And it seemed, she had gotten over my slight against her. I broke a very serious rule, and though she had killed before for the very same thing, she showed mercy for her favorites. I was one of them. So was Dallas and Malachi.
For those of us who remained on her good side, she had an understanding heart and listening ear.
Too bad I could see through all of that now, and I knew it was all just a ploy. An act to further keep all of us under her control. And I needed to keep in mind the reason why I was there in the first place. I took in a deep breath. Once I was calmer and focused, I dug in.
“I want to be released.” My words settled between us, heralding in an uncomfortable silence that felt like it stretched on for hours versus the seconds it had really taken.
Charlotte stiffened slightly, barely perceptibly, and then she cocked her head to the side as if she was trying to figure out whether I was asking earnestly or simply testing the proverbial waters. Then she burst out into a raucous laugh. For the longest time, she continued to bark loudly, and her eyes glistened in the dim light that filled her office.
I rolled my eyes while thinking, Oh sure, I’m a riot.
I settled my glare on her as she continued to laugh in my face at my request. This wasn’t some sort of joke. I was serious. Deadly so.
It took several minutes for her to calm back down before she settled her attention on me again, holding onto her smile. She used the side of her index fingers and wiped the tears of her laughter from her eyes. “I haven’t laughed like that in ages. Thank you. Now, tell me what is truly bothering you.”
“I meant what I said,” I grumbled. “I want to be released.”
She scoffed. “What? You have feelings for that bitch now?”
“Don’t call her that,” I spat out.
She huffed. “I thought you said you didn’t mate with her.”
I nodded slowly, keeping my face a mask of seriousness. “I wasn’t sure when you asked me originally.”
“And now?” she asked, voice stern. “That’s all changed?”
“I’m certain of it.” I didn’t break from her gaze nor flinched as her eyes turned shades darker, nearing almost black.
She blinked, breaking away from our stare and shook her head and adjusted some papers on the top of her desk. “As poetic as your feelings are for the girl, she’s temporary.”
“Only for you,” I muttered. “It’s not for me. And you know that.”
She sighed, slouching for several seconds as though releasing that one breath of air had deflated her. “Look, I get it. You want love, and sometimes playing with these women is too much temptation for you. But trust me when I say, she’s not worth it. And if I let you go, I’ll be short an invaluable member of this team. Likely the other two will want to follow and I just can’t see how that would be all that great for business.”
She droned on, and I zoned out. There was always something that made her get into a fuss. It was amazing she could talk non-stop when she got into these moods. I shook my head. It didn’t take long for me to know where she was going with her long-ass explanation.
“If you value the girl, you’ll let her go,” she said.
“I can’t do that, and if you had mated before, you would understand what you ask is impossible,” I snapped, gripping the ends of the arms on the chair with my fists. The wood cracked under my grip. “I would rather die than live without her.”
She sighed and stood from the desk. She stared down her nose at me and frowned. “My answer is no.”
I gaped at her. “What can I do to change your mind?”
“Nothing,” she said with a smile. “It doesn’t matter how many sob stories you and the other two come up with. The answer will always be no.”
I glared at her and nodded. “We’ll see. I will find a way.”
I stood from the chair and started to turn my back to her. As I moved, she delivered a warning that nearly made my blood run cold.
“I warn you against doing anything you may regret,” she said.
Those words were only spoken when she was seriously considering one of her darker punishments. I was walking a dangerous line. It was a necessary move, though.
Still, I shrugged off the warning. “I will find a way to force you to release me.”
She chuckled. “Oh, Steele. You’ll see I’m right someday, and you’ll come crawling back, begging me for forgiveness. Which I may consider after you suffered your consequences. And you won’t like the lengths I will go to just to keep you with me. Right where you belong.”