Emerald Cove

Chapter 9

Katherine's POV

Flirting with Charlotte was exhilarating and her finger on the outside of my knee was heaven. However, that heaven was short lived. When Luke pulled her towards the house and away from me, my heart sank. I don't know why. I had no claim to her and she was straight.

I made my way to the pool house area were people were doing jello shots and stripping down to go swimming. I slung several jello shots back to back. Before grabbing a cup of punch from the punch bowl. It was 90% liquor and 10% punch. I didn't care. I need my pain to go away.

I turned around and ran into Colin. "My future wife, where have you been hiding?" he asked me pulling me into a hug. "Have you met Mark, yet?" He asked gesturing to a tall, muscular guy standing next to us. "Mark, meet Katherine Middleton, my future wife."

Mark reached over and shook my hand. He was handsome. There was something about his eyes that were familiar. I couldn't quite place it. I knew he was older, but that wasn't uncommon as there were a bunch of college age people here since most colleges didn't go back for a few more weeks.

Mark, Colin, and I continued to laugh and drink. I was actually having fun. Colin is a clown and could make anyone laugh.

It wasn't too long before Victoria came running up to me. She looked worried and almost frantic. "What's wrong?" I instantly asked.

"It's Charlotte. She's drinking heavily.... I just saw Luke pulling her up the stairs and... I don't know... I have a bad feeling," she stated almost shyly. She barely had the words out and I was running for the house, but I wasn't the only one. I realized Mark was right beside me.

We both bound up the stairs in a blur. When we got to the top of the stairs we both head a faint "no" over the music. Mark burst into the room first. The scene before me turned my heart to ice and I wanted to kill someone.

Luke had Charlotte pinned to the bed and was fumbling with her panties as she sobbed over and over again. She had a huge red mark on her cheek and her lip was split open.

Mark reacted instantly and slammed into Luke's body knocking him to the ground. I was instantly at Charlotte's side rubbing her back and telling her it would be ok and that I was there now. I pulled her onto my lap so that I was cradling her and pulled a blanket over us.

I had almost forgot there were other people in the room. I just knew I had to take care of her and the rest of the world faded. I looked around to see Mark punching Luke over and over as Colin and another guy burst into the room and pulled Mark off of Luke. The other guy pulled Luke to his feet and shoved him out of the bedroom as Mark yelled, "Stay the hell away from my sister. If I ever catch you anywhere near her again, I'll kill you."

That is when I realized why he looked so familiar. He was the male version of Charlotte and so very clearly her brother. Mark sat on the bed next to us and gently rubbed her back. "You ok?" he asked in the most gentle tone I've ever heard. She nodded into my chest. Her sobs had calmed down.

We sat there in silence for a while with me holding her close and tight in my lap and him rubbing her back. "I want to leave," she croaked out.

"I'll take you home," Mark said. This caused her to shake her head and sit up looking shocked.

"I don't want mama and daddy to see me like this. I can't bare to tell them what happened... Or almost happened," she said the last part in barely a whisper.