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“Call her something to that effect again, Charles,” Alistair snarls quietly in a tone that chills the room, “and we’ll have ourselves a problem you arenotprepared to deal with.”
Our grandfather sneers at him disdainfully, but he doesn’t push it, either.
“Do you even know what your sweet little sister just did?!”
Alistair’s eyes dart to Maeve, who’s sitting frightened and wide-eyed, hugging herself in the corner of Charles’ office.
So that’s why they’re here.
I spent the drive back to the city from Dante’s estate in Charles’ town car, being berated and generally screamed at. I’m guessing that’s when Maeve texted my brothers to tell them what was going on.
Theymaybe here to make sure Charles doesn’t throw me out a window. But it’s pretty clear from the frosty glares they shoot me that neither of them is very happy with me after what I just pulled, either.
“Come on, Tempest,” Gabriel mutters quietly. “We’re going. Now.”
“The fuck you are!” Charles snarls, jabbing a finger at me. “We’re not through here!”
“Oh, I can assure you,” Alistair snaps. “We damn well are.”
“If I needed an attorney,Alistair,” Charles roars, “trust that you would be the very last one I called! Now get the hell out of?—”
“That’s not happening without Tempest coming with us.”
“Don’t make me tell you again!!!”
I flinch, the soft touch to my arm jerking my attention away from Charles and my brothers yelling. Maeve is looking at me woefully, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
“Why, Tempest?” she asks quietly. “Why would you do that?”
It’s the first time we’ve been able to talk since Dante’s house, what with Charles spending the whole drive back yelling at me.
Because it’s a price I can pay, I want to say. But I can’t, so instead I force the calmest smile I’m capable of to my lips as I pull her into a bear hug.
“Because you arenotmarrying that man,” I hiss fiercely. “Don’t worry, it’s going to be okay.”
“No, it’snot!” She pulls back, her face ashen and caved. “Tempest, you can’t do this for me!”
Oh, believe me, I can.
“It’s already done, Maeve,” I say quietly. “You arenotmarrying that asshole.”
“Butyouare!” she blurts, her eyes welling with tears.
I smile wryly at her. “Just trust me, okay? I’ve got an ace up my sleeve here.”
“But—”
“Tempest…”
I flinch, turning to find Gabriel standing right behind me, leveling one of his chilling, lawyerly looks at me. Gabriel’s one of those people who are normally so even-tempered that when they get that sort of “quiet mad” it’s twice as terrifying as it would be if they were prone to angry outbursts. In this moment, the “quiet mad” smoldering in his eyes is hot enough to turn me to ash right here on Charles’ office rug.
“We’re leaving,” he snaps coldly. “Now.”
I turn to glance at Maeve, who looks just as chilled by my brother’s glare as I am.
“It’s going to be okay,” I say quietly, reaching out to squeeze her hand before I turn to face my brother’s wrath.
“Let’s go,” he growls thinly.
