Mom was going to be fine, although, Dad was still stressing. But he always stressed about mom. I knew that was what they wanted for me, but they didn't realize it was impossible. I wouldn't be able to love like that and no one could ever love me that way either. It just couldn't happen.
I was trying harder to loosen up. But I still didn't want to pick my husband from these boys. I knew I should think of them as men. Mom had even corrected me on it, but I couldn't help but see them as just that. Boys all fighting over the shiny toy. Not that I thought of myself as a toy. . . but I did feel like a fool. I was Eadlyn Schreave. I didn't need a husband. I didn't want a Selection full of boys. I didn't even like any of them like that.
Sir Raoul attempted to catch my eye. He gave me that smile that gave me a strange feeling in my stomach. I nodded once before returning my attention to my oatmeal. I contemplated that feeling. It wasn't the same feeling I got when Kile looked at me. The one with Kile filled me with warmth and made me want to hide my smile. Why was I always comparing everything to Kile?
Right then, as if feeling my thoughts on him, Kile's eyes met mine. I blushed—wow, where had that came from?
Kile had an amused look on his face. I scowled in his direction. He winked at me. I threw a teethy, sarcastic smile in his direction. He quickly glanced around making sure no one was looking and then stuck his tongue out like we did when we were younger.
"Eadlyn and Kile," my father interrupted our exchange with the same scolding tone he used when we were younger. "I would think you'd be old enough to remember your table manners."
Every head whipped to look at Kile or I. I fought the blush and glared at my dad.
"She started it!" Kile cried like a mock eight year old.
"Kile!" I gasped. I was mortified. I buried my head in my hands to hide my shame.
Kile and Dad started laughing. At the sound of my dad's laugh, I could almost forgive them. He hadn't laughed since Mom had gotten sick. But it was still just a little too much.
"You two are too alike for your own good." I grumbled.
"I think any similarities to King Maxon is a complement in itself." Kile said smugly.
I spent equal time of the rest of that meal glaring at the two of them. I couldn't believe they would make such a spectacle. I was so distracted I found myself wandering aimlessly around the halls.
That when I heard it. The rebel alarm.
"Your Majesty!" I turned to see Sir Raoul running towards me. "We need to get you to safety!" He grabbed my arm and started pulling me down the hall. This part of the castle was rarely used so we passed no guard or maid. I was a little shocked that Raoul was here. Then I realized we were headed the wrong way.
"Sir Raoul, wait! The Royal Saferoom is the other way!"
I tried to stop and turn but his grip tightened and he quickened his pace. I felt that turning in my stomach when he looked back at me but this time I finally placed it. Dread. "Sir Raoul, what are you doing?"
We stopped suddenly in front of a door and went inside. He locked the door behind us. "S-Sir—"
"I thought I told you to call me Raoul." Then his eyes went feral.
"Stop." I commanded when he began to come closer. "I said STOP!'
He gave a sadistic chuckle. "Oh Princess, you think you're powerful? You're nothing but a girl in a pretty dress. A semi-decent face on a halfway matured body."
"S-stop. You know what happened to Jack. My father will kill you."
"No, you see, that's the difference between Jack and me." He reached back and wrapped his hand in my ponytail, pulling my head back hard. "I've waited till a perfect time."
"The rebel attack won't last forever. They'll catch you then." I tried to sound threatening but it came out a pathetic whisper.
"No, my dear princess, because by the time I'm done with you, you'll know which one of us is the boss." He slapped me. I cried out as the pain radiated thru my cheek. He yanked my ponytail back into place and then his rancid mouth was on mine. "Open your mouth." He growled.
When I didn't, he pulled my hair so hard I couldn't believe it all hadn't been ripped from my scalp. I felt the tears prickle in the back of my eyes. How had this gone so wrong? Raoul threw me to the ground. The smile on his face was on of a monster. He started to undue his belt.
"No!" I struggled to get out.
"Oh Eadlyn, yes." He towered over me then raised his foot and placed it on my shoulder. He pressed down and I had to go with it.
"Stop please." I sobbed. How could someone even think about doing something like this. It was wrong. It was evil. It was inhuman.
His gentle shush contradicted his movements as he shoved his pants down. He lowered himself over me. I clinched my eyes shut. Raoul's hand closed around my neck, pressing just hard enough to hurt. Then he kissed me again—no. It wasn't a kiss. A kiss was something pure, perfect, something that made butterflies take flight in your stomach. A kiss was Kile's hands framing my face, his lips gently brushing mine taking away my ability to move because of my desire to stay in his arms. Not this. Never this.
When I again didn't respond to his actions, he tightened his hold on my throat until I had no choice but to gasp for air. He used my panting to shove his tongue into my mouth. I was repulsed. I suddenly had the overwhelming urge to puke. I tried to hold it back, I didn't know what would happen if I couldn't.
Suddenly his hand was on my bare thigh. It was creeping closer to a place that was sacred. And then I couldn't take it anymore. The vomit was in the back of my throat. I bit down on his tongue. I needed to puke. I brought my knee up to connect with his groin.
In the back of my mind I registered the blood pouring out of his mouth and the residue in my own. But right now all I needed was a—I puked. All over myself and that monster. My hand found purchase on a large vase and with all the strength I had left in my body, I brought it up to connect with his temple. It shattered and I felt the glass shards tear into my shin. My forearms got the worst of it.
I pushed his limp body off of me. In the back ground I could still hear the shrill of the alarm. I wanted to scream for help. I wanted to cry out in anger. I wanted to kill the man who did this to me. But all I could do was crawl away from wreckage.
I crawled around in the darkness until I found an open door. The limited light from the window was covered by the elaborate curtains, but it looked like a bathroom. I found the bathtub and curled into a ball inside of it. I closed my eyes and prayed that Kile would find me before that monster woke up.
