Vex (24 page)

“You can’t travel into the future without one,” Logan doesn’t miss a beat with his vague reply.

“Why don’t you go into the eth—”

Logan cuts Gage off before he can finish. “Can’t go to the ethereal plane, just here, Earth.”

“What are you doing?” I ask.

He and my father exchange sober expressions. My father knows exactly what’s going on, or at least Logan leads him to believe he does.

“I don’t have to tell either of you what I’m doing here or there,” Logan pauses to glance in my father’s direction one more time, “or what I’ve already done.”         

Chapter Thirty-Eight

What is Love

In the morning, Marshall and I convalesce together at the base of the ski run where they have picnic tables set out for those of us enjoying the sport from a spectator’s perspective. The air is thick with the scent of barbeque as an outdoor grill flame broils an endless stream of burgers—smells like heaven.

“So, do you ski?” I try not to bring up the fact he looks ragged and peaked. Human, most definitely, does not become him.

“I don’t ski. I could if I wanted but not today.” He holds his hands as if to testify to the fact his flesh is worthless without his powers. “Who did this to me, Skyla? I don’t believe for one minute that you stuck me with the blade—pushed me over the balcony.”

I gaze out at the thin grey sky. The mountain brims with life as people move up and down the slopes. From this vantage point they look like toys. I’m surprised to see how many of the students from West that are able to expertly swish across the icy terrain.

“Natalie and Chloe seem to be disrespecting you openly. Maybe they’ve taken their aggression to a whole new level?” I’m not in the mood to get into what actually occurred. It’s his own fault. If he hadn’t sent that picture to Gage none of this would have happened.

“Those two? Doubtful. Although, I haven’t forgotten what you told me. I don’t look too kindly on mockers,” he pushes a loose hair behind my ear just the way my mother does. “Which Oliver was it? Or should I punish them both?”

“Natalie stole from you.” It rattles out of me in one last-ditch effort to protect Logan. Why am I protecting Logan to begin with? It’s not like he had my best interest in mind when he dragged me to the sacrificial stone. OK, so maybe he did, but it hardly seems possible. Every time I give in and trust Logan, he goes and gives me ten thousand new reasons to prove me wrong. Truthfully, I’m terrified of what those new reasons might be.

“Natalie stole from me,” he repeats softly while staring off into the slopes. “What do you think the punishment should be?” Marshall relaxes into the table, studies me as though I might suggest Ezrina hack off her arm.

“I think you should kill Chloe.” I think killing Chloe is the answer to world peace, world hunger, the common cold, just about everything.   

“Don’t rely on others for what you could do yourself.” He gives a cool smile in the direction of the lift.

I track his gaze and find Chloe boarding the lift with Brielle. Funny, for someone who professes to not liking Chloe she sure spends an awful lot of time with her. The protective hedge gleams in my direction.

“I can’t kill her and you know it.”

“Not yet.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?”

“It means all bets are off in the ethereal plane.”

“So, all I have to do, to off Chloe, is lure her into the ethereal plane?” God, could I really kill Chloe? In theory I could, well, in reality I did, but everything was different then. She hasn’t once threatened my life since she’s been back. And why would she? How could she properly torment me while I was six feet under?

“Having second thoughts on Ms. Bishop’s final demise?”

“I have a heart.”

“What is it you want from her?”

“For her to leave Gage and me the hell alone. I just want my boyfriend back.”

“Well, then, it looks like Ms. Bishop and I share an agenda.”

A cauldron of anger boils within me. Marshall doesn’t have my happiness or even what’s best for me in mind, he never has. He’s right—he’s exactly like Chloe, both with their own agendas converging when it comes to the issue of Gage and me.

“She has my blood,” I throw it out there to see if he’ll bite.

“She’ll never be you. Not by a landslide. Did it ever occur to you that it is your very soul, your own unique spark of existence, I find intriguing?”

“I’ve considered it, but my ovaries tell me otherwise.”

“I simply want the best mother for my children,” he pauses, “I’m destined to become a parent. Why not employ the best humanity has to offer as my counterpart?”

“Employ,” I choke out the word. “That’s what’s the matter with you. I don’t think you understand love.”

Marshall openly balks at the idea.

“I
live
in love. I
am
love. Being drained of my glory and having to endure life as a human, has highlighted nothing more than the fact I know more about love and joy than the entire lot of you do sealed in flesh.”

“I’m not talking love in the general sense. There’s nothing global about love between two people that plan on being parents together. Intimacy goes much further than logging time between the sheets. It’s an emotional bond that takes place. It’s way more psychological than it is physical.”

He gives a mock applause. “Spoken like a true woman.”

“And what says you?”

“I say, more prowess to the one who excites you best.”

“Spoken like a true man.” I meet his gaze and hold it.

“Touché, Ms. Messenger. Just know this, you will love me—emotionally, psychologically, and physically.” He rises and gives a raspy knock on the table before leaving. “I’ve seen this.”
    

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Caveat Emptor

At dinner I sit with Nat, Kate, Emily and Brielle while Chloe and Lexy make it a point to cackle up a storm with Logan and Gage. It’s Logan speaking, making them laugh. Why does he bother entertaining the enemy? Obviously, he’s on their side. He could never love me and even remotely like Chloe. Not after how miserable she’s made me ever since she’s been back, not after the fact she all but killed my father. Speaking of my father, I’m a thousand percent convinced Logan has him duped. Look at him, just sitting there, blabbering away to Chloe like he wants to get into her pants. God, I’m so angry I just want to launch a scalding hot bowl of vomit at them.

“Hello? Captain obvious?” Brielle stabs into her salad.” Why don’t you just go over there and kick some Bishop ass?”

“Because she has that protective hedge soldered around her neck.” I say it out loud right in front of Emily and Kate who I assume are obliviously human, well, Kate anyway.

“Where’s your boyfriend?” Emily scoffs, plucking the lid off her chocolate milk.

“If you’re talking about Dudley, he’s having dinner in his room. He’s got a cold or something.” More like a bad case of mortality, but that’s soon to be resolved since it was a temporary side effect of Logan’s affection for me. At least now I know how to disable Marshall should I ever have to in the future.

“Stay away from Chloe,” Emily doesn’t look up. “I’ve got her back. I don’t want you messing with her.”

“I don’t want to
mess
with her. I’m the one who’s supposed to be with Gage, and she’s blackmailed her way into his arms.”

Emily leans in with a pinched off expression. Her black curls cling tight to her head from wearing a ski cap all day. “If Gage really did want you, he would be sitting next to you and not her. There’s nothing in the world that she could say that would make him hang out with her twenty-four seven. And if he’s got you believing that’s true, then you’re an idiot.”

I glare over at her. I happen to know better. I happen to know that Gage is protecting me from having my arms forever hooked up to Pierce Kragger’s fangs or strapped to some bed in Ezrina’s lair where she carries out experiments like the mad scientist she is. I happen to know that Gage really does love me—that tonight at ten, we’re going to express that love for the very first time.     

“So how’s your head?” Kate leans in as if to inspect me.

“It’s better.”

“Your eyes look funny, they’re like dilated.” She surveys me intently.

“That’s probably because it’s dark in the room.” That’s only half true. I happen to know for a fact I have an honest to God concussion because I’ve self-diagnosed after ransacking the Internet for information. I frightened myself with all the terrible things that could go wrong with my body after a fall like that. I’m lucky I can
see,
let alone worry about oversized pupils.

“You know,” Kate rescues a long blonde curl from dipping into her tomato soup, “my Aunt fell off a horse when I was eight. She had this horrible headache and I totally remember her eyes looking like two black holes right before she blacked out.”

“Oh, so then she woke up, and she’s OK now, right?”

“Nope. She died.” Her cheek cinches up on one side as though it were almost inconsequential to the conversation.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I pause shocked at the revelation. “Well, anyway, I’m not going to die.” I roll my eyes at the thought, and my brain grinds inside my head. It takes everything in me to stop from audibly groaning.

“I never said you were going to die. I just don’t want you to pass out. You should get some rest. You’ve been on your feet all day.”

I look over to Gage and give a secretive smile. I won’t be on my feet tonight. He’s got the room—the
hotel
room—all to himself, it’s going to be our night.

Kate waves her hand in front of my face to get my attention, and her ring catches my eye. It’s the ring Nat stole from Marshall.

“Hey, where’d you get that?” I look from Kate to Nat.

“I gave it to her.” Natalie’s lips twitch when she says it.

“She sold it to me.” Kate corrects while staring at it dreamily. “I wanted it.”

I thought Natalie loved that ring—that she didn’t care about Marshall catching her, she had to have it. Then a thought occurs to me.

“So, Nat, how have you been sleeping?”

Her eyes cut over to me with malice. For the first time, I recognize that glazed look in her eyes. It’s Michelle Miller all over again.

“So, where’s the other ring?” The least I could do is keep tabs on them.

“Michelle borrowed it,” she spits it out, irritated.

I look around the dining room. There’s no sign of her. I couldn’t handle wearing that haunted necklace Marshall gave her for a week, yet she’s endured its evil effects for months, and now she’s got a ring to match? The Fems must be tag-teaming her. I have a feeling I know exactly who death has come for.

I jump out of my seat.

“Where you going?” Natalie looks amused.

“I have to find Michelle.”

I turn and run smack into Holden. He swerves his tray from the line of fire and places it down on the table.

“Take a seat, Sis.” He doesn’t bother hiding the sarcastic inflection.

“I’m busy.” I try to push past him.

Pierce walks by and takes a seat next to Nat. For sure, now I’m out of here.

“You and me have a date tonight.” Holden secures me by the elbow.

“I have a date alright. It’s just not with you.”

His ears peak back. His face ignites a strange shade of purple, insolent with rage, and suddenly he’s the mirror image of Tad.

“I’ve got shit to take care of, Messenger. You’re on the line for Holden Kragger’s murder,” he breathes the words hot into my face, “and a number of witnesses have suddenly materialized that saw you singlehandedly take down nine people at West the day you ingested psychotropic hallucinogens.” He relaxes into a cheesy grin. I seriously doubt Drake’s real brother was ever this demented. “I also found the dealer you used to purchase them. He’d be more than willing to testify in court to get a
monster
like you off the streets.” He annunciates every syllable. “Looks like we’ve got places to go. I’ll meet you back here at ten.” He takes a seat next to Kate, and sticks his tongue in her ear. Gross.

Looks like the advantage has shifted back to the Kragger’s court.

Maybe I should steal something from Marshall’s bag of haunted goodies and plant it on Holden or Pierce—both. Sure, Marshall would probably turn me into stew and feed me to the unsuspecting student body, but oh, what fun I would have in the meantime.

Chloe cackles again and I give one last look over in their direction before I take off to save Michelle’s ass from an entire herd of Fems. Gage presses his finger to his lips, blows me a kiss while Chloe isn’t looking.

I’m going to get you back, Gage, I say to myself as I walk out into the sterile night air.

I’m going to figure out a way to hang Chloe by Holden’s intestines and pin all the blame on Pierce. Now that sounds like a perfect solution to all of my problems—delusional, yet perfect.

Chapter Forty

Michelle on Top

My head throbs in the quiet hall as I make my way back to the room to find Michelle. The floral patterned carpet swims beneath me swift as serpents, makes my head spin as a wave of nausea cycles through me. For sure, I did the right thing by ditching the cafeteria without having a bite of dinner.

I insert the key and wait for the door to loosen, but it doesn’t. The door remains taut no matter how many times I reinsert the stupid plastic keycard.

A series of hard thumps emanate from inside.

“Michelle?” I flatten my hand against the door and pound. She’s slept on our floor all week. She must secretly hate Nat as much as I do. “Can you hear me? It’s me, Skyla.” I give a lightning round of fierce knocks. A muffled noise emits from the other side, and I press my ear against the door. The faint sound of laughter followed by screaming ensues.

Shit. They’re tickle torturing her. Or worse, she’s delirious with pain and doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Then a thought occurs to me—Marshall might be in there with her. He’s probably demonstrating his capability to love someone right there on my bed with Michelle.

Another series of loud wild noises boom from the other side. Although, I could be wrong about that whole Marshall thing, I’d better go in just to be sure.