Night's Honor (Elder Races #7)(63)

He said, “You’re the only one in the world making this claim.”

It was impossible to tell what Julian meant by that statement, but Xavier still looked calm and relaxed, and he gave her a reassuring smile. She swallowed hard. “I guess I am.”

“I want to hear you say it,” Julian said. “Tell me you believe this is true.”

She met the Nightkind King’s piercing gaze and said in a clear, steady voice, “I was present in the casino when all of it happened. I watched Eathan dig a hole for himself by gambling more and more, and I saw Malphas seduce him into it. I called Senator Jackson’s office and got through all of his gatekeepers until I spoke to him directly, and I told him Eathan was in trouble. I saw Senator Jackson and his staff of bodyguards arrive at the casino, and they left shortly afterward with Eathan.” She paused. “I believe Malphas killed Eathan.”

Julian’s expression hadn’t shifted. “Jackson’s boy died at sea. Even if the exact location of his death could be pinpointed—which is highly unlikely—it’s too late to have the area scanned by a forensic magic user. You can’t prove anything.”

Her heart sank. Glancing at Xavier again, she said, “No, sir, I’m afraid I can’t. But for me, the timing and manner of Eathan’s death is too compelling.”

Julian sat on the couch, propped his booted feet on the table and crossed his arms. “While I hear the conviction in your voice, nobody cares whether or not you find it compelling or you believe it’s true. It’s a very serious allegation, and none of it can be corroborated. I’ve yet to hear anything about whether or not you’re a credible witness. For all I know, you might also believe tinfoil hats keep aliens from invading your thoughts.”

Xavier stirred. “Julian.”

The Nightkind King gestured impatiently. “I’m making a point. What this whole thing comes down to is your word against a first-generation Djinn.”

If Malphas could make her disappear, it wouldn’t even be that.

Despair tried to take over. Closing her eyes, she fought it off. She whispered, “I know.”

Something settled around her shoulders. Surprised, she opened her eyes again to find Xavier had joined her and put his arm around her shoulders. Comfort stole into her frozen heart. Unable to resist, she slipped an arm around his lean waist while Julian watched them both with that dark, piercing gaze.

Xavier said, “As far as what happened to Jackson’s boy, it may be your word against his, but that’s not true of anybody else you saw Malphas entrap.”

Julian straightened out of his lounging position and sat forward.

Xavier’s clear, gray-green gaze was intelligent and warm. He smiled at her. “You saw other people rack up large debts and overheard things they said. Do you remember any names?”

She blinked rapidly. “Yes.”

“What about the man with his wife? The one who said it would never be over.”

Nodding, she told him, “I remember them. They had a Minnesota address.”

Julian grabbed a pad of paper and a pen from the table and strode over to shove it into her hands. “Make a list of all the names you can remember.”

Moving to one of the couches, she started scribbling.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Julian walk to the cabinet, open it and pull out a bottle of what looked to be bloodwine. He poured ruby red liquid into two glasses as Xavier joined him.

Julian offered one of the glasses to Xavier, who shook his head. With a shrug, Julian tossed back his head and downed the liquid.

Julian asked, “What’s your goal in all this? We’re not going to win any political leverage from the information. The Djinn are notoriously difficult to bargain with, and pariahs won’t necessarily keep their word anyway. If it was a straightforward attack, I could hold him pinned, but only for a little while. If we decide to pin him, we’d have to kill him—and we would need a hell of a lot of backup for that, and right now, I don’t think any of our allies would be willing to take on the kind of damage that a fight with that Powerful of a Djinn would entail.”

While it was clear Julian wasn’t speaking to her, he didn’t bother to lower his voice, and neither did Xavier.

“The only leverage I’m looking for is insurance,” Xavier said.

“What kind of insurance?”

“I want my people to live without fear of reprisal or some kind of revenge attack. I want Tess free and clear to do whatever she wants to do. Her life is in danger as long as Malphas believes she’s the only one who knows what he’s done, but if it were as simple as that, all we would have to do is go public with our suspicions. We have to take it a step further to make sure he doesn’t take vengeance on her—or on anyone else—like he did with Jackson’s son.”

As what he said sank in, she stopped breathing. She didn’t know what to do with herself, or with what she had just heard.

Xavier wasn’t just working with her to solve a dangerous problem. He was actively standing up for her.

Nobody had ever stood up for her before. Nobody, not for anything. Not one of her foster parents—certainly not the bastard who loved to hit kids with a belt—and none of the other children she had fostered with, either.

Tess was always the strong one, the one who had stuck up for them. Maybe that was why Eathan had gotten to her in the first place. He’d needed help, and so she had stepped up.