Page 21 of Claiming Charlotte

Isat on the edge of her bed and glanced over her wounds, most of them superficial and would heal in time, completely disappearing or scarring over. While I gave her a once-over, my eyes caught and zoned in on a bandage on her inner right thigh and I moved slowly and carefully to remove it.

As my hand grazed her thigh, she snatched it away and squeezed, her whole body shaking and tense. The pain in my hand increased as she applied pressure, and I hissed in pain as the area pulsated.

“Charlotte, let go,” I whispered through clenched teeth. She did, letting her hand fall back to the mattress below her.

“I’m just making sure you’re okay, Princess. I’m not going to hurt you,” I said gently.

She nodded curtly, and I moved my hand toward the bandage again. Seeing where the injury was, I knew what was there and part of me didn’t want to remove it at all.?I didn’t want to accept it.

Taking a labored breath, I peeled the gauze away and peeked at what was underneath. My jaw clenched as I took in the scabbed-over brand that was the Walker crest. I stared at her sullen, unmoving form, and if I wasn’t staring, I wouldn’t even know for sure she was breathing. I carefully put the bandage back in place and rubbed my sore hand unsure of what to do next.

Charlotte was staring at me, a pained expression glued to her face.

“I understand if you can’t love me anymore,” she said as fresh tears glossed in her eyes. “I’m disgusting…and used. My neck, Rowan.”

“Listen to me, you are not used or disgusting. Do you hear me?” I needed her to believe it, and the fact that she thought I would love her any less upset me. “And what happened to you does not change how much I love you.”

She took my bandaged hand in hers and gently caressed it. “Roe, what did they do to you?” she whispered.

I unwrapped the bandage on my hand and showed her what Jace had done, watching as the cleanly stitched nub tried to move around freely like the others. Fresh tears sprung to her eyes as she looked at it, and then I stood and removed my shirt, turning for her to see the new wounds I had on my back, but I said nothing, I didn’t feel like it; not anymore.

She stood and placed her hands on my shoulders, holding me in place so she could trace the edges of my cuts. I winced, my body tensed and shuddered under her touch, and I had to put all my energy into holding still. I knew she wasn’t going to hurt me, but the muscle reactions I was fighting threatened to send me back to a place I didn't want to be. My eyes fluttered shut, and I focused on her movements. Shivers began deep inside my stomach and ran down my spine.

My eyes flew open at the sound of her choked sob, and I turned to face her.

“I’m so sorry for bringing you back into this,” she said, sniffling. “It’s all my fault.”

I raised my hands, pausing briefly as she flinched against my movements, and placed them gently against her cheeks, using a thumb to stroke along her jawline. I bent down and kissed her forehead gently, hating that I couldn’t kiss her on the lips. What was worse was I couldn't immediately tell her everything was going to be okay. The truth was, what came after was where the real brokenness lies, and it killed me that I couldn't hold her and tell her this was something I could fix. Charlotte will rise up, she was no victim; she was a survivor, and in time she will realize that.

“I would do it all over again if it meant keeping you safe, Princess,” I whispered, pulling her into my arms loosely.

The aftermath was never something I had to deal with, or think about; until now. I was afraid that she’d fear my touch, and in an effort to show her I wouldn't make her feel trapped in my embrace, at her slightest movement to pull away, I released her and smiled.

“I love you, Rowan,” she whispered. “Please don’t leave me.”

I searched her eyes. “Charlotte, I don’t ever want to leave you. I want to lie in bed with you all day and never leave. But there is something I have to take care of before we can do that.”

She would never know of my rising anger, and the thought that the beginning of my revenge was sitting in the ground level of her home. I needed to do this, I wouldn’t allow him to hurt anyone else.

The gears turned in my head fighting with staying and going. Charlotte saw that by the constant clench and unclench of my jaw and she knew. “Okay, but promise you’ll come back?”

“I promise, Lottie.” I squeezed her hand before tucking her back into bed and heading for the door.

“Rowan,” she called from behind me. She was faced away from me, her voice sounding timid and muffled. “We can't let him hurt anyone else, he's a monster.”

“He won’t hurt anyone ever again,” I mumbled, shutting the door lightly behind me before taking off down the hall.

As I strode down the hallway, my mind swirled, battling the emotions in my heart, but I had to push them aside, at least, for now. Most of Charlotte's men parted for me, and I didn’t really understand why. I'm the bodyguard, and I have no status. One of them caught my attention as he nervously threaded his fingers together. Am I really that scary?

I laughed to myself, my face was beaten and bruised, a healing scar from the ring that the bastard wore, and my finger was missing. My tongue ended up needing some stitching, causing me to have a slight lisp when I spoke, so I rarely did these days, not like I wanted to anyway. Mix that, accompanied with stubble that grew in whisps on my chin which I made a mental note to clean up later. I refused to get a good look at my back to know how bad the damage was.

“Sir? What do we do with the body? Thomas isn’t here and we were told to stay away from Miss Bennett for the time being. So, I was really looking for anyone, no offense,” he stated.

“Why are you asking me? If you need to ask what to do with a body once they are dead, you're in the wrong business, kid.”

He looked to only be what? Maybe nineteen or twenty at most, better here with us though. “Well, it’s Mr. Bennett, Sir, so, I didn't know what to do.”

Tilting my head in disbelief, I doubletake and narrowed my eyes at him “You mean to tell me he’s still laying on his bedroom floor with the sheet I put over him, over a week ago?” I asked, raising my voice.

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