Broken Beauty and the Beastly Vampire Prince

Rosalie's Anguish

Trigger warning. This chapter may prove triggering to some and could be upsetting.

Third Person POV

“Rosalie get your fat ass up and make me breakfast” yelled her stepfather Mick, his body in the doorway, his breathing heavy as she tried to tuck herself into as small a ball as possible, the threadbare blanket barely covering her body, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She cowered, waiting for him to strike her, smelling the alcohol on his breath from where she lay, his eyes cold and hard. He shook his head, waving his fist at her and she slowly sat upright, wincing from the pain of the various bruises on her body. Every day was a day filled with pain and misery.

“Hurry up” he snapped “I have friends coming over today and I need this place cleaned up, you lazy bitch."

She nodded, getting to her feet. He disappeared to her relief, heading back up the stairs as she stretched and began to slowly get dressed, wanting to delay getting into the kitchen for as long as possible.

She couldn’t delay too long though. Not without getting hurt. She put her long red hair into a ponytail and brushed her teeth in the adjoining bathroom, her green eyes looking at herself critically. The girl in the mirror looked back at her, her expression haunted. There were big dark circles underneath her eyes, her green eyes were dull and blank, and her expression was pale. She had a weary expression on her face and bruises all over. Her body was curvy, larger than average, which was why her stepfather Mick called her fat. She didn’t think she was ugly, but she certainly wasn’t pretty, she thought glumly. She was average, she decided, shaking her head and making her way out of the bathroom. Average and invisible she thought bitterly. A particularly tragic combination to have.

She made her way slowly into the kitchen. She felt a slap to the back of her head and bit her lip. “Jesus Christ, what took you so long” Mick snarled “all you had to do was get your lazy ass dressed.”

She knew better than to say anything back. She felt his breath on the back of her neck, and she trembled. She closed her eyes. Please, God, let him just leave it at that. She didn’t dare move. A knock on the door sounded and Mick exhaled loudly, sounding frustrated. “Just get breakfast started already” he snapped, heading towards the front door as Rosalie sighed in relief, quickly heading to the refrigerator and grabbing the ingredients she needed in order to make a hearty breakfast that would meet her stepfather's approval.

She had the bacon sizzling and the eggs frying and a fresh jug of coffee brewing before Mick came back, followed by his two sleazy friends Steven and Neil who openly ogled her. She stiffened, keeping her focus solely on making them breakfast. Pretend they aren’t there, she told herself, breathing in and out, pretend that you’re here alone. She grabbed the toast and began to butter it, fetching plates for them all. She began to prepare breakfast for everyone while Mick and the others sat down at the table, watching her expectantly. It never occurred to them to help, after all, that was Rosalie's job. She was practically a servant to her stepfather after all.

“So Mick, how’s your job going?” asked Steven, leaning forward and putting his chin in his hands. He eyed his friend with genuine interest.

Mick grimaced. “Lost it again,” he said with a careless shrug.

Rosalie tried not to groan out loud. Mick was useless when it came to keeping down a job, primarily because he drank so damn much. If it wasn’t for the life insurance he’d received upon her mother’s death, they would have been screwed. Not to mention now he’d lost the job, it meant he’d be home more and make her life even more miserable.

Steven snickered. Rosalie tried not to turn and glare at him. Micks’ friends were heavy alcoholics and drug addicts to boot. All of them looked sleazy, with greasy black hair and stubble on their chins. They could have passed for brothers.

Rosalie began to put plates down on the table. As she put her plate down next to Steven, his arm snaked out and he placed it around her waist, yanking her onto his lap as she squirmed and began to protest.

“Shut up Rosalie, How many times have I told you not to offend my friends” Mick hissed at her as she wriggled and tried to get up again. She glared at him.

Rosalie breathed in and out of her nose, contempt in her eyes as Steven chuckled. When she tried to get up again, Mick got up and slapped her, her head almost flung sideways from the impact. She hissed, putting a hand on her cheek. “I’ve told you before, be polite to my guests” he growled "How many times must you be told?" he complained.

She fell silent, Steven reaching out and nabbing a piece of bacon, chewing loudly on it as Mick returned to his seat. Rosalie quietly sat, feeling uncomfortable, her bottom atop Steven’s lap. She nibbled on a piece of bacon, wishing she was anywhere but here. She felt Steven’s fingers stroking her hair and felt revulsion sweep through her.

“Did you hear that Alpha Rex is having an important meeting again with another damn pack” Neil sneered.

Mick just grinned. “Well, it is the Alpha’s prerogative to make this pack as strong as possible. As long as he’s busy with that, then he has no reason to even think about us lowly folk, does he?”

They all laughed at that. Rosalie felt something poking her in her bottom and felt disgusted. It was Steven’s erection. He grabbed her hips and deliberately ground against her. She felt bile rising up inside her throat. She fought back the urge to vomit all over him.

Stop she wanted to scream, just leave me alone. But the words stuck in her throat. She could feel panic rising inside of her. As usual Mick merely ignored what was happening, as he always did. Neil just smirked. He was just as horrid. He was always leering at her, touching her, groping her.

“Get us a couple of beers Rosalie” Mick drawled, nodding his head towards the kitchen.

She was more than happy to have an excuse to leave the table. She hurriedly scrabbled off of Steven’s lap and went to the refrigerator, grabbing several beers. She put one in front of each of the men and then went to leave, but Steven stopped her in her tracks.

“Where do you think you are going?” he said icily.

“To go and clean,” she said uncertainly, glancing at Mick in the hopes he might actually step in and help for once. Fat chance. Mick hated disappointing his friends or making them upset. He'd rather avoid conflict whenever he had the chance.

Mick raised an eyebrow and nodded towards Steven. “Something wrong?” he asked.

“I wasn’t finished with her,” Steven said bluntly, and Rosalie’s heart dropped. She really hated how demanding and arrogant Steven was. He gave her the creeps, they all did, and she hated them all, but somehow Steven seemed to be the worst of them all. She didn't know why. There was just something off about him. She couldn't put her finger on it.

Her lip quivered. “Go sit back down,” Mick told her dismissively.

Rosalie hesitated. Part of her debated making a run for the door. But how many times had she tried that and how many times had she failed? Not to mention they were all shifters, whereas she was just a lowly human. She had no chance of outrunning them. It was why she had never been able to go to Alpha Rex for help. He probably didn’t even know of her existence. If he did, he sure as hell didn't give a damn about what she went through on a daily basis.

“Rosalie” Mick said in a dangerous tone, and she turned, walked back over to Steven, and sat back on his lap, looking down at the floor.

She couldn't handle another beating. She was barely recovered from the last one. She gritted her teeth.

Steven kissed the nape of her neck and she flinched, recoiling from him. He grabbed her hair and pulled it, forcing her to keep still, while she suffered his assault. God she wished she could kill him, or at least had the ability to shift and claw him to death. Wouldn't that be something?

“Try not to mark her this time Steven” Mick said lazily “I like to be the one who bruises her.”

Steven nodded, his tongue dipping out and licking her as she shuddered. She tried to imagine she was anywhere else, doing anything else at that moment, becoming detached as she’d taught herself to do. Steven’s hands cupped her breasts, and his breathing became shallow. She wanted to elbow him in the face. Bastard. Neil and Mick were oblivious, chatting away amicably to each other.

“Goddamn these t**s are huge,” he said delightedly, squeezing them as Rosalie imagined she was in a rose garden, smelling the delicate petals, their fragrance like a sweet perfume. She had a lot of practice doing this. She could practically feel them as she touched them in her mind.

Steven licked his lips. Neil continued to eat; Mick finished off his plate. “How old is she now?” he asked huskily.

“She’s eighteen tomorrow” Mick confirmed, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his slightly pudgy belly with a satisfied look on his face “Why?” he asked suspiciously. Rosalie wanted to know the answer as well, her heart beginning to thud wildly in her chest. She could feel herself beginning to panic. She knew it wasn't simply an innocuous question. There was a reason for it and something told her it wasn't good. She swallowed hard.

Steven grinned. It gave him a wolfish look, more predatory and terrifying. Rosalie continued to pretend she was in the rose garden, exploring, butterflies landing on the roses around her, barely paying attention to whatever Mick and his friends were saying. Maybe if she didn't hear it, she wouldn't have to fear it. Is that how it worked?

“Well, I’ve been thinking and I have a proposition for you,” he said bluntly, rubbing his chin and looking gleeful.

Mick arched a brow. “Something tells me that I might be interested, providing it involves money,” he said rubbing his hands together.

Rosalie felt a sense of foreboding despite herself. They had plenty of money, they didn't need anymore, she wanted to shout. Don't trust this man! But it wouldn't do her any good. She'd just be punished for daring to voice her opinion. She flattened her lips.

“Oh, it involves money alright. As you know I’m wealthy thanks to my b***h of a wife’s money” Steven chortled. "The only good thing as she's a god-awful lay" he snarled.

Rosalie felt sorry for the woman who had the misfortune to marry this awful man. She was a shifter too, but a weak one, if she remembered correctly.

“I know,” Mick said impatiently “Get to the point man" his tone was biting.

“Well, I want you to know I’m willing to pay top dollar,” Steven told Mick calmly, his hands trailing up and down Rosalie’s arms as she came crashing back to earth and began to listen, horrified at what she was hearing “how much would you want in order for me to break Rosalie in so to speak?” he asked, as Mick's eyes began to gleam and Rosalie stiffened, her face looking towards Mick horrified as she silently pleaded for him to laugh and refuse.