Chapter 11
11
Palmer
I had been thinking dangerous thoughts. Gatlin made me restless. I wanted things I couldn’t want, yet I had done this to myself, and I was the only one to blame. All because of old memories, wishes my mother had for me, and loneliness.
Gods, I had been so lonely.
Gatlin and I sat pensively in the back of our black SUV. Neither of us talked, but he laced our fingers together and pulled me to rest on his chest like usual. And I loved it. I wanted more of it. I wanted as much of him as I could get.
I wanted to reveal myself to him so he could know the red of my skin, see the patterns marked there, and admire the silver of my hair. I wanted him to see me and tell me that I was beautiful, because he L––
“We’re here, baby,” he said, dropping one of the many kisses of the day on the top of my head.
I sat up, fluffing my hair and pushing my thoughts down. It was too soon. My mother said she fell fast each time; it was how we had evolved to adapt, she said. I needed to be cautious.
I slid out of the car after Gatlin, thanking Isaac and asking him to return in an hour. I took Gatlin’s arm, feeling the tension as he opened the door to the club.
I thought the amount of kisses today was overkill. He’s nervous about the meeting with Attwater.
"Pet,” I scolded as we walked towards the stairs to the VIP section and Nyxian Council chambers. “You are unnecessarily worried. If he tries to harm either of us, I will kill him.”
“I’m always betting on you, Palmer, you and that Hellhound guy.” He shuddered. “He scares the shit out of me.”
“You have good self-preservation instincts. Soros is one of the oldest beings in North America, with the power to match.” I gave his arm a squeeze. “But I am reasonably assured that he is on our side for most things.”
“Good to know,” he replied, stepping onto the stairs.
We walked the short distance to the council chambers. I stopped us before we entered. “Everything will go fine. Remember, they just want to present their findings, and then a decision will be made on how Attwater may or may not be reprimanded.”
“It’s the ‘may not’ part I'm having trouble with,” he admitted, getting the door for me and following me into the council chambers.
Councilwoman Sable Oxendine and Councilman Pyrrhus Soros waited in their seats; Council Enforcer Drake with his little brother, Council Enforcer Tristan who specialized in surveillance, sat off to the side. The only person we were missing was Attwater—the small table and chairs at the center of the room were empty. All of the witnesses to the event were in the room except two human women who were interviewed by the enforcers prior to this hearing. This was due to Attwater’s ability to quickly take humans under his thrall with the slightest of glances.
“Mer! Gatlin! It is nice to see you two, though the circumstances aren’t the best,” Sable greeted, rising from her seat. Once again, she had on her enchanted sunglasses, which protected humans from her maddening glare.
“It’s nice to see you too, Sable,” I greeted warmly, walking around the large desk to my seat and finding two chairs there instead of one. “Very thoughtful,” I noted, gesturing for Gatlin to sit.
“It was only right to give your partner a seat.” Soros turned in his seat, not a steely gray hair out of place and a dangerous gleam in his ancient eyes. “I saw the footage of you protecting your mate, son. Very impressive for a human.”
Gatlin paled. “I can’t take all the credit. My sister made me an anti-haint kit,” he admitted, then paled further, realizing what he said in front of five other haints.
Soros released a barking laugh, short and filled with humor, that had even me shivering in my seat.
That was damned unnatural coming from him.
“She sounds resourceful; I am glad she will live,” Soros stated.
“Me too,” Gatlin agreed, his skin returning to a more natural color.
Attwater chose that moment to arrive, opening the chamber doors with an unnecessary show of strength. The doors slammed into the walls, shuddering in their hinges with a metallic groan.
“Council members,” he greeted, strutting to the waiting table and pulling out one of the chairs before sitting.
“Where is your representative, Attwater?” Soros queried.
“I could ask Duvall the same question.” He looked disdainfully in my direction.
“I am not the one who has to defend myself from charges,” I replied, sitting back in my chair.
“No, I suppose, surprisingly, your partner there kept that from happening. Rest assured, I am more than capable of proving the innocence of my interaction with Councilwoman Duvall and drawing attention here to the real crime—the attempted assault against me by the human, Gatlin Rose.” He sounded sure and confident, and he probably believed every word he said.
That’s one of the things that made him dangerous; he couldn’t learn from his mistakes because he felt that he never made any. That, coupled with his power and standing, made him a necessary evil to have on the council. I knew that he would stay on the council, too. It was frustrating, but there was still value in every report, every violation, and every misconduct brought forward and documented. Justice wasn’t swift, but someday the monster that Attwater was would be known to everyone in our world, and his seat of power would be lost.
Gatlin stiffened beside me, and I put a calming hand gently on his knee.
“Very well, let’s begin,” Sable agreed. “I will be recording the proceedings since our secretary is indisposed.” She nodded to Tristan, who engaged the recording equipment.
“You may all affirm your consent to be recorded,” Tristan said, gesturing to the microphones set around the room.
Everyone said their name and stated that they understood and agreed to be recorded. Then the hearing began. Sable asked me what happened the night in question, and I gave my account. I nodded to Tristan, who pointed a control to a wall-mounted TV that hung opposite our council table. Photos I’d taken of the bruises from that night popped up on the screen. I noted that the time stamp and the date on the photographs, as well as the clothing I wore in the pictures, matched the previously viewed camera footage from the club and pointed out how his assault was so powerful that my glamour was unable to hide it.
Attwater’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. I could tell he was surprised to hear that bit of information.
“That is concerning,” Councilman Soros muttered, looking at the photos.
Once my evidence was shown, it was my turn to be silent and for Attwater to speak in his defense.
“I was of course at the club the night in question. It is plain on the recording. I often find creatures to feed from there, as do we all.” He gestured to all those assembled except Councilman Soros, who only had to step foot in Hell to recharge his inner reserves. Attwater gave him an apologetic smile for his slip. “When I saw an enchanting woman dancing in the middle of the club, I was entranced. She had quite a few hands on her while she danced; you’d never have known she had a partner at home.”
Gatlin balled his fists in his lap, his jaw ticking in annoyance. I squeezed his knee.
I wish I were gifted with the ability to speak in Gatlin’s thoughts. I’ve been called a whore outright so many times in my lifetime. Having someone allude the same simply doesn’t pack a punch anymore. Especially when it's from a spineless bastard.
Attwater continued. “I decided that if she was freely enjoying time with other partners, then maybe she would enjoy time with me too. I was surprised when I twirled her around to discover it was Councilwoman Duvall. I was genuine in my concern when I asked if she was having ‘trouble in paradise.’” He paused, looking at me with what was most assuredly fake concern. “I was aroused by the woman before I turned her around, and if it had been anyone else, I am sure my advances would have been accepted. Considering our history…” He trailed off meaningfully. “I didn’t know I had left marks, Merewynn. That was not my intention.”
Gatlin grabbed my hand, the barest waver in my fingertips soothed by his touch.
“I now understand why your partner thought I was a threat. I would like to withdraw my complaint against the human Gatlin Rose. He was only trying to protect what is currently his, and even a Bloody Bones such as myself can understand that emotion,” he allowed with a nod at Gatlin.
“Noted.” Sable hesitated as if to collect her thoughts. “Let us review the humans’ testimonies.”
We watched as Council Enforcer Tristan pulled up the clips. We watched two human women give testimony to what they saw, and then Tristan played Gatlin’s account. Because of Attwater’s powers, Gatlin’s testimony was also pre-recorded. He gave an account of events and answered questions from both Sable and Soros on his recording. He was only at the hearing today because he was bonded to me. If somehow Attwater had a significant other, he would have been allowed the same comfort.
“I could tell she was not okay with his touch the moment he grabbed her. All I could think about was she was an unwilling woman being manhandled, and I had vowed I would protect her from pain. I assume that also means emotional distress. Those vows might not have meant something to y’all, but to me, I was doing what I had sworn I would.” The confidence and the anger in his eyes as he looked at the camera made my heart beat a little faster. “He had his hands on my wife without her permission, and I do not regret my actions that evening.”
And I was done. My heart tumbled those last few inches over the line. I was in love with the man who called me his wife. The man who held me while I slept, when I cried, fixed me plates of food when I skipped meals, who shared his life stories with me, sketched me with the softest look on his face, chased after me into danger because he made vows and they mattered. He made me yearn for more time with him, and I knew a year and a day would never be enough.
I released a besotted sigh, and Sable shot me a bemused look. I could feel the blush on my cheeks, which deepened when he laced his fingers with mine.
Soros stood, addressing the room. “We will deliberate. Council Enforcer Drake, would you accompany Mr. Attwater to VIP Room One? Council Enforcer Tristan, will you take Mrs. and Mr. Duvall to VIP Room Four?”
Attwater stood, walking to the door and leaving without Drake, who rolled his eyes and vanished, most likely teleporting just outside to catch up with Attwater. Gatlin stood, helping me rise and slipping my arm into the crook of his. We followed Tristan to VIP Room Four, where he escorted us inside and touched the brass plate, locking us away from anyone but himself. Attwater probably wouldn’t try to murder us over this, but you never could be too careful.
This room was tamer than the one Syd gave us last time, a room more suited to vampires, with easily wipeable black furniture and plush red accents. Gatlin walked us over to a couch and sat, running a hand through his curly blond locks. “When did you last feed, Palmer?”
“Three days ago, I should be fine,” I said, closing my eyes for a moment to block everything out and assess the hunger. “Yes, I should be fine for another day at least.”
Gatlin reached for me, and I gave him my hand. He tugged me, bringing me closer before putting his hands on my hips. “I’d feel better if you were topped up,” he said quietly.
I straddled him. We had been getting closer and closer to my species' natural feeding position over the last few weeks. Feeding like this got me a little riled up. I sat further back on his lap, giving him distance, but he wasn’t having any of that. He pulled me close so that the juncture of my thighs rested on his abs.
Which had me remembering how I had enjoyed the texture of his abs on my clit as I rode his hand last night.
Maybe he was thinking of that too when his hand dived into my hair and brought my lips down to his. I savored the kiss, enjoying the feel of his firm lips against mine until he gave me a little nip on my bottom lip. Taking that as come on already , I carefully began to draw lifeforce from him. Our sexual… compatibility with one another had grown, and it was harder to pull lifeforce from him without affecting his libido. I did not want to send my husband to the council chambers with a hard-on.
He was becoming adept at knowing how much enough was, so I didn’t worry with holding back. I carefully, slowly drew his lifeforce from between his clever lips until he withdrew, kissing me along my jaw and sucking me hard under my ear, making me moan in pleasurable pain.
“I have,” he said, his voice low with arousal, “this irrational need to mark you so everyone knows you’re mine.”
I chuckled, carding my hands through his hair, not caring what people would think of his appearance when they came and got us.
“I suppose that’s the cleanest way to do it. As long as you don’t mark your territory like a dog does, I am amenable.”
Pulling back suddenly, he quirked a brow in horrified disbelief. “Do Hellhounds piss on their mates?!”
A peel of laughter left my lips, and the sheepish look on his face made it worse. His hands stroked the sides of my thighs while I mastered myself.
“If Soros ever hears you allude that Hellhounds are anything like Earth dogs.” I start chortling again.
“Well fuck, I can see why that would be offensive. Promise you won’t tell him I asked that question.” He expelled a breath.
I kissed him reassuringly. “I promise, your secret is safe with me.”
“Hmmm… I never had any doubts,” he said before kissing me back.