“However,” Russell said, silencing the room, “There is still the matter of you breaking into Roger Mason’s home. According to him, you stole some very valuable things.”
Roger stood. “I’m willing to overlook–”
“That’s a lie!” Quinten said angrily. “We didn’t steal anything valuable, at least not in a way he would think.”
Russell smiled. “So, you admit to breaking into his home? The lines of these laws are not so blurry. The crowd might get what they came to see after all,” he said triumphantly.
“Let them speak,” the werewolf on the end said. “Go on.”
Quinten looked at me, and I nodded.
“Roger Mason is a liar. He’s been blackmailing Alanna and her family. He wanted her as his second mate, and was going to kill her entire family to get what he wanted. And, he’s been keeping dhampirs locked away in the dungeons beneath his home.”
“That’s preposterous!” Roger said, glaring at the two of us. “Alanna became enamored by my wealth and status. She was the one who pursued me. And when she found out that I was planning to take her sister as a mate instead, she became enraged, and attacked me.”
“It’s true,” Ilene said. “Alanna’s always been the center of attention. If anyone else gets what she wants, she becomes violent and dangerous.”
“That’s bullshit!” Ray shouted over the talking crowd. “Roger tried to corner Alanna, and he threatened to have us locked away in the dungeons with his dhampirs. The only reason he went to the Council with the information about Quinten was so that he could try to discredit us before we could do the same to him!”
Russell Hewitt frowned. “Roger Mason is one of the most decorated, respected werewolves in our community. What you’re accusing him of is simply preposterous.”
“I’m interested in hearing what the Moore family has to say,” said the werewolf on the end.
“Phillip, be reasonable,” Russell said angrily. “Roger is a war hero, and a good man. What they’re accusing him of is simply impossible.”
“I’d still like to hear this,” Phillip said, looking at me. “Go on, Miss Moore. Tell us everything.”
I took a deep breath, aware that everyone in the room was staring at me. “Roger was blackmailing me. When we attended his dinner party, he forced me down into his dungeons, and he introduced me to Darren West, a dhampir that he found on the streets of Chicago years ago. He’d been locked away since then, and tortured on a daily basis. Roger told me that my entire family would end up there if I refused his offer to be his mate.”
Phillip looked at Roger, who was turning red from barely repressed rage.
“Then what happened?”
“Roger called me, to tell me that he would spare my family if I would be willing to give myself to him. I agreed, but Quinten followed me, and talked me out of it. Roger attacked, and Ray and my cousin Jax arrived in time to save us. When that didn’t work, Roger pretended to kidnap Ilene, and he told me that if I surrendered, he would let her go.
“I went, and offered myself up in exchange for her life. It was all a setup though, and Quinten and I were both kidnapped, and shipped off to fight in the Arena Wars.”
Everyone was whispering now. It seemed that every werewolf knew about Elias and his games.
“Ray and Jax arrived with some other werewolves, and they saved us. Quinten was shot though, and I thought he had died in my arms. But he didn’t die. He was turned, and I felt our bond return to life as well. I found him, and we were going to just move away, so that Roger would never know that he had survived.
“But that didn’t work. Jax and I went for one last run through the woods, and Roger found us. He seriously injured Jax, but Quinten arrived in time to save us. We decided that the only way to survive Roger was to find a way to discredit him, and we decided to use the dhampirs to do that.
“So we broke into Roger’s home in the middle of the night. I kept the promise I made to Darren, and we freed them all.”
“So, where are the dhampirs now, then?” Russell asked. “Surely if they do in fact exist, which nobody has ever been able to prove before, we could hear some of this directly from them?”
“We freed them all,” I said. “They’re gone now. I’m not sure where they went off too,” I admitted, flinching as everyone began to laugh.
Roger smiled, back in control of his emotions. “This is all very ridiculous. They can’t prove one single bit of their accusations.”
“But I can,” Darren said, closing the courtroom door behind him.
“Darren!”
Roger’s eye twitched and his lips peeled back in a grimace.
“This is the dhampir that you spoke of?” Phillip asked, leaning forward in interest.
“Yes. I’m the dhampir that was held against my will in Roger’s dungeons. He introduced me to Alanna to enforce his point, and to try and get Alanna to be his mate, against her wishes. She promised to come back for me, and she did. She and her family freed all of us. The others left, to make up for all of the time that Roger had taken from them, but I couldn’t. I owe Alanna my freedom, and my life.”
“What proof is there of any of this?” Russell asked incredulously. “We’re to just take their word for everything? How do we know that he’s not just a normal vampire? What makes him different?”
Phillip groaned. “Russell, you’re being ridiculous. What reason could they have for lying about this? Your own well-known prejudices against vampires are clouding your judgment.”
Russell glared. “How dare you?”
“Maybe it’s time for you to step down, if you are incapable of knowing the truth when you hear it.”
There were nods from the other Council members, and complete silence from everyone spectator in the room. They were all hanging off of every word said, like they couldn’t get enough of it.
“This girl has no reason to lie to us,” Phillip continued. “But Roger has much more at stake right now. His credibility is on the line, and I believe he would do or say anything to keep it.”
Everyone in the courtroom was looking between Roger and the Council members, unsure of what to make of the situation. Suddenly, I wasn’t the one on trial anymore.
“Roger, what do you have to say for yourself?” Phillip asked.
He looked calm enough, but I knew he was frantically searching for an answer that would keep him out of trouble, and would let him keep his dignity.
“I believed that I was doing the right thing by locking up those monsters. The dhampirs are dangerous beasts, capable of slaughtering entire families without remorse.”
“Kind of like you,” Quinten said, glaring.
Roger ignored him, and continued. “I see now that what I did was wrong, but at the time, I honestly thought that I was doing the right thing. The dhampirs are dangerous, soulless creatures. As for the blackmailing, that’s outrageous. I would do no such thing.”
Ilene stood. “I’ve never been kidnapped by Roger, nor has he ever tried to blackmail my family. They’re upset with my choices, and they’re trying to force me to come home.”
Russell frowned, and looked at Phillip. “Well, what do we do?”
*****
I’d never been so happy to see home. Everything was over now. Quinten and I were free to be together, and Roger was discredited. Nobody was going to hurt us ever again.
Quinten shut the door behind him. “I can’t believe everything that’s happened in the last few weeks. If someone told me all of this, I wouldn’t have believed a word of it.”
I grinned. “I know; it’s crazy. Blackmail, betrayal, fights to the death, vampirism, and trial and imprisonment. I’m just glad that it’s all over. We can finally be together.”
He took my hand and pulled me close.
“Don’t count on it,” Ray cautioned. “Roger’s going to be furious with us. Just because he no longer has the support of the Council or the public, doesn’t mean that he’s done with us.”
“But he hasn�
��t lost the Council’s support, has he?” I asked. “I mean, I know they said they would open an investigation, but what does that mean? They’re not going to actually do anything about him, even if they can prove what he did to us. Roger’s too popular among the community.”
“True, but I think this will seriously hurt his reputation. People will wonder where he draws the line. Would he do something like that to them and their families? Nobody will feel safe with him anymore.”
“Except Ilene.”
Ray frowned. “Yes, except Ilene.”
“I can’t believe the choices she’s made.”
“Don’t criticize her,” Carmen said, stepping into the living room.
“Where were you?” Ray demanded. “Your daughter could have been executed today, and you weren’t there. Do you even care?”
“What was I supposed to do? If I’d shown up at the Council meeting, I would have been staked.”
“They let Darren go,” I said, watching her. “You know, I’ve seen some pretty inconsistent things with you in the last couple of days. Some of the time you look actually happy to see me, and other times you just look like you hate me, like I ruined your life or something. Are you happy to be in my life again?”
She frowned. “I’m still figuring things out, Alanna.”
“That’s not a yes.”
“I need time to think about things.”
“There’s nothing to think about!” I shouted, taking a step forward. “I’m your daughter, you’re my mother, and you should love me no matter who or what I am!”
“Alanna, relax.” Quinten said, putting his arm around my shoulder. “She just came back into your life, give it some time.”
I shrugged him off, angry that he was defending her. “How can you say that? It’s like you think she didn’t have a choice when she abandoned her family. She chose to leave us!”
“Alanna, just think about it from her point of view.” Quinten said.
“No! You don’t get a say in this. It’s not fair that you get to have a good relationship with my mother, and I don’t. And why does she care so much about you anyways?”
“Do you even hear yourself? You’re behaving like a spoiled brat that didn’t get her way. Why don’t you grow up and actually give this situation some thought?”
“How dare you?” I gasped. “My mother abandoned us, and now she actually has a chance to be there for me, and she doesn’t take it. I could have been killed today, and I don’t think she would have even cared. She’s a mean, conceited, nasty bitch.”
“Shut up!” Quinten said, glaring at me. “You don’t know her like I do.”
“What?” I asked, outraged. “What makes you think you know her better than I do? I’m her fucking daughter! You’ve only known her for like a week. Give it some time. She’ll turn on you eventually. She only has one side, hers, and if you’re not on it, you’re nothing to her.”
Quinten’s eyes hardened. “She’s my maker. I am everything to her,” he hissed, taking a step closer. “And you are not going to ever say anything bad about her again. Do you understand?”
I took an involuntary step back, surprised. “What’s wrong with you?”
He blinked, and quickly looked away. “I have to go. It’s been too long since I fed. Fledgling vampires like me can’t go this long without fresh blood. It does things to us.”
I sighed. “Go, then. Go attack some poor defenseless woman and drain her. I don’t care.”
I shut my bedroom door behind me, harder than was necessary, and flopped down onto my bed. Apparently everything wasn’t going to be alright, because for some reason, Quinten was still under the impression that Carmen was an amazing person that actually cared about him.
I knew differently though. Any woman that would leave her family like she did would turn on him in an instant, as long as it meant that she would survive. Carmen was only looking out for number one, and that person wasn’t Quinten.
I just hoped he figured that out before it was too late.
Chapter Eight
Quinten and I stayed mad at each other for three whole days, much longer than ever before. We’d fought every once and a while, but never anything like this. He kept expecting an apology, and so was I. Neither of us was willing to admit that the other was right.
Carmen kept an annoyingly close watch on Quinten, as if she was waiting for him to come to his senses and leave me. Every time she looked at me, I had to resist the urge to lunge across the room and knock some sense into her. I wasn’t sure why she actually thought she had any say in our relationship whatsoever, but she did. I knew that if it came down to it, she would take his side over mine, which just made me angrier.
On day four, I finally decided to call a truce. It was too weird not waking up next to Quinten, and I couldn’t take it anymore. Even though he was wrong, I was willing to admit defeat to save our relationship.
“Hey Jax, have you seen Quinten?”
He nodded his head, tying one of his shoes. His cast had come off three days ago, and he’d started running in the mornings, trying to get his leg back in top shape.
“Yeah, I think he was in the garage with Carmen. She was trying to teach him something about controlling his bloodlust or something like that.”
“In the garage?” I asked, surprised.
He nodded. “That’s where she’s got her cooler of blood stored. I think she’s tempting him with it.”
“I guess that makes sense. Hey, has Darren had any problems with his bloodlust?”
Jax’s eyes narrowed. “How should I know?” He snapped.
I stared at him. “I was just asking. There’s no need to snap at me. What’s your problem with Darren anyways? Every time he enters the room, you leave. If you can’t leave, you just sit there and glare at him like he’s a bug you wanna stomp on.”
“I just don’t like vampires,” he said, looking away from me. “Considering everything we’ve been through lately, I would think you’d understand that. I’m gonna head out for my run.”
“You don’t treat Quinten like that,” I said, getting in his way. “What’s gotten into you? Darren’s a nice person. The least you could do is try and like him.”
He frowned. “I don’t wanna try and like him. I don’t want anything to do with him!” He said, storming out the front door.
What was that all about? Jax didn’t have a problem with Quinten. Why would he dislike Darren so much? Darren had never hurt him, or even attempted to. So what was the problem?
Shaking my head, I opened the door leading out to the garage. Maybe Quinten would know what was wrong with Jax.
I walked down the stairs and into the garage.
“Quinten, you’re doing so well,” Carmen said softly.
“Thanks, Carmen. That means a lot to me.”
I stepped around a rack filled with Ray’s tools, and stopped. Carmen smiled, and moved closer to Quinten. “I’m really proud of you.”
Then she leaned closer, and pressed her lips to his. He stiffened for a second, before pulling away. “Carmen, what are you–”
“You stupid bitch!” I screamed, walking toward her. How dare she think about kissing Quinten, let alone actually do it! When I was right in front of her, I brought my hands up, and shoved her as hard as I could.
I raised my hand to hit her, and a vice-like grip went around my throat. I was lifted off my feet and slammed against the wall hard enough to crack my skull. My vision went fuzzy for a second, but when it cleared, I found myself staring into a pair of furious dark brown eyes that were usually filled with so much love it was tangible.
The door opened, and Ray ran into view.
Quinten’s grip around my throat tightened, and I caught a gleam of fangs. As fast as it had happened, he released his grip on me and backed away in horror. I fell to my knees, gasping for air, confused about the attack.
Ray was by my side in an instant, helping me to my feet. When I looked up at him, he was glaring at Quinten with so much a
nger and hatred it almost scared me.
“How dare you?”
“Ray, I didn’t–”
“You would defend that bitch instead of my daughter?”
Quinten took another step back. “S-she’s my maker.”
“Alanna is your soul mate!” He roared, before turning his glare on Carmen. “And you. You disgusting whore. Destroying our marriage wasn’t enough for you; you had to go after your own daughter’s happiness as well?”
Carmen narrowed her eyes at him. “I never meant to–”
“To what? Seduce your daughter’s soul mate? You know, that’s why a maker is always supposed to be the same gender as the person they’re turning, just so this kind of thing doesn’t happen.”
“I didn’t know that,” Carmen said, looking at Quinten. “I was just trying to save his life.”
“If you didn’t know that, you had no right making a fledgling. You don’t know enough about being a vampire, even after ten years, to even consider teaching someone else. Did you even stop to think what this would do to Alanna?”
“Just relax,” Quinten said, putting himself between Ray and Carmen. “Ray, I would never have feelings for Carmen, and I certainly wouldn’t hurt Alanna.”
He looked at me pleadingly.
“Alanna?”
I shook my head and backed away from him, wiping tears from my eyes. “No, I don’t want to hear anything you have to say!”
I turned and blindly ran away. The tears made it impossible for me to see where I was going, and I tripped twice going up the stairs, and I ran into the corner of the kitchen table. Ignoring the pain, I shut myself in my bedroom, and locked the door behind me.
Later that night, I felt Quinten enter my room through the window, and I quickly closed my eyes and tried to slow my breathing. I didn’t want to talk to him right now, and I was hoping that he would just leave me alone.
But he didn’t.
He sat down beside me on the bed, and brushed a strand of hair out of my face, tucking it gently behind my ear. “I love you, Alanna. So much,” he whispered. “I’m so afraid that I’m going to seriously hurt you, and I can’t risk that.”
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