Free Vex by Addison Moore Page B

glides by my window in strips like elongated tails from some prehistoric beast. I miss Gage with a heartfelt ache even though he left less than an hour ago. Everything in my world is hollow without him around. I find myself moving through increments of incomprehensible solitude until the very next time I see him, nothing but a grey existence. Then he comes and the universe fires back up again, colors sing their songs and I’m filled with life.  
    It’s so strange having to stave him off, having to convince him for once that maybe the Landon house isn’t the best place for anything too serious to happen. And, I wonder why I have to convince myself to begin with? Gage is a god. I should be kneeling at his altar just waiting for his command to have me.
    I open the casement window and take in the scent of fresh dewy earth. The raw oils of the eucalyptus trees bleed its sweet bouquet. A dark shadow flies from branch to branch.
    “Nevermore!” I shout with bubbling laughter.
    My bird. I have him back.
    He swoops over.
    I crank out the window until he crouches inside.
    “You’re better,” I muse, stroking the back of his head. “Nasty Chloe will never get you again.” I stop just short of promising. Apparently, I have no real control where Chloe is concerned.  
    “Chloe,” he croaks.
    I make a face. I don’t really care for him saying her name.
    I lay my hand flat on his back—immobilize his wings from trying to part as he twitches from side to side.
    Skyla .
    My hand retracts.
    “Did you say my name?” A startled gasp emits from my throat. “I think I heard you.” I place my hand gently on his side. “Oh, my God, I can hear your thoughts.”
    I don’t have many thoughts, Skyla. You might be disappointed .
    “Tell me about yourself. Gage said you’re a bound spirit. What happened?”
     I was received by Hal Bishop when he was a youth. For a time, I was his daughter’s keeper, transferred to Gage Oliver and now I belong to you .
    “So, are you a Nephilim? You’re not a Count are you?” The idea doesn’t even mildly amuse me.
    I was born into the Countenance. I’ve been disgraced and removed from the faction.  
    “Countenance,” I say horrified. “So how’d you end up a bird?” Seems like a rather drastic demotion.
    Justice alliance .
    There’s a harsh knock on my door, and the knob rattles. It’s Mom shouting for me to come downstairs.
    “I gotta go. Can we talk again?”
    I have nothing but time .

    ***

               
    “What?” I storm into the kitchen to find Mom pulling out the jelly and bread from the fridge.
    “The clinic called and they bumped up your appointment for tomorrow morning. I just got off the phone with Emma and told her we’d swing by and pick up Gage in a couple of hours.”
    “Wait, that super fertility clinic in Seattle?”
    “Yes!” Her eyes spark like brilliant emeralds as though I was five and we were going to Disneyland. “Oh, Honey, it’s the best state of the art facility. And wait until you meet my doctor! He’s so nice and super gorgeous. He reminds me a lot of Mr. Dudley.”
    “No way, uh-uh. I’m not having any super gorgeous man examine me for babies ,” only it sounds more like rabies when I say it.
    She clunks the jelly down onto the counter.
    “You, Skyla, should have thought about that before you decided to make a very grownup decision and slept with Gage.” Her hands fly past me as she unscrews the enormous jar of baby vitamins, shoving one in my hand.
    I roll my eyes at how ludicrous this all is. My mouth flies open in protest then I shut it again. Why not let her super fantastic fertility clinic tell her she’s wrong? Maybe the next time she and Tad doubt me, they’ll remember all the money they forked over the last time they decided not to believe.
    I grab a glass of water and reluctantly swallow the giant horse pill.
    “So, tell me more about this trip,” I pull out a knife and help her assemble a plethora of