Deceit (Gallows Hill Book 1), page 25
“Stop saying sorry,” Liam says. “I’ve been waiting for this since I found you guys together that first morning. It was obvious he made you feel safe, and I’ve never seen him down bad for anyone before you. I’m cool with it, babygirl, but maybe three boyfriends will be enough?” he says with a teasing smirk.
My gaze comes up to Ronan, a softer expression as he nods.
“He treats you well?”
“He’s done nothing but protect and look after me,” I shrug nervously.
“You know what I’ve said. I’ll share you with whoever you need, as long as I get an equal piece of your heart.”
I’m not sure what to think or do at this moment, so I just stare. When neither of them speak, my mind begins to race even faster.
“So…that’s it? You’re just okay with it? Okay with Vincent and I having a relationship as well?”
“If he makes you happy then I’ll tolerate him, for you,” Ronan answers with a simple nod.
My eyes come to Liam who throws his hands up in defense.
“Don’t look at me for the jealous boyfriend thing, you won’t find it. I think it’s hot as fuck and we needed a third guy anyways.”
“Why?” I ask with furrowed brows.
“Because we were a throuple, now it’s a full blown harem. I can’t wait for us to all have sexy time together,” Liam says with a waggle of his eyebrows.
Ronan smacks the back of his head and curses.
“We’re her boyfriends, not yours.”
“You say that now,” Liam winks, in a way that doesn’t seem to impress Ronan but certainly has filthy fantasies running through my mind. Why does the thought of my boyfriends being boyfriends sound so hot?
“Try your luck with Griggs, I’m all pussy,” Ronan says, as he closes the distance between us, leaning down and pressing his lips to mine.
My heart clenches and butterflies fill me, when he pulls back and looks into my eyes.
“So, are we…okay?” I ask.
“Fucking perfect, baby,” he says, before practically shoving Liam to the floor.
He falls on his ass but quickly scrambles to his feet as Ronan covers my body with his, peppering my face and neck with kisses.
“Hey! You have to share,” Liam pouts like a toddler, forcing a chuckle out of me as Ronan grumbles under his breath.
He rolls over onto his back but pulls me with him. His hands snake beneath my skirt, pushing it up and over my hips before pulling my panties to the side.
“Mmm there is my wet little pussy. I’ve missed you,” he says as his hands grip my upper thighs, dragging me up to his face before his mouth latches onto my clit.
I let out a surprised gasp as he forces me to sit on his face. His tongue flicks against my clit several times before drawing a lazy line through my pussy. My hand reaches down, digging into his hair as I force him closer to me.
Fuck, that feels way too good.
“Holy shit. Is this how hot it was when you watched her ride my face?” Liam groans and I look over to see his pants already around his ankles, that pretty decorated cock being stroked by his hand.
Ronan lifts me off his face for a moment as he growls.
“Fucking hotter. She was totally naked when she rode your face.”
“Well, we can solve that,” Liam says as he lets go of his cock, grabbing the hem of my shirt and pulling it up and over my head.
With a single flick of his other hand, he unclasps my bra, forcing my breasts to spill free. Ronan’s eyes collide with my own, his mouth still eating me like a starved man as one of his hands comes up to cup my right breast. Liam reaches over and grabs the left as he continues stroking his cock again. Leaning down, Liam presses his lips to mine, his fingers flicking against my nipple as his tongue twirls with my own.
The stimulation is overwhelming, and yet I’m desperate for more at the same time. Ronan flattens out his tongue and runs it through me, forcing a moan to escape me as Liam smiles against my lips.
“Feel good, babygirl?” he murmurs.
I let out a breathy nod as he takes a step away, pressing his cock against my lips.
“Open.”
I do as he says as he pushes his cock into my mouth, going all the way until he bottoms out in my throat. I gag around him but breathe through my nose to keep my composure.
“Fuck yes,” Liam grits through clenched teeth. “You know I love it when you choke on me.”
His hips pull out before thrusting into me again and again. Ronan increases his efforts as I feel one of his hands slide between us, going to his cock where he begins stroking himself. Liam pulls back for a moment, forcing my head to the side as he pushes me back.
“Be a good girl and spit on Ronan’s cock, baby.”
I gather up all of the saliva in my mouth and spit onto Ronan’s tip, forcing him to groan in appreciation as his hand grips his cock tightly. I watch in fascination as he begins jerking his cock faster and faster, before Liam buries his fingers into my hair and drags me back to him.
“All the way, babygirl,” he says, as he pushes himself back down my throat.
Somehow we seem to find a rhythm that suits us all perfectly. Me sucking Liam while he face fucks me and Ronan eating my pussy while he strokes himself. All that can be heard is the sloppy sounds of Ronan and my mouths and Liam’s pleasure fueled moans.
I feel Liam’s cock begin to throb in my throat and that familiar building feeling in my lower stomach. One more swipe of Ronan’s tongue against my clit, and I’m a goner. I scream out my release, muffled by Liam’s cock stuffed in my mouth as my pussy spasms and pulses, leaking my release all over Ronan’s face. His tongue greedily laps up all I have to give him, and Liam lets out a savage curse as his cock swells, his hot cum running right down my throat.
I do my best to swallow it all, sucking him a little harder to get that much more out of him. I feel Ronan tense beneath me, his own muffled groan shaking the walls of the room as he finds his release.
We all attempt to catch our breaths as Liam slowly pulls away from me, caressing my jaw in a loving way, as he bends down and presses a sweet kiss to my lips before moving to the bathroom. The sound of the shower echoes through the room before Liam is back, shirt and pants now discarded as he offers me his hand.
Carefully, I climb off Ronan and watch as he pulls his clothes off with one hand as Liam offers him a washcloth. He dips his head in thanks, as he quickly cleans himself up before getting undressed as well.
“What are we doing now?” I ask as Liam does the zipper of my skirt, pulling it and my panties to the floor before guiding me to the bathroom.
All three of us step into the warm water, sandwiching me in the middle, with Liam in front of me and Ronan behind me. Liam’s hands rest on the small of my waist, while Ronan’s settle on my hips.
“Now,” Ronan says, “We worship you.”
Was what we did not worship? Because that’s what it felt like to me. Maybe I’m wrong, because when Liam’s mouth captures my own at the same time Ronan’s comes to my neck, I understand what the word truly means.
Together, their mouths and hands touch every inch of me, washing my hair and my body, turning my head back and forth to share kisses between the two. All I can do is keep myself upright at this point, they are handling everything else, turning me into a giant pile of pliable goo.
Once our shower is over, Liam dries me off while Ronan grabs my favorite pajamas for me. The boys just slide on their boxers, before Ronan climbs into my bed first, followed by me and then Liam. It’s not even close to nighttime, but that doesn’t stop me from crashing hard, cuddled between my boyfriends. God, I really should be ashamed of that statement, but ask me if I care.
I’m woken up by a loud pounding sound. I jolt awake at the same time as Ronan, while Liam, per usual, is dead to the world. In the next moment, Vincent blows into the room, pausing in his steps only for a moment before he shuts the door behind him.
The blankets are covering us, but it’s very easy to tell that we are naked under here. Vincent has basically seen me naked, but there is something in me that suddenly feels shy. I give him a nervous smile as he stares at me blankly.
My smile begins to fade, anger clearly etching into his features when he closes the distance between us, leaning over Liam to cup the back of my neck and bring his lips to mine. It’s a reassuring kiss, one that tells me he isn’t mad about what he walked into, at least I assume that’s what it means.
“They know about us, I take it?” Vincent asks, as he pulls back just an inch from my face.
“Yeah, we know. Welcome to the club. We’re gonna get t-shirts,” Liam yawns.
Vincent rolls his eyes, but doesn’t respond as he looks straight into my soul.
“We have a problem, Siren.”
I frown.
“What happened?” Ronan asks.
Vincent presses his lips against mine one more time, this time in a harsher way, one that almost feels like punishment before he takes a step back and stands up.
“I was just…mingling and overheard an interesting piece of information,” he says, as his eyes come to me before moving to Liam and Ronan. “Apparently, the ceremony of Asher and Skyla’s union has been moved up.”
“What?” Ronan asks, the single word as sharp as a dagger.
“October 31st is what I hear,” Vincent says to him before looking down at me again. “Care to elaborate on that, Siren?”
I grimace and nod my head.
“Yep. That’s what the dinner at Christopher’s was about. He knows about Asher whoring around campus and the hazing shit he did to me. He told him that he had to respect me from here on out, and that our ceremony would be moved up. We’re still having the wedding, but I assume we are going to the courthouse or something to make it official, on Halloween of all days. Ridiculous, right?”
Everyone is silent, all sharing heavy looks between each other, but not bothering to share whatever they are thinking out loud. I look over to see Liam’s brows practically knitted together, Vincent’s eyes dark and hostile, while Ronan is fuming mad beside me.
“That’s less than a month away. We need more time,” he says more to himself.
“She’s out of time. Preparations are being made. You and I both know exactly why he chose that day,” Vincent says to Ronan.
“Wait, why?” I ask.
No one speaks and it pisses me off.
“Okay, that’s it. One of you needs to start talking, immediately!”
“Babygirl, we want to…we just…can’t.”
“Yes you can. It’s called communication, Liam.”
“It’s called sacred secrets, Siren,” Vincent says.
I frown, looking at all of them desperately before my eyes stop on Ronan. He’s staring at the ceiling before slowly turning his head to me.
“What do you know about the Salem witch trials?”
Chapter Thirty Six
Skyla
“What? The witch trials? I don’t know. Some kids claimed that women in the town were witches and possessed them or something. It started a mad hunt for witches and a bunch of innocent people died. What about it?” I ask.
All the guys share uneasy looks between each other, Liam silently shaking his head at Ronan like he’s begging him not to share anything with me. My eyes stay on Ronan as I lift a waiting eyebrow.
Ronan rubs his hand against his jaw, staring at the ground before looking back to me.
“The history books got most of it right…but not all. Yes, many died unnecessarily, but there were witches in Salem, still are too.”
“What? Witches? Like cauldrons, spells and all that?” I scoff.
“No, you’re thinking of the dramatized Hollywood version of witches, but people who practice various forms of magic, harnessing energy from nature and darker forces, yes,” Vincent corrects.
My brows furrow, a disbelieving look on my face as Ronan continues.
“No one truly knows what happened with the trials. Some say the women were wrongfully accused, others say they really were practitioners of magic. Either way, the town turned to chaos. Once the trials had ended, it didn’t stop there.”
“Our ancestors knew that there were remaining witches, furious ones,” Liam intervenes. “And even those that had been executed, most of them had families. Children, spouses, siblings. Some in Salem, others in nearby towns and states.”
“And, rightfully so, they wanted revenge,” Vincent adds on.
“So, what were the townsfolk of Salem to do?” Ronan asks. “They decided there was safety and power in numbers and thus—”
“The Brethren was born,” I guess, causing all three to nod their heads in agreement.
“Holy shit. So it’s not a society, it really is a cult. It’s an anti-witch culty protection group,” I guffaw, unbelieving of my own words.
“To put it simply,” Vincent agrees.
“You guys don’t actually believe this shit, though, right?” I ask.
They all have uneasy looks, even Vincent as he continues.
“I’ve seen a lot over the last two years, enough to know that as much as the Brethren lie to us, there is an equal amount of truth to our practices, to our protection. They are very much out there, active and waiting.”
My mind is reeling as I do my best to comprehend all of this.
“I don’t understand. Is that who my stalker is? One of them?”
“We suspect,” Ronan says.
“Why me? What did I do?”
“You’re important to the Brethren, which means you’re a perfect target. No better day than to form a union of strength, than on one of their most sacred days. They believe the veil between this world and the spirit world is lowered on that day, giving them more strength and connection to cause more damage and chaos.”
“I still don’t get it. It’s not like Asher and I getting married is all of a sudden going to make us untouchable. What’s the point?”
Liam winces as he shakes his head from side to side.
“That’s where the practices and beliefs get…muddled. As a part of the newest generation, I agree with you. Though the older generation, like Asher’s father and yours….”
“They believe it is a key element to maintaining our lineage and power,” Ronan fills in.
“But that’s fucking crazy.”
Vincent nods. “We didn’t claim them to be sane, Siren.”
“Well, what am I supposed to do? Do I just marry Asher and hope for the best? Hope this cult or coven or whatever doesn’t come for me? What about after we’re married? Will they lose interest?”
“Not likely,” Vincent says.
A sinking feeling settles in my stomach as I nod.
“So, do I just live my life always on edge until one day they do catch up and kill me?”
“That will not happen,” Vincent says vehemently, while Liam and Ronan mimic the same sentiments.
“We will protect you, Skyla, trust that. Things are…shifting and for now, we all have to play our part in this song and dance. I just…I thought I had more time,” he says with a shake of his head.
Yeah, well it sounds like if these crazy witches, or at least descendants of witches, get a hold of me, my time is literally up, so same here.
Chapter Thirty Seven
Asher
Iglance down at my phone to see we are ten minutes late for our first class. I don’t know about her, but I don’t want my dad getting told shit about my attendance, so she better hurry the fuck up.
Her door swings open and I kick off the wall across the hall, stopping in my tracks as I watch Liam step out of the room with her. His arm is wrapped around her shoulder, and she is tucked into his side as they smile at each other like the other hung the fucking moon. My lip curls up at them as I sneer.
“You’re off Princess Patrol. Now stop touching her in public, before someone sees.”
Liam shrugs his shoulder off her, shaking his head and rolling his eyes before turning to face her.
“See you soon, babygirl,” he says, leaning forward and brushing a kiss to her cheek that has me looking over my shoulder to make sure no one can see.
When he pulls away, he levels me with a heated look but doesn’t say anything before shaking his head and walking off.
“Give me one second,” Skyla says as she steps back into her room, grabbing her laptop and her purse.
“So, are you seriously seeing them all?” I ask, as my eyes trace the room.
“Yes,” she answers hesitantly.
“How does that even work? They take turns on who gets to fuck around with you each night?” I ask as I look down at her.
She rolls her eyes at me and shakes her head.
“Is that how it works with you and your groupies?”
I scoff. “No. I call them when I want to fuck. No expectations.”
“Well, basically the same, except we have communication skills and care for one another.”
I lift a disbelieving eyebrow at her, because she can’t be this naïve. She seriously thinks Liam is dating her for her personality? Or Griggs. Everyone knows that guys humps and dumps. The few women that have slept with him said they were terrified the entire fucking time, and then he never looked them in the eye again. And don’t even get me started on Ronan.
Yeah, sounds like the perfect group of guys to share and love one woman.
Without another word, she steps out of her room as I follow after her, shutting the door behind me. We make our way into the elevator, out into the courtyard and to her first class without a single word spoken.
You know, my fiancée isn’t too bad when she’s silent. Maybe this marriage won’t be the worst thing in the world. She can do her thing, I’ll do mine. My father will be pleased. Everyone wins.
“See ya,” she says as she steps into the class, not sticking around for me to say anything, which I wasn’t planning on anyways, so it’s whatever.
I turn on my heel, heading in the direction of my class when I see Griggs cornering Jeremy Stroughton. He has him pinned against the side of a building, his forearm against his throat as he looms over him menacingly. Intrigue gets the better of me and I switch directions, heading straight for them as I do.
