24. Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Three

Skyla

T he next day goes by smoothly. There is no altercations at school, no tests or papers due that I forgot about, and Vincent was even able to pull me into the closet for a quickie. It's been a great day.

That is until Asher pulls into the driveway of our house, and I see a very pissed-off looking Aunt Steph just outside the gate.

Oh shit.

"Who is that?" Asher asks.

"My aunt," I respond.

"She looks mad," he says.

I glance down at my engagement ring. I've been wearing it more often lately. Asher said he was going to get a wedding band added to it soon, since everyone knows we are essentially married anyways. Slipping the ring off my hand, I put it in my purse. I don't miss the way Asher frowns as he watches me do so, but he doesn't say anything.

"Oh, she is," I say, before I open my door and slide out of the car.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" I ask as I walk towards her.

"Skyla Ann, what the fuck is going on here!" she seethes.

First and middle name, I'm in for it.

"Where exactly? Like here, at school, or just in general?" I ask, causing smoke to practically billow out of her ears.

"Since when did you move off campus? Since when did you move in here? Why the fuck did the front office tell me that you moved in with your husband ?" she snaps, shooting a glare at Asher, who chose now to exit the car.

"Is this the little shit?" she practically snarls, storming her way up to us.

"I'm Asher Putnam. Skyla has told me a lot about—"

His words are cut off with a sharp slap. His head snaps to the side as I push Steph away.

"That's for how you treated my niece, you little fucker! You're just like your father, all of you are the same!"

Asher doesn't respond, and to my surprise, he doesn't get mad either. He just stands there stoically and lets Steph get out all her rage.

"That's enough. I get that you're mad, but take it up with me," I say, as I stand in front of Asher protectively.

She looks at me as if I've grown two heads, before she blinks rapidly.

"How could you not tell me? How could you not invite me to the wedding?" she asks, emotion choking her as she looks away harshly.

"We haven't had a wedding yet, technically."

"Then how are you married?" she asks, her eyes narrowing before they widen. "No…sweetheart. You…you didn't. They didn't…"

I wordlessly nod. Clearly she already knows what happened, though I'm not sure how. It's obvious the knowledge of the ritual is very sacred.

Her hand scrambles for mine, pulling my branded palm to her face before unshed tears fill her eyes. She pulls me into her, hugging me tightly to her chest in a way that feels like coming home. I wrap my arms around her tightly, a relief like I didn't know I needed wrapping around me. We stand there for I don't even know how long, but it's not long enough. Mad at me or not, I've missed her so much.

When we pull apart, she quickly wipes away her tears before brushing a few of my own away.

"Well, are you going to show me around this mansion or what?" she asks with a sad smile.

"Yeah, come on," I say, as I loop my arm through hers and walk her to the front door. Asher jogs in front of us, unlocking the metal bar door that now sits outside our wooden door before placing his finger on the biometric scanner, as well as scanning his eye through a retina scanner. Once all of that is done, he inserts a key, unlocking the deadbolt.

I glance at Steph to see her watching Asher with a worried furrow to her brow. As soon as the door opens though, the frown slips away as her eyes begin eating up the space. Asher politely bows out, allowing Steph and I time to visit, as I give her a tour through the house. I tell her about when Asher and I first came here, it was empty, and he had it set up exactly as I envisioned it.

We didn't get into the details of the ceremony, or what has occurred since, and I'm grateful for that. I don't think I could handle it right now.

Eventually, we make our way downstairs to the kitchen, where she decides she's going to cook us dinner.

"Oh, that's okay. We usually get takeout," I say.

"All the more reason," she says, as she steps into the pantry.

I hear the front door open and shut, two pairs of footsteps sounding through the house. My wide eyes come to Asher, who curses under his breath.

Shit.

"Babygirl! We brought food! I hope you're hungry. Vincent made me order double everything because he's a creep and tracks your cycle. Says you're about to start your period any day now, and it wouldn't hurt to have some of your favorites around the house."

Liam and Vincent walk into the kitchen; Vincent carrying two large bags of groceries while Liam is carrying three bags of what smells like Chinese. My stomach growls in appreciation, but when Liam leans down to kiss me, I know we won't be eating anytime soon.

Steph pops out of the pantry, cocking her head to the side as she stares at Liam before moving to Vincent and then to me.

"Sky…who are these…boys?"

I lick my lips, not finding the words to describe our situation. Well, best to just rip off the band-aid.

"My boyfriends," I answer simply.

Steph doesn't react; her face is frozen as she stares at me, almost waiting for me to elaborate. When I don't, her eyes swing back and forth between everyone in the room.

"All of them?"

"Technically, I'm her husband, and they are the boyfriends," Asher adds unhelpfully.

I make that known with the irritated look I shoot him.

"No," Aunt Steph says.

We all glance at each other before I tilt my head.

"What?"

"No. Break up with them, right now."

When no one reacts to that, she slams her hand against the island, startling me as she shouts.

"Break up with them, right fucking now! I will not watch you make the same mistakes she did, suffer the same fate. No, no, no! Break up with them!"

"Hey now," Liam says with raised hands. "Let's just take a breath. No need to shout."

She turns on him like a cornered animal, practically gnashing her teeth at him.

"There is every reason to shout! Do you have any idea what the Brethren will do to her if they find out? She's making a mockery out of a match! Do you know how fast Christopher will have her throat slit! He will send the nearest eliminator and—"

"That would be me," Vincent answers coolly, taking several steps forward until he is toe to toe with her.

I feel him wedge himself between us, like he's trying to protect me. He can't see it, but she'd never hurt me. She's just terrified for me, and honestly, rightfully so.

"And I can assure you, I'd suffer a thousand deaths before I allow any harm to come to her," he continues.

Steph's jaw is tight, as she shakes her head and throws her hands up.

"This cannot be happening! Not again, you can't ask me to live through this again, Sky. I can't!" she snaps frantically.

"Live through what? Who are you talking about?" I ask, pausing for a moment as I guess. "Mom?"

She looks away from me roughly, shaking her head as she mutters something to herself that I can't quite make out. Of course, what better timing would there be for Ronan to make his grand entrance? When his footsteps sound through the house, Steph's accusing eyes fly to mine before Ronan crests the corner. When she does, her mouth drops.

"Ronan?"

His eyebrows raise in surprise as he looks at her.

"Stephanie, It's been a while."

She stares at him before her head turns to me, that look of shock morphing to judgment as she shakes her head. A bitter laugh escapes her, as she tosses her hands out at her sides.

"Please, please, for the love of god, tell me you are not sleeping with my niece."

Ronan stands a little taller but doesn't speak, causing Steph to shout once more.

"What the fuck, Skyla! Oh my god. It's bad enough you're cheating on Christopher's son, but you're doing so with his brOTHER! Let me guess, you both are legacies as well?" she asks Liam and Vincent.

They nod as she runs her hands through her hair.

"She's not cheating on me," Asher clarifies. "She's in a relationship with all of us."

"That doesn't matter to the Brethren, and you know it! What happens when it's time to produce your heir, hm? How will you know which one knocks her up?"

"It wouldn't matter. Any child she has will be mine, biologically so or not, doesn't matter to me," Asher says confidently, crossing his arms across his chest.

My heart swells at his words, my dumb, lovestruck brain running wild with images of me having a baby, all these wonderful men by my side every step of the way and loving that baby unconditionally. Is that too much to ask? Probably, actually, definitely. Still, it's one hell of a fantasy.

"You'll all be married off. What, you're gonna cheat on your wives? Get them on board with this? Put Skyla at even more risk?" Steph guffaws.

"We haven't gotten that far," Liam interjects. "We're taking things step by step."

"Oh," she says sarcastically. "Well, when that goes to shit, what the fuck do you think is going to happen to my niece? If you truly cared about her, you'd stay the hell away from her, you especially," she says, pointing to Ronan.

He doesn't seem phased as he lets her rage and shout. When she has no choice but to take a breath, he speaks.

"Stephanie, I understand this is a shock to you and I know that you're concerned for Skyla's safety. We all are. It's all any of us ever think about. She is our number one priority. You can trust us."

"You and I both know trust is not something to be had in Salem," she snaps back.

"How do you guys know each other exactly?" Liam asks.

Steph rolls her eyes at him.

"Before I moved to London with Skyla, I was just as a part of this world as you all are. Born and raised in Salem, graduated from Gallows Hill. Watched as my sister became a pawn in this fucked up quest for power before she was ripped away from us."

"What do you mean?" I ask, noting that's the third time she's brought up my mom in some way. "What happened to Mom, Steph?"

She looks at me, shaking her head from side to side.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. I'm right here. Please," I beg.

She shakes her head faster, a choked sob ripping through her chest.

"I can't, Sky. I can't. If I tell, they kill me. If I tell, they kill you. I can't, I'm sorry. I can't, can't," she says, as she breaks off into a fit of sobs.

I move towards her, wrapping my arms around her as she cries into my neck. I hush her softly, sending worried eyes to the guys who all watch us with varying looks.

"C'mon. Let's get you upstairs," I say, as I begin walking her towards the staircase.

To my surprise, she doesn't fight me and when I open one of the spare rooms, she lays down almost immediately. I lie beside her, running my hand in circles on her back like she always did for me as a child. Eventually, her sobs quiet, soon replaced with soft snores.

She clearly needs the rest. I'm sure jetlag alone has her turned around, then the emotional distress of finding out everything that she has in the last three hours. So many questions are fluttering through my mind, though. So many new puzzle pieces suddenly thrown onto the board, I don't know what the fuck to do with them.