The bushy pines open up to a clearing. A strange glow illuminates the woods—then I see her.
God, she’s beautiful.
My body seizes as I examine her like this with her arms bound behind her back, her legs secured with some kind of metal bracket. Her face is pinched with anger, and her long blonde mane shags out around her, glowing like her own private sun.
“You’ve brought a guest. How nice,” she smarts. “Is it show and tell at the haunted academy today? Let me guess. Two bites are better than one?” She squints through the light to get a better look at me, and her face smooths out.
“That would be Skyla.” Wes tickles my ear with his breath. “The guy standing off to the side is her Elysian, Logan. He’s good and pissed, and rearing for a fight, twenty-four seven. Excuse me for a minute while I go over and fill him in on how much I appreciated our unexpected meeting a few weeks back.”
Wes takes off to “say hello” to the gorgeous boy with blond flames for hair. They’re both unusually good looking, with the exception of Ingram who amounts to a human frog, which is what I’ve just reduced the Counts to, although I’d hate to insult anything in the chordata phylum that way.
Skyla’s eyes enlarge, and she ticks her head as if secretively calling me over.
“Me?” I mouth, pointing to my chest.
She gives a long, slow blink before glancing at the human toad and giving a brief nod. Poor thing. She probably wants me to break her the hell out of this place. Little does she know, I lack the authority and that my “boyfriend” would like nothing more than to keep her bound and gagged for life.
I make my way over, fully expecting her to spit like a camel or scream in my face at what a horrible person I am.
She beckons me forward with a desperate look in her eye.
“I know, you,” she says just below a whisper. “You’re Laken Stewart. I tried to save you when you were in the Transfer.”
Everything in me goes rigid. My heart stops its wild tirade as if those very words had the power to kill me.
“Laken.” Wes jogs over. “Everything’s straightened out. I’ll take Skyla, and you’ll have Logan.” He closes his eyes a moment. “I can’t stand to watch.” He says it sober, filled with an ache I haven’t seen in him before. “I can’t stand the thought of you touching someone else.” He brushes the hair from my shoulder. “Ingram, help Laken.”
I glance back at Skyla, and she gives a silent nod. My spirit soars because she’s right.
I’m Laken Stewart, and I always will be.
Cooper
Sitting in Edinger’s office, with nothing but a tiny desk lamp illuminating the area, isn’t exactly where I envisioned myself on Halloween night or any other night for that matter. Even though he himself most likely invented the carnival of horror overtaking the country tonight, something about sitting alone with him in the quasi-dark feels borderline perverse.
“Anything in particular you would you like to discuss?” He tips his head back with his face pulled into that perennial grimace.
“I’m interested.”
“Interested?” He gives a little tick as if he had no idea what this clandestine meeting is about. “Do you have a concern about your grades?”
“No,” I flat line. “I don’t like games unless they involve something I can kick around, and unless you’re in the mood to pluck your head off and let me score a touchdown with it, I suggest you knock this shit off.”
“State your business,” he starts off curt. “It’s strictly policy and procedure. It’s frowned upon to have me initiate every conversation that concerns your kind. You must have a want, a need, a desire. Do I make myself clear?”
“Implicitly.” Fucking moron. “I’m interested in stepping between Laken and Wesley in exchange for a supervising spirit.”
He gives a crooked nod, amused that I would be willing to risk my life in the event things don’t work out in my favor. “I’m aware of the consequences if the situation backfires. I just need a few points of contention clarified before we square things away.”
“How prudent of you. And the points of contention are?”
“Why do you want Wes to stay away from Laken? Not that I’m going to argue with you over this, but I’m curious.”
A dark laugh gurgles from his throat. “Wesley was made for something more. Far greater things wait for him than the girl you ruminate over in your fantasies.”
“Fair enough,” I say. “So you’ll be my supervising spirit?”
“For as long as your days remain, and, of course, as long as Laken remains in your arms. Should you outlive her, I’ll release you from this bondage.”
Outlive Laken? The thought of losing her to death has never crossed my mind.
“Outline the bennies.” I tap my fingers over his desk. “Make it clear. Dumb it down for me. I’m not in the mood for doublespeak.”
“The bennies.” He pulls his lips to the side. “You have the honor of my services at your every whim. I’ll assist you should you prefer to visit the future. I’ll guide you in all things concerning the spiritual plane. And, should you have a query, I’ll have an answer. I assure you nothing but fatherly advice. I would never lie to you no matter how harsh the truth may be. I will most certainly listen, should you need an ear.”
“I have a dad. A good one.” The condoms he supplied me with in front of Laken run through my mind. That was more to embarrass the hell out of me than it was to protect me from any fictitious STDs Laken might be carrying. Nope. The fatherly role is fulfilled quite nicely. “So let me get this straight. I get a spiritual guru, some vacays to days yet numbered, but aren’t you forgetting the pot of gold?”
His smile widens. He knows damn well what I’m alluding to.
“Tell me, Cooper. What is the pot of gold?”
“The Tenebrous Woods. Take me there right now, and you’ve got a deal.”
Edinger leans back in his seat and examines me through his heavily slotted lids.
“It’s not a part of the traditional package. I’ll have to monitor your every move.”
“Chain yourself to my hip. I really don’t give a shit. He’s there with her now. He knows how to get there and back, and I want that, too—or he can have Laken, I don’t really care.” My gut cinches, calling me out on the lie.
“Very good. You seem well apprised. Did you also know he’s well aware you’ve been giving her blood?” His face redefines itself in anger. “He knows so many things about you and his little girlfriend, and yet you have the arrogance to believe you’ve had the upper hand all along. You’ve got your work cut out for yourself, Mr. Flanders. Don’t think for a minute he’s not capable of outwitting you and stealing away with the prize.” His uniform scowl spreads slow across his face. “Where is the true pot of gold, Cooper?”
“It’s where I buried my heart.” I swallow hard. “The true pot of gold is Laken.”
Edinger clasps his hand over my head, and the floor drops out beneath me like a trap door. I fall forever down an immeasurably long distance while pillars of fire expand around me, their wicked tongues lick at my flesh as I continue to plummet.
A dark expanse spreads at my feet like a bruise as I fall through and land flat on my ass in the dusty, forgotten woods of Tenebrous. An entire forest of black charred trees twist into the night—the smell of something metallic lingers heavy in the air.
Edinger is nowhere to be found which is a good thing—I think.
I dust my jeans off and make my way over to a dirt trail that holds a pale illumination. A scream pierces through the silence followed by a whimper.
“Is anybody there?” I call out as I pick up my pace. The forest floor thumps. The tree roots elevate out of the ground as if to slow my efforts.
“Got it,” I whisper. No communicating with the captives.
The whimpering increases, and I head in that direction.
A cell made of tree limbs comes up on my right with the shadow of a body slumped inside.
&nb
sp; “Help me!” The voice of a girl cries out as her hand extends from the wooden bars, and I take a hold of it—long slender fingers, bony and pale. “Oh God!”
“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”
“Cooper?”
I squint through the branches as she presses her paper white face to the edge of the bars. I recognize those delicate features, those pale whiskers of short hair.
“Casper.” I reach through and warm my hand over her shoulder.
She starts in on a heaving sob, strangling my arm as she pulls me in deeper.
“You’re rescuing me,” she cries out. “I swear I’ll be your ‘it’ girl for whatever you need. You want your socks ironed at midnight? I’m there.”
My heart sinks, heavy as granite. I’m pretty sure Edinger isn’t letting me take home a prize.
“Listen,” I whisper. “I’m going to get you out.” I try to temper my breathing. “Laken is here somewhere, trying to do the same thing. We don’t know how to pull this off, but we’ll figure it out.”
Her eyes dim. She releases her hold on my arm and slinks back against the bars.
“How do you plan on leaving?” She asks curiously as if she’s already abandoned all hope of escaping herself.
“I’ve got a supervising spirit.” I hope. “I’ll ask if I can take you with me.”
“It’s no use.” She fans her bony fingers through the air. “Ask them to send me a damn cheeseburger, would you? If they’re going to suck me dry, they may as well take a minute to adequately replenish the supply.”
I swallow hard. “I can’t believe I found you. This is insane.” I reach over to a pair of buckling limbs and focus all my Celestra energy into prying them apart. No sooner do the branches snap then Casper appears beside me.
“Coop.” She wraps her thin arms around my body and holds on tight. “Your gorgeous face is a sight for sore eyes.”
I pull back and take her in. She looks the same, albeit it thinner. She’s wearing odd clothes, a shirt and pants that look as if they’re made of white linen. Her neck is cut along one side, and a navy welt protrudes thick as my thumb.
“Shit,” I hiss. “They’re hurting you.”
“I pissed them off.” She glances down. “They sent a ravager—some animal-like creature—a Count with no manners. Anyway. I’m over it. I’m done feeling pain and giving them the pleasure.”
“Where are the other prisoners?” I can’t help but notice the forest is sparse with victims, although for all I know this place could go on for acres.
“Most of them are in the tower. If you’re in the woods, it’s time for a blood draw.”
“My mom is here. Her name is Michaella Flanders.”
She shakes her head. “I’ve hardly seen anyone. They keep us pretty isolated.”
“Laken’s mom and sister are both here, too. If you come across her little sister, Lacey, please tell her Laken isn’t giving up.”
“I will.” She gives a sorrowful nod. “You said Laken is here?”
“She’s pretending to be one of them. She’s with Wes—who by the way is not pretending.” I might strangle him the next time I see him just for the hell of it.
“Wesley?” Her brows touch at the center.
“Look, I need to find them,” I pant. “I just want to make sure she’s okay from a distance. Do you know your way around these woods?”
“A little but this place is huge. We’re talking it owns a dimensional plane, huge. Come on.” She takes me by the hand, and we cover what feels like miles before finding ourselves back at the broken down cell she sprung out of.
“Shit. This place is like a damn hamster wheel.” A thought occurs to me. If Edinger says he’s ready and willing to serve, here’s his chance to prove it. I look up at the angry sky, fully expecting to see him but don’t. “Take me to Laken,” I command.
My body traverses tree after tree as I glide through the forest. I stop abruptly, flattening my face against the jagged bark of an oak before catching my bearings.
“Shit.” My head throbs. I dab my fingers over my cheek and confirm it’s bleeding. Looks like Edinger forgot to outline one of the more interesting perks of our arrangement, physical disfigurement.
I glance back and Casper is nowhere to be found. Figures. He’s probably got her back in the cage with a ravager on the way. Freaking monster.
A murmur of voices garners my attention, and I glance around the trunk to find an entire party of people.
Laken.
My insides loosen at the sight of her. She’s still wearing her cheer uniform. Nothing about her seems off, so I assume she’s unharmed. She shakes the hand of some blond guy as if profusely thanking him for something. Wes says something to a girl tied to a post before making his way over to Laken. A shriveled man moves among them and whispers something inaudible. He looks mostly human except for his radioactive glow.
Laken and Wes head in this direction.
My breath leaves a trail in the chilled night air, and I try to steady my breathing until it hardly emits a vapor.
“Are you feeling okay?” Wes grabs her by the waist and rocks her in his arms. It nauseates me just to witness.
“Better than okay. But it was weird.” She glances away. “You know, sucking off someone’s neck like that.”
Crap. I hate seeing Laken trying to play it off like she’s never done this before when Edinger filled me in on the fact Wes was in on our secret all along.
“You’ll get used to it over time. If you’re comfortable with him, we can request him for you.”
“I don’t feel right.” She shakes her head. “He said he was doing it as a favor, but he’s not officially taken by the Counts. I want her. I want the girl.” She pulls his head down by the back of the neck. “You said she’s the best.”
“I should’ve known.” He lets out a dark laugh. “Nothing but the best for an Anderson.”
“I have you, don’t I?” She seals the sentiment with a kiss, and my stomach turns to stone. An electric blue cloud envelops the two of them, and they dissolve into thin air.
That kiss lingers in my mind like the stench of Spectator. Laken kissed him like she meant it. And she probably did.
I stagger into the clearing, causing the guy and the girl they just siphoned from to pause their conversation midflight.
“Cooper!” The girl runs over and hugs me so tight, she might snap my spinal cord from the effort.
“Elysian!” The glowing creature snaps. “Remove her at once.”
“Sorry, man. Skyla needs to head back to Paragon.” The guy with the sandy hair looks right at me when he says it. “We’ll see you around, Coop.” He touches his hand to the girl’s shoulder, and they dissolve in a blue-lit fog right before my eyes.
“Wait,” I call out. “How did you know my name?” I shout into the quiet reserve. “How did they know my name?” I ask the squirrely looking dude with the luminescent tablet.
“I gather you’re popular in the future.” He frowns as he types something into the rectangle of light in his hands.
“What do you mean the future?”
“They’re from the future, two years.” He gives a dissatisfied blink before popping out of existence.
Two years, huh?
“Edinger?” I call out to him without putting too much effort behind it. “I’m ready to take off.” The ground wobbles beneath my feet. “Hey, can I take a friend?”
A loud peal of thunder rips through the vicinity.
I’ll take that as a no.
I’m falling again as the darkness sucks me into its vortex.
My body slams against something that feels an awful lot like concrete, and I land flat on my back staring up at the angry face of Asterion.
I roll over and look around.
I’m back—right here at Ephemeral.
I spring to my feet and sprint toward Henderson Hall.
It’s time to find Laken and tell her that Wes knows everything.
Wesley
Laken and I appear right back in the woods behind Henderson, still locked in a heated kiss that redefines every other kiss we’ve ever shared.
What we just experienced was exhilarating. We dove through time and space, and took back the power that Celestra stole long ago from our people. Celestra may hold the seat of government, but now, with their own blood, we’re about to reclaim what’s rightfully ours.
Laken pulls back and takes a look at me through this new lens.
“I feel so close to you.” Her lips rubber band into a smile then that sadness she wears like a mask returns from nowhere. “Wes?” She looks up at me in earnest as if our entire relationship hinged on what she’s about to ask. “Do you think there’s any way to free those people trapped in there? Maybe Celestra could get some of their own to volunteer blood in exchange of those innocent lives? I’m sure there are a ton of hero’s ready to fill their shoes, just like Logan did tonight to spare that girl.”
“This is why I love you. You’re an angel in the truest sense.” I push out a dry smile. “Of course, none of us want them to suffer. I’d be the first to set them free. It’s just—we don’t get to make the rules. These rivalries, Laken, they’re as old as time. There’s not a lot we can change. And I’ll be honest, it doesn’t thrill me you’re toting Logan as some hero.” I purse my lips at the thought. “He’s the same asshole who brought his buddy to Ephemeral and tried to rearrange my limbs.”
Her eyes widen with the newfound revelation.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about him and Skyla.” I press a kiss over her cheek. “Rumor has it they’re made of gold. Come on,” I say, pulling her back in the direction of the party. “Let’s see what we missed.”
“Were we gone long?”
“Nope. We were in a Treble—a portal of time that stays open just for the two of us.”
“A Treble huh?” More like trouble.
“I heard that.” I rattle her hand a little, and she lets out a laugh.
I love you, Wesley Parker. She sighs while biting down a smile.