Vow to Protect

He drags me over to my bed and throws me on top of it. The icy glint of fear is still keeping me from that safe little room in my mind. If I could just see that Rose is okay, then I can lie here and bear whatever he does to my body. As long as she’s safe.

He rips off my dress, leaving me naked and exposed to the chilled night air coming in from the open window. If any of the outside guards hear anything, they certainly aren’t running to help. In fact, everything seems eerily quiet, apart from his screaming at me about being a whore to Adrian.

Some of his words filter in, and I make the mistake of meeting his eyes.

“There she is,” he whispers. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m going to treat you so much better than he did. If you weren’t waiting for marriage anymore, you should have come to me first. I’m your fucking fiancé.”

I can’t even open my mouth to refute him. Nothing comes out but a wheezing cough. Then one word. “Rose?”

His face splits into a grin. A sadistic, demented shit-eating grin that chills every inch of me. No.

I glance around, fighting him now, trying to get up, but he shoves me down harder.

Then I see silky dark hair in a light cast by the open door out to the hallway. But I can’t see her face.

I sob, ragged and loud in the silence that I’d filled in my head before. I try to wrench from Sal’s grip, try to crawl to her, and he lets me, and I don’t fucking care because it gets me closer to her.

When I reach her, I dig my fingers into her wrist, checking for a pulse. It’s there, barely but there. It takes all my strength to get closer to her and pull her onto my lap.

But I barely graze my hand over her head to move her hair back when Sal has me by the arms again. He jerks me out from under her shoulders, his hands fisted in my hair as he yanks me behind him. I spin, trying to get free to get back to her, to help her, to save her, but he is stronger than me. Soon, he has me up on the bed, his clothed weight pressing me into the mattress as he ties me to the frame. The ropes dig into my skin as I flail and struggle, screaming for Rose. After a moment, he shoves a wad of something in my mouth and tapes over it with duct tape. I stare at him wide-eyed as I realize his erection is pressing into my thigh.

The bastard likes this. He gets off on it. I’d seen it hundreds of times, but now, the proof humping my inner thigh sends bile up my throat again. I have to swallow against it because if I puke now, I’ll drown. I can’t save Rose if I’m dead.

He doesn’t stay long. Once secure, he climbs off the bed and removes his clothing as he stands over Rose.

I want to squeeze my eyes shut because I know what he’s going to do to her. Worse, he’s going to make me watch it, unable to help her this time. I sob, tears wetting my cheeks. No. He can’t take her from me.

Once nude, he rolls her over onto the hardwood. Her hands slap hard against it, and I have one shining moment of relief that she’s unconscious and won’t be awake for this humiliation.

Then he’s on her, pumping into her hard, fast, furiously. I fight against the bonds, my fingers going numb as I try to wrench my wrists free. I scream and scream and scream, trying to get someone to hear me.

But no one comes.

And when he’s finished with her, I’m still and silent on the bed watching her red blood, so bright in the hallway light, drip off the end of a knife.

My Rose is gone.

I feel nothing. I am nothing.

The bastard has finally broken me.

When his face breaks my vision, his eyes glassy with adrenaline, I don’t even shrink back.

He whispers in my ear, “I’m going to leave you two here for a bit. Let you say your goodbyes. And when your father comes home in a few days, she’ll be out of my way, out of his hair, and you’re going to tell him she met someone and ran off. If you don’t…well…I’ll kill everyone you love. And then, once we’re married...” He trails the bloody knife down my chest, between my bare breasts. “Well, I’ll do the same to you.”

Then he’s gone, and all I see are Rose’s dead eyes. He doesn’t realize I have nothing left to lose now. He’s already taken the only thing I love from me.

I smile to myself and stop fighting the pain.