"It's getting late," Rose said, forcing out a yawn. "In fact, I don't think I could stay awake another minute."
Cal slid his hands from her shoulders to her upper arms. "I could," he said quietly.
"I envy you," she said as she slipped out of his grasp. "I don't know how I managed to make it this long. I'm usually ready to drop by ten o'clock." She could feel his eyes on her back as she made her way over to the window.
"Yes, I know," he said, a hint of irritation in his voice.
Don't make him angry again. "I could stay awake a little longer," she said over her shoulder. "If you'd like."
Jack clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles popped. "Can't he see she doesn't want him touching her?" he muttered as Cal slipped an arm around Rose's waist. Her face was almost completely devoid of expression, but Jack could see the unhappiness in her eyes. "I'm here, Rose. Just tell me to come up and I will."
Jack. He was all Rose could think about as Cal's hands slid up her stomach. She tried to pretend he was the one touching her, but it didn't work. There was just no mistaking Cal's hands for Jack's. When Jack touched her, she felt his love. When Cal touched her, all she felt was his sense of entitlement. Her breathing quickened as his hands reached her breasts. He's never gone this far before, she thought frantically. "Have you seen the moon tonight?" she asked loudly. She leaned forward and pushed the window open. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Jack breathed a sigh of relief as Cal's hands dropped from Rose's body. Her voice floated down to him. He could tell by her tone that she was nervous. He heard Cal's voice a moment later. "I suppose you could say that," he said, sounding as though he didn't care in the least whether she did or not.
"Well, I do," Rose said, turning around. Cal reached for her again, but she slipped past him.
"Come back," Jack whispered. "Rose, I can't see you." Cal followed her out of sight a moment later. Jack didn't give himself time to think about what he was doing. He grabbed the rose trellis and began climbing.
He slowly raised his head enough to peek through the window. Cal's back was to him, but Jack could tell he was angry from the way he held his body. If he hits her again...
Rose struggled to keep her voice steady. "You know how I feel about this. You've known for a long time."
Cal's eyes smoldered. "I thought perhaps your feelings might have changed," he said. "Clearly, I was wrong."
She touched his arm lightly. "You don't have to get upset about it," she said.
His mouth curled into a smile that made her blood run cold. "That's true. After all, we'll be married in a few weeks."
She smiled weakly and nodded. "Exactly," she said, taking a step back. "It isn't that—" Her words morphed into a yelp of surprise as he grabbed her arms. Rose tried to get away by leaning back, but all she managed to do was bring him closer. Dammit!
Call for Jack.
No!
She didn't have any illusions about her ability—or lack of ability—to handle Cal on her own. She knew that if he didn't want to let go of her, there wasn't much she could do about it. It wasn't pride that kept her from screaming for Jack. It was fear. Not for herself, but for him. She had faith in Jack, but she knew Cal well enough to know any fight with him wouldn't be fair. The deck was always stacked in his favor in one way or another.
Cal tilted his head back. His gaze traveled slowly over her body, taking in the curves that didn't need a corset to make themselves known, the full breasts that bobbed gently up and down with each breath she took, the porcelain skin. He surveyed her body the way a jeweler inspects a diamond. He nodded in answer to a question only he heard and moved a hand to her back. She protested as he crushed her body against his, but was silenced by his lips crashing into hers.
Rose couldn't move. She couldn't think. It was as if she were floating above her body, watching everything that was going on.
Jack squeezed the windowsill and screamed silently. Rose! For a moment, he was sure she heard him.
Snapped out of her paralysis by Cal's attempt to part her lips with his tongue, she tilted her head to the side. Her face wrinkled in disgust as the tip of his tongue slid across her cheek. She didn't care anymore if he was angry or not.
Jack couldn't take it anymore. He was just starting to pull himself through the window when he looked up and saw Rose twisting her head away from Cal. A fresh burst of hatred washed over him. Get away from her! He swung a leg over the windowsill, careful not to make a sound. A quiet gasp from Rose made him freeze. He slowly raised his head and found himself staring up into her terror-filled eyes.
Jack, no! Go back! Now, before he sees you!
Jack shook his head. He wasn't going anywhere. You need me!
I can handle this! You don't know what he can do to you!
I don't care!
Please, Jack!
He never got the chance to answer her. At that moment, Cal grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "What are you looking at?" he hissed. Jack held his breath as Cal began to turn around.
"Nothing!" Rose cried, grabbing his jaw. She moved his head so he was facing her again. "I wasn't looking at anything," she said, forcing herself to sound calm.
He pursed his lips. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say there was someone at your window." I'd say you were looking at him. But that isn't possible, he thought, holding in a smirk. He's dead.
She laughed nervously. "Why would someone be at my window? Who would be at my window? That's just absurd!" She tried to look past him without moving her head. It was worth feeling as though her eyes were about to pop out to see that there was no sign of Jack. He's safe. That's all that matters. Her body relaxed slightly. Cal tightened his grip on her shoulders and pulled her into another kiss.
*****
Jack was actually far from safe. He clung desperately to the trellis. Something had gone wrong when he leapt back out the window. He slipped, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get a decent grip on the trellis. His hands kept slipping off. His feet dangled uselessly. I should've stayed. I should've—He never finished the thought because at that moment his hands slipped for the last time.
Fortunately for Jack, the ground was still wet and soft from a recent rainstorm. He landed with a barely audible thump. "Rose..." he whispered hoarsely as he sank into blackness.
*****
Rose's eyes widened as she felt Cal's tongue dart into her mouth. For a brief second, she wondered if he could taste Jack's kisses. "Don't," she said quietly. She tried to move her head away again, but was stopped by one of his hands on the back of her neck. His fingers dug into her skin.
Cal smiled as he felt Rose's body begin to tremble. He ignored her feeble protest. If she really meant it, she'd be doing more to fight him, wouldn't she? And she's not fighting at all, he thought as he began backing her toward the bed.
Rose tried one last time to twist out of his grip, but he interpreted her efforts as an invitation and pushed her onto her back. No! she screamed silently as he came down on top of her. Jack! She squeezed her eyes shut and conjured his image in her mind. His soft blond hair falling into those beautiful blue eyes...
"Look at me."
Rose's eyes snapped open. Cal straddled her, a look of triumph on his face. Her stomach twisted as she felt a hardness pressing into her legs. "You're mine," he said. "And don't you even think about forgetting that again."
She nodded quickly. Her heart pounded in her chest. She bit her lip to keep from screaming as he began pulling her dress up. You could hit him. He's distracted right now. He'd never see it coming. She considered the idea for a moment before deciding it would just make things worse. She was far from strong enough to do more than slow him down for a few seconds.
Rose bit down until she tasted blood as he shoved one of his hands into her underwear. Don't scream. Don't scream. Don't—A cry of pain mingled with fear escaped her lips as two of his fingers forced their way into her.
Cal leaned down until his face was just inches from hers. "You are mine," he said, punctuating each word with a sharp thrust of his hand. "Say it," he commanded.
"I-I'm yours," she stammered. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Jack. She chanted his name silently.
Cal smiled and kissed her harshly. "Yes, you are." He let out a low moan and pushed his hand as far inside of her as he could. "You're mine, and it's time you learned that," he said, almost more to himself than to her.
Rose didn't need to be told what he meant. "Don't." Her voice cracked. "Oh, please, don't."
His mouth curled slightly. Her tears and sniveling were repulsive. She was almost ugly. "This isn't what I want to be looking at when we do this," he said calmly. Rose could only watch in stunned silence as he climbed off of her, straightened his clothes, and left.
*****
Jack opened his eyes and saw stars. It took a second to realize he was looking up at actual stars. Where am I? He sat up slowly. His head and back ached. His clothes were damp. What happened? "Rose!" he cried, jumping to his feet. Ignoring his protesting body, he grabbed the trellis and began climbing.
When he crawled through the window, it was into an empty room. The bed was rumpled, but there was no sign of either Rose or Cal. His throat tightened. Had he dragged her off somewhere? Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a light coming out of a door on his left. He crept over to it and pressed his ear against the wood. He heard someone gagging quietly. "Rose?" he whispered, pushing it open.
Rose was slumped over the sink. Her face was ashen and dripping with a mixture of sweat and water. Her curls were tangled and falling out of their pins. The water was running, but she seemed to have forgotten about it.
Jack felt as if he'd been stabbed through the heart. "Rose!"
She raised her head. "Jack," she said weakly. Shame flooded her being. He wasn't supposed to see her like this. She wasn't supposed to let herself get like this.
"Oh, Rose." Jack crossed the room in two steps. He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around her. Her limp body sank against him. "What happened?" he asked. He held her in his lap, cradling her gently in his arms. "Did he hit you?"
Rose shook her head. "He—he—" was all she managed to say before sobs overtook her.
Jack rocked back and forth slowly. "Shh," he said. "You don't have to talk about it."
She pressed her face against his chest. His shirt felt good against the developing rawness around her eyes.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you," he said, his voice thick with guilt. He hugged her tighter. "I'm so sorry..."