is over, Skyla. You think you can banish me? I’m going to banish you.
I give a virulent laugh as we descend into darkness—Wes and I falling toward hell—falling home. I touch his beautiful face—my lovely Gage—for now. Soon I’ll have the real thing.
Nothing is over, Skyla—until I rid the world of you—become you.
Nothing is over
until
I
say
it
is.
* Thank you for reading Celestra Forever After. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review at your point of purchase.
** Look for The Dragon and the Rose (Celestra Forever After Book 2) coming soon!
List of Characters and Glossary
*Spoilers have been omitted * Not all characters included
Skyla’s Family:
Skyla Messenger – Belongs to the Celestra faction. Her mother was a Caelestis. Overseer of the five angelic factions. Birthday November 22nd.
Candace Messenger – Skyla’s dead mother, a Caelestis who came to earth to conceive Skyla and later died in a fire.
Nathan Messenger – Skyla’s father who died in a fire.
Lizbeth Messenger – Skyla’s stepmother who raised Skyla.
Tad Landon – Skyla’s stepfather.
Stella Landon – Tad’s deceased first wife.
Mia (Messenger) Landon – Skyla’s younger half sister.
Melissa Landon – Skyla’s younger stepsister.
Mystery Landon (Misty) – Skyla’s baby stepsister.
Drake Landon – Skyla’s stepbrother. Same age as Skyla. Father to Beau (mother is Brielle Johnson). Also the father of Ember (mother is Emily Morgan.)
Ethan Landon – Skyla’s older stepbrother. Thought to be dead for a time.