Really?
“OK.” Chloe takes up her hand. “You’re to case the cemetery this week and see if we can manually manipulate the security cameras.”
“Done.” Nat is gung ho on pulling off Kate’s big casket reprisal.
“Skyla, Lex, and I will do the honor of exhuming the body.”
“With all the rain we’ve been having?” I throw it out there. “All that wet earth will be like concrete to move.”
“You’re right, Skyla.” Chloe pitches her voice to emphasize her sarcastic superpowers. “Lucky for us she’s in the mausoleum.”
That’s great!
“We’ll never get in.” I sigh. “Dr. Oliver locks that thing down like Fort freaking Knox.”
“Oh, Skyla”—Chloe rolls her eyes—“I’m so sick of you and your excuses.” Chloe gives a private smile. “Kate’s body is in an outward facing wall.”
Outward facing wall? What was her mother thinking? Outward facing walls have
senior prank
written all over them. I take a breath to say something—to stick up for Kate who can’t be here to try to ram some logic down her supposed friend’s throats, but Giselle catches my attention and shakes her head.
Shit.
“Everyone on board?” Chloe glances around as her minions nod in agreement.
“Skyla? Are you in?”
A moment thumps by. The thought of dragging Kate out of her eternal resting place so we can leave our indelible mark at West nauseates me.
I glance over at Giselle.
“Yeah, I’m in.” After all, I won’t be the one having to stop this fiasco from happening—Dr. Oliver will.
“Good.” Chloe glares at me for a moment. “Now that we have that out of the way, I think we should focus on
this
weekend. Mr. Edinger is having a huge party Saturday night. Since Ellis is gone, I vote we go there.”
Oh, so now she’s going to tell us where to spend Halloween?
“We’re a team, Skyla,” she seethes into me as if she heard my internal rant. “This is our last year to bond as sisters. We should spend all the time we can together.”
Right. Why do I smell a dead corpse at every turn?
Michelle’s eyes glaze over. “I hear he gives hundred dollar bills instead of candy,” she quips.
The group explodes in a tizzy.
“Figures,” I snip to Brielle. “Demetri needs to
pay
people to come to his parties.”
“Watch it,” she scolds. “Mr. E just popped the question. Looks like I’m getting me a new daddy.” She wiggles her feet.
“He proposed?” I gag the words out. The thought of Demetri marrying anyone has sacrilegious written all over it.
“Yeah, but don’t say anything. I think they’re announcing it Halloween night.”
“On the night we celebrate horror and depravity?” How apropos.
Wow. This is going to be the worst Halloween ever for Mom. Maybe she can hone her projectile vomiting skills in Demetri’s direction? And maybe she can get Beau to strategically launch a bodily function assault all at the same time?
“So who’s it going to be, Skyla?” Brielle rolls onto her back and stretches her arms up over her head. “You make any decisions yet?
“What’s this?” Chloe straightens, delighted to listen in on our private conversation. “Choosing between the many loves in your life?”
“That’s right,” Brielle volunteers. “She’s going to choose between the three. They sort of want answers.”
“Nobody wants answers.” I shoot Brielle a look. Actually everybody wants answers, namely me, but that’s beside the point.
“Who’s this third guy?” Nat fumes as if she suspects Pierce of throwing his hat into the ring.
“It’s Dudley.” Michelle touches her finger to the rose of horror dangling from her neck. “She wants every available male at her beck and call. All Skyla thinks about is herself.”
“That’s not true,” I refute Michelle’s delusional theory.
“Then who’s it going to be?” Lexy asks. Collectively the group moves in like a pack of wolves ready for the kill.
“It’s none of your business. This is private.” I glance to Brielle who so rudely unprivatized this without my permission.
“I’ve got dibs on Logan,” Lex shouts.
“I call Dudley.” Michelle pushes her chest out as if she were already trying to seduce him.
“Gage,” Chloe says transfixed on something behind me.
“Right,” I snort. “As if he would ever want anything to do with you.”
“Chloe?” A familiar male voice booms from behind, and I turn to find the dark-haired Oliver standing with his helmet tucked under his arm. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
My stomach lurches as Chloe glides up and speeds toward the bleachers with him.
There goes that theory.
***
After cheer, no sooner do I hit the parking lot than the asphalt starts to dissolve beneath my feet. Tenebrous swallows me whole like falling into the belly of an evil, sinister, beast. Logan pulls me in before I can say hello and feathers me with kisses all the way up my neck.
“God, I miss you,” he pants as though he ran like hell to get here.
“I just saw you on the field. And, by the way, I hate to admit it, but it makes me crazy insane to see you talking to other girls—Lexy in particular.” I especially hate the way she wants to claim him.
“Lex, huh?” He pulls his cheek to the side, and his dimple flexes.
“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” I give him a light swat over the arm just as Ingram, the human light bulb, comes upon us.
“Elysian, tell your assignment to assume the position.” He glances down at his glow-in-the-dark notebook without so much as a hello.
“Assume the position?” I balk. “That’s disgusting,” I hiss as I walk past him. “One day someone is going to tell you to ‘assume the position,’ and it won’t be near as friendly an experience as I’m about to have.”
“Skyla,” Logan groans.
“I can’t help it. That man is an asshat. No wonder Ezrina went batshit.”
Logan leads me over to the tree of choice, and I just gaze at his beautiful face while waiting for Wesley the moron to arrive.
Voices emanate from the bushes, and I spot Wes talking to a sandy-haired blonde who looks more than vaguely familiar.
“That’s Ingram,” Wes says to the girl before looking to the overgrown glow stick. “Do you have her ready?”
“Don’t I always?” Ingram motions the two of them in my direction. “Come. She’s a spitfire this evening.”
Wes gives a little laugh. “Is she ever anything else?”
The girl is all but hiding behind Wes for protection. As if. Little does she know she’s cowering behind the very thing she should fear—a Count with an attitude.
“Don’t worry,” he whispers to her. “She’s not that bad.”
Ingram bows in my direction a moment. “The Elysian has secured her to the post. Your withdrawal is ready for the taking.”
They make their way over, and I smirk at the two of them.
“You’ve brought a guest. How nice,” I tease. “Is it show and tell at the haunted academy today? Let me guess. Two bites are better than one?” I take in the girl one more time. God, she looks familiar. She’s probably some skank from East, or maybe I knew her back in L.A.? Then it hits me, smack in the face like a semi. Oh my God! It’s Laken!
“That would be, Skyla.” Wes nuzzles into her a moment. “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 heads over to Logan, good and pissed, but I could care less. I need to talk to Laken, and I need to do it now. Her little sister is somewhere down here, and I just have to let her know that we’re on the same team.
I make big eyes at her, nodding like crazy as if she should know what this means.
“Me?” She points to her chest.
I close my eyes a moment before looking over at Ingram. He’s got his nose buried in his clipboard, so this is a prime time to have a little chat with Laken, here.
She strays over, slowly at first before she closes in.
“I know, you,” it comes out just this side of a whisper. “You’re Laken Stewart. I tried to save you when you were in the Transfer.”
Her face contorts with shock. She straightens, stiff as a statue, and, for a moment, I think I broke her.
“
Laken
.” Wes jogs over. “Everything’s straightened out. I’ll take Skyla, and you’ll have Logan.” He gives a tired blink. “I can’t stand to watch,” he moans. “I can’t stand the thought of you touching someone else.” He pulls her hair back with a tenderness reserved for those desperately looking to get rid of a hard-on. He’s such an ass. “Ingram, help Laken.”
Laken looks over at me and offers a secretive nod before heading over to Logan.
I wonder if she remembers me. But then how could she. She was dead as a doornail when we met last.
Wes comes in and locks his lips over my neck.
I’m not really dry. I’ll just take a quick gulp to top off.
Showing off your favorite juice bar, huh?
I tease.
I’ve got news for you, buddy. There are far more interesting ways to impress a girl, and none of them have her sucking off another guy’s neck. Are you even aware of how drop-dead gorgeous Logan is? Seriously, Wes, if this is the best you can do to land a girl—you’ve got no game.
“And I’m done.” Wes pulls back. His dimples pinch right along with his lips, and my heart sinks because I’d swear on my life this is Gage. “Your boyfriends’ shot over to Ephemeral and introduced me to the bottom of their shoes.”
“Sounds like a good time was had by all.” Why in the hell hadn’t I thought to pay a visit to his overpriced boarding school and kick a little Count ass?
Wes leans in. His features soften, and he’s wearing that same sweet look in his eyes that Gage does.
“Skyla,” he whispers, “why the hell was one of them wearing my face?”
I open my mouth to say something, but Ingram steps into our huddle, and Wes takes off to collect Laken. They walk into the woods without so much as a thank you—typical Counts.
Logan makes his way over and wraps his arms around my waist.
“I suppose you enjoyed that.” I dust my fingers over his neck. Odd, I don’t think she took anything.
“Not I.” Logan holds out his hands like a criminal. “Are you OK?”
“Wes didn’t chug anything, either. I guess it was, take-your-girlfriend-to-the-slaughterhouse day.” I pull Logan in close to me and stare up at him dreamily.
A rustle in the bushes gets our attention—some guy staggers from the woods looking disoriented.
“Wait,” I whisper. “He looks totally familiar, too.” I bounce on my feet. “Cooper!” I run over and give him a bone-shattering hug.
“Elysian!” Ingram harps, sounding a lot like Tad in the process. “Remove her at once.”
“Sorry, man.” Logan nods into Cooper. “Skyla needs to head back to Paragon. We’ll see you around, Coop.” Logan places his hands over my shoulders with a look of sadness locked in his eyes.
We drift back to Paragon.
And, once again, I’m all alone in the parking lot at West.
***
I text Mom to let her know I’m having dinner at the Oliver’s. Giselle’s glossy SUV is tucked safely down the street so that means she’s here, too, which is perfect because I’m dying to know what she’s uncovered.
The fog presses down over Paragon, thick as batted wool, and I inhale the cool mist as I make a dash for the Oliver’s porch.
Gage opens the door before I have the chance to knock and drops a kiss on my forehead.
“Hey, beautiful.” He pulls me into an embrace, and I don’t object. “My parents aren’t home, so I picked up some burgers, you in?”
“Sounds perfect,” I say, following him into the kitchen.
Logan is seated at the table with Giselle, and two laptops sit opened in front of him.
“Long time, no see.” I make a face at Logan. “I’m glad we’re both OK.”
Logan looks up at me totally confused to the reference before standing and offering me a firm hug as if life and death were on the line.
“What’s going on?” I try to lighten the mood. Logan’s emotions are bleeding out heavy as an anchor.
“Just filling out those apps for Host,” Gage says as we take a seat.
“I pulled this one up for you.” Logan turns his laptop into me.
“What about you?” Giselle opens the bun on her burger and makes a face at her food.
“I’ll fill mine out later.” Logan doesn’t blink as he stares off into the screen. “I just want to help Skyla make sure she doesn’t forget to tell them how awesome she is.”
“I don’t know about that.” I blush at his attempt to placate me because it is so working.
“I do.” He scoots into me. “Besides”—he looks from me to Gage—“I want you guys to get into the same school.”
A strangled silence stops up the room. Gage and I exchange glances.
“I mean, me too.” Logan swallows hard as he catches the gaff.
A heavy feeling blooms in my chest as if my heart just turned to lead. It’s like he’s giving up, as if he’s already accepted the fact I choose Gage over him. I haven’t given him any hope at all. He thought once the war was over things would revert back to the way they were, and now everything’s gone to hell because too many people got in the way.
“Um”—Giselle clears her throat—“I did find some information out today.”
“That’s great,” I force the words through my vocal cords as tears work their way to the surface. I’m afraid if I break I won’t be able to stop them.
“Chloe says that when we head to the cemetery to steal Kate’s body, she’s going point all of the security cameras in your direction. She’s convinced the rest of the team to pretend you masterminded the whole thing, and they’re going to say they tried to stop you. It’s a trap, Skyla.”
“Chloe’s delusional if she thinks I’m going to fall for that. I just won’t show.”
“I think I’ll stay home, too.” Giselle tosses her burger onto her plate, dismayed. “She keeps asking me all these weird questions. I don’t think she’s very mature.”
“Questions?” Gage’s dimples explode right along with my stomach.
“Yes.” Giselle looks outright distressed. “It’s like she’s talking in riddles—something about a forest. The Devil’s Woods is what she calls it. She keeps asking if I think she’ll have to go back?”