I dug my nails into my palms until I felt blood. The slight pain wasn’t much, but I clung to it. I would not humiliate myself by crying in front of Ian and the entire council! I’d picked my navy skirt suit because it was elegant yet somber; the right balance for court. Now, its dark color concealed the blood I’d drawn, and the perfume I wore to hide the scent of my emotions covered its faint scent.
When Ian drawled, “My runaway bride, here at last,” I dug my nails in harder, then took in a breath to steady myself.
Big mistake. His cognac-and-caramel scent invited me to breathe it in until he filled me, and being so near to him meant his aura brushed mine as if his power were stroking me.
Somebody, kill me now.
To distract myself further, I took in the surroundings I’d ignored before. The seats of the amphitheater surrounded the stage and reflected the moon’s pale, silvery rays back at us as if they were additional lights. Those seats were empty since the only people sitting were in eleven large thrones at the center of the circular stage. Hekima, one of only four women on the council, nodded at me. Her salt-and-pepper hair was in its usual severe bun, but her brown eyes were warm. Out of all the council members, I liked her the most.
I smiled at Hekima before giving a more formal nod to Haldam, the official spokesperson for the council. Then I inclined my head at the remaining nine council members before turning my attention to the other people on the stage.
Mencheres, Ian’s sire, was here. His long black hair hung down over his shoulders like silk scarves, and his obsidian gaze was accusing when it met mine. Don’t blame me, blame Bones for this! I wanted to retort. I’d told Bones to protect Ian and ensure that he kept a low profile. Simple instructions, but with this lawsuit, Ian had practically painted a target on his back before firing himself from a canon during a demon fireworks display.
At least Mencheres loved Ian. That meant I could count on him. Ian would just kill his way out of here if the council called for his death, but I had friends here that I didn’t want to see harmed. Mencheres’s formidable powers plus my own abilities meant I could get Ian away without any bloodshed.
I looked away from Mencheres to Xun Guan, my longtime friend and former lover. Her expression became hooded as she glanced from me to Ian. I responded with a slight shake of my head. No, that shake told her. I’m not changing my stance about denying my marriage.
Xuan Guan tilted her chin. Message received, that slight gesture said. Then she turned away, showing only her lovely profile and her jet-black, high-swept hair.
I moved on to Thonos, the council’s official executioner. His unruly black hair was pulled back in a knot, so Thonos must not have gotten the news that man-buns were out. I nodded at him, then flicked my gaze to Julius, Priscilla, Gan, and Vachir. My sense of foreboding returned. The council had been laughing, but things could turn deadly fast. They’d certainly prepared for it, having six of their strongest Law Guardians here.
“Honorable judges,” I said, greeting the council. “I present myself as requested.”
Their mirth disappeared. “Veritas,” Haldam said, stroking the long white beard that matched the snowy hair trailing down his back. “You have been apprised of the charges against us. Before we proceed, we need to first establish if this man”—he nodded at Ian, as if I needed reminding who he meant—“is truly your husband?”
I chose my words carefully. “No, though he has reason to believe that he is—”
“Such as remembering the ceremony?” Ian interjected.
My gaze swung to Ian as if he’d yanked on it. Gods, his eyes, staring into mine with an intensity that belied the carefree yet cocky slant to his mouth. Yes, there was recognition in them. Somehow, Ian remembered me, and not just as the coldhearted bitch he’d thought I was before we’d partnered up to take down Dagon months ago!
I was about to fling myself into his arms when I realized how much was missing. Ian might know me more than he had before everything had started between us, but not as much as the last time we’d been together. I’d never forget the way he’d looked at me during what should have been the final moments of his life. Now, everything that had been in his gaze then was gone.
My hope vanished. Nothing had changed. I was still a demon target, and he wasn’t the same Ian who’d died in my arms.
“Your memory is a delusion born of too much Red Dragon combined with an enemy’s spell,” I said, dismissing him without another look. “For a short time, I, too, believed that I’d bound myself to him in marriage while under the effects of the same drug and spell,” I continued, returning my attention to the council. “Fortunately, that belief proved to be false.”
“Bollocks,” Ian said silkily.
I didn’t swing around to look at him again, but it was close. What in the seven hells was he doing? I was handing him his freedom while also giving him a plausible excuse for his reckless lawsuit. All he had to do was shut up and take it!
“We were under the effects of a spell,” I repeated, my tone sharpening. “One that was cast on us as we finished dispatching the last of the Red Dragon dealers in New York several weeks ago. That’s why we believed ourselves to be married, and why we repeated that mistaken belief to Xun Guan and her trainees.”
“Then why was I with you in the first place?” Ian asked in that damnably caressing tone.
My teeth ground before I forced my jaw to relax. “You took me to inform me of a possible Red Dragon dealer. By the time I confirmed your suspicions, we were attacked, necessitating you to act as my backup despite you being a civilian.”
“I arrived too late to assist,” Xun Guan interjected. “When I came upon Veritas and this civilian, she had already killed the Red Dragon dealer and the source, as well as several of the dealer’s associates.”
“But not after being forced to drink large quantities of Red Dragon in order to get to them,” I added. “That, combined with the spell I later found out had been cast on us, resulted in our compromised mental states and false memory of being married. Due to my advanced strength and age, my memory of the true events returned over the next several days. His memories,” I shrugged as if unconcerned, “clearly still have not.”
“Ian,” Mencheres said. “Perhaps you should consider this clarified version of events?”
Ian ignored his sire. “A question for you, honorable judges.” His tone was carefree, but I caught the edge that said he was deadly serious. “Is there any precedent of a vampire marriage being annulled if both parties were intoxicated or under other mind-altering influence when they made their vows?”
“There has never been an accepted annulment process for a vampire marriage,” Haldam replied, which was true despite it being infuriatingly archaic and unfair.
“We don’t need to concern ourselves with that because we’re not married,” I all but growled.
He flashed me a grin that didn’t fool me. His turquoise-colored gaze was sharklike. “You have another definition for when two vampires cut their palms and claim each other in front of witnesses, one of whom is glaring at my back even now?”
“How do you remember that?” I burst out, noticing that Xun Guan was indeed glaring at Ian.
“More pertinent is whether he speaks the truth,” Haldam said, to sounds of agreement from the rest of the council.
I went with the only response I could. “As I said, we were both extremely intoxicated plus reeling from the effects of a spell. It’s no surprise that our memories differ.”
Ian’s hand swept toward Xun Guan. “She wasn’t drunk or spelled. Ask her if we bound ourselves together that night.”
How do you remember that? I screamed silently this time. He couldn’t remember everything. If he did, he wouldn’t be trying to prove a marriage he’d wanted no part of when it had happened.
Haldam waved Xun Guan forward. She came, reluctance rounding out the straight lines of her posture. Please, I tried to convey during the brief glance we exchanged. Please don’t confirm what he just
said!
“Xun Guan.” Haldam’s commanding voice filled the amphitheater. “Did you witness a binding marriage ceremony between Veritas and this vampire? Or did you not?”
Xun Guan straightened to her usual, regal posture. My hopes plummeted. I might have gotten her to agree to “forget” what she’d seen as far as keeping silent in the face of my denials, but lying to the council? She wouldn’t, not even if she believed I’d made a terrible mistake while very drunk and spelled, which is what I’d told her. Xun Guan loved me, but she loved the law more. She always had. It’s why I’d never been able to share my secrets with her.
“Yes,” Xun Guan said in strong, if strained, voice. “Yes, I did witness that, honorable judges.”
The vampire world’s most notorious bachelor had just succeeded in proving the validity of our marriage to the highest court in vampire society. Now nothing but one of our deaths could end it. Why had Ian, of all people, done that?
Chapter 4
Ian’s voice shattered the silence. “Now that that’s sorted, I formally withdraw my lawsuit. Clearly my bride wasn’t being unlawfully kept from me against her wishes by this council. Poor lamb just didn’t remember the happy occasion.”
That snapped me out of my stunned muteness. “This ‘poor lamb’ still doesn’t owe you anything, marriage or no marriage.”
“She is correct,” Hekima said. “While our laws forbid divorce and also permit the slaying of any person a vampire spouse commits adultery with, they do not demand that spouses cohabitate or even speak to one another. If Veritas doesn’t want you, you have no recourse before this court, young man.”
“Agreed,” Ian said, making me more suspicious. He was never agreeable unless it suited him. “And for wasting your time, you have my sincerest apologies.” He punctuated that with a bow that managed to appear both graceful and contrite. “Since I’ve always considered words an insufficient form of amends, allow me to present an offering indicative of my remorse,” he finished, then whistled.
Three vampires I’d never seen before hurried into the amphitheater. Each carried three large crates stacked on top of each other. They set the crates down in front of the council. Ian whisked the lid off the first crate before I could sputter out an apology. He was trying to bribe the council into forgetting about his slanderous lawsuit?
“Ian,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “A word?”
“In a moment,” he said, pulling back a layer of packaging to reveal glass-enclosed, aged parchments. “Now, then, history considers the destruction of the Alexandria library in forty-eight b.c. as one of the world’s greatest losses of knowledge. Fortunately, as with many other things, history is incorrect. Not all the library was lost. Here is what remains.”
At that, Haldam actually got off his throne to take a closer look. After several moments of carefully rifling through the first crate, he turned to the other council members.
“This appears to be genuine.”
Haldam sounded so surprised, he didn’t seem to notice that he’d reverted back to speaking in his native Latin. Now all the council members got off their thrones to cluster around the crates and examine their glass-encased documents.
“How did you come to possess this?” Hekima asked.
Ian gave her a brilliant smile. “Mark Anthony presented the remains of the library to Cleopatra as a gift. Their daughter, Patra, later acquired it. You’ll remember Patra declared war on my sire, Mencheres, several years ago? After Patra was killed, her belongings were plundered by those who’d fought at Mencheres’s side. I claimed this library as my part of the spoils.”
I shook my head. Of course Ian wouldn’t settle for Patra’s gold, jewelry, or other everyday riches. He’d only want the rarest type of treasure as his prize. Now, he’d dazzled the council by gifting them with it. They would have taken offense at money, but the Alexandria library was priceless for its treasure trove of lost history. It was also rumored to contain many long-forgotten spells. In the council’s never-ending quest to stomp out magic, they’d want those spells in their hands versus the hands of other vampires.
I had to give Ian credit—the council was so entranced by discovering what treasures the scrolls contained, they barely seemed to notice him anymore. I had to take advantage of their distraction before one of them snapped out of their wonder over the return of the famed lost library and sentenced Ian to decades in prison for suing them.
“Since I’m still on leave, honorable judges, I’ll take my remaining time to straighten out this situation so it poses no further issue when I return to work,” I said.
“See that you do,” one of them murmured, too low for me to catch who. I did catch some of their glances as a few of them briefly looked up from the crates. They contained combinations of reproach, disdain, and other unflattering opinions.
They might be impressed by Ian’s gift, but their opinion of him hadn’t changed. Having our marriage confirmed didn’t just complicate things for me personally; it would also throw up roadblocks professionally. I’d seen it with other female Guardians who’d married people the council didn’t approve of, though male Guardians seemed exempt from this form of career censure. Humanity didn’t have a monopoly on sexism.
That was a problem for a later day. My immediate problem flashed a devilish smile at me. “Shall we?” Ian said, holding out his arm. “Unless you’d prefer me to carry you over the threshold, my not-so-blushing bride?”
My glare promised vengeance, but we had to get out of there. Still, I ignored his arm as I brushed past him.
“Veritas.” Xun Guan gave me a pained look when I reached her. “I am so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” I said it briskly, but I meant it. I was responsible for this mess, not her.
She brushed my cheek. “If I could have spared you this—”
“You could have,” Ian interrupted, reaching my side. “You chose not to. Knew you would. I might not remember much, but I remembered that.”
I was trying to absorb I might not remember much when Xun Guan’s dark brown eyes turned green and her hand dropped to her sword. Ian saw it and snorted. “We’re at court where all duels require legal merit. You have none. Laws, eh?”
“Why are you antagonizing her?” I asked, low.
“Because of how she looks at you,” he responded, his eyes never leaving Xun Guan’s face. “Now that we have this moment, let me be frank, Xun Guan. If you act on what’s in your gaze, I won’t make the mistake of treating you like some poor, lovelorn lass. I’ll treat you like the dangerous warrior you are and rip your head off the first chance I get. Quite clear?”
Her gaze was now blazing green and her knuckles whitened on the hilt of her sword. “It will be a pleasure to kill you when your time comes,” she said in Mandarin.
“Back at you,” Ian replied in the same language.
I pushed him out the door, hissing, “Haven’t you caused enough trouble?” while thanking all the gods that Mencheres immediately filled the space behind us. Now Xun Guan wouldn’t be tempted to follow Ian outside. Ian could beat her in a fight. Xun Guan didn’t know that, but I did, and I refused to play a part in her death.
Thankfully, Xun Guan didn’t follow us. My relief turned out to be short lived. As soon as we were outside of the amphitheater, Ian spun around. My hands were still in front of me since I’d been pushing him. He caught them, then hauled me close.
Time seemed to freeze. My grip on him instinctively tightened as I stared into his eyes, memories of the last time we’d been like this slamming into me.
I brushed my lips over his knuckles before releasing his hand. “Speaking of fighting, those demons screeching over their salt wounds aren’t going to kill themselves. Stay here. I’ll be back after I take care of them.”
Ian smiled, half teasing and half enticing despite being barely conscious. “Give me a moment and I’ll join you. Can’t have you tiring yourself out. We have a celebration . . .”
That’s all he’d gott
en out before Dagon shoved that first bone knife through Ian’s skull. Once again, I heard my own scream and felt a surge of sheer panic as Ian’s eye began to smoke. “Don’t!” I shouted at Dagon. “Please, stop!”
Dagon had no intention of stopping. He’d only delayed to draw out my pain. I ripped my hands away, saying “Don’t touch me!” with all the vehemence of the grief I’d felt back then.
“Fine,” Ian said, stepping back. “I won’t touch you as long as you don’t attempt to disappear on me again.”
Panic of a new kind made me snap, “You heard the council. You can’t make me stay with you.”
“I can until you give me the answers you owe me,” he replied, his gaze hardening. “You wouldn’t do it by text, so now you’ll do it face to face.”
“I have questions, too,” Mencheres said coolly.
Take a number and get in line! I thought. Ian seemed to agree. “Mine take precedence, Mencheres, but neither of us is asking her anything here. Too many ears.”
I seized on that. “You’re right, we need to leave and I have places to be. Text me. This time, I swear I’ll reply—”
His laughter cut me off. “You have a better chance of convincing me to stake myself, and I’m not even joking.”
But I can’t be around you! I wanted to scream. It’s killing me, and if I don’t leave you soon, it will really kill you!
I forced those emotions back, wishing I could draw on my other nature to erase them entirely. But if I let that half take control, I’d be unfeeling, yes, to the point of being a mass-murdering sociopath. That would hardly do.
No, I’d have to see this through. “Fine. I’ll go with you, but first, I have to stop by my room to retrieve something.”
“I’ll have one of my men pick it up,” Ian said, nodding at the three vampires who silently followed us.
“No.” I was so emphatic, his brows went up. “Only I can get this, and that’s nonnegotiable.”
He shrugged. “As you wish, but then I’m coming, too.”
Wicked Bite Page 3