Blood Law (39 page)

Rafael
let go of Falon’s hand and stepped forward. “I do not challenge the Blood Law ,
but I disavow my brother’s claim of my chosen one on the grounds that his
chosen one was in fact a Slayer. It was only because of my duty to uphold the
Blood Law that I slayed her.”

Maleek
looked stone-faced at Rafael. Did he still believe Lucien had the right to
Falon?

“She
was a Slayer!” Rafael roared. “Lucien broke the first law of our people. It is he
who should be punished, not I.”

“She
was not!” Lucien growled stepping toward the council.

“Silence!”
Maleek commanded, staring down Lucien. “You will have your chance to speak.”

Lucien
cast a sneer at Maleek. It did not go unnoticed by the councilman. His eyes
narrowed at the insult.

“Can
you prove she was a Slayer?” Maleek asked, turning back to Rafael.

“Talia
was the only one who was in the room after I slew her. She can attest to the
condition of the room. She can also attest to the woman’s behavior before her
death. It was Talia who called me from my spirit journey because she was afraid
of the unnatural hold the woman had on Lucien. ”

“Did
you not investigate immediately after?” Maleek asked, surprised.

Rafael
shook his head. He was still kicking himself all of these years later. “All
hell broke loose after that. I was more concerned about holding my pack
together. By the time I gave it thought, it was too late.”

“But
now that you do not wish to sacrifice your own chosen one, you decided to
consider what you should have considered years ago?”

“In
truth, Maleek, I had nothing to fight for.” He looked back at Falon and smiled.
His heart briefly stuttered to a stop. Pride swelled in his chest. She stood
proud, the regal epitome of an alpha female. He turned back to the council. “I
do now. I come to the council with the truth and ask only for the Blood Law to
be upheld.”

Maleek
looked at Lucien. “Produce Talia.”

Lucien
turned and pulled the small healer from the group of defiant alphas surrounding
him. Rafael’s heart soared. Talia! She caught his gaze but did not return his
smile. Her petite frame was rail thin and her dark eyes were sunken deep into
her skull. Rafael swore but checked his temper. Lucien had so much to pay for.
He would gladly give him his due.

Rafael
did not miss the angry glances from his pack, as well as several of the alphas
who knew and loved Talia as he did. It was apparent she had been neglected.
Abused. The council had failed him when he’d demanded they force her release,
as well as when Lucien refused to attend the meeting. That he was here today to
claim Falon told Rafael he felt confident he would be victorious.

It
would not happen.

“Talia
Vulkasin, did you witness the death of Lucien’s chosen one?” Maleek asked when
she stood before them

“No,”
she softly said.

“Were
there any indicators up to the time or after her death that she was Slayer?”

“She—”
Talia glanced at Lucien, then said, “No.”

Rafael
steamed. She was lying!

“When
you came upon the brothers at death’s door, did you see the body?”

“Yes.”

“What
was its condition?”

“Bloody,
lifeless. I only glimpsed it. I was too focused on Rafael and Lucien.”

“After
the brothers were revived, did you see the body?”

“No.”

“Had
it disappeared?”

“I—I
don’t know. I was tending to Rafe and Lucien, who were ready to kill each other
again. There was so much commotion afterwards.”

“Were
there ashes where the body had lain?”

“I
don’t know. There was a fire the next morning. The entire suite burned up.”

The
fire had been deliberately set. Rafael had always thought it was Lucien bent on
revenge, but could it have been to hide the evidence of the Slayer’s ashes?

“My
pardon, Maleek,” Rafael said.

The
man scowled, not liking the interruption. He nodded.

“A
question of my brother if he will give his word to answer truthfully.”

The
ancient elder leaned back and shot a glare to Lucien. “There will be nothing but
the truth spoken here this night!” he roughly said.

“What
answer do you seek, Rafael?” Lucien laconically asked.

“Did
you set the fire that morning?”

Lucien’s
eyes narrowed. “Would that I could claim responsibility, I would.” Of course he
would. After that night Lucien had done everything in his power to destroy all
that was Vulkasin.

“I
take it that’s a no?” Rafe asked.

“I
did not set the fire.”

“Do
you have knowledge of who did?”

“Do
you mean, did I order it set?”

“There
is no room here for semantics. Were you, in any way, shape, or form,
responsible for the fire?”

“No.”

Oddly,
Rafe believed him. So, who had set it, and why? To cover something up.

Rafael
looked back to the council. “There has never been any doubt that the fire was
deliberately set. We could smell the gasoline used as the accelerant. All other
scents were drowned out by the smoke. With the pack separated and fighting at
the time, there could be only one reason for the fire. To hide a Slayer’s
ashes.”

“So
you claim,” Lucien sneered.

Maleek
shot him a sharp glare then looked at Rafael. “Do you have any further
questions for Talia?”

“I
do,” Rafael said. He walked up behind her. When she refused to turn, he knew
why. Lucien had broken her. He gently touched her shoulder. She flinched. “It’s
me, Tal. I won’t hurt you.” He turned her to face him, and his heart broke for
her. Her big brown eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Rafe cast his compassion
aside.

He
glared up at the council. “How can you ask me to accept your verdict when you
cannot enforce the release of one taken against her will?” He looked down at
Talia. “But you’re home now.”

“Her
home is with pack Mondragon,” Lucien said, striding toward them.

Talia
stiffened and looked up at Rafael, her face impassive. “I have been free to
return here. I chose not to.”

He
didn’t believe her! Rafael’s hand fell to his side. “You don’t have to lie.
Talia, you’re safe here.”

She
shook her head and strode back to where Lucien stood, then turned to face
Rafael. “I choose Mondragon.”

Rafael’s
beast clawed and scratched for release. He leashed it. It would do him and
Falon no good for him to lose control. One thing at a time.

Rafael
strode toward the dais. “It is understood that Talia cannot lead us to a grave
so that we can see the dark ashes of the Slayer for ourselves nor bear witness
to verify ashes on the sheets. But that does not mean she was not Slayer. It
only means I am the sole witness to her identity.”

Maleek
nodded. “What proof did you have that she was Slayer?”

“When
I walked in on them, her scent was laced with black magic. Black magic she used
to blind Lucien to what she was. Lucien’s lust for her shielded what he refused
to see. Her stench was thick and cloying, but when he was about to mark her,
she showed her true self to me. She taunted me with the fact that Lucien would
be sole alpha, and she would reign by his side. Her eyes turned hard and ebony
black as a Slayer’s does when impassioned. I did not imagine it. She had
intentionally maneuvered Lucien to choose her. Once she conceived, she would
populate the pack with Slayers. I could not permit that.” He stepped closer to
the council and said, “If given the opportunity to go back and change what I
have done, I would not. She was Slayer. I destroyed her as is my birthright. My
duty. My only regret is that Lucien has had to endure the pain of her loss all
these years, but more than that, he has failed to understand that in the end,
there was no other way.”

“Would
you swear this on the lives of your pack?” the ancient medicine woman asked.

Rafael
turned to her and nodded. “I would swear it on the souls of my parents; it is
true. For fear of his own death sentence, Lucien refuses to acknowledge his
folly.”

“Not
a folly, Brother!” Lucien sneered. “Your jealousy that I was to become sole
alpha drove you to the edge. She was no more a Slayer than your chosen one! You
killed her for your own gain and no other reason.”

Rafael
turned on his brother. “And what, Brother, have I gained? My family spilt in
half? The hopes and dreams of our parents cast away like trash because of your
hatred for me? The lives lost because of your rogue marauding and pillaging?
What did I gain that I have not lost one hundred fold?”

Lucien
turned to the council. “How dare you swear on our parents’ lives!” Lucien
stormed. “It’s sacrilege. They died so that we could live, and you use them as
if they are your personal get out of jail free card.”

“I
loved them as much as you, Luca. The day they died is burned in my memory for
eternity. If either one of them stood here now, we both know what they would
do.”

Lucien
strode toward Rafael. “Yes, we would, what they always did, take your side.”

Lucien
whirled around and faced the council. “I swear on my pack’s life that my chosen
one was human, not a Slayer. She was not perfect, but she was mine. I demand an
eye for an eye. I demand my blood right.” He turned and pointed at Falon, who
stood silent and proud. “I demand she be given to me so that I can exact my
vengeance!”

“Seek
your vengeance on my body. I freely give it to you,” Rafael pleaded.

A
collective gasp rippled through the room. Falon vehemently shook her head.

“Oh,
no, Brother, that would be too easy for you. You will bleed like I bled. I want
my due. Now.” Lucien looked back at the council. “I demand it!”

Rafael
strode back to Falon and took her hand into his. Their gazes caught and held.
He wanted to tell her to be strong. It was not over yet. But he could not.
“Falon slew our mortal enemy, Edward Corbet. She saved my life and the lives of
my men. Is that how the council treats a hero? Is there no leniency? The Blood
Moon will rise in two months’ time. If the council allows Lucien to destroy
her, the packs will fall into further disarray.” He turned to his brother,
pleading not only for Falon but for their people. “Divided, Lucien, we lose all
to the Slayers. United, we have a chance.”

Pack
Vulkasin cheered, demanding justice for Rafael. The alphas who came in support
of Rafael and Falon joined the chant. Lucien’s mobsters chanted, “Kill, kill,
kill.”

Red
rage clouded Rafael’s vision. His beast snarled. His body tightened. He fought
it, holding tight to the human part of him. If he succumbed to the beast, he
would kill Lucien and his minions.

“Silence!”
Sharia shouted over the roar, her old voice surprisingly sharp. “How dare you
disrespect this council?” Immediately, the voices lowered to irritated mumbles,
and the shoving stopped. Rafael struggled for control. Falon squeezed his hand
and pressed against him. She stroked his tight jaw. “Rafa, fight the beast. I
need you here.”

The
beast snarled and backed down but did not leave altogether. Instead, it hunched
in Rafael’s gut, waiting to pounce, then kill.

Rafael
looked around and saw the desperation on his pack’s faces. He felt their
anxiety. They began to move nervously, anticipating the council’s verdict.
Desperation was not unique to them only. It tore his guts apart.

Falon’s
hands tightly gripped both of his. He looked down into her terrified eyes.

I’m
afraid.

He
forced a reassuring smile he did not feel. You will not die.

He
cleared his throat and carefully extracted his hands from hers. He approached
the council for the last time. “I have proven to be a worthy alpha. I have
defended the Blood Law, hunted Slayers, conducted myself in the human world as
a model citizen. I have not disrespected my heritage or the Lycan nation. Even
when my own blood brother has pillaged and plundered what is mine, I have shown
tolerance for him, even though I did not have to be so tolerant. While he has
spent the last fourteen years giving no thought or preparation for the future
of the Lycan nation, I have prepared for years for the rising. I have earned
the trust of my pack and the alphas of many other packs.” The alphas seated on
either side of the council nodded. His pack behind him nodded. “With all due
respect to the council, this tribunal comes down to one answer. Do you believe
me when I say I slew a Slayer, or do you believe Lucien that I slew an innocent
for my own gain?”

A
hush fell over the entire building. Rafael had hit home his point. The scowl on
his brother’s face proved it. They had a choice; believe the good son or the
prodigal son.

A new
hope flared in Rafael’s chest. How could the council choose to believe Lucien
over him? Falon squeezed his biceps. He looked down at her and smiled.