“Skyla.” Laken shakes her head and frowns at my somewhat uncalled for outburst as if she wanted me to apologize.
No, she is not getting an apology out of me. I may just go the rest of my life without apologizing to anyone. The Factions come to mind, all of those dead Noster. There are plenty of other people in line in front of Bree that I might need to beg forgiveness from.
Charlie roots for food around Laken’s chest. Those adorable pouty lips suction to Laken’s skin until she pulls up her shirt and begins nursing her.
“I’m going to have another one.” Laken forces a tight smile Bree’s way. “Wes is up for it, and I want the kids to be close in age.”
Words choke their way right up my throat. “Charlie has a sibling her exact same age—Eli. In fact, they were born the same day. You could not get any closer than that. Please do not entertain that demon in your bed any longer than necessary.” My God, I need to shake Ezrina, Marshall, or my mother until one of them fixes whatever the hell is wrong with Laken. “And I thought you were going to wait until after the holidays to decide between Wes and Coop?” I knew it was bullshit the second she spewed it.
Laken averts her eyes. “He’s not Gage, Skyla. You can stop having a transference issue with him.” Her tone is snippy, and her gaze cuts slyly in my direction before reverting to the babe in her arms.
“I can’t breathe.” I spring to my feet. “Em, please watch the boys.”
Emily groans as she cranes her neck back in that direction. “No, Messenger.” That stone-cold, almost corpse-pale face of hers glowers my way. “You’re always running away when the going gets tough. You put us in a shithole. And, as an appointed leader, you need to stomp this fire out instead of running away from it.”
Holy crap. I’m going to break all kinds of records by skinning three witches in less than five minutes.
“Let her go.” Bree waves me off. “I’ll watch the brats. We know you’re pissed because Gage chose Chloe. Heck, I was pissed at first, but I got over it and you’ll get over it, too.”
If it’s at all possible for steam to come from my ears, it’s happening now.
“I’m going to pass out, or maim,” I whisper mostly to myself.
Bree gags as she rolls her eyes. “Relax, Skyla. Logan is up at bat next and he’s freaking hot. Not a lot of people are feeling sorry for you.” She glances to Em momentarily before looking back at me. “We had to talk Lex off a cliff literally when she found out. She knows this was the nail in their casket. Lex and Logan’s ship names were still Lex and Logan. Sure, they would have been adorable, but you and Logan are a classic. You’re getting your true love comeback. People would die to have that. Lex would give her left boob. And you know what?” She looks to Em and Em shakes her head ever so slightly as if she knew what word vomit was about to spew from Bree’s mouth next. “No, I’m going to say it. I’m happy about it. I’m happy that both of my best friends get to be with the loves of their life. You and Logan and Chloe and Gage.”
A living rage percolates from me. All I see is red.
Bree stands and starts backing up, her hand held out as if to stop me from advancing.
“Come on, Skyla.” Her breathing grows erratic as if she were expecting a decapitation, and she should. “You had Gage for years. You knew whose son he is. You knew he had a destiny to fulfill.” Her eyes sharpen over mine, and for a brief moment I see someone else entirely inside of her. “If you had just thought a little more with your head and not your emotions, you wouldn’t be in this predicament and neither would your people.”
“You have a death wish,” I breathe the words as my feet carry me to her.
“No, Skyla. I don’t.” She knocks a lawn chair down between us. “I’m sorry. I thought you might need to hear it. Sometimes you need your very best friend to tell you all the hard things.” She’s panting now as I circle that silly piece of plastic she set in my way.
Brielle darts for the trailer she and Drake live in, set in the middle of the Landon backyard. The fog billows in our wake as I bolt after her. I have never so much thought a bad thing about Bree, but I want to kill her. I want to inflict pain on her. Make her pay for the obscenities that flew from her mouth. Those warped and twisted words that painted such a gruesome picture. I catch her by the shoulders, spin her hard, and slam her into the aluminum house with so much fervor an impression of her body indents into the tin can. Her eyes roll back into her head, her knees give way, and I hold her up.
“Oh my God,” I pant in disbelief as my best friend hangs limp in my arms. “Bree, wake up. I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry.”
She shakes her head and her strawberry blonde curls bounce over her shoulders. “I’m fine, Skyla.” It comes out airy as she struggles to catch her breath.
“You meant what you said. You’re happy for Chloe.” I shake my head, incredulous. “You have always loved her.”
Bree’s eyes glow crimson as fresh tears fill them.
“My life’s mission is to kill your best friend, Brielle. I’m going to kill her. She will die by my hands. And if you have a problem with that, we can’t be friends anymore. Understand?”
Her eyes widen a notch as my words settle deep in her bones. She gives a weak nod and I head back where Laken rises to meet me, that sweet babe nuzzling away at her breast.
“I live to destroy Wesley Edinger.” I shake my head at her. “If you are not for me, you are against me. I’m afraid this is where we part ways, Laken. I am all through entertaining my enemies.”
I brush past her and Em steps into my path, those large dark eyes examining me, looking into the nexus of my being as if she sees the real me.
“There is only one strategy that will work to destroy your enemy.”
I soak her in, pale as a creature that lives under a rock.
“What strategy is that, Em?”
