“You do realize I would gladly watch the kids while you showered.”
“Well, you can’t.” She hikes up on her tiptoes and takes a bite out of my lower lip. “Because you happen to shower with me.”
“I do like to do my part to conserve water.”
A giggle bounces from her. “Do you hear that drumming against the windows? That’s called rain. It has been raining nonstop on Paragon since Jaxson was born. If this keeps up, we’re going to get married in an ark.”
“Marrying you anywhere sounds like a good idea.” I land a heated kiss to her lips and linger.
“Skyla?” her mother calls from the family room. “Skyla, please pump for me. I need to fill up my pouches so I can feed Jaxson while you’re gone.”
She pulls back and moans. “Are you sure we can’t bring him? I just know everyone would love to see him.”
I wince as I glance out the window. “The rain isn’t letting up. There will be far too many people and loud music. Have I mentioned germs?” I swipe my finger over her cheek. “I’ll leave the last call to you, but my vote is a warm, dry Jaxson who doesn’t have to listen to Ellis blast heavy metal before it’s his time.”
She wrinkles her nose. “You’re so right. Come on. I need to pump my udders. They’re as hard as bowling balls.”
We head into the family room, and it’s a virtual who’s who of the Landon house. The pre-K crowd is present and accounted for, blissfully playing with a pile of fat Legos.
“Uncle Loggie!” Barron runs up, his face so painfully identical to his father’s it wrenches my heart anew each time I see it. “Nate and me are building a clubhouse just for boys. No girl dinosaurs can comes. Not Mommy, just you and me and Natey and Jaxsons.”
A dull laugh pulses through me. First, I find it adorable the way the boys can’t stop pluralizing the baby’s name, which is purely a mispronunciation on their part. But for the first few days after he was born—they called him their own baby brother dinosaur—their words, not mine—and they were actively looking for his twin. They actually asked if we gave him to Uncle Marshall or if Chloe ate him. The second was far more plausible than the first, and I think even their tiny yet brilliant minds are keenly aware of this.
“Sounds good.” I pat his head as he takes off. “Make sure I get a bed. Contrary to public opinion, I still like sleep.”
Brielle belts out a sarcastic moan as she comes my way. “What’s the matter, Loggie? The baby keeping you up at night?” She smirks at Skyla. “Get that kid off your boob and onto your mother’s. Face it, that’s why God gave us Lizbeth.”
“Nice,” Skyla muses. “Mom, I’ll pump right now.” She bends over and lands a kiss to Jaxson’s sweet head before dotting one to my lips, too. “Don’t you dare leave without me.” She takes off and Emily comes up.
“Are you responsible for this shit?” Em motions to the television as Drake, Ethan, and Tad all sit at the edge of their seats, hanging on every word from the talking head’s mouth. For the last fifteen days straight it’s been nonstop coverage of what’s being dubbed as The Alien Encounters. The Viden youth didn’t mind playing up the angle at all. And now the entire world is in a tizzy over the aliens who are from a distant planet called Eversor. Yes, they went for the Fem gold. If that’s not setting off a siren to the other Factions, I don’t know what is. Already there’s a healthy level of mass hysteria brewing. And deep in my gut I’m terrified it’s going to get way the hell out of control.
Only three of the Viden youth were taken in by the feds. The rest got away, and I’m glad about it. They’ve been through enough. But Skyla and I plan on freeing the three that were taken. All in time. I have a feeling they will be just fine until we do.
Drake turns our way as we enter into the family room. “Did you hear this shit? The government just confirmed the aliens are living among us. They’re fucking real, man—they’re real!”
“Hey”—I bark—“not in front of the kids.”
Drake scoffs as he tosses a game controller onto the floor in anger. “Dude, are you kidding me? We’re in the middle of a freaking alien invasion, and you’re worried about what comes out of my freaking mouth? Get your head out of my sister’s ass, Oliver. This is going down. They look just like us. The government is talking about setting up voluntary testing centers in every city across the US. You know what that means, don’t you?”
Shit. “The Factions need to protect themselves, and fast.”
“What?” Drake looks to Ethan in disbelief, and he shushes him while turning up the volume on the TV. “No, man. It means the people who voluntarily spit on a stick for the G-men are automatically going to be suspects.”
“It’s true.” Tad folds his arms tightly across his chest. He’s got on some hairy looking robe, and I do not even want to probe into what creature had to die to make it and how much it costs. Too much is my guess. “Kids are going to get tested, too. The schools are calling it voluntary, but only because they don’t want to get sued. The next thing you know, they’ll be advertising an alien-free learning environment.”
“Hey!” Nathan calls out to Tad, his little face turning pink with rage. “I hate aliens. I going to hit them in the head!”
The kids all break out into riotous laughter.
Crap. I step over to the three stooges sitting on the couch. “Keep it down. I don’t want this blowing up and freaking the kids out.” God knows the boys won’t sleep if they think they’re about to get abducted by a UFO. “Give it a few months and no one is going to believe in this bull.” That’s the plan. The Factions all check out as human, the humans are in the clear—the Spectators that were captured pan out to be real people with real families—the so-called aliens are chalked up to nothing more than mass hysteria and we all live happily ever after once again just the way we have since the beginning of time.
Skyla pops back and hands her mother a pouch full of milk.
That damn pouch. I cringe and Lizbeth tapes it to her boob, one handed with the ease of an expert. I’m not proud to say I’ve seen Lizbeth’s bare chest more times than I care to remember.
She brings Jaxson up to the apparatus that sits right next to her nipple, and I have to close my eyes a moment while he latches onto the fake teat. And when I open them back up again, he looks as if he’s happily sucking away at my mother-in-law’s tit.
Great.
I take a deep breath as Skyla cinches her purse over her shoulder.
“Any of you guys coming to the Havers’ for the meeting tonight?”
Tad grunts for her to hush up, and Lizbeth is too busy tickling Jaxson’s cheek. She can’t take her eyes off him, and I can’t blame her for that. He’s beautiful. And not to sound egotistical, but Emma showed me pictures of myself at that age and we’re practically twins. But I see Skyla in him, too. Our sweet son is perfection, and I’ll go to the grave believing it.
Skyla looks to Emily and Bree. “You witches better get behind the gates within the hour. This is going to be one party you won’t want to miss.”
Emily sniffs. “I’m coming. So are my parents and Ethan. You freed my brother, Skyla. I’m never going to forget it. You’ve got me for life. Don’t make me regret it.” She scowls at the two of us before heading into the bedroom she shares with Ethan.
Bree blows out a heavy breath. “Skyla. You know I’m a bounty hunter for Demetri. He’s paying me a stipend.”
Skyla inches back. “Brielle, how many people have you brought to the dark side?”
“Zero. But who’s counting? And don’t tell Demetri. He’s taking care of my legal fees. He made all of my trouble with those assholes who were suing me go away. And suddenly, Uncle Sam couldn’t care less if I pay taxes. And most importantly, I’m rich again, Skyla. Why in the hell would I want to screw that up?”
“I don’t know, Bree, maybe to save yourself from living in a four-by-five cell on Raven’s Eye? I don’t really have time for this.” Skyla quickly kisses the boys goodbye.
Bree leans in.
“A cell on Raven’s Eye? Is she serious?”
“Dead serious. We’re done playing games, Bree. It’s over for the Barricade. We’re not interested in anything but victory. Skyla has decided to play hardball.”
“But I’m her best friend.” Her face grows white, and her eyes elongate with fear.
“And Gage was her husband,” I say.
Her mouth falls open as Skyla and I say goodnight to everyone and make our way to the door.
I point an umbrella to the sky, and it explodes overhead with a membrane of shelter to keep us dry from the storm.
Skyla presses a kiss to my lips. “Are you ready to do this?”
“I was born to do this.” I steal another kiss from her lips. “And so were you.”
“Two people, one destiny. Let’s take down the Counts—the Barricade once and for all.” She gives a little wink.
“And that’s just what we’ll do.”
Nicolas Haver’s property—of the late Nicolas Haver, sits on a hillside that oversees the rest of the properties behind the gates. It affords a world view, and even in the rain you can see the lights of the houses below, filled with unassuming innocent people actually unaware of what’s happening just above them—oblivious to the hell we’ve been through, oblivious to the triumph we’re about to achieve.
Skyla takes my hand and warms my lips with hers just before we crest the entry to the enormous structure.
“Here goes nothing.” Skyla shakes her head as if correcting herself. “Here goes everything.”
I nod. “I knew you’d get it right. You always do.”
We enter the brightly lit room to find a sea of familiar faces, and my heart warms at the sight. Even though Skyla has set a moratorium world-wide on Faction meetings, having the upper hand once again was just cause to have one last party with our people and we plan to do just that.
“They’re coming back,” I whisper to her. “And these are only the ones that have figured it out on their own.”
Skyla doesn’t look convinced. “They’re here to see what I have to say. But trust me—they will be back, and they’ll bring friends.”
Skyla saunters to the front where there’s an elongated table set out and a couple of chairs behind it. The rest of the room is lined with chairs as well, but only half of them are taken. In the old days, questionably better days gone by, there would be twice as many seats, and every one of them filled with the entire facility brimming with bodies willing to be here. But they’ve gone, drifted to the other side in fear—and that’s exactly how we’re trying to lure them back—with fear.
I spot Coop and Laken, Ezrina, Nev, Brody, and his girlfriend. Ellis and Giselle—although her allegiance is questionable at best—Dr. Booth and Rev are here. And as if dashing for the finish line, Mia shows up with Brielle, Emily and Ethan, Natalie Coleman, Liam, Lexy and Michelle. My heart warms at the sight of them. And I know Dudley is here in spirit. He is, after all, Skyla’s biggest cheerleader—right behind me.
Skyla welcomes everyone to the meeting. “I’m not going to cover any nominal Faction business today. I think we all know why we’re here.”
“Yeah!” a man shouts from the back. “What in the hell is going on? The Barricade won’t give us answers.”
“No, they won’t.” Skyla glances my way. “It’s because I have them. I’m sure you’re well aware of what’s happening in the world and with this country. My Nephilim brothers and sisters, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for. It’s no secret that the government has been aware of alien life for quite a while, and they’ve had their sights on Paragon. It was just a matter of time before they found a way to identify and isolate the marker embedded in our genetic code in an effort to isolate us from society. That would have been a dark and dangerous day—the last day for our people.”
A round of whispers circles the room.
Skyla takes a breath. “As it turns out, we have the Barricade to thank for helping the feds isolate our markers. The Celestra from Brazil that were taken earlier this year were heavily probed. The feds made considerable strides in their analysis with our kind. That’s when I knew time had essentially run out for our people. But thankfully, we have a very wise and powerful Celestra running our research department. Ezrina O’Hare was the frontrunner in the discovery that will help conceal our markers.”
A woman stands up from the back, her hand slightly raised. “Wesley has the same ability. What made you raise the stakes and put our people in irreparable harm?”
Skyla tips her head back, her blonde mane shimmering like gold under the harsh lights.
“You’re right. Wesley is a genius in his own right, and he does have the ability to hide the markers—for a couple of days before the serum begins to fade. He can’t inoculate anyone for a significant amount of time. But we can. We have the ability to hide the markers six months at a time. The serum is plentiful—in fact, there is a never-ending supply. And before you ask, by the end of the year, the next version of the serum will be able to hide the markers permanently without harming the DNA structure of the recipient.”
It's true. It turns out, Skyla’s afterbirth, specifically the stem cells in the umbilical cord that anchored our sweet son to her body, have enough potency in them to hide the markers forever. Ezrina is moments away from unlocking the code for what we’ve dubbed The Key to Life. And it will be that for our people. Life. We won’t ever have to live under the Barricade’s tyranny again. Not only were the stem cells powerful in their own right, but they have the ability to self-replicate. Ezrina called it an immortalized cell line because she’s able to get them to reproduce indefinitely under the right conditions.
The room erupts in whispers and Skyla stands, immediately hushing the crowd once again.
“Tell your friends, you’re loved ones, tell every Nephilim you know. If they want to maintain their security in this world, they must cut all ties with the Barricade and pledge their allegiance to Celestra. The Barricade has nothing more to offer. It’s time the Factions unify under a leader that has the best interest of all of our people at heart. And that leader is me.” She takes a breath. “Do it now. Call, text, run, do what you have to. The inoculations begin this Sunday. Leaders all across the world are campaigning hard to gather our people back into the fold, as am I tonight. Is there anyone here who would like to leave? If not, I’d like to lead you into an oath of solidarity for the unification of our people.”
Not a soul leaves the room. Instead, Skyla asks them all to stand and leads them in a pledge of allegiance to our Faction, which celebrates their devotion for Celestra—for her.
The room breaks out into a raucous cheer. Music blasts from the speakers as bodies drift to the refreshment tables laden with cold drinks and food catered from the Gas Lab.
Skyla and I are going to have to do something extra special for Ezrina and Nev. We will most certainly award them the highest honor once Celestra has been rightfully restored, but until then something needs to be done to show our appreciation.
“Halt,” a voice shouts from the door, and I turn in time to see a group of men dressed in black, ski masks on—what look to be assault rifles in their arms. Next to them stands an entire army of Fems, ten-foot-tall large Celestine cats with yellow glowing eyes and tails that snap back and forth like a mincing whip.
In a moment the room explodes with the sound of rapid gunfire, the roar of the monsters the Barricade has no doubt ushered our way. The walls ignite in flames as a wall of fire dances across the ceiling, and in a moment it’s far too hot to breathe in here.
Bodies scramble for the exits, flooding out of every available orifice, but I dive deep into the room and wrap my arms around Skyla as if I were about to tackle her to the ground, but she maneuvers her way out of my grasp.
“I need to make sure everyone gets out!” she shouts as the room begins to fill with smoke.
“Shit.” I take her hand and we run around the edges of the structure, pulling people out from under chairs and furniture
and pointing them to the nearest exits. We make our way to where we began, and the back end of the building begins to cave.
“Logan”—Skyla shakes her head as she spots Giselle huddled in the middle of the room, Ellis nowhere in sight—“we can’t leave her.”
I shake my head at Skyla. “Get out now.” The words expel from me in a riot as I hop over the debris of purses and bags left behind, chairs toppled on their sides. The room begins to creak and groan as a beam of fire rains down and lands to my left. “Giselle!” I shout as I begin to lose sight of her in the sea of black smoke quickly filling up the space between us.
A trio of Fems, the giant celestial panthers with their fierce growls and snarls, stride right past me, and one of them picks up a ball of human flesh still huddled in a fetal position and takes off toward the door. The long, dark hair dangling from the girl lets me know it was G. And I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that the one who saved her was Gage himself.
A horrific roar comes from the building as it sways left then right—and I run like hell knowing that it soon will be just that—hell. I bolt for the direction of the door, running strictly off memory, and soon enough the rain greets me. My feet dig through puddles filled with Paragon mud as the earth tries its best to swallow me whole.
The field is nearly empty. A few people lie on the ground, and I spot Skyla and Laken tending to their injuries, trying their best to drag them off into the woods. At least a dozen bodies writhe over the ground. Ethan’s down. Coop’s left arm is bloodied as Laken helps steady him.
An enormous clap of thunder erupts behind me, and I pause and turn to find that cavernous structure that has held just about every Faction meeting I can remember as far back as when I was a kid, falling hard, flattening on itself in a fiery heap as if it never even mattered.
Holy hell.
I glance around and spot those monsters with their glowing eyes screaming into the night as their bodies float into the sky before disappearing into a plume of black smoke. That’s all they’ve ever been, balls of rotten air.
All Hail the King (Celestra Forever After Book 6) Page 59
