“Gage?” she calls out as she makes her way to me. “Is everything okay? What is this on the news about aliens? Have you and Gage done this? What does it mean for the Barricade?”
I speed over and wrap my arms around her tightly, bury my face in her hair a moment, wishing to God the entire world would just go away.
“It’s Skyla. She’s put every Faction in jeopardy with this stunt she pulled last night.”
“What?” Her eyes search the room as if trying to piece this together herself. “Skyla cares about every Faction member. Why would she do this? Why would she lay us all out for the government to see?”
“Because she has the ability to hide the markers. And”—I close my eyes a moment because I will hate every word I’m about to utter—“she wants every member of every Faction she lost to come crawling back to her.”
Her hands land against my chest as she pushes away ever so slightly.
“Because you can’t protect them.” Her watery eyes meet with mine. “Wes, maybe it’s time to unite the Factions. I can’t for the life of me figure out what keeps us apart other than the fact both Gage and Skyla want to rule. Let them rule—together. Who the hell cares? The safety of our people is all that matters.”
“Yes, you’re right. But it doesn’t work that way, Laken. You don’t understand. It’s deeper than that. There are consequences that I don’t want to think about if Skyla’s position among the Factions is restored. I cannot let her strong-arm our people into siding with her out of fear.”
A dull laugh bounces through her. “Wes, that’s exactly what you’ve been doing all along. And don’t tell me it’s any different. Work with Skyla. Make her see that we are one people. Makemesee that you care more about the Faction members than you do about holding onto some supreme position you and your brother have garnered for yourselves.”
Laken trembles in my arms, her eyes sparkling with tears. I swallow hard as I take up her hands.
“Laken, you have to know how much I love you. How I would never let anyone or anything stand in our way.”
Her eyes harden over mine, and a chill rides down my spine right to my very soul.
“Oh, I know, Wes. I know exactly how much you love me. But do you know how much I love you? If you did, you wouldn’t work so hard to move things around behind the scenes. You don’t have to fear me leaving you, Wes.” She takes a full step back, taking her hands from mine. “We need to have a talk. Not now with you all worked up over everything happening with the Factions. Wes, this is your moment to do what’s right. Don’t retaliate against Skyla and hurt more people in the process. Come together with her. It’s time to put petty leadership differences aside and do so for the greater good for all. Wes, you have no other choice.”
I shake my head. “You’re wrong, Laken. You have no idea how wrong you are. Please”—I bury a kiss in her hair—“trust me on this.”
Her powder blue eyes press into mine, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say they didn’t trust me in the least.
I speed past her.
“Where are you going?” she calls after me.
“Eversor. I love you, Laken,” I roar it out like the battle cry it is.
Yes, I do love Laken, and that’s exactly why Skyla will never sit on that throne again.
But I love the Barricade, too. I’ve always believed we could do things far better for the Factions. And once I get those damn markers covered, everyone else will think so, too.
But for now, there’s only one way to fix this.
Whoever sides with Skyla dies.
There is no other way.
28
Logan
They say everyone has a breaking point—to each human heart its own elasticity. The line moves a little farther out with each passing horror.
And that has certainly been true for Skyla and me. We’ve been together, separated, dead, on top, on the bottom, tied up, walking through a wall of fire, and submerged with no oxygen left for us to breathe. Something tells me that we’re about to be stretched to capacity once again—and this, on the heels of one of the most precious moments of our lives.
It's November fifteenth. Jaxson is two precious weeks old today. And as much as Skyla and I don’t want to do it, we need to leave him for a short while tonight to meet with Faction members for a briefing. To say the shit has hit the fan would be an understatement.
Neither Gage nor Wes has breathed a word to Skyla or me after our hostile attack on the Barricade.
Nothing. Not one word.
