Derek's eyes widen, and in two long strides he is by my side pulling me into an embrace and kissing my forehead. "That's genius, Eve Oliver. Pure genius!"
Our bodies are pressed together, and the light moment of celebratory breakthrough turns into something else, something that stirs desires in me as once again I am lost in this man's eyes.
I pull away, and his gaze follows me as I take my tea and sit again, trying to ignore the color rushing to my cheeks. "Do you think it'll work?"
Derek is already at his desk rewriting his argument. "I think it's the best chance we have, either way."
I nod, scanning over the notes I’ve taken at my side. “So much has come to light, and yet we don’t really know what happened to Mary. Who killed her? Why? Perhaps we’ve been running in circles. Perhaps Dracula is guilty all along.”
Derek pauses, looking up, his fingers stained black from the ink of his feather pen. "Does it matter? Don’t the guilty deserve someone advocating for them?" he asks, in response.
"I guess it depends on what they did," I say.
"What crimes are too heinous to justify a fair trial?" he asks, curious.
"Rape, certain kinds of murder, child abuse and molestation," I say, checking off the big deal breakers for me.
"And what of extenuating circumstances?" he asks.
"That's why I said, certain kinds of murder. There are times it can be justified. But how can you ever justify rape or hurting a child?"
He nods. "We are selective." He shrugs. "Usually. But we do believe everyone deserves to have someone in their corner. We can't always ascertain guilt or innocence. Part of our job is to uncover the truth. The rest is to make sure our client isn't unfairly sentenced, even if they are guilty. The guilty were all innocent at one point, and many of them became monsters because of what was once done to them."
A voice in the hall interrupts us. "Time to go!" Liam.
I stand, as does Derek. "One more question," I say, laying a hand on his arm before he opens the door. "Would you have taken on Dracula's case if he hadn't compelled you?"
"Yes," Derek says.
"Why?"
"Because the prosecution isn't objective when it comes to him. They have a long vendetta against him. I don't believe he'll get a fair trial in this world, and I believe he deserves one, regardless of who he is."
The door bursts open and Liam is there looking smoking hot in a scarlet cloak and golden vest. "Time to go. Can't be late. We've been assigned Judge Dath’Racul."
"Shit," Derek says, under his breath.
"What's wrong with this judge?" I ask.
"He's the fire dragon. If you think Liam is hot-headed, wait until you meet Dath’Racul."
Liam scowls at Derek at that, but I just smirk. "He's not wrong," I tell the auburn-haired fire Druid.
"Let's just go. We're already on bad footing with him from that Leprechaun case."
"Leprechaun? I'll have to get more details about that later."
The four brothers and I, carrying leather satchels with legal briefs and papers, squeeze into the carriage and Lily drives us to the courthouse. "Where's Dracula?" I ask.
"He's meeting us there," Sebastian says.
This is my first time in this part of the town, but I know the courthouse the moment I see it. It's the tallest building I have ever seen, dome-shaped, made of gray stone, stained glass windows throughout. You could fit several baseball stadiums and a couple of high-rise buildings into the structure and still have room to spare.
"It's huge!" I say, gasping.
"That's what she said," Derek quips, and I nearly choke on my tongue.
"That's some serious teenage boy humor for an immortal and wise vampire," I say.
He shrugs. "We have to stay relevant and current with the times." He winks at me, and I flush.
Elijah speaks without looking up from the book he's reading. "It has to be this large to accommodate not only the judges, but also all manner of creature who may need to come to court. About 100 years ago the giants petitioned the doors be made larger, because though the dragons can fly in from the top, the giants had a hard time getting in through the regular entrance. It was a whole drama that eventually resulted in the building being remodeled. Now everyone is more or less happy, though some of the flower fairies complain it's too big and they get tired trying to find their way. You can't please everyone it seems."
The carriage is silent as we pull up to the front. The doors are made of stone. Everything is stone. No wood. I assume because of creatures who breathe fire or burst into flames.
Elijah finally looks up and smiles. "It’s time.”
We pile out and make our way in. I idly wonder who opens and closes these doors each day, but then I see that one of the guards is a an actual giant and my question is answered. He towers over us, easily the size of a tall tree, and I can barely make out the features of his face. "Are you carrying any weapons, magicks or forbidden items?" the giant booms at us.
"No. We are here for the defense," Derek says.
"You may enter."
The space within is just as huge as it seems from without, and has benches of varying sizes, presumably to accommodate all manner of creature.
I try to take it all in as the brothers rush us to our courtroom. We travel through long hallways with impossibly high ceilings until we reach our destination. It's set up more like a throne room than a courthouse, though there are nods to the latter with the defendant's box and jury box.
I already know from my reading that the jury selection is different here. The judge chooses the jury based on a pool of interspecies candidates who have been given legal training and have been vetted for impartiality. The lawyers are stuck with who they get, unless there are no jurors from the defendant's race.
The courtroom is packed already with bystanders who want to see Dracula. It's more of a celebrity spotting than a court of law. The judge's seat is a huge stone platform big enough for a dragon. There is no ceiling, and yet the snow that is starting to fall more heavily outside doesn't enter the chamber. There's some kind of magical field that keeps out the weather but allows a view of the sky and the swirling colors of the Dragon's Breath. We take our place at stone tables and super uncomfortable stone benches. Derek explained to me that court cases here are different than in the mundane world. Here, there are breaks, but court isn't dismissed until the case is complete. Which means we could be here for days. And the accommodations are less than comfortable.
And I'm a human who actually needs a reasonable amount of sleep.
I glance at the prosecution and see two women and a man conferring with each other, their backs to me. One of them is familiar. She came to the house offering the plea. The Van Helsings.
I glance at the jury box and study the thirteen chosen to hear the case. Elijah explains that the three dwarvish-looking fellows with the craggy faces and long beards are druegar, from the diamond mines in the far north. The naga has the upper body of a woman – and a beautiful one at that – but the lower body of a monstrous python, and next to her, in a special tank to accommodate their aquatic nature, are a pair of selkies that the average person would have a hard time differentiating from a couple of seals. I ignore the others and ask the question that's been on my mind since entering the room. "How many vampires do we have?" I ask.
Derek glances over. "Three. That could be to our favor, or not. Dracula has a mixed reputation amongst our kind."
Speak of the devil, Dracula enters the courtroom and everyone falls silent as he makes his way to us, his black cape flowing behind him like a macabre wedding train.
"Cutting it rather close, aren't you?" Liam hisses, as Dracula takes a seat at our table.
"I am here. That is what matters."
"Where have you been? We could have used your help in preparing your defense," Sebastian says.
Dracula glares at the Night brother. "I had business to attend. I trust you made do in my absence."
A very tiny woman comes
out of what looks like a hole in one of the walls. She's so small she could fit in the palm of my hand. She must use some kind of magic to amplify her voice, because when she talks, it fills the whole room.
"Hear ye, hear ye. Judge Dath’Racul residing. Court is in session in the matter of the Otherworld vs. Vlad Dracule on two counts of murder, two counts of unlawful draining of blood, and two counts of violating the Non-Violent Vampire Act."
With that, there is a great whooshing sound and the air around us is whipped into a frenzy as a huge red dragon descends from the sky and into the chamber, wings spanning the length of the space as he lands upon the platform, his giant claws digging into the stone as he does.
I gasp and clutch at Sebastian's arm. It's one thing to imagine a dragon, it's quite another to see one up close and in person. His scales shimmer like gemstones and his large ebony eyes scan the courtroom.
"Rise," the dragon says with a deep, thunderous voice, a puff of fire spurting from his nose.
We rise, my legs still wobbly from being in the presence of an actual freaking dragon!
"Who stands for the defendant?" the dragon asks.
"The Night Firm," Derek says.
The judge nods his giant head. "And who stands for the Otherworld?"
"The Van Helsings," one of the women says. "Moira, Anna and Able."
"Very well, begin with your opening arguments."
The Van Helsing woman steps forward, and the tiny woman who is now seated at the side of the dragon waves her hand and an iridescent cloud appears above us. When the prosecutor speaks, her voice is also amplified.
"Your Greatness, we intend to show that Vlad Dracule, also known as Dracula, has a history of violent and bloody crimes against others. That he was abusive to his wife, and when he found out she was having an affair, he killed her and her child in a most brutal fashion."
Derek stiffens and the brothers look at each other.
Dracula's eyes narrow. His nails scrape at the stone bench, leaving grooves in their wake.
I lean in toward the Count, speaking softly. "They’ll need proof of an affair. Otherwise, it’s just speculation.”
He nods. His hands clenched.
Moira calls her first witness. "We call Lilith to the stand," she says.
The courtroom door opens and Lilith walks in like a celebrity on the red carpet. Her dress is white silk and has a long train that trails behind her. She looks like a bride, innocent and virginal. Dracula stiffens, his eyes glued to her.
Liam hisses. "I thought she wasn’t going to testify for them?"
Lilith catches my gaze and winks, and I put a steadying hand on Liam's arm. "I don't think she is," I whisper.
Lilith takes the stand and the tiny woman next to the dragon brings a giant book for Lilith to swear on.
"Who is that woman, and what is that book?" I whisper to Sebastian.
"She is a gnome and is the right hand of Judge Dath’Racul. And the book is an ancient book of magic that is said to hold the secrets of the dead. Everyone swears on it when testifying."
"What is your relationship to the defendant?" Moira asks Lilith.
"I am his sire, and he was my husband for several hundred years," she says, with a bell-like voice that carries through the courtroom.
"And how would you describe your relationship to Dracula when you were married?" Moira asks.
Our entire table holds our collective breath as we wait to see what her answer will be.
"We were as close as two people could be. It was the happiest time of my existence." There's a sad melancholy to her voice and I know this is her truth.
Moira frowns. "Would you describe Mr. Dracule as violent?"
"Objection, Your Honor," Derek says, standing. "Leading the witness."
"Ms. Van Helsing, you know better," the judge says.
"I'll rephrase," she says, turning back to Lilith. "How many people has Vlad killed?"
"I couldn't say. You'd have to ask him."
Moira looks frustrated. "How many did he kill while you were married?"
Lilith's lips twitch. "Again, I couldn't say. I wasn't his keeper. We were equals. Partners."
"How would you describe his temperament?" Moira asks.
"Intriguing, brilliant, thoughtful," she says.
Moira sighs and looks to the judge. "Your Honor, permission to treat Lilith as a hostile witness."
"Granted," the dragon says.
Moira looks back to Lilith, her eyes hard. "Isn't it true that you've claimed Vlad was abusive and volatile?"
"He was never abusive," Lilith says. "And I found him more calculating than volatile. Vlad never let his temper get the best of him."
The rest of her testimony is more of the same. She paints her ex in the best possible light, explaining that they only separated so Dracula could fulfill his desire to have a child.
When Derek stands to cross-examine Lilith, he asks only one question. "Based on what you know of Vlad, do you think he's capable of killing his wife and child?"
"Not in the least," Lilith says. "He wanted a child more than anything. He would never have harmed Mary or their baby."
The testimony went better for us than expected and the prosecution doesn't look happy.
Moira looks through her notes, then speaks. "We call Jerome Van Helsing to the stand."
Derek stands. "Objection, your honor, this witness is not on the list provided to us."
"Your honor, new evidence only recently came to light. Jerome is being called as an expert witness to testify to the defendant's frame of mind surrounding this new information."
"I will allow it," the dragon says.
The courtroom doors open and I turn, studying the man called Jerome Van Helsing.
My blood runs cold.
My hands tremble.
My breathing becomes rapid. My vision blurs with the burning of tears.
I'm sitting between Sebastian and Derek, and both of them notice my body tense and shake.
"What is it?" Sebastian asks, his lip glancing against my ear.
“It’s him,” I say. “It’s Jerry. My ex.”
The Pain
Submit to you—
is that what you advise?
The way the ripples do
whenever ill winds arise?
~ Ono no Komachi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch
“How?” asks Derek, eyes wide.
I shake my head, a rising panic flooding my senses. “I don’t know. But that’s Jerry.”
I would know him anywhere. The dark eyes and black hair that's always perfectly coifed. The long, brown coat he always wears. The cruel glint in his eyes.
Sebastian curses under his breath. “I heard he had a practice in the mundane world, but I never imagined the two of you had met. It can’t be coincidence.”
“What do you mean?” I ask. “He sought me out as a client?”
“Or perhaps Matilda’s ad sought you out because of him. I’m not sure.” His eyes look dark. His brow furrowed in worry.
Before we can say more, Jerome—Jerry—Van Helsing passes us by, smiling and winking at me. All four brothers stand and call for an objection at the same time.
"Your honor," Derek says, as the other brothers sit, "this is highly unusual. This man has never met with my client professionally and has a history of violence against women. He's unsuitable to be their expert witness."
At the words "violence against women" I shrink into myself, my mind clouding with the unreality of it all. What's he doing here? How is this happening?
Sebastian reaches for my hand under the table and squeezes it. The touch, the strength in it, soothes some of the frantic fear out of me, but I'm still left perplexed by the situation I now find myself in.
Moira Van Helsing stands, glancing at me before she speaks to the judge. "Your honor, my brother is an expert in the field of psychology, has given professional testimony in this court before, and is more than capable of studying Count Dracule's file and giving hi
s expert opinion on the accused."
"Objection overruled," the dragon bellows. "You may continue."
Derek frowns and sits, his hands clenched into fists at his side.
Moira smiles and nods to the judge. "Thank you, Your Greatness."
She faces Jerry with a flourish. "Dr. Van Helsing, please recount your qualifications for the record."
My head fills with the sound of whooshing water and I feel like I'm going to vomit as Jerry stares at me while elaborating on his skill and training, including pack therapist for the Van Helsing werewolf clan.
My ex is a werewolf?
He then goes on to testify about Dracula, that he's hot headed, dangerous, abusive, feels himself above the law. All the expected attacks that we prepared for.
But we didn't prepare for what happens next.
First, the courtroom door opens and Elal, the coroner, comes in and hands a slip of paper to Derek and to Moira. He looks apologetically at us, then slinks away.
Moira's eyes widen when she reads it, and her smile is damning.
Derek looks it over and swears.
Moira admits into evidence a Memory Catcher. The crystal looks familiar.
Derek objects but is overruled again, and Moira hands the stone to Jerry, who proceeds to show the image.
"This is the memory of a cat," Jerry says. "One who lives on Count Dracule's property." Jerry speeds through until he gets to the part where Liam's shoes are clearly visible. "And these are the shoes of Mr. Liam Night, for the defense. He was there, with Mary, while Dracula was away."
The court goes wild. But the gnome woman screams for everyone to settle down, and Moira, before she loses momentum, submits the paper Elal brought in as evidence.
"And can you tell the court what this document says?" Moira asks Jerry.
Jerry smirks. "It says the child wasn't Dracula's. Which means Mary was having an affair."
Dracula stands and flips over a stone table in sheer, uncontrollable rage. He dashes to Liam and pins him to the floor, stepping on him with his boot. "How dare you betray me this way, after everything I've done for you!"
Liam thrashes under the weight of his sire. The dragon bellows fire into the air with a loud screech, and the tiny woman with the big voice walks over and grabs Dracula by the cuff of his pants. It's all she can reach. But I watch, wide-eyed, as she yanks and Dracula is pulled into the air and smashed against the marble flooring with a loud thud.
I Am the Wild (The Night Firm Book 1) Page 17
