Chapter 18: Rape
"You should come get it," Darrell continued. "If it's important to you."
I checked my luggage again. The necklace definitely wasn't there.
That necklace was irreplaceable. Mom had worn it every day until the cancer treatments started. It was the last gift Dad had given her before she died.
"I'll be there in twenty minutes."
The house felt different when I walked through the front door. Smaller somehow. Less significant.
"Where's the necklace?" I asked without preamble.
Darrell gestured toward the stairs. "Upstairs on the dresser where you left it."
I didn't see Camila anywhere. Maybe she was out spending Darrell's money at some overpriced boutique.
We climbed the stairs in tense silence. The bedroom door was already open, and I could see Mom's necklace gleaming on the dresser surface.
"There." Darrell pointed. "Safe and sound."
I reached for the necklace, but his hand closed over my wrist.
"We need to talk first."
"About what?"
"About this new act you're putting on." His grip tightened. "Renting cars, buying fake shoes, pretending to have money. What's your endgame here?"
I tried to pull away, but he held firm. "Let go of me."
"Not until you explain what game you're playing." His voice turned dangerous. "Did you think designer accessories would make me want you back? That I'd be impressed by your little shopping spree?"
"I told you – I don't want you back."
"Bullshit." He yanked me closer. "You've been trying to make me jealous since Camila returned. The ring, the car, the clothes – it's all designed to get my attention."
"Your attention is the last thing I want."
"Then why are you really here?" His other hand grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "To win me back?"
"I came for the necklace. That's all."
"You need to move back in. Tonight. This separation ends now."
Before I could react, he shoved me hard. My back hit the mattress with enough force to knock the breath from my lungs.
"Darrell, stop—"
He climbed onto the bed, using his knees to pin my legs down so I couldn't escape. His hands grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked it upward.
"Get off me!" I pushed against his chest with both hands, but he was too strong.
His mouth crashed down on mine, brutal and possessive. I bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, but he didn't stop.
"I should have done this years ago," he growled against my neck. "Should have marked you properly so you'd remember who you belong to."
His hand moved to cup my breast roughly through my bra. I clawed at his arms, leaving red scratches, but his grip only tightened.
"You're mine, Sable. And I'm going to make sure you never forget it again."
Rage exploded through my veins. Esme roared to life in my consciousness, her fury merging with mine. I felt the familiar burn of transformation beginning – my fingernails extending into razor-sharp claws.
"I said get OFF!"
I raked my claws across his face, leaving three deep gashes from his temple to his jaw. Blood immediately welled up in the wounds.
"What the fuck!" Darrell jerked backward, pressing his hand to his bleeding cheek.
That's when Camila's voice drifted up from downstairs: "Darrell! Where are you?"
Darrell's expression shifted from rage to panic. He rolled off me immediately, touching his wounded face.
I scrambled to sit up, my whole body shaking with leftover adrenaline and fury. My claws were still extended, and my eyes probably glowed with wolf-light.
"If you ever touch me again," I whispered, my voice carrying the promise of death, "I will kill you."
Darrell's eyes widened slightly.
"Keep your mouth shut," he hissed, pulling his shirt back on. "Not a word to Camila about this."
He disappeared into the bathroom just as footsteps echoed on the stairs.
Camila appeared in the doorway. Her face cracked when she saw me standing there, hair mussed and shirt wrinkled.
"What are you doing here?" Her voice turned sharp. "Where's Darrell?"
I didn't want to waste time explaining myself to her. "I'm leaving. Ask him yourself."
Her hand shot out, fingers closing around my wrist like a vise. "Sable, are you here trying to seduce Darrell again?"
I yanked my arm back with enough force to send her stumbling backward two steps. The shock on her face was almost comical.
I stepped around her and walked straight to the dresser where Mom's necklace lay glinting under the overhead light. I reached for it, but Camila was faster. She snatched it from the dresser before I could react.
"Give that back!" I lunged forward, grabbing one end of the chain.
"Such a pretty piece," Camila examined the sapphire with calculating eyes. "Real sapphires?"
We both gripped the necklace between us, the delicate chain stretched taut. I tried to pull it from her grasp, but she held firm.
"Let go!" I demanded.
"Careful now." Camila's voice turned dangerous, her grip tightening on her end. "Pull any harder and this lovely old chain might just... snap."
She gave the necklace a sharp tug, making the metal links strain audibly.
"Don't you dare—"
"One more pull from you and it's broken forever." Her smile turned vicious. "Is that what you want?"
My heart pounded. The antique chain was already under tension. One wrong move and it would be destroyed.
"Please don't break it." The word tasted like ash. "Just... don't break it."
Camila's eyes glittered with malice. "Oh? This necklace must be very important to you."
Reluctantly, I loosened my grip, prioritizing the necklace's safety over my pride.
Camila's eyes flashed with triumph. Her hand jerked upward in a vicious arc, whipping the necklace through the air like a weapon. She aimed directly for the bronze picture frame on the dresser, hurling it with brutal force.
CRACK!
The necklace smashed against the sharp metal corner with a sickening snap.
Thud! The sapphire ricocheted off the frame and struck the hardwood floor. Tink! Tink! Tink! Deep fissures spider-webbed across its surface, and several small chips scattered like broken tears.
"Oops." Camila's voice dripped false sweetness. "Sorry, my hand slipped."