Page 43 of Demise

“Why is she calling you?”

My mouth parts to speak before my words die on my tongue. Conveniently, our server comes over and takes our order beforedisappearing. When we’re alone once again, she’s right back to it.

“Ronan, why is Annie calling you?”

“Probably to discuss the engagement party,” I say carefully.

“Engagement party?” Skyla echoes.

I grimace and nod.

“When?” she asks numbly.

“New Year’s Eve. Christopher thought it would be a great time for a party,” I say with a sneer.

Skyla’s face remains impassive, but I don’t miss the shimmering across those bright green eyes.

“So…uhm, so that’s it?” she asks, her voice tightening as she speaks, cracking on that last word.

“I don’t want to talk about it tonight, baby. Tonight, I just want it to be about you and me.”

“So, tomorrow will be about you and Annie?” she throws out.

I frown at that, and she closes her eyes letting out a shaky breath.

“I’m sorry. I…I know you don’t want this. I just…it’s selfish of me to want to keep you all, huh?” she asks with a watery smile.

“No,” I rush as I stand from my chair, coming to kneel beside her as I cup her face. “It’s not selfish at all, baby. It’s what I want, more than anything in the world. All I want is to be by your side. Our circumstances are…trying, but that doesn’t mean we should give up, ever.”

“What’s there to fight, Ronan? We both know the outcome if you don’t go through with it. As much as it would kill me to watch you marry someone else, it’s better than losing you from this earth.”

I press my lips against hers, pulling back only half an inch to speak.

“Don’t give up on us, don’t stop fighting, because I sure as hell won’t. I’ll fight for you with my dying breath, Skyla. Even if Ihave to marry her, I’ll never love her. My heart will never belong to anyone but you.”

“What will that even look like? Steph is right, huh? You’ll be married to her, have a house, maybe a kid or two, and then what? Work late at the office?” she asks, using her fingers to create air quotes. “I’ll be your mistress? Sure, we know there is more to it than just sex, but regardless, you’ll be cheating on your wife with me?”

“So be it,” I gruff. “I have no doubt she will do the same; it’s more common in these arrangements than you can probably imagine. She means nothing to me, Skyla, absolutely nothing. I’ll treat her with respect, of course, but that will be the extent of my care for her. She’s not like Madi, she was never…kind, or good. She’s a selfish brat who enjoys ruining others’ lives for sport.”

She frowns at that. “What do you mean?”

I shake my head. “The stories I could tell you about Annie Williams and her time and Gallows Hill would horrify you. You think Bridgette is bad? She’s a saint in comparison.”

Skyla’s nose wrinkles at that. “Then why, out of all the women in the Brethren, did Christopher pick her for you?”

Even I don’t know the answer to that. The Williams family has something my brother wants, desperately. I just don’t have a fucking clue what it is.

“Can we table this for today? Please. I promise I’ll tell you everything I’m able to another time but for now, can we not talk about any of the bullshit back in Salem? Can we just…be?”

She stares at me in concern for several seconds before slowly nodding. Remarkably, our food is already done and our server places it in front of us before stepping away. We eat in silence for a few moments before we begin talking about swimming, a safe topic for the both of us. I tell her about my Olympic trials, and she tells me about the competitions she was able to compete in before her father put a stop to it all.

I’m not surprised he did. The Brethren don’t like distractions. The only reason my father allowed me to go as far as I did is because I was fucking spiraling from Madi’s death, the weight of my responsibilities, and that he wanted to see as little of me as possible. For a daughter of the Brethren to have a hobby for herself? Something that could potentially be acareer? That’s a hard limit for them.

After eating, we decide to go for a tour through the hotel. I show her the cozy library, the state-of-the-art gym, and some of the conference spaces before we come across the ballroom.

As soon as we step inside, her mouth parts and her head turns up. Grand chandeliers eat up the cathedral high ceilings, pristine white pillars lining the room. It’s a gorgeous room, the hotel’s largest selling point. A lot of weddings, parties, and events take place here, and for good reason.

Skyla begins wandering through the room, admiring the gold accents every few feet before we wander up to the balcony level overlooking the ballroom. Her hands brace on the railing as she stares off across it.

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