Page 38 of The Vampire Court

Alaric snarls, and I startle from the outburst. The queen holds up a hand to silence him, not taking her eyes off me for a single heartbeat. I don’t know if it makes me happy to know he’s not as unaffected by this as he seemed, or if I should be worried that he gave himself away.

“This is not a discussion of innocence, Mr. Wellington. This is a formality to decide on the sentence for her crimes out of respect for our prince, but she will not speak.”

A lump forms in my throat. What is the point of me being here if I can’t even defend myself? Though, knowing me, I would only make things worse. My mouth has always had a habit of speaking before I could think better of it.

Cassius bows his head to her. “My queen, if I may? You know I hold no love for Alaric, so I will not argue for his benefit.” He nods in my direction. “Indeed, she killed Victor but only after he challenged her. Alaric, Lawrence, Della, and I were present there to witness that the rules were followed. I myself saw to that, while Lawrence and Della kept Alaric from interfering. The fight was fair, but Victor was demon cursed, and that in itself is a death sentence. It could be argued that the human saved us the trouble of dispatching him ourselves. His death should hold no bearing on her punishment, as per the law.”

“That does not excuse her from Kerin’s murder,” the speaker snaps, backing up a few steps. Her forehead scrunches as her bottom lip wavers, but otherwise, she remains composed.

My gaze shifts from her to Alaric. He leans forward, resting his arms on the table, hands tightening into fists.

“Of course not,” Cassius continues, “but she has been claimed by our crown prince. There is not a single vampire in all of Nightwich who isn’t aware of that fact, yet Kerin chose to take her blood without permission—an intentional display of disrespect…” he trails off with a shrug. “I have spent time around the human. She never made a single attempt to harm any of us. I believe this was out of self-defense.”

Murmurs erupt among the vampire court, deafening to my ears, rising to a din. The words all blend together. It’s surreal. It feels like I’m watching this happen to someone else from a distance.

“Humans are not entitled to self-defense,” the pale vampire argues.

A high-pitched ringing in my ears drowns everything out, only for everything to come crashing around me until it’s too much.

“I warned him, but he still fed on me. He was killing me, so I struck him with my weapon.”

Silence descends on the room. Every single vampire stares, slack-jawed. Too late, I realize I’ve spoken.

Demon shit.

My weapon. I just saidmyweapon.

Double demon shit.

The speaker narrows her eyes. Then, a slow, dark smirk forms on her face. She caught that. Unease knots low in my belly, spreading through my veins like rot.

“Your Majesty it is little more than an unfortunate situation,” Cassius says, moving in front of the woman. “Allow Alaric to have his human but have him keep a tighter rein on her.” He shoots a sidelong glance in my direction, scowling.

Elizabeth drums her fingers on the table, watching Alaric for his reaction, but his stony exterior has returned. After what feels like an eternity, she rises from her seat.

The door bursts open. A strong hand grips my shoulder and squeezes painfully, keeping me from turning to look. My knees nearly buckle from the force.

I watch Alaric for his reaction--confusion, shock, and then anger.

“What is the meaning of this? You are not part of this court.” The queen’s face reddens.

“My queen, I have come with more evidence against this human,” a familiar woman’s voice says with a quiver.

The speaker raises her arm and gestures for the new arrival to come forward. “Let them through.”

Two women step forward, the blonde woman from the theater and… Elise.

My stomach drops.

“We have evidence against her.”

“We don’t need—” Alaric starts, but the queen cuts him off with a look.

Elise elbows the other woman, visibly shaking. I don’t understand how a human can push a vampire around like that. Elise turns to me, lip curling just enough to show a single, elongated fang before looking away.

“I-I was in the theater with my lover—she was bleeding—it was an invitation, and he was only guilty of staying true to his nature. She slaughtered him without hesitation for it.”

Whispers ebb and flow, gaining strength. I catch a few words. “Kill her” and “no mercy” stick out among them.