Unbound (51 page)

“We kicked in the door to find the room destroyed. Lance was on the floor on the far side of the room. I rounded the bed to help him when I noticed a small arm under him. His body was completely covering Danielle except for her arm. She was unconscious and Lance was dead. She was bloody and battered with her underwear down around her knees,” Mason answered.

“Lance had no visible injuries with the exception of his back wound and he had no pulse,” Griffin added. “Danielle was devastated when she realized he was dead.”

The chamber was completely silent now as everyone took in the information and tried to make sense of it all. Danielle rose from her seat to stand before the council table. “May I show you what happened? I can show anyone who wants to volunteer.” Both Lloyd and Kane stepped to the center of the floor before her.

“It won’t be like watching a movie. It’s more like flashes in time. You will feel what I felt emotionally, smell what I smelled, and hear what I heard. Do you still want to do it?” she enlightened them.

“We can handle it, child. Show us your proof but know that it may not be used to prove your innocence. We have not decided if we can trust your talents,” Kane clipped out.

Danielle nodded and stepped forward. She grasped the wrists of each man and concentrated on the evening of the attack. She showed them her and Cayden entering the room alone and just a glimpse of them in bed just before he started choking her. Then she let the rest of it flow with as much detail as she could muster. Every blow and every word came though her and she felt them flinching under her touch at the fear that was heavy in her heart.

“Unbelievable,” Lloyd exclaimed. When she looked up they were both looking at her like an alien they’d like to dissect.

“The
Council
will take a recess to deliberate this matter,” Lloyd said to the crowd without taking his eyes off Danielle. “Does anyone else have any further questions?” he asked the rest of the council members and everyone declined. “Ms. Scott will be taken into custody until we have a verdict.”

Gage and Darren stepped up and each took one of Danielle’s arms and started to propel her toward the door leading to the rear of the chamber. She locked eyes with Chase and heard his voice her mind, “I love you, Danielle.”

“I guess love isn’t enough, i
s it Chase?” She grinned at him and shot a look at Sam, who was paging through the latest issue of Vogue.

“Your fiancée looks bored. Maybe you should get out of here and go pick out your china pattern. I’m sure the news of my execution will perk her right up though, I wouldn’t worry.” Chase leaned his elbows on his knees and put his face in his hands. His expression was resigned and defeated.

Darren put his arm around her waist once they were in the hall. She allowed him to comfort her for a moment.

“It looks good, Dani. I think they believe you and
Donovan
was a lot of help.”

“Don’t give her false hope, Darren,” Gage said from the doorway. Dani entered the cell and the door slammed behind her, “You know the sentence for killing our kind is death, no matter what the reason. If they don’t make an example out of her, there will be hell to pay and they know it. Whether they believe her or not means nothing. I have seen them sentence others to death for lesser crimes. She should be prepared for that.”

“Gage, can I talk to you for a moment?” she asked. He nodded and walked over to the cell. She gave Darren a dismissive look and he stepped out into the hall.

“I realize that you’re being standoffish due to your position. I also know it must be hard for you to do your job when your family is hurt by it. I just want you to know that I understand and no matter how this ends, I don’t hold it against you.” She reached through the bars of the cell and placed a hand on his chest. He covered her hand with his much larger one.

“I know I won’t get a chance to say good-bye.” Danielle choked back a sob and closed her eyes in an effort to stave off the stinging tears. Her throat felt swollen. She lowered her face and said, “If I die… if I die, please tell Cayden I’m sorry for leaving him. Tell him this isn’t his fault. There was nothing he could have done that day. Tell him I wish we could have had the future we were dreaming about.” She pulled her hand back through the bars and went to curl up in the corner of the cell. Gage stood outside of her cell and wat
ched her huddled in the corner
before he resumed guard duty.

A short time later when she was led back into the council chamber, the buzzing of the crowd burned in her ears. She could hear the thoughts of the vampires as if they were screaming at her. Frightened and full of sorrow she staggered under the weight of all the words flying at her. There was a dazing mix of hatred, love, disgust and concern blowing in circles like a tornado in her mind. The imaginations of her opponents showed her their thoughts of her execution and it made her blood run cold. It was too much.

Darren tried to steady her. “Are you alright? Never mind that was stupid question,” he said while rubbing circles on her back. He helped her to her seat and she fell into it. She laid her head down on the table.

It was so loud. They hated her and they loved her. They wanted her to die and they wanted her to live. They wanted to see her pay for a death and they wanted her acquitted. The room was split down the middle between those that feared and distrusted her and those that want
ed
to protect and shelter her. Her heart was pounding with fear and panic. She didn’t k
now why everything was so sharp
and loud. The emotions flying around the room were painful as they assaulted her mind. She was nauseous with overwhelmed senses. The
Council
entered the room and took their seats. The room went quiet, but the buzz in Danielle’s head remained. Mason stood and spoke.

“It has been the precedent of this
Council
to punish the murder of our kind with a death penalty. We have reviewed our historical record of such cases for the last two hundred years and we found only fiftee
n cases. In each of these cases
there was clear intent to murder the victim and cover up the crime. In most cases, there was more than one defendant due to the sheer force it takes to really injure an adult of our kind. So, we find ourselves walking a fine line between protecting our people, continuing to uphold a strict justice system, and upholding the idea of justice itself.”

The crowd murmured and fidgeted on the edge of an outburst. Danielle clutched her head in her hands and moaned. She wished they would go ahead and kill her already. Lloyd took the floor and continued where Mason left off.

“We have clear evidence that the death of the warrior was not intentional and likely brought on by his own foolish choices. There is a rogue on the loose that is gunning for our young. Ms. Scott has been holding the attention of this evil due to her unique psychic powers. The fact tha
t she has been living in fear for
her life for an extended time also must have a bearing on our decision. Danielle has put her life on the line twice to spare the lives of our children. This is quite a sacrifice, considering she was not raised in our society and has no connection to us that would elicit such a response. These were purely selfless acts. Given that two members of the
Council
were summoned to the scene by Danielle in a cry for help proves that she was looking for assistance in subduing her attacker without causing him harm.” Several people in attendance balked at the use of the word attacker. “The scene they found on arrival is consistent with the details relayed by Danielle and Cayden. Danielle was not alone in the assault as her future mate was in the room to witness the intent of the warrior.”

Her opponents in the room were beginning to see where this was going and several let out cries of anger and disgust. Danielle couldn’t take the noise and animosity any longer. Her head was pounding with it and she was about to be sick with the stress of the whole situation. With blood pounding in her ears she suddenly stood and shouted, “Shut up!”

The
Council
looked at her in confusion.  Then, they realized that she had frozen the entire audience. Everyone was perfectly still and quiet. She sat back down panting with a sigh of relief. Finally, it was quiet enough for her to hear the
Council
and her own thoughts.

“What have you done, Danielle?” Griffin asked.

“Their thoughts are so loud. I can’t take it.” She was still massaging her temples and holding her head in her hands. “I need to hear what you’re saying and they are screaming anger, hate, love and compassion at me all at o
nce. I can’t take any more,
” she panted.

“When was the last time you fed, Ms. Scott?” Mason inquired but she didn’t answer. Mason approached her seat and lifted her head to examine her face. Jet-black irises and a delicate set fang looked back at him. “I believe the stress and lack of blood is overwhelming her,” Mason said to the rest of the
Council
. “I will call for a human to assist after the hearing concludes.” To Danielle he said, “I need you to release the room so we may finish the hearing. Then we’ll get you some blood. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir,” she replied, as her head lulled to the side and the crowd began to hum once more as if they had never stopped.

TWENTY-FIVE~

The crowd hushed in surprise at seeing Mason standing over Danielle with her
face in his hand. He’
d been sitting in his chair a second ago.

“Is she alright?” Cayden stepped up. Her black eyes and fangs were apparent to everyone. The absence of the beautiful pale blue that had captured his heart made him frown. He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

“I’m fine. The noise is
more than I can take right now,
” she said, and she held his hand to her cheek.

“May we continue now?” Kane drawled. “This chamber is a place of law and it demands the respect of our kind. Keep your comments to yourselves or be permanently ejected. Please, continue Lloyd.”

“All the evidence in this case points to the fact that Danielle Scott and Cayden Paris were hunted down and attacked with the intent of handing Danielle over to a rogue. It is the opinion of this
Council
if we punish Danielle for Lance’s death, we will also have to punish any warrior that kills one of us in defense of our laws. We have been hunting the rogue and would not hesitate to kill him if he were located. Lance fell in with the wrong side of the law and paid the ultimate price for that mistake. It should be understood that this does not give free reign for any vampire to kill another. We will judge crimes on a case-by-case basis and will not hesitate to strike down any that break our law. If we had apprehended Lance with proof of his betrayal, we would have executed him for the crimes ourselves,” Lloyd finished. Kane scowled as if he didn’t agree with the ruling.

“It is the opinion of some council members that this should not go u
npunished,” Kane stood to add,
“
Therefore, Ms. Scott will be removed from the protection of the
Enclave
and no longer
lives
under our protection. I find it unfair that warriors would have to defend a person that killed one of their own, whether it was justified or not. She also claims that there are more traitors in our warrior class. If she cannot trust our warriors, she does not deserve to benefit from their protection.”

Darren came up out of his seat at that, and Gage grabbed his arm to him pull back to his seat. “She will live
,
warrior. You should be happy with that.”

“But for how long?” Darren cursed.

“Danielle, do you have anything to say in response?” Griffin asked.

The room was still
buzzing with agitated warriors,
others who were looking forward to watching her execution, and people who were so relieved to know it wasn’t going to take place. Her head throbbed with it.

“I am grateful for the understanding of the
Council
. I am truly sorry for hurting or offending anyone. I would never willingly bring harm to another. I hope I can be forgiven in time. I also understand the warriors not wanting my presence in their
Enclave
. I hope that when I leave, they will remember my appreciation of their past protection. I also hope others in your society will remember my efforts to keep the children safe. The person hunting us will likely find me. If it is possible to keep my powers from being used to do any harm to you, I will, because I promise you that if he gets them you will all regret this day. Even if I am rejected by your society, I will still do my best to protect the young.” With that, she leaned back in her chair and nearly collapsed.

Griffin jumped from his seat and leaped over the table to go to her. The crowd buzzed. He lifted her from the chair and carried her out into the hall. He gave Mason a meaningful look that was acknowledged. She needed blood. Darren, Cayden, and Chase all followed closely behind him as he carried Dani to the room used by the
Council
to relax during recesses or
for
other meetings that didn’t require the use of the chamber.