Roar of the Lion : Celestra Forever After 7

by Addison Moore

  Skyla

  September 13th

  “Push!” Ezrina roars.

  And I bear down with everything I have.

  “Just a moment.” Ezrina suctions out the baby’s nose. “Take the baby,” she instructs Logan, and in a moment he’s holding up our shiny pink angel.

  “It’s a girl!” Logan gives a jovial shout.

  Ezrina gives the little princess a brisk slap to the bottom, and she lights up like a baby lamb bleating for all she’s worth as both Logan and I share a laugh of relief.

  Ezrina cleans me up and lands her on my belly.

  “Call the nurses.” She winks my way.

  I nod to Mia and my mother and they do their part. I wanted a hospital birth this time, but I also wanted the hospital staff to have very little to do with it. Ezrina assured me she could deliver without their assistance, and since I had experienced that firsthand before, I thought this was the best of both worlds.

  “Oh, she’s perfect,” I whisper as I take in my sweet angel. Logan and I weep tears of joy as Gage leans in from behind and lands a kiss to my cheek.

  “Well done,” he whispers.

  After the nurses and doctor finish their jobs, it’s just my family once again and this tiny pink wonder who has finally made her way to planet Earth.

  Mom leans in, tears rolling down her cheeks, as she brushes her finger over the baby’s feather soft golden curls.

  “Oh, she’s just the most beautiful baby. What’s her name, Skyla?”

  Gage nods my way. “Yeah, what’s her name? The suspense has been killing us.”

  I look to Logan and share a knowing smile.

  “Go ahead,” I tell him. “I want her to hear her name come from your lips first.”

  Logan smiles over at his beautiful baby girl and warms her back with his hand.

  “Welcome to the world, Eden Rose,” he says, and her little head ticks in his direction.

  The room breaks out into a congratulatory cry as her name echoes around us like a chime.

  “It seemed fitting,” I say. “It felt as if God Himself picked a rose from the Garden of Eden and gave her to us. And now, here she is.”

  My sisters take turns holding her. Gage brings Nathan, Barron, and Jaxson in, and they take turns holding their new little dinosaur, and all the while Lexy Bakova meticulously documents it for us with her camera, a timeless gift. A gift that I’ve already offered to repay when the time comes for her to have her own baby.

  Soon enough, the room clears out and it’s just Logan and me and our sweet little Eden Rose.

  Logan lies down with me, shirt off, as we warm the baby against our flesh.

  He brushes the hair from my face as he looks lovingly into my eyes.

  “This is real.” His lips curve ever so gently. “Today is the day that all of my wildest dreams came true. Thank you for making that happen.”

  I shrug. “I do what I can.” We share a quiet laugh. “But I think you had more than a little to do with it yourself.”

  He lands a tender kiss to her precious curls. “Just a little.” He picks up her hand and kisses the back of it. “We have our sweet angel back.”

  I blink away tears and nod. “Thank God.”

  “I’ll relay the message,” a woman’s voice comes from the left as my mother—Candace—my father, Rory, and Sage come this way.

  “You came,” I say as they head on over and admire our new addition.

  “Congratulations, you two.” Dad bends over and offers me a kiss. “She’s going to be a looker. Good thing she’s got three big brothers to look after her.”

  Sage lifts her chin. “And she’s got me. I rather like her.” She sighs as she looks my way. “In fact, I love her, Mother. And I love you, too.” She gives Logan a poke. “Of course, I love you, too, Uncle Logan. You’re my official funcle.”

  “Funcle?” I shake my head, unsure of where this is going.

  “Fun uncle,” she says. “Rory told me all about it.”

  My sister shrugs. “What can I say? I picked up a thing or two during my time on Earth.”

  Sage pats Logan on the back. “We’re going to do lots of daring things that would make Father cringe all in the name of deviant fun.” She winks his way. “Don’t worry. You won’t get me killed.”

  We all share a morbid laugh.

  “Oh, Sage.” I reach over and pick up her tiny hand. “I love you so very much. You’re forever in my heart. I’m so thankful for these visits. Promise me they’ll only grow more frequent until one day we’re all home for good.”

  “It’s entirely up to Your Grace.” She glances up at my mother and Candace nods.

  “So it shall be.” She lays her hand over the baby’s head and prays a blessing over her, a protective hedge as strong as iron. “You, my sweet Eden, are the amulet in the flesh, the precious diadem of our people. Your time will come. It will be here very, very soon. And you, too, shall prosper.”

  Logan and I exchange a glance, both wondering what exactly she might have to prosper against.

  The four of them say their goodbyes, and no sooner do they leave than Marshall enters the room.

  “Well done, Ms. Messenger.” He peers over at the sleeping babe in my arms before looking at Logan. “I see the Oliver genes were hard at work. Well done to you as well.”

  “Thank you,” Logan says. “It’s about time you said a few nice words to me.” He’s teasing but just a little.

  Marshall shoots him a wry look before laying his hand over the baby and saying a blessing.

  He touches my head and Logan’s, too, praying a quick word over us as well. Marshall asks the Lord to keep us healthy, wealthy, and wise all the days of our lives, and we both give a hearty amen to that one.

  Marshall takes a breath as he studies us a moment.

  “I have a gift for the two of you. Devil’s Peak. Christmas Eve, near midnight.” He nods to the two of us. “Find a sitter.”

  “Marshall, that’s three months away.” I lean up on my elbow. “What’s happening at Devil’s Peak on Christmas Eve?”

  He arches a brow our way. “I’m afraid you’ll have to show up to find out.”

  He walks right through the wall and yet leaves all the mystery he just delivered behind.

  Logan and I hold one another, hold our precious baby girl as we watch her with wonder.

  We think on all that has happened, and we are so very amazed.

  Celestra won.

  We won.

  Everything is perfect.

  Everything is right.

  Everything.

  Everything.

  Christmas Eve was spent, for the most part, at the Landon house this year, where my mother threw another epic wild and slightly terrifying party. Tad has long been exonerated of all of his legal troubles. And Demetri even helped him procure his position back at Althorpe.

  Demetri—let’s just say my mother is just as enamored with him as ever, and he with her. I guess some things never change.

  The party was a hit. Nobody was set on fire. Nobody threw punches. And nobody flinched when my dead mother and father showed up along with Rory and Sage.

  Laken and Wes looked mildly alarmed as if Coop might be the next dead guest to walk through the door, but he didn’t. My mother didn’t think it was prudent just yet. But she said to expect it, and both Laken and Wes looked as if she gave them the only gift they ever wanted, and I think she did.

  Laken had her baby in early November, a sweet baby boy named Cooper. They decided to call Wesley Cooper, plain old Wes, and I think it’s fitting. Laken now has a miniature Wes and a miniature Coop, and each baby boy holds his father’s features as if they were doppelgängers. It’s adorable, perfect, and right. And yet, it’s still so very heartbreaking, so very raw for everyone.

  Close to midnight, Logan and I head out to Devil’s Peak along with the others that received the invite, Gage, Wes, Laken, Ellis, Giselle, Brody, Liam, Bree, Ezrina, Nev, and Chloe.

  The moon hangs low li
ke a sickle, so close you could lasso the tip and swing from it. The sky is dusted with lavender over navy, and the fog swims around us thick as a cluster of ghosts as if it, too, wanted to see what Marshall had planned for us.

  Marshall stands at the ledge, at the knife’s edge of that dangerous plunge, and we congregate around him as if he were about to teach us one final lesson, and I have a feeling he’s about to do just that.

  Holden and Serena circle up above, cawing and calling to one another as if this were a game they were so very thrilled to take part in.

  “Gather.” Marshall looks comely in a dark suit, that wicked grin of his—one in the same from the time he first set foot on this island. “Logan, Gage.” He nods their way, and my stomach lurches because it is so very rare for Marshall to use anyone’s proper name. “Please”—Marshall motions to the either side of him—“take your rightful places by my side.”

  Logan shoots me a look that tells me exactly how much he regrets this side trip. Gage does the same before they step beside him like bookends, and my heart races because they’re a little too close to the edge for my comfort.

  “My brothers and sisters in Celestra arms,” Marshall calls out, “I wanted to extend a personal thank you on behalf of my kind. You fought valiantly and prevailed as I knew deep down you would.”

  “Marshall.” His name streams from me like a poem. “It was an honor. Your kind—all of you are a part of the Celestra family—the Nephilim family. And greater things are still to be done between us. We are one, the Nephilim and the Sectors.”

  Marshall bows my way. “I thank you indeed for the kind words, Ms. Messenger. And tonight, I have a gift for all you. A bit of fun, a bit of angelic mischief, if you will. I’ve placed a supervising spirit around this very cliff side. Your people may frolic freely here under the cover of night without recourse. Not a human eye can spy you, nor may a spiritual enemy attack.”

  “Frolic?” Ezrina gives him the side-eye. “Sector.”

  Nev lifts a finger. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  Marshall’s cheek twitches on one side. “All shall be revealed once I give myself a gift.” He turns around and takes a step back as he looks to Logan and Gage. “Merry Christmas, Jock Strap. Merry Christmas, Pretty One. This is for all the turbulence the two of you have given me.” In one quick move, Marshall slams his hands into their chests and sends them flying backward right off the cliff and toward the rocky crags below.

  A sharp scream evicts from me as I stumble forward and Marshall takes me by the hand, but he doesn’t steady me. Instead, he sends me flying in their direction.

  “Marshall!” I scream as I plummet. I watch as Logan and Gage fall toward the ground at warp speeds beneath me, then, in a burst, wings sprout out from each of us, sending us soaring right back into the sky.

  Laken and Wes take a flying leap, followed by Liam, Ezrina, and Nev. Ellis takes Bree and Giselle by their hands, and Brody takes Chloe. Soon enough, we’re all soaring into the stratosphere—each one of us with gorgeous feathered plumes, glossy and thick, strong enough to propel us around the Earth’s circumference if we wanted them to.

  A blast of light ignites from above, and in an instant, Cooper Flanders shows up in all of his angelic glory.

  “Room for one more?” His wingspan is far more impressive, far more resplendent than any of ours, and it seems fitting in every single way.

  “Cooper!” Laken and I scream with delight as we all flock to him.

  Laken and Wes have a field day with him. And I fly over to Marshall as I watch all of my friends, my family fly around uninhibited in this new daring sport.

  “Cliff diving?” I float up next to the wily Sector as we rise higher than the rest. “Has anyone ever told you that you give the very best gifts?”

  His expression softens as he looks into my eyes. “I have the best people to give them to.”

  I take up his hand. “And Cooper?” I press my lips tightly because I’m not sure I want the answer to the question I’m about to ask. “Is this a one-off?”

  “No.” He shakes his head. “He can be summoned at any time. I thought he deserved something special from all of this seeing that he was a key component in Celestra’s victory, and your mother agreed.”

  Tears stream from me as I give a furtive nod. “That affirms it. You’re the best.”

  “I am the best, aren’t I?”

  Chloe zips past us, spiraling toward Heaven with her hair spinning like flames, her very being burning bright like the spitfire she is.

  I shake my head at her. “You know, Marshall, you never made her pay for stealing that bedpan all those years ago, and I lost an entire arm for taking a few pieces of your haunted cutlery. An arm, Marshall.” I hold up my Chloe arm, and yet he doesn’t look all that moved by my soliloquy.

  “Yes.” That devilish grin returns to his lips as he watches her spin. “I have something special for her in mind.”

  “Well, don’t keep me in suspense. I think I have a right to know.”

  “Very well.” He gives a sharp whistle, and Chloe sinks until she’s eye-to-eye with us.

  “You rang?” Her hair flows behind her freely as if she was underwater.

  “Ms. Messenger is interested to know the details of what we spoke about this afternoon.”

  Chloe rolls her eyes skyward. “Ah yes, your real Christmas gift, Skyla.” She scowls my way. “You’re looking at her.” She holds out her arms my way.

  I look to Marshall, completely unamused. “Where can I get a refund?”

  “Very funny.” Chloe takes up my hand and forces me more or less to look her in the eye. You’re looking at your new housekeeper—toilets, sheets, mopping the floors, vacuuming, the whole rotten housekeeping nine yards. And don’t worry,” she grunts. “Marshall made it clear none of you can be home while I’m breaking my back. So you don’t have to worry about me interacting with you or the kids—or Gage.” She sticks her finger down her throat when she says his name.

  “Wow,” I marvel at the two of them. “Who says petty theft doesn’t pay? I lost an arm and you lose your pride.”

  “For life.” Marshall nods. “The alternative was exile from Paragon. Ms. Bishop wisely chose this rock of an island.”

  I’m about to wrangle my fingers loose from her grasp, but Chloe pulls me in a notch.

  “Skyla”—her features soften until she’s just about unrecognizable—“aside from all the madness that’s transpired between us, I’m sorry.” She closes her eyes a moment. “I’m here for you. I’m here for our people. You’re my sister.” She shrugs. “My soul sister.”

  “Chloe.” I pull her into a warm embrace, and it feels like a long time coming. “We’re family.”

  “Good.” She pulls back. “Just remember, family doesn’t always have to like one another, or get along for that matter.” A maniacal laugh belts from her as she flutters off toward Brody.

  “What can I say?” I shrug over at Marshall. “It’s Christmas. I was feeling generous.”

  Gage swoops in and steals me away. “Sorry, Dudley,” he calls out. “She’s mine.”

  He presses those daring blue eyes into mine, and it’s as if it’s just the two of us.

  “I love you, Skyla Messenger.”

  “I love you, Gage—”

  Before I can finish, Logan swoops me out of his arms and we head in the opposite direction.

  “Sorry, man, she’s mine.” Logan wraps me in all of his affection, and I burn brightly under his luminescent love for me.

  Marshall snaps me up. “Sorry, boys, but she’s mine.”

  The luminescent Sector rockets us into the stratosphere and encapsulates his wings around me entirely.

  “So, is this the way our story ends?” I laugh as I take his hands in mine.

  “No,” he says as his wings begin to glow and a picture forms over them. I stare out in wonder as a familiar room appears, filled with people.

  “It’s a party,” I say as the scene unfol
ds like a movie. “Hey, that’s Ellis Harrison’s house.”

  A girl with long golden curls dances with both a dark-haired boy and a handsome blond looker with muscles for days.

  “Wait, is that me?” I ask with a laugh caught in my throat.

  “That would be young Ms. Oliver—our precious Eden Rose.”

  I suck in a quick breath as I look up at him. “You mean?”

  He arches a brow. “So it begins—again.”

  His wings break loose as Gage and Logan pull me free and we three fly off into the dark navy sky, into the stars up above Paragon, losing ourselves in a moment of carefree glory. And then, as if Heaven itself opened up, a burst of electric blue glory erupts all around us as thousands of butterflies flutter to life.

  Logan, Gage, and I have traveled to hell and back, and here we are in the heavenlies soaring among the stars together—a force to be reckoned with.

  I don’t know exactly what the future holds, but I know with these two by my side we can avail it all.

  And I have a feeling there is still much to avail.

  *Thank you for reading Roar of the Lion! Need more angels? Click here to give—> Ephemeral a try and see where it all began for Laken!

  *Have you tried one of Addison Moore’s cozy mysteries? Baker Lottie Lemon can see the dead. Each book can be read on its own so feel free to dive anywhere in the series! Happy reading!

  Click here to start today—> Cutie Pies and Deadly Lies

  Humor with a side of homicide!

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