“Shit.” I look around at the bevy of stunned faces, almost all of them one of us, otherworldly beings by design, descendants of the Nephilim—and I don’t waste a moment. “Run!” I roar as I help Skyla up and send her into the woods with Gage. Kate jumps to her feet, startled, and I’m half-afraid her head will roll right off. “Go after them!” I help her hurdle the chair knocked over in their wake, and she bolts like hell. The entire damn party scatters likeants.
But I don’t take off. I head straight for a pack of them with my arms heldhigh.
I run straight into thefire.
Standing with the Angels
Skyla
“Skyla!”Gage thunders as I shove Barron into Kate’sarms.
“Go with him,” I hiss as I take off back in the direction of the party—theraidas it had easily transformed into—and just as I’m about to hit the clearing, a body tackles me and sends me reeling on myheels.
I pull back, momentarily blinded by a face full of long darkhair.
“Chloe?” I blink at my new sinister sister. “What thehell?”
“Get back here!” Gage roars with a fury as he snatches me by thewrist.
Chloe’s nostrils flare as she sets those dead eyes over me. “Don’t worry. I’m not letting her go.” She smacks me just shy of my temple. “You nitwit! You’re going to get yourself detained, and then who the hell will help the plight of yourpeople?”
“Ourpeople,” I correct as Gage aggressively leads us back to the thicket where Kate holds two startled babies who look as if they’re about to burst intotears.
“Hold on.” Gage pulls us into a tight huddle, his hot mouth buried over my hair. I watch as the ground of Marshall’s estate turns to ash, and I feel like a coward. I should have fought tooth and nail to get backthere.
And do what, Skyla?Chloe asks the question as the world around us transforms into a familiarlandscape.
“The Transfer?” I gasp as the gray world comes into focus. The skeletal trees, the parched ground, the deep violet sky, and, of course, the hungry mouth of Wesley’s castle waiting to swallow uswhole.
“We’ll be safe here.” Gage ushers us in as if he owns the place, a frightening thought in theleast.
“Seemingly so,” I pant, keeping up the pace while taking Barron from Kate’s overloaded arms. She holds tight to Nathan while soaking in the horrors of this monolithic hellhole with wide-eyed wonder. “Chloe, take us to Tobie’s room. We’ll have the boys stay there.” I turn to Gage. “Get Ezrina and bring her here. She can watch the boys, and she’ll be safe aswell.”
Gage offers a dry smile as we follow Chloe into the bowels of this slate-walled, slate-floored ode to stone and steel wonder. The entire structure is gothic in nature and the interior motif morbid in style. Instead of your average family pictures running along the hall, Wes has an array of sabers hung precariously as if inviting his guests to arm themselves if need be. And believe me, the need will always be there. It’s safe to say Lex wasn’t asked to work her magic in this hellscape. As much as Lex and I rub each other the wrong way, I’ll be the first to admit she’s got a gift when it comes to outfitting a homey interior. Wes has a gift for outfitting a precariousone.
“The zookeepers’ favorite cage.” Chloe kicks the door open to a docile nursery that looks shockinglyfamiliar.
“Holy—wow, is this my old furniture?” I run straight over to my old canopy bed with its wicker frame and ruffled topper. The covers jerk, inspiring me to jump back while shielding Barron from the boogieman about to leap from my oldbed.
A girl sits up, messy golden brown hair, sleepy eyes, and it’s not until she blinks to life do I note the striking resemblance to my good friend. It’s Laken’s knockoff—KresleyFisher.
“What the hell’s going on?” she moans as if she hadn’t quite caught up on hersleep.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” I growl at her before heading over to the crib and landing Barron inside. “Not only does Wes take advantage of you, but he keeps you stowed away as thenanny.”
Gage takes Nathan from Kate and lands him next to his brother. “Wes is proving to be quite the utilitarian.” He lands a quick kiss to my lips. “I’ll beback.”
I grip his arm as if he were threatening to leave me. “I’m going with you.” I nod to Kate. “Watch the boys. We’ll be back as soon as we can. Chloe can’t be trusted, and neither can that skank on the bed who’s still trying to decipher if this is all adream.”
Kresley grunts. “I can hear you,Skyla.”
“And ignore her, would you?” I implore poor Kate who has to endure a fate worse than death—time alone with Kres and Chloe. “The boys will be getting hungry soon, but I’m sure Ezrina will know what to do. She’s practically raising Tobie.” I glare at Chloe a moment. “Apparently, motherhood isn’t foreveryone.”
Chloe blows a breath through her nostrils. “Hell no tothat.”
“I’ll be back soon.” Gage storms out, and I follow him to the doorway. “Skyla, I’m not taking you withme.”
“What?” I hook my arm around his in a lame attempt to protest. “You are taking me, Gage. I have to get back. I need to assess the damage—help whoever I can. Any powers the boys have gifted have all but faded. I need your help to get back toParagon.”
