Elysian (49 page)

I guess you could say this was Marshall’s way of engaging in some serious “hands on learning”—teaching through example of where some serious chemical attraction might eventually land you.

Marshall fixes his gaze over mine, and I can’t look away. He’s magnetized himself to me, and the urgency to have him—to replicate the actions reeling through my brain have intensified. He’s overcoming my good senses. I give a heated breath as I flatten my palms over the cool surface of my desk. I can see it clearly as Marshall rides over me in waves. His hot, exotic kisses spear me with surprise. His hands float up and down my body, his heated skin rakes against mine, and, honest to God, I can
feel
him. A warm sensation fills me, and I let out a soft groan.

Marshall is taking me—making me his, and my entire body wants to cry out with pleasure.

Oh God. My chest heaves as my insides quiver. An unfamiliar sensation quickens through me, it’s building, an anticipation rises throughout every fiber of my being, and for a split second it feels as if my entire body wants nothing more than to…sneeze.

Holy shit! My eyes widen in horror as the scene continues to beat through my mind.

Marshall runs his tongue down my neck, down my chest before tracking lower, so low—

The bell shrills up above, and I give a cry as my entire body seizes.

My eyes squeeze shut a moment before I force them open, panting wildly.

“And that”—Marshall says, still fixated over me—“is exactly where sexual attraction leads you.” His lips pull back in a line.
You’re welcome
.

Gage wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me in. “What the fuck was that about?”

God, if I tell him, he’ll try to kill Marshall and only end up maimed in the process.

“Nothing.” I try to swallow, but my throat has run dry.

The muscle in Logan’s jaw pops. “I saw enough to know it wasn’t nothing.” He glares over at Marshall.

“Look, I’ve got to ask him something. I’ll meet you guys outside.” I speed over to the raunchy ringmaster with a disproving scowl.

“Just a while ago I refused to stand by and watch my mother banish you to hell, but now I’m not so sure.” I fold my arms as I nestle into my backpack.

“Did the lesson of the day amuse you?” His features lose their soft appeal. Marshall is very much back to being annoyed.

“What happened? Are Nev and Ezrina all right?”

“As it stands, the trial is not, as you would say, in their favor. And in the event you were curious, the Kraggers aren’t fairing so well either.”

Crap. “I won’t have to worry about turning into Ezrina. The Kraggers will kill me long before that happens. Shit. Why couldn’t I live a normal life like everyone else?”

“Dare you use profanity in my presence after the misfortune that befell Ms. Bakova?”

“Sorry, and well done.” I tuck a smile in the side of my cheek. “And I can’t believe that making it all the way to the sword of the Master wasn’t enough to crush the Counts.” I grit my teeth. “But I’m not done with them or with Chloe.”

“The fun, my love, is just beginning. You keep up this brave girl façade, and you’ll crush the Countenance into submission with your pretty little heel.”

I hold back a smile, wild-eyed at his apparent oversight.

“Who the hell is putting up a façade?” 

“You sound convincing.”

“I should. The Counts are still going down, Marshall, with or without my mother’s approval.”

“You impress me more and more with each passing hour. Truly what’s on the inside outshines your beauty.” He reaches over and gives my arm and a gentle rub.

A current of pleasure surges through me so powerful and strong that the urge to conduct another bodily sneeze seems on the horizon.

I take a step back and pant as Gage and Logan close in on me.

“Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Mr. Dudley.”

He gives a coy smile. “The pleasure was all mine.”

The clouds rush in overhead as if someone were pulling a dark curtain. The ten-minute ferry over to Host was almost a joke. It literally took longer to board the boat than it did to arrive. The island is much smaller than Paragon and clearly overrun by college students. There’s not a single car in sight, just golf carts, mopeds, and enough bicycles to outfit the entire Tour De France.

“I can get used to this,” I say, relaxing outside a coffee shop that actually serves fresh brewed java from roasted grounds.

Mom unbuttons her blouse, and Beau latches onto her rubber teat. Now that’s something I can never get used to. A part of me wants to bring up the news of Drake’s newest addition, but I don’t dare spare him the fun of broadcasting the announcement himself.

“So tell me”—Mom scoots her seat in closer—“what happened with Gage?”

I glance around at the swell of college students drifting around the streets. Mia and Melissa are shopping at the strip mall next door while Mom and I babysit the rolling cooler she’s stocked with milk from the .98 cent store.

“It’s not that easy to explain.” Nor do I want to. It seems like no matter what truths I thrust in my mother’s face, she reverts back to her staunch sense of denial. Besides, she loves Gage. Logan will never win with her. “Why do you think I should still be with Gage?”

“Well, let’s see. He’s a perfect gentlemen, and he’s polite to your parents.”

She’s just described both Logan
and
Gage, but I don’t bother filling her in on that little detail.

“
Gage
.” She sighs dreamily. “He has those amazing eyes, and they sort of remind me of your father. You know, your dad has this dimple right here—” She points just above her cheek. “And sometimes when he spoke, he would broaden his chest in the same way Gage does.”

“You like Gage because he reminds you of Dad?” Everything in me melts at the thought.

“OK, I confess. It’s true.” She crinkles her nose. “Logan seems like a great guy, too. I guess I’ll be fine with whoever you choose to be with.”

Marshall spears through my mind, but I shoo him away quick as a wink.

“I don’t know which one I love more,” I say. “Is that weird? Can a person love two people at once?”

Mom opens her mouth and chokes on the words she’s trying to dislodge. “Yes, Skyla, they can. A person can love two people.”

“Are you talking about Demetri?”

“Yes.” Her eyes widen as if it were obvious because it damn well is to everyone but Tad. “I’m sorry. I know that upsets you to hear.”

I shake my head. “It’s like you’re killing Dad all over again.” I sniff back the tears that have spontaneously come to the forefront.

“Not true. I never had feelings for Demetri while your father was still living. And I promise you, Skyla, Demetri was under
orders
to do what he did.” She lowers her gaze to Beau and gently plucks him from the controversial apparatus. It seems like my mother specializes in controversy these days. “I know—I should hate him.” She presses her lips together until they’re white as plaster. “I know I should be horrified to be in the same room with him, but I can’t explain the attraction I feel when he’s around. He makes me feel special, wanted.”

“All the markers of an affair. You’re married remember?”

“And I plan on staying that way. But the truth is, Demetri and I, we were friends long before I knew your father. And, in addition to that, he helped me through those dark days.”

“The dark days he ushered you into?”

Her eyes turn a bright shade of crimson as she inhales the crisp autumn air.

“I’m sorry, Skyla.” Her voice breaks. “I know I’ve disappointed you, and believe me, I’m disappointed in myself as well. You don’t have to forgive him for what he’s done, just know he was bound to perform a task and couldn’t be removed from the duty.”

“What do you mean—couldn’t be removed?”

Her eyes catch the light like the quivering shards of a broken mirror—Demetri’s haunted mirror to be exact.

“He mentioned that he asked someone up there to absolve him of the job.” She gives a sharp look to the sky. “But she denied him, and he had to do as he was instructed.”

“Demetri had to do what he was told…” My mind runs wild formulating all kinds of scenarios. “Demetri had to do what he was told? Only supervising spirits have to do what they’re told.” Shit. Demetri is Chloe’s supervising spirit. It would figure. And also I knew this deep down inside.

My chest pumps as if I just ran naked around a city block.

“You said she denied him.” My lids fly open as my heart traverses into my throat. “You mean my mother, don’t you?”

“If the Caelestis shoe fits,” she snips. Her eyes slit to nothing as she shoots a look into the street.

“Oh my, God,” I whisper. “She had the power to save Daddy—”

“And she didn’t do it, Skyla. He got down on his knees and begged for your father’s life, and
she
denied him. Who killed who, Skyla? You tell me.”

The ground sways for a moment. My stomach lurches at the thought. Was my own mother in part responsible for the atrocity? Is she just as culpable as Demetri, or Chloe? Or is she far worse than they could ever be?

“She let Logan die.” It streams from me like an eleventh hour confession. “She’s not afraid to take people away from me.” Good God the woman is a monster.

Who will be left? Who will she ever spare?

“Skyla?” A familiar voice booms from a few feet away.

I glance up to find a dark-haired boy with amazing dimples and blue eyes, deep enough to sail a cruise ship in—Gage.

I jump to my feet and latch onto him with the world’s most desperate hug.

“God, I love you,” I whisper into his ear before the floodgates open.

This time I can’t seem to stop them.

“What’s going on?” He pulls back and wipes my tears away.

“Just hanging out with my mom while my sisters shop.” I give a soft hiccup against his chest. “What are you doing here?”

“Talking to the coach.” He flexes a sad smile and brushes my cheeks again. “I’ll be trying out for the team. They’re interested in me, so that’s a good sign. I was just about to take off.”

“I’ll go back with you.” I look to Mom as I say it.

“Go ahead, honey.” She touches her hand to her heart. “We’ll talk again at the house.”

I take in a giant breath and nod. A part of me is less angry at my mother regarding Demetri than I was earlier. God, I hope I’m not going soft on my father’s killer. Demetri is still every bit as evil, isn’t he?

Gage and I take off for the ferry, hand in hand.

“I miss this.” He brings my fingers to his lips and presses in a kiss.

“I miss everything about you, Gage Oliver.” I slip my hand around his waist and pull him in.

The horn for the ferry bleats like some loud unwanted signal of foreboding.

“We’ve got perfect timing,” he says as we board the boat set to leave in a few minutes. “What’s going on, Skyla?” he whispers, holding me by the railing as we watch the fog settle over the ocean.

“Logan. He’s going to leave us. I’m not sure there’s anything we can do to save him.”

Gage pushes his lips over my temple and inhales a hard breath as if fighting tears.

“I’m glad you’re here, Skyla. I don’t think I could go through something like this alone.”

“He’d be alive if it weren’t for me.”

“Not if it was his time—besides, you’re the entire reason he’s here in the first place.”

I give a slow nod, wiping the tears from my eyes. I had forgotten all about the fact my mother had plucked him from another time entirely.

“I promise you this”—he pulls back, rubbing his hands over my shoulders—“I’ll be here for you no matter what.” Gage carefully touches my cheeks and pulls me into a sweet kiss with his lips just brushing over mine. “I love you so much, Skyla.” Gage secures me by the waist, and holds on tight as if I might float away.

We watch as Host melts into the haze as if it were a delusion all along.

Sometimes it feels like everything Gage and I shared has drifted to some unknowable horizon.

***

It’s November 22
nd
—my birthday—the day I get to speak to my mother, at last.

The football field is brimming with bodies for, this, the final game of the season—the last one Logan and Gage will play at West
ever
, and most likely the final game of my cheerleading career.   

Friday night brings a sea of fog so thick all of West looks like a dream. The lights beam over Cerberus as he floats in and out of the ground clouds like a demonic illusion. His sharpened teeth glisten like ivory sabers, his eyes illume through the pale white dust like beacons, warning of the danger that lies ahead. But I can feel myself drifting, pulling to the looming threat. I can already feel its icy hands wrapping themselves around my neck.

Logan and Gage each handed me a single red rose this morning. It was sweet and made me feel inexplicably special. A part of me wants to halt this entire day and not take a single step into the future. A future without Logan, Gage, or
Marshall
is nothing but a dark cave that I want no part of.

Speaking of Marshall, his tall, regal eminence makes hasty strides in my direction. During chemistry today he offered to take me horseback riding as a gift. Then during trig he offered a promising vision by way of his upper orifice, both of which I kindly refused.

“Ms. Messenger.” He presses out a carnal grin. His hair is slicked back, curling from the fog at the neckline.

“Is it time?” All day I’ve been waiting patiently to be whisked away to the ethereal plane to see my mother.

“And miss the game? Note, I have a seat in the front row. I’ve been eagerly anticipating your high kicks for hours. I wouldn’t deprive myself of the glory. Your visit commences posthaste after the home team loses in grand style.”

“Marshall! You just spoiled the game for me.”

His lips broaden with devious intent. “Delphinius has been liberal with the visions of late.”

“Are you pleased with what you see?” It was the nicest way possible I could think of to ask if he were going to hell.