Stay True

by C B Jean

  “I said the fuck you looking at woman?!” He yells as he takes a wobbly step towards me and I force myself to clench my hands into fists. Still I say nothing more. This isn’t real.

  He comes lumbering over to me and puts a meaty hand around my throat, pushing me back and pinning me to the wall. I gasp for air, but he’s crushing my windpipe and I can’t. His beer is his other hand and it sloshes over the top. He towers over me with his size and frame. He is fit, stronger than I ever could be. I try to claw his hands away from my throat, my eyes wide. He doesn’t budge.

  Oh flip Luke, where are you?! Help me!

  His face comes near mine and he nuzzles my neck smelling me. I can smell the reek of stale alcohol on his breath and if I wasn’t being choked, I would have gagged. I start kicking at him, hoping he will release me soon. I’m starting to see spots from all the pressure on my throat. One of his legs pushes mine apart even though I try and lock them together and fight him, I am powerless to stop him. He starts grinding his pelvis on my thigh and hums in approval. That same feeling comes rushing back into me. Hopeless. Powerless. Weak.

  Tears fall down my face as I keep clawing for air and relentlessly hit him.

  He moves his hand up from my throat to my jaw, holding me tight enough I know I’ll bruise and I cry out. He releases me just enough so I start gasping giant lungful’s of air in. His hands cup my jaw and I can’t tear my head away from him or talk as his fingers dig into my face. His lips slam down on mine and I scream in my mouth. His tongue forces its way past my lips into mine when he bites my lip hard and it takes all my willpower to force myself not to puke with him in my mouth.

  I try to shake my head away, he grabs me by the throat again and slams my head into the wall behind me with a loud thunk. I scream and he covers it with his other hand still holding the beer. He shushes me. The force of my head being slammed against the wall hard makes my vision go black for a moment and I can’t think. All I know Is fear, rage and desperation.

  “Let me go you bastard!” I snarl into his face snapping my teeth at him.

  “Oh no darling, your mine. Didn’t you learn your lesson last time? You can’t escape me. I fucking OWN you.”

  He kisses me again with a sneer and then lifts me off the ground by my throat with my back still against the wall. I try to hold onto his wrist to release some of the pressure crushing my windpipe, but it doesn’t help. I look down onto him with my wide eyes gasping for air. His eyes are red and he’s out for blood now. To far gone from the alcohol.

  I never thought in a million years I would ever be back here again. I would rather die than go through this again. Now I might get my wish.

  I kick my feet as they are now hanging off the ground. My vision goes dark around the edges before I manage to knee him real good in his crotch and he releases me as my body gives out, slumping to the floor in a pile while he bends over holding his crown and jewels with loud groans. His beer falls to the floor spilling onto the carpet. I hold a hand to my neck and breathe in gasps of air. If I wasn’t trying to breathe, I’d be laughing at him. Flipping bastard.

  “Why you little fucking whore.” His hands from into fists as he pulls me off the floor by the front of my shirt and he punches me hard in the face. I fall back to the ground crying holding my now bruised cheek, hiding behind my hair. His foot kicks me in the stomach and it knocks the air out of me. I hear a rib crack.

  I try to get air back into my lungs, but every breath is painful, and I wail in pure agony.

  He snatches me by the hair and starts dragging me to the bedroom. I scream at him and try to kick or grab anything to help me but there is nothing nearby. The pressure on my head hurts to bad so I grab his wrist again as he drags me though the house. He kicks open the spare bedroom door and throws me onto the bed. I’m pretty sure he just ripped out a chunk of my hair as I can now feel the burning sensation on my scalp.

  I scream at him again in pure rage and try to get past him to run out the doo, but he slugs another fist into my face. Then another to my stomach again. Pain bursts through me and I hurt too much to fight back anymore. He slams and locks the door shut as I writhe in pain.

  I cradle my stomach with my arms curled up on the bed and look up at Aiden through the hair that’s covering my face. I can feel my lip bleeding and more blood dripping into my eye. He starts to fumble with the belt on his pants and I cry harder sobbing into the blanket.

  This is going to happen, and I can’t stop it. Oh flip, if only my guys were here, they would help me. I send out a silent prayer that they can hear me and scream again when Aiden pulls my legs towards him to the edge of the bed, starts to fumble and pull my pants off. I kick at him and claw him in the face with my nails, but it doesn’t phase him. Soon he gets them off ripping them apart, exposing me and pushes his own pants down. He flips me to my stomach, my legs hanging off the bed, his legs and apex is between my thighs. One of his large hands has both my arms awkwardly pinned behind my back hurting me more and immobilizing me.

  “Stop crying you little fucking bitch, I fucking own you and I will kill you if you keep resisting. Please your man like you’re supposed to little kitten.” He sneers into my ear. I close my eyes and sob.

  I’m too tired to fight anymore. I’m stuck back in this nightmare and there is no way out. I’ll find away to end this soon. Just need to rest for a moment.

  I can feel his hardness pressing into my back and I want to gag.

  “Take this dick from a real man baby, it’s gonna feel so good. Your gonna love the way I’m going to come inside your tight pussy. I’m going to make you scream my name out until I decide to fuck that naughty mouth of yours.” He slurs out. He’s still entirely drunk and hazed but that doesn’t stop him from being bigger and stronger than me.

  I close my eyes and give in and I can hear the ripping sound as my panties are torn off my body, exposing myself completely to him. I don’t have the energy to scream or fight anymore. Give him what he wants, then he will leave me alone and I can lick my wounds. This will be the last time he will hurt me, never again.

  Just when I’ve accepted that he’s going to violate me again, the door gets kicked off its hinges and Luke comes racing in face red and hands into fists. He tackles Aiden to the floor and starts beating the flip out him. His fist plummeting his bloody face. Luke is yelling a string of words at him, but I am too tired to care. I can’t even move my body but somehow, I manage to bring my legs into a fetal position. He was going to take me, and I was powerless against him just like the old days. I close my eyes and sob while I can hear Aiden’s screams and the occasional sick bursts of laughter he emits. A pair of warm hands touch my back and I scream and move back against the headboard like a crazy animal cornered looking to bolt.

  Killian looks at me with tears in his eyes. It takes me a moment to realize its him and he’s talking to me and my head hangs in relief. Sobs are still racking my body. I am shaking on the bed, pantless. Exposed. Hurt. Shamed. I try to adjust myself so I can hide my legs, my arms still cradling my stomach. Never would I want them to see me like this, I refused to be this weak little girl anymore a long time ago.

  Jackson comes in front of me and is talking to me. I see his mouth moving, but no words are coming out, my brain isn’t comprehending anything at the moment. I can’t even hear the screams of Aiden anymore while Luke is still beating him. My brain is fried and I hear nothing besides the buzz in my head. No channels are on, no signal.

  I put my head on my knees and sob while rocking back and forth.

  “This isn’t real this isn’t real. I’m in hell and this is all a dream. They aren’t here. No one is here. I’m alone. Weak stupid girl.” I start mumbling incoherent words and rub my arms trying to scrub off the gross feelings on me.

  “Shush shush Baby Blue, you’re okay now, you’re okay, this isn’t real, we are here to get you out of here.” Warm hands touch my back, I flinch, but don’t move away. They stroke my back, rubbing it. That feels good, really good, and I
let my self enjoy it for a moment longer.

  I hear voices but I can’t comprehend them.

  “She thinks this is real and is having a traumatic breakdown like PTSD. She’s shaking bad and her skin is ice cold, we need to get her out of here as soon as possible.”

  “She’s reliving her nightmare, this was her challenge, but I would have never let her go if I thought it would be like this, she had to face her fears per say the riddle.”

  “She needed us damn it and we weren’t fucking here for her!”

  “I’d try to pick her up to carry her, but she doesn’t recognize us at the moment and will scream again. She flinched away when I touched her. This is some crazy ass shit.”

  “Honey? You okay? Can you hear me? What’s she saying to herself?”

  “That fucking bastard!! I had no idea it was like this. She’s so strong for surviving this.”

  “I’m going to have a fucking chat with the admins on who fucking thought this would be a good fucking idea.”

  I feel someone putting on my pants and I don’t fight. Big arms pick me up and I don’t scream or flinch away. Too tired. My guys are here comforting me while I go crazy in this nightmare.

  I’m just so tired. I just want this to end. I just want to stop the demons from haunting me for the rest of my life.

  “Put me down.” I tell Luke. He stops walking as if stunned and obeys. I need to buck up or stand down, and its time to face my fears. Still holding an arm to my stomach and Luke holding me up, I walk over to the bloody mess of Aiden on the ground. He is moaning and laughing like the psycho he is.

  “Aiden… you hurt me bad and I’ll never forget it. You hurt me so bad in so many different ways, but guess what? I fucking survived and am stronger because of it. This isn’t the real you, but it’s good enough to tell you this. I won’t ever forget what you did to me, but I can forgive you. I forgive your actions. I understand why now, we all have our own demons. But get this straight, if you come for me in the real world, I will fucking kill you myself. I am not alone anymore, and you will have hell to pay if you try it. Come and get it if you can asshole.” I put every force of menace into those words as I can as I look down at his bleeding body. Luke really did a number on him. Good.

  “Adios fucker.”

  I turn and limp back around as I force my eyes to look down away from Luke without looking him in the face and wondering what expression he’s wearing. He picks me off my feet and starts carrying me towards the front door. Killian and Jackson are right behind us exchanging silent worried and confused glances, but I don’t acknowledge it and keep my head high. Each step Luke makes me hiss out in pain, but I push through. None of them have uttered a single word. The door opens and a bright white light emits from it. I close my eyes and take a gulp of air. We step out.

  When I open my eyes, I’m now back in the giant chandelier room in my regular hunting leathers outfit. All three of my guys are next to me and I’m no longer in Luke’s arms. The robotic lady smiles to me, standing in front of the staircase, the mirror is now gone. I’m still throbbing in pain and in dire need of some Tylenol and a nap. I’ll be good to go then.

  “Congratulations! You have passed the temple’s challenge.” She extends her hand towards me and I reach out to grasp a little box from her hand. Its tied with a red bow around the dark mahogany color of the wood it’s made from. “Please feel free to take a day to rest and replenish your wares. Before you leave if you’d wish, enter through the set of doors there for a surprise.” She motions to the red and gold door on the stairway. “Your rooms will be upstairs on the second floor. Not many have passed this challenge and we honor you for staying here.” She bows at us the same was as the stable boy and vanishes through the wooden door again. Only this time my men are staying behind with me. She talked as if we were staying at some fancy five star hotel resort as if we won a contest, instead of being trapped in a video game while my ex-boyfriend is trying to kidnap me and probably will sell me in pieces on the black market mad with revenge while taking over the world. Yeah, just peachy.

  I am too flipping exhausted to do anything else right now besides climb into bed. I walk up the staircase, but my body disagrees, and I feel my legs give out underneath me on the first step. Jackson is there to catch me, holding me up so I don’t tumble down the stairs. He picks me up and I lean my tired head on his chest as he carries me to a room. He opens the door and sets me onto my feet. The bedchamber he carried me into is very elegant. Much to my happiness the room is shaded in blues and white rather than red. Tall windows with curtains line a wall with dusk light streaming in through the window that opens into a balcony. I see a giant connecting bathroom off to the side with glorious tub I aim to get into in the morning. The room is decorated with white dressers and I really feel like I’m in a royal bedchamber. A bed large enough to fit three people with a decorated blue duvet is what catches my attention most. My body is screaming with the strain of being awake and I’m still hurting physically, even if I have no marks on me. I must have been in that nightmare for hours as its almost dark and I’m dead tired. I look down at my hand and see what’s in it. The wooden box the lady had given me. I’ll open it later when I get some rest and right now I don’t give a crap about anything else. I feel myself walk to the center of the room taking in the view.

  I look up to Jackson. His face is marred with sadness and it makes me turn away. Shame. Anguish. Tears threaten to spill from my eyes. Luke and Killian come from behind me and face me with very worried faces. They look at me like I’m an escaped zoo tiger, watching me for any move I make.

  I’m not some wounded animal but right now under their gazes I feel as if I am. Pity. Sadness. Anger.

  Luke comes up to me slowly, as if I might be startled. He embraces me in a big hug, and I feel myself instantly relax against him. He makes me feel safe and protected and I feel my mind barrier come down. I can no longer hold back all the emotions and thoughts. I feel myself slip from his grasp and fall to the floor crying. It wasn’t fake at all. It was terribly real. They were actually there with me, and they came to save me from myself. Luke falls to the floor next to me and scoops me up in his arms into his lap. I let him hold me while I sob into his shoulder until I lose all sense of time. Sobs rack my body and I can’t do anything besides cry and struggle to breathe. He runs a tattooed hand through my hair, holding me tightly. He is still silent. My small body is grasping onto him and I refuse to let go. I start gasping for air, inducing myself into panic. Luke sets me down and suddenly Kills is in front of me. He grabs my hands in his tightly and forces me to look up into his dark blue eyes.

  “Breathe Baby Blue, it’s alright, we got you. Come back to us, stay with us. Just breathe. In and out. Slowly. There you go.” He coaxes.

  I watch him with wide and teary eyes, and he shows me how to control myself, how to calm down. He takes big and slow breaths and I try to copy him and struggle through the sobs. After a while I’m finally calmed down and breathing normal. I close my eyes and sigh breathing in his scent.

  I am too tired to move, all I want is to erase this day and sleep it away.

  “Don’t you worry about a thing Sweetness, you passed the first temple and we have the first key, all you need to do now is sleep. You did such a good job.” I hear someone tell me gently and my hair is being brushed from my tear streaked face. Why did I have to be such an ugly crier? I feel as if all my triggers are going off at once and I can’t do anything besides wait out the ride.

  “Would you like a bath Cub?” I nod, feeling dirty and I’m in strong arms once again being carried to the bath before I realize it.

  I’m starting to think they enjoy carrying me everywhere.

  As if my guys knew what I needed, a hot steamy bath was waiting for me. A large white marble tub that can be described more as a jacuzzi, big enough for all four of us and more, sat in the middle of the bathroom. It was flipping huge! I felt muddy and wanted to scrub my skin raw until I forgot Aiden’s name. Bastard.
It was only a game of my mind, but it brought back things I had so delicately tried to keep caged and locked away.

  Feeling too tired to feel embarrassed or ashamed at the moment, I let Luke peel off my grimy clothes as I close my eyes. As he is undoing my vest, he leaves a trail of kisses up my stomach before they come to my neck. I shiver as he gently kisses and sucks on my breasts, my nipples taunt. My core tightens and I scold myself for being horny at a moment like this. But again, I can’t help It with these gorgeous male specimens always devoting their attention to me. Another pair of hands behind me start undoing my leather’s and boots and slowly they get pushed down till they puddle at my feet. Warm hands slide up and down my legs helping me step out of them completely. I am now standing surrounded by my strong men in nothing besides my panties. I keep my eyes closed. I feel extremely tired, but also invincible and sexy, but I can’t help he blush that creeps onto my face knowing that my guys are probably staring and drinking me in.