Fated - A Mermaid's Curse 2 (18 page)

“
I love you, Arianna. As crazy and unreal all of this seems, it doesn’t change anything. Always remember that.”

She opens her eyes and looks into mine.

“
I love you, too,” she pauses, “Blake?”

“
Yeah.”

“
I don’t want to wait. I want to be married to you. Even if has to be without anyone knowing, I don’t care. I just want to be yours. All yours.”

I wrap my arms around her, picking her up and kissing her.

When I put her down, I brush a lock of her hair back.

“
Maybe we’ll just tell Owen, Mom, Carol and Mike.”

She seems to be happy about us involving them and as long as she is happy, that is all that matters.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

ARIANNA

We all sleep in the next day. It’s around lunchtime when Blake and I get out of the room and find Owen just waking up, too.

Blake makes us lunch and we sit on the back porch as we eat.

“
Do you want to tell him or should I?” asks Blake.

Owen gives me a puzzled look. He hasn’t said a word yet, but I know he is not a morning person.

“
Maybe you should,” I tell Blake.

“
Just spill it already,” says Owen.

“
We’re getting married,” says Blake and he can’t keep the grin off his face.

Owen studies him for a while.

“
Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“
A freaking congrats would suffice.”

“
Sorry,” says Owen before he looks at me. “Congrats. I mean it. I just—“ he shakes his head.

“
We’re only telling Mom and the Jones’,” says Blake.

Owen nods. “That is probably a good idea.”

Once I finish eating, I walk over to where Blake is and sit on his lap. He wraps his arms around me and we laugh as Owen tells us about his date at the company party.

“
So, Jenna, huh?” asks Blake. “Didn’t you have a huge crush on her?”

Owen shrugs. “We were kids, Blake. And it’s not like anything would ever come out of that anyway.”

“
No kidding,” says Blake. “Didn’t her mom catch you watching porn in the middle of the afternoon when you were like fourteen?”

Owen shrugs like it doesn’t bother him at all.

Blake laughs. “So is that how you learn your cheesy moves?”

Owen grins. “Man, I don’t need to learn. I already know it all. If anything, I could be teaching them!”

At that moment, I’m just so happy to be enjoying a drama free day, laughing and having a good time.

“
So, when are you going to tell Mom?” asks Owen.

Blake shrugs. “I can call her now.”

He reaches for his phone and sees that he has a message.

“
It’s Mike,” he says. “He wants me to meet him for dinner to talk about some cases.”

He deletes the message and calls Cindy. He makes sure his dad is not in the same room as she is and then he tells her the news. I can hear her excitement over the phone, even though she tries to keep it controlled so his dad won’t hear it.

We end up spending all afternoon with Owen, laughing at his stories. I keep thinking about how much Owen has changed and how it makes me happy to see Blake so happy.

When starts to get dark outside, Blake says he should probably get ready to leave.

“
Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?” he asks. “I’d rather not leave you here alone, in case you feel like you have to…hmm… change.”

Owen rolls his eyes. “She’ll be fine. I might need the boat in case this chick I met calls, but I’ll take you to the city and then come back over here. You can just take the other boat back later or call me and I will come get you.”

Blake still hesitates in leaving me alone until Owen comes back, but lets it go when I assure him that I’m fine; that I feel no pain and that if I have to change, I will wait until Owen gets back before I do so.

CHAPTER FORTY

I take off the sweater I’m wearing over my summer dress, grab Blake’s iPod and lay down on the couch. I start his favorite playlist and close my eyes. I know it’s only a matter of time before I fall asleep… and I do.

I jump awake when I feel a hand on my thigh. I just know it isn’t Blake as soon as his hands touch my skin. I yank the earphones off me and try to get up from the couch and move as far away from his dad as I can, but he grabs my wrist and pushes me back down.

My eyes are wide open in shock. He smells of cigars and alcohol and he has a predatory look in his eyes that makes me cringe.

I move to get up again.

“
Don’t even try it!” he warns.

I freeze in place and move to the corner of the couch.

His eyes move from my eyes down to my legs and he grins.

I know I need to get out of here and soon. I wonder where Owen is. Maybe he decided to stay and wait for Blake. I have no idea how much time passed.

“
What do you want?” I ask. “You shouldn’t even be here.”

He gives me a crooked smile that sends chills through my body. “You should know that your attitude only adds to the fire. I can see in you what my son sees and you have no idea what that does to a man.”

I look from him to the door. ‘Distract him and run,’ I think to myself. Just wait for the right time.

My heart is pounding against my chest and I can see he is amused by my reaction. He leans back on the couch and stares at me. He’s a tall, strong man. I’m not even sure I can outrun him, but I’m afraid of being here with him any longer.

When he looks to the side for a split second, I stand up and run for the door. Within seconds, his arms are around my waist and I’m being turned around. He slaps me across my face so hard it burns. I stumble and fall on the other couch and he’s on me within seconds. He flips me around so my back is to him. I fight to get out from under his weight, but I can’t move. He holds both my wrists with one of his hands and moves my dress up with the other. Everything happens so fast. The sound of him ripping my underwear, the sound of his zipper, the condom wrapper, and the sound of my scream. And then I feel myself moving with his disgusting body over me, and his fingers digging into my wrists, but I can no longer scream. I can feel that my face is wet from the tears, but I don’t even feel myself cry.

“
Did you really think you were going to be happily married to him after destroying everything I worked for?” he says without stopping. “Blake will only ever be allowed to have what I tell him he can. Do you think he is going to want you after this?” He moves faster and harder and I stare blankly at the wall.

Part of me prays that Blake comes in and makes this stop, but the other part of me, the predominant one, prays that he doesn’t because I don’t want him to be hurt by his father again.

I feel dead… actually no, I only wish I was dead.

He stops long enough to turn me around. My eyes are closed. I can feel his hand across my face again as he yells, “LOOK AT ME!”

I can’t open my eyes. I can feel his hand over my chest, ripping the buttons apart. The cold air hits my chest and his moan and he is in me again and I want to fight him, but I’m afraid of what will happen if I do. I feel his fingers resting against my necklace, the one that Blake gave me. He laughs as he rips the necklace from my neck.

My arms move up to cover myself and I expect to get hit again, but I don’t open my eyes until I hear him say, “Fuck!”

He moves away from me and all I can do it curl up on the corner of the couch and cover myself up. I’m shivering as I look around to make sure Blake is not around. He can’t see this.

Owen looks terrified. I know I should feel terrified, but I feel sick and empty.

His dad looks at Owen and says, “Get the fuck out. I’m not done in here.”

He moves toward me again and I flinch. Owen gets in between us.

“
ENOUGH!”

His dad punches him. Owen punches him back and tackles him to the floor. Owen looks back at me and I can’t even describe that look. Do I look that scared? I wonder. But it doesn’t matter. I just want to disappear.

“
GO!” he says. “Get out of here and hide. I’ll find you!”

Somehow, I manage to run. I go toward the back of the house. As soon as I step outside, I throw up. Then I keep running and running, until I’m at the tree house, the place that Blake always ran to for protection. I climb up, crawl over to the corner and sit on the floor, hugging my knees and shivering. His smell is all over me and it makes me sick again. I lay down into the fetal position and shiver. I can’t stop shivering.

***

I don’t know how long I’ve been here. I see lights moving around. I know they’re flashlights, but I stay where I am. I’m ashamed and I feel disgusted. I don’t want anyone to see me ever again. All I want is to be alone.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

BLAKE

I get to the pier and our other boat is gone. I call and text Owen, but get no response. I wait and wait and eventually, I run into John, our friend who owns the bar, and borrow his boat.

I can feel something wrong before I walk in the house, but when I do, my suspicious are confirmed. The furniture has been either moved or broken, and there is blood on the floor.

“
Arianna?”

Nothing.

I step outside and yell her name. Nothing happens.

I see a movement behind the pool and go in that direction. I run into Owen coming back to the house.

I feel like I’m losing my mind. “Where is she?”

The look on Owen’s face makes me panic even more. “I can’t find her!”

“
What do you mean you can’t find her? What happened at the house? There was blood—”

“
Dad was here. That is his blood,” he says.

I now notice the bruise on his right eye.

“
Where is he?” Did he take her?”

Owen shakes his head. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him act this way, so… disoriented. “He’s gone… alone.”

I leave Owen behind. I run into the house, grab a flashlight and rush toward the one place where I hope I can find her.

“
Arianna?” I call.

There are no sounds.

I climb up on the tree house anyway and I freeze once I see her. But only for a split second, then I rush to her side. I get on my knees next to her and touch her shoulder. “Arianna?” She flinches. Her eyes are empty. She turns around so she’s not facing me. There are bruises on her face, her dress is torn, and I can see the bruises around her wrists. I feel my eyes get watery and at that moment, I’m glad she is not looking at me. All I can feel is anger toward him and at me for not keeping my promise that he would never lay hands on her again.

“
What did he do to you?” I whisper.

She doesn’t answer. She shivers as if she is cold. I take my jacket off and put over her.

I’m torn between wanting to go after him and staying with her, but only for a second. I know I can’t leave her alone.

I sit next to her and reach for a loch of her hair, moving it off her face. Her eyes are closed, but still, she flinches as if she can’t stand to be touched.

Even with my jacket, she doesn’t stop shivering.

“
Arianna? Let me take you back to the house.”

Her eyes are now wide open and she looks terrified.

She sits up, and hugs her knees and I feel at a loss for what to do.

“
I can’t—I can’t go back there.”

“
It’s okay, you don’t have to.”

I move toward her and she flinches. I hate how terrified she looks and how she hates even my touch.

I drop my arms to the side as she watches my every movement, then her eyes are on mine and I’m terrified of that look. I have a gut wrench feeling that whatever happened is worse than what it looks. I wonder what he said to her.

She looks away and at the window.

I choke on my own tears. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to protect you.”

That’s when she falls apart. I can see the tears rolling down her face, and when I approach her, she flinches once again, but this time, I don’t stop. I sit down, pull her into my lap and she lets go. She cries against my chest as I hold her. Every time I move my hands, she flinches. I watch the swelling of the bruises on her wrists. I’ve never hated him so much.

“
What did he say to you?” I ask.

All I hear in return are cries.

She starts to shiver again. I grab my phone and text Owen to bring a blanket to the tree house.