Demise (Gallows Hill, #3)

by Katelyn Taylor

“It’s okay, we’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you,” he says as he goes to stand, attempting to pick me up with him. I wheeze as my body tenses in pain, and he freezes, setting me back down. “What’s wrong?” Ronan asks. “Where are you hurt?” Wesley asks before Vincent steps in, shoving Wesley back several feet. “Get the fuck away from her! Where are you hurt, Siren?”

“M-my ribs,” I stutter. “I th-think they’re broken.” His jaw tenses, and he blows out a harsh breath through his nose before nodding once. Vincent pushes Ronan away, forcing him to release his hold on me, which, surprisingly, he does. Slowly, Vincent wraps his arms around the back of my legs and my upper back, being careful not to jostle me too much as he lifts me up and moves me out of the room. My eyes land on the bed, my mother’s clothes still there, and I panic. “Wait! The clothes, the clothes! I need them!”

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. It’s just me. You’re safe,” Liam croons softly. I inhale a shaky breath before I blow one out. My eyes go from Liam to Asher to Vincent and Ronan, then finally Wesley. All wearing broken-hearted expressions that vary between them all. “Take me home, please?” I ask the room. “We’ve got you, Siren. We’ve got you.”

Ronan

Asher pushes ahead, rounding the car and opening the other side before he slides in. “Rest her head on my lap, keep her straight,” Asher says. Vincent nods as he climbs inside the SUV with Skyla in his arms, gently resting her head onto his lap before laying her the rest of the way down.

“We need a doctor at my house; we will be there in less than three hours. Possible broken ribs…bring anything necessary to treat a victim of assault,” Asher says quietly before hanging up the phone. The car goes deathly silent, all eyes coming to Skyla. She looks up at Asher as if she wants to speak, but she doesn’t. She stays silent, staring up at him in a way that unnerves me. After a few seconds, she blinks before turning her head to the side, staring at the back of the seat blankly. I share a concerned look with Wesley and see Liam and Asher doing the same in the rearview mirror. Pulling out my own phone, I tap out a message that I wish I didn’t have to, but know I have no choice. Me: There is an incident in Vermont. Nicholas Corwin has been stalking and threatening your daughter in law. He kidnapped her from their home and took her to a warehouse where he assaulted her. Your son blew the fucking place up.

Christopher: Corwin? What reasoning did he have? This girl is proving to be more trouble than she’s worth. I bite my tongue at that last part as I type out my reply. Me: He was in love with Giselle, clearly. Trying to re-create what he thought he could have had with her? I’m not sure. Christopher: That worm wasn’t even fit enough to breathe the same air as Giselle, let alone love her. I’m surprised by the defensive nature of his text and go to respond when another comes in. Christopher: Get back to Salem. I’ll handle things in Vermont. Me: On our way.

Skyla

“I don’t need a doctor right this second. I’m fine,” I say, my words being cut short with a wince as Vincent begins moving up the staircase. Asher smacks the back of Vincent’s head. “Be careful, asshole! You just hurt her.” Vincent’s crazed eyes come to Asher, giving him a look drenched in murder. Asher ignores it, though, turning his gaze back to me. “You need a doctor, princess. I’ll go make a quick call,” he says, pressing a featherlight kiss to my cheek before heading out the door.

“What do you need, Siren?” Vincent asks. I shake my head in response, and he clenches his jaw as Liam steps into the room, moving past Vincent and Ronan as he rounds the bed. Slowly, he lowers himself down to lay beside me, a soft smile touching his face as his fingers begin playing with my hair. “Hi, babygirl.” “Hi.” I smile weakly. I feel a body sit beside me, and I look over to see Vincent there, hesitantly laying down on my other side. I reach for his hand, interlacing our fingers together before he squeezes them once and brings them to his mouth. His lips press a soft kiss against them before resting back at our sides. “Doctor will be here in less than five,” Asher says as he steps into the room, coming to take a seat at my feet beside Liam. Ronan takes the last available seat at my feet as I look around at my guys. “Thank you. Thank you for…coming for me,” I say slowly, doing my best to find the right words. “As if there would ever be a reality that I wouldn’t come for you,” Vincent says,

“Stay the fuck away from her!” he snaps before slamming the door in Wesley’s face. I flinch at the sound of the slam, sadness blooming inside me that he isn’t with us right now. That Asher is so angry with him; they all seem to be. “Why did you do that?” I ask. Asher spins to face me, outrage splashed across his face before he composes himself. “This was all his fault! Corwin never should have been able to touch you, let alone take you.” I frown at that. “Didn’t he come to save me too?” “Yeah, after he fucked everything up,” Vincent grumbles.

“Preston! Get in here!” It takes a few seconds before Wesley carefully peeks his head inside, his eyes scanning the room before landing on me. “Do you need something?” I swallow for a moment, remembering the last memory I have with him. All the feelings I’d been trying to bury, the attraction, the… “Thank you,” I say softly. “For saving me.”

Rough fingers pinch my skin, that wet, slimy tongue running across my body. No. No. NO! “NOOOO!” I wake up screaming, a pair of hands shaking me gently. “Skyla, wake up! Little one, come on. Wake up!” Wesley says hurriedly. My eyes blink open to see the room dark and Wesley’s panic-stricken face before me. It takes me a moment for my heart to stop racing and my breathing to normalize before I shake my head. “Bad dream,” I mutter. Wesley opens his mouth to speak when the door is thrown open, Vincent, Asher, and Ronan spilling into the room, followed by Liam’s cursing from down the hall. “Stupid goddamn stairs! Can’t wait to fucking get this walking boot off.” “What’s wrong?” Ronan asks. “What did he do?” Asher accuses. “I’ll fucking kill you,” Vincent snaps at Wesley. Wesley throws his hands up, taking a step away from me. “She was having a nightmare. I heard her screaming and found her thrashing in bed.

“I’m so sorry, little one. I…I can’t believe I fucked up this bad. I just…can’t believe it,” he says with a shake of his head. I reach my hand out to cover his as I attempt to meet his eyes. “Hey, I mean it. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but Corwin’s. You did everything you could to protect me.” Wesley shakes his head. “That’s not true, and we both know it. I just…I don’t get how I missed it. I didn’t hear a thing upstairs. He didn’t wake you at all, and I can’t figure out how.” I look down at our joined hands as I speak. “I know how.” Pausing for a moment, my eyes slowly lift to his. “He did something to the apple cider packets. He knew I was bound to have one soon, and then when I was out—” “He grabbed you,” he finishes with a head shake and a hollow laugh. “Still going to try to convince me that this isn’t my fault? I’m the one who made you the goddamn cider!”

“You have to know I’d never let anyone hurt you. Not if I could help it. I…I don’t know. My guard was down. I was so fucking over the moon that you had given me a chance, me! I mean…men like me don’t get women like you.” “What does that mean?” His eyes swing to me. “It means I’m not a good man, not by a long shot. I’ve killed people, I break the law more times than I follow it, and I have a past that is not all sunshine and rainbows.” I nod. “How does that make you different from any of my other boyfriends?” He doesn’t say anything as I continue. “You are not a bad man, Wesley, not by a long shot. I don’t care what has happened in your past or what you’ve done. You’re good, more than, and you aren’t the lucky one in this relationship, I am.”

“We’re in a relationship?” “Oh, well. Uh, I guess I shouldn’t have assumed. Just because we messed around doesn’t mean you want to actually be with me, I guess. And the whole me already having four boyfriends probably makes this—” Wesley’s finger comes to my lips, silencing me immediately as he speaks softly. “I already told you. I want you, little one. I just didn’t know if you wanted me too after…everything.”

“I want you, Wesley. You…fit, you know? Right here,” I say, resting a hand over my chest.

“No! Get the FUCK away from me! Where is Skyla? What happened!?” a familiar voice screams. I frown at that, and Wesley tenses. “Steph?” I question as I throw the blankets off me and attempt to stand up. “You need to rest,” Wesley says as he attempts to keep me in bed. I shake my head and attempt to stand when Wesley scoops me into his arms and walks towards the door. When he opens it, Liam is there, watching us with a small smile. He doesn’t say anything before he gestures for Wesley to walk first.

I watch as her gaze hones in on where Wesley is holding me before her mouth drops open. “Sky, another one?!” I look up at Wesley, who is wearing an impassive mask, before looking back to her. “What are you doing here?” “What am I doing?” Steph guffaws. “I get a concerning voicemail from my niece about my dead sister, and then she doesn’t answer my calls for over fourteen hours. What do you think I’m doing here?” Fuck. The voicemail. I forgot about that. Was that really only fourteen hours ago? How is that possible when so much has happened since I made that call? “Where is my phone?” I ask the guys, who all just shake their heads and shrug their shoulders. “Probably in the woods somewhere. No way he would have brought it to Vermont,” Vincent says. “Vermont? What’s in Vermont? Who is he?” Steph intervenes.

“Then things became clear that it was someone else, someone obsessed with mom.” Steph frowns at that. “Why do you say that?” “Because he was leaving her letters addressed to Giselle,” Ronan supplies. “What did they say?” she asks. “They started out nice, loving. And then they turned…violent, enraged. He knew about the guys, and he was talking about how he’d take care of them. How disgusted he was to see me with them,” I explain. “I’m guessing it reminded him of when he saw Giselle with my father and Henry,” Asher says.

“What do you know about that?” “I think the question we should be asking is what do you know about that?” She hesitates for a moment before she speaks. “Finish the story, then I’ll share what I know.” Uneasy looks are cast around the room before I blow out a breath. “I was kidnapped.” “WHAT!” she shrieks. “Last night,” I continue. “He drugged me and drove me to a warehouse in Vermont that he had renovated to look like a house. He wanted us to live there, to start over.” “Who?” Steph asks. “Nicholas Corwin,” Wesley says from the corner of the room. Steph’s nose wrinkles at that. “That little dweeb? Are you sure it was really him? He was always afraid of his own shadow. I can’t picture him being an aggressive stalker.”

“He said something else. He said that my dad was the one who killed my mom. Or Asher’s dad. He said that’s what everyone says happened…but mom’s death was an accident, right?” I ask. Steph goes pale and her body freezes as she looks at me. I blink at her before bowing my head slightly. “Right?” My eyes move to the guys, noticing how all of them refuse to meet my eyes. “Did you all know?” “Babygirl, it’s just a rumor. There was never any proof. Just shit that dumb people made up.” Liam shrugs.

“I think so. Like he said, there was never any proof, but I know without a doubt if anyone killed my sister, it was Henry.” Hurt stabs inside me as I shake my head. “How? How could you not tell me? How could you let me come here, not knowing a thing?” “I didn’t have a choice, Sky! If he is a psycho murderer or not, if he wants his daughter with him, then you have to be by his side. Don’t you understand by now? What the elders want, they get! This is literally life or death. I’ve only put your well-being first. I just…I’ve tried so hard to keep you as safe as I could. My…my baby,” she cries, tears beginning to flow down her cheeks.

Asher

Lathering my hair, I lean back into the warm water, rinsing out the shampoo when a knock comes from the bathroom door. “Hey, man. I’m ordering lunch for everyone. What sounds good?” Liam asks. I turn to look at him through the glass wall, and I watch as his carefree smile disappears, a look of hunger taking its place. His eyes rake over me from top to bottom, and for some reason, I don’t feel the instinct to turn away, not in the slightest. What the fuck is happening to me? My pulse begins hammering in my neck, and I do my best to clear my throat as I keep my eyes on his. “Whatever the princess wants, I’m good with.” Liam doesn’t respond, though, because he’s currently in a staring match with my cock. The way it involuntarily jerks at his attention says more than I’d ever admit out loud.

Wait, fuck. Am I checking him out? His sweats are the next to go, pushing them down with one hand until they stop on his walking boot. He wasn’t wearing any boxers, and my eyes can’t help but drop at the newly exposed skin. Goddamn, I’ll never get over how many piercings he has. It’s insane. And kinda hot. Fuck. What the hell is going on with me?

In an instant, he’s in the shower with me, the spray just barely splattering against his skin as he closes the difference between us. I don’t move from my position, and I don’t think he minds. He does all the work, submerging himself in the water as his hand goes to the back of my head, and he pulls me in for a kiss.

“C’mon, Ash. Don’t ice me out. Don’t do this to me, to us,” he begs. “Us?” I question with half a scoff. Liam’s eyes come to mine, fucking pleading with me as his head pulls back even further to look at me. “Yeah, us. I know you’re scared. I am, too, if I’m being honest, but you feel something for me, and we both know it.”

“Fine. Fuck it, I’m done trying with you. I want you, but not bad enough to be some toy that you bring out of the closet every time you’re in the mood to test the boundaries of your sexuality. I’m not a plaything you can turn off and on, Asher, and I’m tired of the hot and cold.”

I don’t know what’s going on with me. I don’t like men, never have. Liam is just…Liam, and that’s not a good enough answer. So, I stay silent. He shakes his head in disappointment, turning to step out of the shower when he looks over his shoulder at me. “I’ll see what Wesley is up to; I’m sure he’d love a midafternoon blowjob.” Anger flashes across my eyes, and before I know what I’m doing, I’m closing the distance between us. My hand wraps around his throat as I pin him to the tile wall.

“Say that again,” I grit between clenched teeth. “Why?” Liam rasps slightly, as my hold on him tightens. “Don’t like the idea of me sucking someone else’s cock? My mouth wrapped around them, and my tongue—” He doesn’t get a chance to finish that sentence. Not when my lips are crushed against his.

“You want to suck someone’s cock? Get on your knees and choke on mine. It will be the only goddamn cock you’ll feel down your throat.”

I release my hold on his throat, resting my hand behind his head as he sucks my raging hard cock into his mouth. Ecstasy washes over me as his tongue swirls around the tip. My mouth drops open on a silent moan as he pushes me deeper and deeper. My fingers curl around his wavy hair as I wind it around my fist, forcing him to take me deeper and faster with each bob of his head.

Goddamnit. He has no right to be this fucking pretty. I don’t know how I never really saw it before, but Liam is so fucking pretty. And, no, that’s not me just saying it because he easily has the most talented mouth I’ve experienced. Ever. Sorry, princess.

The pleasure increases more and more as I begin snapping my hips violently. Liam gags once, and a groan leaves me at that. “Open that throat. Let me in,” I grit through clenched teeth. After a moment or two, he does as I say, and I force myself deeper than before. That’s all it takes. I see double, literally losing my vision for a moment as I come. My cock throbs as it shoots cum down Liam’s throat and he drinks it happily. His throat works overtime, his audible gulps echoing in the shower so fucking hot before he releases me with a wet ‘pop’.

My eyes move down to his hand, watching in fascination as he twists his hand around his piercings, his forearm flexing with each stroke. Hesitantly, I reach my hand out, taking his place as I wrap my hand around his cock the way I would my own. A groan falls from his lips as I come up to the head before pushing my hand back down again. His hand quickly falls away as he leans his back against the tiled wall and lets me take control. I don’t know what is coming over me. Jealousy. Lust. Curiosity. Whatever the driving factor is, it doesn’t matter. When we are here, in moments like this, none of it matters. It’s just about me and him.

“Stop looking at me like that. It’s torture,” Liam groans with a pitying laugh. Our eyes meet, and his smile slips away, a seriousness taking over his face as I lower to my knees. I’ve never sucked cock before, obviously. I know what feels good, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intimidated as fuck right now. My hand is still wrapped around him, stroking slowly as I look up to my best friend from my knees. “I don’t know what to do,” I admit roughly. Liam smiles, not a condescending or smug smile. A sweet one, one that looks like fucking sunlight and has my chest tightening the way it does when Skyla looks at me. “I’ll teach you, baby.” Before I can respond, he’s pushing his cock up to my lips and I press a quick kiss to the tip, feeling cringey as fuck for it. What the hell, this is such a mistake.

“Again, please, Ash,” he says breathily. Something in me responds to his lust drunk tone. The way he says my nickname. Fuck, it’s got me hard as a rock already. I do it again, another soft peck followed by another and another. I finally build the courage and stick out my tongue, swirling it around Liam’s head before closing my mouth around him. His mouth makes an O shape as he looks down at me while I look up. I breathe through my nose as I slowly begin pushing Liam deeper and deeper down my throat. The feeling of his piercings is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, each of them bumping against my tongue as I push my head down and back up again. Then again, I’ve never sucked cock until now, so I guess today is full of firsts. “Fuck, yes,” Liam praises. “Just like that, nice and slow.”

Increasing my speed a little, I begin pushing Liam deeper, a thrill running through me when he moans from it. Like a junkie chasing their next fix, I’m chasing Liam’s next sound. Each one is sweeter than the last, and I’m fucking desperate for them all. My hand comes up to his balls, cupping them the way I love as I push him down my throat. “Yeah, Ash. Touch my balls. Fuck!” Liam groans. I play with his balls for a moment before I pull away, my hand lifting up to Liam’s mouth before I rest my finger on his lips. “Open,” I say. Curiosity sparks in those pretty pale eyes, but he does as I say, sucking on my finger the way I am on his cock. I begin mirroring the movements, our tongues moving in sync before I pull my finger out of his mouth. He stares down at me with intrigue as I slip my hand between his legs, pushing into him slowly. His pupils blow at that, and he spreads his legs apart for easier access. “Oh fuck,” he says, anticipation forcing him to nearly tremble before me as my finger slips all the way into his ass.

“Shit,” he exhales roughly. My head bobs in a steady rhythm before I release him for a moment, continuing to pump my finger in and out of him. “You like that?” I ask. “I never want you to stop.” Liam sighs

“I’m never gonna stop. This asshole is mine, you hear me? I’ll lick it, finger it, or fuck it anytime I goddamn please.”

“Where do I sign up?” He laughs, pulling a chuckle out of me as well. “Just be my good boy. Can...

“You’re mine, alright? Mine and Skyla’s. I won’t share you with anyone, so you can fucking forget it.”

His cum hits my tongue, warm and slightly salty. I’m not sure what to think of it at first, but I swallow it down all the same. More cum hits my tongue, and I don’t mind it as much. I kind of like it, actually. Or at least I like the face that Liam makes when I swallow it. When his orgasm has passed, I slowly pull my finger out before releasing his cock and standing up. We stare at each other for a moment before I move backwards, stepping back into the spray of the now tepid water as I turn around and finish showering. Liam doesn’t move for several seconds before he comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he rests his cheek against my back. His lips move slowly as he speaks, his hold on me loose like he’s giving me the choice to push him away. “Did you mean that?” “Mean what?” I rasp. “That I’m yours. That you’ll never stop. That you…want me too.”

I feel Liam’s hands begin to unwind from me, and I panic, spinning around to face him as I stop him. I force his arms to stay around me, and a look of confusion passes across his face. Leaning forward, I press my lips to his, lifting my hands to cradle his face. It’s not a kiss of passion and wild abandon. It’s not a carnal craving where I’m savagely dominating him. It’s tender, soft, and I hope to God it conveys everything my words can’t. When we pull apart, I keep my hold on his face as I look into his eyes and speak. “Yes.”

Skyla

I’m helping clean up the kitchen when I notice Asher and Liam whispering in the hallway. My brows knit together as I lean past Ronan to watch them. Liam is talking to Asher about something, and Asher is shaking his head when I catch his eye. They both tense and I give a small smile and a wave because, honestly, I don’t know what else to do. Asher blows out a breath before walking into the kitchen, Liam following closely behind him. They both have serious looks on their faces, and I turn to face Ronan. “Could you give us a second?” I ask.

“Is everything okay?” “Yeah, no. I don’t know,” Asher says as he runs his fingers through his hair. I frown at that and Liam shakes his head. “What he meant to say was, we’ve realized that we have feelings for each other.” I do my best to hold back the smile that spreads across my face. Smashing my lips together I nod my head. “Okay.” “And we were wondering, I guess, hoping, that you’d be okay with that,” Liam says as his hand laces with Asher’s.

“Of course it is. I want you both happy.” “And we want you happy, princess,” Asher says. “We love you so much. We don’t want to mess anything up.” I shake my head as I stand between them, looking at both of them as I speak. “You can’t mess anything up. I love you both, so much. As long as being together doesn’t mean that you’ll toss me to the side, I’m so happy for you guys.” Asher scoffs as Liam says, “Yeah, like that could ever be a thing.”

“One request, though,” I say. “Anything,” Asher says. “Can we still all have group time? I don’t want to miss out on…all of this,” I say as I gesture between the two of them. Matching grins spread across their faces. “Babygirl, you’re the filling to our sandwich. You aren’t allowed to miss out.”