Don’t fall for his charms,Chloe bleats.He’s the devil in disguise.
A thump of a laugh rolls through me.And I bet that’s exactly what drew you to him in the first place.
Chloe chortles.You do know me well.
Gage nods. “What are you thinking about?”
I step away from this brooding version of the man I once loved as if he were about to deck me.
“What the hell do you care?” I bite the air with my words. “And furthermore, I don’t need to vomit out my thoughts at your feet. You lost certain privileges once you began to slaughter my people. And once you offed me, you lost the rest. My only mission in life is to send you back to paradise where you belong. And I’m not even sure I want to see you once I get there myself.”
He winces as if I struck him.
“Oh please,” I groan, sounding decidedly like Chloe in every capacity. “Don’t act as if you care. Once I eradicate you from the planet, I’ll see about sending the rest of your kind to hell or wherever it is the powers that be see fit to shove you. I really don’t care at this point. We’re irretrievably broken in every capacity. There aren’t enough eternities for me to forgive what you’ve done.”
His lips part, and there’s a pain in his eyes deeper than any I’ve seen before.
Gage exhales as if admitting defeat. “Enjoy your new reality. I have no qualms about mine.”
He tries to step past me, but I block his path.
My chest palpitates with anger. “That you can say it with a straight face is the most frightening thing of all. Look me in the eye, Gage, and tell me you hate me. You hate my people. That you were so looking forward to booting me off the planet. I want to hear the words. I dare you to say them.”
Oh, please,Chloe moans.Dude, the guy killed you. Isn’t that enough proof he hates your guts? It was all an act, and yet you refuse to believe it. Why do you hang onto your delusions so tightly? Spoiler alert: the guy is going to off your kids one day, too. And do you want to know why? Because they’re part Celestra—worse yet, they have Caelestis venom coursing through their veins. All three of them. They’re dead men walking, Skyla. And if you believe otherwise, I was a fool for lending you my body. You’re not fit to reign over the Factions. When are you going to learn that your personal emotions take a back seat to whatever hell Gage wants to impose on you? The best thing you can do is cut ties with this monster. Yes, he’s hot. Yes, he’s hung like a freaking horse. And yes, he’s charming. But on this planet, while you still have my breath and my lungs, he’s untouchable. He is a Fem, Skyla. A lower cast than yourself. He is fire, and not in any good way. Merely spending time in his presence chokes your ability to think straight. Agree or disagree, I’ve never been more right in my life.
Gage leans in. “You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?”
I glance up at those blue orbs he sees the world through.
“No, I didn’t. I was listening to someone far more important.”
Tad barks out an odd sound, calling the room to order once again. Nathan and Barron run past me, and I drink in their adorable squeals, drink down the energy and love they exude without even trying.
“It’s time for me to confess the true nature of my visit,” Tad grunts.
“Visit?” Mom ogles him with fright.
“It’s true. I’m still a ward of the Paragon Police Department.”
I glance to Logan, and he shakes his head as if he doesn’t see where this is headed.
With Demetri steering the ship, it’s hard to tell. And I truly do believe this life event Tad is experiencing is very much being steered by Demetri.
Tad lifts his chin as he looks to my mother. “I’ve got to go back to where I came from. While I’m away from this house, I charge my good friend, Demeet, to take care of you all. Lizbeth, he’ll be stepping into my shoes. So any manly stuff that needs to be done around here will sit squarely on his shoulders.”
I scoff at the lunacy. “Don’t you have sons for that?”
Chloe chortles.Oh, come on, Skyla, he’s talking about screwing your mother. Drake and Ethan have strong stomachs, but they’re not made out of steel.
Tad lifts a brow my way. “My sons have their own lives to lead.”
“They sleep until two in the afternoon and then play video games all day,” I point out without hesitation.
Ethan grunts, “Why are you giving me heck, woman? Are you trying to turn me on?”
Careful, Messenger,Chloe says.He’s been known to wake me up by way of his—
“Okay, okay,” I hiss. “I get it.”
