Page 90 of Hart's Redemption

I gritted my teeth and dug my fingers harder into the chair until it creaked in protest.

“You can either answer of your own volition or you can be compelled to do so,” the Ambassador of the Winter Court stated, cool as a winter frost.

“Last year.”

A collective gasp filled the courtroom, and Lombardi smirked. “And before that?”

“I didn’t.” The words fell out of my reluctant mouth to hit the ground like stones. “Why are you doing this? Stop.”

“You’ve executed a total of one hundred and sixty-five lycanthropes, but you’ve neglected to mention how many you’ve actively saved.”

My rebellious gaze sought my mother, even as a trickle of fear slid down my spine. Her face was a mask of pure rage. Her fingers like talons in her bunched skirts.

“How many, Detective, both through the course of duty and in your… extracurriculars? How many lycan lives have you spared in your thirty-four years as a legendary werewolf hunter?”

“Don’t do this.”

“We’re waiting, Detective.”

“Stop.” My gaze bounced around all the expectant faces until at last it landed on Elijah’s determined one. With sickeningrealization, I knew this was his doing. He was the only person to have ever made that connection.

“Answer. The. Question,” Lombardi pressed without mercy.

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. It was all in vain. Litral ice crawled along my skin while a band of air tightened around my chest. “One thousand and fifty-nine,” I gasped through strained lungs. The band subsided, and I blinked my eyes open to see flakes of ice melting on my skin.

“Consider yourself warned, Detective. This tribunal will not tolerate noncompliance.” I raised my head to meet Coven Leader Albright’s unforgiving gaze. Beside her, Senator Stevens appeared shaken, as did the other senators at what they'd witnessed. Another look around revealed countless eyes wide with surprise. I sagged against the band still invisibly encircling my torso and hung my head. All my efforts, and I was still going to get Elijah killed.

Relentless, Lombardi stepped forward. “And in all these years, how many lycans have you wanted to kill?”

“I’m begging you, Lombardi, please don’t do this.” The band re-tightened around my chest and I wheezed.

Lombardi’s hands came down hard on the arms of the witness chair, effectively caging me. “You are bound to the truth, Detective. How many lycanthropes have you wanted to kill?”

I sobbed softly into my chest, the air around my torso squeezing more with each second I delayed. “None.” I could scarcely hear the word myself over the wind spiraling around me.

“Louder, Detective, not all of us have enhanced hearing.”

My head shot up, setting free the tears I’d refused to cry last night. “None! I have never wanted to kill a werewolf, a lycanthrope, a wolf, or whatever other term you want to use.” The shout crashed through the courtroom. “Are you happynow?” The air encircling my chest vanished, and I pitched forward to hit the floor on my hands and knees.

“Yes.” Lombardi stepped back to allow the soldiers to take custody of me.

I’d never felt more defeated in my life as I raised my head to meet the impassive expressions of the panel. “I may not have wanted to, but it doesn’t change the fact that I did.”

Chapter 28

Elijah

Onlythreeguardsescortedthe shell of a man that had once struck fear into the hearts of everyone by simply standing in the same room. My heart hurt for what I’d made Lombardi do to Josh, but I refused to let him take the fall for things that simply weren’t his fault. The bronze doors closed with a resounding thud behind them, and the room took on an eerie silence in the wake of Josh’s confession.

“Councilor Lombardi.”

“Yes, Emissary Nergal,” Lombardi responded to the strange man who had been remarkably silent throughout the tribunal.

His ecru cowl slid back slightly to reveal a face highlighted with darkness, giving it the appearance of a naked skull. Shiningflecks of gold spotted his unusual features, highlighting his deathly demeanor. “You made an assertion that Detective Hart had been manipulated by magic for the better part of his life.”

“An assertion he did not discredit.”

“Be that as it may. Do you have any evidence to substantiate this claim?”