Chapter 5 The Tempting Devil

“No, I am fine.” I held my tears so they wouldn’t come out. I learned to not cry in front of the boys. It would only make things worse and they wouldn’t feel sympathy—they only thought it was fun to watch me cry.

“Did you just come out from my brother’s room? What are you doing?” Lionel said as he pulled me closer and narrowed his eyes. “You cried because he did something to you? Tell me and I will ask them to stop.”

Before I could even think Lionel pulled me close to him again and ran his hands down my back until he was gripping my ass. I wanted to pull away instantly but he held me tight. I was very aware of his body pressed against mine.

Sometimes when I was alone with Lionel he was nicer than the others. He wouldn’t treat me so poorly and would even comfort me. Now was clearly not one of those times. He never seemed to fail in reminding me that no matter how nice he could be, he was still one of the Horace brothers. I would never be someone he could really respect.

“Nothing happened, and please let me go. I am not your girlfriend, I am your sister.” I tried to break free but he continued to rub my ass and pulled me closer to him.

When he finally pulled away he laughed at me instantly. My cheeks flushed. I felt confused and self-conscious instantly. This new mocking game they were all playing was worse than anything they had done before.

They had spent a lot of time making fun of my body and how I looked but this was something else. This teasing and getting me excited only to push me away and back in my place—I felt like it broke something inside of me.

“You are not my sister, Rhea, we never accepted you. You could never be my girlfriend or anyone’s girlfriend because no boy wants you,” he said with a sweet smile, but he was more like the devil.

“Look at you all embarrassed. Of course, you’ve never had a boyfriend. Never had anyone touch you, eh? Pathetic,” he scoffed. “No wonder you’re so easily excited.”

“Because of you guys! You’re all so mean and made me a pariah at school! No one hardly even talks to me,” I said, tears building in my eyes. Lionel kept chuckling. “No one would dare try to talk to me or date me with you guys around being such jerks.”

“You really think that’s our doing? No one would want you anyway. Look at you. You’re pathetic. The only guys who would want you would be terrible losers. So in a way, we did you a favor,” he mocked.

He reached his hand up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I pulled away from him quickly. I tried to make my expression menacing but Lionel only looked amused.

“Still, that’s not for you to decide. You've kept me alone, from everyone!” My tears fell freely now. Lionel rolled his eyes. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to be so alone all the time?”

“You should be grateful,” he snarled. Now he looked mad and irritated.

A little pang of fear rose in me as I thought about what he might do if I kept pushing him. I couldn’t help it though.

“Grateful for how mean you all are? Grateful for how horrible you make me feel about myself? Grateful that you’ve kept me so alone? I’ve never had anyone! I’ve never had a boyfriend. Never been kissed…” I hadn’t meant to admit so much but it was too late—the words were out. Not that it mattered much. Lionel would have assumed anyway.

Lionel started laughing wildly at my misery.

“Wow. You really are pathetic, aren’t you?” he said in between his laughter. “Do you want a kiss?” He raised a seductive eyebrow.

It was hard to deny how beautiful he was. His lips curled into a smirk and his expression intensified.

“No,” I mumbled, barely able to get out the word.

My body had a whole other answer and I cursed silently to myself. I could feel the tingling waiting in anticipation. Lionel ignored me and pushed me up against the wall. He ran his hands along my body, sending sharp tingles through me. He slowly gripped my wrists and lifted my arms above my head.

He pushed his body against mine and I felt his muscles tighten. I also felt the bulge in his pants stiffen. I held my breath. He kept his eyes locked on mine and moved closer toward me. My tears made him a little blurry. He looked a bit lustful and a bit menacing. It looked like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to kiss me or hurt me.

He inched closer and I could feel his breath. He rubbed his nose lightly against mine. His lips were close enough that I could taste him. He licked my lips just a hint and my body responded, leaning toward him. I cursed internally. How? How could I still want them? Lionel seemed to love this and kept teasing me.

Finally, he looked serious and aimed to kiss me but instead pulled away laughing.

“Damn, that is so sad! You are so pathetic and desperate for it!” He dropped my hands and backed away from me, still laughing.

My tears fell harder now. I felt embarrassed and horrified. Of course, I’d always be a laughing stock for them. When was I ever going to learn?

I pushed away from him and ran towards my room. As soon as I made it I collapsed on my bed and let the hysterical tears fall endlessly. How could I have ever thought I’d ever be anything other than a toy for them to play with? They were so cruel. I cursed myself again for ever thinking anything different.

I tried to force myself to calm down. I shamed myself until the tingling excitement left me. I hated them. I hated my life and everything that had been happening. I wanted so badly to just run away. I wanted to leave and go where no one knew me and no one knew the Horace family.

I spent the next few hours trying to decide what would be the best way to escape. I knew I couldn’t just walk out the door. They would certainly see me and stop me. But maybe I could pack my backpack full of things and leave after school instead of coming back.

Though I doubted I could pack everything I would need, and I didn’t have enough money to make it on my own. I thought about calling Emma and telling her how horrible things had really been. I wondered if her parents would let me crash there. Though I knew now that they were a part of Alpha Angus’s pack they would be obligated to return me if he asked.

I cried even harder knowing how limited my options were. What could I do? All I knew was that I couldn’t—I wouldn’t endure this abuse forever. I needed to get out. I would get out as soon as I turned 18. My grades were good enough for college. I would go and never come back.