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“Don’t do that,” he muttered.
“You don’t do that!” I cried, my chin quivering. “Don’t you dare run off on me again!”
Exhaling, Ash put an arm’s length between us and turned his head.
“What are you worried about?” I scoffed. “You basically own me, anyway.”
He whipped his head back toward me, eyes so dark, they had lost their clarity entirely.
“I never owned you, Briar,” he said gruffly. “Nor did I want to.”
He paused, grinding his teeth. “In fact, I think you should go.”
Sniffling, I wiped at my face. “Right. All questions through Rachel,” I said.
“No,” he said flatly. “I mean… go. Home.”
My mouth fell open. “What?”
He inhaled. “I’ll forgive your father’s debt. You should go. There can’t be anything between us.”
“Because of what I said? I didn’t mean—”
“No! Because…” He stopped himself and looked away. “I shouldn’t have accepted you as collateral. I don’t accept these terms anymore.”
Anger flooded through me, but I wasn’t sure at whom my rage was directed. A part of it was still at Ash, but I believed him. His story made sense. Why else would he have kept me so safe if it hadn’t gone down the way he had said?
No, I was enraged at my father, who had utilized me like a piece of property.
“I thought you would want me to release you from your hold,” Ash said, his brow furrowing at my puckered expression.
“I do...” I inhaled and gathered my thoughts. “You’re going to let my father off, then? After what he did? He sent his child to be held captive without warning! To a demon!”
A wry smile quirked at Ash’s lips.
“No offense,” I added quickly. “But no! No, he doesn’t get to walk away from his debt. That’s not fair!”
Ash sank back down into his chair and studied me.
“What are you proposing, then?” he asked slowly.
“I don’t know,” I wailed. It was so much to process, all I’d learned in the past hour. I couldn’t let my father off the hook for trading me for money, but I was also being granted the opportunity to be set free.
“The choice is ultimately yours, Briar, whether you stay or go,” Ash told me. “Whatever you choose now, you’re no longer my prisoner.”
I eyed him longingly, my eyes trailing back to those full, salty lips.
Maybe I wasn’t his prisoner anymore, but would I be anything of consequence to him? Why did he keep pushing me away?
Damn you, Father!
Chapter11
Ash
Briar left my suite to think about the decision ahead of her. I sat in the same spot that she’d left me and pondered what I’d just done.
Why did I tell her she could go? It is business. This is business between Barney and me. She’s just a part of that.
