37
Skyla
The party has reached that level of chaos where you start wondering if Ellis’ parents are going to come home to find their house burned down or converted into a crime scene.
Bodies press against me from every direction as I push through the dimly lit rooms, the air thick enough to chew on a cocktail of ethanol, weed, and enough testosterone-fueled cologne to choke a horse. The bass thumps so hard through the sound system that my ribs vibrate with each beat, and conversations have devolved into shouting matches just to be heard over the musical assault.
My chest feels like it’s wrapped in barbed wire as I weave between clusters of drunk teenagers, scanning faces for any sign of Gage. Every face that isn’t his sends the panic climbing higher, threatening to choke me.
The air is toxic, so I try not to inhale too deeply—the combination of marijuana and whatever Ellis is serving from those plastic trash cans he calls punch bowls could knock out a linebacker, and I need to be fully present for this moment.
My heart races just thinking about a reunion with Gage. How I miss his arms around me, his desperately tender kisses, and the way he looks at me as if I’m the only girl on the planet—the only girl he would ever want on the planet.
Candace Messenger has never been a fan of Gage Oliver. In fact, if anything, she has a sharp aversion to him. And now that I know Demetri’s proximity to Gage, I can understand why.
Candace and Demetri have had a complicated romantic history, to say the least. Come to think of it, so has my mother—Lizbeth Landon. I’m sensing a running theme here, which is not surprising. Demetri’s toxicity is off the charts. And apparently, so is Candace Messenger’s.
And after having a second to think on it, I’m pretty sure the child my mother—Crazy Candy—is trying to erase from existence is one of the triplets, one of the boys, to be exact. They have enough of my Celestra genes to be powerful, and enough of Demetri’s wicked seed in them to be twice as diabolical. Not that they’re wicked—they’re anything but. But then again, it could be Eden or Jaxson who turns, for all I know.
Regardless of which child she’s pinpointed for eternal extinction, there’s no way in heaven or hell I’m letting her touch any one of my kids. And for that reason, I’m going to track down Gage Oliver tonight and make him fall in love with me all over again. I’m going to pledge my allegiance, offer up my body, do whatever it takes.
Gage and I are getting back on track tonight, no matter what timeline I’m from, and no matter who else I might be married to at the moment. I’ve never been so determined to right a wrong in all my life.
“Excuse me,” I mutter, squeezing past a couple making out against the wall with enough enthusiasm to qualify as a public health hazard.
It’s honestly shocking that the cops haven’t been called by now. Usually, by this point in any of Ellis Harrison’s parties, Paragon’s finest show up to break things up and send everyone scurrying likeroaches when the lights come on. Maybe the authorities are busy with actual crimes tonight, or maybe they’ve just given up trying to control the inevitable teenage disaster that happens every Friday night.
I check the kitchen, where someone has turned beer pong into what appears to be a full-contact sport.
No sign of Gage.
My breathing gets shallower as I push through to the living room, where the coffee table has been turned into an impromptu dance floor and at least six people are conducting a very thorough striptease.
Still no Gage.
The panic claws at my ribs now, making it hard to think straight. What if he’s already left? What if he’s so disgusted with me that he’s gone home to write angry poetry about betrayal and the futility of love? What if I’ve lost him forever because I was stupid enough to kiss Marshall for a vision that might not even help us? Scratch that. Marshall’s vision gave me perfect clarity. And as angry and hurt as Gage might have been to witness it, that portal to the future is what will ultimately reunite us and save our family.
I’m about to bolt for the Oliver house when I spot Emily and Kate huddled together near the sliding glass door, their heads bent in that gossipy way that usually means someone is about to get their reputation obliterated—usually me.
“Em! Kate!” I call out, practically sprinting toward them through a group of guys arguing about whetherDie Hardis a Christmas movie.
According to both Logan and Gage, it so is.
Both girls look up as I approach, and something passes between them—a look that makes my insides do a revolution.
“Have you seen Gage?” The words tumble out of me in a rush, and I can feel the desperation written all over my face.
Emily’s lips curve into a malevolent smile, and she exchanges another loaded glance with Kate before looking my way.
“Where is he?” I grab Emily’s shoulders, my fingers digging into her jacket as I give her a shake. “Emily, where is Gage?”
She gives me one swift push, effectively removing me from her person as her expression shifts from smug to annoyed. “He’s busy with Chloe, doing things that definitely don’t require your participation.”
“What?” I riot as her words hit me like a sledgehammer to the heart. My mouth falls open, and suddenly there’s not enough air to fill my lungs as I stagger.
Kate’s laughter spills out, sharp and unhinged. “But knowing kinky Chloe, she might extend an invite for you to watch.”
“Yeah, right,” Emily adds, clearly savoring my pain. “Chloe Bishop would never share Gage with you. She wants him all to herself, and honestly? I don’t blame her.”
