Toxic Part One (Celestra Series Book 7) Read Online Free Page A

one.
    A blond man with a pale face, dressed in black from head to toe, comes upon us in the hall, and Demetri takes a clipboard from him. “Wonderful. It will be youth council then.”
    I recognize the man with silver colored spectacles hovering over his notes as Ellis’s father, Morley Harrison.
    “Hello—Skyla, Logan.” He gives a polite nod to the two of us before dipping back to his work, banal as if he had passed us on the streets of Paragon.
    “Shit.” Logan seethes as he sweeps on by.
    Demetri continues to lead us through the tunnel of my discontent. Gilded carvings of long vines slither over the walls, assaulting our vision from above as they take over the crown molding. It reminds me of the body art Emily inflicted on me during ski week. Gage was supposed to be the vine, the one constant that traced all over my frame, bleeding into my future with the promise of forever. And now here I am, a prisoner locked in this hellish vineyard—my blood the wine. 
    We walk for miles down the elaborate hall before hitting a set of black double doors with large gnarled fingers that protrude as handles. God—I bet they’re the petrified hands of some poor Celestra. I can just imagine Demetri dipping them into molten iron with glee while they were still very much attached to their unwilling donor.
    “Logan,” Demetri says, giving a slight bow, “you’re to do what is asked of you. I’ve assigned a principality who will lead you through the procedures.” He lowers his gaze to me. “Mr. Harrison informed me there were enough captures to bring the supplies to somewhat sufficient levels. I’m going easy on you, Skyla.” He bears his teeth. “I’m gifting you to a youth pledge. I’ll let the Elysian decide which one.” He glances back at Logan and something wicked flickers in his eyes as if there were sexual implications involved for me.
    My heart picks up pace as Demetri reaches for the handle. A panic quickens in me like a bull at the gate. My entire body is numb from shock and my limbs lock up at the joints.
    “Please don’t do this.” I plead for one final act of mercy from the purveyor of this affliction, but he doesn’t flinch, doesn’t acknowledge my cry for help.
    The door opens. A cool breeze licks against my face, my lips. It tastes my fear, taunts me with its icy tongue, lets me know I’m no longer my own.
    An expansive darkness greets us on the other side. An owl cries out—a bloom of fog filters through the arid space before revealing a forest dipped in midnight. Another cry erupts, then another.
    Dear God—those aren’t animals howling into the night, they’re people—Celestra—my people.
    “No,” I cry out in a panic.
    “I tried to send you home.” Demetri sharpens his features. He gave me the option at the stone and I refused to leave Logan. “You chose to be here.” He widens the entry apathetically. “Bring her in,” he instructs.
    Logan picks me up and cradles me in his arms. I’ll die before I let them hurt you.
    He bounces a soft kiss onto my head before walking us through the door.
     
    ***
     
    An overwhelming darkness, a blackness you can feel and taste, embraces us. A cool mist baptizes our flesh. It holds the hint of a peculiar scent, something metallic and bitter that I’ve never been exposed to before.  
    “I’ve left instructions with your principality, Ingram. Pay careful attention to whatever he tells you. Follow his commands, or it will cost you everything,” Demetri says, laying his icy hand over my forehead as if he were offering some sort of satanic blessing. His cold palm has me recoiling from his touch and burrowing deeper into Logan’s chest. “I’ll see you both on Paragon.” And with that he evaporates.
    I jump out of Logan’s arms and land with a thud on the soil of this wicked forest. A primal howl comes from the abyss of darkness. Screams, moans, and wails go off at regular intervals like a heartbeat. This is no room, no architecture of man