Page 18 of Missiletoe
“Adam, get your giant, gloriously round butt in here before you miss everything!” Apple shouted around a mouthful of popcorn. The lucky bastard didn’t even have the decency to look disgusting while he did it.
“Baz, let your brother go,” Gareth said in a patient tone that I knew he practiced when he was alone. We gave him endless reasons to perfect it. When Baz ignored him, Gareth pried Baz’s arms away from me. “We’ve talked about this. No roughhousing in the kitchen or—.”
“Or Vix’s room, or the garage, or Vale’s lab, also planet Earth,” Baz snarked because he had zero sense of self-preservation. “Jesus, Gareth, do you have to renew your fun police badge every year, or does the department of wet blankets just do it automatically for you because they know that stick up your butt will keep you on the straight and narrow for the rest of your life?”
Gareth didn’t say a word. No, he did something much, much worse. He turned the full power of the emptiness in his shockingly purple eyes on Baz and just stared at him, allowing the weight to press down, growing heavier and heavier as time stretched.
I swear the room grew colder, but my skin still burst into a sweat.
“What did I miss?” Adam asked as he entered the kitchen. He didn’t need to stoop to make it through the doorway, but it was close. He leaned against the counter next to Apple, reached into the popcorn bag, put a piece in his mouth, and then made a funny face and opened it again to spit out the popcorn. He looked like he wanted to claw out his tongue.
“Did you get a burnt piece, babe? Sorry about that,” Apple crooned.
He held out a napkin for Adam to spit it out, balled it up when he was done, and tossed it into the trash can, making the shot without looking. It rolled around the rim for a second while it decided if it would go in or not, but eventually, it succumbed to the power of Apple. It would have gone straight in if Adam hadn’t been there.
Apple offered Adam popcorn from his own hand like the diligent husband he was. Adam opened his mouth obediently and ate the exact same popcorn as before, only this time he gave Apple a happy little rumbly noise. Apple scratched the back of Adam’s head, and the rumbly noise became a purr.
See? Sickening, yes?
If I spend too long around them, I start wanting to cry. I’m not sure why. When I find out, maybe I can ask Vale to make me a remedy. I hate crying. I do it all the time, and it’s embarrassing. I’m the only crier in the house, and it sucks.
“G-Gareth…I’m sorry. No wrestling in the kitchen, I get it,” Baz said in a shaky voice. His usual bravado was gone.
He always forgets about Gareth’s ability to cow the shit out of anyone in his presence. Baz never learns. He’s the prime example of a person who forgets a punishment as soon as the sting of the lash has faded.
Not me. I always remember the sting, but…sometimes my brain gets ahead of me, and my judgment goes right out the window.
Which was why I was edging toward the door. I’d gotten caught up earlier that day and forgotten the Vix protocols, and Gareth was going to do something absolutely horrible. He’d promised he would the next time I endangered myself, and Gareth never broke a promise.
“Vix.” Gareth’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
I knew life was about to suck.
Gareth reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny metal circle. When Baz made like he was going to argue, Gareth gave him a warning look, and Baz’s gaze shot to the floor.
Gareth held out the circle to me. “Put it on.” His voice was gentle and soft, but there was no room in it for negotiation.
That didn’t stop me from pulling out the big guns. I made my eyes as large and as sweet as I could. I even managed to get a good glisten going. I knew it was good because I practiced in front of a mirror. “Gareth, please…”
“You know why I’m doing this, Vix. There are people out there who want to hurt you, and if we don’t know where you are, we can’t keep you safe. I need you to remember that.” Gareth crouched down until we were at eye level. His large hand palmed my face, and he stroked my cheek. “Do it now.”
Gareth placed the circle into my hand and closed my small fingers over it.
I gave a dramatic sniffle so Gareth would know he was the worst person ever.
I wasn’t going to get out of it. The tears started coming for real as I snapped the bracelet on my wrist. The littlesnickit made upon locking was like hearing the sound of a guillotine as it fell.
“How long do I have to wear it?”
“Until I can trust you.”
I swallowed hard. How was I going to see Paris again? By the time I was allowed outside, Paris would have long forgotten me—especially if he had that floozy Sylvia hanging all over him.
I just knew I gave better head than she could ever hope to.
My new bracelet let out a tinychirp,and I sighed. It had connected to the network of systems Gareth had scattered all over town. Even if I managed to get out of the house, every single one of my labs and tech caches would refuse me access. If I even attempted to go near any of them, the entries would all melt shut, and it would take forever to get back inside them after Gareth let me out of my timeout.
“This hurts me as much as it hurts you, Vix.” Gareth gave my curls a stroke before straightening.
