No, Candace Messenger certainly values her covenants too much to let a couple of Nephilim tie the knot in some unholy union.
Covenants will be made, rings will be exchanged, and their souls will be grafted onto one another until death do they part.
The way it was meant to be from the beginning.
Skyla and Logan.
My name isn’t anywhere near the equation.
9
Logan
The Paragon Bowling Alley, renamed recently the Bowling Barn, has undergone a major transformation in recent years, much like its owner.
Outside, the rain pounds relentlessly at this overgrown rock. It’s the storm of the century, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The roads have turned into milkshake rivers, there is word of school closures, and a couple of older homes on the east end of the island have flooded. Paragon is by and large a land with no seasons, just fog and rain, and the doom and gloom that goes along with it. I’m not sure if it’s the weather, or life in general, but I’m feeling a bit of doom and gloom myself.
Skyla is at Whitehorse with Nathan, Barron, and Jaxson. Nathan and Barron liked Chloe—or at least they tolerated her extremely well while Gage was vaguely married to her. Not surprising since Chloe was on her best behavior with the boys. She was putting her best foot forward in every capacity in an effort to please Gage. And even though that backfired, she did manage to stay on the boys’ good side.
Skyla is leveraging that in her favor. The boys are snuggled up on the couch with her and Jaxson. She sent me a picture of the scene a minute ago. Mercifully her head is out of range, so it really does look as if those boys are with their mother, and they are to an extent.
It’s safe to say I’m spectacularly pissed off at Candace, seeing that I can’t seem to make my way to her heavenly plane. Why, only God, or perhaps Candace knows the real reason behind her sudden cold shoulder toward me. And that’s exactly why I’ve asked my supervising spirit to head this way. Once Marshall arrives, I plan on ditching this planet for far more celestial pastures.
I’m headed to Ahava, and if talking to Candace gets me nowhere, I’ll head to the Justice Alliance. I am so very tired of all the bullshit Gage has gotten away with. I’m so damn furious Rory is in my bed and not the woman I love more than life itself. It’s unfathomable that Candace is allowing this farce to take place.
The rumble of pins knocking over startles me back to my present reality. Surprisingly, the bowling alley has a handful of patrons this afternoon. Bree and Lexy are working the floor, so as soon as Marshall shows that far-too-familiar mug of his, we’re out of here.
The sound of the balls rushing the long tongue of the lanes goes off every few seconds. And every few minutes there’s a wild whoop from some lucky person who just bowled a strike while eighties music blares from the speakers, just the way Lexy likes it.
I may not be dating Lex anymore, but she’s in a serious relationship with the bowling alley, and I don’t mind. She takes damn good care of the place. I’m thankful for it, too. I have enough on my plate with the Factions in disarray. And thankfully, they’re no longer in Hell—now that Skyla is seemingly at the helm, the serum is taking and all of the Nephilim have abandoned Gage. It would seem like it’s just a formality to get Celestra back into its proper heavenly seat, and the Sectors by proxy, but with Rory firmly planted in Skyla’s body, that’s not happening anytime soon. I just don’t want another damn obstacle to hit. I need to do my best to fix this for Skyla, for our people, but in the back of my mind I have a feeling the other shoe is about to drop.
“Logan.”
I turn to find Gage Oliver speeding this way, or as he’s better known these days, the other shoe.
“What’s going on?” I ask as I head his way. “You here for a quick game? It’s not enough that I beat you down on the celestial playing field, you want to get your ass whooped out on the lanes as well?”
A dull chuckle thumps through him. “In the old days I would have said,dude, you wish. And I would have proceeded to kick your ass. But I don’t need to prove myself anymore. And if I were you, I wouldn’t go puffing my chest out. It’ll only come back to bite you in the ass.” He leans in a notch, those eyes of his glowing like warning sirens, and something about it sets off all of the alarms inside of me. “You don’t win. Skyla doesn’t win. I’ve got the ace in my hole, and the Nephilim will be mine in less than an afternoon. So don’t go gloating over what you think you have when I can pull the rug out from beneath you in a moment’s notice. And I will. I’m not sorry about it either. Don’t go crying a river for me or plotting how to get my head screwed on straight. This is just the way it’s meant to be.”
I inch back. “What are you talking about?” Then it hits me. Demetri’s nefarious dealings, the serum he had Ezrina inspect. “Shit. Demetri. Whatever it is he was wagging his dick over, you know about it, don’t you? And now the two of you are armed and dangerous, ready to wreak a little havoc.” My mind searches out all the possibilities. “The serum. Demetri found a way to get his hands on a permanent serum. Didn’t he?” And there goes our idea of leaking it to the Nephilim on an as needed basis. It looks as if we’ll have to beat Gage to the punch and find another way to entice our people to remain loyal to us. Not that they should need it. If anyone doesn’t see what assholes the Fems are, then maybe they should go. “This world has fallen into a pit of despair, Gage. But you don’t really care about the Nephilim, and we’ve already established the fact you don’t care about Skyla. Hell, you killed her, remember? Do you care about the people on this planet as a whole? You’ve affected everything from climate to the employment rate. People are clamoring for a one-world government who will step in and fix this shit.” I take a quick breath. “That’s your big plan, isn’t it, Gage? King of the Nephilim isn’t enough for you. You want to be king of the world, too? I’ve got news for you. Demetri has you tethered to a spiritualTitanic. You are doomed. You have two options as I see it: jump or go down with the ship. And seeing your current track record, I’m betting you choose the latter.”
“My ship isn’t going down, Logan.” He rocks back on his heels, examining me. “I’m in this game. I’m not fighting anymore. I’ve already won. You’ve been beat. Savor any success you might think you have. It’s all you’re going to get.”
“What makes you so sure the Nephilim will turn on a dime? We’ve got the serum, too. There. I’ve just leveled the playing field. Trust me, the people would much prefer it coming from Skyla.” I hope.
He twitches his brows. “Skyla’s got her own troubles. She’s not quite herself these days, now is she?” He glowers at something behind me. “I don’t give a shit if you’re secretly shacking up with Chloe because she’s got a guest in her proverbial home. My intention wasn’t an effort to separate you from Skyla.”
“No, it was an effort to separate Skyla from her people. Now that she has them back, you’re in panic mode. That little serum your daddy is waving in your face? I bet Wesley’s genius is behind it.” His eyes widen, and that alone confirms my suspicions. “Demetri found a way to make it work? That’s sort of a miracle in and of itself, considering you two dodos were completely relying on Wesley’s genius. What makes you think it’s going to be effective?”
“Ezrina confirmed it.”
Shit. Why the hell is she always so damn quick to help the enemy? And now I’ve got one serious bone to pick with her because of it.
A dangerous smile curves his lips. “You look frightened, Logan. Pissed, maybe? A healthy combination of both, perhaps? Don’t overthink it. And before you go shaking down the details of the cocktail from Ezrina, just know that she’s not speaking. We’ve ensured this. But don’t worry. I plan on laying it out for you soon enough.” He winces. “Are you still hopping on the matrimonial express? Switching brides, maybe? The world won’t care too much if you wed Bishop. Rory swings by the house now and again. I’ll make sure to keep her plenty occupied.”
“You really want me to beat you to a pulp, don’t you? I won’t. Sorry to disappoint you, but I make a practice of kicking people who act up out of here. I have to set an example. And I’m positive you won’t be touching Rory. Marshall’s got her on lockdown. Your fat cock will have to find another way to appease itself. Skyla, in all of her embodiments, is off-limits now and forevermore.”
He glances to the exit and his expression softens. “Logan, I can assure you I have never nor will I touch Rory in Skyla’s body. I just like tugging your chain, watching you squirm.”
