Chapter 207

Charles

I eyed the door carefully and. laced my fingers together before answering.

“Come in.”

the door opened, and the young guard, who looked more put out than he had earlier, leaned in.

“Your Majesty, I've brought Lady Redwood.”

“Thank you.”

She pushed past him as rude as ever. And I let my gaze focus on her. I said nothing. I felt nothing. Though the fact that I had completely forgotten that she was there, that I hadn't even felt her nearby, gave me hope. Our bond had to be weakening, at least on my side.

“You can leave us,” I said. “But don't go far. I may need you soon.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

He bowed out of the room, and Tessa leaned back on the door. I let my gaze drift over her. She could have been any other woman, honestly. I heard the door click shut and suppressed a smile as I unlocked it with a flicker of magic, and she didn’t even seem to notice. She was wearing make-up, not her usual look. The long coat was new, too. It was probably something she’d bought before I cut her off.

“It’s been a long time,” she said. Her voice barely a purr as she slunk closer to my desk.

“What brings you to the base, Miss Greystone?”

Her lips twitched. I could see her anger flickering in her eyes, but she stuffed it down quickly and toyed with the belt around her waist.

"Don’t play coy, Mr. Blackwoods," she began, her voice laced with confidence. Seduction. Really? "We need to talk… I have a proposition for you."

I leaned back in my chair, amusement tugging at my lips. The sheer audacity of it was almost refreshing. At least she was acting like I held as much power over her as I did. It was the least she could do after pissing me off so royally for years. I wondered if this was her plan or her father’s. How much did her father know about his little girl, I wondered?

I sat back, lacing my fingers together and feeling completely uninterested, unmoved.

"Color me intrigued," I drawled, "do enlighten me."

“I thought it was about time we… reconcile.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Reconcile, Tessa?”

“Of course,” she purred, pulling at the belt around her waist.

I did my best not to give her a disgusted look. It would serve my purposes to piss her off on camera in case she decided to claim something happened that didn’t, but only after she revealed the extent of her plan. I relaxed in my seat. She dropped the coat to the floor, revealing what could only be described as the skimpiest set of lingerie I’d ever seen. My thoughts turned to Grace. I’d have to pick her up a gift. Something better than this. Grace had a fuller figure, mostly from having children. By comparison, Tessa reminded me of a woman too young for me. My lips twitched. Boyish came to mind.

“Is this a pitch to invest in a lingerie brand?” I asked, tilting my head. “I have to say, they would have been better off with more lace than satin…”

She set her jaw and looked stunned, as if I was supposed to forget all the years between us at the sight of her mostly naked body. I stared into her face, looking for something that meant she might be worthy of some form of sympathy, but there was nothing. All I saw was the same selfish woman who had walked away from me, from us, so many years ago.

I felt no guilt, and while a part of me felt a tad guilty, the rest of me was relieved. I chuckled.

“No, it’s not, it’s about us,” she said. “Don’t you think it’s about time we go ahead with the formal ceremony?”

I blinked at her. “As I recall, you have several… impediments to making that happen.”

“Well, you could always change the vow.”

I pressed the intercom. “Could you please retrieve Miss Greystone and have her sent home?”

Her eyes bulged as the door swung open. She whirled around, feigning modesty with a shriek. She dropped to the ground to grab her jacket.

At the least, that meant she wasn’t fucking George’s protege. It was more than I had even allowed myself to hope for.

He gamely closed his eyes. “Your Majesty?”

“You can’t just ignore me, Charles,” she hissed, pulling her coat on and scowling at me. “And–”

“No one told you to undress,” I said. “If you have something you’d like to say, Miss Greystone, I’d suggest you say it without the theatrics.”

Her eyes heated. She stood up and bared her teeth at me, so very comfortable in the knowledge that, unlike her father, I would never strike her. I hated it when people used my good nature against me.

"We're still mates, Charles," she hissed, a tremor in her voice. Fear? Anger? Maybe she had felt it dwindling the way I hoped it was. "As long as that bond exists, wouldn't cooperation be in your best interest?"

Her words rang hollow, but the fact that she was bringing it up told me a lot. I smiled at her, vicious and kind. She flinched and looked a bit scared. Good.

“If you can manage to get dressed, sit down, and explain it calmly, perhaps I could find a reason to listen to… whatever it is you actually can't have you discuss. Do you think yourself capable of that?”

“I—”

“Are several years too late to pull such a trick on me and get away with it. What will it be, Miss Greystone?”

She didn't move.

“Sit down.”

Her jaw trembled. But she dropped into her seat obediently. I looked up at the Enforcer at the door and smiled as his name came to mind.

“Ivan, please stay. I think George is training you to take over some of his usual duties. Consider this an educational moment.”

He looked outright devious as he slipped in to close the door behind him and stood at attention near the door. Tessa looked livid. Witnesses were never her favorite.

I leaned back in my seat and pulled out the file. I had expected to be there. George was truly the best friend I had ever known anyone and everyone needed.

Tessa crossed her arms and set her jaw, glaring at me across the table.

“I can only assume your father sent you, and he must have made it pretty worth your while to stay here and hang out for… what? Has it been weeks now?” I tilted my head. “I suppose your father doesn't know the truth about why exactly it was never a ceremony, and there never will be one.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I think we can both agree that there will never be a reason for him to know because you'll just change the vows like any decent mate would.” She smirked. “You have a lot more to lose in this than I do, after all.”

I tilted my head. “And how do you figure that?”

She glanced to the side before huffing. “Come on, Charles. We don't need to play coy at this point.”

“Coy. Is that what you would call it?” I cocked an eyebrow. “I would call it more usury. Maybe even militias intent but interesting that you would call it coy.”

She stiffened. “I can see that you're not in a mood. I can just—”

“If you move from that spot, I will have you arrested.”

Her eyes bulged. I could see that she wanted to test me, but with Ivan there, she wouldn’t dare. Mostly because she knew her father would never bail her out.

“I didn't realize we'd reach the point of hostility.”

“We haven't. I believe you and I both know what it looks like when I'm hostile.” She flinched again. I shrugged. “So consider this your one and only chance to come clean.”

She scoffed. “Are you accusing me of something?”

“Of course not. Let’s say I have a proposition for you.”

She scoffed and crossed her arms. “I think we both remember how the last proposition you have for me went.”

I nodded. “I do. This proposition is far less complicated.”

Her eyes grew as wide as saucers as I smiled, feeling more at ease and relaxed than I had in a long time. I wondered if I told Grace that I had seen Tessa and exactly how this conversation went if she’d relax a little more.

“You tell me why you or your father would pay for Devin’s Werewolf States lawyers and directly attempt to undermine my authority.” I glanced at the file I placed on the desk. She paled. “I’ll start at treason, and depending on what you tell me, I’ll consider whether or not I have to kill you, your father, and your entire family or simply instate a different family over the Redwood Clan.”

She looked like she was going to faint.

“How's that for a proposition?”