Where Loyalty Lies

by Hannah Valentine

  It seemed that my strength, speed, stamina, hearing, sight and sense of smell had all greatly increased in my time here but were still not at the level of a full-blooded vampire. My medical examinations seemed to stick me right in the middle of the human-vampire scale. My counsellor said that, when I’d first arrived, I had the pure mindset of a human but that had altered dramatically over the last few months. I tried not to smile.

  Peter was the only examiner who really did me proud. He told them that I was currently at a fighting level that many vampires never reached, especially females. I was stunned. I couldn’t believe that Peter, who’d only ever spoken to me when he was barking orders or criticising, had stuck up for me.

  After that was over, Sénator Aimery stood again and called for someone called Edward to come and stand next to me. I wasn’t officially introduced to the dark-haired vampire but I was told that his ability was being able to tell what people’s emotions were so he’d know if I was telling the truth or not. He’d be my personal lie detector.

  Sénator Aimery strolled around to the front of the desk so that he was standing right in front of me. I could tell he was enjoying this. He looked at me for a moment, pretending to be choosing a question, but I knew he probably had this whole thing mapped out in his head.

  “How did you get that bruise on your face?” he asked.

  I frowned at the question. It wasn’t what I’d been expecting. “I was hit’” I replied bluntly.

  “By whom?”

  “Greg...” I hesitated, not knowing what Greg’s surname was.

  “Was it this man?” He held up a photo of Greg for me to see and then held it out so that everyone in the room could see it. I had to bite my lip to stop myself laughing. I wondered how many times he’d practised doing that, it looked exactly like when they did it on the TV programmes.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “So you and Greg had a fight? Why was that?” he asked.

  I had no idea where this was going. What did this have to do with me being a vampire?

  “Because he wanted to bite me, and I didn’t want him to,” I replied.

  “Did he bite you?” he asked in a tone that showed he clearly knew the answer.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I didn’t let him.”

  “I see. So you hit him?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  I felt uneasy now. He was clearly leading me into something and I had a feeling he was going to twist my words and make me regret my answers.

  “How many times did you hit him?”

  “Um...” I did a mental re-run. “Twice with my fist and once with the door.”

  He nodded. “So nothing that would cause a vampire any lasting harm?”

  “No.”

  “And have you been in contact with Greg since this... altercation?”

  “Nooo.” I drew the word out without meaning to. I was sure this was the moment he’d been leading to.

  Sénator Aimery looked at Edward who gave a slight nod to show I was telling the truth. A tiny line appeared in the space between his eyebrows and I knew there was more to this than he was letting on. I bit my tongue to keep myself from asking what any of this had to do with me being, or not being, a vampire.

  “Tell me,” he continued. “What is your relationship with Saul?”

  “What?” The word slipped out of my mouth before I knew it. What had caused the sudden change of topic?

  “I said,” he snapped, clearly annoyed at my rude manners, “what is your relationship with Saul?”

  I resisted the urge to turn and look at where I knew Saul was sitting. I wasn’t sure what to say. Everyone knew that Saul and I were an item now but we’d only been together for less than a month so nobody really understood how serious it was. Eventually I shrugged.

  “We’re a couple.”

  “Are you in love with him?” he asked.

  The sound of commotion made me turn and I saw Saul standing but, before he could speak, Sénator Aimery beat him to it.

  “Saul, if you do not sit down right now, you will be escorted from this room.”

  Saul sat down slowly, keeping his eyes on me. We both knew the answer; we’d told each other many times that we loved each other but the only other vampires that knew this were Holt, Henry, Thomas and Roy.

  I turned back to face the front and stared Sénator Aimery in the face.

  “Yes, I am.”

  I heard a few murmurings of laughter but I didn’t care. If the people in here chose to believe that I was some foolish little human who’d mistaken Attraction for love, then that was their mistake. I knew better.

  “And how do you feel about the fact that Saul considers you to be his mate?” Sénator Aimery asked.

  “What?”

  My yelp was drowned out by yet another commotion behind me and I looked round again to see that Saul had jumped up from his chair and was heading towards the stage where I was standing.

  “This is bollocks, what does any of this have to do with...” Saul’s words were cut off by Sénator Aimery shouting over him.

  “That’s it; you clearly cannot control yourself so you will have to leave.”

  Three vampires came forward and dragged Saul out of the room. He didn’t utter another word but his eyes didn’t leave mine until the door swung shut between us.

  I stared at the now closed door. Mate? He thought I was his mate? That couldn’t be true. I racked my brains to remember what I knew about vampires and mates; “Vampires consider their mates to be their soul mates, a lifelong bond.” I looked at Holt for help but he was sitting there with his eyes closed, a look on his face that showed he’d known this might happen.

  “Miss Hawkes.”

  I could hear Sénator Aimery calling me but I couldn’t get my thoughts together. Was it true? Did Saul really think I was his mate? Surely he’d have told me. I looked at Henry who was the only person in the room who wasn’t panicked or flustered. He was watching me and the look on his face gave me an odd sense of calm. He wasn’t smiling or looking worried, he was just looking at me like he’d known it was coming and he knew I could handle it. In that instant I knew it was true. I remembered Saul’s words, Just be honest. Don’t worry about how your answers will affect other people, just say what you believe. So he’d guessed this might happen and he’d been worried that I wouldn’t know how to answer. Well, he needn’t have worried, the answer was simple.

  “Miss Hawkes, answer the question. How do you feel about Saul considering you to be his mate?”

  A grin spread across my face and I turned back to the front.

  “I think he’s spot on.”

  More mutterings broke out across the room, this time louder. Sénator Aimery looked shocked and he actually turned to the rest of The Sénat as if he was unsure what to do next. I gave Henry a quick wink and then stood and enjoyed the chaos, glad that, somehow, without even meaning to, I’d made a big fat mess out of the shambles they were calling a trial.

  Chapter 63

  After all the fuss had died down Sénator Aimery announced that it was time to start with the practical part of the examination.

  A male member of staff was brought in and I had to ask them to do a series of stupid tasks, like jumping up and down and barking like a dog. He didn’t do any of them and it was announced loudly that it seemed I didn’t have vampire Influence. I wanted to wipe the smug look off Sénator Aimery’s face but I was partly satisfied when a vampire was made to ask me to do the same stupid tasks and, when I did none of them, it was announced that I wasn’t affected by Influence either.

  My humiliation grew when I had to chat up the same member of staff. I didn’t recognise him but I was sure this story was going to be all around the staff houses as soon as he got back. Dale would be taking the piss out of me for a long time. I don’t know how they’d selected this guy from the whole of the staff, but I felt sorry for him as he was hooked up to a million wires that would judge his reacti
ons to me.

  When I sat on a chair next to him, a machine announced to the room that his heart beat had accelerated. He also seemed to notice the beeping but, once I’d rested my hand on his, he was infatuated.

  I didn’t know how to read the whirring of the machine but, judging by the frown on Sénator Aimery’s face, it was working in my favour. After a few more moments he waved his hands impatiently and announced that I did have Vampire Attraction.

  The bewildered lad was led out the room and then it was my turn to be hooked up to the machine. I sat still as the examiner in control of the machine stuck pads all over me. Then another vampire, who I could only assume I was supposed to throw myself at, was called up.

  This guy introduced himself as John. He tried a number of cheesy lines on me and I gave him a very obvious “I’m not into you” look. John then moved onto propositions that started off subtle and ended with suggestions that made me have to work hard not to blush.

  I kept waiting for it to be announced that I wasn’t affected by Attraction but we just kept being asked to continue. I warned John three times not to keep touching me and, when he did it a fourth time, I snatched the examiner’s pen and rammed it into John’s thigh. He let out a howl of pain. I heard a chuckle and turned to see Henry openly laughing. Sénator Aimery stood and shouted at me.

  “Miss Hawkes, there was no call for that.”

  My patience had run out and I stood and shouted back at him. “Yes, there was call for it. I don’t mind you testing Influence and Attraction but that’s pushing it. How far was it going to go? Was it going to stop at a little grope or was I supposed to tolerate complete sexual harassment for you to get the answer?” I started ripping the suction pads and wires off, sending the examiner into a complete panic. “I’m done. I think it’s clear that I’m not attracted to any vampire in this room. The only vampire I’m attracted to is Saul.”

  Sénator Aimery chuckled at me. “I think you’ll find that is the effect that vampire Attraction has on humans.”

  “Hardly,” I snorted, aware I was being rude and not helping my case in the slightest but I was suddenly fed up with all this ridiculousness and, after stabbing John in the leg, I figured I might as well go out in style. “You see if vampire Attraction affected me, I’d be attracted to every vampire but I’m not. I’m not attracted to him.” I pointed at John who’d pulled the pen out and the hole in his leg was now healing. “Or him.” I pointed to the examiner who was desperately trying to untangle the wires I’d pulled off. “Or you.” I pointed at Sénator Aimery who shot me the most irritated look I’d ever received. “Or any vampire in this whole place, except for Saul, and he’s upstairs waiting for me, so if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go and be with him.”

  “You can’t leave; your trial isn’t over yet,” Sénator Aimery shouted.

  “Yes it is,” I shouted back. “I’ve spent four months jumping through hoops and it’s damned obvious that I’m more vampire than human, but nothing I do is going to change your minds about that, so I’m not going to bother wasting my time trying anymore. You can finish your little trial by yourselves; just let me know the outcome when you finally get to it.” I spun round and made my way to the door.

  I felt an arm rest across my shoulders and looked sideways at Henry who was beaming down at me.

  “You certainly know how to make an exit,” he said as we flounced out of the room together.

  Once the door closed behind us my boldness faded as I realised what I’d done. I’d just let my bad temper ruin any chance of getting what I longed for.

  Henry sensed my change in mood. “Don’t get yourself down; you don’t know what the outcome will be.”

  “After that outburst, I think I do,” I said glumly. “I should have bitten my tongue.”

  “I don’t think anyone could blame you for losing it; you’ve already put up with a hell of a lot more than most people here ever have,” Henry said.

  I ran through the trial in my head

  “I don’t understand why they brought Greg into it. What did our ‘altercation’ the other day have to do with any of this?” I asked.

  We’d reached the top of the stairs and Henry pulled me to a stop.

  “There’s something you need to know,” he said. “I don’t know if I should be the one to tell you this, but I think it’s better that you find out now, so you know everything.”

  “Okay.”

  I leant back against the wall. For Henry to be so cautious about a topic, it must be serious. My gut twisted. What if it was that Saul didn’t really think he was my mate? What if they’d made that whole thing up and I’d just made a fool out of myself by saying it was true? I knew that I honestly thought it was true, but that didn’t mean that Saul did. Was it possible for a vampire to find their mate but the feeling not be returned?

  “Greg is currently in hospital.”

  Henry’s statement interrupted my mental panic. It took a moment for my mind to stop running off on the wrong track.

  “Hospital?” I repeated dumbly. “But he was fine. Yes, I hit him but he was well enough to chase me, and to run off when we got caught.”

  “Yes, he was fine. The bruises you gave him healed within hours.”

  “So why would he be...” My sentence trailed off as I put the pieces together. I remembered the anger on Saul’s face as he’d cleaned the blood off me. “Saul.”

  It hadn’t been a question, but Henry answered it anyway.

  “Yes, it was Saul. But, before you start getting upset and saying that Saul shouldn’t have done it, just remember that Saul’s not a human, he’s a vampire. Have you heard about the law that states that if a vampire kills another’s mate, then the bereaved vampire is allowed to kill the attacker?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, that law doesn’t just apply in cases of death. It’s very much a case of an eye for an eye. Greg hurt you and so Saul hurt Greg. This isn’t a law we have because we thought it would be a fit punishment, the vampire race has a primal and untamed streak. We can’t control our possessive and protective instincts, it’s part of who we are and, if an attack is made against our mate, there’s no question in our mind about how that should be dealt with. It may seem harsh to you but you have to remember that we are vampires. We may look human but there’ll always be something very dark and very wild in us that can never be tamed.”

  As Henry’s words sunk in, I shivered. For some reason I had the mental image of a pack of wolves, teeth bared, snapping and snarling and attacking each other to maintain their pack status. Henry was right; it was all too easy to see their human appearance and to think they were just a wealthier and more powerful version of the rest of the people populating the planet. It would do me good to keep that picture of the wolves tucked away in my mind to remind me of what Henry had just said.

  Personally I didn’t agree with the way Saul had dealt with Greg, but in the animal world I’d think nothing of it if I saw a mother attacking a creature that was causing harm to her loved ones. If I was truly going to be Saul’s mate, then I needed to understand that he’d always be this way.

  “I understand,” I said and it came out a little huskily. Henry pulled me into a hug and, as I stood in his arms, a realisation hit me. “That’s why they asked me about being his mate. They wanted to know if Saul attacking Greg was an act that should be permitted or punished,” I said, pulling back so that I could observe Henry’s answer.

  Henry nodded. “If you weren’t his mate, Saul would have got into a lot of trouble for what he did. Which, by the way, is the only reason Holt or I didn’t rip that son of a bitch apart ourselves. Technically, even though you’re now his mate, Saul should have got permission from The Sénat, but that step is regularly forgotten when someone’s so full of rage.”

  “So everyone knew?” I asked. “Saul put Greg in the hospital and claimed he did it because I was his mate?”

  “Not exactly. Saul attacked Greg, then, afterwards, he went to see The Sénat. He co
nfessed that he’d attacked Greg and then he told them that he believed you were his mate.”

  “When did all this happen?” I asked.

  “The day after you were attacked.”

  “I still don’t get why The Sénat would bring that up in my trial. I mean, surely Saul and I being mates is more likely to prove that I’m more vampire than human?”

  A sly grin spread across Henry’s face. “I don’t think they ever dreamed you’d agree with it. I’m sure they thought that, if you were Saul’s mate, then you’d have been together from the minute you met. The three month gap between you meeting and becoming a couple is pretty amazing. Usually when a vampire meets their mate, it’s instant. The Sénat probably thought you’d deny it and then they’d twist that to mean you didn’t have the vampire ability to sense a mate.”

  That made sense. No wonder Sénator Aimery had looked so surprised when I’d agreed with Saul.

  “Right,” Henry said, starting to walk and pulling me along with him. “If Saul finds out I’m keeping you from him, he’ll kill me!”

  Chapter 64

  As we neared my room I saw that the three vampires that had dragged Saul from the meeting room were standing outside my door.

  “What’s going on?” I looked to Henry for an answer.

  “They’re making sure he’s not within hearing distance,” he answered before turning to the men. “You can go now, it’s all over.”

  As they left, I pushed the door open and Henry followed me in. Saul was standing by the window and, as he turned, I could see the anxiety on his face. I launched myself across the room and he caught me in a fierce embrace.

  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled onto the top of my head. “I should have told you; you didn’t need to find out like that.”

  I shook my head as best I could with his arms wrapped so tightly around me.

  “It’s okay,” I said.

  Saul finally pulled away and shared an embrace with Henry that was just as meaningful.