by K. N. Banet
“You wish to submit your species to the Tribunal,” the woman said in a whispery voice. “Bold. Brave. But we don’t know what you are.”
“There’s nothing in the Laws that say a species name is required,” Raphael answered. “I can call myself anything, and since I’m the only known member of my kind, it would be the proper name. I would also be the leader of my kind.”
“I’m going to assume your plan doesn’t stop there,” the male witch said with a note of amusement.
“No, it doesn’t. I would like to also submit my species to be protected under the Endangered Species Law.”
Hasan laughed harder.
“Hasan,” someone said, looking down at him. “Are you okay?”
“Executioner Kaliya,” he called out, waving me to come back to the floor. “I’m going to assume he knows about that portion of the Laws because of you.”
I jumped up to my feet and nodded but didn’t move down to the floor.
“Yes, sir. I felt he deserved every chance to live among other supernaturals that we have granted to each other. Because he’s alone, the decisions are alone his to make.”
“He’s a danger!” Ardghal screamed. “To himself, to us.”
“As I said earlier,” I roared over him. “We’re all a danger to each other and to ourselves. There’s no reason he should be denied the chance, and if that means he must represent himself in the eyes of the Tribunal, then that’s what it takes. You don’t make choices for any species except your own, Clan Leader Ardghal. You are not the Fae King or a member of the Tribunal! That would be your brother, and I certainly hope you aren’t using your familial relationship to him to sway this in your favor.”
“And you are just the last pathetic remnant of a dying race. I’m not sure why anyone finds you relevant to this conversation,” he snapped back.
“ORDER!” Isaiah screamed. He always had the piercing, angry way of bringing the room back to attention. “Both of you will sit down.”
“I think we can make a ruling right now,” the male witch said, a smile on his face. “I think it’s fairly clear what we should do.”
“Agreed,” the female witch said airily.
“I’ve made mine,” Hasan added. “But I’ll have some conditions.”
“I think we are of the same mind, feline,” Callahan said from down the table to the werecat. “Corissa?”
“Put it to a vote,” the female werewolf said, sighing. “Let’s see how this plays out.”
Callahan stood and looked at the two parties who had yet to say anything. “Do you need more time to deliberate?”
“No,” Alvina said, looking at Oisin when it came to him.
“No.”
“Vampires?” Callahan turned to the last party. Both shook their heads, indicating they were ready to vote. Callahan cleared his throat. “We’ll start off with the big problem. Raphael brought the pressing matter of joining the Tribunal before us. Raphael, do you understand that none of your species will ever hold a seat on the Tribunal?”
“Yes.”
“Good. All in favor of the species of Raphael Alvarez being subject of Tribunal Law?”
Hasan, the witches, Alvina, and one vampire raised their hands. Corissa and Callahan voted last, also agreeing.
“So, we have it. Come tomorrow night, we’ll sit down with you and discuss individual Laws governing your kind. Do we grant protection under the Endangered Species Law?”
The same hands raised, giving Raphael the protection I wanted him to have but couldn’t safely give him.
“Hasan, you had conditions. If they’re agreeable, we’ll hear them and pass judgment.”
“Raphael Alvarez, uneducated in the supernatural world. You will stay with Executioner Sahni or Investigator Cassius for a period of one year. You may move back and forth between them, but they will be in charge of you for one year, and anything you do will go back on them. Mister Alvarez, is that agreeable?”
“Yes sir,” Raphael said strongly, looking back at Cassius and me. “I can handle that.”
Hell, that was the best condition I’d ever heard. I was more than agreeable, nodding down to him. Cassius was also quietly nodding, giving his consent.
“In addition, Investigator Cassius and Executioner Kaliya, you will be point on the investigation into the identity of Raphael’s species. There’s no such thing as something coming out of nothing. Even the oldest supernatural species have their origins, whether it be curses, other worlds, or hidden abilities in magics. Everyone comes from something, which means Raphael must. You will find out. You will have a yearly review until the truth is found.” Hasan looked at us evenly.
“Agreed,” I called out.
“Agreed,” Cassius repeated.
“Wait. Sahni is an Executioner. She cannot formally participate in an investigation,” Oisin said sharply. “You know that.”
“Fine.” Hasan seemed annoyed at that. “Cassius, you will be point on the investigation and Kaliya, you shall be the Executioner we all know will be involved, anyway. Don’t break any rules while you’re at it.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, smirking.
“Hasan—”
“They’ve agreed,” the werecat growled.
“Then I wish to add my own conditions that Raphael submit himself to Mygi—”
“You’re lucky none of them have pressed charges against Mygi,” Alvina pointed out. “Don’t push your luck, brother..”
Oisin sat back in his chair, looking incredibly displeased, but I knew we had it. Raphael was coming home with me, and there was nothing on this earth that could take him away from me now.
Wait. No. There’s nothing to take away his freedom. He’s not mine.
“As for Mygi…” Callahan turned to the CEO. “You do realize the only reason you’re walking away from this relatively unscathed is because of your reputation prior to this incident, correct? Even if you weren’t breaking the Law, what you’ve done is to be frowned upon. Don’t presume to be protected in this Chamber again, Ardghal.”
“He does good work for our people,” Isaiah said softly. “This is a regrettable situation, but we must allow him to redeem himself.”
“Of course,” the male witch said, waving a hand. “But dispensation like this shall only be given once, or I’ll personally move to have Mygi hand over their research to a different company and let them continue the good work. This entire situation has not only been regrettable but embarrassing. And our own Executioner and Investigator had to bring it to light for us. Mygi had ten years to tell us they found an unknown supernatural species and didn’t. You’ll notice, he hasn’t even offered to help the new investigation.” The witch smiled. “Don’t think we’ll forget that, Lord Ardghal.”
“Of course, sir,” Ardghal said, his face not quite blank enough to cover his rage and disgust at having to answer to anyone but Oisin.
“You’re dismissed,” Hasan said with a growl at the end. “You better hope I hear no stories of werecats in your labs, Ardghal, like the ones I’m certain Raphael will tell us about his time there.”
“Of course, sir.” Ardghal moved fast, and I couldn’t blame him. It was one thing to embarrass yourself, another to piss off a few of the Tribunal members. Both were easy to do. Having witches and werecats looking for a reason to kill you was a good reason to be scared.
Callahan looked down at Raphael and continued the topic at hand.
“And so, the Tribunal has passed judgment. Raphael, your species will submit to the rule of the Tribunal and be granted all protections under the Tribunal. You will also be added to the Endangered Species Law, denoting your right to defend yourself and others of your kind. This Law includes mates and children. This can all be discussed tomorrow night while we document everything you can tell us about what you are and what you can do for the Tribunal Archives. You will spend one year under the supervision and tutelage of Executioner Kaliya and Investigator Cassius. It would be a wise choice to take that seriously, as they hav
e gone above and beyond to help you. They will continue helping by trying to find more information about what you are, so work closely with them as you might find the answers you need. You are dismissed for the evening.”
I raced down the stairs, grabbed Raphael’s arm, and pulled him out of the Chambers, Cassius following us, ignoring calls from his uncle and aunt. Once we were out of the Chambers, I grinned.
“We fucking did it! Raphael, welcome to the supernatural world.” I laughed, the feeling of victory making me giddy.
“Thank you. Thank you for everything, Kaliya,” he said softly, leaning against the wall.
“Any time,” I promised.
32
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Let’s find something to eat,” Cassius said, gesturing to the kitchen. “We can discuss tomorrow over—”
“Cassius,” someone purred. “I’m so glad to see you’re okay.”
I turned to see a beautiful fae standing down the hall. She had silky silver hair and large moon grey eyes.
“Love,” Cassius gasped. “What are you doing here?”
“I got tired of waiting for you to send word,” she explained as Cassius walked to her and wrapped his arms around her. It seemed terribly intimate. “Now, are you going to introduce me to the famous Kaliya Sahni and this human you’ve helped save?”
“Well, he’s now Raphael Alvarez, leader of his supernatural species.”
“King of one,” Raphael joked. “You are?”
I knew.
“Lady Sorcha. It’s an honor to finally meet you.”
Cassius hadn’t told me he was marrying the fae Lady that defied the world and learned to work iron in ways none of the others could. It was said she was immune to it, even though it was toxic to the fae species.
“And you,” she said, smiling. “We have much to talk about.”
“We do,” Cassius mumbled. When Sorcha and I looked at him, he realized his fiancée meant we were going to talk about him. “Oh, no. Raphael, let’s go get a drink.”
“Yeah…” Raphael looked between Sorcha and me, realizing two very dangerous women were about to become friends.
“I love when men realize we’re the dominant sex,” Sorcha said with a sly smile. “Cassius knew before I met him. I was pleasantly surprised.” She looked at me expectantly.
“You’re welcome. You came at the perfect time, actually. Cassius is going to have to make Phoenix his permanent home.” I didn’t know this woman except by reputation, but after the week I’d had, I was willing to go with anything. Friends seemed like a good idea.
“One of you will have to explain this…”
We talked as we walked down the hall. We found the guys drinking in Cassius’s office already, and Leith was running around with Terry, trying to prepare food.
I watched Raphael most of the night, more at ease than I had ever seen him. Even though just twenty-four hours ago we’d been fighting for our lives, I felt good.
There were still a lot of questions I had to answer—about him, about my reaction to him—but at least I now had some time to get those answers.
When someone lifted a glass in Carter’s name, I lifted mine as well.
Hopefully, no one else is going to have to die before I have them.
I sat up straight.
“The USB,” I said quickly. “Where is it?”
“Hold on.” Cassius went to his desk and pulled it out of the top drawer. He brought over a laptop as well. “Get to it. I was hoping you would forget about it for a night, but oh well.”
I turned everything on and plugged in the USB. I tried to open a file and growled as the laptop blue screened.
“Well, Sinclair got the last laugh, it seems,” I sighed, turning the laptop. “It was a virus.”
“Ah, well. We had suspicions he didn’t know anything,” Cassius said sadly.
“Yeah…Well, there’s always next time,” I mumbled, closing the laptop. I looked up and met his eyes, something unspeakable passing between us.
Carter was gone, and he was gone in vain.
But tomorrow was another day and now Cassius and I had a new mystery on our hands. We had no answers and it didn’t seem like Mygi Pharmaceuticals was going to help. Looking at Raphael, a rush of fear ran through me. He was both my possible mate and a new supernatural species that needed my help.
I had to do better. I had to work harder. I had to be the best.
I sipped my drink as I stared at Raphael, promising myself that I wouldn’t rest until I uncovered the truth.
For both of us.
SNARED
A Kaliya Sahni Novel: Book Two
Copyright © 2020 by K.N. Banet
knbanetauthor.com
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Chapter One
February 8th, 2019
“What am I doing out here?” I asked myself, knowing no one would hear me.
I was sitting on the balcony, watching the sunset turn the sky into a show of pinks, purples, reds, and oranges. I could see the mountains that lined the desert valley. Soaking in the last of the dying heat, I felt sluggish, thanks to the winter chill. Others thought the easy days in the fifties and sixties were a reason to move to Phoenix or spend their winters here. Snowbirds, everyone called them.
Personally, I wished I could move to Australia and spend my winter months in their desert in the middle of their summer. It would be nice to travel, to stay in warmer climates.
Lazily moving my finger over the trackpad of my laptop, I wondered what I was even doing, trying to chain two thoughts together. More research, probably. This was the problem with colder days. It was easy for me to get lethargic and lose my train of thought. I could have stayed inside with the heat on, but then I would get cabin fever. I didn’t do well when I didn’t see the sun on a daily basis.
Blinking slowly, I yawned and leaned back, giving up on whatever my task had been. It wasn’t like it was going to help me with anything I was working on. Nothing ever did.
I didn’t react when I heard the front door of my condo open and close. Heavy footsteps told me exactly who it was, tired as he came back from the building’s state-of-the-art gym. I knew he would pick right up after a shower, so I wasn’t concerned about how hard he worked himself. Raphael knew how far he could take his body, and now that he knew the full scope of the dangers in the supernatural world, he was beginning to cope better than when I met him. He worked hard every night to stay in perfect physical condition while I slowly researched everything I could on the mysteries that surrounded him.
My eyes drifted closed as the sun disappeared, leaving the chilly night. I didn’t open them again until the patio door opened, and his heavy footsteps announced his arrival. I could smell his shampoo and aftershave, some fancy brand I knew I was paying for. It was masculine as hell, a mix between musk, leather, and cedar. He had the whole damn set—shampoo, conditioner, aftershave, and cologne. It was a scent I both searched for and wanted to escape every time it drifted my way.
My fangs dropped, annoying me to no end. I tried my best to stay relaxed, not wanting to open my eyes and see the man who didn’t know he was my potential mate.
“Hey, Kaliya, taking a nap?” he asked, sitting down on a lounge chair close by.
“Considering it.” The laptop disappeared from under my hand. I didn’t try to get it back, focusing my attention on getting my fangs to lay back down. Luckily, they cooperated while he read what I had been looking at.
“‘Mygi was
named for four supernatural healers from the vampires, witches, werewolves, and fae, using the first letter of each of their last names,’” he read softly. “I thought we already researched the origins of the company.”
“I did, but I’ve been stuck, and it seemed like something I could read over tonight,” I explained, yawning. “How was your workout?”
“Good. This place has a great gym. I was asked by one of the building managers, though, to bring up how hot you’ve been keeping the condo. You know you have the heat turned up to nearly ninety, right?” I could hear his annoyance.
“Yup.” I wasn’t concerned. The building manager knew I kept it hot when I was in residence, but I had never stayed at the condo longer than a couple of weeks at a time. Raphael and I had been living in it since early December. Cassius and Sorcha had been coming back from their honeymoon, and the repairs had finally been finished from the tossing Sinclair had given it, so I took the chance to run. Cassius had wanted me to stay longer because my main house was getting lengthier repairs, but I wanted to be back in my own space even though I didn’t get the solitude I truly craved.
I had a roommate, and he was sitting next to me. Solitude was probably something I was never truly going to get back, something I tried desperately to sort out my feelings about. It was an impossible task since I was very good at avoiding my feelings altogether.
“You realize the electric bill is going to be expensive, right?”
“I live in a rooftop penthouse in downtown Phoenix, worth more money than you have ever earned.” The condo was worth nearly two million, took up the entire roof of the building, and was twenty-two hundred square feet with two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, and two stories tall. It was one of those penthouses that looked like a house built on top of a different building. I was rich, and thanks to that, I had no neighbors—just the way I liked it. I turned my head, finally opening my eyes, and gave Raphael a bored look. “Do you really think I’m worried about the electricity bill?”