Ice and Lightning Ch. 03

Trigger Warning - graphic rape

LYRA

He had been holding me for a very long time. I may have even dozed off. He was lazily twirling my hair in his fingers, kissing my head. He was using his ice magic to soothe the multiple bite marks all over me, when his whole body stiffened. He only had time to say "I promise it will be ok," when another male burst through the door.

The male standing before us was violent fury personified. His body and sheer presence took up the whole room. He wore leathers and weapons and the most horrifying part was the way he looked at us. What was that look? Disgust and rage. When he finally collected himself enough to speak, he spat out to Caed "Nice bites. I heard you had taken a mate, Brother. Do you care to make an introduction before I claim my prize?"

Caed again whispered in my ear that it would be okay. Considering the rage rolling off the other male and the dread I sensed from Caed, my stomach started to churn. Something very, very bad was about to happen. Caed got up, electricity snapping, and pushed the other male, yelling at him to get the hell out. As Caed shoved him out the door, the male looked over his shoulder at me with a sickeningly twisted smile and blew me a kiss.

I could hear them arguing for what felt like hours. I was shaking and trying to maintain control. I determined that this had to be Caed's brother and his name was Gabriel, as that was the name I kept hearing Caed shout. After many, many words, the other male bellowed loud enough to make the mountain quake, "Enough! This is not up for discussion or negotiation. If you do not respect the Rite I am well within my rights to kill you, or her, or both. Right now I am inclined to kill you and take her for myself. This is happening. NOW!"

With that, both males crashed into the room. There was a full lightning storm between them as they shoved and hit each other. Caed jumped to my side and tried to grab my hand as Gabriel threw him off balance. I watched Caed slam into the wall, still reaching for me. He then looked up at his brother with horror and rage in his eyes. I looked at Caed questioningly. Just as his eyes met mine, I felt an enormous, rough hand grab my ankle and drag me across the bed.

I screamed as Gabriel picked me up and slammed me back down onto the bed on my stomach. Caed finally caught my hand and pulled it toward him. He sat on the floor next to me and repeated "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry" over and over to me.

I was so confused and shocked that what was happening did not even begin to register until Gabriel shoved his arm under my stomach and yanked me up onto my knees. He slapped my ass hard and when I cried out, he roughly sank his fingers inside me from behind. The realization was finally sinking in and I looked at Caed and started screaming.

CAED

I wanted to puke. I wanted to pass out. I wanted to die, but all I could do was try to hold onto her and keep her with me. How could I have let this go on for so long? How could I have fooled myself into thinking it was going to be ok? How did I convince myself that, just because she was my mate, she could not be taken from me?

She was looking at me and all I could see in her face was her shock and horror. She started screaming and there was absolutely nothing I could do that would not get one or both of us killed, so I sat on the floor trying to hold onto her as my brother raped my mate right in front of my very eyes.

LYRA

Gabriel shoved my head down into the pillows so I could no longer scream or even breathe. I lurched and tried to kick and fight, but the solid arms had such a hold on me that I could not move. The large hand finally left my head and just as I lifted it to take a breath, I felt two hands on my hips and then he slammed himself into me so hard I saw stars.

I tried to look at Caed but everything was fuzzy. I was having a hard time focusing on him as Gabriel continued to slam into me over and over, using the leverage of his hands on my hips to rock me back and forth so he could ram it into me even harder. He finally settled into a brutal rhythm and grunted loudly with every thrust into me.

I could not even look at Caed. He kept his hand on mine and his head against my ear and whispered again and again how sorry he was. He finally got me to meet his eyes and said "Just stay with me. Keep looking at me. It will only be a little longer then I will explain everything."

I felt Gabriel stiffen and swell deep inside me. He put his arm back under my stomach, grabbed a handful of my hair and held me hard against him as he yelled and I felt the strong pulse and warm flood of him pouring himself into me.

CAED

Gabriel pulled out of my mate and shoved her back down onto her stomach. He left her immediately and grabbed his clothes. As he was walking out the door, he looked at me and said "You love her. How did that happen?" Then, in a voice that chilled me to the bone, he said "she better fucking not be pregnant," and was gone.

LYRA

I could tell Gabriel had left. Caed was trying to talk to me but I could not understand him. His voice sounded like we were under water, and my eyes could not focus. I was freezing and my whole body was shaking violently. I could feel Caed moving around me. He might have been covering me. I felt him warm me with his magic and I floated away into oblivion.

I awoke to a screaming pain between my legs and felt wetness. I put my hand between my thighs and when I brought it back up, it was covered in blood and semen. I vomited and lost consciousness again.

I awoke the second time and a hand squeezed mine as another brushed the hair out of my eyes. I jerked away. Caed was staring at me. He offered me a cold rag and a drink of water. I took what he offered and went back to sleep.

The third time I awoke, I was really awake, My mind was racing, trying to make sense of things. Has that really happened? Where was Caed? Why didn't he protect me? I reflected on my last few months, being captured, being sold, being claimed, falling in like, falling in love, making love...making love... I was still basking in the joy and completeness of my coupling with Caed when Gabriel crashed in and attacked me, and Caed let him. He looked straight into my fucking eyes and did nothing as his brother brutalized me.

Caed sat on the bed and put his hand tenderly on my arm. I shrank away and started to panic. Was this my life going forward? When I thought all Yelarians were evil, I had resigned to that idea that my life was going to be a terror. But then everything had been so wonderful and I had come to know that I loved this male and this life. How was I going to reconcile this nightmare? How was I going to accept this? I really had no choice in the matter, so why was I even questioning it?

CAED

Days passed as Lyra stayed in the bed, sometimes crying, sometimes screaming with rage, and sometimes looking numb from the shock. I did not know what to do to help her and it was ripping my heart and guts out. I was constantly by her side, taking care of her every need, even though I knew she hated me, and I deserved it.

Weeks went by. Gabriel had not returned and I had heard no word either from him, nor about him. Lyra had been unable to work through her trauma and was slipping deeper and deeper into depression. I thought I was going to die from heartbreak and guilt. Lyra had no choice from day one and this nightmare was 100% my doing. If I did not have her to take care of, I would have plunged to my death from the sky. That would be much easier than living through this hell.

Gabriel finally showed up. Luckily, Lyra was asleep in the other room and I didn't have to watch her terror when she saw him again. He reminded me, in no uncertain terms, that even though I was her mate, and even though the council would not approve of his behavior, he still had rights and he had every intention of exercising them. I didn't know how long I could hold him off, but he left without a battle.

He continued to stop by every few days to make sure we were not having sex without his knowledge. Every time he flew in, I saw Lyra flinch, with a look of terror in her eyes. She didn't know what he was threatening or inquiring about. I was dying to make love to her, fooling myself into thinking that would help heal us, but I knew that if we had sex, I would be required to let him take her the same day.

She was so far removed, I couldn't reach her. I had been trying so desperately. It was killing me, and him taking every opportunity to rant about his rights and her duties and my negligence, was making me feel more and more trapped and desperate. He finally threatened that if she could not perform within the month he was going to "take care of the situation." I was terrified of his threats because I knew he meant them.

But then he just stopped showing up. I waited for weeks, terrified of when he did come again. He would. Silence with Gabriel could only mean worse was to come.

I was called to counsel. I had to go. I was certain I knew what it was about. I would be shocked if Gabriel had been the one to tell them of my failures and deceit, purely because of his treatment of her, but apparently they knew something. I was hopeful that my plea that the mating bond had chosen us, and that his treatment of her had been horrendous, would sway them enough to not allow Gabriel to kill one or both of us. I was frightened to leave Lyra alone but not going would make matters worse, and I knew the house magic would protect her to some extent, so I went. I was so distracted thinking about what might happen at the meeting, it did not even occur to me that Gabriel had set me up.

LYRA

Gabriel found me in my usual state, practically catatonic, saying and doing nothing. When I saw him and when it registered that Caed was not there to protect me, I knew it was going to happen again. I tried to run. Gabriel had me by the waist in half a second. I was screaming and kicking and scratching and doing everything possible to prevent this. He easily pushed me down onto the floor. I was failing like a trapped animal but he just pinned me down on my stomach with one hand on my back. He was pulling my robe off with the other.

Once he gained access he shoved his thumb up into me and grabbed the front of my pelvis with the rest of his hand and clamped down hard. He started moving his thumb inside me, while controlling my movements with the rough grasp on the front of me, bruising my pelvic bone. When I kept fighting, he just grabbed me harder and growled "My brother was upset that I hurt you last time. Don't make me hurt you, Lyra."

My terror overcame me and I almost started screaming when a secondary emotion took over. Blinding fury. I stilled and he said "good girl." I didn't move as he spread my legs apart with his knees and shoved himself inside me from behind. He pumped into me furiously a few times, my cheek and knees burning on the carpet.

He slowed his pace to maintain control and began to tease my nipples and stroke my back and arms and breasts. He bent over while still inside me, rocking me back and forth, and whispered softly into my ear that I was going to learn to enjoy his brutal assaults, and that I would beg for him to take me fast and hard and savagely. I wanted to vomit, but when he breathed into my ear, my pussy clenched around him and my nipples hardened and he said "See? It's starting already."

He picked up the pace again for a few seconds, I felt him stiffen and, as I felt his hot semen starting to fill me, he roared "Lyra!". Hearing my name in his mouth just pissed me off more. I hated this son of a bitch. Somehow I knew he was going to continue to show up here and rape me whenever he wanted. I decided that from here on out, I wasn't going to fight him. I was going to take it, and someday, I was going to murder this fucker. I swore it.

Before I even knew what was happening, ice and lightning cracked through the room and Gabriel was on the floor next to me with a bloody lip. He put the back of his hand to his mouth while shaking his head and said "Is this the thanks I get for warming her up for you, Brother?" With that he was gone, and I was kneeling, naked and panting, and staring up at Caed as Gabriel's sticky wetness ran down my thighs.

I was going to kill them both.