Page 69

Moira admits into evidence a Memory Catcher. The crystal looks familiar.

Derek objects but is overruled again, and Moira hands the stone to Jerry, who proceeds to show the image.

"This is the memory of a cat," Jerry says. "One who lives on Count Dracule's property." Jerry speeds through until he gets to the part where Liam's shoes are clearly visible. "And these are the shoes of Mr. Liam Night, for the defense. He was there, with Mary, while Dracula was away."

The court goes wild. But the gnome woman screams for everyone to settle down, and Moira, before she loses momentum, submits the paper Elal brought in as evidence.

"And can you tell the court what this document says?" Moira asks Jerry.

Jerry smirks. "It says the child wasn't Dracula's. Which means Mary was having an affair."

Dracula stands and flips over a stone table in sheer, uncontrollable rage. He dashes to Liam and pins him to the floor, stepping on him with his boot. "How dare you betray me this way after everything I've done for you!"

Liam thrashes under the weight of his sire. The dragon bellows fire into the air with a loud screech, and the tiny woman with the big voice walks over and grabs Dracula by the cuff of his pants. It's all she can reach. But I watch, wide-eyed, as she yanks, and Dracula is pulled into the air and smashed against the marble flooring with a loud thud.

"There will be silence in the court," the little woman screeches to a stunned audience.

Dracula stands, dusting himself off, and nods to her, showing a deference I've never seen in him. He stands quietly, holding his rage tightly around him like a cloak against the winter winds.

Liam climbs to his feet, backing away from Dracula, a sneer on his face. "I wasn't having an affair with Mary."

"Silence!" the woman screams. "Court is adjourned for fifteen minutes. Counselors, the judge will see you in his chambers. Only one from each side."

Moira follows the gnome towards the dragon, and Derek steps forward, telling us all to behave until he's back. His jaw is locked in anger.

Elijah has retreated to his book, Liam looks ready to murder everyone, and so it is left to me to reprimand Dracula himself. I stand and face him, eye to eye. "You need to chill your shit immediately. If this case wasn't already damned by their testimony, your outburst was surely the nail in the coffin. Unless you want to spend the rest of eternity underground, calm the hell down now."

His teeth elongate, and he eyes my neck like it will be his dinner, but I don't back away. “Calm. The. Hell. Down.”

Finally, Dracula nods. "You are right. This display has not helped us. I will save my anger for later.” And with a flourish of his cape, Dracula strides out of the courtroom without another word.

We follow him into the main hall and find a few benches tucked away in a corner, hoping for smidgen of privacy. Liam, Elijah, Sebastian, Lily and I sit on one bench. Dracula is alone on the other.

“Let Liam explain,” I say to the Count, then glance at the red-haired vampire. For once, he almost looks grateful.

"I was her healer," Liam says calmly. "She was worried about the baby and didn't want to trouble you, so she asked for my help. We were not having an affair, and I had no idea the baby wasn't yours."

The rage on Dracula's face evaporates into grief so deeply profound and heartrending I have to look away. The sobs shake his body as all the pain of this loss consumes him.

It's too much. No one moves to offer him comfort, so I do.

I take a seat by his side and put an arm around his broad shoulders. With a soft, soothing voice, I give him what solace I can. "The grief will destroy you if you let it," I say. "I know how hard this is, and I'm truly sorry for the loss you bear."

I ignore the brothers. I even ignore my own wariness about this man—this vampire. Instead, I connect with the part of him that is in all of us. The heart and soul, the pain and sorrow. In this we are the same.

In this, Dracula and I share the same unsealing wound.

When he looks up and into my eyes, there is new understanding there. We are now kindred, bound by pain, through pain. Bound in the darkness of grief.

Bound.

“Thank you,” he says softly.

I nod and step back, giving him space, and take a seat between Sebastian and Liam to discuss strategy. “That crystal looked awfully familiar,” I say.

Sebastian nods. “Indeed.” He motions to Lily. “Return to the castle. Check the safe.”

She nods and sprints away, disappearing down the hallway.