“I’d never felt true love,” he said, looking back at me. “Not until you. In seven hundred years, I’d never gazed at someone and felt this bone-deep ache the way I do when I look at you. Like the other half of my bruised soul lies beneath your skin. And it’s more than everything I’d ever hoped for. It’s finding my humanity. It’s living for the first time. It’s … redemption.” He drew the words out, and they lingered in the air between us.
The tips of his fingers grazed my cheek, and I glanced at the ground, bashful now that he’d reassured me of his love.
“It’s always been you Gabrielle, even before you existed. And long after our bodies have turned to dust it will still be you. It will always, always be you.”
Chapter 17
A tentative knock interrupted us, and so caught up in the moment, I jolted at the sound. Andre sighed and took my hand. “Our time’s up. Are you ready for this?”
No, not at all, but it wasn’t like I had any other good options. I’d already decided to stay in Romania and risk this exact situation. As the saying went, I’d made my bed, and now I was going to have to sleep in it.
I took a deep breath. “Let’s get this over with.”
Together we crossed the entrance hall, and Andre pulled open one of the two solid oak doors and ushered me in.
I didn’t know what I was expecting on the other side, but it was something along the lines of a lot of crimson and black furniture, corsets, candelabras, and maybe even some spider webs. So the gilded murals and finely pressed business suits threw me. It was almost disappointing.
At least the vampires were real. They were all unnaturally still as we entered, making it appear as though someone pressed pause on time.
I saw some of their nostrils flare as they breathed my scent in. What were they scenting? My emotions, or how just how human I was?
I gazed around the room. It was set up like the courtrooms I’d seen on TV, except instead of a single judge, there was a row of them.
“The Elders,” Andre whispered into my ear.
Sure enough, Vicca sat up there, her expression stoic, though I could’ve sworn she had an evil glint to her eyes.
Up until several months ago, Theodore would’ve been among them, and roughly a decade ago so would have my father. It was a strange and sobering thought.
A vampire stepped up to us. “Miss Fiori,” he said, giving me a slight bow, “the Elders have generously rearranged today’s schedule so that you can give your testimony as the first order of business.”
Generously. I wanted to snort at that. My guess was that the schedule had been rearranged so that they could snatch me, get my testimony, and return me before Andre was made aware of the situation. And if they had, then my testimony would’ve been inconsistent with Andre’s. We’d have both been screwed.
“I was kidnapped, and now you want me to testify?” I raised my eyebrows and gazed at the sea of vampires. Their expressions remained passive.
“As a member of this coven, it is your duty to testify before our court, something you’ve managed to evade up until now.” As if he couldn’t help himself, the vampire snuck a sly glance at Andre. I guess there was no mistaking exactly who was responsible for my absence in court. Funny how I, and not Andre, was still getting punished for it.
“I am here on an official investigation for the Politia,” I said. “My primary allegiance during this time is to them.”
Now that statement got a reaction. The sound of hisses echoed throughout the courtroom.
“Blasphemy,” someone whispered. That was cute, coming from a vampire.
Another whispered, “Why does he let her get away with this heresy?”
Someone responded, “He won’t. He never does.”
One of the Elders spoke up. “Enough stalling. Gabrielle Fiori, daughter of the late Santiago Fiori, tonight you will answer the court’s questions. Once you do so, you will be allowed to leave and return to your investigation.” His voice dripped with disdain.
The Elder’s eyes moved to Andre. “Sire, I trust you will not stand in the way of these proceedings though this young vampire means something to you?”
Andre stared at the Elder for a long moment before inclining his head. “You have my word.”
Well hell, I was in for a long night.
“Please follow me to the stand,” said the vampire standing next to me.
I glanced at Andre, who stared at the vampire until he fidgeted, before inclining his head. Andre may be the defendant in this trial, but there was no mistaking that he was still in charge.
He released my hand, and I followed the vampire up to the stand, a strange sort of disbelief settling over me. This was really happening. I’d been kidnapped and now, rather than reporting the incident, I was testifying. Vampires had a majorly screwed up justice system.
At my back I could feel Andre’s comforting presence. It was the one silver lining of the whole situation.
As I sat down and faced the pale, expressionless audience, I made a promise to myself: I would not screw this up.
“Why would Theodore want to kill you?”
I stared down at my twisted hands. “He thought I was unnatural.”
“And why would he think that?”
I’d already explained this to the other lawyer—don’t even get me started on the strangeness of vampiric lawyers—but now the other side was cross-examining me, looking for holes in my story.
I drew my gaze up and gave the male vampire a sharp look. “I don’t know.” I bit back a longer response. The less they could get out of me, the likelier I was to pull this off.
“Surely you have an idea?” he prodded.
“Objection,” the other lawyer said.
“Overruled,” one of the bored Elders said.
In the courtroom beyond him, Andre controlled his expression, but every once in a while I glimpsed the muscle in his cheek feathering.
My attention returned to the lawyer. “You’ve been a vampire longer than I have, you tell me.”
That didn’t sit well with him. His eyes thinned, but he moved on.