Roar of the Lion : Celestra Forever After 7

by Addison Moore

  We park just in time to see a crowd emerging from the new facility where the old barn once stood and we hop out of my truck.

  “Logan”—Skyla takes my hand—“I can’t think straight. I have no idea what the hell is going on. Laken mentioned Chloe was outing me? And lying about it? Honestly, I didn’t sleep a wink last night, and well, that’s sort of both our fault. My mind isn’t in the right place to process any of this.”

  Several people give Skyla a double take as we head into the thick of the crowd. And the first friendly face we see belongs to Ellis Harrison.

  “Dude.” He moans as he pulls Skyla into a quick embrace. “I tried straightening them out, but there was footage.”

  “Footage of what?” Skyla and I ask at the very same time.

  Ellis winces as he glances back to the facility. “Okay, you remember that so-called movie of Chloe getting shut down by Gage last year? The one Rory used to show us at that birthday party I threw for you?” He nods to Skyla.

  She huffs, “How can we forget?”

  “Yeah, well, Chloe had one of you and Gage the night you died before you left your body. It showed you falling limp after Gage smothered you. And it showed Rory’s ghost stepping into your body—and your soul leaving.”

  “How?” She gives a hard blink.

  I take a breath. “That was no natural footage,” I say as I look to Skyla. “Rory utilized the same supernatural methods she did last year to destroy Gage. Only this time, she’s out to destroy you. I’m guessing Rory set Chloe up with the footage.”

  “Shit.” Skyla lets out a heavy breath as she surveys the crowd. “Make this long story short, Ellis. What the hell else did Chloe just do?”

  Ellis looks right at her. “She told everyone she’s you. That you’re Rory, and that’s why you’ve been acting strangely—demanding everyone call you Your Grace. I won’t lie, Chloe acted just like you. There wasn’t one stitch of Chloe Bishop running around in there. And before you ask, yes, I stood up and defended you. I told them about the switch that transpired just before your wedding. Laken and Coop, even Wes vouched for you, but it was too late. People are all mixed up. They don’t know what to believe.”

  Skyla shakes her head as she looks to the quickly diminishing crowd. “Why in the hell would Chloe do this?” She speeds into the building, and Ellis and I are right behind her.

  The room is nearly empty, and Skyla stops off at the first familiar face she sees, Dr. Booth, her old psychiatrist. He’s been with Laken’s mother for a while now. Skyla and I have always thought of him as family.

  “Skyla?” He winces.

  His dark hair is thick, and his dark glasses and friendly face have always reminded me a little of Barron.

  “Yes, Dr. Booth, I promise, it’s me.”

  “So much has happened.” He shakes his head, confusion written on his face. “It’s hard to know what to believe. We saw the film. It’s incredible to see something like that. I don’t know how she did it, but it was otherworldly, fascinating. It certainly paints a picture of how far Gage will go to get his way. We all knew he loved you. It’s a quizzical move on his part.”

  Skyla closes her eyes. “He doesn’t love me, never did. Why would Chloe split Celestra like this?”

  He shrugs. “I’m afraid you’ll have to ask her yourself.” He’s about to leave, and Skyla blocks him.

  “You believe me, don’t you?”

  His mouth opens as he examines her. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure what to believe anymore.” He offers a kind nod before ditching out the building.

  “Oh my God.” Skyla laughs in disbelief. “This is hell on earth. I need to find Chloe.”

  Laken and Coop head this way with long faces as the room all but drains.

  Laken gives a sorrowful laugh. “What the hell did you do to piss Chloe off? I’m sorry.” She pulls Skyla into a hard embrace.

  “That’s what I’m wondering.” Skyla pulls back. “I guess I’ll have to track her down.”

  Coop shakes his head. “You don’t have to. She’s still here.”

  “Where?” I bark it out. “God help me if I don’t shake her to death.”

  Skyla gives my arm a squeeze. “I’m sure she would love to book assault charges. No way. I need you now more than ever.”

  Cooper tips his head. “I have to agree. And no offense, Skyla, but Chloe’s just nullified you in the process of trying to adulate herself. The only person the Factions will truly trust is probably Logan.”

  Laken’s cheek flinches. “You’ll have to assert full authority.” She looks to Skyla. “Chloe made sure you’ve lost trust with the people in a single afternoon. I don’t know how to fix this for you, but maybe Logan is the best solution for now.”

  “Okay.” Skyla blows out a hard breath. “I’m more than fine with that.” She turns my way. “But I’m fixing this. In no way do I want people thinking I still have Rory trapped in this body. I’m so glad none of you think it. You don’t think it, do you?”

  Cooper and Laken give a nervous laugh.

  “No, we don’t,” Laken assures her. “Chloe Bishop”—her mouth opens another notch as she glances to the left—“speaking of the witch.”

  We spot Chloe and Wes headed in this direction, and my stomach turns at the sight of her.

  Wes lifts his arms. “Before you get your panties in a wad, I want no part of this. I had nothing to do with this very bad idea,” he growls the last few words out at Chloe. “In fact, I’ve spent the last half hour spelling out exactly why it’s so damn stupid to my ex-wife.”

  Chloe glances to the ceiling. “It’s brilliant.” Her eyes flit to Skyla. “Hello, Rory.” She gives a little wink and Skyla sucks in a lungful of air as her body jerks forward, and I quickly pull her back.

  “We’re not interested in assault charges, remember?”

  She pulls away. “I might be a little interested. Chloe, you have five seconds to tell me what you’re up to before I lock you in a cage, and don’t think I won’t do it.”

  She makes a face. “It’s exactly the kind of thing you’d do, Rory.” She shrugs. “I have to keep up appearances,” she whispers. “Besides, people will be very worried if I go missing.”

  “Chloe,” I grunt her name out like an expletive. “Cut to the chase.”

  She takes a deep breath then takes up Skyla’s hand, and I take up her other hand. This is one conversation I’m not missing out on.

  Chloe, Skyla starts. You knew I was grateful to you. It was a part of the terms that I would let you make decisions alongside me. You didn’t have to stoop this low.

  Chloe lifts a brow. It seems you’ve already forgotten the terms of our agreement much the way Rory and I predicted.

  Skyla closes her eyes. “What are you talking about? Did you get your feelings hurt because you were afraid I’d forget to let you in on the decision-making process?”

  Chloe skewers Skyla with a look. You would ‘let me in’? It doesn’t sound as if we would be on equal footing if you were the gatekeeper, now would it?

  Skyla glowers at her. “Fine. You win. You can believe what you want. You always do anyway. Why divide the Factions if we’re on the same team?”

  Chloe gives a quick glance around the empty room, and I do the same.

  “We’re the only ones here, Chloe.” I pull Skyla in by the waist. “Go ahead, spill your load.”

  A demented smile twitches on her lips. “Interesting choice of words from the frustrated honeymooner.” She focuses her attention back on Skyla. “The Factions belong to me. I rule them.”

  “You won’t rule them.” Wes is quick to set her straight. “Logan will rule them. You’ve forever marred doubt over who you are. Skyla will clear her name. This will go away. This isn’t going to get you anywhere, Chloe. You were frustrated, and you let your frustrations win out. This isn’t winning. It’s tantamount to seeing that the odds are stacked against you so you wipe all the pieces off the board. You don’t get to play.”

  She sheds a wicke
d grin to Skyla. “Then I guess neither of us get to play.”

  Laken takes a step in close to the monster. “This is your big wedding gift to Skyla, isn’t it? She gets true love. You throw a tantrum. You want all the attention for yourself. Look at me,” she teases. “Well, we’re looking at you. And sadly you’ve just disqualified yourself as being worthy of our attention. You could have had equal play with Skyla. If that’s what she promised, that’s what you would have received.”

  Chloe grits her teeth. “Only in as much as I agreed to every move she made. What kind of a say is that?”

  “Chloe”—Skyla takes a ragged breath—“if you didn’t agree, then I would try to see things from your angle. And if you weren’t right, I wouldn’t go with it. I’m not going to be bullied into something I know isn’t good for the Factions, but apparently you are.”

  Chloe takes a quick breath because she knows she’s been bested.

  She leans in hard, so close to Skyla that I put my hand between them in the event either one of them wants to get physical.

  “I did this for you,” Chloe grits it through her teeth. “Your people were already losing faith. Rory did that. She made sure you looked like an asshole. I simply explained why. Because I knew you wouldn’t.” She bumps into Laken’s shoulder as she speeds her way out of the facility.

  And in true Chloe fashion, she leaves us all speechless.

  Coop butts his knuckles up to his mouth, looking down at the ground as if trying to keep a flood of words from evicting.

  Wes shoves him in the chest. “This is it, Flanders. Your time to shine. The newlyweds are here. You wanted to wait to gift them the greatest gift of all, here’s your shot.”

  Laken presses a hand to Wesley’s chest. “Coop is not keeping anything from anyone.”

  Wesley growls out a hint of a laugh. “Yes, he is, Laken. But he’s not keeping anything from me.”

  Cooper’s chest pumps with a silent laugh as he looks to Wes. “You said you’d have the final call.”

  “I’m giving it,” Wes spits the words out. “But this is your story to tell. And now everyone gets to hear it.”

  Cooper looks as if he’s ready to bolt, to puke, and to rage all at once.

  Without hesitating, I pull him in by the shirt. “Knew it. This ends here. Speak.” I give him a push as I let go. Chloe may have put me in a mood, but Coop isn’t exactly helping with the effort.

  Cooper gives a quick look around as he takes a step back and sighs.

  He nods to Skyla. “We should meet back at Whitehorse.”

  “Okay,” she’s quick to agree. “I’ll call Brody and Ellis. Ezrina and Nev are already there. I can call Marshall, too.”

  “No,” Coop says as he glances to Wes as if looking for approval. “Just us for now. Skyla, Logan, I want you to digest this before you tell anyone.”

  Laken has sickles shooting from her eyes as she looks from Wes to Coop.

  “How long have the two of you known about this?” The disappointment in her voice is palpable.

  Wes sheds a shit-eating grin. “I squeezed it out of him a week ago. Your boy has known as far back as our wedding.” Wesley’s features soften to something just this side of sadness. “Laken, he used this information to get you back.” Wes groans as if it pained him as he staggers past us. “I’ll see you all at Whitehorse. You don’t start without me, Coop.”

  Laken’s brows rise slowly. “Cooper Flanders, you played dirty.” She looks equally amused as she does angry. “In my heart, I still believe leaving Wes was my choice. But I didn’t just leave him because he wouldn’t switch celestial sides. I left him because I knew you were true in every sense of the word. Don’t prove me wrong, Cooper.” She blinks back tears as she heads out.

  “Coop.” I slap a hand on his shoulder. “She’s just angry.”

  His lips purse as he watches her walk out the door. “She’s about to get angrier.” He looks to Skyla and me. “And so are the two of you. I ask your forgiveness in advance.”

  He takes off, and Skyla and I wrap our arms around one another.

  “What in the hell is going on?” She gives me a quick squeeze.

  “I don’t know. But I have a feeling everything is about to get flipped on its ear.”

  We head back to Whitehorse and wait for the others to arrive.

  It feels like eternity.

  A part of me wonders if this is one of those moments that creates a fissure in your life. The before and the after.

  Something tells me it is.

  15

  Wesley

  I don’t head over to Whitehorse right away.

  I stop off at home to check on the kids. Kresley said she didn’t mind hanging out, so she’s keeping an eye on Tobie and Mally for me, right along with Eli. But no sooner do I pull into the driveway than I spot Chloe talking to Ellis out on the Harrisons’ expansive front lawn, and I don’t waste a minute in heading over.

  “What do you think, Ellis?” I flash a manufactured smile over at my wicked ex. “Has she finally outdone herself, or is the best still yet to come?”

  Ellis pinches his eyes shut a moment. His legs are sandy from the beach even though it’s so damn foggy out you can hardly see ten feet in front of you. But I suppose once you’re that stoned out of your mind, cold water feels good. It reminds you that you’re alive. He must have flown to the beach right after that sham of a meeting and dunked himself in the water just trying to escape this lunacy.

  “Dude.” Ellis shakes his head at Chloe. “You know I’ve always thought of you as family—deranged family, but nonetheless you and I have a serious history. And I have never understood why you choose to implode.”

  “She doesn’t implode,” I correct. “Chloe detonates and takes out as many living beings as she can in the process. I think Laken nailed it,” I say as I look her way. “You’re having a tantrum. And I don’t think you can help it. It’s the way you’re wired. I’ve seen the way your mother treats you. Cold, unfeeling, like you were nothing. The same way you treat your girls. But do you want to know what the difference is going to be? I’m going to lavish my girls with love. They’re going to know they are the reason I get up in the morning. They’re the reason I strive to be a better person—all of my kids are. The boys have Laken and Kresley to be a mother to them. But you left the girls with a void. Do you know Tobie is so hungry for a mom she calls Kres, Skyla, and Laken Mommy? And don’t think Mally won’t follow suit. That’s the one thing I can’t be for them. I can’t be you, Chloe. You will forever be the bruise on their existence. Hell, half the time you come up in conversation, Tobie is terrified you’ll eat her. I don’t know what that shit is about, but I’m not entertaining it. Just admit that your mother screwed you up and you’re still too immature emotionally to deal with it.” I snatch her by the arms and shake her. “Grow the hell up,” I thunder over her face.

  Ellis pushes me away, and I gladly let go.

  “Don’t worry, Ellis. I’m not the dangerous one around here.” I turn to leave before looking back at Chloe. “I know, you’re not a total idiot. In fact, you’re smarter than most. You’ve got instincts. And guts. And a fierce level of loyalty—all great traits for anyone to have. You just don’t apply yourself to the right things. But if you would…” I shake my head wistfully. “The world would have to watch out. Good things could come of it. You may think it’s too late to change, but I’m telling you right now it’s not. Look at me. I’m not the same person I was a couple of months ago.”

  “Because you have a hard-on for Laken,” she howls as loudly as she can. “You didn’t do it for yourself, Wes. Don’t get all high and mighty on me.”

  “I’m not asking you to do it for yourself. Screw yourself. Do it for your girls,” I riot back. “Show the universe you didn’t get sucked into the spiral of being a shitty mother. Your mother may have set the example, but you sure as hell don’t have to follow it. The biggest FU to that woman would be to become the polar opposite of who she groomed you to be.
But instead, you’re falling right into the trap she set out for you. Walking in her crooked footsteps. Abandoning your kids like that? You couldn’t have made her happier if you tried. I bet she falls asleep with a smile on her face. You want to piss her off? Turn around and walk in the opposite direction. Be there for your kids. Show up. Encourage them, say you love them and mean it. Stop wasting your time and everybody else’s proving your mother right.” Chloe glances over my shoulder to the house that I’m raising our girls in, and her lips part as she struggles to catch her breath.

  “I’ll see you later,” I say as I start to head for the house. “I’ve got to kiss my kids before I take off again. Because they deserve to know they’re loved and wanted.”

  I do just that.

  Whitehorse is lit up with a peachy glow as I pull up. Laken and Coop pull up right after me, so I don’t feel too bad about making a pit stop at home.

  Laken nods my way. “Wes,” she says my name curt as she heads on into the house.

  A smug laugh gurgles in my chest as I look to Cooper.

  “She’s pissed at you, Coop. I recognize that look in her eyes. You screwed up royally for once.” I smack him on the back as we head up the walk. “It’s good for you. It keeps your ego in check. Proves you’re human.”

  “I’m not that human, and neither are you,” he growls as he looks at the house.

  “Relax, no one is cutting your balls off this afternoon. The truth is, you should have told Skyla asap when you found out what you did. But you played your cards. You wanted an edge with Laken and you made sure you got it.”

  “All right.” He pauses and folds his arms across his chest. That pissed look on his face is just for me. “Let’s get it straight. Laken and I were bound to end up together. Stop acting like this was the deciding factor. Sorry to prick your ego again and again, but she’s with me and it’s staying that way. This isn’t your ace in the hole. None of this is about you. Once Skyla and Logan find out the truth, they’re going to want to find your brother. If I were you, I’d want to be there for him, too. Let’s not forget you were a part of this scheme as well. It affected you as much as it did him. You were played, Wes. And it was your love for Laken that was leveraged. I’m surprised you’re not white-hot pissed about this.”