by CoraLee June
“Bullshit. I didn’t ask for this,” I replied.
“So you keep saying. But we must do our due diligence, you know. It’s just hard to believe that someone like you wouldn’t want this.”
“Drew is not on trial here, Graham,” Diego interrupted.
“But maybe she should be, yes?” the asshole countered.
“You are out of line, Graham,” Diego snarled.
“Not in here, I’m not,” Graham replied smugly. “It is up to me as an impartial officer of the court to get to the truth.”
“I didn’t know,” I insisted. “I was on a bad fucking date and thought I was taking an opportunity to get some dick. Betty came at me like a Scooby Doo villain, and then I woke up in my bed. I didn’t even know I was a vampire until Diego kidnapped me.”
“As amusing as your version of events is, I’m finding it hard to believe. Hunting has been illegal for centuries, we feed solely on volunteers. What Mr. Wright did was incredibly stupid, but he would have had plenty of willing humans at his disposal. Why would he take the risk?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because he illegally turned his Granny Fang into a bloodsucking vampire, and he didn’t want anyone to find out? Maybe he was terrified that you would kill him. Maybe he was a desperate idiot with a granny feeding kink?” I fired back.
“That’s quite enough, Miss Lane,” Graham said, scribbling on the notepad in front of him. “I think we have what we need. Thank you for your time,” he said, standing up. “But you should know that we are asking Betty the exact same questions. I will be personally examining the interview notes for any inconsistencies.”
“What the fuck was that?” I asked Diego as soon as Graham was out of the room. “Am I being paranoid or is he legit out to get me?”
“I’ve got it under control,” Diego said.
“Do you? Because Graham is seriously pissing me off. Why can’t you do your king voodoo and tell him to fuck off?”
Diego grabbed my wrist and started pulling me out of the room and down the hallway. “Because he has too many supporters. We have to play nice with the council.”
I pouted. “Well, the council needs to play nice with me.”
Diego stopped walking and whirled around to slam his palm over my mouth. “We’re about to go to the hearing now. The council will share their impression of your testimony, and I’ll make the decision on Lawrence. Graham likes to pretend to have more power than he does. If you be good during the hearing, I’ll let you have your cell phone.”
I gasped. My phone? Gosh. I missed my phone. “Fine. But if you could please consider not killing Lawrence, that would be great…”
Diego scowled. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.
Diego
The hearing room was dark, with marble floors and a circular arena for members of the coven to sit in. I dragged Drew to the throne, ignoring the whispers about our joined hands as I went. “Sit here,” I said while gesturing at the chair beside mine. The moment her ass landed on the marble chair, I cursed. Shit. I was so flustered from Graham that I wasn’t even thinking. I’d told Drew to sit in the chair designated for my future queen.
“Shit. Move over one seat,” I hissed.
“Why? I like this one,” she said, wiggling her butt to get her point across.
“Just do it,” I said as forcefully as I could while not raising my voice above a whisper. It was bad enough that she looked like she rolled out of bed in sweatpants and a pink tank top.
She stuck out her bottom lip in a pretend pout, but she slid over into the next seat. Rumors were already circulating through the coven about Drew’s refusal to feed, I didn’t even want to think about what people would say if they thought she was my future queen.
One by one, the council members filed in and took their seats. They glanced at Drew with curiosity but had the common sense to keep their facial expressions neutral. Graham, however, gave me a pointed smirk as Drew was fluffing her hair.
Once the council was seated, members of the coven could enter and take their seats. While court trials were open to the entire coven to attend, there was rarely an audience. Today every seat was taken, and there were more members waiting by the door to listen and try to catch a glimpse.
At precisely five o’clock, I stood up, signaling the beginning of the trial. Everyone stood with me and fell silent, fixing their attention on me as I spoke. “Good evening. We are here tonight to decide the fate of Lawrence Reginald Wright. He is charged with turning his grandmother, Betty Abigail Wright, without permission. He is also charged as the responsible party for the changing of Drew Nicole Lane by Betty Abigail Wright. You may be seated.”
Everyone was now staring at Drew. Not that I could blame them. She was part of the reason we were here, but she was sitting in a position of authority. In fucking sweatpants. She seemed completely unaware of the gravity of the situation. Didn’t Rocky tell her that she needed to wear appropriate attire today? I made a mental note to speak with him later. He was still mad about their first meeting, but enough was enough.
“Please bring Mr. Wright to the floor,” I said and then took my seat.
Bulky guards opened the door leading to the prison chambers, and two men dragged Lawrence to the middle of the arena. He looked like shit. His hollowed cheeks and pale skin made him look feral. We hadn’t fed him since he got here. The council voted that there was no point in wasting valuable resources on a dead man.
Of course he was in a heightened stage of bloodlust. He alternated between sobbing uncontrollably and snapping at people. Vamps hissed and booed him as he was chained to the floor in the center for all to see. “Enough,” I called out, my booming voice echoing everywhere.
Drew looked horrified at the scene in front of her. Her hazel eyes were wide with terror. I felt an unfamiliar pang of sadness in my chest the moment I caught her misty eyes. These hearings were difficult, but she would have to learn to endure them.
“Mr. Wright, state your case.”
Lawrence looked up in my direction, his eyes coming in and out of focus. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out the first try. He closed his eyes, followed by his lips. He looked like he was concentrating on what he was going to say, but I knew that his tongue was dried out from the lack of blood. He was trying to get enough moisture to even be able to speak.
“I’m guilty,” Lawrence was finally able to croak out.
Well, that was easier than I thought it was going to be. The entire arena looked disappointed that Lawrence didn’t put up more of a fight. Most of them had cleared their evenings to be here.
Graham stood up, clutching his notepad. “Well, I think we all knew that Lawrence was guilty. But protocols insist that we go over the testimonies of the involved parties as well as announce our findings.”
Right. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Graham was going to use this opportunity to slander Drew. “Let’s go over Betty’s testimony, shall we?” I replied while nodding to Cecil, the man responsible for recording her thoughts. I liked Cecil. He was a simple man that didn’t bother to elaborate much.
Standing, Cecil pulled out his notes and quickly started going over Betty’s statement.
“Betty Abigail Wright, aged eighty-four of Windhaven Nursing Home, was changed on the night of October eighth by Lawrence Wright. She suffered from dementia and was recently put into hospice care, as her organs were shutting down. Betty Abigail Wright raised Lawrence after his mother, her daughter, died in 2000.”
Cecil cleared his throat and continued. “Because Lawrence changed her against the law and did not have the proper resources to support Betty’s first week of hunger, he sought out humans to feed Betty to manage her bloodlust. Betty was still healing from her transformation at the time and was not capable of controlling her venom. On the night of October thirteenth, Lawrence lured Drew Lane into the alley behind his place of employment where he worked a Level One job as a waiter and used her as a feeder for Betty.”
I knew all of
this, but it was important for the rest of the council to hear. Cecil then set down his paper and sighed. Usually he just referenced his notes, so I was curious what he was about to say. “I would like to remind everyone that Lawrence Wright was changed last year due to a loophole in the bylaws. His mother, Georgina Wright, was murdered by the rogue vampire, Louis Daniels, in 2000. Article fifteen, section four says that surviving family members of a rogue vampire attack can petition to be changed and allowed entry into our coven as a Level One once they are of age. Lawrence turned twenty-one last year and was approached by our team. He accepted the offer and was turned after his physical and mental aptitude tests.”
I knew how Lawrence became a vampire, but what did this have to do with the trial?
Cecil nodded at Betty. “Technically speaking, this same law applies to Betty Wright. There is a minimum age requirement for surviving family members but not a maximum age. This is an oversight, obviously. Technically speaking, Lawrence was within his legal rights to turn his grandmother. She might not have taken the mental and physical aptitude test, but since being turned, she has passed both with flying colors.”
Well, fuck.
I snapped my gaze on Graham, who was preening like a peacock. I’d been so preoccupied with Drew that I hadn’t looked more into the Wright family’s background. “I knew this, of course,” Graham boomed for everyone to hear.
Smug son of a bitch.
“Furthermore,” Graham continued. “After taking Drew Lane’s statement, I believe that she was aware of Mr. Wright’s status as a vampire and went willingly into the alley, hoping to be turned.”
The entire arena gasped and collectively turned to stare at Drew, who looked like she was about to burst out of her seat and go after Graham herself. That would not help her case.
“I move to charge Drew Nicole Lane with persuading a Level One vampire to turn her illegally,” Graham said, addressing the council directly.
“That’s bullshit,” a feisty voice rang out. “She just wanted some dick. She might be dumb as a bag of bricks, but she was horny. She was jonesing for some cock, not eternal life.”
Betty. Beautiful Bitchy Betty.
Some of the council members coughed to hide their chuckles. Graham, however, was not amused.
“I suppose we should ask her then,” Graham said while staring pointedly at Drew. “What was your purpose for meeting Lawrence in the alley on October thirteenth?”
Drew stood up and peered at the crowd. I wasn’t a religious man by any means, but I considered praying that she did not fuck this up. “I shaved my legs,” Drew calmly said.
“I beg your pardon?” Graham replied.
“I shaved, Graham. I removed every piece of hair on my body from the neck down, put on a skin-tight dress without panties, and went to a three-star restaurant with a man named Joseph Sloth, all because I wanted to get laid.”
“It’s true,” Betty chimed in. “I saw her lady bits when I fed from her.”
That awkward interjection had my dick twitching, and I wanted to call my therapist about how the weird visual of Betty and Drew turned me on. Oh fuck. Something was wrong with me.
“That means nothing,” Graham replied. “For all we know, she could have been seducing her way into Lawrence Wright’s bed for a chance at eternal life. It wouldn’t be the first time a woman has done it.”
“We know that’s how most of your fledglings come to be, Graham,” a cheeky member of the council said. Everyone in the arena laughed, making the asshole turn an angry shade of red, his skin almost matching the brightness of his hair. Normally I would stop interjections like that from happening, but I said nothing. Fucking Graham.
“I wasn’t asking for it!” Drew yelled. “I didn’t want to become a vampire!”
“Everyone wants to be a vampire!” Graham replied.
“Not me,” Drew growled. “Lawrence did a really shitty, selfish thing. But until a week ago, I thought vampires sparkled and existed only in angsty tween books. I don’t know what angle you’re trying to exploit here, Graham, but I didn’t want to do this. Sometimes a woman wants sex and has no ulterior motives. Spoiler alert! We love orgasms just as much as the next guy. And honestly, this entire situation could provide some really kick ass commentary about how a woman’s wardrobe shouldn’t determine a man’s actions, but I’m afraid you’re so sexist and ignorant that it would go over your big head.”
Some people in the arena laughed. Some gasped. Most watched her in awe.
I could have kissed Drew right then, but I was too concerned that she was pissing off the entire coven to really act on the impulse. I needed to intervene quickly, or this hearing would be a mess.
“Not only did I not try to convince Lawrence Wright to change me, I didn’t consent to it either. Don’t you dare victim shame me,” she boomed. “And not that my opinion matters, but Lawrence deserves prison. It seems the vampire community already took away his mother and offered up this shitty existence as some sort of consolation prize. Fuck that. What good has it really done him? None of this would have happened if the council had done a better job of policing their people in 2000. And where were you when he turned Betty? Was there any accountability or monitoring? I’m living in a dorm that looks like some nineties grunge music video, and I can’t take a shit without Rocky practically following me into the stall.” Shit. I didn’t really want the coven knowing I had her under 24-7 surveillance. “If I had any say, I’d let Lawrence live. It’s the fucking twenty-first century. The death penalty is so medieval.”
“It’s time to vote!” I yelled, cutting her off before she could do anymore damage. “All in favor of sentencing Lawrence Wright to prison for one hundred years?” Most of the council members raised their hands, including a determined looking Drew.
“And all in favor of execution?”
The remaining few members of the council put up their hands, and it was clear that the majority vote was for the prison sentence. This is not the outcome I had originally wanted, but I felt an immense amount of relief as I made the judgment. I didn’t understand why I was so invested in his sentencing. I didn’t usually bother with empathy or remorse. I was groomed to do whatever necessary for our people. “Lawrence Wright, you are hereby sentenced to prison for the length of one hundred years for your crimes against the coven.”
Drew pumped her fist in the air triumphantly and tried to high-five the council members sitting next her. She noticed me looking in her direction and made her way through the council members until she was standing directly in front of me, her hand extended up toward me.
“Uh, no thanks,” I chuckled.
“Fist bump, then?”
“No, you can go to your room now. I’ll have Rocky bring your phone. Please don’t do anything stupid,” I said, watching her leave, hurrying back to her room to wait for her phone. Her butt bounced as she ran out of the room.
I would be spending the rest of my night thinking about how damn good her ass looked in those sweatpants.
Drew
Diego made good on his promise and had Rocky bring me my phone after much deliberation by the council. I had to wait a day, but it was totally worth it.
Rocky explained that I could only have it for a little bit and that the council had installed insane amounts of parental security on it. I guess Diego was afraid I would figure out a way to the police or the media. When he handed over my iPhone with a bedazzled pink case, I squealed and hugged him, grabbing my phone from his hand.
I could have kissed the screen with how happy I was.
I plugged it in to the only outlet in the room and stared at it, willing it to charge faster so I could FaceTime Ryan and Yasmin. I really needed to see a friendly face. The hearing today really ruffled my feathers. I didn’t understand why Graham had it out for me, and as I sat there in the arena, Diego’s role as king became more…real. I knew he was the big bad all-important dude around here, but watching him lead made my insides flutter—even if he was deciding whethe
r a man died.
I didn’t want to take full credit for Lawrence Wright’s prison sentence, but my speech was badass. I wondered if they had diplomats in vamp city. Maybe being a member of court wasn’t so bad after all? I mean, it bloody sucked, but maybe I could do some good while I’m here. One thing I learned in foster care was that if you couldn’t change the house, change how you live in it.
I stared at the loading screen of my phone while mulling everything over. I really needed to connect with Lacey to see what she thought my reason was for not coming in to work. If they were going to run my life, they should really give me a planner or something.
“I swear,” Betty began while sitting in her coffin. “Your generation is addicted to your phones.”
“Not in the mood, Betty,” I growled.
Wait. Did I just growl? She smiled and winked. “My apologies, Lady Drew.”
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped at her. “Sorry, I’m not trying to be a bitch, I’m really anxious to check in on work. And my friends,” I apologized. “I also appreciate you standing up for me earlier.”
She opened and closed her mouth. “Thank you for standing up for my grandson. I know you didn’t have a reason to. He’s kind of a waste of brain cells, but I still love the dumbass.”
“You’re welcome,” I replied in shock. I wasn’t expecting Betty to be kind to me in any capacity, and a thank you was totally uncharted territory for us.
“Good talk. Let’s not ever do it again.” Betty shrugged and disappeared around the curtain to her side of the room.
“Yes!” I called out when my phone finally had enough charge to power on. I would be tethered to the wall for the foreseeable future, but that’s fine. I didn’t care, I had my phone. My lifeline to the outside world.
My phone went nuts, buzzing and dinging with a million notifications. Ignoring them all, I went to Ryan’s name and hit the button to FaceTime. He would be irritated that I didn’t give him a fifteen-minute warning to be presentable, but I didn’t care. I wanted to see him.