Hellhound (34 page)

Demetrius waited for that same elevator, took it down,
heard Ashton cackling, and walked in just in time to find a struggling
Nathanial on the floor. He hadn’t noticed the billowing black smoke hugging the
high ceiling as it left through the vents, but I had.

Chapter Twenty-Six

I felt sick to my stomach. I’d never felt this weak or
this vulnerable, and I didn’t care for it now any more than before. This case
seemed as if it would never end, and I kept going as long as the situation
strung me along. I coped better with rage. I found myself drenched in a level
of ire that I hadn’t known except when I found my father murdered and again
when I realized that I’d sentenced my innocent lover to death. I possessed an
uncontrolled torrent of vehemence that washed through me.

I called Danther and a few other minions, and asked
them to gather the Council for the closure of this case.

“It’s already closed,” Danther objected.

“Formal closure.”

I ran into the bedroom but slowed my pace once I saw
Demetrius. Leaning down, I ran my palm over his forehead and hair, and then
kissed his head. Once this was over, I would pull the plug and bury him in the
catacombs like a deserving member of the clan.

I met the Council within half an hour. My usual attire
cloaked me—dark pants, a snug black tank top, and my black trench coat to hide
the crescent in my back pocket.

A sub sentry greeted me once I stepped onto the lower
level. I nodded to him and then met Carter some way down the hall.

“What are you doing?” I inquired.

“I’m on duty now.” Carter walked with me. “I’ve been
informed that a session is about to take place.”

“Yes. Will you be in the room or not?”

“I’m not scheduled to be in the room, but I can make
some changes if you’d like.”

“Yes.”

And he did. Carter walked in a few minutes after me.
Now that the entire Council took their thrones with minions standing by on the
lower platform in front of their respective patrons, and two sub sentries were
present to stand guard, the doors closed. They clanked shut, echoing against
the metal and marble.

When I stepped forward and stood in the middle of the
large granite circle, my stance initiated the hearing.

“Why have you called us here?” Claudius asked. He knew
the answer, we all did, but formality was ceremonial in official proceedings.

I stood in an inert fashion when I spoke, “My last
assignment was to bring in the killer of my father and Nathanial. Demetrius was
charged with the crime, and I brought him in. He was found innocent.”

“Yes.”

“After piecing some things together and the obvious
attack against me, I’ve concluded that Ashton the tracker was the real killer.”

Some members muttered.

“How do you know this to be certain?” Balai asked just
so everyone could hear the account from my lips.

“Ashton held a secret. He inherited the traits of
trackers and shape-shifters. He shifted to resemble Demetrius and killed my
father in front of Nathanial. Then, when he knew that Lydia was watching, he
turned and killed Nathanial to frame Demetrius.”

“We know now that Ashton was a shifter-tracker. His
behavior in attacking you and being able to resemble Demetrius to kill Augustus
and Nathanial are plausible. We’ve already taken this supposition to
consideration and have found Ashton guilty. His name has been made known to the
rest of the clan as the real killer.”

“I know. I heard the transmission.”

“So then why have you gathered us?” Claudius asked.

“Interesting question.” I glanced up at him. He sat in
the middle throne, straight ahead.

“Do you care to elaborate?” He waved his hand in the
air.

“I know Ashton was the killer. I think the rest of
what transpired was covered up.”

Now the Council offered resolute mutters. Their
interest piqued.

I went on, “He was called back to the domicile once
Demetrius was renounced.”

“Yes, to inform him that his assignment with you was
over,” Claudius said.

I refrained from mentioning how little he helped.
“When I tried to question him, he ran. Archers were nearby, conveniently, and
they shot him. They killed him.”

Balai said, “The archers have started going out into
the woods to prevent sheer boredom. What happened was an accident.”

“That may sound feasible, but our archers rarely make
fatal mistakes. The fact that both of the archers made a fatal mistake is even
rarer. I think they were under a kill order. Not only that, I think they were
also under orders to damage Ashton’s brain so that there wasn’t a chance of the
memory retrieval for me to get the real answers.”

“Who would give that order?” Balai asked.

“That is quite an accusation, Selene,” Serph
commented.

“Is it plausible?” I inquired.

“Yes,” they all agreed.

“We’ll have to look into it. There are many members of
the clan above the archers who could’ve given that order, including the Elders,”
Claudius stated. He sighed. “This will take a while.”

“I have an idea of who did this. Ashton wasn’t a lone
conspirator. He had help.”

“Who?” Serph asked.

“Allow me to show you his memories.”

Danther impetuously stepped forward. He snarled, “You
lied to me, Selene. You told me that you didn’t take his memories.”

“I’m not a liar, and don’t ever accuse me of being one,
minion. You asked about his memories. I said that I didn’t have the time,
concentration, or peace to properly take them, plus they were seriously damaged
from the arrow in his brain. I left out the part where I grabbed what I could,
and it just so happened to be the past few months’ worth and then some.”

“What did you find?” Claudius leaned forward, his chin
in his hand and his elbow perched on the high arm of the throne. He dismissed
Danther, who skulked back to his position near Claudius’s feet.

“I took what I could as soon as Ashton was shot. It
wasn’t nearly as much as what I could normally gather, but it was enough to
know the real story.”

As soon as I mentioned Nathanial being in on such a
horrendous ploy, the entire room shook with outrage.

“How can you stand there and accuse my son of this?”
Claudius shouted.

“Nathanial was a good man,” another Elder, a female,
rebuked me.

“He couldn’t have been a part of this,” Balai snapped.

I continued, my voice rising above the Elders so they
could hear my subsequent words. “Nathanial had been onto Ashton, knowing that
he was up to doing bad things. In his stalking, Nathanial discovered that Ashton
was a shape-shifter and that he frequented other clans, fraternizing with
females under the guise of being a shape-shifting free agent.

“All Ashton wanted was to live as a free man and move
his career over to being a shape-shifter without anyone knowing what he was
before. Nathanial enticed him with a way of release from this clan without
retribution, and he took the opportunity, as vile as it was.

“Ashton killed my father in the guise of Demetrius. He
made sure there was a witness present so that when the cerebral chamber played
her memories to you, you accused Demetrius without a doubt. The death cracked
the Council. The false accusation hindered me, leaving Ashton free to leave.

“But, Nathanial took back his word and didn’t allow Ashton
to leave until Demetrius returned and died. In his anger, Ashton turned to kill
Nathanial. He then dissipated into smoke and left through the air vents and
fled. He created a false alibi based on a cover-up for a fake relationship with
the witness. Lydia’s best friend covered for her so that she wouldn’t get in
trouble with the Council. She lied and said that she and Ashton were together
during the murders.

“They made it appear as if Nathanial and my father
lured Demetrius here to convince him to leave me. Nathanial wanted to marry me
and my father wanted me to ascend to the throne one day. They were going to say
that Demetrius killed my father to keep me, and Nathanial was the witness. Nathanial
made a mistake, and Ashton prepared for it with an unsuspecting Lydia, who
would act as the new witness to the crime.

“Claudius, and most of the Council members, would
assume that Demetrius killed Nathanial out of revenge. It was a good plan and
seemed viable. They just never thought that I would solve it.”

Half of the Elders tapped their thighs; the other half
leaned forward anxiously.

“Show us the memories before we even consider that
such a man like Nathanial was in on this,” Claudius demanded as if he called a
bluff.

“All right. This will take a while, though I will fast
forward to pertinent parts. And it will get graphic,” I warned them.

As I pulled up the smoke screen, Danther shuffled on
his feet, uneasy about the entire thing. Claudius fumed, and most of the Elders
looked irate at the notion of dishonoring the otherwise unblemished Nathanial.

The Council and its minions remained in place. I
showed the memories. It took about an hour since I spun out only irrelevant
parts. They began with glimpses of Ashton’s rendezvous in other clans and
Nathanial discovering his second nature, and ended with his sudden and
unexpected death.

This stunning revelation didn’t go over well with the Council,
but they had to be fair and condemn Nathanial’s name along with Ashton. The
entire room was swept into chaos, but they couldn’t hide these facts when so
many were here to witness the memories.

The Elders might band together, though I doubted they
would do that for a man who murdered another Elder. The minions might obey their
patrons, but most were free-willed and had nothing to gain by lying to spare
Nathanial’s name. The sub sentries at the door sure wouldn’t keep this to
themselves. No one here was willing to take them out, especially considering
that Carter was as tough as a nail and the head of the sub sentries.

I crossed my arms. “There’s no debating this. You
accused Demetrius when you saw memories of an eyewitness. You must render
Nathanial guilty in the same manner.”

Claudius slammed his fist on the throne’s arm. The
marble cracked, and splinters of electricity sprung from his hand.

“You treacherous whore!” he hissed.

Every member present quieted.

Claudius stood, prepared to pass judgment on my
dealings. “How dare you drag my son’s good name through the mud! I told you
many times, Selene, that if you hadn’t whored around with that tracker and
married Nathanial like your parents arranged at your birth, none of this would
have happened!”

He glared over at the seat next to him at my mother.
“You should’ve worked harder on taming that daughter of yours, and you
should’ve brought your husband to his senses. An Elder should be able to
control their family!”

“Listen here, old man,” I snarled with growing fangs.
“Your son came up with this plan, and your son went through with it. Don’t
blame me, and don’t ever talk to my mother like that.”

My hands clenched into white fists. My essence rubbed
up beneath my skin, panting and begging to be released while a few particles
slipped through my pores. The essence within me also reacted furiously with the
threat from Claudius’s growing anger and unraveled abilities.

In fact, everyone began shifting on their feet or in
their seats with the onslaught of powers. This was a confined room, and having
so many essences heightened would not result in pretty things.

“You’re disgraceful, Selene, and you will never ascend
to the throne.”

“And how disgraceful is it to preserve your son?”

The Council gaped at Claudius.

I went on, “You preserved Nathanial with a way to
resurrect him while leaving my father, an Elder, to rot in the tombs. You lost
your son completely last night, but you won’t try to revive Demetrius who
barely lives and was innocent in all this?”

My essence seeped out. I trembled with restraint and
failed miserably.

“Revive how?” Serph inquired, leaning away from
Claudius on his left.

I took the liberty of explaining, “He would use his
powers from Zeus’s bloodlines to strike Nathanial with electricity, jolting him
back to life. He needed a part of his essence, which is in Demetrius. That’s
why he tried to force me to bringing Demetrius in as soon as possible, and why
he tried to convince me to kill Demetrius now by taking his essence.”

“Shut your mouth, Selene. These things never happened,”
Claudius told the Council.

“Liar, liar,” I growled, my fangs fully extended.

He nervously surrendered. “So I had a desperate
thought, a desperate plan. Can you blame a man who lost his son to murder?”

“What would you have said to explain yourself if this
selfish planned worked?” My mother finally spoke.

Claudius glared at her with relentless anger. “This
secret would’ve been ours. No one saw that Nathanial was truly dead except us.
I would’ve explained to the Council and clan that Nathanial had been near dead,
but kept away and held in secret until the killer was brought in, in order to
safeguard him. He would’ve married Selene, returning her to her birthright so
they could claim thrones. The Council would be mended, and made stronger. I did
this for us!”