Page 193 of Vampires of Eden

“What is all this?” he says, throwing a hand in the air to indicate the room at large. He’s dressed in one of his tweed suits, sharply tailored and styled like something from a tenured professor’s fashion magazine. “Howdareyou keep me in the hallway of all places! Lord Ansväd, you are out of line?—”

“Lord Christian Bernard Cherrington,” Nadya cuts him off, asserting her voice so that it echoes off the high ceiling, “you have been accused of harmfully endangering the mate and bonded partner of an esteemed board member. This is a severe and unlawful act, noted in section twenty-three of the Eden Peace Treaty as ‘immediate grounds for dismissal’ from any governing order, as well as the nullification of your title and holdings. What say you to these accusations?”

The silence hanging in the air is piercing like a winter storm. All ice and sharp edges. No one breathes as we stare at Lord Cherrington. No one dares to move.

As if for the first time, Lord Cherrington takes in the vampires sitting at the table. An arrogant smile forms on his lips as he scoffs. “Is this your idea of a fair hearing? Am I to be judged by children playing games in their parents’ seats?”

“What say you to these accusations?” Nadya repeats, unruffled.

“False,” he says, casually flipping his hand as if he were swatting a gnat. “Lies. I have no idea what you’re referring to.” LordCherrington’s gaze shifts up toward the rafters and one of his thick gray eyebrows lifts in amusement. “Ah, yes, I heard about the fire at the Álvarez Vineyard cottage yesterday. Such a shame that the arsonist missed their intended mark.”

The fury inside of me boils over. Without even thinking I push up from my seat, leap over the table and before the bastard can even lift his arms to protect himself, I’m on him.

Vaguely, I hear my name being shouted in the distance, but everything happens quickly and with a snap, because all I feel, see, taste and smell is rage.

Rage for what he’s put Danny through. Rage for the many times he’s ignored my boundaries and put his goddamned hands on me. Rage for his fucking arrogance and the flippant and dismissive way he carries himself in serious circumstances like this.

A gross, selfish vampire who’s been floating around in the world without any consequences. Thinking he can do and say and get away with anything.

Today, he needs to know there are consequences to his actions. For the greater good of society, he needs his fucking ass kicked.

I leap with my knee raised toward his chest and knock him down onto his back, toppling him hard as I simultaneously land a hefty blow to his jaw. He scrambles, quivering and screaming as he tries to grab hold of me. But then he realizes that I’m much faster and stronger than he is, and trying to push me off leaves him vulnerable. He crosses his arms over his face and I grab at his wrists, scratching at his flesh as I pull one arm away to hit him again.

“Aleksey, stop it!”

“No one has publicly reported that the fire was arson,” I shout in his face. “How would you even know that if you weren’t directly involved, you lying sack of shit!”

Lord Cherrington responds by pressing his icy aura outward in an attempt to control me. The power behind his essence is oldand seeps directly through my clothes, like sharp needle points stabbing and pricking my skin.

Ignoring the discomfort, I flare my essence out in defense, razor focused on him alone and the impact is immediate. His eyes bulge as he sucks in a desperate breath. The pressure and heat of my aura is too intense for him to evade. He’s like a bug being torched from reflected sunlight through a magnifying glass.

Multiple pairs of hands land on my back and shoulders, gripping and pulling me away from my target. Two hits aren’t nearly enough for this monster. I’d like to hit him a few more times before I snap his neck and cleanly finish the job, but I know I can’t kill him. I mean, I could, but it would look bad for me as the “future king,” or whatever. Aesthetically speaking.

“I’m alright, I’m alright!” I lift my hands in acquiescence so that Sebastian and Ashwin stop pulling at my suit. Retracting the weight of my aura, I adjust my jacket, then run my fingers through my hair to sweep it back into place. “Minor outburst.”

“Minor?” Sebastian covers his mouth to stifle a laugh. Ashwin shakes her head and rolls her eyes as we all return to the table. No one helps the piece of shit off the floor.

“Are you finished?” Nadya asks me pointedly.

I take my seat and clear my throat. “I think so.” Cautiously, I glance over my shoulder to check on Danny. He bites his bottom lip as he stares back at me, grinning.

“Good,” Nadya says. “Call in the witness.”

The side door sweeps open again as Lord Cherrington stands and adjusts his suit in disbelief. Truly appalled. He gingerly touches his nose, which is bleeding, then takes note of the scratches across his neck from when I grabbed his wrist. Also bleeding. I need to wash my hands.

“You’re going to allow this… this barbaric and uncivilized behavior?” he asks, looking to my father with incredulity.

“We are,” he says.

A pale, dark-haired figure slips into the room and it’s Smeed. My eyes narrow as the residual fury percolates within my nature,but as he draws nearer, his expression is nothing like Lord Cherrington’s. He’s nervous. Picking at his fingers and with his eyes cast down. He stops a comfortable distance away from Lord Cherrington, as if he’s afraid.

“Ellis Price has worked in Lord Cherrington’s estate for the past five years as his primary manservant,” Nadya declares. “He has written a formal statement confessing his involvement within the Álvarez Vineyard fire. Ellis, would you please briefly explain your involvement in yesterday’s event?”

Ellis chances a step forward, but falters when Lord Cherrington whips his head around toward him, practically hissing.

“Howdare?—”

“Hey,” I call out, restrained and with my arms folded. The impact is enough because Lord Cherrington visibly tenses and focuses his attention back on me. “Shut up. Let him speak.”