Nev nods. “And it doesn’t need to be blood. A simple swabbing of the inside of the cheek produces the same results.” He looks my way. “And you’re right. The government will find a way. But they won’t want to cause a mass hysteria. They’ll have to be creative.”
“Or not,” Dudley offers.
I can’t help but scowl at him. “Aren’t you a ball of sunshine.”
“It’s true. I am.” He flexes an obnoxious grin that dissipates faster than it came. “But I wouldn’t rule out mass hysteria. It’s the most efficient way to rule a mob. You can use this to your advantage.” He steps in. “It must be of your own volition. I cannot hand-feed you something like this.”
“So, you want me to think,” I grunt at the thought because I don’t appreciate head games.
Dudley gives a long blink. “I realize it’s asking a lot of you, but for the sake of your Nephilim brothers and sisters, put on your thinking cap as they say.”
I glance to Brody and Ellis, both offering me their vacant stares.
“Okay. So mass hysteria isn’t the worst option for the government then”—I shake my head—“it’s the worst option for us.”
Dudley rocks back on his heels. “Now you’re catching on.”
“You want me to start up mass hysteria.” I stare out at the wall a moment, and then it comes to me. “Ah, you want me to stir up mass hysteria with the government.”
Coop moans as he sits up. His hands look all but the way they should and his lips have cut down in size.
Brody bounces to his feet as he heads my way. “Mass hysteria with the government.” He looks to Dudley. “What do you want us to do? Send them a letter explaining the fact there are angelic half-breeds roaming the planet?”
Dudley’s cheek pulls back, unimpressed. “Try again.”
Ellis lifts a finger. “We’ll call them and let them know we’re aliens and that they have our alien brothers captive. We’ll tell them there are enough of us to overrun their planet if they don’t hand them over.”
My chest pumps with a laugh I don’t have the energy to give. “It’ll never work.”
Dudley’s chest expands. “It’s the only thing that will.” He glowers at me a moment. “And now I see clearly that Candace bestowed her favor on the wrong Celestra. Clearly, Mr. Harrison is the one who should be in charge.”
“Yes, if you want outlandish ideas,” I shoot back. “Sorry, Ellis, no offense.”
“None taken.”
Dudley smirks my way. “Sometimes outlandish ideas are the only ones that can take you anywhere.” He says something to Ezrina that sounds like gibberish and she and Nev share a quiet laugh. Marshall takes a deep breath while looking my way. “Be prepared for all hell to break loose, Young Oliver.”
“Okay, once we unleash this new plague on our people, then what?”
“Then we keep our foot to their throats. We don’t relent until the proper order of things has been restored.” His crimson eyes darken a notch. “And it will be.”
Coop groans hard as he looks up, his face all but restored to the way it should be. “It will be. We win, Logan. I can all but assure it.”
I’m not feeling so sure. And I don’t stick around to share my uneasiness with what the upcoming months might hold as far as the warfront goes. The only thing I want to focus on is what the upcoming months hold for Skyla and me.
Selfish.
I know.
* * *
Skyla and I pick up the boys. Gage is front and center, as he should be, and it’s a joyous reunion with the boys. Skyla is enormously relieved as if the boys had come back from war rather than preschool for the last four hours. Gage looks as if he feels just as much stress, so I suggest we take the little tikes to the bowling alley to finish the day off in style.
The boys shriek with enthusiasm at the idea and both Skyla and Gage agree, and soon enough we’re right back where we started, in the bowling alley, eating pizza as the boys dive in and out of the ball box with enough enthusiasm to convince me there might be gold at the bottom.
Skyla takes off for the kitchen to talk with a few of the new hires, a couple of girls named Elle and Shay, along with Brielle who still picks up a mercy shift for me now and again. And Gage and I take a seat and watch the boys pulsate in and out of those rainbow-colored spheres.
Barron runs up and kicks Gage in the shin. “Daddy, look! I can swim in da balls!” He runs over and dives on in, headfirst.
