“Please, stop! Stop!”
George slaps me again on the other cheek. “Gabriel told us you were his plaything. He won’t mind if I play with you. He’s never minded before.”
I can’t ask George what he means by that as he slaps me again. I try to buck and kick him off me but he’s too strong. He has me pinned down.
“Stop,” I beg. “Just stop!”
It’s then that I hear heavy footsteps rushing towards us and George is wrenched off me. I watch in shock as his body slams against the wall… all because Gabriel picked him up and threw him.
Gabriel is breathing heavy as he glares down at George. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? She is mine. Not yours.”
“But – but – but –,”
“Shut the fuck up and get out of here, George, before I kill you.”
His eyes widen as he scrambles to his feet. “We’re allies. You wouldn’t kill your ally for a plaything like her.”
“I wouldn’t… but for my wife, I would.”
My body tenses. What does Gabriel mean by that?
George scoffs. “Your wife? She’s not your wife.”
“Not yet. But she will be. I can’t have other men, like yourself, putting your hands onto her. You deserve to die for that but I’ll be generous. I’ll let you go just this once. Don’t ever touch Aurora again or if you do, I will kill you.”
“You can’t be serious.”
Gabriel grabs George’s shirt and yanks him close. “Do I look serious enough for you?”
George’s swallow is visible. “Yes.”
“So, then go.” He pushes George down the hallway. With one last glare in my direction, George leaves. Gabriel takes in a deep breath before he turns to me. I scramble to my feet. His expression is cold and dark but then slowly, it turns soft. Gently, he touches my cheek. “Did he hurt you?”
I don’t move, even though I should. The last thing Gabriel can do is touch me gently like this. It’s only going to confuse me more. “He slapped me.”
“That fucker. I should have killed him.” He drops his hand and looks between me and his bedroom door. “What do you think you were doing?”
I don’t say a word.
“Aurora.”
“I was just exploring.”
“I told you to go back to your room.”
“But you also told me I’m allowed to go anywhere in this house.”
“Except for my bedroom. I said that explicitly and yet, here you are, standing in front of the door.”
“I didn’t go in.”
“So then why are you standing here?”
“Because… George found me. He hurt me. He wanted to…”
Gabriel’s eyes tense. “He wanted to rape you, was that it?”
“Yes,” I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut, wanting to forget what almost just happened.
