Hades

Chapter 43

The world could not have aligned better. On the seventeenth of June Sebastian was called out to deal with an unruly pack who decided that poaching peaceful rogues was sport. He promised that he would be back by the twentieth and I just nodded my head along with his words, both relieved to be alone in the house and excited. The second he was out the door I was on the phone, the gears grinding away in my mind.

"Keiko," I greeted, my voice already breathy with delight.

"Charlotte, are you okay?" Keiko demanded. "Where is Hades?"

It was then that I realized that panting into the phone might've given the wrong idea. I quickly collected myself which came easily once the guilt of my unforgettable actions settled back on my shoulders. "Everything is fine, Sebastian just left," I replied, my voice level.

"Right, I keep forgetting that he actually has a name. I'm such an awful sister," she groaned. "But I know you called for a reason. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I have an idea, but I'm going to need to borrow a couple of your guards and I'm going to need Sebastian's mom's contact information."

As I laid out my plan there was some resistance from Keiko, which I expected, but it still stung. I hated the reminder that I had lost control, that I had terrified the man I cared about so deeply. And now, even medicated, people still worried for the safety of a man named after the god of death, the man that alphas and well strategized groups couldn't take down. It made me feel evil and vile.

Eventually, Keiko helped me work out all of the holes in my plan, gave me Rita's cell phone number and offered up three of her best guards for the next couple of days. She even offered the fly Rita and her family wherever I asked which made me all the more giddy. Finally, something was going my way.

"Good afternoon, Seb," Rita cooed into the phone when she picked up.

"Actually, it's me, Charlotte," I murmured into the phone. 

"Oh, Charlotte, hello," she greeted, but there was tension in her voice. "Is Seb around?" Her tone was light and noncommittal but I could hear the concern under the current of pleasantness. Of course he had told them and of course she was worried to receive a random phone call from me.

"He actually just flew out this morning to go somewhere near Chicago," I answered, trying to keep my voice light and kind. It wasn't her fault, they had a right to know and any good mother would be concerned for their child. Still, I wished someone in this world didn't know how awful I was.

"Oh, well what can I do for you?"

"I was hoping you could get everyone into one room and put me on speaker. I have a couple things I wanted to talk to you all about."

Once again there was hesitation. Rita and Henry and Colin didn't have the same intensity as Keiko or the authority. They couldn't say no as easily and every time they tried to argue I would insert the wonderful parts of the plan that Keiko had helped me with. It took twenty minutes, but eventually, there was no more questions, just silence.

"You guys don't have to come if you don't want to," I blurted, suddenly realizing just how hard I was pushing and how much I was asking of people that I barely knew. People that could very well hate me. "I just thought that it would be nice for him to be surrounded by people that love him when he's going through so much. But I completely understand if you don't feel safe or if you have other plans."

My words were met with silence.

"Well, it has been years since we could spend Sebastian's birthday with him. We usually only get together around Christmas. It would be really special for him," Henry said, his voice soft.