Fiendish: A Twisted Fairytale (76 page)

I poured more oil onto my hands before I moved up to her back as the song changed again. My hands easily glided across the smooth skin of her back
, working out the tense muscles. A soft moan poured from her lips which brought a smile to mine. She was enjoying the feel of my hands on her, finding relaxation under my touch. We were making progress. I knew the last week had been hard on her. I never intended to show Calida that place. It wasn’t meant for her, but she pushed me too far threatening to leave again. Why did she do that? I told her that night I got her back she wasn’t allowed to leave me. I made myself very clear, yet she’d tried anyway.

Now the happiness she’d once had when she looked at me was replaced with fear whenever I came near her. I tried not to get angry; I tried to be understanding, but I was quickly growing tired of her skittish behavior. I had only lost my temper once with her; it was the crying that got to me. She would spend all day crying, and I had finally had enough. I was cooking dinner for us, but could hear the continual sniffling. Walking into the living room, forgetting the knife was in my hand, I yelled at her. I just wanted to know what was wrong this time, to find out why she was upset again. She couldn’t sleep at home so I’d brought her here, yet still she cried.
 

I was trying to do all I could for her, but still she cried, and I just wanted her to stop. The memory of sheer terror on her face as she cowered in the corner that day was fresh in my mind. When I tried to approach her, she bolted into the bathroom, locking herself in there for two hours. I went for a run to calm myself before coaxing her out of the bathroom.

Now she tried her best to keep from crying in front of me, but I knew she still did. I would watch the gentle shaking of her shoulders as she sat out by the pool, or I would hear her muffled cries coming from the bathroom at night when she thought I was sleeping.

Seeing her this way was beginning to take its toll on me, and I needed to change it. I needed
her
back. I told her I wanted things to remain as they were, but she was holding back. She was changing, withdrawing and she couldn’t do that. Pouring more oil in my hands, I gently took hold of her arm. Calida’s breathing was soft and rhythmic. A glance down at her beautiful face revealed her eyes to be closed and there was a faint smile on her lips. She looked peaceful, and it pleased me to know I was able to relax her to the point of sleeping. After finishing her massage, I walked over to the sink to wash my hands. 

Carefully
, I gathered up her sleeping form and carried her to bed. I took a few moments to gaze upon her freely. She went through great lengths in attempts to not be nude in my presence. The moments that she was, she was tense and uncomfortable.

She
’s yours. You shouldn’t be reduced to stealing glances like a common pervert.
She was mine, that wouldn’t change, but I was trying to give her time. With a frustrated sigh, I pulled the covers up around her then went out for a run. I had pent up energy that needed to be burned off before she woke up.

Chapter 51

I sat quietly in the passenger’s seat, stealing side glances at Seth. His jaw was clenched tight, and his eyes were focused on the road ahead. He was still mad at me for freaking out on him when I woke from my nap yesterday. Being nude in bed with him, my mind just went to all the things I imagined he did to me while I slept. I didn’t say anything, but I guess the look on my face was enough. He hadn’t spoken a word to me since. His silence worried me before, but now knowing everything, it terrified me even more.

I
hadn’t paid much attention to where he was taking me as we drove. I felt it didn’t matter because he would do what he wanted regardless, but as I came out of my distracted haze, the streets and houses became familiar. It was my neighborhood, my street; he really was taking me home. I started to feel almost happy for a moment until it hit me that Macy could be home. Dread and fear quickly darkened any excitement I might have had. Suddenly home was the last place I wanted to be.

“Take me back to your place,” I said, turning to face him.

Seth glanced over at me but kept driving as my house came into view. My hands were shaking when he pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. I let out a small sigh of relief when I saw that Macy’s car was gone. If he would leave now, then I wouldn’t have to face her or have him near her.

“I…I don
’t want to be here,” I said frantically. “Please I, I just want to be with you. At your place not here.”

H
e turned in his seat to face me. I flinched when his fingers caressed my cheek.

“You sulked around for days wanting to go home, now you
’re here. Why don’t you want to stay?”

I shot a quick glance at him before returning my eyes downward towards my lap. I felt his hand curve around the back of my neck. I tried to resist when he started pulling me towards him. Because of the awkward angle, I had no choice but to turn and face him.

“Tell me why you don’t want to be here,” he whispered as he rested his forehead against mine.

“Because of Macy.”

“Do you think I’m going to hurt her?”

I nodded in response.
I was terrified that he would lose his temper if she said something to him. Especially considering she would instantly be able to see there was something wrong. Even under the makeup, I could see the dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep. I barely had an appetite, and when I did eat, keeping it down was a challenge. I couldn’t be the same person I was last week; that person was forever changed. Macy would notice the difference.

Seth
’s hand clenched around my neck, and I let out a whimper as his fingers dug into my flesh. He let out a frustrated groan before releasing me. He climbed out of the car, slamming the door so hard I thought he might shatter the window. Moments later, the passenger side door flew open, and I was being yanked out of the seat.

  “You cried about wanting to be home
, so I brought you home. Now you’re crying about not wanting to be here. Damn it how am I supposed to know how to make you happy if you’re sad even when you get what you want?” he yelled.

I wasn
’t given a chance to answer before I was being pulled towards the house. Seth pulled my keys out of his pocket, unlocking the door he pushed me inside, slamming it shut behind him. He rested his head against the glass pane before turning to face me. I could see his struggle; he was trying to keep a lid on his temper. His hands curled into fists at his side.

“Please don
’t hit me,” I begged, taking a step back.

“Hit you? Why would you think…?” He stopped talking. He looked like he wanted to hit something. “Go take a shower, it might help relax you. I
’m going to fix something for dinner.” 

Without another word
, he walked towards the kitchen. I stood in the middle of my living room, watching his retreating back, before complying with his order. 

The warm spray of the water did little to help ease the tension I
felt. I stood under the showerhead, letting the water pelt away on my skin, wishing I could stay in here and never have to face what waited for me on the other side of that door. The water started to turn cold, forcing me to admit defeat to the hot water heater. Reluctantly, I shut off the shower not feeling any better than when I went in. Wiping the condensation off the mirror, I stared at my reflection. I hated the weak and pathetic person staring back at me.

“You stupid, stupid girl,” I muttered angrily at my reflection.

With Paul, I chose to ignore his behavior, but with Seth, I was totally clueless. How could I have been so blind? Now I was in a situation that I couldn’t see a safe way out of. Approaching the door, I stopped when I heard conversation followed by laughter, Macy’s laughter. Turning the knob quickly, I opened the door to see Macy and Seth sitting on the couch talking and looking like old friends. Seth looked over at me then flashed a dazzling smile causing Macy to turn in my direction.

“Lee, hey,” she said, getting up to give me a hug. I hugged her back tightly
, clinging to her a little longer than I should. She pulled back and gave me a quizzical look. “What’s wrong?” she said instantly as the smile dropped from her face.

“Nothing,” I replied, pulling away from her quickly, but she was right on my heels as I entered my bedroom to get dressed.

“Bullshit, Lee. You look like hell for someone that was just on vacation. And…” she stopped when she saw my arm. “What the fuck happened to your arms?” she exclaimed, yanking one for a closer inspection.

I pulled it back from her.
“Nothing. It’s not what you think,” I defended.

Why did she have to come home? W
hy couldn’t she have stayed at Mitch’s or wherever she was before? I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. Crying would make it worse; she’d go out there and confront Seth. He would hurt her.

“Then you need to explain real
quick what it
is
exactly because I’m about two seconds away from calling the cops on his ass!”

My head was spinning; I struggled to get air in my lungs. I wasn
’t ready to deal with this. I couldn’t deal with this on top of everything else. I looked at Macy who wore her ‘I mean business’ look, and I knew she was not going to stop until she got answers. Answers I couldn’t give her.

“Rough sex,” I lied.

I turned my back to her to find a shirt. That was a mistake.

“What the fuck is that?” she said, moving my hair to get a better view of the tattoo.

Standing in front of the mirror, I was able to see the look of shock and disbelief that showed on her face when she looked at it.

“Oh
, Calida, what have you done?” she asked, her voice full of sorrow.

“Macy
don’t,” I said, quickly pulling on a long sleeved t-shirt and sweatpants. “What are you doing here?”

“Um, I live here. I came to bring in the mail, and too bad
, Lee, I’m not dropping it this time. There is something wrong here! That guy has your moods so fucked up it’s crazy. You’re up, you’re down, it’s insane. I’ve tried to be supportive, but something is off.
Way, way off
! Now your arms are covered in bruises, and you say rough sex? The only rough sex that would leave bruises would be the
non-consensual
kind. So, you need to tell me what the hell is going on!”

“I don
’t have to tell you shit!” I screamed at her. “Just because my relationship doesn’t fit into your ideal, you can’t dictate to me what I do!”

“I
’m not dictating, Calida, I’m worried about you. I’ve tried not to say anything, I’ve tried to be good, but fuck that now.”

She grabbed my arm, pushing up the sleeve. Most of the bruises were gone, but the one around my wrist was the worst. He
’d held me there the tightest.

“He
’s hurting you!”

“No
, he’s not!” I yelled, yanking my arm back. “I told you, he’s never…he’s never hit me.”

“But he
’s doing something,” she retorted. “Most times you seem more scared of him than anything. You look to him before you answer questions, you always seem to be seeking his approval, and now you have gone and let him tattoo his fucking initials on you! You have lost your goddamn mind dealing with him, and it has to stop!”

My head was pounding
, and my stomach was in knots thinking he was going to walk in at any moment. I knew she was right, and I wanted to tell her that. I wanted her to know that I have lost more than just my mind being with Seth, but I couldn’t.

“Shut up
, Macy!” I hissed, looking at the door.

“Why? What is he gonna do?” she asked, following my line of sight. “He needs to go!” she said, turning towards the door.

I quickly moved to block her path. “No, you need to go.”

“Like hell. I live here
. I don’t have to go anywhere. And I’m not until you tell me what the hell is wrong with you and why you continue to stay with someone like him! Someone that hurts you.”

I let out a scream of frustration. Why couldn
’t she just go? I was trying to save her life, but she insisted on putting it at risk by staying here and pushing. She always pushed, always butted in trying to help, but she couldn’t help. Not this time. This time I had to be left to fight my own battles.

“Ladies, everything ok
ay in there?” Seth asked, knocking at the door.

“Yes! No!” w
e answered in unison.

“Macy
, please. I’m begging you, drop this and let me make my own choices. Not all of us can have the perfect life! I’m not you and never will be!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Of course you wouldn’t notice,” I mumbled.

“Notice?
What I notice is you not being yourself. What I notice is you talking in circles about things that make no sense. You’re changing because of him and not in a good way, Lee! And I can’t stand by and let you keep doing this to yourself!”