Roar of the Lion : Celestra Forever After 7

by Addison Moore

  Coop chuckles. “You can’t take your eyes off of her.”

  Wes grunts, “Why would he want to? He’s with the love of his life.”

  It’s only fair to note that Wes has been drooling after Laken all night, as the crowd continues to grow around us.

  Coop steps in front of Wesley’s line of vision. “And I’m with yours.”

  Wes is not amused, but I can’t help but shed a simple smile.

  “All right, no dog fight,” I say. “We’re a united front, remember? We’re just taking a few hours off before we head back to the lab in the morning. How are you feeling, Coop?”

  Cooper sighs as he glances out at the crowd. “I’m okay.”

  “He’s not okay, Logan,” Wes offers. “And for the love of all things holy and sacred, would you stop volunteering to take that damn antivenom? You’re allergic to just about everything Ezrina pumps into you.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Coop growls back. “There are people, our people who cannot tolerate the serum. Somebody needs to be on the front line in that fight. Charlie is allergic, too. I’m doing this for her and for every Nephilim out there who doesn’t stand a chance otherwise.”

  Wes closes his eyes. “Dude, I get it. But if you keel over, Laken is going to be pissed. And anything that pisses her off, pisses me off. Including you if you’re dead.”

  Coop shakes his head. “You put on a good show. We all know you’re rooting for the Reaper.”

  Wes looks him in the eye, not a single sign of glee within him.

  “No, Coop, I’m not,” Wes says. “I’m being truthful. You don’t belong in a casket under a mound of dirt. You have a family.”

  Coop shoots him a look. “Wes, we all know you’re dying to move in on Laken. My death would simply be another door to do just that.”

  “I don’t want her that way.” Wes steadies his anger over Coop. “I could have killed you back at Ephemeral. And I won’t lie, the temptation was there. But you survived my wrath, and I’m not raging inside anymore about it. I’ve come to peace with the fact Laken is happy. And with you dead that will trash her happiness. So stop playing the part of hero. If you let some damn time pass, Ezrina and I will be able to mutate the serum enough where it will be able to cover the markers for people like you and Charlie, too. Don’t you know I’d hack the world to pieces for that girl? Stop putting yourself in harm’s way. It will take a little more time, that’s all.”

  Coop’s jaw flinches. “We don’t have time, Wes. And the truth is, neither you nor Ezrina is working on anything but a vaccine for the Kingdom Virus that has upended life on this planet.”

  Wes growls over at him, “That’s because we are up to seven hundred thousand deaths, over two million infected. Nobody is going back to school or work, everything is remote, all of Europe is closed, half of China is dead, and there’s talk of a mandatory quarantine starting in this country as early as next week. Washington is on fire with this shit, and if you haven’t noticed our proximity to that locale on the mainland, you might want to pull out a map because we are in a shitload of trouble once it comes to the island.” He gives a brief glance around. “In fact, I’m going to find Harrison. We shouldn’t have this many people in such close quarters. It puts all of our families in danger.” Wes stalks off just as Drake walks by with something covering his face and, believe me, it’s no face mask. The world sold out of those ten days ago.

  I pull him over by the elbow.

  “Drake, what the hell is on your face?” I wince once it hits me. Dangling from his nostrils is a couple of pristine white tampons with their strings snaking toward his mouth. And speaking of his mouth, it’s sealed shut with a sanitary napkin.

  I give him a shove into the crowd.

  “Hell, I don’t want to know,” I grumble just as Skyla and Laken drift back our way. Bree stops to laugh her ass off at Drake before joining us.

  “What do you guys think about Drake’s DIY face mask?” Bree’s eyes bulge with glee. “I’m telling you, my man is always thinking.” She gasps as she looks to Skyla. “I have an idea!” Her arms begin to gesticulate as she wiggles and writhes, and soon enough she’s holding a bright red bra before us, the cups of which are thick and stiff with padding. “We can use these as face masks!” She quickly works it around her head and secures one of the cups over her nose and mouth, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was impressed.

  Lexy and Michelle pause as they’re about to pass us and Lexy moans.

  “Where did you get that?” she snips at Bree. “That’s so freaking cute. My dad is hoarding those gross medical masks, and I can’t find a single outfit to go with them.”

  I glance to the entry and spot Gage Oliver standing there like a big dope. He looks angry, and brooding, and like an all-around great addition to just about any party.

  Skyla groans. “Logan, we should talk to him,” she whispers.

  Cooper nods to Laken. “Let’s chat him up.”

  I dot a kiss to Skyla. “Let’s go.”

  Gage meets us halfway, looking healthy, furious, and a little sleep-deprived, which I’m not sure I get.

  I tick my head toward the rear of the house. “How about we head out back?”

  His dimples invert, but that mean look in his eye lets me know there’s no smile to follow.

  “Is that where the lynching takes place?” He lifts a brow at Skyla.

  She shrugs back. “Nothing else seems to be working.”

  We thread our way through the room and end up in the rear of the estate where the Harrisons’ Olympic-size swimming pool gleams like a pale jewel in this dark murky night. Throngs of bodies cluster around it, each holding a signature Harrison red Solo cup. We head over toward a wall of weeping willows as the fog circles around us like a coat.

  Gage looks to Coop, then to Skyla and me. “So, what’s going on?”

  Skyla ticks her head to the side. “What’s going on with you? I’m surprised you showed.”

  “I’m here for the free beer,” he says. “I’m not planning on sticking around. I want to see the kids tomorrow. How are you on food? I hear things are selling out fast.”

  “We’re taking inventory of what we have. My mom mentioned she’s going shopping once the stores open after the holiday.”

  “Good. I’ll do the same.” He looks to each one of us. “I’ll make sure we have enough. And I mean that for you as well,” he says directly to Laken and Coop.

  Wes strides up and slaps a hand on his brother’s shoulder, and in this dim light, my God, they look identical.

  “Did you tell them?” Wes sounds as if he’s mocking Gage, and I have no doubt he is.

  Skyla bucks with a silent laugh.

  “What now, Gage?” She shakes her head with disappointment. I can’t blame her. I’m feeling the same way.

  Gage gives a hard look to Wes, but doesn’t say a word.

  “I’m not here to discuss it. We’ll talk about this later.”

  Wes pulls Gage in by the shirt so fast I quickly create a barrier with my arms to protect both Skyla and Laken.

  “Hey,” Coop barks as he plucks the warring brothers apart. “Enough. Not tonight.” He coughs into his shoulder and about ten different people move to the other side of the lawn.

  “What’s a matter, Coop?” Wes gives Gage a healthy shove away from him. “Got a touch of the Kingdome Virus? You can thank this guy right here for it.”

  “What?” Coop and Laken chime in unison.

  “No.” Laken shakes her head in disbelief at the boy I grew up with. “Gage, you’re not responsible for this carnage, are you?”

  Skyla and I didn’t want to spread rumors just yet, so we didn’t exactly spread the news about the vision I was privy to the night Candace told us about the baby. But Wes is right. Gage is one hundred percent responsible for what’s shaping up to be the deadliest virus in our lifetime.

  Gage doesn’t say a word. His silence speaks volumes.

  “My God.” The words come from Coop weak. “I kn
ew you were desperate. I guess I underestimated exactly how dangerous you could be.” His jaw stiffens. “All of those deaths? They’re on my shoulders, too.”

  Laken pulls him back. “Stop it.”

  “It’s true.” Coop shakes his head. “We’d be running a different course if I would have fessed up what I knew a year ago.”

  “Don’t blame yourself for the work of the wicked, Coop.” Skyla gives a hard sniff. “Gage, wake up. Demetri is using you to destroy this world and everyone on it. Entire countries are on lockdown. They say the death toll could be in the millions. If you have any ability to stop it, I command you do it right now. And that is an order.”

  In some way I do believe Skyla’s words still hold weight with him. But I don’t think Gage Oliver is taking orders from anyone anymore. Perhaps not even Demetri.

  Before Gage can answer, not sure that he would have, Emily Morgan staggers into our midst, holding her stomach, retching as she latches onto Gage.

  Skyla jumps out of the way just as Em swipes her hand over Gage’s face and leaves a bloody claw mark in her wake.

  Em lets out a horrific groan as Ellis runs up with a cup in his hand.

  “Dude, here’s the water you asked for.”

  Em quickly knocks it out of his hand as she staggers like a zombie over to the pool. She falls to her knees before jutting her head over the water and vomits a stream of lava right into the deep end.

  “Oh, Em.” Skyla darts over and the rest of us follow suit just as the ground beneath our feet begins to shake. The water in the pool sloshes side to side, and if my eyes don’t deceive me, it’s beginning to boil.

  “Skyla.” I pull her away from the edge as the water takes on an eerie tangerine glow. “Shit.” I hand her to Coop as I try to help Em, but the ground bounces ten times harder and the water percolates as if it were sitting over an open flame.

  A bright orange glow appears at the bottom of the pool. A circle of what looks to be fire burns bright and builds as a fountain of water shoots ten feet into the sky and then as quickly as it came, it stops.

  The lights go out in the pool before blinking back to life the same ethereal blue they were just before this madness began.

  I help Emily to her feet as she wipes down her face.

  She nods to Gage. “This prophecy is for you.”

  “Prophecy?” Laken’s eyes widen in horror. “Aren’t your prophecies a little more artful in nature? As in you draw them out with pen and paper?”

  “Or paint them in blood,” Bree adds as a crowd begins to form.

  Em coughs and heaves as the swimming pool gives a simmering sizzle. A plume of smoke blows away from the surface of the water and a large dark stain appears at the bottom of the pool.

  “And there’s our image,” Skyla says as we collectively move to the edge toward the water.

  Ellis groans. “My dad is going to shit when he sees this.”

  “Don’t worry, Ellis,” Giselle says as she pops up beside him, breathless and beautiful as usual. “We’ll talk him into doing an entire renovation. And once you convince him he’ll have the best pool in all the land, he’ll be thrilled our friends have decimated it.”

  Skyla nods my way. “Sounds about right.” She latches her hand to mine. And do you know what else sounds about right? We might be able to use Giselle to appeal to Gage’s good senses.

  I shake my head at her. Gage doesn’t have any good sense left. Besides, we won’t be able to trust G with anything we tell her. If we let her know about the delusions Demetri is pulling, it’s as good as whispering it in the devil’s ear himself.

  Gage casts a quick glance my way, and his lips flicker with a smile as if he heard.

  But Skyla doesn’t seem to notice him for once. Instead, she’s intently studying the newly charred floor at the bottom of the pool.

  A sharp gasp comes from her, quick and urgent, as if she just touched a flame.

  “I see it.” She blindly pulls me close by my shirt as she points to the water. “Logan, it’s a globe.”

  “It is.” Laken moans. “And oddly, the continents—they look as if they’re moving.”

  Coop nods. “They’re rearranging.”

  Wes steps up until his toes are over the lip of the pool.

  “It’s him.” No sooner does Wes announce it, than the picture comes in clear.

  “Well, shit.” I buck with a silent laugh. “There you are, Gage. King of the world.” His face lies firmly embedded in what looks to be an etching of the planet Earth. “You’ve got the dimples. You’ve even got the blue eyes staring back at us. Are you happy now? You’re going to set the world on fire—and not in any good way.”

  Skyla looks to those around us. “Please, excuse us.” She hitches her head back toward the willows, and Gage follows us over.

  We settle into the thick darkness, where the air is damp and scented with the raw earth below.

  “Gage,” Skyla whispers, but her rage comes through loud and clear. “I know you are well aware of the death toll.”

  I take a breath as I look to the boy I grew up with while he stands stiff as a statue.

  I lean in. “In the event you need a refresher, it’s predicted millions will perish. They’ve shut down entire hemispheres. People are leaving their dead in the street.” I thump my hand hard into his chest. “Wake the hell up, Gage.”

  Skyla steps in front of him. “In the least, carry out your due diligence. We may be human hybrids, but we—most of us—are not immortal. Think of the boys.” Her hand slips over her stomach. “Think of the families you are personally about to destroy. Don’t do this, Gage. Don’t kill millions of people over a lie born in the pit of Hell. Logan and I will help you fight Demetri. In fact, we’re doing it without you, until you’re ready to join us. We’ll find a cure if you don’t stop it. I’m just afraid it might be too late.”

  Gage searches Skyla’s features as if he was scouring her face for answers.

  “It is too late.” He looks from her to me. “And I’m afraid you won’t find the cure. You won’t have to.” He closes his eyes a moment too long. “When the time is right. I’ll stop it dead in its tracks.”

  He takes off for the side yard as he makes his escape and Skyla bounces on the balls of her feet, her face darkening with rage.

  “The time is now, Gage! Screw you!” she roars. “We’re stopping you right in your tracks.” She turns my way and pushes her hands to my chest so hard I stumble. “Find a way to make him see the damn light!” Her voice thunders into the sky.

  But I can’t think of a single way.

  And neither can she.

  “He’s doing this for us, you, the kids.” I pull her in as her heart slams over my chest. “He thinks he’s being courageous.”

  “Sometimes courage is bullshit.”

  I hold her there under that weeping willow as the Paragon fog creeps in and wraps itself around us like a shield, and I ponder her words.

  And, of course, she’s right.

  20

  Wesley

  “It’s all shit,” I say, tossing another vial into the sink. Ezrina’s lab in the Wonderground is bustling like a beehive, and yet not one damn productive thing is happening.

  “Everything we’ve come up with is total trash,” I tell the wiry-haired mad scientist next to me. Ezrina and I have been working shoulder to shoulder nonstop, for the last six days. To be fair, Skyla, Logan, Coop, Laken, Brody, and Ellis have been scurrying around getting in our way—trying to help. And the children are here en mass. It’s like working in a damn daycare center. “And when I say trash, that’s a very generous statement on my part.”

  Nev chuckles. “I’ll admit, it’s difficult to save the world when there’s a coloring book less than three feet away.”

  “I don’t know.” I shoot a wry smile at the aforementioned coloring book. “That coloring book might have more answers than we do right about now.”

  A couple of dark-haired, pint-sized minions, who happen to share my broth
er’s blue eyes and deep dimples, run over and attach themselves to each of my legs.

  “You undy attack!” Nathan shouts as he swats me three times fast, just shy of my balls.

  “Come on, Daddy!” Barron kicks me in the shins. “Picks us up!”

  I scoop both of the little devils into my arms, just as Tobie runs over with her dark curls bouncing. That pink frilly dress Laken put her in makes her look like a princess.

  Nathan slaps his hands over my cheeks before I can say a word.

  “Daddy, I want, I want….” He sticks his finger up my nose before he finishes his sentence, and I wriggle my head until his finger is back where it belongs, far away from any of my orifices.

  “I’m not your daddy,” I’m quick to inform them. “I’m your uncle. Now what do you want?” I bounce them in my arms and they laugh hysterically.

  Barron tugs at my nose. “We wanna see Daddy’s head.” He growls out that last word and all three of the munchkins burst out with a maniacal cackle.

  Tobie tugs at my shirt. “Pa-wease, Daddy! Pa-wease!”

  I know exactly the head they speak of. The old severed head that once belonged to my brother. Some might say it was better all around than this new and questionably improved version. It sat in a glass box filled with keeping solution, was destroyed by Gage’s henchmen when he took Ezrina’s family hostage for a time, frozen by Dudley, thawed out and placed right back in a glass box with blue keeping solution once again. And even though it’s become the mascot of the Wonderground, Skyla likes to tarp it when the kids are around. Personally, I think we should add a little backlighting to it and toss a crown made of toilet paper on top. Although toilet paper is so damn scarce now, it’s almost tantamount to gold.

  I glance across the room at Skyla hunched over a microscope with baby Jaxson in her arms.

  “You gotta ask your mom.” I put the boys down and they run screaming in her direction, and, of course, Tobie follows suit.

  Cooper strides over with a dull laugh.