Page 47 of Demise

“Where is Vincent?” Skyla asks, her eyes tracing over the room.

“You honestly think he’s gonna willingly hang out with us when you’re not here?” Liam laughs.

“I’m here, Siren,” Vincent says as he steps into the room, placing a kiss against the side of her head before effectively stealing her from Asher’s grasp.

“Where the fuck did you come from?” Asher grumbles.

“If you don’t think I have a tracker on her at all times, then you’re a fucking idiot.”

“A tracker?” Ronan echoes.

“Yeah, a tracker?” Skyla says with raised brows.

Vincent nods. “When you were taken it, almost fucking killed me, Siren. Now, something like that will never happen again.”

“Where exactly is this tracker?” she argues.

“It’s best you don’t know,” he says as he presses another kiss to her forehead and faces the room.

We all give him puzzled looks before Liam is the one to speak up.

“So, are we all supposed to pretend that isn’t some creepy ass shit?”

Ronan lets out a heavy sigh and shakes his head.

“I guess.”

I watch Skyla closely and am intrigued to find her not looking up at Vincent with disgust or outrage as any normal person would. Instead, she’s looking at him almost tenderly, like she understands him better than anyone else does. Probably because she does.

“I was thinking,” Ronan says, grabbing the room’s attention. “Christmas is in a few days, and I think we could all use a vacation.”

“Vacation?” I ask.

He nods. “Skyla loves the snow, so I rented us a cabin up in New Hampshire through the holiday.”

“Really?” she practically gasps.

Ronan smiles at her sweetly. The kind of smile I haven’t seen him use in years.

“Of course, baby. Any objections?” he asks the room.

Asher scoffs. “Like any of us could say no when she’s making those puppy dog eyes.”

Liam and I chuckle and nod as Vincent wraps his arms around her tightly, nuzzling his head into her neck. I guess that settles it, we’re going to New Hampshire.

The drive to New Hampshire takes longer than it should, mainly because we got stuck behind half a dozen people who clearly are not from around here. An inch of snow on the road, and they were driving like the road was going to suck them up whole.

Skyla invited Stephanie to join us but when she facetimed her, Stephanie was in the airport with a regretful look on her face. The call was brief. She just said that she was sorry to say goodbye like this and that she had to get back home. We all know there is more to it but none of us wanted to upset Skyla by prying, so we just focused on the drive, keeping ourselves busy.

When my GPS finally announces that we’re here, a group cheer echoes out in the car. Liam and Asher are in the back, Vincent is in the middle row with Skyla, and Ronan is in the passenger seat beside me. The place is huge, a giant log cabin mansion placed in the middle of the woods. Town is at least a twenty minute drive in the other direction. It’s completely isolated, perfect for all of us to take a breath and just exist.

The place already has over six inches of snow on the ground, and the forecast calls for a snowstorm tonight, so hopefully, this will be enough snow to keep Skyla happy. I guess I spoke too soon, or I guess thought too soon, because before I can even finish my sentence, Skyla is scrambling out of the car and diving into the snow. Vincent follows after her, as if the snow itself poses a threat to his ‘siren.’

Her bare hands scoop a large amount of snow, compacting it into a ball before she tosses it at Vincent. The snow explodes against his chest, and he looks down at it in surprise before hiseyes slowly lift to hers. That giddy smile on her face falls as the gravity of what she has just done sinks in for her.

Better run, little one.

She takes off running, and Vincent chases after her, scooping up handful after handful of snow. He misses the first throw but hits her in the back with the second.

---