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She swallowed a bubble of guilt. “My client is the PEC, Mr. Montague, and I haven’t done anything except protect its interest to the fullest extent of the law. Without, I might add, overstepping the bounds of that law.”
She sat down calmly enough, but considering the firm hand that Leviathan placed on her shoulder, she had a feeling that her irritation was showing. She hadn’t crossed a line. Not really.
Yet she couldn’t discount the fact that it felt as if she had.
“Your Honor,” she said. “The prosecution calls Agent Ryan Doyle.” Doyle would introduce the evidence, and through him, she could turn the court’s attention to the fact that Luke fed on Annie.
Before Doyle could approach, though, Montague stood again. “If it please the court, my client will testify to a Directive 27 violation and ask that the court entertain evidence on an affirmative defense at the close of the prosecution’s case.”
The judge’s head bobbed. “Directive 27?” he repeated as a murmur flowed across the gallery.
“Yes, sir. A human woman. Mr. Dragos both fed off the female and fed his blood to her.” He turned and flashed a bright white smile at Sara. “A stipulation, Counselor. Just to make sure we’re out of here by the dinner hour.”
“If you really want to be out by dinner,” she said sweetly, “then drop the affirmative defense.”
“We shall all dine in a timely fashion,” the judge said, “as this court is ready to issue its ruling.”
Sara glanced over at the defendant’s table, caught Luke’s eye, then ripped her gaze away. She stood with Leviathan at her side and waited for the ruling.
“Bail is granted,” he said, “in the amount of five million dollars.”
A murmur ran through the crowd.
“The defendant will be required to wear the standard mobile detention device,” the judge continued. “And in light of the Directive 27 stipulation, the defendant will also be fitted with a bloodletting impediment.” He slammed his gavel on the desk. “So ordered.”
As soon as the judge had left the courtroom, Sara leaned toward Leviathan. “Bloodletting impediment?”
“A secondary detention device,” Leviathan explained. “This one will trigger if Dragos takes blood directly from a human again.”
As she gathered up her papers, Leviathan shifted beside her, and Sara thought she caught the subtle scent of cinnamon. “Under the circumstances, the possibility of Lucius staying in jail while the case came up was slim. But you gave them a hard battle, remained firmly on the side of the law, and proved yourself an asset to the team. Good work.”
She pasted on a smile, accepting the compliment along with a smattering of “you did good” and “you’ll nail his ass in trial” from well-meaning onlookers, some of whom she recognized as other prosecutors in her office.
When she finally did slip through the door and into the hall, she sighed. She may have lost her first hearing, but it was only one battle.
In the grand scheme of things, the battles meant nothing. The only thing that mattered was the war. But since the resolution of that war could see Luke staked, she had to admit, if only to herself, that for the first time in her career, she didn’t relish the battles yet to come.
* * *
“Batorak metoin shrebat.”
“If you’re asking me if it’s comfortable,” Luke said in French, as the weight of the new mobile detention device once again pressed against his flesh, “the answer is a resounding no.”
The demon pressed a hand to his shoulder. “Bon chance,” the demon said, switching from demonic to a language Luke could understand.
“Merci.” Luke inclined his head as his fingers manipulated the tiny white buttons, closing the shirt Nick had brought him to replace the T-shirt that had been shredded in this very room. A black tray sat on the table in front of him, and he retrieved his wallet and cell phone, then carefully picked up the tiny gold serpent ring he habitually kept in his pocket. Were it not so small, he would slip it onto his little finger. But Livia’s hands had been tiny, and the ring didn’t fit. As was his habit, he slipped it deep into his pocket, then reached in, checking to make sure it was in place.
Now ready, he turned to Nick. “Counselor, shall we depart this place?”
“It would be a pleasure,” Nick said. They moved through corridors and down the elevator, ignoring the stares and whispers of those who worked within Division 6.
“About Caris,” Nick said as they approached the elevator, “We think we found where she’s been holing up. I sent the address to your phone. Standard encryption. Known recent associates included, too. Details in the file.”
“Excellent.”
“You really think Caris would align herself with a human?”
“If it serves Gunnolf’s purpose—or her own—then yes.”
