Toxic Part Two (Celestra Series Book 7.5) (7 page)

“Geez!” Gage shoves the gun in a downward position. “Never, ever, look down the barrel of a gun.” He pulls me in and gives an aggressive kiss of relief over the top of my head. “Are you OK?”

“I’m fine,” I say, cinching the backpack over my shoulders. “These things shoot some kind of poison darts.” Logan gave me one in region four and I knocked out a crowd to save Copper and Flynn. But these look far more menacing, and I’m hoping they’re a little more potent in nature. “It’s not permanent, though. It won’t kill them.”

“Never seen anything like it,” he says, holding it out and aiming at a pin of light coming from the forest.

“Bastardized Ruger.” I give a brief smile. “Wesley, the boy the Counts sicked on me, he came to me in a dream—told me about these.” I stop short of telling Gage I shot him up with one in my nocturnal wandering, that it felt good to do it.

A strange glow emits from the thicket to our left.

I pull Gage behind an overgrown shrub and we watch as a dull illumination emerges from the tree line. Three men with shoulders as wide as a house, trek out.

“They’re blue.” The words tumble from my lips with the beginnings of laughter. “She heard me.” I grab a hold of Gage and shake him with elation. My mother heard, and the enemy glows like an electrified blueberry. “Thank you.” I mouth the words up to the sky.

They look guarded as they make their way out into the clearing.

“If I saw ten in a foxhole, I’d kill them all,” says the one in the middle. He’s balding, wears a spare tire around his waist, and I fire into his chest without hesitating for suggesting such a slaughter.

Gage and I hit all three and watch as they buck and seize, dropping to the ground in an unexpected paralysis.

“Let’s go.” I pant, heading over and stripping them of their weaponry as they lay unconscious. Two bows, one sawed-off shotgun. And here I was thinking my mother hated guns.

The sky crackles and churns as lighting flares overhead, followed by a low growl of thunder that never quite ceases. 

Gage and I take off into the thicket and set out in search of Delphinius.

“There he is.” Gage takes my hand and runs us toward the bottom of the hill, where the orator flags us down.

I keep an eye out for Cooper and Flynn—for Logan, who pretends to run with the enemy. The rain lets up, soft as feathers, then brews to something more sinister that assures me my mother is in charge of the faucet controls.

A dark-haired girl runs from the bushes with two glowing figures in tow and gets to him first. It’s Chloe. 

“Shit.” Gage pulls me faster as we slip our way down the hillside.

Chloe, Nat and Pierce take off toward a ravine.

“What the hell?” Gage shouts into the orator as we hit the bottom of the incline.

Delphinius offers a disparaging look. Something tells me Chloe has yet again found a new way to screw us.

“There’s a gully in the valley.” His voice overcomes the thunder without trying. “You must cross to the adjacent hillside—”

Gage pulls me to a running start before Delphinius can complete the thought.

“On dry land,” the orator screams through the needling rain. “Dry land!”

How the hell are we going to find dry land in the middle of a downpour?

Gage intensifies our speed until I can’t keep up with him, until I lose my grip altogether.

“I don’t have my powers,” I shout as he barrels on ahead. Apparently, neither does he or we would’ve long since transported. I tumble to the ground and my arm enlivens with pain as I snag half my body against a bed of jagged rocks. A long line of crimson extends from my elbow to my wrist.

“Run, Gage,” I shout. “Win this damn thing.”

The rainfall stifles the sound of my voice as Gage continues past the ravine, past the two blue orbs bobbing next to Chloe and the world lights up, bright as the sun before washing out, blank as a virginal canvas.  

***

I take in a sharp breath of air that holds the scent of strong coffee, fresh-baked cookies and cheap perfume. I’m right back in Nicholas Haver’s gargantuan garage, alive and well—and surprisingly dry.

Gage rushes over and kisses me right in front of the entire assembly as if it were a matrimonial proclamation.

“Did we win?” I can barely get the words out.

“Skyla, you’re cut.” Dr. Booth takes up my arm and examines it.

“It’s just a scratch.” A giant welt pillows over the length of my arm and blood drips to my fingertips.

The room bursts into a loud murmur until the blast of a gavel emits from the front.

“Silence!” Nicholas Haver’s face turns a brilliant shade of plum.

I pull Gage down into the seat next to me.

“Region six has been recorded in the annals of the book of war.” Mr. Haver’s voice swirls around the room like an angry tornado.

The orator nods in my general direction. “It has been determined that the victory lies with Countenance.”

A loud gasp circles the room before breaking out into a chaotic roar.

“It was impossible to get to dry ground,” I say to Gage. It’s not his fault the Counts are quicker and obviously better at securing every single region. Quicker and better and soon they’ll rule everything.

“I did get to dry ground.” He gives a causal shrug like he gave it his best but it was no big deal. “Could have sworn I crossed the ravine first.”

I hate this. Just the thought of losing another region ignites a revolting image of the Counts wielding the sword of the Master.
God
—that better not happen.

“Was anyone else there with you?” Dr. Booth interjects. “Maybe they were farther down and you couldn’t see them?”

“Ellis Harrison.” Gage pegs him with a sharp tone. “He must have taken the region for the Counts.”

I blink back surprise. I’m shocked Gage would be so quick to accuse Ellis of all people.

Dr. Booth leans in. “It was either Ellis—or you—who gave the Counts a win.” He gives a dry laugh at the thought. “I think we can use deductive logic and figure this one out.”

I swallow hard at the thought and slide down in my chair.

Can we?

My entire body explodes in a ball of heat.

“Looks like we’ve got a rogue Count on our hands,” Gage says, needling me with a strange intensity as the twinge of smile plays on his lips.

Not one part of me believes that Ellis would do this, but something stirs in me on a primal level and nags at me to question Gage. I don’t like it. I want to reach in and rip that part right out, shove it in a blender and feed it to Chloe for breakfast.

Nicholas thumps his water bottle over the table and the room quiets to a dull roar.

“Attention,” Delphinius calls, “the next six regions determine everything.” He looks directly at me. “There seems to be a breach of trust.” He glances at Gage before reverting back to me. “Do be careful.”

Chapter 63

Who Are You  

Gage and I drive back to the Oliver’s house through a curtain of heaven’s tears. We plan to hang out and watch a movie. Really, I want to watch Gage—study him under the microscope of my newfound distrust.

“So tell me again what happened at the ridge?” I ask, stirring the hot cocoa Emma served up for us in the kitchen.

Logan sits beside me, watching him with scrupulous attention.

Gage squints into the memory. He’s taking his time to align the words just right as if constructing an alibi.

I slip my hand under the table and tap on Logan’s knee until his warm fingers wrap around mine.

I think maybe he threw the region,
I say, glancing in Logan’s direction.

“What?” Logan doesn’t bother hiding his disbelief.

Dr. Oliver and Emma look over from the counter with surprise.

“Sorry,” he says, “just trying to get Gage to hurry up and answer.”
I doubt he threw the region. Gage has no reason to side with the Counts. And he told me what you thought happened between him and Chloe. That’s not only improbable—it’s impossible. He loves you, Skyla.

“When I hit the ravine, I saw Ellis.” Gage pushes in a dimple on one side and my stomach detonates with heat. Why does he have to be so freaking hot and potentially naughty all at the same time? “I’m one hundred percent positive it was Ellis who took the region.”

Logan wriggles free from my grip and gives a slight look of disgust. I snatch at his fingers before he has a chance to escape and give a sad smile in his direction.

For the record, I think you’re damn hot, and I totally trust you. By the way, are you going to tell your family about your debacle with the queen of mean?

No,
Logan shakes his head ever so slightly.
I’m not telling Gage, either
.

“Looks like someone’s having a private conversation.” Gage grinds out the words with an authentic brand of jealousy.

“I was just thinking about what you said.” I carefully remove my hand from Logan’s lap. “So you think Ellis is trying to get on his dad’s good side? I would have sworn on my life we could trust him.”

“I wouldn’t be too surprised.” Dr. Oliver gives a curt nod. “You can never truly know anyone’s intentions.”

I glance up at Gage a moment before settling my gaze on the cup in front of me. It hurts to look at him. It takes all of my effort to hold my eyes up to his. I’m so afraid I’ll see something in him that confirms my worst nightmare.

A thought comes to me and I spike up in my seat. “I forgot to mention something at the faction meeting.”

“What’s that?” Gage rounds his cornflower blue eyes over me, soft, like the sweeping of a feather.

“Marshall said that the eighty-nine Celestra Logan—I mean—Holden killed early in the war weren’t dead. He thinks the Counts resurrected them.”

“To do what?” Emma grips her chest in horror.

“The tunnels,” Logan heaves the words out. “That’s what they’re doing to us—to Skyla.” Logan takes me in with a resolute sadness. “They’re killing our people in order to kidnap them. Every one of them is stuck in that living hell.”

“They’re killing them and bringing them back?” Gage looks skeptical about my theory, or perhaps he’s shedding just enough intrigue to balance out the scales of his deceit.

I study his nuances. He’s either a master in the field of pretend or he genuinely cares about the Celestra people, me included.

“Why on earth would they do that?” Emma closes in on the table, eager to understand the relevance.

“They’re turning Celestra into a bona fide juice bar.” I point to my neck when I say it.     

“Oh!” She gasps, openly disgusted by the horror of it all.

“How long do you think they’ve been at this?” Gage lifts his cup and for a second it looks as if he’s saluting the Counts.

“Why does it matter?” Logan glares at him. “They’re doing it now.”

“It matters.” Barron looks good and pissed. “I for one would like to know how many empty plots I might have. All of those families believing their loved ones have passed on to Paradise only to find out they’ve been captured. It sickens me.”

“And,” Logan says, wild-eyed, “it would be nice to know how many crimes we could rack up against them and present to the Justice Alliance. I’m pretty sure killing and resurrecting for imprisonment purposes is a major offence.”

A breath gets caught in my throat.

“Maybe that’s how we can take down the Counts?” I marvel at his stroke of genius.

“A higher court?” Gage scoffs at the idea. “And one run by your mother, no less?” 

Is it my imagination or is Gage vying for asshole of the year?

Logan nods as if agreeing with me. “We can always bring it up, see what she says. But when I talked to her about the tunnels, she mentioned it was earthly warfare, that it was up to us to revolve it.”

I give a hard sigh. “Marshall says they keep their mitts off resolving evil situations. I guess this is one of them.”

“Not if the dead are being brought back to life,” Emma rasps.

“You’re right,” I say. “They crossed the chasm. They should totally be subject to some form of unearthly justice.”

“I have a little girl I’d love to bring back,” Emma mutters under her breath while landing the dirty dishes in the sink with a hostile aggression.

I wish I could bring back Giselle. That would be a treat. Instead, I have to figure out a way to breathe life back into yet another cranky Kragger so I can secure myself a treble and get all of those Celestra souls out of hawk. 

***

“Skyla, what’s really going on?” Gage and I stand in the Oliver’s driveway where I’ve tried three times to convince him that I’m way too exhausted to stick around and watch a movie. Actually, I want to go home to Marshall’s and run all of my insane inklings and theories by him, minus my agreement with Ezrina while they’re still fresh in my mind. Not to mention I sort of need to digest this whole Ellis throwing the region thing, when in my heart, I still can’t believe it.

“Look”—I say, casting a glance to the ground—“if you don’t want to teleport me over, I’ll just ask Logan for a ride.”

He pegs me with those neon surprises nestled in his head and wonders what the hell has gotten into me.

“You don’t trust me,” he whispers in defeat.

I open my mouth to challenge the idea, but the lie won’t come, because deep down inside he’s right.

“Are you coming out to the Cape tomorrow?” Gage hesitates when he asks, as if the slightest wrong inflection could launch us off the edge of the very steep cliff we’ve arrived at.

“Yes, of course. I can’t wait to spend the weekend at the Cape,” I whisper. All of our love, all of our hard-won public affection to get Chloe off our backs, and here we are, eyeing one another as if our relationship could go either way.

Gage leans in and wraps his arms around me warm and tight. The scenery fades then bursts back to life as we appear in Marshall’s driveway. The cold wind circles us with a crisp bite like it were already fall.

He drops a sweet tender kiss on the top of my head and pulls away.

“I love you so much, Skyla.” His eyes glitter under the supervision of the porch light. “When we hurdle this, and I know we will”—he swallows hard—“I’m going to shower you with my affection.” He cradles my cheek in his hand. The light blesses him in just the right way and pays homage to his cutting features. It’s a wonder every female on earth isn’t clawing her way into Gage Oliver’s bed. Gage could amass a harem by midnight, if he wanted. He could put all of Ellis’s best efforts to shame without even trying. “I haven’t done anything wrong. I swear it.” He presses a cool kiss against my lips and disappears.