Void(13)

When we reached the elevator, I was shocked to see Render there, waiting. “I can escort her,” he said, his voice stern but calm. Despite everyone else shaking in their fucking vampire boots at the idea of being close to me, he wasn’t bothered. Still, I kind of preferred the weapon-wielding guards over the asshole vamp.

The guards gave each other questioning looks, but they didn’t argue with him. I wasn’t sure if it was because he had a lot of sway here, or if they wanted any excuse to get the fuck away from me. I also wasn’t sure which scenario was better.

“Come along, Void. People are waiting,” he said with a mean grin, flashing me his fangs as he spun around into the elevator. I got in behind him, and the guards watched through the clear glass as we ascended several stories. When we got out, Render wasted no time walking out and heading toward a large, ornate door at the end of a polished hallway. He seemed calm, but his damn hand was running through his dark hair again, giving his unease away.

“Aren’t you worried I’ll steal your powers?” I asked him.

Render paused at the door to look at me. His smirk had broken out into a full-grown grin now. I stopped a few feet away, my mother’s warning still fresh in my mind. “No,” he began, turning around to come back to where I stood. “I think you’ve got the world right where you want it. You’ve convinced everyone that you’re this terrifying thing that could steal powers at a moment’s notice, but I think that’s bullshit. I think you’re a weak girl who can’t control her own form of bloodlust,” he said, leaning in close to intimidate me. “Maybe it’s you who needs to be put down,” he said, making me swallow down a dose of fear. “I know the truth, Void,” he added quietly, watching my every reaction, from the way I gnawed on my lip to how fast I blinked.

I tilted my chin to stare him in the eye, forcing the Void down, even though bile was rising in my throat. “And what is the truth, vamp?” I asked, feeling daring as I met his stare head-on. I didn’t like the intimidation game he played. I’d spent my entire life being feared and avoided, and it was jarring to be around Render and Quade, who kept pushing the boundaries.

“The truth is,” Render began, “you’re more afraid of you than anyone else is.”

He then spun on his heel and yanked open the heavy door, guiding me inside the large courtroom while acid churned in my stomach. The sad thing was, he was absolutely right. No one was more scared of what I was capable of than I.





Chapter 3





Judge Braxton was a willowy man. His sleek black hair looked spelled to appear thicker, and his thin frame was swallowed up by the large golden chair he was sitting in. The high collar on his shirt covered his short neck, and his sunken in eyes were emotionless as he took me in.

Looking around, I could sense the magic in the air. The arena—I mean courtroom—was obviously spelled to block spectators from my Void. I could see the sheen of a shield all around the room, separating the stadium-style bench seats above from the lower area where I stood. The council members sat behind Judge Braxton in their own box seats, looking down at me with clear distaste, while the people in the audience had the wide eyes of fear.

Render still stood by my side, staring around at all the terrified supes in amusement, like their fear wasn’t warranted. He’d obviously never seen me in action. He adjusted the collar on his black shirt before checking the time on his Rolex like he didn’t have a care in the world. Just you wait, vamp. I’ll show you how terrifying I can be. He’d think twice before flashing me again.

I looked off to the left where Mother and Quade were in the council box, chit-chatting like a couple of women at Saturday brunch. All they needed was champagne and gossip.

“Void, so glad you could finally make it,” Judge Braxton said in a nasal voice, clearly displeased at having been kept waiting.

“Sorry,” I drawled. “Next time, you should call my secretary. Maybe then I can fit these fun little executions into my schedule,” I retorted while adjusting my white Vneck, which was now sticking to my skin from the sweltering beads of nervous sweat dripping down my spine.

I kept my voice calm and collected, but on the inside, I wanted to squirm and make a break for it. I could feel everyone’s disapproving eyes on my back, like a heavy weight pressing me down into the floor. In the human community, I was used to people ignoring me, but here, all I got was outright hostility. Shifting in my combat boots, I tried not to think about what was about to happen. Maybe if I could keep my cool, I’d survive this—maybe I could make sure the feral vamp could survive this.

“This is not an execution,” Judge Braxton said, leaning forward in his seat with his yellowed teeth bared. His arms were like toothpicks as they rested on his thighs, and his oversized button up shirt nearly drowned him.

“You remember what happened last time you called me here to use my Void powers? That shifter nearly died,” I replied.

To my right, a man with shoulder-length blond hair stood up and stormed out of the courtroom. It seemed I wasn’t the only one disturbed by how close of a call that had been.

“We don’t take kindly to threats, Void.” Judge Braxton replied.

Render stiffened beside me, and I could’ve sworn he was rolling his eyes at Judge Braxton, but I couldn’t be sure from my vantage point.