Time seems to still as I look to Tobie with her desperate pleading—no mother would come to rescue her. I look to Angel,myAngel, my flesh and my bones, my love child with Logan. She has the very breath of God in her miraculous lungs before the union of her parents ever came to be. She is so very loved, so very wanted. She is a light to this aching wet world. She owns my heart. She owns Logan’s. I’m sure she is so very vital to the Factions, to humanity, to my mother. And that’s when I know what I have to do. I glance over to Angel as she screamsMa Mathrough anguished tears, her face wrinkled in horror as she begins to gag and thrash. But my feet drift in the opposite direction. In a burst of fury and rage, with a wild scream locked in my throat, I burst through the door penning in Tobie and scoop her scorching, bucking body in close to mine. Tears stream down my face, hot and heavy, as the flames race to the other side of the room, Angel’s cries roaring wild like that of cat in agony. And in a moment, the room lights up ethereal blue. A violet shadow in the familiar shape of my mother swoops toward my baby, and just like that, Angel and Candace Messenger are no more. My chest bucks with pain as I press my lips together to keep from crying out. I wrap myself around Tobie with all my strength and get the hell out of there. I chose the girl that nobody would have come for, and in doing so I lost my daughter—perhapsforever.
The room floods with flames as we make our way to the narrow door, the smoke too thick to see through. I land us both on the floor and grope for walls, for something familiar that might lead us out of this hell in the right direction. But soon, I’m left groping at nothing but air, the smoke crushing down to the floor, the heat too hot to bear. My lungs ache as I struggle for my next breath, and Tobie claws at my chest as if doing the same. My body bucks as my lungs seize. This is it. I’ve done this to myself with those wasted moments of indecision, and now both Tobie and I will die. The flames circle around me, the smoke lies over us like a casket as my last breath leaves mylungs.
And then like a dream, a light shines over me, a body lands softly over mine, over Tobie, and the room melts away tonothing.
On a good day,Tenebrous smells like the armpit of a sweaty wrestler, but this day, this moment, Tenebrous is delivering the sweetest perfume—air, sweet, albeit pungentair.
Tobie sucks in such a violent breath, and it sounds like a whistle. Her little body grows rigid before loosening as a wailing cry extinguishes from herlungs.
“Tobie!” Wesley roars, wasting no time in snatching her from my arms, and I can’t blame him. I would have done the same if the roles, the children, were reversed. “Shit,” he pants over her as he peppers her with kisses. “Thank you, Skyla. My God, thank you.” He pulls me into a hard embrace, his face buried in my neck a moment, and it’s an odd feeling, considering this is Tenebrous, the very location Wesley drained me of my blood to strengthen his powers not so long ago. That’s the only reprieve we’ve been given in this new war. Celestra blood isn’t in demand the way it used to be.Thankfully.
“You’re welcome.” I look past him as Gage carefully extracts me and pulls me back into the safety of his arms where I belong—where I’ve always belonged and always will. “And thank you for saving me—all of us.” I glance past him at the dead reunited, sharing their war stories as a badge of honor. There is laughter and joy and not one ounce of pain, and my heart is fullagain.
Logan comes up fast with his face piqued with color, his eyes rife with worry. “Where isshe?”
“Logan.” I shake my head. “I’m so sorry.” I close my eyes a moment before looking to Tobie as she smiles up at her father. The love in Wesley’s eyes lets me know I made the right decision. I tell Logan and Gage what happened, reducing those terrible agonizing moments into less than a couple of simplesentences.
“Come here.” Logan wraps his arms around me in love. “I’m sorry you had to make a decision like that.” He pulls back, holding me steady by the shoulders. “I want you to know that you made the rightone.”
“Angel is safe.” Gage wraps his arm around my waist. “Your mother wouldn’t have rescued Tobie. There was no other choice tomake.”
Laken and Ellis come up, both looking slightly shaken yet furious at the circumstances, and we share a quickembrace.
“Where is she?” Laken’s features crumble as if she’s already surmised the worst, and I tell her quickly, assuring her there was no otherway.
Ingram helps to give the resurrected water to drink and encourages them to settle in the building behind us for respite. Soon, my mother will be here to transport them back where they belong—bodies in the ground, spirits in thesky.
One by one they come by and thank me for the opportunity to serve, for the rescue they weren’t expecting. They look at me like I’m some sort of a hero, and I don’t feel that way at all. To the Videns—who are essentially my people, despite the fact they chose to side with the Barricade—I am for sure no hero. Soon, I’ll be adevil.
The bulk of the dead vanish into the building behind us where some of these very people lost their lives to begin with. A fresh, familiar face comes barreling at me with an ear-to-eargrin.
“Casey!” I fall over her with a hearty embrace. “Where were you? Logan said your cell wasempty!”
“It was.” She steps back and makes a face. “I decided I was lonely, and they let me stay with the mean girls.” She glances back at a trio of brunettes, and I smile because I know them all and love them. “It turns out they’re not so mean after all. We have a ton in common. It looks as if I’ve made a few new eternalfriends.”
I nod with a laugh. “I suppose lifelong would be tooshort.”
We get lost in a quick group hug as Logan and Gage join in on the effort. Before too long, the last of the dead are making themselves at home, and all feels right with this twistedworld.
Pierce comes up, and I embrace him withouthesitating.
“Dude, that was no joke. I’m glad you stepped in when you did. As much as any of us wanted to serve, it was a tough pill to swallow.” He starts to head toward the building, and I pull himback.
“No, wait. You should come back to Paragon and say goodbye. I’m sure my mother will be by soon to take both you and Katehome.”
“Paragon?” His eyes light up like a little boy atChristmas.
“Yes, Nat would kill me if I denied her the right to saygoodbye.”
“Thanks, man.” He pulls me in and swings me around. “I’d better say goodbye to a few of the folks here real quick.” He takes off toward thebuilding.
I look to Ellis and Laken. “What about Emerson and Holden? Were they taken withyou?”
“No,” Logan answers for them. “They took off. They were neverarrested.”
“Useless per usual. But I’m glad they’re safe.” I look to Gage and press my lips together until they’re white as paper. “It’s time to initiate the rest of theplan.”
Brody comes up, breathless. “We did it.” He offers up a high five my way, and I take him up on it. “Nowwhat?”
