My One and Only (Bewitched and Bewildered #10)(43)

Kari gave a short nod. "As I was saying. DeLaFontaine was caught in the act of trying to inject Princess Vivian with a pure strain of the virus. He is being questioned as our lead suspect in the murder of Clara Garcia. Future charges are pending as the virus spreads and gets worse." She tapped her iPad. "Jervasius Régis was arrested for kidnapping, false imprisonment, sexual assault and frankly too many other disgusting things to mention." She looked out at the crowd. "He forced Bree to be his wife, I refuse to use the term mate, since he knew that her true mate was their squire Pavil Desrosiers. She lived with him against her will as Jervasius threatened to kill Pavil if she left." Gasps were heard all around them. Kari continued. "Prince Gavriel sees this as a serious betrayal of all we hold sacred. Jervasius will face a tribunal as soon as all the Elders are able to return to the city." She straightened her back. "This left our leaders with some serious decisions to make. Jervasius will of course be replaced by his son Jourdain as the new Régis Founding Family head." She paused as Jourdain stood and got a brief round of applause. No one looked surprised, he was the obvious choice. Kari clapped exactly twice then resumed her announcement. "As DeLaFontaine has no documented heir, Princes Gavriel, Adriel and Caspian, along with Princess Vivian and later Prince Magnus have all agreed, that given the disturbing reports from Level Five, it is their unanimous decision to elevate one of our Noble Family sons to serve as Level Five's new Founding Family head." Heads turned as those around them tried to figure out who could possibly be chosen for such a prestigious advancement. Kari smiled warmly. "It is with great honor I present to you, for the first time, our newest Founding Family head, Warrick Fortier." Warrick stepped away from the wall where he had been standing with his fellow unit warriors and walked in front of the stage.

The man who had seemed so triumphant at the children's distress stood to his feet. "Impossible!" he shouted.

Warrick's icy gaze turned to the man. "Uncle. Thank you for standing. It made locating you in the crowd that much easier." He turned to Viktor. "Could the Iota Unit please secure Gerald and Andre Dubois and take them to the detention cells for questioning?"

Viktor turned an evil grin to the frozen Gerald. "With pleasure."

Gerald attempted to run but Hugo stretched out a long leg and tripped him. Another man stopped Andre from bolting and the warriors escorted them out of the room. Warrick turned back to the crowd. "I know there have been so many changes lately. Trust me, I was not expecting this," he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Go on son," Hugo called out.

Warrick nodded. "I know many of you from attending functions with my uncle, I hope that by now you know me to be an honest man and a proud warrior for my city. I am asking for your trust now." He pointed to the door his uncle had just been dragged through. "I cannot divulge why they are being arrested, but I can tell you that I have recently discovered that they are responsible for harming many innocent citizens on Level Five. These crimes are so heinous and encompass so many from the Noble Family that I have asked Prince Gavriel dissolve the house completely. At this time, we have no future plans for the house."

"Prince Gavriel," a man called out, rising to his feet. "We mean no disrespect to you, but what is being discussed affects families who have ruled for generations. Was there nothing else that could be done?" he asked in soft, even tones.

Gavriel shook his head. "I know these measures seem extreme to you, but I will call on your trust as Warrick has. I am desperately trying to save this city, and I do not mean from the threat the virus holds. Something darker has taken root in this city and it is spreading like a cancer. What you see as changes to established families, I see as precise surgery to remove the sickness that if left alone will destroy our city."

Serenity could feel the effect Gavriel's words had on the crowd. Nearly everyone was shaking from the dire message the prince shared. There were no pulses of adrenaline. She turned to Meryn who was already passing her her phone.

Fear, gratitude, hope. Scared shitless, but good vibes.

Serenity nodded. That matched the reactions she was feeling. She passed the phone back to Meryn. She looked to the stage and saw Kari was watching them closely. Serenity met her eye then gave a subtle, slow nod. Kari's was about to continue when her eyes widened. Serenity turned her head to see what she was staring at.

Meryn stood and was raising her hand. Kari looked positively ill. "Yes? Meryn."

Once again Meryn found herself the center of attention. She looked a bit spooked but took a deep breath. "Uh, your princes," she started. Gavriel stood and walked closer to the edge of the stage. "Just speak like you normally would," he said kindly.

Kari coved the mic with her hand. "Are you crazy?" she demanded. Like Meryn, she also forgot about paranormal hearing.

The tension in the room dropped significantly as chuckles erupted. "Oh, let the little one speak her mind Ms. Kari," Hugo said, his eyes sparkling. "But maybe move her on stage so we can see her."

Meryn grinned at him. "I knew I liked him," she said, then climbed onto her chair. Kendrick stood and placed a steadying hand on her back. Meryn looked around the room. "Okay peeps, I'm not from here, but I've met a lot of cool people since I've arrived, most of them being like real people on Level Six." On stage Kari groaned at the term 'real people'. Meryn ignored her. "Anyway. Since Warrick is a unit warrior and used to doing patrols and rounds and talking to different people on different levels. Instead of doing another Noble Family, why not create a mini-citizen council who can collect concerns from the people and present them to Warrick for action. He can either address the concerns directly or because he is now a Founding Family peep, he can bring it to a meeting like this?"