by Cat Miller
If he were sent back to detention at the Enclave, David would need to find a way to escape. As much as he wanted to give his house and his people peace, he wanted to give his mate retribution more. In doing so, he would bring about peace for all. Everyone but David, that was, because he would never get past the pain of waking up to a world where Leann Vaughn-Deidrick no longer lived. It was the ultimate punishment for his crimes. There was no way he should be allowed to roam freely after the things he’d done, but he’d never be able to find Sheena and make her pay from inside the walls of the Enclave. He would find Sheena and end her sorry life. Then he’d return to his detention cell to willingly live out that penance.
Movement caught his eye as the rear door opened and Sarah Vaughn was led in by Gage Paris. Griffin and Sarah’s daughter, Samantha, trailed her mother. Sarah was next on the roster to answer for her crime of aiding and abetting the rogue. Sarah had given David information about Griffin’s whereabouts and access to their home. She had some score to settle with her mate, and Griffin’s life was the price she wanted him to pay. She’d been caught, though, thanks to David’s honesty about how his men had been able to enter the Vaughn estate unseen. David hadn’t been ratting Sarah out. Not really. They wanted answers, so David gave them. Sarah had to answer for her own bullshit.
For someone who was looking at a possible death sentence, Sarah didn’t seem at all concerned. Sarah held her head high and maintained a serene expression of confidence as she was placed at the defendant’s seat. David’s empathy told him Sarah had no worries at all. She was confident. Sarah was also offended that she was being called to the carpet before all of these witnesses. She believed the mate of a councilman should be afforded more respect. That bitch was certifiable. She gave up her rights to special privileges when she tried to have her councilman mate murdered.
David’s attention shifted to Samantha, who’d looked down at her shoes as she entered the room behind her mother. She was a gorgeous young woman with the great potential to be a service to her people in the future. Sadly, she was following literally and figuratively in her devious mother’s footsteps. David honed in on Samantha a little closer. He’d watched her and her twin, Brandi, over the years. Any of the council’s children would make an excellent pawn. So they’d been of particular interest to Sheena. Brandi and Samantha were total opposites. Brandi was beautiful, too, but she was athletic and very into her education. Brandi happened to be David’s new daughter-in-law, as she and Abel had mated recently. Sarah was still livid about that, but David was pleased to learn from Mason that Abel had finally found happiness. Abel was still struggling with his own dark past, a life that was forced on him by his parents, but Brandi was helping Abel move past it a little more each day.
David wondered how Samantha was dealing with her twin’s sudden mating and exit from the Vaughn estate. Samantha was a confident female who was full of herself and sure of her place in the nation. Her beauty and position were coveted by the noble houses with sons to barter with for a connection to the council through an arranged mating with Samantha. It didn’t matter that Samantha was groomed by her mother to be a snobby little bitch with a grandiose sense of entitlement, and Sarah did a marvelous job of it. Samantha was the last shot for those ambitious families to buy their way into the highest tier of society for years to come. She was the only marriageable female left in the council houses. The Stafford’s seemed to only breed sons. Mason and his mate, Debbie, had a baby girl, but David couldn’t imagine them entering another betrothal agreement after what had happened when they announced the mating of their son, Chase, to Samantha. Chase had suffered through a gauntlet of emotional torment because he was already in love with Danielle Vaughn, but Chase was a man of honor, and his duty to his house prevented him from confronting his parents. Danielle was a mysterious new vampire in town who’d taken everyone, including David, for a ride. It was possible that Mason might go for a betrothal if the price was right, but his daughter, Sydney, was still a toddler. Samantha was the hot commodity now.
David studied the desolate young debutante who was usually on top of the world with pride and arrogance a little closer. Something about Samantha was drastically changed. Her regal bearing was conspicuously absent. She appeared put together in her dove gray pantsuit and sky-high heels, but there was no flashy jewelry, no attention-grabbing cleavage or over the top make-up. Her hair was tied in a simple bun at her nape. Her eyes were downcast. Samantha seemed embarrassed and sad. It was an odd look for her. Usually breathtaking in her confidence, Samantha was somehow even more compelling in her understated poise. David let his empathic gift close in on Samantha, and the pain hit him like a blow to the chest. It wasn’t physical pain, but emotional and mental. He pulled away quickly, not wanting to experience anyone else’s trauma. He had plenty of his own to contend with at the moment. David recognized something else, something unexpected in Samantha during that little glimpse into her emotional state. And wasn’t that interesting? He had more in common with Samantha Vaughn than he would have ever guessed.
The buzz of the crowd quieted when the council’s private chamber door opened and each member filed in and took their seats at the table where so many laws had been created and upheld over the years. The expressions of the council ranged from anger on the face of Kane Stafford to sorrow on the face of Adele Vaughn—who was Leann’s still grieving mother—and resignation on the face of Seleste and Seth Deidrick, David and Mason’s parents. David was aware of how his parents would deal with the situation. His parents were old school. They both believed in the harsh laws that held their society together. Not only had David broken a multitude of laws, but he had also brought shame of the likes they’d never known down on his house. Having a dead son was preferable to having a criminal in their house. They would want David executed, per the penal code. As usual, Lloyd Vaughn was the council spokesperson. He remained standing and called the room to order without further delay.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the council finds itself, yet again, in a very awkward position. Our world is changing around us. In the last several years our nation has been faced with the reality of abilities and peoples that we, until this point, had no idea could even exist.
“We all now live with the knowledge of hybrid vampire-humans with varying degrees of abilities depending upon their genetics. We also have proof of vampires with talents that had always been thought of as fairy tales. Mind control of a vampire by another vampire or hybrid is a real threat to our penal system and way of life. As far as we know, David is the only living siphon. This is the ability to take the talents of other vampires by consuming their life force. This is not an unknown skill, though it is very rare.”
“Is it true there is an elemental among us again?” someone shouted from the back of the room.
Lloyd’s expression darkened. He didn’t want to drag his granddaughter, Brandi, into the spotlight. David didn’t like it either and took note of the scowling male who’d barked the question. Brandi was Abel’s mate. She was also Leann’s niece. That made Brandi David’s kin two times over. He didn’t want anything or anyone to threaten his son’s newfound happiness. David wasn’t the monster people believed him to be, but he wouldn’t hesitate to defend his family at any cost.
Elemental talents were another long-lost ability of the vampire race. It had been hundreds of years since anyone was born with fire, water, or air control. According to history, those who had these abilities were feared and lived secluded lives. There was no hiding Brandi’s fire element after she ended the brutal battle for control of the Enclave using her fire element to turn the enemy to ash where they stood on the battlefield. She’d been able to focus her flame on the Shade army alone, somehow hopscotching over the warriors fighting to regain the Enclave. The Shade army in the midst of the battle was reduced to ash, but not a hair had been singed on the warriors. David hadn’t witnessed the fight. He’d been drugged when he fed on Tessa Vaughn, who was Danielle’s mother and Griffin’s first mate. Th
e clever human female had disguised herself to look like her daughter. They looked so similar that it had only taken a good dye job and David’s preoccupation with the crowd to pull it off. He fed on Tessa to the point of nearly killing her, believing she was Danielle, and it had only taken moments for David to succumb to the Hypnovamp she’d ingested. Tessa had then endured a painful rapid change from human to vampire instead of a gradual, less traumatic progression to save her life.
David had been out cold at the time of the battle. When he woke, it was for the first time in twenty-five years. Sheena had been forced to leave him behind or be captured. Her control over him was only effective within a certain distance. So she’d lost her puppet. That epic struggle was now a part of their history and the story was being told and retold around the world. Brandi was infamous. People would fear her gift, and frightened people did stupid things. Vampires thought themselves to be evolved and superior to humans, but they reacted to a threat just like a human would to a perceived danger. Anything they didn’t understand would be feared, hunted, and destroyed if possible.
“It is true that a newly developed fire element was pressed into service in defense of our people. She was able to turn the tide of the fight for the Enclave. She did what she had to do to save the lives of many warriors at a pivotal moment when things were looking dark for us all. We should all be grateful for her presence at this time in our history.”
Lloyd confirmed the facts without naming Brandi. It was possible her identity wasn’t known by everyone, just that there was a fire element alive. David doubted it, given whom she was, but he couldn’t blame Brandi’s grandfather for shielding her as much as he was able. Lloyd returned to his point as he continued.
“In light of these new developments in our society, the council will be holding a special session to formulate new laws that include our extended population as well as these new and resurfacing talents. As you know, all vampires are required to register with the council ruling over their country. They are also obligated to report their burgeoning talents as they arise. This is a regulation that is being ignored by many.”
A female spoke up. “What about the hybrids? Are they free from the council’s rule?” A murmur of displeasure rose from the assembly.
“We will be working on a program to register the hybrids as well. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We are all in shock and adjusting to many changes. It will take some time for us to sort through everything and assimilate our new citizens. For now, we need to focus on today’s docket.”
David couldn’t wait to see exactly how the council thought they were going to “assimilate” the half wild and downright resentful band of hybrids who were calling themselves the Horde.
“Let’s stay on task,” Griffin said from behind the council table with a glare for the room. “We have other matters to attend to today. The hybrids aren’t on the roster currently.”
“Agreed,” Kane Stafford added. “Let’s get this over with.”
Inhaling deeply, David focused his gaze on a particularly veined piece of black and white marble on the floor in the center of the open area between the council table and the defendant’s table. He kept his face free of expression, as he had during the entire proceeding. Due to his cherished letter from Leann, David knew how this would end, but that didn’t stop a spike of dread from shooting through him. This was it. The rest of forever would start today, and he wasn’t ready.
“After hearing the testimony from the relevant witnesses and the evidence was examined, the council cannot at this time find justification to execute David Deidrick.”
The immediate buzz of the crowd was a mixture of anger and shock. Never had the council failed to carry out a death sentence of the guilty party, and David was technically guilty. David maintained his blank expression while his heart thudded in his chest. He was torn between relief that he would have the chance to end Sheena and horror that he would indeed be living on without Leann. Leann’s letter to David had assured him that he wouldn’t be put to death. He knew he should believe her, given her level of precognitive skill. He knew better than to doubt Leann’s word, but David was still floored by the accuracy of Leann’s visions. He stroked the yellowed paper in his pocket. It was the closest he’d ever be to Leann in this life, and maybe even the next life.
“David Deidrick was a pawn in the rogue’s game. He is a victim who lost twenty-five years of his life and his mate.” Lloyd paused to gather himself after referring to the loss of his daughter. The mention of Leann was like a knife in David’s heart. David raised his gaze to Adele Vaughn. She was observing him. David tried not to look directly at Adele, because of her resemblance to Leann. It was impossible for him to see Leann’s stunningly beautiful mother and not be reminded of Leann. Adele was a hard woman with an edge that came with time and experience. Leann hadn’t lived long enough to gain that mien. Adele was a strict believer in their laws and way of life, but she was also the mother of a murdered woman who’d been everything that was good and bright in this world. When their eyes met, David allowed the endless pit of sorrow he was permanently suspended over show in his eyes. They shared a loss neither of them would ever recover from. With one look, David promised to bring justice to the woman responsible for their pain. Adele seemed to recognize the truth of his love for Leann. She gave him a barely perceptible nod before returning her eyes to her mate.
Lloyd had continued to explain the council’s decision to all in attendance. That in itself was unheard of. The council ruled, and that was that. They didn’t clarify a damn thing. The law spoke for itself, but now the law was rendered irrelevant, so they took the time to expound upon the reason for the ruling. The telepaths sent by the European Council had been the linchpin of David’s defense. The rest of the council maintained the stern countenance they were known for as Lloyd wrapped up his speech.
“The hunt for the rogue, Sheena, is our priority. She is the villain here,” Lloyd repeated. Then he turned his attention to David. “Your brother has offered to take responsibility for you while the search for Sheena continues if we remand you to his custody. The rest of the council is concerned that you will once again fall under Sheena’s spell. I agree with the council.”
Was Mason crazy? David could not be set free until he learned to guard his mind. Where they seriously considering allowing David to live outside of a jail cell? They must all be insane. He didn’t deserve the freedom, but it would make things much easier when he was ready to hunt Sheena down.
“I wouldn’t want Mason to be responsible for what could happen if I can’t learn to protect myself against future attacks,” David said.
“What do you suggest we do, David?” Mason asked from his seat, looking frustrated.
David replied directly to Mason, his brother, “I believe I should remain in the Enclave where I can be continuously monitored. I don’t have any fans among the warrior class. They won’t let me out of their sight. I can carry on with the psychiatrist I’ve been working with. She’s an expert at building mental walls. It’s a necessity in her line of work when she’s dealing with psychic vampires. I don’t know what the future will bring, but I know I need supervision until I’m either better able to protect myself, or Sheena is dead.”
“Is this a solution the council is comfortable with?” Lloyd asked his peers. One by one they all agreed. “Then that is what will happen. David Deidrick, you are to return to the Enclave for treatment and observation until further notice. You will not leave the premises without permission and supervision. Do you understand?”
“I do,” David replied.
“Then you are dismissed. You will return to the Enclave with Chief Gage Paris at the end of today’s proceedings.”
David rose from the stand on slightly wobbly knees and exited the chamber. Nobody followed him, but guards were posted at every exit from the building. He was not welcome among the general population, so David climbed the stairs to the upper gallery where several warriors were looking on at the proceed
ings in the corner. He couldn’t leave, and he was honestly curious to hear Sarah Vaughn’s testimony. David watched Griffin remove himself from the council table. As Sarah’s mate, Griffin was too close to the defendant to be considered an impartial party. Griffin took the seat next to Samantha in the front row and took her hand in his. Samantha looked up at her father with tears in her eyes. Griffin wrapped an arm around Samantha and began to whisper to her. Sarah still looked carefree when her name was called to take the stand. He couldn’t wait to hear the excuses she had prepared for the council. He knew she would never take responsibility for her actions. David settled in for a show.
Seven
Griffin was reading a text update from Kayden. Things in South Carolina were getting out of hand. Sheena had developed a new drug. She was trying to expose them all to the humans, and she’d almost succeeded. This new drug was a stimulant that caused the user to lose control violently. Griffin and his peers had worked tirelessly to assure that no video from the unfortunate attack on a human in a public place reached mainstream media. They’d been lucky this time. If it happened again they might not be so fortunate.
When Sarah was called to take the stand, Griffin removed himself from the council table and took a seat in the front row next to his daughter, Samantha. Sarah’s father, Richard Ashburn, sat at the opposite end of the bench. Griffin knew his daughter and Samantha’s twin, Brandi, wouldn’t be there for Sarah’s trial. Brandi was with her new mate, Abel, and the Horde hunting for Sheena in South Carolina. Danielle and Chase were also with the Horde. Griffin would stick close to Samantha. She and J.R. would be affected most by whatever decision the rest of the council made regarding Sarah’s punishment.