Crown of Ashes

by Addison Moore

  Skyla happily piles the kids on her lap while Angel takes each of the boys by the hair and gives a good yank initiating a riot within five seconds flat.

  “That’s the money shot! Can they cry any louder?” Lex howls with a laugh while Skyla does her best to get the unrest to stop. “If murder was legal, we’d all be smothered to death as infants!”

  Gage ticks his brows up my way and bucks with a quiet laugh. “Lexy Bakova is going to make a fantastic mother.”

  “I agree.” I glance her way as she snaps at the kids to pull it together. “Sorry about the circus, dude.” I shrug over at him as he lands those riotously blue eyes my way with a brief moment of judgment. “It sort of got out of hand.”

  “Don’t be. Skyla let me in on it this morning. I think it’s a good thing. They grow fast. You want to remember it all.” There’s a palpable sadness veiled in his features, a tangible despondency as if someone just died.

  “Hey, everything okay?” I give his shoulder a quick pat as if to perk him up. I’ve been around Gage long enough to read him like a book, and no matter what he says, I know it’s anything but okay.

  “I’m great.” He frowns at the construction site across the street as the crew drags in concrete mixers and steel beams to start on the new and improved bowling alley. They’ve already laid the foundation, and now all I have to do is sit back and watch that monster put itself back together again. “I only stayed at the morgue a minute.” His jawline redefines itself as he continues to glare across the street. “I had to meet with Wes. He wants to know how I plan on getting the Spectators back to their near human state since not even Ezrina could promise them that.”

  It feels like a punch in the gut just listening to him. I’ve always wondered how quickly he would end up over his head, and now I know.

  “We’ll talk to Ezrina. She’s downstairs.”

  He nods as if acknowledging this. “I told Wes he needs to haul them back to Tenebrous. Skyla will have to let them in. He’s going to put a call out this afternoon to round them up.”

  “And he’s listening to you?” I’m amazed that Wesley would take one of his prized arsenals and remove them from the playing field.

  “He is—he has to.”

  Lex gives a shrill whistle to get our attention. “Would you both get over there? Kids have a short attention span, if you haven’t noticed.”

  Skyla waves the two of us over as she struggles to keep three little ones from crawling to the four corners of the earth.

  Gage and I head over to the lawn, and Skyla swats Gage until he complies with the no shoe, no sock rule. Soon we’re posing for the camera as one big family, and it feels right. Skyla and Gage sit next to one another with a boy on each lap, and I lie on my side in front of them with Angel—just the six of us, perhaps the way it should be. In the end, we feel like one big happy family.

  Ellis’ monster truck roars up the street and pulls into the mouth of the driveway before both he and Giselle hop out.

  “Good-looking crew!” Ellis struts over and does his best to high-five the kids, and shockingly it looks as if he’s got them all trained. He gives me a swift kick in the ass with his boot. “Here’s the man of the hour. G and I just ran by the city with the architect and made some last-minute changes. Just a few little things. Nothing to panic over.”

  Crap. If Ellis Harrison suggests it’s nothing to panic over, it is very much something to panic over.

  Gage and I get up and follow him to the porch while Giselle helps Skyla scoop up the kids.

  “Too late, I’m panicked. What’s happening?” My heart bucks its way into my throat because I’m fearing I’ll find a hookah lounge that specializes in pot planted smack in the middle of my thoroughly modern state-of-the-art bowl-a-drome.

  Ellis grimaces over at Giselle a moment as she helps Skyla into the house with the kids. “You know, I like to keep the little woman happy.”

  Gage groans. “That’s demeaning, and sexist, and would you stop treating my sister like some toy you picked up at the store?” He gives Ellis a slight shove and sends him staggering backward.

  “Dude, she’s the love of my life. I’d die if that’s what made her happy.”

  Gage and I exchange a wry smile. Sometimes Ellis just being Ellis can be a bit frightening to witness.

  “Anyway, like I said, there were a few minor changes she wanted to see made to the plans, and both the city and the architect agreed it was no big deal. Plus, the contractor says this new design change will put us ahead of schedule a full month—so get ready to christen this baby by December.”

  “Let’s hear it. I’m sure it’s a great idea.” Words I never thought I’d say to Ellis. “Are we erecting a replica of the Eifel Tower on the rooftop? Mirrored walls? A giant G rotating over the signage? Give it to me quick, Ellis.” Again, words I never thought would leave my lips.

  Ellis expands his chest with his next breath as he glances over my shoulder. “She nixed the sleek contemporary design and—let’s just say she went for a more homey feel.”

  “Shit. How homey?”

  Gage bucks with a dull laugh. “Dude, you did this without consulting Logan? I don’t care how homey it is. You’ve lost your fucking mind.”

  Ellis nods in agreement. “That I have, my friend. And let it be a testimony to how much I love your sister. So don’t ride my ass anymore. Every time you drive by the Bowling Barn, I want you to see it as a testament to my affection toward her.”

  “Oh shit.” My stomach bottoms out. Worst nightmare confirmed. Working with Ellis was the mistake of the century. “The Bowling Barn? Ellis, exactly what kind of changes did you make to the aesthetics?”

  “Just a few nips and tucks.” He shrugs it off as if it were nothing, and just as he opens his mouth to continue, Giselle hops down the porch and strangles him with a hug. I’m tempted to cheer her on in the taking Ellis’ breath away department.

  “Isn’t it great?” Giselle beams as Skyla pops up behind her.

  “The kids are in their Pack ’n Plays.” Skyla wraps her arms around Gage and notes the conversation is stilted. “Isn’t what great?”

  Giselle does an odd little bunny hop. “The fact the bowling alley is going to be in the shape of a big giant red barn!”

  Gage and Skyla groan at the same time. I’d join them, but I’m too busy trying not to pass out.

  “Ellis?” My voice hitches. “What happened to the bowling alley and gym we spent weeks together designing? Or were you too wasted to remember?” I’m not holding back because I just so happen to be fucking pissed.

  “I remember.” He holds his hands out in surrender. “I just thought Giselle had a pretty great idea.”

  “Oh, it is a great idea,” she’s quick to assure. “We’re going to have ten times more arcade games and prizes. We’ll have lots and lots of prizes—those big giant stuffed animals with the button eyes the size of paper plates—they sort of give me nightmares—but we’ll have those and anything else you can imagine!”

  “I’m sort of having a nightmare, too.” I glare across the street where the bowling alley once stood and silently kiss my sleek bowl-a-drome goodbye. This is what I get for leaning hard on Ellis, financially speaking. I knew I was putting him in the driver’s seat, but I could have never foreseen this barnyard fiasco, and it’s my own stupid fault. Note to self: whenever Ellis is involved—expect a barnyard fiasco each and every time.

  Shit. Just shit.

  The babies start to whine, and Giselle volunteers to head on in. “I just love babies, Skyla. Keep making them! Make some with Ellis, too!”

  Gage pats me over the back. “Hang in there, man.” He glares at Ellis a moment. “And you stay away from my woman.” He takes off inside the house right behind his sister.

  Ellis scampers off across the street to the construction site before I can effectively kick his horny little stoner ass. Of course, he’ll do anything for G because she’s giving him exactly what he wants. Damn pervert.

  “H
ost University is getting a gem.” I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. Giselle really is a bright girl when she applies herself. She’s just a kid. And what kid wouldn’t want an oversized cherry red barn smack in the middle of town?

  “Be nice,” Skyla scolds while wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “That’s your niece, and she means well.” She steps in front of me, interrupting the funnel of hatred I’m shooting toward Ellis. “And you are nice.” She gives my cheek a light pinch. “And good things happen to nice people. Besides, I think the Bowling Barn sounds adorable. Maybe it’s better than Bar Slash Bowling?”

  “She’s not taking my liquor license.”

  “Okay.” Skyla laughs while lifting her hands and cupping my cheeks. “Have it your way. Booze, bowling, and button-eyed demons.”

  “Be careful what you say.” I tick my head back toward the house. “Someone is likely to hear that and turn it into the new tagline for the place.”

  We share a quiet laugh.

  “How’s the pumpkin patch going?” She gives my scruff a light scratch, and it feels like heaven.

  “Decent. Liam and I hired a crew to clear the land, and I’m having my contractor toss a chain-link fence around it. The vines are already spreading, and there’s hope for a decent crop come October. First year everything is free. One pumpkin per family. Sound fair?”

  “Aww!” She wraps her arms around me and lays her head on my chest a moment. “You are a saint, Logan Oliver.” She pulls back, her eyes pinned to mine. “And an amazing father and uncle.” Her gaze dips to the ground a moment. “And a good friend.” She nods up at me as if she wanted me to really hear those words, to memorize them. “And even better family.” Her arms tighten around my waist again.

  And that’s what we are. Skyla and I are family.

  There is no greater bond.

  My gut wrenches as if calling me out on the lie.

  There might be one greater bond than that—I glance down at her wedding ring—and it just so happens that bond isn’t with me.

  Summer comes to a close like the soft roll of a wave crashing the shore, nothing too dramatic. My birthday went off with a whisper with Gage and Skyla driving down to Pike’s Reef with me, surprising me with a cake. I didn’t want the big birthday bash I’ve traditionally had. For the first time in years, I wanted to be home that night, holding my baby girl tight in my arms. I already had the best gift life could give me.

  I’m still monitoring Casey. Things seem stable on that front, but it’s been weeks. How long can and will the government house throngs of alien beings who have made no secret of their powers? Are they satisfied with the nice round number we’ve fed them? What in the hell happens next? And then there’s Wesley. His Spectators have been slowly herded to Tenebrous just as Gage requested. But that hasn’t stopped the Barricade from sending out their mercenaries. It’s official now. There have been more UFO sightings, more paranormal activity logged in the past year than in the course of modern history. He’s amping up the big guns. I can feel it. Wes has sent in the clowns quite literally. The horror of these ghastly creatures has the entire world in an uproar. So much so that the longtime children’s birthday party staple has been banned in eleven states. But Wes is just getting started. I can feel it in my dead creaky bones. Whatever the hell he has planned next is going to be dramatic, jaw-dropping on a grand scale. Lives will be dismantled, the bounds of human sanity challenged. Something earth-shattering this way comes. I just wish I could put my finger on it. Soon. I predict soon we will know the answer to this.

  On an unassuming Saturday, I leave Whitehorse in the late afternoon for Dudley’s house. Skyla and Chloe are throwing Ezrina a baby shower and insist that people of all genders join in on the fun. Yes, Chloe. Skyla’s number two hasn’t left her side. She’s the obedient Golden Retriever Skyla never knew she wanted. Gage and I are still unified on the fact we don’t want her around. Nobody in their right mind should want Chloe Bishop in their presence. I jump into my truck, and just as I’m about to head west toward the Estates, I spot a familiar looking dude seated on the framing of what is turning out to be a barn of barbaric proportions.

  “Shit.” I make a U-turn and speed into the lot across the street. That blond hair, those cut features, body that doesn’t quit. Yes, that handsome devil would be me—another version, suffice it to say.

  I park below the entry where he—I—sit and the truck gives a quick quiver as he lands feet first into the bed in the back.

  “Whoa.” I hop out and glare up at this paradise-bound version of myself. “You dent the bed, you’ll have to pay for it.”

  There I am, glaring right back at myself. “Get the hell in here.” He points hard to the tire well next to him, and I hop in, taking a seat across from him—me.

  “Nothing like a mindfuck to get the weekend off to a great start.”

  He winces. “I’d say language, but you already know that.” He offers a peaceable smile, and I’m remotely amused that this version of myself is fighting hard to be nice to me of all people. “You didn’t take care of Dominique Winters.”

  My head jerks west in the direction of that twisted mansion the Winters live in. “Melody has been gone for over a month. I’ve checked with Barron, and he says they secured council. The U.S. Government versus the Winters. I don’t see myself as a part of the equation.”

  “You should have,” he says without missing a beat. “Skyla and Gage”—he presses his palm into his eye and growls as if whatever came next pained him—“tell them both you love them. Your entire detail on this planet is to be an ever-present help in times of trouble. Do not run from it.” He leans in, determined. Those amber eyes light up like beacons. “Run to it. Do you hear me? You run into the fire.” His eyes close briefly. “And spend some quality time with Gage. Talk to him.” He says that last part as if it were an afterthought. The fog fills in thick between us, and slowly his body wears thin until he’s altogether threadbare and gone.

  “That’s it?” I shout up to the sky. “That was fucking lousy.”

  I jump back into the truck and take off for Dudley’s. All the way there I wonder what in the hell I was trying to tell myself.

  Run into the fire. Talk to Gage. That’s all that registered. I hope that was enough.

  Dudley’s not-so humble abode is festooned with enough pink and blue streamers to cover the circumference of the planet two or three times at least.

  Brielle greets me at the door and blows a paper party horn in my face while that demonic player piano Dudley has stashed in the corner goes off a million ghostly miles an hour. I don’t need to be next to it to know there’s no one in the driver’s seat—at least not anyone you can see.

  “It’s time to get your party on, Oliver!” Bree bumps her hip to mine nearly knocking me to the ground. “It’s an open bar! Let me see your ID, son.” She gives a wild cackle.

  “Logan!” Chloe heads over and crashes her arms around my neck as if she’s about to plant one on me, and then without missing an erotic beat, she does just that.

  “Whoa.” I pull back and frown at the witch. “Where’s the woman of the hour?” I try to detangle myself from her, but Chloe is like a human Chinese yoyo. The harder you try to evict her, the tighter she clings.

  “Outside with Em. It seems the spirit has moved our sweet Emily, and she’s gifting those yummy prophetic treats to whoever would like one.” Chloe’s dark eyes gleam with wicked delight. “I bet she has a delicious one just for you.” Her hand glides down my back and swivels around to my crotch.

  “Nice try.” I snatch her by the wrist. “I get it. You haven’t been laid in months. Join the cold shower club.”

  Chloe relaxes her snake-like arm around me once again, resting her full weight over me. Chloe Bishop has always been a sort of inescapable hell. “I don’t see any good reason why either of us has to suffer this sorry fate.” She swings in close, her face just a breath away from mine. Her lids hood low as she sinks in closer. “And I think we
can both agree the one-armed bandit doesn’t do this boiling lust inside the two of us any justice.”

  “You know, Chloe, for once you’re right. But the answer is still a hard no.” I press past her to find a happy smattering of bodies littering the living room. Mostly people from West, and this alarms me on some level. Years after graduation and every gathering still feels like a high school reunion. But then, this is Paragon. I suppose this is the same crowd that will be gathering en mass for the next eight decades, God willing.

  “But you’ve fucked me more than you’ve slept with anyone else on this planet.” Chloe walks backward in front of me, and I’m just counting down the seconds before she eats it.

  “That’s true. I guess I’ve never thought of it that way. But I’m more of a quality over quantity kind of guy.”

  Skyla and Gage come up, each holding a baby, Skyla with Barron—and I’m certain of this because, being the good uncle I am, I can unequivocally, and finally, tell them apart. Mostly because Barron loves to brood, and Nathan loves to flirt with Angel. And, of course, Angel is with Gage.

  “Daddy!” She practically leaps into my arms.

  “Did you hear that?” I shout as a burst of adrenaline burns though me. “Baby girl.” I bury a kiss under her chin, and she screams with laughter. Her blonde curls tickle my cheeks, and I can’t help but nuzzle against her.

  “Angel!” Skyla looks to her with glittering eyes. “You did it! You said Daddy!”

  Barron looks to me and laughs. “Daddy!”

  “Wow,” I say, laughing under my breath as Barron reaches out for me to hold him. “Looks like I’m two for two.”

  Skyla dances back apprehensively, her eyes flitting nervously to her husband’s. “That’s the first time he’s said that.”

  “Here.” Gage picks up Barron and places him in my other arm before shedding his signature dimples, but that smile is nothing but a mask of pain. I’ve been around him long enough to know.

  “Skyla!” Brielle calls from the back. “You’re up next!”