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Instead of firing off right from the beginning, speaking her mind at a million miles an hour as usual, she was quiet. She sat down, crossed her legs, and looked off into space for a while.
My eyes narrowed. “Everything alright?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “Everything is fine.”
Then why didn’t it seem fine?
Her gaze finally found mine, now with a shine of strength. “I wanted to talk about Aurelias.”
“What about him?”
There was another bout of hesitation. “I think we should release him.”
“Why?” My unconditional love for my daughter always provided me an indescribable warmth in my chest, but that intoxicating joy was snuffed out the second she said those words to me. “He deserves the edge of my blade, not freedom.”
“I never said freedom. But I don’t think it’s necessary to put him in a cage.”
“You’re the one who put him there in the first place.”
“Because I was angry—”
“And what’s changed?” Now I wanted to march down there and swipe his head clean from his shoulders for manipulating my daughter.
“My conscience.”
“Your conscience.” I said the words slowly because they were sour on my tongue. “Harlow, he kidnapped you—”
“Father.” She held up her hand to silence me, knowing a tirade of screams would reverberate against the walls if she didn’t. “He explained everything to us, and if the situations were reversed, I think you would kidnap some girl to save your people, your wife, your kids…”
“He doesn’t have a wife and kids—”
“Doesn’t mean he doesn’t have someone worth dying for,” she said calmly. “Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn’t do the same.”
I held her gaze, my temples pounding with ferocity.
“I know you,” she said softly. “There’s nothing you wouldn’t do for your people and for your family. Nothing at all.”
My eyes shifted away. I would never hurt an innocent woman, take her away from her loving home, not as a father who understood how it felt to have a daughter. But if it was her life or my daughter’s…I’d kill her myself.
“He said he forfeited his deal with the Teeth when he knew what they would do to me…and I believe him.”
“Why?”
“Because I know him…in a way.”
That wasn’t good enough for me.
“It’s hard to explain.”
I simmered in silence, disappointed my daughter’s head was turned so easily.
“He showed his true character when he saved me. That’s much more important than when he had no choice but to take me.”
“Harlow, you’re too smart to let this man manipulate you.”
“He didn’t manipulate me—”
“Your change of heart says otherwise. You put him down there for a reason.”
