Rosalina's Hope by D.D. Dass (free novel 24 .txt) 📕

Sebastien growled menacingly but I shook my head. “T-The worst part…She insisted I uphold my part and I…I talked to a guy with multi-colored hair and piercings and tattoos…And he was perfectly decent…So, there you have it, I screwed up our lives and ruined my entire family.” I hadn’t realized I was sobbing until Sebastien encircled my waist, pulling me into his lap.

As I cried, he stroked my face and my back, murmuring sweet-nothings until I was clinging to him–my lone protector.

“Please. Don’t cry…” his voice was a hoarse plea and I couldn’t help the disbelieving laugh that rose in my throat.

“W-Why do you sound s-so upset?”

He shook his head–a dark look clouding his features. “You think I enjoy watching you cry…Being helpless to help the hurt?”

I shrugged. “It’s my fault…I-If I could just go back and let it be me instead of Serenity…” His hold tightened, his masculine scent easing the pressure in my chest. “I wouldn’t mind dying…There’s honorable ways to go…I-I attempted the coward way out once…Suicide…”

“No,” his voice was hard, but pain bled through. “Dieu. Don’t ever try that again, Rosalina. Never…” There was an eerie pause before in a calm, cold tone, “I’ll kill him. I’ll fucking destroy him…Just don’t –,”

“I won’t,” I interrupted hastily, snuggling deeper into the solid plains of his body. I couldn’t do that to my parents…to him.

“Sebastien?”

“Mmm…?”

“What…What are we?”

He stiffened and I immediately regretted having asked. “You are everything to me,” he vowed and my heart stuttered.

Silently, I rose, stretching and flickering the lights before my mother went into cardiac arrest. Then, I fell back into his lap, resting my head on his shoulder as he whispered to me in French. And though I didn’t understand, I was soothed nonetheless.

Suddenly, there was a sharp, knock, knock, knock and I scrambled out of Sebastien’s arms in time for my father to saunter in, his eyes cool and sharp.

“It’s not Moan Amee, Rosalina, its mon ami,” Sebastien said tiredly, as if he’d repeated that to me times before. He was a very good actor.

My father rolled his eyes and Sebastien stood up. “Well, I should go now. I’ve come to the conclusion that your daughter is hopeless, sir,” he murmured gravely to my father who grinned in amusement. I glared that the two.

“Goodnight, Bastien,” my father said as Sebastien walked out of the room. I watched him leave with my heart on my sleeve.

“French, huh?”

I looked over to see my dad was still in the room. Awkwardly, I shrugged and he smiled a wide, sharp-teethed smile. I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled on my lips.

“Dad…Don’t smile that way,” I told him between laughs.

His eyebrows scrunched. “Like what?” His confusion made me laugh harder.

“Like that!” I muttered. “It’s…creepy.”

He smiled wider before leaving the room, muttering about his smile. I shut the door behind him, shrugging out of my clothes and closing my eyes, too tired as I crawled into bed.

There, that familiar feeling crept through my insides, the feeling that told me I was being watched. Weakly, I lifted my head and peered out the window finding nothing but trees. To drained to get up again, my eyes drifted shut and I slipped into a deep, dark sleep.

Something screamed, here we go again. 

***

I was choking. My chest heaved as I gripped the light…but it was fading fast. I was dying.

I screamed awake, blinking crazily as my hands gripped the blankets, my face crammed in the material, inhaling the masculine smell of peppermints, allowing it to bring me back to reality.

The nightmares weren’t so terrible lately, tonight being the only exception. Dazed, I glanced at my alarm, finding it was only four in the morning. I sighed. For a while, I tried to fall asleep again, but at five, I was still awake.

Breathing a heavy sigh, I stumbled out of bed, pulling on socks and shorts. That’s when I noticed it.

With a gasp, I rushed into the bathroom, switching the lights on and squinted into the mirror. Eye’s wide, I gaped at what I saw in the reflection. Symbols. I’d seen these dark patterns before, butnot on my body. How long had they been there? I thought back a few weeks. They hadn’t been there, not then…but the past couple of weeks I’d been exhausted, I hadn’t glanced at my skin in the shower…

Oh…God. In attempt to make sense of it, I tugged my shirt up to find the patterns went up my hip and too my side, stopping before my left breast. With frantic fingers, I grabbed a towel and began to wipe at it, going vertical then horizontal…but nothing worked.

I took a deep breath. It couldn’t be the same thing as…Sebastien’s. Two people did not magically come up with identical tattoos….What had Sebastien said his meant? A commitment?

Running my fingers down the marks I felt for fresh swelling or irritation but found none. The skin was perfectly fine. It was as if the marks had been there my whole life.

Silently, I wondered how I was going to explain this to my parents (once they found out). There had to be a rational explanation, my conscious declared, pulling on her large glasses as I raked through the possibilities. There weren’t any.

Dreaming again–maybe I was dreaming. Yeah, that had to be it…If I went about everything the as always the marks would have to disappear. Figuring I might as well try, I turned the faucet on hot and striped. Inside the shower, I scrubbed the mark until my skin was pint and stinging though it did nothing to help. I moved onto my hair then returned to my bedroom, dressing in a thick, black sweater and black jeans, not bothering to touch my damp hair.

Downstairs, I followed Iris into the car, staring blankly out the window as she drove.

“You okay?” I nodded, raising the volume to cover my obnoxiously distraught thoughts. Iris shook her head without comment and I was suddenly grateful to her patient, understanding personality.

Once in the courtyard, I sat at an empty table, the same one from the second day of school. Just like that day, I watched the jocks table where I thought Bastien sat…but today, the table was empty. Somebody joined me at the table and startled, I looked up to see Isaac’s face clouded with concern. I flinched.

“What’s wrong?” I shook my head, but yanked my shirt up to reveal the marks. Isaac’s eyes were round as saucers, his mouth a perfect O.

“When did you get that!”

“Isaac, I –,” but he wouldn’t allow me to finish.

“Holy hell, Rosa, your parents are going to freak!”

“Isaac –,”

“What is it anyway? Who did it for you? Aren’t you under age?” Oh for the love of…

“Isaac!” I hissed and finally, there was silence. “I did not get a tattoo. I have no idea what this is!”

His eyebrows furrowed. “You’re…joking.”

I put my face in my hands, releasing the shirt with a moan. “No! There are three different patterns and symbols running down my body and I would joke with you?”

His hand landed on my shoulder and I was glad to have the sweater over my skin. I didn’t think I could handle skin contact right now.

“Oh damn.”

I tensed, glancing up at Isaac who was staring off. “What.”

“Robert is staring again,” he muttered, sounding uncomfortable as I felt. I twisted to follow his gaze. Robert was staring at me…a hard glint in his eyes. I shivered, disgusted by the smile he flashed.

“Let’s get to class. Please,” I squeaked. Isaac smiled gently before walking me through the courtyard –I barely noticed.

I was going to be sick. 

Possessively, I watched my mate stumble across the courtyard with the boy at her side. All the while, I listened to Robert’s every move intently. I was so concentrated that his heartbeat thudded in my ears and I winched, wavering my concentration to rid the ringing in my ears. Damn. It.

I glared murderously, locking gazes with the Omega until that cocky smirk faded and as expected, he broke the contact first. Coward.

One down, one more to go. The problem with Zach: his ability to disappear. But, eventually, when he didn’t expect it, I would get him. And soon.

Trailing Rosa, I caught up quickly, grabbing her arms just as she went to turn into class. Startled, she twisted around and unease panged at me. She looked…haunted. Anger surged forth, fierce as the instinct to protect. In attempt to figure out what was wrong, to gauge her thoughts, I searched those deep eyes…but the answers weren’t mine to find.

After a second, I swallowed. “Hi.” What is wrong?  Unconsciously, I leaned into the wall, absorbing her reaction: the little stiffen of her shoulders, the unsure shake of her head. She bit into her bottom lip and wordlessly tugged out of my hold and escaping into the classroom.

She’s running, the wolf hissed as I cursed in French. For a moment, I stayed in that spot, feeling like an utter idiot. Running my hands through my irritatingly lengthy hair, I stalked into English, slouching low into my tight, too-small seat.

My fingers tapped impatiently. I did not have the will to watch her run. As I stared, I barely noticed Hailey entered the class; light brown hair mussed back, makeup caked onto her smiling face.

Unappealing.

Inwardly, I realized that Rosa did not wear makeup…In fact, she did not need any. My eyes shut and I sighed, only seeing her. I wanted –yearned to know her; wanderlust. She was beyond all words; mine.

“Baby…” Hailey’s breath was hot on my ear and I flinched, unwilling to open my eyes.

“’m not in the mood for you, Hailey.” I could practically see her pout despite my shut eyes.

“Why’re you being so mean?!”

Now, I opened my eyes, glaring. “You should’ve been a blonde,” I muttered, facing the front of the class. Mercifully, for her shake, she sat in her seat, which unfortunately was located right beside me.

The little girl probably didn’t deserve my fury, at least not all of it anyway…Then again, she had wronged mine and that was an unforgivable act in the lycanthrope world.

She’s lucky I didn’t kill her when I had the chance, the wolf snarled. I ignored him the best I could, wishing, just once, I could be alone with my thoughts.

The next half hour passed slowly until it was time to choose partners for some assignment I’d paid no attention too. There was the smell of roses as Hailey scooted closer beside me.

The girl really had no self-preservation.

“Find a new partner,” I murmured calmly, though the edge in my voice was practically tangible.

“Seb, why won’t you speak to me? We’re together and you’re treating me like some…some slut! I thought you loved –liked me!” she squeaked.

I couldn’t help it, I laughed. Frustration and tiredness animated through me as I pinched the bridge of my nose.

What was it Hailey had wanted me for again? Money, sex and publicity. But I could not fault her for her motives; love was the last thing either of us had been thinking about.

Then came Rosa, with all things lovely.

“It’s her isn’t it? God Sebastien you can’t seriously be thinking that whore is better than me!” I saw red, my fingers shaking as I