Entropy (The Countenance Trilogy 3) (6 page)

The party. I shake my head. Edinger was there—watching, listening. Not that I expected anything less.

“It was a nice night on Paragon.”

“It turned out a little nicer for Wesley.” He leans in over his elbows. A scowl twitches on his lips before reverting to a dark smile. “Let me put this in modern terms; step up your game, Coop. Wesley had his tongue jammed down her throat for the better half of the night.” My stomach pinches as he says it. “Is that what you wanted?”

“No,” it comes from me emphatic, pissed to hell and back. I try to push the visual out of my brain, but it’s stained onto the surface, indelible—Wes hiding behind my eyelids like a coward. “That’s not what I want, but this isn’t just about me.”

“Do you remember the terms of our agreement?” He connects his fingers at the tips as he relaxes into his seat. “You remove Wesley from Laken’s heart, and you gain me as your supervising spirit for the rest of your time on this planet.” His eyes sear into mine like live coals. “Lose Laken—lose your life.”

“And spend the rest of my natural days in the tunnel.” I tighten the screws for him. “No, I haven’t forgotten.”

“Then how is it you let this happen?” He growls it out, and the windows rattle in the wake of his thunder.

“I didn’t let shit
happen
. Laken chooses who Laken wants to be with, not me.”

Edinger glares as if I had freshly offended him. “I would have put someone bolder in her path if I knew the jellyfish you’d turn out to be.”

“What the hell do you mean,
put in her path
?”

A sly smile creeps up the side of his face. His eyes remain cold, his body rigid as stone.

“That day in the forest when she arrived
—
you didn’t think happenstance brought you to the exact juncture where your services were needed, did you?”

Shit. “I suppose that means you put Emmanuel Tobias in my way as well.”

“You’re smarter than you look. Why don’t you make use of those sparse brain cells and devise a plan to win her heart for good.”

“Win her heart for good.” I nod into the idea, my eyes fixated on the door behind him. “I wish it were that easy.”

“It’s not rocket science. She has feelings for you. Use your charm and wit to your advantage. She’s at a crossroads. Every moment is of the essence. She’s simply one heartbeat away. Seize her Flanders, and save your life in the process.”

I take a step for the door. “I’m not as interested in manipulating anyone as you might think.” And to be honest it sucks knowing it was Edinger doing just that when I met up with Laken in those woods. And here, all along, I was happily crediting fate. “So what’s eating you so bad that you can’t stand to see Wes with Laken? Want him for yourself?” Nothing would surprise me anymore.

He stands to his feet as I walk backward toward he door. “Wesley was never meant for Laken. You were.”

He drills those wicked eyes into mine, and every bit of me knows this to be true—always have. I didn’t need some demented monster to tell me. But it sure feels good having it confirmed.

I barrel out of the English building after my close encounter of the Edinger kind and stop shy of the final few steps. My heart seizes in my chest. There they are.

Wes holds Laken right under the statue of Asterion with his hands low at her hips.

If we were meant to be, then why in the hell would she let him hold her like that? Maybe she’s just playing along. But as much as I’d like to think this were an act to get our families back, a part of me knows she has feelings for him.

Wes tracks his hands over her back like two snakes slithering out of control. My blood boils as the promise of a homicide percolates in my bones. Just the sight makes me want to kill him, and I wish to God that glorified piece of copper would rouse to life and chomp Wesley’s head off in one clean bite.

“I’d pay with my soul to see Wes verses the Minotaur,” I whisper below a breath, and Asterion startles to life. His jaw unhinges wide like a piranha just as Wes leans in for a kiss.

Shit
.

I book over using my Celestra speed and pull Laken from his grasp by a good two feet.

“What the hell?” Wes comes at me like a bullet, and Laken quickly dislodges from my grasp.

I glance up, and much to my horror and embarrassment, the Minotaur has restored itself to its solidified glory.

Fucking Edinger.

Wes taps his chest to mine as if he’s pumped and looking for a fight, and I’m ready to give him one—he doesn’t need to ask twice.

“Sorry, man.” I scratch the back of my neck in lieu of knocking him out. “The statue looked like it was about to topple—I swear I wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”

Wes glares as if he’s not in the market for bullshit today. “So you leave me to die? Nice.” He nods over to Laken. “Looks like we’ve got a real superhero running around. Too bad he’s only interested in saving one person.” He pulls her in, and she doesn’t fight it. “I get that you’re pissed—you’re
hurt,
Coop.” His voice softens. “But don’t go taking it out on me, dude. You
knew
Laken and I were together”—he drills a finger into my chest—“and you took advantage of the fact I wasn’t able to believe her.”

“Stop.” Laken slices the air between us with her hand.

“I won’t stop.” Wes keeps shoveling the soil to his grave. I don’t mind. I’ll be right there with Laken to kick the casket in as soon as she says the word. “Look, Coop, Laken and I aren’t going anywhere. Set your sights on someone else, and respect the fact that destiny brought us together again, right where we belong.”

I nod my way past him. I can’t look at Laken, or I might lose it and go ape shit all over Wes and his sorry destiny-wielding ass.

I know for a fact whose side destiny is on.

Not his.

Wesley

For a second, I think of going after him, pummeling in Coop’s good looks with my fist until we’re both bloodied and bruised, but Laken holds me back.

“No—let him go.” She pulls me in with a violent force I can easily get used to. “He’s hurt.” Laken wraps her arms around me. “I just—I sent him the wrong signals.” She blinks away tears. “I guess I was confused.”

Our hands find one another, and we interlace our fingers. Laken is holding back her thoughts, erecting a barrier as tall and wide as the Hoover dam. She’s hiding her feelings behind that iron curtain, and I can only hope she’s telling the truth.

“Winter formal is coming up.” I wrap my arms around her and give her a spin. “I want to be your date. Come with me, please.”

“Yes!” She bounces a kiss off my lips, and her features melt with sadness as soon as she pulls away. “It’s a month from now. We should have my family back by then, right?”

“Laken,” I whisper her name as I spot Edinger heading out of the English building. “Yes. We’ll get them. Look, I have to get to the library. Can I meet you for dinner?”

“Carter offered to take me out.” She shrugs. “She’s my new roommate, so it’s sort of a celebration, and I couldn’t say no.”

“I’ve got a game at Rice tomorrow—I’ll be back late.”

“Not a problem. We’ll do it Friday.”

“I was thinking about the lake—just me and you.” I run my finger over the side of her face and trace out her perfect features.
There are so many things I’d like to do to—
with
Laken. It’s taking all of my self-control not to haul her back to my room right now
. I let that one slip through. I wanted her to hear it. I want her to know exactly what my carnal intentions are with her, to prove how bad I need her.

“I’m ready to do things with you, Wes.” Laken hooks her hand around the back of my neck and pulls me in. “I’m your spirit wife remember? It’s going to be you and me, forever.”

A slow smile bleeds from my lips as the memory of the Ensign meeting runs through my mind.

“You’ll always be my treasure.” I bury a quick kiss over her mouth. “There’s another meeting coming up.” I run my eyes over her beautiful face. Laken holds an exquisite beauty that I plan on sketching out every day of the year for the rest of our lives. “I can have you elevated.” My eyes bear into hers because I want her to know how serious this is.

“Another meeting? In the room of fire?” The look of fear mixed with confusion takes over. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“No, I’m not. We need to push in deeper for the Counts to trust us. As soon as they see how committed we are, they’ll elevate our ranks and increase our privileges. We’ll be allowed to roam through those tunnels anytime we want.” I leave out the fact that I already am. But it doesn’t matter because I want Laken right there by my side.

“I’ll do it.” She never breaks our gaze. “But swear to me you’re just doing this to get our families out. Wes, you’re not going to want anything to do with the Counts after this, are you?”

“I promise you, my first priority is getting our families out—yes,
ours
.” I tread my fingers through her hair, soft as the finest silk. “Laken, you’re already family to me, and so is your mom and Lacey. I’m going to talk to some people and try to get this whole thing straightened out. There has to be a way to do this without going rogue. It’s better to have the Counts with us than against us. I swear to you on all that is holy, it’s the best way.”

She turns and kisses my palm before laying her head on my chest.

“I believe you, Wes. Do you think we can free the other people in the tunnels?”

“No. The Counts will always need Celestra blood to stay ahead of the game. They can do things we can’t.
They can time travel, read minds
—
heck, they can shape shift, morph into any creature they want, but they’re too stupid to realize it.
I can do it myself if I drink enough of their blood. As long as Celestra is more powerful, the tunnels are the only advantage we have. It keeps us on an even playing field.”

She shakes her head and gives a hard sniff. Laken has a heart the size of Texas, so, of course, the idea of a bunch of trapped Celestra kills her.

“Promise me something?” She looks up. Her pale eyes shimmer like stones under water. “When everything is said and done, we’ll get as far away from this place as possible.”

“Promise.” I land a kiss over her lips that ignites like a flame.

I’d move to another planet entirely if that’s what it took to be near Laken.

Not that we’d ever get away from the Counts.

After all, you can never truly outrun yourself.

In the late afternoon, the sky turns an ashen shade of soot. The clouds pulsate in and out as if it were the fur of some prehistoric animal. It’s getting ready to drive down rain like the plague, and soon all of Ephemeral will be swimming in it.

The library stands like a monolithic stone set in my path, and right about now it feels like one. The stained glass windows glow an eerie yellow as if there were flames licking the building from inside. I walk right in and head to the back, to the locked passage that only a select few have access to. I let myself into the dim lit room. A candle glows in the center of the round mahogany table illuminating the leather-bound volumes that boast of angelic history.

“Wesley.” The whites of Edinger’s eyes squint in my direction as if they were smiling. It doesn’t surprise me one bit that he’s here, ready and willing to mock me. In truth I expected nothing less.

A fresh rage boils in me at the sight of him.

I flip the table over and scoop him up by his dress shirt. A thin veil of light trickles in from the windows that line the top of the bookshelves.

“You fucking piece of
shit
.” I knock him hard against the stacks of angelic lineage until one historic volume after another knocks him gleefully over the head. Swear to God, it’s as if they were aiming for him—and I’d like to think they were. “Why the hell would you take me from my home? You
kidnapped
me.” I rattle him like a ragdoll. “God only knows what you’re doing to Laken’s poor family.” I throw him down to the floor, and he’s quick to spring back up and get in my face.