Roar of the Lion : Celestra Forever After 7

by Addison Moore

  “What makes you so sure the Nephilim will turn on a dime? We’ve got the serum, too. There. I’ve just leveled the playing field. Trust me, the people would much prefer it coming from Skyla.” I hope.

  He twitches his brows. “Skyla’s got her own troubles. She’s not quite herself these days, now is she?” He glowers at something behind me. “I don’t give a shit if you’re secretly shacking up with Chloe because she’s got a guest in her proverbial home. My intention wasn’t an effort to separate you from Skyla.”

  “No, it was an effort to separate Skyla from her people. Now that she has them back, you’re in panic mode. That little serum your daddy is waving in your face? I bet Wesley’s genius is behind it.” His eyes widen, and that alone confirms my suspicions. “Demetri found a way to make it work? That’s sort of a miracle in and of itself, considering you two dodos were completely relying on Wesley’s genius. What makes you think it’s going to be effective?”

  “Ezrina confirmed it.”

  Shit. Why the hell is she always so damn quick to help the enemy? And now I’ve got one serious bone to pick with her because of it.

  A dangerous smile curves his lips. “You look frightened, Logan. Pissed, maybe? A healthy combination of both, perhaps? Don’t overthink it. And before you go shaking down the details of the cocktail from Ezrina, just know that she’s not speaking. We’ve ensured this. But don’t worry. I plan on laying it out for you soon enough.” He winces. “Are you still hopping on the matrimonial express? Switching brides, maybe? The world won’t care too much if you wed Bishop. Rory swings by the house now and again. I’ll make sure to keep her plenty occupied.”

  “You really want me to beat you to a pulp, don’t you? I won’t. Sorry to disappoint you, but I make a practice of kicking people who act up out of here. I have to set an example. And I’m positive you won’t be touching Rory. Marshall’s got her on lockdown. Your fat cock will have to find another way to appease itself. Skyla, in all of her embodiments, is off-limits now and forevermore.”

  He glances to the exit and his expression softens. “Logan, I can assure you I have never nor will I touch Rory in Skyla’s body. I just like tugging your chain, watching you squirm.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Rory is about to get evicted. And when she does, I wouldn’t touch her then either. Don’t repeat the mistakes you made last year.” A thicket of tension pulses by. “I know why you did it, though. You slept with Rory last year because you craved Skyla. It’s too obvious to deny. You still love Skyla deeply? I can’t even frame it as a fact, but deep down, I think it’s true. I don’t believe there’s any hatred in you, except maybe for the monster who you’ve morphed into.” I fold my arms across my chest as I take a deep breath. “I’m on the verge of solving this mystery you’ve become, Gage Oliver, but I don’t have all the pieces. The irony is, I don’t believe you do either.”

  His brows pinch as if he’s never thought of it.

  He gives a simple nod. “What do you think about Flanders?”

  My head ticks back a notch at his seemingly out of the blue question. “What about him?”

  “Just wondering how he’s doing. Laken is with him now. He’s got to be on cloud nine.”

  “Since when do you care anything about anyone?” My stomach begins to churn. “That’s right. Wes mentioned Coop was keeping something from us. It has to do with you, I suppose, the fact he blackmailed you, maybe?” I shake my head. “That’s not it, is it? The fact Coop played dirty to land Laken where she needed to be is no surprise to anyone. And, of course, he would use his sharpest weapon. That would have been you. Only you could have granted him an all-access pass to her presence. Wes never stood a chance. Boy, you must be shaking in your boots when you think of the retribution Wes must be plotting. I bet it’s going to be a whopper. And since Wes is known to live by the motto go big or go home, I’m betting it’s going to blow your supernatural socks off. I bet I’ll get front row seats to the catastrophe, too. The entire world will. Skyla and I will be snacking on popcorn along with the rest of the Factions.”

  His dimples dip in and out. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. After I level Celestra once and for all, the rest of the Factions will be kissing my feet. You might want to kiss them, too, Logan.” He gives a sly wink. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll go easy on you. I’ve already forgiven you for anything you’re secretly plotting against me. For the harm you wish would come my way. For the hatred you may not even be aware you’re spewing. You’re still my brother. Trust me when I say, you will come around. And when you do, I’ll be waiting. We’ll be stronger than before. You’ll see.”

  My jaw goes slack. “You really believe this, don’t you?”

  “Yes. Because it’s true.”

  I half-expected him to bark out a laugh, morph into a dragon, and set this place on fire with the vitriol that comes from his mouth. But, honestly, I don’t know what to make of this new delusion of his.

  His eyes latch to something near the entry, and I follow his gaze, only to be blown over twice in a one-minute span.

  Rory is waltzing over in her Skyla-issued disguise, her hair rising like a lion’s mane, one that more resembles an eagle’s nest. Rory has no clue what to do with Skyla’s kinky curls, and it gives me a whole new level of respect for Skyla who actually knows how to bring out the glory in every part of her.

  “Well, well.” Her eyes enlarge, and there’s an impish knowing grin on her face. “If it isn’t dumb and dumber.” She chortles at the modern euphemism. “Kidding.” She winks at Gage. “So what are the two of you doing? Is this a meeting of the minds? Let me guess, Gage has come to boldly ask for his people back.” She curls her body to mine and strums her fingers across my chin. I put my mind on lockdown. I don’t dare give Rory the telepathic edge she may or may not be looking for. But, my God, how I’ve missed those sweet fingers, and it takes everything in me not to suck them into my mouth and move my tongue over them.

  “What’s up?” I dot a quick kiss to her cheek to make this feel authentic to her.

  “I had a thought.” She glowers at Gage a moment. “I ran into Demetri while I was doing a little shopping. He accused me of being lazy. Can you imagine? The size of your father’s celestial cookies. How dare he accuse me of being a do-nothing,” she hisses the words out like a threat. “Does he really think I’m one of your minions? That I sit around at attention, waiting for you to fill me from behind with your lies? I’m not about to prove him right.”

  “Skyla,” I say it sharper than I intended. It’s clear Demetri chaffed her, but in no way do I want the Factions to feel the blowback from this. “Ignore Demetri. He’s just pissed because we’re one moment away from restoring Celestra to its proper heavenly standing.” And I can only hope to God that Rory has that intention. I know for a fact she thinks Candace replaced her with Skyla. Therefore, in her twisted mind, Skyla’s destiny was truly her own. “And ignore Gage, too. He was just leaving.” I glare at my nephew. “Or I can kick you out. Take your pick.”

  “No.” Rory lifts her chin, and her eyes glint like cut crystal. “I’m holding a Faction meeting, Logan. Call everyone at once and tell them to meet up at that ramshackle farm out in the Estates.” She looks to Gage with venom spewing from her. “You’ll be there, too. My special guest. I want you to report back to that pig of a father of yours, word for word what I’m about to say. And then we will see who calls who lazy. You’ve already suffered a hard blow, Gage. Let’s just say the bough is about to break. I’ll show the entire universe who is in charge of this Celestial show. Welcome to my world, Gage—where I shine. My time has come, and everyone will take note. I’ll see you both at seven.” She storms out of the bowling alley as if she were being chased by a hurricane.

  “Now you’ve done it.” I manufacture a short-lived smile for my bumbling nephew. “You always did know how to screw up in style. Congratulations, Gage. Rory is about to finish you off. And a tiny part of me is cheering her on. But make no bones about it. The grand
finale will come from Skyla herself. You picked the wrong set of sisters to mess with.”

  He swallows hard and nods. “I’ll see you at seven.”

  He takes off and I fold my arms across my chest, sighing at the shit show about to unfold. I need to tell Skyla. I need to get Coop, Wes, Brody, and Ellis on the horn. And then we need to wait and be ready to mop up whatever mess Rory leads us into.

  Lazy.

  I wonder why Demetri chose that word. Why it triggered Rory so much. But, then again, it has a ring of truth to it. Rory hasn’t lifted a damn finger. She’s still riding off her sister’s coattails. I guess it’s high time she shows us what’s she’s made of. Something tells me, whatever it is, I won’t like it at all.

  Skyla, the original soul trapped in Chloe Bishop’s body, went ape shit when she heard Skyla 2.0 called a meeting at Nick Haver’s newly rebuilt barn, God rest his soul.

  “And furthermore”—she huffs and puffs as we make our way down the Havers’ property—“you should have figured out a way to preempt this before it ever got this far. You listen up, Oliver. This is the last time she’s pulling this crap on your watch or mine.”

  A deep rumble of a laugh pumps through me as I pull Skyla in close. The moonlight highlights the fact it’s not Skyla at all, and I wince because it feels as if the universe just sucker punched me. I navigate us over about three feet until we’re practically buried in the shrubbery.

  “Skyla, is that you telling me off? Because right about now you sound a lot like Chloe.”

  “I should sound like Chloe—it’s Chloe’s face you see, her voice you hear. But I assure you the wrath is one hundred percent my own.” She closes her eyes a moment and takes a deep breath. “I’m better. And I’m sorry. I just—I’ve never felt so out of control in my life.” Her lips twitch. “You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you.” The words come out seething with anger, and strangely they turn me on. “Have you tried contacting my mother?”

  I give a single nod. “To no avail. But don’t worry. Dudley is willing to take me. I would be there now, but Rory pulled this stunt, and I need to get in there to manage it.”

  “Oh God, Logan. Muzzle her if you have to. I’ll attack her. I’ll crash a folding chair over her head. We need to do anything we can to stop her from unraveling everything we’ve worked so hard for.”

  “Don’t worry. In a strange twist only the universe could provide, I really do think she wants the same thing you do.”

  “Oddly I agree.” She links her arm through mine. “Let’s get this over with so we can get back to Whitehorse with the kids and cuddle.”

  “I thought we were calling them special hugs around the kids?” I tease.

  “You’re not allowed to give Chloe a special hug.” She makes a face. “Although, Chloe says she doesn’t mind. Her vagina is growing cobwebs.”

  “After what she did to me—to us, I’m not sure I care.”

  Skyla wrinkles her nose. “I know. But I’m here. She didn’t have to say yes. I can’t think of anyone else I could have possessed without complicating things too much. I’ll try to think of someone to set her up with once I vacate the premises. Like maybe one of those wicked Winters boys? Or someone we haven’t even met yet who went to East.”

  I grunt, “You mean someone who doesn’t know of her cursed fury. Good luck with that.”

  The din of several conversations going at once erupts as a crowd walks by.

  “Let’s do this,” I say as I navigate us to the newly rebuilt oversized barn, cavernous and chilly just like the old one, but the walls are painted a creamy yellow and the floors made of distressed wood offer it a homey appeal. Skyla ditches me and finds a seat next to Wesley and I grimace at Skyla’s choice, but I wouldn’t put it past Chloe to sit next to her dicey ex—especially seeing they’re on the same side now.

  And seated at the front of the room, boldly facing the crowd is Rory in all her Skyla glory. Her hair is pulled back into a bun that looks as if it’s sprouting weeds, and I’ll admit, it’s a good look on her. It’s not something Skyla would normally do on a night like tonight, but then Rory has let Skyla’s beautiful hair tense up in a giant knot. Skyla will probably have to shave her head and start from scratch when she gets back into her body.

  Seated on either side of her, like a couple of bookends, are Brody and Ellis. I’m glad about it, too. It normalizes things. Rory has come to expect their help, my help.

  “Hey, beautiful,” I say as I come upon her and land a kiss to her cheek. “Ellis, do you mind?” I nod, and just as he’s about to bounce over a seat, she catches him by the wrist.

  “You stay, Ellis.” She smiles my way. “Logan, I don’t need you corrupting me.” She gives a little wink. “Let’s save something for bedtime.” She pushes the papers in front of her over to Brody. “And I don’t need anybody’s notes. I know full well what I’m about to say.”

  A wave of panic blows through me. “What are you going to say?”

  Her diamond eyes flash my way. “You’ll find out with the rest of them. Don’t worry. I’m securing these people for the greater good of Celestra. Demetri was right, I’ve been stagnating in leading my people. It’s time they understand that my rule over them is ironclad. They couldn’t escape if they tried.”

  Brody flashes a worried glance my way. “Skyla, they’re not prisoners. If you make them feel that way, their natural inclination will be to run.”

  Her lips twitch. “Run where? We have the ability to cover the markers permanently.”

  Ellis shakes his head. “Don’t do it, Messenger. Give them what they want and they won’t need you anymore. Remember?”

  Thank God Ellis said it and not me. Clearly Rory is pissed that I’m not slamming her into submission in the bedroom. And the only one not in on our new plan concerning the serum was Rory.

  She tips her head to the side.

  Gage strides in and takes a seat up front, right next to Skyla—Chloe to everyone else.

  “I like you, Ellis,” she says. “You don’t get nearly enough credit around here. That’s brilliant. But I’m not talking about the serum today. They know we have it, and they’ve been temporarily inoculated to hide the markers. Most people here have already gone through the testing procedures to clear themselves of any suspicion. We’ve already done too much for them as far as I can tell. They’re the lazy ones.” She glares out at the crowd. “The government has the country so wound up with thoughts of an alien invasion, our people will need what we can provide for a long time to come. I have something else planned for the meeting. Something a little more radical that will secure them to Celestra.”

  My stomach does a revolution.

  What the hell could Rory have up her celestial sleeve now?

  “Go take a seat with the rest of them,” she says dismissively to Brody and Ellis—in a tone that Skyla would never have invoked with them. Thank God they know the truth or Rory would have burned every bridge between here and Heaven.

  Ellis moves out of the way, and I pull his seat out to plunk my way in it.

  “No, Logan.” Rory scoots the chair out of my hand. “You don’t sit next to me. I don’t need a man to represent me. I can speak to the Factions on my own. Find your place among the crowd. Take a front row seat, I really don’t care. You don’t belong up here.”

  Her cold, unfeeling eyes lock over mine, and I’m tempted to flip the table in a rage.

  “Whatever you wish.” I give a slight bow as I head for the front row.

  Brody scoots over one for me, and I land between him and Chloe.

  I lean over and glower at Gage a moment as he sits next to Skyla like he belongs there.

  “You know anything about this?” I hitch my head in Rory’s direction.

  Gage shakes his head. “Nope. But I bet there will be fireworks. You’ve always liked fireworks, isn’t that right, Logan?”

  “Shut up, Gage.” Skyla doesn’t miss a beat and sounds decidedly like Chloe in the process.

  Rory
pounds the gavel in front of her over a slice of marble and the room quickly quiets down.

  “Welcome, leaders and Faction members. We risk much with this meeting. I understand the price we could pay if we meet too often, for too long. I’ll make this brief. First and foremost, you shall no longer address me in a familiar manner. When I approach, you are to refer to me as Your Grace. I am not your friend. I am your savior.”

  A dull murmur breaks out in the crowd.

  “Good Lord.” Skyla closes her eyes a moment. A reaction I’m pretty sure mimics the exact one Chloe would have had.

  Rory clears her throat. “Secondly, I want to welcome a special guest tonight. I realize some of you have seen him walk into the room. Gage Oliver, your highness, why don’t you stand.”

  Gage growls under his breath. I’m sure he’s regretting his decision to show up tonight right about now. I know I’d be cursing myself into tomorrow.

  Laken and Coop walk through the side door, and Laken gives Skyla and me a quick wave as they take a seat near the exit. A wise move on their part. I’m wishing I could join them.

  “Come, Gage,” Rory barks it out. “Don’t be shy. Rise to your feet. A king doesn’t hesitate, now does he?”

  A small titter of laughter circles the room. Gage has been humiliated on every front. He’s down, defeated, devoid of people, missing an army. His only allies are the devils he shares his celestial DNA with.

  Gage stands and gives a quick nod as he looks around. He twitches a short-lived smile when he gets to Barron. And I’m a little surprised that Emma isn’t here. Tonight is open house. Meet the new teacher night at Nick Haver’s house.

  Gage sinks down in his seat once again, and a smile spreads over Rory’s face.

  “Now”—Rory purrs like a lioness in wait for her prey—“let’s get down to business. The reason the enemy is invited to observe this private party is to ensure him any further strikes against my people would be futile.” She stands to her feet and steps around the table as she faces the anxious crowd. “Tonight, I invite each of you, my brothers and sisters, to enter into a deeper commitment with your bond to this new Faction, which shall from here on out be encapsulated under the umbrella of Celestra. I ask you this night to consider a union between yourself and Celestra, a true commitment—a covenant.”