"Pretty sure you’re twisting the past,” I choked out. “You left me. You fucked me and then left me, clearly having gotten what you’d wanted from me.” The words burst from me, and I wished to take them back as soon as they were out.
"You weren’t ready," he returned, and surprisingly, he was still calm. "You needed to find strength without me, enough to handle what you had been born to do."
My stomach swirled, and I wished there was a way to block my ears.
"You will lead a revolution," he finished, and now he just looked like a crazy man, a manic smile on his face. Clearly he'd waited a long time for this moment.
"And if I say no?"
I braced myself, but the strike never came. At least not from his fists.
"If you say no, then I will kill everyone you have ever cared about, including both princes and those twins you fell in with at Arbon."
And there we had it. My sensei had taught me from a young age not to form attachments, and he was showing firsthand why he'd had that rule. Using it against me.
"You should have looked for someone who felt passionately about this cause," I said to him. "But since you've given me no other option, I will stay here and learn more about what you're hoping to achieve."
"A non-answer if I ever heard one," he said, but he didn't fight me on it. He was clearly happy that I hadn't just tried to murder him and storm out the door. I wasn't that stupid though. There was no way I could beat him—he moved almost inhumanly, like there was an extra energy about him—and I'd never even been able to land a decent blow.
I would have to be smarter, get to the point where he trusted me again, and then I might be able to fight dirty. This fucker liked to pretend he was all about honor, but the truth was he had taught me a lot about lying and manipulating to get what you wanted.
Looked like I was going to dig out those old skills.
"We will set you up with your own apartment," he told me, gesturing toward the door like he wanted me to walk ahead of him. Having him at my back wasn't ideal, but I acquiesced because I wanted to build his trust again. I had to play the long game here, I had to be patient.
I could do anything to save my friends.
Chapter 5
Uriel took me to an apartment only a few blocks from his ranch. Fully furnished, it was monochromatic with white walls and floors and black furniture—exactly how I used to love house design, clean and uncluttered. But I wasn't the same person I had been back then, and he was going to learn that very soon.
"You should be very comfortable here," he said, calmly waiting near the entrance, magnanimously allowing me to take it all in. Probably waiting for my face and eyes to light up like they used to when he’d surprise me with a special treat. He wanted the old Violet back.
But that was never gonna happen.
I was done being his plaything. Done being groomed. Just fucking done.
"Who is my father?" I asked, knowing I’d never have a better time to get answers about my past. If I’d been aware that Uriel had been part of my life from birth, I’d have asked all my questions years ago.
"Your father donated sperm. You were created in a lab. Science is marvelous when used in the right way."
This just got better and better.
"Will you be returning my friends to me?” I decided to push my luck. “There’s no real need to keep them. You’ve already shown that you can get to any of us, no matter the circumstances.” He loved flattery; some might say it was his fatal flaw.
His smile was broad as he regarded me. "I’ve missed you, Rose.”
I didn’t reply, dead-ass staring him down.
“As for your friends,” he continued, “let's just say if you show us your best side over the next few weeks, give this a real chance, then you will be rewarded."
Few. Fucking. Weeks?
He had to be kidding himself. "I’ll give you four days," I negotiated.
He smiled, and fuck, it was so much like the one I used to love seeing every single day that I almost got emotional. He'd been the first man to truly break me.
Apparently I hadn't learned much since then.
