Winter Term

by J. J. Krzemien

  Jaxon

  As soon as those words left Mr. Ashworth’s mouth, I knew where the defense was taking this case. They were going to try to slut-shame Caprice. Make it look like Kyle Aimes was just another one of her lovers, and this was all a misunderstanding. Or, they’d had a spat and this was the result.

  I inwardly groaned. This was going to be a shitshow. At least the Council vote was the deciding factor, and I knew Kyle would get prosecuted.

  I glanced at my fellow Council members. Obviously Isabella and I were on Caprice’s side. Diego and Demarcus had to be as well. That put the four of us against the three that would most likely side with Aimes. Of course Councilor Aimes would side with his son. Linus Stewart would vote with him. That left Mia Chang. She was a wildcard. That still gave us the majority, and if she joined us, that would be fine. Mostly, I felt bad for Caprice having to go through this.

  The Ashworth bastard continued his ridiculous questioning. “Three? Well… Don’t you have a hearty appetite!”

  Caprice looked appalled.

  “How much did you have to drink at this party?” he asked.

  “A little too much,” she admitted.

  “Isn’t it true that you were quite drunk and dancing with Mr. Aimes?” The Ashworth bastard was the Aimes’ family’s personal lawyer. The Councilor had bragged about him during yesterday’s meeting. The best money could buy for any defense case.

  “I didn’t mean to dance with him,” Caprice said. Her cheeks had flushed.

  “You were so drunk that you didn’t know who you were dancing with?”

  “Not at first. I thought it was someone else.” She licked her lips.

  “Like who?”

  “Angel maybe.”

  “Or one of the other two men you’re having sex with?”

  Her jaw clenched. “I wasn’t having sex with them at that time.”

  He waved her response away, and circled around to her other side. “Is it true that you ground your ass against him while dancing?”

  “Probably. I didn’t know it was him—”

  “But you didn’t bother to check who it was. It could have been anyone. And you would have still ground your ass against him. Coming on to him.”

  Caprices’ jaw dropped. “I never—”

  “No further questions.” Ashworth retreated to his table. He shared a triumphant smile with Kyle. I wanted to punch them both in the mouth.

  Caprice returned to her seat, anger flashing in her dark eyes. Ms. Fairchild called her first witness: Angel. This time I couldn’t hold the groan in. Didn’t she see how calling in any of Caprice’s romantic parters was just giving the defense fuel?

  Angel took the truth oath, then his seat.

  “Mr. Cortez,” the prosecutor began, “tell us what you saw at this party.”

  “I wasn’t at the party itself, but outside on the grounds. I heard Caprice scream, then nothing. When I found her, Kyle Aimes had his pants around his ankles, and her half undressed. He held her by the hair and was forcing her to her knees.”

  “What happened next?”

  “I pulled him off her. Beat the crap out of him for trying to rape her.” Angel shifted uncomfortably in the chair. “Jaxon took her back to his apartment.”

  “Do you think Kyle Aimes would have raped her if you hadn’t interfered?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Cortez.” Ms. Fairchild let Ashworth cross examine.

  He immediately got to his point. “Are you one of Miss Sorrentino’s lovers? Mates?”

  “Yes…I am.”

  “Werewolves are known for being possessive. Isn’t it true that she went to a party without you, came on to Mr. Aimes, lured him away from the crowd to have sex with him, and when you found them together you snapped?”

  “No.”

  “You beat my client real bad. Didn’t you?”

  “Yes. But—”

  “Because you snapped?”

  “Yes. But—”

  Ashworth smirked. “Do you ever feel jealous about other men having sex with Miss Sorrentino?”

  “Yes.”

  “Would you feel jealous of Kyle Aimes if he were having sex with her?”

  Angel’s jaw clenched. “Yes.”

  “No further questions.” Ashworth turned his back to a very pissed off werewolf. Luckily, Angel had enough control of himself to leave. Ripping out the defense attorney’s throat would only prove the scumbag’s point.

  I wanted to slouch down in my seat far enough to disappear. Caprice had gone from red-faced to pale. She looked sick. While Kyle’s bright green eyes glimmered with amusement.

  Fairchild’s fierce expression had turned pensive. “My next witness is May Kavanagh.”

  May put on a brave face as she took the oath and prepared for questioning.

  “There seem to be some questions regarding Miss Sorrentino’s morals,” Ms. Fairchild said. “Is she a shifter?”

  “Yes, she is.”

  “Exactly what kind of shifter is Miss Sorrentino?”

  “A dragon-shifter,” May said.

  “Can you tell us about a dragon-shifter’s mating habits?”

  May nodded. “Yes, dragon-shifters are the only known supernatural type to take multiple life-long mates.”

  “So, while the rest of us might only take one mate, it is perfectly natural for Caprice Sorrentino to take two or three?”

  “I’m not sure exactly how many, but yes. It is natural.” May smiled at Caprice.

  Ashworth took over. “Miss Sorrentino must be particularly attractive to find so many mates, especially in such a short amount of time. She must be an expert at luring men to her bed, wouldn’t you say?”

  “I-I don’t know.”

  “How many other women do you know who have snared three men, within six months, to be theirs?” he asked.

  “None.” May glared at Ashworth.

  “Why settle for three when she could have four or five?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What do you think she does to enchant these men?” Ashworth asked, that ever present sneer on his face.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Can they even help themselves when a dragon-shifter puts out her mating call? Could Kyle Aimes be the victim of her charms?”

  “No,” May whispered. “I don’t know.”

  Ashworth dismissed her with a wave of his hand. “Obviously, we don’t know much about dragon-kind.”

  I balled my hands into fists and folded my arms, resisting the urge to strangle that man. He was making a mockery of my—all of our—relationships with Caprice. Trying to make her feel bad for who and what she was. All while painting Kyle Aimes as the victim. Seriously? This wasn’t about right and wrong, it was about attacking Caprice.

  “The prosecution rests,” Ms. Fairchild said.

  I blew out a sigh of relief. Even if she had more witnesses, Ashworth would find a way to turn their words against Caprice. We really didn’t need anymore of that this evening. I braced myself instead for the defense’s case.

  Ashworth stood, addressing the Council. “Kyle Aimes has a very different, but no less troubling account to tell. He saw Miss Sorrentino dancing all by herself. He felt drawn to her and decided to take a chance with her. When my client started dancing with her, she didn’t pull away. In fact, she moved in a sexually suggestive way against him. She then told him to meet her outside. She left first and he followed soon after, catching up with her around the corner of the building. They were having a consensual sexual experience when Angel Cortez attacked Kyle Aimes in a fit of jealousy.”

  Ashworth strolled to the platform. “I call Ms. Duinn as witness.”

  The middle aged witch took the stand, her hands folded in her lap.

  “Can you tell us about the relationship between Miss Sorrentino and Mr. Aimes?” Ashworth asked.

  Ms. Duinn inclined her head. “Oh yes. Miss Sorrentino has been quite hostile toward Kyle. In the past couple of months she’s threat
ened him and his friends. She has harassed him on more than one occasion, going so far as to use some kind of magic against him. I complained to her advisor about it. It’s really gone too far.”

  “Well, that hardly paints a picture of an innocent victim,” Ashworth said, turning toward the prosecution. “The defense rests.”

  Ms. Fairchild was having a whispered conversation with Caprice, who frowned but nodded. The prosecutor stood. “You may go, Ms. Duinn.” She dismissed the witch, as she took the dais.

  At first, I was annoyed that she wasn’t going to cross examine, but it wasn’t like she could accuse Ms. Duinn of lying since she was under a magical oath. Any other line of questioning could potentially cause more harm than good, and needlessly draw out this infuriating situation.

  Ms. Fairchild started her closing statement. “The facts are: Miss Sorrentino never consented to have sex with Kyle Aimes. He magically incapacitated her. And we have several witnesses, even the defense’s own witness, who know that there has never been a friendly nor romantic relationship between these two young people. Kyle Aimes is a predator. He is a threat to our society and the human world. His crimes need to stop here. Now.

  “You can all see what Kyle Aimes’ lawyer is trying to do here. How he’s trying to discredit my client. Unfortunately, our legal system prohibits us from compelling the defendant to testify, otherwise the truth spell would reveal what really happened.” She stepped down, retaking her place at Caprice’s side.

  Ashworth stepped up. “Miss Sorrentino is a dragon-shifter—fire-breathing, seductive, and manipulative. What kind of power can one witch have over such a creature? I submit this theory to you… Caprice Sorrentino had her sights set on Kyle Aimes, and when her jealous lover Angel Cortez found them together, she had to make up a story to appease his rage. She claimed Mr. Aimes was trying to rape her. When in fact, she was the one to use her alluring charms on him to satisfy her insatiable lust.”

  I tugged at the neck of my sweater, as outrage heated my face. I had to remind myself again, it all came down the Council vote. Caprice was the heir and the majority of us were on her side no matter what kind of lies came from Ashworth’s mouth.

  Isabella got to her feet, her face unreadable, but she couldn’t be happy about how this had all gone. “Thank you all for delving into this matter. The Council will take a moment to vote in private.”

  The rest of us stood and followed Isabella to our regular meeting room. No one spoke, but Richard Aimes wore a gloating smile. We needed to get this over and done with, so I could get Caprice out of here.

  “You’ve heard from the witnesses.” Isabella gestured toward a semi-private alcove at one of the of room. “Please cast your votes anonymously.”

  In turn, we each entered the curtained space and chose one of two tokens. Gold for continuing to a formal trial or silver for dropping this case. As much as I hated to subject Caprice to more of these shenanigans, I dropped a gold token in the slot at the top of a square metal box. There was no way I was letting Kyle Aimes off this easily. With a formal trial, the prosecution would have time to build a case, knowing what they were in for from Ashworth. It might be difficult, but it was doable—and absolutely necessary.

  Once we finished, the hearing assistant took the box away to count the votes. We all returned to the church dais and retook our seats. A moment later the assistant approached Isabella with a folded slip of paper.

  She rose, going to the center of the platform. “I have the final vote on this hearing. The Council has determined it is best to…” She unfolded the paper. “…drop all charges.”

  My gut clenched. That wasn’t possible.

  Richard Aimes clapped. He joined his son and Ashworth, shaking hands with them both. Caprice stared at them from her side of the room. Her skin and lips pale with shock. Disappointment twisted Ms. Fairchild’s features.

  I gazed at Diego Cortez and Demarcus Freeman, both were approaching Isabella with murmurs of support. By my calculations, one of them had betrayed her granddaughter.

  With a surge of rage, I got up, striding to where Caprice sat unmoving. “Let’s go,” I said.

  She glanced up, startled.

  I pulled her up, wrapped my arm around her shoulders, and steered us toward the main exit. I wanted to totally encase her, using my body to shield her from the vile snakes who had shown their colors tonight.

  I opened the church door to a blustery, cold night. Holding Caprice closer, I led us to my new SUV. I fished out my wand and cast several spells on the vehicle, making sure no one had tampered with it. Given the all clear, I deposited her in the passenger seat.

  “I’m going to get Angel and May,” I said, planting a kiss on her forehead. “You stay right here.”

  She gripped my sweater sleeve. “And Liam. He’s here too.”

  I nodded, gently closing the door. So I’d been right about Ms. Fairchild not calling in any more witnesses, even though she had one. It didn’t matter now. It was time for all of us to go home.

  29

  Caprice

  I recognized the road as the same one that led to Isabella’s house, but I didn’t care where we were going. I was so furious, my skin prickled with the need to shift and seriously burn some shit. Or someone. They’d let him go. My mind couldn’t grasp that conclusion as the end to all this. And since they let Kyle go, they would certainly get his friends out of the Culling, which meant three innocent people would take their places.

  My rage reached a new level of boiling.

  We drove past Isabella’s house to Jaxon’s place. No one had said a word since the five of us had piled in the car. The atmosphere was infused with anger, defeat, and sorrow. I didn’t have to be a fae to sense all that from my friends.

  Jaxon put the vehicle in park and killed the ignition. I got out and tried not to slam the door too hard. The wind was still gusting, carrying sheets of rain with it. The tall evergreens creaked and groaned overhead.

  I followed the others into the house. We settled awkwardly in the living room and the silence stretched. I sat in an armchair and pulled my knees up to my chest, closing the world out.

  May finally spoke. “I’m sorry, Caprice. I tried, but he kept using my words against me. I—” she let out a sob. Liam pulled her in for a hug.

  Angel and Jaxon sat across from them wearing quietly furious expressions.

  Some of my anger subsided. I was mad, but not at my friends. None of this was their fault. That Mr. Ashworth was a real piece of work. As much as I’d liked Ms. Fairchild, she hadn’t been prepared to go up against the likes of him. His ruthlessness was only outdone by his ego.

  “It’s not your fault, May,” I said. “I don’t blame any of you. You did your best. No matter what you said, there was no changing this outcome.” I whole heartedly believed that. There could have been a written confession and a video of Aimes attacking me, and still Mr. Ashworth would have made it look like my fault.

  I slid off the chair to squeeze between Angel and Jaxon on the floral couch. I took each of their hands in mine. “I care about all of you. Deeply. No matter what anyone else says, or how they might twist things, I want you to know that I love you all.”

  May smiled, her eyes gleaming with tears. “Thank you, sweetie. Love you too.”

  Liam gave me his shy grin.

  “That was never in question,” Jaxon said against my ear.

  Angel circled his thumb over the back of my hand. He hadn’t stiffened or tried to move away, for which I was grateful. I relaxed into him and Jaxon, taking comfort in their large bodies on either side of me.

  “What happens now?” I asked.

  Jaxon sighed. “We can hang out here for the rest of the night. Get some sleep. I’ll drive everyone who needs to go back to the Academy tomorrow. As for Aimes…watch him. Wait for him to do something stupid again.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be more cocky now,” Liam said, “after what it sounds like happened in there.”

  “I could always break h
is arms again,” Angel said with a growl.

  I shook my head. “We don’t need to get into any more trouble. I’ll deal with Aimes if need be.”

  “As you wish, Princess.” Angel leaned his shoulder into mine. I rested my head against it, closed my eyes and inhaled his piney scent.

  The hearing’s outcome was infuriating, but somehow, it seemed to have drawn us closer together. For that, I could be grateful.

  I’d decided my conversation with Isabella could wait until she was finished with Council business. The Tromara King wasn’t going to take her anytime soon, and after yesterday, I just didn’t have the capacity for another heart-rending, and potentially frustrating, conversation.

  Jaxon had dropped off me, May, and Liam. He and Angel were staying in town for his aunt’s funeral tomorrow and their Council initiations on Saturday.

  The three of us made our way toward Academy Hall. The storm from yesterday had passed, leaving an almost eerie calm. Nature’s debris cluttered the well lit pathways. A few whole branches had fallen and we skirted around them.

  As we passed the back side of the Dean’s Hall, a few students emerged. Brody’s white blond hair caught the light. I was torn between stopping to say hello, or not. Really, how was I supposed to approach him after his attempted suicide? It wasn’t exactly a topic that I wanted to get into, but it also couldn’t be avoided.

  “Caprice,” Brody said, striding toward us.

  I halted, bracing myself for whatever he had to say. Would he be happy about my interfering, or hate me for it?

  Brody glanced at May and Liam before settling his pale blue gaze on me. Liam, sensing something about the situation, took May’s arm and pulled her away.

  Feeling slightly abandoned, I waited for Brody to speak.

  “I…wanted to say thank you…for saving me.”

  It took me a moment to shake off the surprise. “Of course,” I said, like it was no big deal and inwardly cringed at myself.

  Brody softly snorted. “I wouldn’t have thought that was a given. Especially after how I treated you all term. I’m sorry for that. For being mean to you when you were only trying to help.”