Wicked Bite (Night Rebel #2)(80)

Or, I could think up a cleverer defense. I could literally say anything to persuade them to believe that what they saw wasn’t caused by a forbidden hybrid lineage and illegal magic . . . if I let Dagon go instead of killing him.

That’s why he’d had his acolytes teleport several members of the vampire council plus a handful of Law Guardians here. It was, to use an American term, his Hail Mary pass.

“Kill me, and you lose everything you’ve built during the many years of your life,” Dagon repeated, as if I was too stupid to realize the implications myself.

“Veritas, explain this!” Haldam commanded.

Dagon’s eyes gleamed with almost a feral light. “Yes, explain, or prove what you are beyond all doubt—”

I yanked his soul out. Dagon’s body collapsed at the loss of the writhing, diaphanous form. Seeing it, the council members and Law Guardians recoiled in horror. Then they let out a gasp when I drew Dagon’s silently shrieking soul right up to my face.

“You don’t get away again,” I said. “No matter what this costs me: You. Are. Done.”

Then I threw his foul, reeking soul into the darkness that pooled at my feet, giving the new Warden of the Gateway to the Netherworld—whoever that was now that my father had been fired from or abdicated the position—another passenger to transport to the most feared section of the afterlife.

Shocked silence filled the air. I used it to concentrate as I pulled back my power. To my surprise, it went easily, without the struggle that had marked my former issues with my other nature. The darkness that had pooled around me vanished, too, revealing the dry, hardened earth of winter, and when I turned around, I could see that my gaze now glowed emerald, not silver.

The demons gave a horrified look at what I’d done before teleporting away. Guess they didn’t care about Dagon enough to attempt avenging him, or they knew they’d need bigger numbers to try. Either way, word of what I’d done would travel. If I didn’t have a bounty on my head in the demon world before, I would now.

That was fine. When they came for me, I’d be ready.

Haldam was the first to find his voice. It shook, but to his credit, his words weren’t fearful. “Arrest her!”

What was left of Ian’s muscles coiled; a panther about to pounce. Dawn peeked over the horizon. Soon, the pentagram’s confining barrier would be down. Ian must not think he could teleport us away, so he was readying himself to fight.

“Ian, don’t!”

He paused, anger and incredulousness washing over his expression. “You think I’ll let them take you?”

At that, every one of the Law Guardians drew a weapon. His threat could not have been clearer. But in his current condition, a fight with them could prove deadly for Ian.

I could use my abilities to overcome them, but they didn’t deserve to have their souls ripped out, and I wasn’t sure I could stop myself from doing that versus only tearing out their blood and water. That power felt too close to the surface, too ready to be unleashed again. If I let it out again so soon, who knew what would happen?

“You will let them take me, Ian,” I said, struck with an idea. “Then you’ll call me later, when you’re someplace safe.”

His breath blew out in the harshest of laughs. Then he swung around to glare at the newest council member, who muttered, “You won’t be alive later,” under his breath.

“Ian!” My voice rose as the promise of death filled his gaze. I couldn’t let him attack the council, for many reasons. “I said when you get someplace safe, call me.”

The killing rage left his gaze. I heaved a sigh of relief. Good, he understood. Then, I turned to the council.

“I demand a formal trial before any sentence is carried out. Considering my millenniums of service, it’s the least I deserve.”

“She is right,” Hekima said, though her glance held no hope for the sentence to be anything except death. “We will reconvene in Athens, where all eleven of us will be present. Until then, Veritas, you are under arrest. One of you, restrain her.”

“You’ll have to wait a few minutes,” I replied calmly. “The barrier around this area doesn’t drop until dawn.”

They tested that, of course. Then they stood on the other side of the barrier, exchanging awkward looks with each other.

Ian came over to me. I took his hand in mine and winced at how I only felt bones. Please, let him heal, I thought again.

He must have sensed my worry because his mouth curled. “I’ve come back from worse, or so I’ve been told.”

This was the second time that fighting by my side had reduced him to a near-skeletal state. “Marriage is proving to be harmful to your health,” I replied with a shaky laugh.

“That’s saying something for a vampire,” he quipped. Then his amusement faded and he said, “Ereshki is dead,” with savage satisfaction.

How he’d managed to kill her in his state was remarkable. Then again, Ian had always surprised me—and anyone who dared to underestimate him.

“Good,” was all I said.

The sun was coming up. In moments, it would shine through the smashed-out windows of the ski lodge and touch the blue diamond, breaking the boundary on the encircled pentagram.

“I love you,” I whispered, reaching for his hand again.