36. Phil
Phil
“T hat’s bullshit.”
I placed what I hoped was a calming hand on Dillon’s shoulder. He’d been on the edge of his seat, a ball of constant energy as he listened to the prosecution’s case.
“Dad never did that,” Dillon hissed, sounding more like a cat shifter than a wolf.
I wanted to say something but had no idea what. Thankfully, Mr. Moony leaned forward and said, “It’s just typical courtroom drama. This happens in every case.”
Dillon twirled, keeping his voice low. “But it’s a lie.”
It was always difficult to tell a vampire’s expression by their eyes. Wide, black abysses of nothingness, vampire eyes were pools of quagmire-like ink. And yet, Mr. Moony’s gaze appeared placating. “How refreshingly na?ve you are, Dillon.”
I wasn’t sure if Mr. Moony had offered an insult or not. Dillon’s sudden quietness made me think he was just as confused. Regardless, it worked as a lovely distraction.
We all sat there, listening as Arie’s lawyer laid out their case.
It sounded good. The document Kelsie had supposedly written claiming Will had used his alpha influence on her to dictate who should get custody of their children should the worst happen to them was the lynchpin.
Sedrick had told me that the document was a brilliant forgery and would most likely be indisputable.
Judge Langley looked long and hard at the document before laying it on the side of his massive desk. When he asked the prosecution if they had more, Hamish shook his head in the negative and said they rested their case.
It was our turn.
Ray was fantastic. I had no words. Hamish certainly did and objected to several points.
Most of them were overruled, but a couple stuck.
Ray presented evidence, marked and recorded in ways I didn’t truly understand.
I did catch the name of Good Riddance Gnome Exterminators and that Titan Gladstone had made a statement regarding Sedrick’s drugged gnomes.
I hadn’t expected character witnesses or noticed a short, squat woman sitting at the back of the courtroom. When her name was called, Yvette Burrow walked down the aisle with far more grace than her stature seemed capable of.
“That’s the old lady that lived next to us,” Dillon whisper-shouted in my ear. “I haven’t seen her since . . . She’s the one that fed the birds and had the garden pixie I told you about.”
I racked my brain and came up with a single page, or maybe a brief paragraph outlining what Dillon was going on about. “The weretiger?”
Dillon enthusiastically nodded his head.
Within my arms, Ruthie remained still. Her breathing was calm and even, and her eyes blinked on occasion.
I shifted her into what felt like a more comfortable position.
She didn’t so much as twitch. I’d sat there and listened to Hamish McIntyre berate Sedrick for using his alpha power on Ruthie.
I hadn’t seen how she was before, but Dillon wasn’t upset, and I trusted his opinion that whatever Sedrick had done had been warranted.
Dillon had been more than happy to exuberantly claim the same when Ray had asked him to describe to the judge what had happened.
I wasn’t sure what had upset Ruthie so badly. I wanted to ask her, but she wouldn’t have answered even if she’d been awake and coherent. Maybe one day, Ruthie would speak, but none of us knew when that day would come.
“Phil.” My head snapped up. I’d been so wrapped up thinking about Dillon and Ruthie that I hadn’t even noticed Yvette’s questioning was done. Ray looked at me. Not just Ray, but Sedrick and Judge Langley too.
Swallowing hard, I tugged Ruthie a little closer. “I . . . I’m sorry, Ray. I didn’t hear the question.”
Ray didn’t look upset. Instead, he seemed pleased. “That’s understandable, Phil, considering your concern regarding the children.”
“Objection!” Hamish stood up. “The defense is speculating on the cause of the witness’s inattention.”
“Sustained,” Judge Langley answered, his voice liquid-smooth like Mr. Moony’s.
Ray appeared unaffected by the ruling. “Philodendron,” he used my full name, “could you please tell the court why you didn’t answer me when I first spoke your name.”
“Oh.” My cheeks warmed with my shameful blush. “I was just thinking about Ruthie and Dillon.”
Ray had that pleased look on his face again. “I won’t ask you to stand, what with Ruthie in your arms, but if you’d please confirm to the court that you are a home-and-hearth pixie.”
That was an easy question. “Yes. I am. I’m certified and everything.”
Ray walked to the judge and handed him a piece of paper.
He gave it an evidence number and explained that it was a copy of my license.
Walking back toward the desk, Ray said, “I’ll get to the chase and save the court a lot of time and fuss.
Is it true, Philodendron, that you’ve bonded with Sedrick Voss’s home, his niece, Ruthie Voss, and his nephew, Dillon Voss? ”
“I . . .” My blush intensified to the point my cheeks felt like they were on fire. “I did. I have.”
The courtroom went deathly silent.
“And I’d wager that bond also extends to Mr. Sedrick Voss as well?” Ray stared at me, daring me to deny the allegation.
I couldn’t and answered truthfully. “I believe so, yes.”
Sedrick’s answering, tender smile warmed me to the tips of my toes.
“Philodendron, that is not an insignificant claim.” Judge Langley stood so he could see me better. “If that is true, then the whole point of this trial is moot.”
Dillon sucked in a relieved breath. My wings tried to beat against the pew but got stymied. Peaches didn’t have that problem and leaped up, punching his fists into the air and spilling golden pixie dust down on top of us. Dillon sneezed, and Mr. Moony chuckled.
Hamish’s voice cut through our mini-celebration. “If I might cross-examine before rushing to judgment?”
Judge Langley went still, the way only vampires can.
“Mr. McIntyre, are you accusing this court of something? Fairy law is very exact and uncompromising where pixie bonding is concerned. If Philodendron has bound to the Voss home and its inhabitants, removing those inhabitants, in this case, Ruthie and Dillon Voss, would be a death sentence. And since his bond naturally runs to the house as well, I cannot relocate Philodendron and the children. At best, the only aspect of this case still in question is visitation rights.”
The courtroom shook with Arie’s growl. Standing, he slammed his hands down on the table. Claws dug into the surface, and I wondered if they’d ask him to pay for the damages. “Bullshit.” I could barely make out the garbled curse. Arie Belview’s fangs got in the way of proper speech.
Hamish didn’t so much as take a step away from Arie’s rage. Calm as he could be, Hamish said, “The claim hasn’t been validated yet. Am I or this court to take the Voss word for it?”
“You believe it is a lie?” Judge Langley sounded as dumbfounded as I felt. “That would be an incredibly stupid lie, Mr. McIntyre.”
“Perhaps, but stupidity is a hallmark of the desperate. I move that the court’s decision be delayed. The defense needs time to verify the claims that have been made.”
Sedrick jumped up, his own wolf burning through the room. “No deal. Everyone here knows what kind of a pack the Belviews are. Delaying will give Arie time to scheme his way out of this or hurt Phil. I won’t allow that to happen.”
The courtroom erupted into measured chaos. Arie and Sedrick yelled at each other across the aisle, each posturing in front of the other. Hamish talked to the judge, and Judge Langley tried to calm everyone down.
I didn’t know where to look. The calm trance Sedrick had forced Ruthie into waned.
She wiggled within my arms, and the tiniest whine hit my ears.
Dillon heard it and scrambled across my lap to place a hand on his sister.
I wasn’t panicking yet, but my anxiety spiked, and I looked around, wondering if the best thing I could do was haul Ruthie out of the toxic environment the courtroom had devolved into.
I was just starting to stand when Ray’s voice cut through the room with a booming, “Enough.” My eyes flew wide when he turned toward the children and me.
Fire erupted from Ray’s back, forming dragonfly wings.
Ray’s eyes burned pure crimson, and elongated stripes slashed down his face, mimicking his eyes.
Ray’s nails lengthened into talons. The very air around him turned molten.
Throwing out an arm, a trail of fire began at Ray’s fingertips and flew toward Ruthie and Dillon.
I didn’t think. There was no moment of mental clarity when I realized the children were in danger.
No conscious decision was made. It was instinct, something I hadn’t even realized I’d done until Ray’s fire hit the barrier I threw up around us, protecting Dillon and Ruthie from its lethal heat.
The flame flared against the barrier, pushing but getting nowhere.
My barrier dispersed the heat, funneling it outward and harmlessly dispersing it into the air.
As quickly as it happened, the fire dimmed and disappeared. When I glanced at Ray again, he was the same immaculately innocuous fairy I’d met in Sedrick’s office.
“Now,” Ray calmly stated, “I believe that should sufficiently demonstrate that Philodendron’s bond is not a fabrication but a truthful claim. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. McIntyre?”
With my heart slamming like a base drum, my gaze traveled from Ray to Hamish.
Fairies were skilled at emotional concealment, often making it difficult to decipher their true thoughts.
Hamish wore no such mask. Awe widened his eyes, and respectful adoration added to their spark.
I had no illusion that the look was aimed at me.
Hamish’s fascination was all for Sedrick’s lawyer, Hellfire Rayburn.
“Mr. McIntyre?” Judge Langley questioned.
Emotion drained from Hamish’s face, leaking away like a drying riverbed. “The prosecution concedes.”
“What?” Arie grabbed Hamish’s arm, twisting the fairy around. With his back now toward me, I couldn’t see the look in Hamish’s eyes, but whatever it was made Arie Belview think twice.
“I would suggest, Mr. Belview, that you remove your hand before harm befalls it.” Hamish’s frigid tone made me shiver.
Behind me, Mr. Moony whispered a faint “Fool” while Peaches sucked in a disbelieving breath.
Arie didn’t need to be told twice and dropped his hand, but the thunderous look on his face remained.
The fur covering his hand also remained, as did the claws.
Lips twisting, Arie looked ready to argue, but Hamish beat him to it.
“Judge Langley is correct. Fairy law is very specific, and as Mr. Voss’s lawyer just pointed out, the bond Philodendron formed with the children is true.
“Given that Philodendron is a home-and-hearth pixie, the bond with the children would not have formed if he was not also bonded to the home they live in. As long as Philodendron remains alive, the children cannot be forcibly removed. When they are grown, they may move on, but while they are dependents and Philodendron feels the need to protect them, they shall remain where they are.”
As long as I was alive. I didn’t like the seed Hamish planted in Arie’s head. If Sedrick’s growl was anything to go by, neither did he. Arie’s calculating look raised the volume of Sedrick’s rumbled grumble.
Regardless, it looked like the lawsuit would be settled faster than anyone thought. Undoubtedly, Arie would petition the court for visitation rights, but even if that was allowed, I’d always have to be there. In almost every conceivable way, Arie Belview had lost.
I finally allowed the relief that had been circling my periphery entrance. Ruthie was calm in my arms, and Dillon was a vibrating bubble of joy at my side. Peaches was a constant hum of happiness, and Mr. Moony seemed equally pleased, though far less vocal.
Sedrick gripped the back of his chair, a slight tremor racing up his arm.
When I followed that tremor, my gaze became trapped in the golden light of Sedrick’s warm eyes.
Promises whispered behind that amber burn.
Promises that flushed my cheeks and soothed my soul.
The darkened circles that spoke of Sedrick’s worry would take time to dissipate, but eventually, they’d even out and wash away with the certainty of a blissful routine.
I was so wrapped up in Sedrick’s gaze that I didn’t hear the courtroom doors open. When Sedrick looked away and his face tightened, I knew something was wrong. Peaches’s silence and Mr. Moony’s otherworldly stillness reluctantly made me turn my head.
Two wolves, sauntered down the main aisle and headed not toward Arie Belview but Arie’s second, Edward Gerrard.
Werewolves were generally large, their wolf forms much larger than traditional wolves.
The two wolves easing their way down the aisle were no different.
The arch of their backs reached the top of the pews.
They would have easily reached my shoulder if their heads had been up.
One had a coat as black as endless night, a large chunk of flesh absent from one ear.
The other was ruddy brown, a jagged white patch of fur running the length of their left shoulder.
Arie didn’t appear upset that the wolves had gathered around Edward. Sharing a look with his second, Arie raised his chin, placing his head just slightly higher than before. As it turned out, it was all the incentive Edward needed.
Edward’s shoulders still rounded in on themselves, and he tilted his head ever so slightly. His dark, narrowed eyes burned amber. His voice didn’t hold the slightest inflection, its tone flat and emotionally empty. His words were anything but. “I challenge Sedrick Voss for control of his pack.”