Crown of Ashes

by Addison Moore

  “So, what’s up?” I give Gage a quick nod as I bounce Barron between us. “Lex mentioned the fact you stopped by.”

  His brows hood in disapproval. “She did, huh? She said you were indisposed. Dude, she was wearing your T-shirt. You’re not sleeping with her, are you? Not that I’m judging.” He’s quick to backtrack, but we both know he’s judging and he should be.

  “Heck no.” I wince at Barron as he does his best to grip my nose. “Nor will I. I’m about ready to show her the door but, well, it’s complicated. What can I help you with?”

  “It’s complicated.” His dimples dig into a frown. “Tad’s getting ready to gas the place soon. The fumigating is moving a little slower than he’d like, but, nevertheless, I need somewhere to camp out with the fam.” He takes a deep breath as if what comes next is hard for him. “You okay with us hitting Whitehorse for about a week?”

  My heart gives the requisite lurch it’s prone to do whenever Gage shocks me. I’ve asked both him and Skyla to take Whitehorse, make it their own, but they’ve staunchly refused, and having Gage ask for it even for just a week throws me.

  “Yes. Take it for as long as you need. Trust me, once you taste the freedom it can afford, there will be no looking back at Tad’s ass crack.”

  “Watch the language.” He gives a sly wink before dropping a kiss to Barron’s hand. “Thanks, man. We appreciate it.”

  “Not a problem.”

  He spots his father, Barron, in the crowd talking to Rev and winces. “Excuse me for a minute.” He takes off, and my mind reflexively goes back to Whitehorse as visions of Gage taking Skyla over every inch of that place puts me in a daze. They’ll be there a week at least. Of course, they’re going to make it their own in every way. My stomach sours at the thought of the mattress getting some mileage off it, the new one post my erotic romp with Chloe when I thought she was Skyla.

  Barron grabs my ear and crushes it in his tiny hand before laughing up a husky storm. His eyes sparkle like his father’s, like Skyla’s and I can’t help but think he’s a perfect combination of both.

  “That’s right,” I whisper, bouncing him on my hip. “I need to snap out of it. Get out of my funk.”

  Skyla and Gage are free to have as much fun as they want under my roof, her roof. And, if I’m moved to change the mattress out afterward, it’s not a big deal. An expensive, heavy-as-fuck-to-get-up-the-stairs deal, but ultimately not a big one.

  Skyla calls the meeting to order, and I take a seat up front next to Ezrina and Nev. Ellis and Giselle strut in late and steal the seats to my right.

  “How’s it hanging?” Ellis leans in and fist bumps baby Barron, and the heavy scent of weed clings thick in the air. Giselle’s eyes are just as glossed over as Ellis’.

  I can’t help but frown over at the two of them. Honestly, lately she has just as little sense as he does. I need to start a rescue G initiative. There has to be someone else she can date other than Ellis, but at the moment I can’t seem to think of anyone. Or better yet, stay single. Her brain cells will thank her for it later in life.

  The meeting gets underway, and Skyla assesses the work programs she instilled last year. The strongest and the brightest minds from each Faction have volunteered to do workshops in strengthening and growing powers, and the younger sect is showing up in droves. I, myself, am dead and thus don’t qualify, but Skyla assured me that I would have been a Celestra leader. As it stands, Ivan Watts and his wife Vanessa lead those classes. I’ve yet to catch a master class, as they’re called, but plan to.

  “Skyla’s so brave.” Giselle leans over Ellis and leers at me as if waiting for a response. A slight titter circles the room, and my full attention returns to the front. Skyla keeps talking into the mic, her body slightly contorted to the left, and it takes a while for me to notice a large bulge rippling under her blouse.

  “Crap,” I say it out loud without meaning to, and Barron slaps my lips and laughs. That lump under Skyla’s shirt just so happens to be his brother—Nathan. She’s nursing right here in the open, and my heart starts thumping again—not because the sight of it gets me going. I’ve seen Skyla do what she needs to do on more than one occasion. It’s the fact the masses happen to be witnessing the event as well. A swell of pride heats me up from the inside. Yes, she’s covered, but even if she wasn’t, Skyla is fearless. If anything, this is a shining example of what a great mother she is.

  Skyla leans in. “Let’s move to the topic of volunteer adoptions.” Volunteer adoptions is the program she ran past me that involves the deceased getting placed into homes rather than drawing attention to themselves stuffed to the hilt at the home she’s provided for them. I know for a fact Gage is on the forefront of gunning to get them out. “Worldwide representatives have reached out and taken in a significant number of mercenaries for us. The Nephilim Bureau of Intelligence is working closely to find an appropriate match for everyone involved.” A weak round of applause pours through the room. “The Levatio League had kindly offered their transportation services for the endeavor, and I can’t stress how grateful we are for that. A handful, of course, is still here among us on Paragon. They are desperately needed in order to deflect the heat that the government has steadily turned up.”

  “You mean the Barricade!” someone shouts from the back.

  “Precisely that.” Skyla darts a quick glance to Gage as if it were a reflex, and her cheeks darken with color. “The sooner we temper the feds, the sooner everyone can breathe easier. The mercenaries are currently undergoing power stimulus and strategy sessions to help once they initiate their incarcerations. The plan calls for a swift surrendering over a three to six-month period. Once the last volunteer is taken, we will regroup and reassess. No doubt the Barricade will have something else cooked up by then, but we’ll deflect as needed. We don’t fear them or the coward commandeering the effort.”

  A slight round of titters circles the room.

  Her T-shirt flips over the top of Nathan’s head, and the white pad of her breast glows beneath his dark hair. His head moves steadily back and forth as he heartily takes all she has to give him. The room lights up with an audible gasp, followed quickly by a rumble of voices, all eagerly whispering about the wardrobe malfunction.

  “Excuse me.” She leans into the mic once again and offers a hard look to the crowd from one end of the room to the other. “But my son needs to eat, and I kindly ask that you get over it.” She straightens her notes, and the room grows quiet with the reprimand. “We’ll have sign-ups down front once we reconvene, and I’m hopeful to place the remaining Paragon mercenaries in a warm home by evening.” Skyla picks up the gavel and pauses while scanning the crowd. “Be careful—be on alert, watch out for one another. We are all we have.” She sounds the gavel, and the baby breaks his hold on her, leaving Skyla’s nipple bare and exposed as the room erupts into a warble of voices. Bodies rise and begin to mingle, and I share a quick glance with Gage. It looks as if the shock value lasted for less than a moment, and I’m glad. I don’t want Skyla to feel embarrassed or bad about having to nurse her children. God gave her those boys and that body for a reason.

  “Logan?” a tiny female voice calls from behind, and I find Casey with her bright eyes latched onto me. “Will you adopt me?” Her lower lip quivers when she says it, and my heart breaks for her. What the heck is she doing here, volunteering? She’s just a kid.

  “I’m actually in need of a home myself. A family is coming to stay at my house for a week.”

  Her features crumble as if she were crestfallen. “I see. I guess I’ll go sign up and hope for the best. I don’t traditionally do well around strangers. This entire endeavor was sort of a big step for me. But the Counts burned my father. He was a Celestra, and I avowed to avenge him.” She picks at her simple pink dress at the hem. “But then I was killed before I ever got out of the vengeful gate.”

  Something about Casey makes me want to protect her in a big brother sort of way.

  “I can relate.” I bou
nce Barron on my hip, and he nuzzles his dark little head into my neck. “My father—the Counts killed both him and my mother in the same manner.”

  “Oh!” She slaps her hand over her mouth. “They’re barbaric!”

  “Full disclosure, I might have a drop or two of that barbaric blood in me, but I’m almost pure Celestra outside of the fact.”

  She wrinkles her nose and looks all of twelve. “I won’t hold it against you. Hey, do you know of any nice people that might take me in?”

  “What’s this?” Giselle pops up next to me and takes the baby. “Hi, Casey!” She heads over and gives her a hip bump. “You need a good home? My Ellis practically lives in a mansion all by himself. His parents are nearly invisible. Or how about living with me? Daddy Kragger is the best! And he would, love, love, love to have you with us! We can light a big burning fire and you can tell us all about how you died. Daddy K loves to hear my stories about the afterlife. Now that the real Emerson is home, you’d think he’d kick me out on my tiny pink Oliver ear, but he’s taken a liking to me. Besides, Emerson won’t be around forever. Thankfully. She’s such a snot.” She makes a face while turning my way. “She practically yells at me every day for touching her things. What doesn’t she get about being replaced?”

  “I’m sure it’s a tough pill to swallow.” I can’t help but look to Gage. I happen to know all about being replaced myself. “And no, I don’t think having Casey stay with you is a good idea. In fact, try not to bring any of this to Arson’s attention.”

  “Oh, he knows.” She waves me off as if it’s silly. “Holden told him everything. But Pierce swore him to secrecy. In fact, Pierce and Holden are trying to figure out a way to do more to help Skyla.”

  “That’s interesting, considering I believe she killed them both.” I make a mental note to talk to both Holden and Pierce. Holden once took possession of my body. He once did a lot of really shitty things, not to mention what he tried to do with Skyla against her will. But Skyla has miraculously forgiven him, and we’ve all moved on—that’s about the same time he was shoved into the body of a bird and forced to live out his life in feathers. I need to make sure this temporary human tent hasn’t given the Kraggers any lousy ideas.

  Ellis pops up and G happily hands him the baby. Poor Barron looks startled and begins to squirm, and Ellis looks equally as startled as he too begins to squirm.

  “I’ll take him.” Casey reaches out and cuddles with Barron as if he were her favorite teddy bear. “I miss this. I miss the entire human experience. I guess at the end of the day that’s why I wanted to come back. Paradise is great, but there’s just something about having a body.”

  Giselle wraps her arms around Ellis. “Casey needs a home. Won’t you take her? She’ll be quiet, and hardly eats, and I’ll even stop by and clean up after her.”

  I give a laugh at the thought. Giselle makes Casey sound more like a puppy than a person.

  “I’ll take her.” I give a little wink Casey’s way, and she gasps with delight. “We’ll hang out at the Oliver house. I’m sure Emma won’t mind, and if she does, we’ll stick it out at the old Walsh place together.” A part of me wants to shudder at the thought. Ramshackle comes to mind as a positive descriptor.

  “What’s this about the Walsh house?” Skyla pops up like a ray of sunshine. Her face glows with a smile as she scoops Barron up from Casey.

  “Logan is adopting me!” Casey wraps her arms around my neck a moment. “I’m going to tell the other girls. They’re going to die with jealousy.” A dark laugh bubbles from her. “Get it? Die?” Her cheeks brighten an electric shade of pink. “It would be the best way to go!” She takes off into the crowd, and I’m left with a sheepish grin while glancing at Skyla.

  “I concur.” She gives a sly wink.

  “Hey, did you know Big Daddy K knows about the—” I motion around the room.

  She makes a face at Giselle. “I suspected as much. I’m not worried about it. This is bigger than any of the Kraggers. It’s bigger than Wes.”

  “Speaking of big.” Ellis smacks me over the arm. “I’ve got that demo crew coming out next Tuesday. You ready for the big knockdown? It’s time to cut our losses with the past and start something new.”

  A quick pain convulses through my body. “You bet. I’ll be there with bells on.” Tied to my balls. Strangling the shit out of them.

  “Cool.” He leans in. “Dude, I know this is wrenching your balls. I’m rolling a fat one in your honor. On the house. A gift from me to you.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” And sadly, one I might take him up on. I have no clue how I’m going to get through the trauma of that day.

  Giselle pushes out a choo-choo train laugh. “How about we get lost and you roll me a fat one?”

  “No,” I deadpan. The last thing I want is Ellis doing what he does best with my niece of all people.

  Skyla scowls at Giselle. “Say nope to dope and ugh to drug. And if Ellis says he has something fat he wants to roll, you run, Giselle. Run.”

  She lets out a honking laugh. “I don’t do dope, Skyla. That would make me one. Ellis doesn’t do it either. That’s stupid. He just sells it because he needs the money to buy cars and things. He’s explained it all to me.”

  Skyla and I exchange a quick glance.

  Ellis clears his throat. “I think I see someone I know. How about we go say hi?” He stalks off with Giselle until the crowd swallows them.

  Skyla lets out a cry of frustration. “Ellis is rolling big fat lies and shoving them all down her innocent throat. What is Emma thinking letting this go on? What is Gage thinking?”

  “What am I thinking?” I wince at the thought. “I’ll talk to Ellis. I know he has a good heart and he loves her.”

  “She’s as loveable as she is gullible.”

  A cold darkness crests over my shoulders, and I turn to find Chloe beaming with a wicked grin.

  “Talking about yourself again, Skyla?”

  “You’re not funny.” Barron begins to peck at Skyla’s chest, and she shoves him under her shirt. “What is it, Chloe?” She looks to me. “She said it was important.”

  Evidently Skyla is her keeper. She should be, but something tells me this relationship has gone off the rails, just how far I’m terrified to ask.

  Chloe whips out her phone and holds it between us. “Does this look important to you?” Her camera blinks to life, and all I can make out is human flesh in a tangle.

  “What’s this?” Skyla takes it from her.

  “Not what, who.” Chloe takes it back and skirts through a few pictures before displaying another one.

  “That’s Laken.” Skyla smiles down at her good friend. “And Wes?” Her smile melts right off. “So what? She probably felt the need to tell him to go to hell.”

  “Maybe.” Chloe flicks to the next picture. “But with her clothes off?” She flashes another picture at us, and holy hell—Laken is clearly taking off her dress, the outline of black panties and a matching bra pop against her pale flesh as if someone took a marker and colored them in.

  “No way.” Skyla shakes her head in disbelief, and Chloe is quick to skip to the next picture—Laken with her arms around Wes, their heads knit together in what looks to be a kiss. Chloe flips to the next picture, and as soon as I realize what it is, I look away in reflex.

  “That’s not her.” Skyla takes the camera and studies a naked Wesley with Laken straddling him on top, her face lost in ecstasy. “That’s”—she looks to me—“where is Ezrina’s little experiment gone wrong, anyway?”

  “Crap.” I swallow hard while looking around for Coop or Laken herself. “She’s gone.”

  Skyla looks as if she’s about to puke into the phone. “And now she is found. Nice work.”

  Chloe offers a smug look my way. “I’m working my way back to the island.”

  “Skyla.” I can’t help but sound disappointed. It’s because I am.

  “Chloe,” Skyla reprimands the witch. Of course, she’s going to snitch. T
hat’s what Chloe does best.

  “Logan.” Chloe winks over at me. “Relax, would you? It’s one of the many perks of working with my new bestie. Skyla and I are a team, and if you don’t like it, you can suck your own dick.”

  “Chloe,” Skyla moans, deep and guttural, and my dick ticks to life. In my defense, Chloe roused its attention in a roundabout way. “Keep your lips zipped. It’s nobody’s business what we do together.”

  “You’re my new bestie.” Chloe lands an arm around Skyla’s shoulders, and I cringe at how close to Barron she is. “You validate me, Skyla.” Chloe’s lips twitch as if she were about to cut her. “And I validate you.” She turns to snicker at me. “We may not like where life has landed us, but we work surprisingly well together when we have a common goal.” Her eyes flit to the left, and I track her gaze to none other than Gage. Figures. Gage is the nexus that has fused Chloe and Skyla together. But why? And how the hell does this ever make sense?

  “So, you keep an eye on Wes—and Skyla gives you your walking papers?” At least I can say I took a stab at it.

  “Warm.” Chloe looks bored while returning her attention to her new aforementioned bestie. “Anyway, I want to tell Laken myself. Now that I’ll be resurfacing soon, I’ll need allies and friends, and believe it or not, I happen to admire her.”

  “Because she had the fortitude not to sleep with Wes?” Skyla looks disbelieving at the demon before her.

  “That, and the fact she shoots from the hip. Not in a bumble headed way like Brielle. She’s sane. I like a girl with a good head on her shoulders.”

  “Save it.” Skyla pulls Barron out from under her blouse, and he smiles dreamily at me with a line of milk on his lips. “Laken won’t be signing up to join the Bitch Squad any time soon. And I’m pretty sure you’re the last person she’ll give half a chance to. You slept with Wes. Worse yet, you pretended to be her while sleeping with Wes.”