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Dante
A week passed. Charlie hadn’t spoken a word to me since the night I’d rescued her from Stefan’s clutches. Not one word since I’d demanded that she come downstairs for dinner in fifteen minutes.
She locked herself in her room and didn’t come out for two days. When I threatened to break the door down, she opened it and went to sit back in the middle of her bed, and still not saying a word. She pulled her knees up to her chest and looked through and past me as I tried to explain – all over again – why I was so angry with her.
“Do you realize he could have killed you if Bull and I hadn’t gotten there when we did?” A blank stare.
“Charlie what you did was irresponsible. How am I supposed to keep you safe when you resist me at every turn? If I have to tie you up, I will. I swear it.”
She buried her head in her knees.
I tried a different, softer tact.
“After everything that’s happened, you have to know that I’m telling you the truth. I just want to keep you safe Charlie. You have to see that?”
She turned lifted her head up from her knees and turned it away from me.
“So this is the way it’s going to be?”
Nothing.
“Charlie, answer me.”
She kept her head turned away.
I walked out of her room and closed the door.
I heard the lock turn.
If that’s the way she wanted it, fine. But as angry as I was at her, that’s how equally filled with disgust I was with myself.
The truth was, seeing her tied to that chair and my brother leaning over her, threatening her life – I’ve never been so afraid in my life. I knew in that moment that I’d fallen for her.
Otherwise, my focus would have been on nabbing Stefan, who made a clean getaway. And this meant ... the hunt was on again.
Only this time, the stakes were much higher.