“I know you do.”
Chloe scoffs. “Somebody stick a pipe wrench down my throat and gag me. Congratulations, Skyla and Logan. Once again, the two of you are doing your best to usurp this moment of joy away from Gage and me, not that it were possible. And I’m actually happy for the two of you.” That unnatural grin of hers takes over as she scuttles in close. “We were pregnant together while I was having Tobie and you were having the boys, and it looks as if fate and your mother, the fertility goddess in the sky, has smiled on us once again. Bree is throwing me a shower this summer. I’m sure she’d love to make it a doubleheader. Isn’t this something? You’re having Logan’s child and I’m having Gage’s. Things have finally turned out just the way they were supposed to for us West girls. And Laken—let’s not forget our precious Lakey Poo. She’s having Wesley’s spawn—finally.” She gives me a hearty wink because we all know Charlie belongs to Coop. “I guess dreams do come true. So it does beg the question—what are the two of you going to do now? Let me guess. You’re going to Disneyland? Or maybe you’ll just cut to the chase and take a quick jaunt upstairs so Skyla can show you her bippity boppity boobs?”
“That’s enough, Chloe,” Gage grumbles. “I think we should go.”
“Yes”—I’m quick to agree with Gage for once—“drop her off at Raven’s Eye and make all of my dreams come true today.”
It seems all Gage does lately is reprimand Chloe and do his best to herd her away from polite society. I bet he has a serious case of buyer’s remorse.
“Who’s leaving the party?” a female voice chirps from behind and we turn to find my doppelgänger standing there. For the briefest of moments, I think it’s my mother, Candace, the one who gifted me her countenance as a parting gift once I left her uterus, but something in me instinctually knows it’s Rory, my sister.
“Rory.” I head over and offer her a firm embrace. “Logan and I are going to have a baby.” I look to Logan and run back to him with a tackling hug. “My God. I’m so happy, Logan. It’s the last thing I would have dreamed of, and yet it’s a blessing beyond measure.” I pull back, only to be met with tears in his eyes. Logan lands a precious kiss to my lips.
“I love you, Skyla. I’m beyond elated to add another child to our family.”
My chest bucks with emotion. “Thank you for that.” I know that Logan regards the boys as his own, and they are. More so than they belong to the monster behind him.
Rory lifts her head to Gage. “And are you beyond elated?”
Chloe scoffs. “Please, my husband and I are both ecstatic for these two for putting their baby-making skills in high gear.” She pulls Gage in by the waist. “Isn’t that right, honey? We have no animosity toward the two of them. We wish them nothing but health and happiness.”
Marshall growls and I think Ezrina just openly retched.
Nat expels a sigh before pulling Logan and me into an embrace. “At least she believes her lies. Congrats, guys.”
Lex grunts out something along the same sentiment and they take off back to their own personal hobby lobby. Ezrina and Nev offer up a hearty congratulations.
Nev lands a soft kiss to my cheek. “My love, you do realize this child is special,” he whispers directly into my ear. “I’d don that protective hedge if I were you just to be safe.”
“I will,” I’m quick to assure him before turning to Ezrina. “And I want a full report on what you find regarding Holden and Serena. I’ll be checking in with you every day.”
“I expect nothing else. Oh and Skyla? I’ll need your vomit to be contained. I’ll be by to bring you a bucket. I’ll be curious to see the effects of it when mixed with the soil I’ve procured from the Transfer. The last mushrooms that sprouted were excellent for regeneration purposes but not quite enough on their own. I’m guessing this pure Celestra knitting in your womb will produce that much more of a potent supply.” She looks to the boys and Alice who seem to be consumed with a pile of felt puppets. “I’ll take the boys home with me for a bit. Pick them up whenever you wish.” She gives a sly wink before she and Nev herd the miniature crew farther down this labyrinth.
Marshall swoops in, and the next thing I know he’s fully ensconced me in his muscular arms, those feel-good vibratronics are soothing me already.
He tips my chin up a notch gently and penetrates me with his heated gaze. “I love you. You are mine. But for a time, you will be with another.”
“Dudley,” Logan growls it out like a threat and a small giggle rides up my throat. I can’t help it. I’m too giddy to deny myself a single second of joy.
“Nevertheless.” Marshall clasps me gently by the cheeks and plants a stunner of a kiss square over my lips, and a rocket of indescribable impulses rips through me like a tornado of wanton desire.
“What the hell.” Logan clips him with his shoulder and Marshall dissolves slowly in a blur of molecules dancing out of place.
“Congratulations, Skyla. Congratulations to you, too, Master Logan. Your child will undoubtedly be pretty—and blessed. It will certainly be blessed. All of my love. You are forever mine.” And just like that, his voice fades to nothing.
“On that note.” Chloe takes Gage by the hand. “Why don’t we leave the lovebirds alone and head back to our own love nest?”
Rory bubbles with laughter. “Love nest.” Her demeanor and tone are suddenly dead serious. “How very lucky of you.” She takes a step in toward Chloe, her every mannerism like my own. It’s eerie, uncanny, and I wonder if it’s dangerous, too. “Gage Oliver must be a superior lover.” She shrugs Chloe’s way. “The things those strong hands must do to you, that oven-hot mouth riding all over your body.”
“Rory.” I’m suddenly moved to kick my big sister. “I certainly don’t want to hear it.” But she doesn’t take her eyes off Chloe.
“You are a lucky, lucky girl.” Her eyes widen a notch as she sinks her gaze from the queen of mean to the king of jackasses himself. Gage glares at my sister, and if I didn’t know better, there’s a threat buried in there somewhere. “Enjoy him.” Rory takes a brazen step in toward Gage and all of her anger is pinned on him. “Enjoy the traitor who turned his back on his people, his wife, and ultimately his children.” She huffs a dull laugh in his face. “He’ll deny that last part, but there is no denying the fact those children are more Celestra than they are the garbage he’s manufactured from. And the next time you decide to gouge my sister’s people—do consider that for every life you take, your own sons will loathe you that much more once they’re old enough to realize what you’ve done. You’ll be slipping in the filth of your own mess for the rest of eternity.” Her lips curl up at the tips as if it were an inside joke. “Go on, run away with your little tail between your legs. You’re not wanted here. Not either of you. Go on—shoo.”
Rory makes a sport of waving them off, but Gage steps boldly past her.
“Congratulations again.” He nods our way. Those intense blue eyes of his stagnate over mine a moment too long. He looks down at the floor before turning around. “I love you both.”
My heart sinks a moment, and my adrenaline picks up again. I’m not sure Gage understands what love is. Love doesn’t kill and destroy the one they propose to care about and then do it again for sport.
Gage takes up Chloe’s hand and turns my way as if to make sure I was watching, a knife to the heart, and yes, Gage, I saw it.
Chloe bubbles with a laugh as she turns our way. “We’ll see you back at the house! We’ll pick up a pizza. Our treat. Is there anything else you would like? I’m sure that baby Logan planted in your belly has you craving something special—other than more of his or her daddy, of course.” She bats those doe eyes my way, dark and cold like the deepest part of the ocean.
I want to tell her that I’m craving my people and my husband back—not that I would trade Logan out for him. Nope. I just wish Gage could wake up and see what’s happened to him. He would have nailed himself in a casket had he known what hell he was about to dive into
head-on.
Gage pins me with his stare before shooting Logan with spears, but something in his features softens as if he were emotionally acquiescing.
“I’m happy for you both,” he says it low, just above a whisper, and they take off for the stairs.
Rory laughs as they leave. “Goodbye!” she calls out as if she had the upper hand.
“Where have you been? What are you up to?” I had planned on asking the first question, but the second streamed out as if it had to.
Rory rolls her eyes and looks more like Mia than me in the action.
“Who cares where I’ve been. I’m here.” She takes a step forward. “I’m working for you behind the scenes.” Her hand cradles my cheek, and I can feel her as sure as if she was in the flesh and this frightens me on an intrinsic level. “I’m taking care of the things you can’t, little sister. And it will all masterfully come together—soon. I promise.”
“What are you doing?” My voice shakes. I’m so horrified by her words, by what her response might be that it feels as if I’m about to fly right out of my own flesh.
She lunges forward and kisses Logan on the cheek. “All will be revealed in time.” She begins to fade to nothing. “And you will both prosper greatly because of it.”
“Oh God.” My stomach rolls at the thought of what it might be. “And what about Shaddai? He’s still at Marshall’s!” I shout, but I’m left with silence on her end because she’s off to the races without her horse. “Why do I get the feeling she needs a spiritual leash?”
“Your mother is her spiritual leash.”
I wince as I take a quick look around. “Hey? Have you noticed she hasn’t shown yet? I mean, even my long-lost sister came out of the spiritual woodwork to wish us well. And my mother is staunchly obsessed with you.”
A dark rumble of a laugh expels from him. “I’m thinking that your mother has wisely noted that we’re alone for the first time in forever.” His eyes sweep gently over mine because I know for a fact Logan doesn’t want to overstep his bounds. We haven’t slept together since that fateful day—or should I say days—last month and I’m about to rectify that.
“Race you upstairs.” I start to take off and Logan swoops me off my feet.
“Don’t you dare think I’m going to let you run wild with our baby nestled in your body.” He lands a smooth kiss over my lips, and the next thing I know the door to his bedroom slams shut and he lands me delicately onto the mattress. “Our bedroom,” Logan is quick to correct my internal dialogue.
“Our bedroom.” I meant to parrot it back to him, but it came out sounding like a question. “I guess this baby means things are about to change.”
“They’ve already changed, Skyla.” He brushes a gentle kiss to my cheek and I can feel his spastic breathing from the jaunt over warming me.
“I know. But I’m still—”
“Not ready to leave the Landons’. I realize that,” he whispers. “And I know that despite what we’ve been through you’re still healing from what that idiot nephew of mine did to you.” He pulls back and bears those citrine-colored eyes into mine. “But I love you. And you love me. Our time has come, and I don’t want to give him or anyone else a second of it. Marry me, Skyla. I don’t have a ring on me, but I have something stronger, far more costly than gold—I have my entire life to give you if you’ll have it. Make me the happiest man alive and be my bride once again.”
“Yes!” It bounces from me with a laugh. “We can do it this afternoon.”
Logan pulls back and winces. “No. I mean yes, that would be nice, but I don’t think we can pull it off properly. Skyla, I want to give you the world. I’m talking big puffy white dress, or short black dress, or whatever kind of dress you want to wear, but I want to give you a wedding, a real wedding with everyone we know watching as we finally make things right.”
I nod through tears. “Logan, you have the biggest heart. But I swear to you, I don’t need those things to make me happy.”
“Let’s make a memory, Skyla. Let’s outdo every wedding this island has ever seen. I want our day to shine like a diamond and for the glare to follow us right into eternity. I want to gift you everything good that life has to offer. Please, don’t deny me the opportunity to bless you in every single way. I live to love you. And I want to start our family off with a bang.”
A dull laugh creeps up my throat as I take his hand and gently place it over my belly. “That is exactly how we started our family, Logan Oliver.”
“And soon enough, we will be holding our baby girl back in our arms right where she belongs.”
“Angel is coming back to us.” I nod through a steady stream of tears. “I have no doubt our baby girl is on her way. Nev said I should start wearing the protective hedge regularly once again.”
“He’s right. She will be powerful. She was prophesied and manifested by your mother. As much as your mother loves us, she’s been gunning for this little girl to have a chance at life.”
“For a chance to rule Celestra. I can’t help but think I’ve just been warming her seat.”
“Not true,” Logan is quick to assure me. “You are a leader in your own right. And you will lead Celestra back to victory. On your own. I’m just your side guy. I have faith in you, Skyla. When the time is right, you will land yourself back where you belong and your people will live in safety.”
“You always know the right things to say, Logan.” I swallow hard as I pull him down over me closer. “Now show me that you have the right moves to match.”
He winces as he inches up on his elbows. “Skyla, I don’t want to hurt the baby.”
“Are you kidding? I don’t want to turn your stomach, but I didn’t exactly abstain with the boys. And that’s long after I lost Sage. That was not my doing.”
He lands a chaste kiss to my lips.
“You can’t hurt the baby by loving me as rough and dirty as you wish,” I say the words right over his mouth. “All right. Enough anatomy lessons for one day. Just know this. My hormones are going to be all over the place and my need for a Logan Oliver love injection will be off the charts.” I bite down on a nervous smile. “Please don’t make me beg for it.”
A dark laugh brews in his chest. “How about a little bit of begging?”
“Only because I know you think you’ll hurt the baby.” I press my hands over his back. “But let me assure you—you can be as gentle or as rough as you want because we both know my mother isn’t letting this sweet angel go anywhere.”
He winces. “You do have a convincing point.” Logan leashes his mouth to mine, hot, driven with desire, with relief, and with everything in between. We untangle ourselves from our clothes and indulge in loving one another thoroughly and to our fill. My affection for Logan has always been electric, our passion fueled with an explosive fervor that I have never felt before.
There has always been something that has felt eminent about Logan and me, our lives, our bodies always driving toward one another. No matter where we were on this planet, no matter who we were with, the compass of our souls always pointed in one another’s direction.
A part of me believes that it was our strong desire for one another that forced my mother’s hand to break through time continuums, resurrect the dead, restore and make whole our bodies, our circumstances until we were standing in front of one another. This universe and its bylaws were not potent enough to withhold us from where we needed to be.
I will forever contest the fact that Gage was some conciliatory prize, the Gage that I knew, that Logan knew. But that doesn’t change the fact that it was Logan who was my true destiny, the one that all of creation waited to come to fruition.
It is no surprise to me that it will be our child that will aid in healing this wound that has inflicted our people. Logan himself is a balm. Only he can satiate my body and soul and bring me the true healing that my own life requires. Yes, I vowed not to place another in charge of my emotions. And no, I am not doing that. What Logan and I share is somet
hing beyond the ecstasy our physical love for one another can offer. We share the promise of bringing justice to our people, and protecting the human race from the evil powers that be.
We will die for that cause.
One of us already has.
Logan devours my flesh. His hot mouth tracks over my skin, searing me in the most pleasurable way. We wrestle it out, hug it out, belt out every cry that our lungs demand. This is no-holds-barred. We may have boarded this coital train last month, but this time we are giving our bodies the stamp of approval to repeat the effort as much and as often as we desire. We’re no longer in hiding, ashamed, second-guessing our need for one another. We are affirming what our hearts already knew. We are right. This is our time, right here, right now, and we will never surrender our love to another again.
Logan trembles over me and lets out a righteous roar, his head tipped back to where I can see the muscles in his jaw distended. He falls over me in a heated heap, his sticky flesh over mine as he rolls to the side and pulls me close.
His amber eyes are glossed over, his breathing erratic.
“Damn, you’re beautiful.” He presses a molten kiss to my lips. “Are you okay?”
“I’m great, and the baby is even better because it is both healthy and blissfully unaware of what just transpired.” I consider my words for a moment. “She is both healthy and blissfully unaware.”
“She.” A smile expands over his lips. “We’re going to have a daughter.”
“And the boys will love her.” A single tear streams down my cheek. “How I miss our precious baby girl. I cannot wait to hold her in my arms again.”
All Hail the King (Celestra Forever After Book 6) Page 34
