Page 84 of Never To Suffer (The Hollywoodland #4)

WONDERLAND

CARAVAN PALACE

Epilogue

“Hey, Dani? Did you pack the tickets?” Xander asks and I flash him a look. He’s asked me that question at least four times this hour. “Yes, asshat. I even showed them to you last time!”

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t, I dunno take them out, put them on the desk, start to pack something else, and forget.”

“Why the hell would I take them—” I groan when I notice the tickets sitting on the desk, right where Xander said they were. “Okay, why don’t YOU pack them?”

“I have; every other time you’ve unpacked them.” He gives me a peck on the cheek as he walks out the door with a small bag of things. “Hurry up, though. We’re gonna be late for the flight, and Paris waits for no one!”

“Paris will still be there tomorrow,” I mumble, stuffing one more thing into my bag and fighting with the zipper. I drag the last of my bags out to the living room and the three of them stand around, drinking coffee, and talking. “Where the hell is your luggage?”

Skylar nods to the small stack of three tote bags sitting by the door. “Beetle, we’re going for two weeks, not two months.”

I huff, looking at the three large roller bags, two duffle bags, purse, and carry on I planned to bring.

I’ve done this every time Skylar and I leave for another leg of the tour, so they’re not surprised.

I do another mental inventory, shrug, and head toward the door, leaving the three large bags behind.

The trio head for the bags the second I walk away from them, not a complaint between them about how much I packed.

“Leave them.”

They all stop and turn, eyes wide. Xander does a double take, before he laughs, “No, you need this one. Or at least you need to get your passport out of it.”

“What? I put my passport—” He opens the front flap of the large bag and pulls out my passport, wallet, and spare keys. “Fuck!”

“It’s fine, I’ll keep them in my bag,” Skylar offers. “You’re sure you want to leave all this stuff behind?”

“Yep. I’m working on that whole new leaf thing.

Letting things go and seeing the other side of the coin.

Whatever the stupid saying is.” I open the front door and wave them all through it.

Once we pile into the ride share, I turn to Skylar.

“I’m kind of glad we didn’t win. That band plays Arkansas for the next week and got roped into doing some radio talk show.

Boring! We get two weeks off and a trip to get pastries! ”

“We have pastries at home,” Skylar laughs before kissing the side of my head.

“Better view, though,” Theo laughs, watching the route on his phone until Xander swats at his hand. “And I have a surprise for all of you.”

“Like what? Wait, let me guess,” I shout out the first thing that pops into my head, “SYLVIE IS PREGNANT!”

“HA!” Xander doubles over in a fit of laughter. “I get to call you Grandpa instead of Daddy !” Theo rolls his eyes.

“No, it’s not…wait, do you know something I don’t?”

“Dani’s a witch, Theo. Remember?” Skylar teases, braiding their fingers into Theo’s, who looks like he’s about to be sick. “An enchantress who’s hexed us all, sucking our souls dry so she can see into the future!”

“Don’t say it, Xander!” I snap.

He fights back a snort, “I don’t think it’s souls she’s sucking out.”

I’m already in awe when we board the plane, but when Theo turns the seats into a bed? My jaw hits the floor and I finally understand why Theo thinks Xander won’t get airsick on this flight. He’ll be too busy.

“Oh, I’m joining the mile high club today, baby,” I giggle.

“You’re already in the mile high club. Remember your plan to keep me calm on the way to Italy?” Xander says, exasperated that I could forget that.

“Yeah, it didn’t work.”

“No, but it did!” he whispers, pointing to his pants as the flight crew comes to check in on us. Theo sighs and reminds Xander to take his meds before we take off.

An hour into the flight, Xander and Theo are asleep, curled around each other and snoring softly.

“They’re cute together.” I say, nuzzling closer to Skylar, who’s enthralled by some documentary on Paris and only half listening.

“I mean, we’re cute, too. But look at them. God, I wanna squish them both.”

“So do it.”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“No. But I have been trying to get you under the blankets for the last twenty minutes and you keep rejecting the offer.”

“If I do that, I’ll fall asleep! I don’t want to miss my first time in first class by sleeping through it! Besides, there food to eat and so much?—”

They cut me off with a kiss before smiling against my lips. “You’re not going to fall asleep, Dani. I promise.” They kiss me again while they reach up and close the curtain, and I catch on to what they’re saying. I move quickly, digging for the opening of the covers and crawling under them.

“Whatcha doing there, Beetle?” Xander’s unexpected voice makes me jump, almost elbowing Sky in the face as I do. It’s a good thing they have fast reflexes. “Look, a partition so I don’t have to watch you two going at it.” He presses a button, and a screen starts to rise between us.

“Except, you like to watch,” Skylar counters and the screen stops, slipping back down.

“Not as much as you do. Come on, if you’re not banging, let’s watch a movie together or something.

I enjoyed the nap, but Dani’s right. I don’t want to waste this.

I’m sure as hell not dropping this kind of money again on it, either.

Bonkers.” He flops down on his side of the divider and turns on the TV to scroll through the stations.

“Wait, you’re seriously not ready to hurl your guts out?”

“Nope! I’m amazing!”

“Scoot over and give me the remote,” Theo’s gruff voice mumbles as he climbs in behind Xander.

He flips it to a paid movie service and picks one out that none of us have seen, but he’ll sleep through anyhow.

We order too much food, and I only make it halfway through the movie before I’m sound asleep.

I wake up sometime later, the TVs are all off and the curtains are closed.

Skylar’s hand has dipped down into my shorts so they’re holding my ass while they sleep.

They love doing that. I poke my head up and see the lump of curled up Xander on top of Theo, they’re both asleep again.

They look so peaceful. I’m antsy, and I need to move.

I crawl up Sky’s chest and stare at them by the dimmed lights of the cabin.

“Why are you such a cat?” They mumble, squeezing my butt.

“Because I like seeing how long I can stare at you before you wake up.”

“There are better ways to wake me up, love.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Your mouth.”

“I mean, screaming is always an option, but I thought it would be inappropriate on an airplane.”

“Wise ass. You know what I mean.”

I lick the tip of their nose before I leave a handful of small kisses over their face.

I almost let out a squeal when they grab my hips and move me so I’m sitting on their stomach.

At first, I’m excited we’re about to have a little fun, but the look on their face tells me that’s not what they have in mind. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing's wrong. Not really. I just…” They look over to where our partners sleep, a crooked smile forming at the corner of their mouth. “Dani, do you think we could ever…you know?”

“Sleep curled up like that? I mean, we were, but you had to?—”

“Not what I mean, Beetle.” They sit up, their hands traveling over my back until they lay back down, pulling me with them. They hold me like that for a while, letting the comfortable silence lay between us. “I’m scared of asking you. I want to, but I’m scared to go through with it.”

“You are?”

“Yeah. I mean, shit, you’ve loudly proclaimed you’re not the type for it. And look at the last time I asked someone. I couldn’t survive that again, lose someone like that. Especially not all of you.”

“Skylar, are you saying you…want to…”

“Yes.” They whisper, struggling to say the word.

It catches me off guard and I hold my breath.

“I thought it would be cool not to. But the more I watch them together—the tender moments and sparkle in their eyes—the more I want to show you I’ll never leave.

Promise you I’m yours, and theirs, forever, you know? ”

I cup their face and move up to kiss their forehead. “You think too much sometimes, my gorgeous deity. My perfect dark moth. Go on, do it.”

“I don’t have a?—”

“I don’t care. Do it.”

They stare up, letting me get lost in the swirling amber of their eyes.

“Daniella, my devious siren. Your wicked song has fatally wrapped itself around my heart and taken my soul hostage for all eternity. A part of me dies every time you kiss me, the part full of darkness, hatred, and loathing. You’ve taken my pieces, broken and scattered, and collected them one by one like shells from distant sandy beaches.

You glued them to you, filling in your own broken pieces, building your armor and making me yours. Let me be yours forever?”

“Damn showoff,” Theo mumbles, and Xander can’t help but giggle.

“How am I supposed to say no to that?”

“I’m hoping you don’t.”

We seal the deal with a kiss as Xander and Theo both softly clap and cheer, not wanting to wake other passengers or draw too much attention.

Skylar flips them both off and pulls the covers up over our head, and listen to the mechanical whir of the partition coming up.

A moment later, my shorts are gone, panties pushed to the side, and Skylar slides inside me, their mouth over mine to keep me quiet as their piercings push all my buttons.

I rock my hips, pushing him deeper, but he grabs me, slowing me down.

“I want to be inside you, Beetle. Just like this. Nice and slow.”

“I don’t do nice. Or slow,” I whisper back. I’m about to add more when they cut me off, teasing my ass with his fingers.

“You will for me.”