Chapter 28
PHAEDRA
“Order!” Frederick’s voice booms, silencing the roaring crowd.
“If you cannot control yourselves, you’ll be escorted out.
If you fail to heed my command, I’ll personally remove you from these premises, and you won’t like the method I use to do it.
Understood?” When the room is quiet, he looks at the other judges and signals for them to continue.
The woman judge who questioned Bennett turns toward me. “Is Bennett’s allegation true?”
“Am I an agent for the gods? Is that the question?” When she nods, I shake my head. “I don’t know what that means.”
Her lips purse, but she clarifies the question. “Tell me about your relationship with the gods.”
“I work for them. It’s my job to protect humans by eliminating threats from cursed or magical objects,” I reply with a nonchalant shrug. That is the very definition of my job. Like a spy is technically an intelligence analyst.
“You’re not a spy for them?” One of the male judges sneers at me.
He looks familiar, and that voice… I study him for a second.
“Charles, right? I believe we met at Hawkes House a couple hundred years ago.” How could I forget that pretentious tone?
“You think the gods need a spy?” I laugh.
“You think they can’t see everything that goes on in this world? The world they created.”
He sputters as the crowd snickers. “Are you saying the gods are still active?”
“Spoke to Hera and Athena the other day,” I reply truthfully.
“And if you want to chat with Hera, you can visit her temple in Italy. There’s been some recent activity there—a perpetually blooming pomegranate tree—that is drawing in new visitors every day.
She’s often there. I suggest you bring a gift.
A good one. And pray she’s in a benevolent mood. ”
Murmurs explode throughout the crowd, but Frederick stands, and the noise dies. He sits back down. Charles leans forward, but Frederick holds up a hand.
“Death matches are in less than two days. Let’s speed this up, shall we?” He looks at the other three judges. “Shall we move on to Mathias?”
Charles sputters, but the other two agree.
The woman turns toward Mathias. “Mathias Blackwell, state your case.”
“It’s true. We set up a meet, using a replica of the panel as bait, in the hopes of trapping Bennett,” he states.
His gaze travels across the four judges.
“He’s collaborating with humans. Using them to attack supernaturals with magically enhanced weapons.
He sent those humans to Nolan Westgate’s memorial gala to steal the panel and key.
They attacked me in their effort to find those items.”
The crowd surges forward, and Frederick signals to the guards to take up position between Bennett and the vampires. I look over at the mage, and he moves back a few steps. I smirk, and his fists clench.
“His men attacked the council’s security teams and killed Dr. Letz Samuels with a magically enhanced knife.
All in the attempt to obtain the key that used to be in Nolan’s collection.
Later, he sent humans to break into Phaedra’s condo in America.
They attacked her, hurt her,” he growls, flashing his red eyes in Bennett’s direction.
Frederick glares at Bennett. “I personally hired Letz to catalog and auction off Nolan’s collection and fill the vampire coffers. If you’re found guilty, you’ll be held accountable for his death.”
Bennett pales, and I see him lift his hands. I step back into Mathias, but then I see the glint of silver and relax. They’ve cut him off from his magic.
Frederick glances at Mathias. “Continue.”
“We believe he killed Nolan, though we cannot prove it,” he reveals to the crowd, and they surge forward again, teeth bared, hissing at Bennett. He swallows but manages to stand his ground.
It’s ironic. Most of the people in here would probably have lined up to kill Nolan if they’d been strong enough, but for an outsider to do it, it’s an outrage.
This time it takes Frederick several minutes to gain control of the court.
“We believe he represents a danger to the supernatural society, and while we have reason enough to detain him for his crimes, I no longer wish to pursue that avenue,” Mathias states, to my surprise.
He looks down at me, and I see the muscle ticking in his jaw. “He attacked what is mine. My mate. For that, I call for a duela. To the death.”
The crowd roars and starts chanting, “Duela. Duela.” It’s obvious they won’t be rooting for Bennett.
I bite my lip, trying to hold onto a whisper of control. “Tell me you didn’t just ask for a duel to the death.” For me. I don’t say the words, but it’s obvious I mean them.
He bends down and snarls, “You’re my mate. Bond or no bond. He doesn’t get to touch you and live.” With those words, he straightens and crosses his arms.
First, he kisses me like he’s laying siege to my heart in front of an entire city, and now he’s asking to kill the mage who dared attack me. Damn him. I’m trying to send him home, and he’s making me fall for him. I mean. Seriously.
Frederick looks over at Mathias, and I catch a glimmer of satisfaction. Hmm. He was Nolan’s right-hand man. I wonder if he already suspected Bennett of killing him.
“Order! Order!” Frederick’s voice never rises, but it doesn’t have to. The crowd quiets. “We will adjourn and deliberate. Guards, escort Mr. Smythe to a cell. Make sure he’s comfortable.” He turns toward the two of us. “Escort Mathias and his mate to his quarters. Post a guard.”
Fury fills Bennett’s face for a brief second, then he smiles and blows me a kiss. “This isn’t over.”
Mathias tilts his head, considering the mage. There’s the slightest hint of concern in his eyes, but he blinks, and it disappears.
Relieved, I link my fingers with Mathias’ and look up at him. “Please tell me you have a shower with plenty of hot water.”
Mathias’ room is sumptuous. Although I expected red velvet drapes and gothic décor, I’m pleasantly surprised to find a posh, sophisticated suite complete with a living room.
Done in shades of brown and blue, the entire setup looks like a boutique hotel.
A brown leather chesterfield, flanked by two velvet modern wingback chairs and marble side tables, graces the living room.
Plump pillows in various shades of blue and brown pull the color scheme together.
The door from the living room leads to a luxurious bedroom. Center stage, the king bed, covered in a mocha brown velvet duvet, is piled high with pillows. There’s a matching dresser nearby.
Mathias pulls me into the bathroom. “Everything you need should be in here.” He clears his throat. “I’ll order some clothes for you. In the meantime, there’s a robe on the back of the door.” He abruptly strides out, shutting the door behind him.
I turn to the mirror and almost scream. Blood splatters cover my shirt, neck, and face.
My usually tame hair is sticking up all over the place.
I can’t imagine what the vampires must have thought when I walked into the trial.
Might have helped our case. After all, it looked like we’d gone to battle and lost.
With a grimace, I strip off my clothes and drop them into the trash. Then I take the longest, hottest shower I can stand and scrub until the water runs clear. I press my hand to the tile and drop my head, letting the water beat down on me.
I know Jamison and the others are probably worried to death. Hopefully, Mathias still has access to a phone and can get in touch with them. They’re all going to be pissed about how this turned out.
When my fingers become prune-y, I finally turn off the shower and step out. Searching the drawers turns up all kinds of treasures, from a toothbrush to a hair dryer. I utilize all of it and walk out feeling and looking a lot better than I walked in.
Mathias is pacing when I stroll into the living room. I study him, trying to figure out why he looks different, and realize he’s wearing his glasses again. He pauses when he sees me, then continues recounting the trial. I assume he’s talking to Jamison.
I hold out a hand for the phone, needing to hear their voices. He finishes up, then tells them I want to say hello.
The minute I hear all three of their voices on speakerphone, I drop onto the corner of the couch and breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank the goddess you’re all alright.”
“We shouldn’t have left,” Jamison says gruffly. “I’m sorry. Truly. It’s my fault we didn’t have a better contingency plan. I—”
“Stop,” I say, interrupting him. “You can make it up to me later.” My tone is suggestive, and for a second, there’s a strangled silence on the other end, then the three of them all jump in to agree. “Besides, I’m in, right? And that was the goal.”
We’d planned to capture or eliminate Bennett, then I’d stay in Vanescue with Mathias, and we’d work to find the panels. It might not be what we planned but the end goal was achieved.
“What I found most interesting about today’s trial is that very few vampires are even aware of the panels,” I tell them, sharing the piece that’s been bugging me since we left. “What’s their play? Who’s working with the humans? We’ve outed Bennett. But which vampire is his counterpart?”
Mathias curses. “Whoever it is, they know Phaedra’s cover is blown. They’ll be coming after her. We’re in a holding pattern until they regroup and pass sentence on last night’s debacle, but given the end of the trial, I doubt they’ll pass a harsh judgement against us.”
Gatlin growls. “When do you want us there?”
Mathias spears a hand through his hair as he thinks about it. “Soon. We’ll call you the minute we figure out when and where.”
There’s a knock on the door, and Mathias abruptly cuts the call, then goes to answer it. A murmur of voices, and Mathias returns with several bags in his hands.
“I ordered you several things. Hopefully, you can find something suitable in there,” he says. There’s an intense look on his face as he hands them to me.
Eager to put something on so I can stop feeling the urge to slip my robe off and beg him to take me to bed, I tear into the bags.
A nice pair of jeans, black pants, a tan cashmere sweater, a blue silky blouse almost the same color as my eyes, a pair of leggings and a matching top.
I set them aside and dig into the second bag.
A silky pair of pajama shorts with a camisole top, and the sexiest bras and panties I’ve ever seen in my life.
I hold the first pair up and swallow hard. Blue lace, demi-cup, and a scrap of underwear to go with it. Then the second. A more utilitarian, seamless set in a shade of gold silk that reminds me of Gatlin’s eyes. Final set is similar to the blue lace but in green silk.
“This might be the best underwear I’ve ever owned,” I tell him huskily as I try to push the images of me wearing the lacy scraps for him out of mind. “Thank you.”
His hands clench, and he takes two steps toward me. I stare into his eyes, wanting what he’s silently offering, but scared to take it and be devastated when he returns to Kallias. Hands shaking, I scoop everything up and flee to the bedroom. After closing the door, I slide down it.
The handle turns halfway and stops. I press my ear against the door and hear him swear, then a small thud as if his head had hit the door.
After a minute, it’s silent. The handle returns to its normal position.
I don’t know if he walked away or if he’s standing on the other side, but either way, I’m relieved.
The little voice in my head whispers, Liar.