Page 93 of Hart's Redemption

“You know the only reason they would have let you in here tonight.”

I pulled him closer and refused to think about it. “Yes.”

“Elijah, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

“Sh, tomorrow will bring what tomorrow will bring. Tonight, I just want to hold the man I love.”

Josh

The night spent in Elijah’s arms was the best sleep I’d gotten since I’d been thrown into this hellhole. Even though the bed had been microscopic and the finality of the trial loomed on the horizon, his mere presence seemed to fix something inside of me. We sat side by side on the thin mattress, arms wrapped around each other while we waited for the soldiers to come. I had no doubt that they would. The tribunal still intended to make an example of me, and they couldn’t do that if I never left this cell. But I still worried that they’d leave Elijah here, or worse, escort him somewhere I’d never see him again.

When the wall finally opened, I breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Lombardi with the armed escort. With him there, I could at least trust Elijah would make it back to the surface in one piece. We stood to greet the soldiers. Once the wall was fully open, Lombardi waved for Elijah to join him.

Elijah took a step and looked back at me.

I squeezed his hand, which had unsurprisingly found its way into mine. “Go on, baby. I’ll see you there.”

Rather than release his hold, he used it to pull me forward into a hug tight enough to crack my ribs. “I love you.”

I clung just as fiercely and buried my nose in the side of his neck, where I stole one last inhale of his beautiful scent. “I love you too.” When he pulled back, water hung heavily on his lashes. I brushed the pending tears away while his back was still to the soldiers. “Don’t cry, baby. Do you trust me?”

He took a shuddering breath. “I really, really want to, but let’s face it, you haven’t really given me a reason to believe you won’t get yourself killed.”

My mouth twitched in a weak smile. “I haven’t died yet.” He shook his head and fisted his hands in the material at my sides.

A glance behind him showed the soldiers getting restless. It was official: our time was up. I cupped his face with both my hands and gently placed my lips against his. “I love you, Elijah Bennett, and being with you has been the happiest time in my life.”

“Please, Josh.”

A soldier wrapped a hand around Elijah’s upper arm and started pulling him back. The panic that flooded Elijah’s eyes made me want to tell him everything would be alright, but I couldn’t, because it would be a lie. I had no idea how today would end, only that it wouldn’t be the way anyone expected.

“Trust me,” I reiterated.

The soldier deposited Elijah into Lombardi’s care, then escorted them down the hall. The remaining group circled around me, impatient to get going.

“Thank you for that,” I whispered as I re-tucked my button-down and donned my vest.

The group spared a few glances among themselves, and the one I assumed to be the leader stepped forward. He lifted hisgoggles, revealing a nose spattered with freckles on dark, sun-tanned skin. “This isn’t right.”

Another soldier removed their obstructive eyewear as well, followed by the rest. “This whole thing is rigged,” the second soldier said. Her comment was backed by several ‌nods from her companions.

I straightened and squared my soldiers. “I know.”

With an air of resignation, our odd little troop marched out of the cell and through a portal waiting just to the side. Back in the Temple of Pugu yet again, we awaited the call for sentencing. A scant thirty minutes later, it came.

The imposing bronze doors, with their relief of the very deity for which this place was named, swung inward. I walked forward to accept my fate, surrounded by soldiers who escorted me with more dignity than I’d been afforded this entire farce.

Inside, I diligently did not seek out Elijah, but merely took my place center stage. Streaming screens dominated nearly every available space, each one vying for the perfect angle of this historic and unprecedented trial. I met the gaze of every member of the panel and saw exactly what I expected—not a single ounce of mercy.

Senator Stevens and Coven Leader Albright both stood, but it was the latter who spoke. “Lycan Detective Joshua Hart, you stand accused of criminal negligence, the unsanctioned deaths of fifty-three lycanthropes, abuse of position, and attempted genocide. This Tribunal has heard testimony from various sources, including eyewitness accounts, and has reviewed verified evidence to support these heinous accusations. We ask again, how do you plea?”

I met the gaze of one of the most powerful witches in the world without blinking. “My plea is irrelevant.”

She gave a brief nod as if unsurprised by my response. “It is the conclusion of this Tribunal that you are hereby foundguilty of criminal negligence and the murder of fifty-three lycanthropes.”

I quickly checked my surprise at the noticeable lack of two of the most grievous offenses. Not that their absence could in any way lessen the severity of my other crimes.

“As such,” the Coven Leader continued, “you are to be stripped of your professional title and condemned to death by Gorgon so that you may serve as an example against future infractions.”