Page 28 of Claiming Charlotte

I followed his eyes and saw that blood had started leaking down my leg onto the floor, and the pulsing of my uterus continued painfully. First, I was going to shower, then stuff my face because I’m starving. Only after would I go back to planning, making sure I kept Rowan busy too.

I leaned against the counter and gripped tightly to my glass of water. My mouth had been dry all morning, and I gritted my teeth against the pain I was in, it was beginning to irritate me. My mind raced as memory after memory bombarded me, keeping me docile and contained when I should have been planning, keeping the family together and in check, and showing the Walkers who they messed with.

Nicole peeked her head in, and when she saw me, she approached cautiously. By the look of relief on her face, I could tell she’d been looking for me.

“Charlotte,” she said, keeping her voice soft. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’m fine.” I said curtly.

I’d begun to think that everyone was tiptoeing around me and walking on eggshells, and I was becoming frustrated, it was just another thing I’d have to pretend didn’t bother me.

To be honest, I didn’t care about any of it anymore. I just wanted to disappear and never be seen again. I wanted out, but I felt trapped as I always had, except this time I didn’t have my father to talk me out of it or Rowan to help me escape from it.

She opened her mouth to speak when Arthur walked through the kitchen and winked at her. She blushed, and I saw the look in her eyes; she was smitten. I smiled at her knowingly.

“You and Arthur, huh?” I asked with a giggle, teasing her as she’d teased me before. “He doesn't know the first thing about relationships, Nikki.”

It was, admittedly, the first time I’d smiled genuinely since being held captive, and Nikki’s face gave away her shock at the smile.

“Shut up,” she blushed, casting her eyes down in embarrassment. “Who said I was looking for one?”

13

ROWAN

As I walked by the entrance to the kitchen, I heard the most beautiful sound in the world; it was a sound I hadn’t heard in weeks, and it was a relief to hear. Charlotte was giggling about something with Nikki, and I paused, smiling to myself, and swiftly made my way into the kitchen. I felt bad for my outburst during the meeting and should apologize for what I did; Probably won’t though. She needed to understand that she was a leader now, and that her rule was law, that's all I was trying to show them, but I didn’t want to scare her in the process.

Charlotte’s smile remained steady on her face as I approached, a sparkle that was hidden, but still there, and I gave her a big smile in response.

“Hey, Princess,” I said lovingly, reaching out to hug her.

As my arms enclosed around her, she tensed against mine, freezing for a split second before backing away slowly. How could I have forgotten so quickly? Maybe I should have asked first? Fearing I made it worse, I dropped my arms and stared at her longingly.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Nikki said, backing away and darting out of the kitchen.

“Charlotte, I’m sorry,” I said, clenching my jaw. “I was swept up in the moment and it slipped my mind.”

She set her glass of water on the counter and smiled warmly.

“Rowan, I’m the one who should be sorry. I’m trying baby, it's just scary, and you’re not even the one that hurt me. I shouldn't be scared of you” she whispered, beckoning for me to come near. “It just caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting an embrace.”

I stepped meekly toward her and took her hands, holding them firmly in my own.

“I’ll do anything I can to make that go away, Charlotte. All I want to do is hold you and tell you it’s all better, but I know how hard that’s going to be,” I said. I looked into her eyes. “Can I kiss you?”

Charlotte stepped toward me and raised her face to mine, giving me a soft, yet passionate kiss on the mouth. My hands found her waist and I pulled her closer. “I love you, Rowan, but this has to be on my terms for a while, okay?”

I couldn’t relax though. I was sitting on the edge of my bed thinking of how she's acted the past few days and immediately grew concerned. She's been a little too happy. I vowed to keep a closer eye than usual, while still giving her the space she needed. Seeing Charlotte smile had been the highlight of my day, but the fact that I couldn’t make that smile stay had me filled with sorrow and frustration. I hated that I couldn’t do a single damn thing to help her feel better.

She was running her third hot shower of the day, to give herself a chance to relax and wash away all the pain. She can scrub all she wants, it's not going to take anything away, and I hated seeing her in the state of dissociation she would get into as she scrubbed at the layers of her skin.

My knee bounced uncontrollably and I rubbed my hands together when my fingernail caught on the bandage. Unwinding it, I looked at where my finger used to be. If Walker was right about one thing, it was that we took everything for granted like having all ten fingers.

Who knew one missing finger would be such an upset in my life, I couldn't even cook right. My left finger always sat on the top of the knife controlling the direction of whatever I was cutting. Re-teaching myself would be hard, but not impossible. It was healing nicely, though bitterness seeped in my veins over losing it.

Aside from my love for Charlotte, I felt numb, maybe that was why it was so easy to pummel that poor kid. Not toward Jace or Richard, not toward Mr. Bennett’s passing or how my own torture played out. Sure, I wished I had my finger, but it didn’t resonate with me like Charlotte’s trauma did.

I clicked my tongue against my teeth as I wrapped my hand again, shaking my head. I didn’t know how to help her. She was so damaged and broken, and the urge to scoop her into my arms never went away. In fact, it grew with every passing second. The ring.

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