“Five minutes?” Fifty bucks says he misunderstood the entire conversation. She probably said the bathroom would be free in five minutes. Or, I’ll give you five minutes to get the hell away from me before I get the authorities involved.
I brush him off while inspecting the entrance for either Laken or Coop. Something tells me they’ll be making an appearance around the same time.
“Nah.” Fletch shakes his head in a circular motion. “Kres dragged her off to finish up some shit out back—said they’re pulling out all the stops tonight.” He grips my arm as Grayson appears in the hall. “There she is. I gotta blow.” He pauses a second. “Or she does!” He takes off down the hall like he’s about to get laid, and, according to Fletch, that would be the plan. Freaking Grayson. Why can’t she keep her sights on Flanders? Unless, of course, she tried, and he’s too wrapped up in my girlfriend to notice.
I crane my neck in time to spot Grayson yanking Fletch into the bathroom. So much for wedding bells where she and Coop are concerned. Should have figured it was all an act—on Coop’s part anyway.
Speaking of Coop. Flanders strolls into Henderson with his football uniform on, and, swear to God, half the girls just let out an audible sigh. Looks like Grayson missed her mark by minutes. But then again, I think both Grayson and I know Coop isn’t up for quick and dirty bathroom sex tonight—at least not with her anyway.
Coop spots me and makes a beeline in my direction. Probably wants to know where his favorite cheerleader is.
“What’s up?” I say, trying to maintain my focus on the growing crowd.
“Not much. Just finished taking my sister around the block. I miss anything?” He pans the room along with me.
“Nope. You see Laken tonight?” I look him right in the eye. I’ve known Coop too long for him to start lying to my face. At least have the balls to admit you’ve seen her.
“I just ran into Hattie. She mentioned Laken was about to help her get dressed.”
I bite down on the inside of my lip.
Plausible, I suppose. “Laken seems fine with her now that she knows she’s one of us.” I nod. “Hey”—I soften into him—“next time I’d really appreciate it if you clued me in on things like that. Laken’s had a rough time since her accident, and she’s been a little skittish. I know she said she didn’t want to worry me—that she mentioned it to you because you have a class with that girl, but still, next time be upfront with me. I wasn’t kidding when I said I didn’t want there to be weirdness between us. And I know Laken appreciates your friendship—so do I.”
Who knew I could sling the bull with the best of them? If Flanders thinks his bloodlines are going to yield him the advantage, he’s got another thing coming. Once I take Laken into the tunnels tonight, she’ll see she doesn’t need Coop or his magical plasma. And then maybe I can get her to confess how the fuck he convinced her to take it in the first place. Probably some bullshit about how she really might be from Kansas, and his arteries just so happen to be the portal back. Some guys will say anything to get laid.
My lips twist at the thought of him laying a hand on her. For Flanders’ sake he’d better not have.
Coop examines his phone for a minute.
“I need to get going.” Coop expands his chest as wide as a wall. “Lost my house keys this morning. Had to climb to the second floor just to get in. Edinger just sent out a mass email saying he found a set in his room.” He holds the phone up. “I’d better find the bastard before someone else claims them.”
“Cool. Enjoy your night.” I give him a knuckle bump before he splits. “Laken and I are taking off—having a little private party all our own.” I toss it out there to see if he reacts.
“Sounds good.” He nods without flinching. “Sounds like someone’s gonna score.” He says it with far too much exuberance, as if he’s mocking me. “See you when I see you.”
I watch as Cooper Flanders speeds out the exit like a man on a mission. And God knows if the mission involves Demetri Edinger, he’s up to no fucking good.
Laken strolls into the room with Hattie Tobias by her side, and she’s clinging to Laken like she’s never seen a Halloween costume before.
The two of them migrate their way over, dressed like—well, cheerleaders with bright red lipstick, their hair pulled up in ponytails with matching bows.
“Hey, good looking!” Laken plants a heated kiss over my lips and renews my confidence in us with one swipe of her tongue. For some reason when Coop mentioned he took his little sister trick-or-treating, I envisioned Laken right there with him.
Her eyes widen as we pull away.
Shit. I’m not used to someone reading my mind.
“So…Hattie,” she starts off slow, “it looks like Fallon and Carter are right over there.” She points to the fireplace where Carter looks like a whorish version of Cleopatra. And I bet Marc Antony is just finishing up with the temple prostitute—although he ditched the themed costume.
My heart sinks like a stone as I take Laken in as the cheerleader. I wonder if she knew Coop would show up like the god of the football field.
“Be careful,” Hattie pleads. She pulls Laken into an awkward hug for a very long time. I’m just about ready to break up the party when Laken pushes her off in their direction.
“She’s kind of weird, don’t you think?” Laken clasps onto my shoulder.
“Most Celestra are. Way too much inbreeding going on in that faction.” I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her in tight. “You ready to blow this joint?” I slip my hand under her sweater and make a loop over her skin with my fingertips. Laken shivers and for a brief second I think she’s recoiling from my touch.
“I thought you’d never ask.” It speeds from her as she steadies her eyes over mine. I pull my hand from her sweater and lay it over her shoulder where she can’t listen in. There’s a touch of distrust emanating from her, just the hint of sarcasm in her tone, and it guts me like an emotional kick in the balls.
We make our way to the exit and head out. The cool dew of evening baptizes us with its condensation as the noise from inside quickly dissipates.
There’s no way I’m filling her in on the fact I know she’s been siphoning off Flanders. For whatever reason they’ve decided to keep hush hush, and I don’t see the point of outing them just yet—if ever.
Nope. My strategy to win Laken back for good is quite the opposite. Stay one step ahead of the enemy and draw Laken closer to me by opening up my entire world to her.
I take her up by the hands and kiss them in tandem.
“Are you ready for a night you’ll never forget?”
“Are you ready for a night you’ll never forget?” She twists in her shoes as if she were making an offer. “I might have a little surprise cooked up for us later myself.” She licks her lips like a promise and my dick perks to life.
My hands slip over her sweater safe from the confines of her eavesdropping mind.
“I’m looking forward to every single moment this night has to offer.” I pull her in and hold her for a good long while.
It sounds like Laken is ready and willing to take this relationship to a whole new level.
I should be over the freaking moon, but something has me rattled.
I press a quick kiss into her neck.
Screw it. I’m game for whatever it is that Laken wants to give me.
Hell, I’ll encourage it—beg for it if I have to.
I take her by the hand and lead her toward the bloody brick road.
“Off to see the wizard.” Laken chimes without missing a beat.
“Something like that.”
And the wizard’s name just so happens to be, Skyla Messenger.
10
Tenebrous Terror
Laken
A darkness you could feel, solid to the touch, surrounds Wes and me as we make our way further from Henderson Hall on this, the unholiest night of the year.
Wes leads me past the dumpsters, down the rolling lawn and behind a
circle of evergreens that stake themselves in the center of a clearing, proud and erect, as if they were the overseers of Ephemeral.
He pulls me between three trunks with soft, coconut-like husks and holds me. He runs his hands over my back, warming me the way old Wes knew to do. If I close my eyes and numb my heart he could still be the same boy I once cherished, the one who put his seal over me with that first simple kiss.
“Is this where you wanted to take me?” My body shakes, my heart flutters like a kite lost in the wind—ready to crash and burn and take me along for the ride.
“Not quite.” Wes presses his lips together, and his dimples dig in deeper than I’ve ever seen before. My stomach squeezes tight at the sight of him. For a moment he’s my sweet Wes again. Wesley Parker, the boy I’ll always love.
A horrible sadness grips me because if I’m right, this night will prove beyond a doubt that my version of Wesley is already too far gone to ever come back. There’s no way in hell my Wes would hurt another living soul.
“Remember how I told you in the beginning that Celestra needed to be overrun so that the Countenance could reign over the Nephilim people?”
“Yes.” I remember that psychotic day in the library when I first arrived. And to my surprise there was no shortage of psychotic days after that as well. “I believe your exact words were, ‘they would be eradicated by prom.’”
He gives a dull laugh. “I’m not sure about that anymore, but I need you to understand they’re a real danger to our people. Even though they’re smaller in number they’re very, very powerful. They’ve held supremacy over all Nephil races since the beginning of time, Laken. They cling to old ideas. They hold out their authority without credence to what the other factions might want. It’s a dictatorship that has to end.”
“Sounds corrupt.” I try to strain all of the sarcasm out of my voice. Wesley really does know how to paint a nasty picture. And if there were no Celestra tunnels, no haunted woods where they sucked the prisoners dry, I might have sided with him. I might have done so if my mother, my sister, and the others weren’t down there, but this is all inexcusable now.
I take up his hand, so I can pry into his thoughts like he did mine when I first arrived.
“Laken, where I’m going to take you isn’t pretty. It’s scary, and there are souls down there who are undergoing very real suffering.” I can’t sugarcoat this. If honesty is my new policy, then I need to open the door as wide as possible.
He smiles as if he’s added that last part for my benefit.
“You’re going to be powerful after our visit, Laken.” The muscles in his jaw pop as if he means business. “This place, it’s called the Tenebrous Woods. It’s where the Countenance holds its prisoners of war.” He shoots a nervous glance behind me. “Laken, the only way to get this power is to take it from them physically.”
I stare at Wes a very long time. I’m boarding up the windows and doors to my thoughts, so he’ll never get inside and see what a monster my eyes convey to me at this very moment.
“What will this power do for me? What in the hell kind of benefit will it ever yield?”
“You could read thoughts.” He rattles my hand as if he’s calling me out on it. “The Celestra that reside in the tunnels are far more potent than the Celestra running around up here. They’re a select group. The ones with heavily infused blood are usually captured for breeding.”
A chill races up my spine and sends every hair on my body standing at attention.
“So mindreading? That’s the power?” Honestly, I have no clue how beneficial it really is. Overall it seems impractical, something more of a dime store novelty trick. “I remember you telling me they could time travel.”
“You remember.” He blows it out with a smile of relief. Wes is thrilled that I’m receptive to this on some level. “If you and I both take this power, we could travel through time together. One of us isn’t enough. One of us could get us there, and the other could get us back. I could never do it alone, Laken, but with you—together we’re the perfect team.”
“The perfect team.” I wrap my arms around him, careful not to touch his skin. I’m not sure if we’re the perfect team anymore. Coop has already taken his place, so efficiently. I would have never guessed that Wes and I could ever grow apart, and here we are so physically close and yet miles away in every other capacity.
Maybe our love had its chance, and we lost, or maybe I’m just not trying hard enough. Whatever it is, I’m pretty sure puncturing my teeth into an imprisoned stranger isn’t going to bring us closer as a couple. I’m almost certain it’s going to move us the hell away from each other pretty damn quick. I can see now the spiritual terrain on which we’ve arrived for what it is—a landslide. I’m not sure we’re ever going to recover. And with Wesley’s strange enthusiasm for all things wicked, I’m not sure I want to.
“Mindreading and time travel,” I whisper it low. “I’m going to have these abilities after this?”
“You will. Don’t be afraid. There’s blood involved. You need to take it in to get it to work on a cellular level, but you don’t need a lot.” Wesley holds me out by the shoulders, looking remorseful over this very thing. I knew Wes wasn’t a monster. He knows deep down inside it’s wrong to do this. “It’s not just the mindreading and time travel, Laken, there’s one other thing. It’s a power that the Celestra haven’t even discovered yet.”
My chest thumps wild at what this might be.
“What is it, Wes?” My breath plumes around us in thick, silver feathers.
He digs a proud smile deep into his cheek.
“I won’t tell you. I’ll show you one day soon. But right now, I want to take you to Tenebrous.” Wes crashes his lips against mine and starts in on the most aggressive erotic kiss I have ever known.
The ground melts under my feet. My lids flutter as an unnatural heat surrounds us.
Wes and I are falling down a never-ending tornado of fire.
We’re off to the Tenebrous Woods, and nothing will ever be the same.
A deep welt of purple opens in an arid expanse beneath our feet. Twisted branches claw from below, luring us in like crooked fingers.
The ground comes up quickly, and Wes tightens his grip around my waist. We land with a thump, with him breathing into my neck like he was trying to syphon oxygen from my body.
“Are you all right?” He pulls back and takes me in, his eyes wild with panic as if there’s a good chance I’m anything but that.
A breath escapes me in lieu of an answer as I try to absorb this new horror. A sky of crushed amethyst, a night so thick you could inhale it. You could feel it becoming a part of your very being.
A siren shrills through the air. It takes a moment to realize that it’s not a mechanical warning at all but a human voice, one attached to a being who would give anything not to be here.
“Shit,” I hiss lower than a whisper.
My heart palpitates so fast my bones rattle. My adrenaline soars as an intense brand of fear rips through me. I’ve become the cat at the bottom of a well, and now there’s no way out.
“It’s okay.” Wes wraps an arm around my waist and leads me through the dim-lit path. “There’s a guy we have to find. His name is Ingram. He’s sort of the guide that runs this place.” He pauses and pulls me in. “There’s a girl I draw from. Her name is Skyla. I swear to you I have no feelings whatsoever for her. And the only thing she feels for me is a serious dislike. Her boyfriend is her Elysian, and all that means is that he oversees the entire situation. I’m never alone with her, nor would I want to be.”
“Her boyfriend lets this happen to her? Doesn’t sound like a good boyfriend to me.”
“I don’t think he has a choice in the matter.” Wes takes up my hand and continues us along the twisted trail. “The reserves are low, so we’re borrowing fresh Celestra from two years in the future.”
The future? The idea makes me dizzy.
“Am I going to take her blood? This Skyla person??
??
“You could. She’s the most powerful one they’ve got down here.”
Nothing but the best for Wes.
He rattles my hand and laughs. “I can hear you, Laken.” He opens his mouth as if he wants to add something then closes it. “Soon you’ll be able to hear me, too.” He darts a glance into the forest as he says it. “You don’t need to take Skyla’s blood. It would drain her pretty good if we both did it. I’ll ask Ingram to get someone else for you.”
I see. A tiny laugh escapes me. Saving the good stuff for yourself, huh? I give his hand a quick squeeze.
“Not at all. I just thought it might weird you out because she’s a girl. I thought maybe her boyfriend might volunteer to keep her from getting drained. He’s untapped from what I hear, and I’ve been told he’s got a strong Celestra base. Not that I want to see you chewing off some guy’s neck.” He looks me in the eye a moment too long. “That’s where we take it from, the neck. But if you prefer Skyla, I’ve got no problem with it.”
A thing—a man appears at the edge of the woods, holding a glowing clipboard. His skin illuminates a sallow shade of yellow, sort of like an electrified bruise. He looks older, yet there’s some timeless quality about him, and somehow I innately know he doesn’t age.
“That’s Ingram.” Wes says, leading us in his direction. “Do you have her ready?”
“Don’t I always?” He seems bored with our nefarious endeavors. “Come. She’s a spitfire this evening.”
“Is she ever anything else?” Wes says it in a way that makes me think she’s kicked him in the nuts a time or two.
My heart starts in on a death rattle, demanding to be let out of this place. My palms break out in a sweat. I’m not sure I’m up for a confrontation, especially not one from a pissed off Celestra.
“Don’t worry,” Wes whispers. “She’s not that bad.”
Ingram rolls out his hand as if introducing royalty. “The Elysian has secured her to the post. Your withdrawal is ready for the taking.”