Chapter 27
Josh
Inever thought I’d be glad to be back in the Pit of Doom, but as the silence closed around me, that’s all I was.
Retaking the oaths had been far more excruciating the second time around.
First, the engravers had checked their previous work, digging down with magic to the very marrow of my bones, then they’d burned them anew just to be sure.
They hadn’t bothered with anesthesia this time, wanting to test the process as they went.
I closed my eyes in search of the darkness I hadn’t found in the Chamber of Fírinne, but just like there, painful swatches of green light seared my retinas.
My body shook with unshed sobs as I lay there and prayed for exhaustion to take me.
The first time I’d undergone the oaths it had taken a month to recover enough to go on active duty.
I didn’t have weeks. As it was, it took three days before I could move enough to leave my cell.
The usual excess of soldiers escorted me through the Temple of Pugu, past my holding cell, and right into the courtroom.
I thought I caught a glimpse of Yanesh at the back before my gaze was completely consumed by Elijah.
He stood warily behind where I was to be seated, his eyes filled with concern as they tracked my sluggish movements.
The mere sight of him had me on the verge of breaking down.
Werewolf healing couldn’t help what had been done to me, but I knew without a doubt that holding and being held by Elijah would.
A part of me desperately longed to demand that I be allowed to embrace my husband.
The logical side, however, intervened. If I miraculously recovered from a process many assembled knew held the power to break people, then they would want to know why.
By necessity, the bond had to remain secret; too much rode on it.
So I squashed the desire and settled for merely looking at the man who held my heart.
Lombardi shifted as if to help me into my seat. The concern in his eyes was uncharacteristic for him, as was the show of support. Neither would serve our purpose, though.
I made a subtle gesture, and he resumed his seat without touching me. The chair sank beneath me, highlighting my wariness. I leaned into it and hoped that I didn’t appear quite as beaten as I felt.
“I’m right here.” Elijah’s low whisper was just loud enough to reach my sensitive ears.
My eyes stung with unshed tears, even as his scent wafted around me.
The summery smell carried hints of sunshine and warmth, of lazy days wrapped in each other’s arms and a love without bounds.
I focused on the bond blossoming in my chest and dragged the comfort of his presence deep inside where it could heal parts of me that werewolf healing couldn’t touch.
With a slightly steadier breath, I straightened up and braced myself for the entirely different ordeal that awaited me today.
Elijah
Beatrice Harker bore no resemblance to her son. Where his eyes held thought and humor, hers were sharp and cruel. She stood taller than I remembered, towering above her lone guard. Josh still had height on her, but besides that, the closest thing they had in common was defined cheekbones.
My lip curled as she haughtily made her way across the courtroom to take her seat in the witness chair. Her gaze traveled over the room, dismissing anyone and everyone it came across.
Josh stiffened as that imperious gaze passed over him.
His hand fisted on the table as he no doubt fought his rage at seeing the woman that had literally made his life a living hell.
I wanted nothing more than to clear the distance in a couple of bounds and rip the wretch’s throat out with my bare hands.
If it were in any way possible to do so without getting myself, and consequently Josh, killed, I’d have done it in a heartbeat.
At last, she settled into the chair as if it were a throne, wrists free of any cuff marks, and awaited the questions.
Nothing about her demeanor suggested she was also on trial.
My stomach roiled at the realization that whatever deal she accepted meant she’d likely walk away from this perfectly unscathed.
Camilla Hightower stood and approached the chair, her brown hair swaying slightly with each step. “Will you please state your name for the record?”
“Beatrice Allondria Maeve Harker.”
“Thank you. And could you also clarify your ancestral heritage for the court?”
“The Harkers are a prestigious family that can trace their roots back to the sixteen hundreds, though the family’s reputation as the most austere werewolf hunters in the world wasn’t fully established until the late eighteen hundreds.
At which time we began a centuries-long partnership with the Van Helsing family.
Recent circumstances, however, have seen that relationship perish. ”
An angry hiss off to my right was quickly silenced. I caught the briefest glimpse of dark skin and curly hair before the individual ducked out of view.
“You seem quite proud of your heritage.” Councilor Hightower’s statement instantly recaptured my attention.
Beatrice Harker raised a demeaning eyebrow. “Should I not be? Despite the weakness of others, the Harkers have remained dedicated to their mission of eliminating the world of at least one virus. As far as I am concerned, there can be no nobler cause than protecting humanity.”
Murmurs drifted around the room at her defiant answer. “Mrs. Harker—”
“Miz,” she corrected. “I am a widow and never bore the name of my late husband.”
“Apologies. Ms. Harker, if you could please identify the defendant.”
“Joshua Hart,” she spat.
Every muscle in Josh’s body tightened.
“Is he your son?”
Beatrice’s nose wrinkled with distaste. “Yes.”
“Detective Hart gave testimony previously that he had intentionally murdered a lycanthrope at the age of thirteen. Is that true?”
“Yes. A late bloomer and a disgrace to his family name.” I groaned internally. The vile woman clearly had no fear of perjuring herself and was clearly hellbent on watching Josh burn.
Hightower nodded and stepped back. “Your witness.”
Lombardi stepped forward as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Ms. Harker, you seem to be implying that your son did not live up to the family mission. How is that? By all accounts, he has followed through with stunning alacrity.”
“His father coddled him from an early age. It took years to undo his influence and remake Joshua as a true Harker. Sadly, it seems the mark was still missed.” She sneered at Josh, her gaze flitting briefly to encompass me.
“And how did you achieve such a feat? Several accounts portray Detective Hart as willful and headstrong. Putting him on the correct path must have been an incredibly difficult task, even for such a remarkable woman as yourself.”
She preened beneath the vapid praise. “While the intermingling of abominations in this world has threatened the very existence and purity of humanity, it has made acquiring certain materials easier. Granted, the Harkers have been utilizing whatever means necessary to carry out our sacred mission, but the quality has certainly improved.”
“Would you perchance be referring to the compulsion magic you used to break your son’s will to your own?”
“Some children need a stronger hand. What sort of mother would I be if I didn’t give it to him?”
Josh jerked in his seat, and several gasps went up around the room. The wolf inside gnashed his teeth, and it took every ounce of control I had to keep him from forcing a shift and tearing that woman apart limb by limb.
Lombardi merely nodded at the awful implication and moved on.
“If you would permit me a moment. Among Detective Hart’s many crimes is also the use of a biological weapon intended to induce Mein Zeke in lycanthropes that have not previously displayed symptoms. It is my understanding that you were instrumental in creating this groundbreaking toxin. Is that true?”
Beatrice Harker practically glowed. “It is the culmination of my life’s work. Imagine a world where these creatures kill each other, and all that’s left is to clean up the mess. It was a masterful plan. Or it would have been if my disappointment of an heir hadn’t ruined everything.”
“Oh?” Lombardi’s affected surprise was a far cry from genuine. “Records show he did in fact infect two separate lycanthropes with the virus, resulting in the death of both.”
“If he had done his job properly, then I wouldn’t have had to intervene. Fortunately, the Klamath Pack was still an ideal target despite his ineptitude.”
“Are you saying that you took matters into your own hands and attacked the Klamath pack yourself?”
“Naturally. If Joshua hadn’t killed my creation in protection of his pet, then that mutated werewolf would have annihilated the entire pack before they could mount a defense. As it was, I was left with no choice but to shoot him myself in order to prevent further disruption.”
“Shoot who?”
“Joshua, of course.”
“You shot your own son?”
She gave Lombardi a withering look. “If you’re just going to repeat everything, then I have nothing more to say.”
“You mentioned his ‘pet’, could you be more precise?”
Beatrice Harker rolled her eyes. “The wolf sitting behind him. Though I can’t say I’m surprised.
Joshua has cavorted with lycanthropes for the better part of his life.
It’s a disgusting habit that he no doubt believed I knew nothing about, and I might not have if that boy hadn’t come sniffing around the house.
My hope that dispatching him would eliminate the problem proved in vain, however.
” She flapped her hands dismissively. “At any rate, it was still one less flea-bitten mongrel to pollute the world.”
Josh jerked in his chair, causing a horrible screech to fill the room. At the sound, Beatrice Harker’s attention snapped to him. Her malicious gaze bored into him as she gave a sinister smile.