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“Welcome, Elder Nikolai Pagani,” the same voice bellowed. A middle aged man wearing a white Adidas tracksuit walked out. The crowd erupted in applause when he gave a lackluster wave and then proceeded to step down and move to the last chair on the left. He was, without a doubt, a vampire.
A tall, slender woman followed in after him, a fluffy white cat in one of her hands and a coffee mug in the other. She had dark mocha skin and big, loose, red curls, and was dressed in a green, strapless, low-cut maxi dress that left almost all of her breasts exposed. A giant red ruby was nestled against her chest, but I could see no chain attached to it.
“Welcome, High Priestess Francesca de Angelo.”
A witch, then.
“Welcome, Alpha Elias Olskin.”
Elias Olskin was huge, thick and broad in the shoulders. He barely fit into his charcoal suit, and every step he took seemed to be a gamble for the seams of his slacks. He nodded stoically when the room erupted into more applause. A calendar was held in his left hand while the right undid the button holding his jacket together as he sat next to the High Priestess.
“Welcome, Fallen One Azazel Ambrose, representative on behalf of the Grigori.”
A small smile flickered across my lips at his expression as he appeared on the stairs. He didn’tquiteget an original title, did he?
The applause was loudest for him. I grimaced as he fixed his scowl into a smile, then waved at the audience before taking his seat on the right.
I glanced at Sariel without meaning to, only to find him already staring at me, his jaw working intently. His angel was slamming intently against the door in my mind. I struggled to keep it closed, even as his distress leaked through and his gaze softened.
Please, he mouthed.
“Welcome, Archdemon Barimuz, representative on behalf of Lucifer.”
A buzz started up in the audience that was immediately silenced by the materialization of Barimuz onto the platform.
He was definitely larger than he’d appeared in the room. The shock of seeing him lowered my defenses, and Sariel slipped into my mind like he was meant to be there.
It took him seconds before his rage was rekindling, because I was sure I was showcasing everything that had happened like a projector.
He possessed Neo? I knew there was something off about him, but you didn’t want to listen. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?
No, he didn’t. He was collecting information for the Council and Lucifer.
I slammed the connection closed again, giving him a knowing look. His expression morphed first into confusion, then hurt. I had to look away.
That brief glimpse into his head had afforded me the ability to assess him. He seemed to be very lucid for someone who’d been pumped full of a cocktail of drugs every day since we’d been here.
My brows furrowed in confusion. I opened the bond briefly to ask,How are you conscious right now?
I saw him perk up when I initiated contact.It’s a long story, but someone saved my life.
Good. I guess we owe them.
I guess we do, he said. When I closed the connection this time, he didn’t react.
The announcer stepped forward and took a seat at a singular desk, which had appeared at the top of the stairs in the semi-circle where the Council sat. The crowd had quieted down. A microphone appeared before him, then before each Council member, then before Sariel and I.
“Good afternoon, fellow members of the supernatural community. Today, we witness the prosecution of the half-fallen-blood, half-blessed-blood wolf, Aria Penelope Gribald, and the half-fallen, half-Heaven-appointed angel, Sariel Ambrose. I implore you all to remain quiet throughout the proceedings so that we may deal with this swiftly and efficiently. I will now hand you over to the party who brought their existence forward—High Priestess de Angelo.”
Their voice echoed from several speakers that had appeared on the walls. A typewriter popped onto his desk as the High Priestess sat forward.
“As with each trial, we aim for complete transparency and proof of wrongdoings,” she said. Her voice was melodious and rich. I caught the way Barimuz was looking at her like she was a piece of fresh meat, and wondered if the story he’d told me about the High Priestess wanting to screw Neo in order to give him information was true. That would mean that the lover he’d mentioned had been killed by the Council, too. “To foster that, we will call forward witnesses.”
My heart plummeted. I opened my mouth to speak, but a shock of electricity sliced through me from the chains. My eyes widened—I let out a small cry.
Sariel’s head snapped toward me. The ring around his iris flashed gold before his expression hardened. I opened the bond before he did something stupid.
I’m fine. It was just a little shock. I don’t think I’m allowed to answer.
