Renegade (21 page)

He shook his head but apparently realized there was no going back. She had something important to ask him, anyway. “Speaking of your getting me away, you could’ve gone, too. Why didn’t you?” They had more immediate problems, but she needed to know.

“My power was down from shielding against the orb, and I knew I’d need a lot to shift you because we weren’t touching. I didn’t know how big a perimeter the mages had established. I didn’t want to risk not sending you far enough.”

“I knew it.” It hurt her to know he placed so little value on his life.

Honey?
He ran a hand lightly down her arm.

She stepped back, shaking her head. Softly, she repeated, “I knew it.”
The mages wouldn’t have thought to erect a perimeter wider than a mile. You sent me four. Half that would’ve kept us both free. You could’ve escaped, but you were so determined to protect me that you sacrificed yourself when you didn’t have to.

He seemed startled. Giving off a defensive vibe, he pulled back from the bond. His face hardened.
I’d do it again.

I know. But I don’t know how you expect me to live with that.

“I had to make a quick choice. Let’s not fight about it.”

“I realize there’s no point,” she said, her voice flat.

He frowned at her, worry shadowing his eyes. She had to shake off this mood, focus on more immediate concerns. He needed her support. Anything else between them could wait.

If he was acquitted,
when
he was, he might relax enough to let go a little, to stop being so unnecessarily protective.

“Valeria, we—”

“Anyway,” she added in a brisk tone, “I’m safe enough, Griffin. I walked in here openly.”

“After helping Marc push some media into the Collegium’s face.” Hettie gave him a fierce grin.

“I think Marc liked doing it,” Val said. “Right about now, your dad’s giving the Council a tiny taste of the hell they deserve. It’ll be fine.”

He drew her close again. “You walked in openly, but you aren’t walking out, are you?”

“Not unless you do.”

“Damn it, Valeria.”

She kissed him quickly, then longer. “Everything will be fine. I know it will.”

Her hands slid down his back. On a sigh, he pressed his mouth to hers, stroked her from neck to hips, then back again.

She deepened the kiss, and he seemingly forgot his concerns. Hettie cleared her throat. Val and Griffin turned to see that she’d set out a legal pad and was sitting behind it, pen in hand. Beside her, Caro sat, aiming a contented half-smile in his direction.

“You have to understand,” Caro said, “none of us expected to see you again. Val and Hettie came to me early this morning, then Rick and I took them straight to Dad. Oh, and Rick said he’s in your corner, but he’s staying out of the way for now. Anyhow, Dad didn’t take much convincing. You know he’s the best, Goofball. It really will be fine.”

“I assumed he believed I was guilty.”

“Because you never gave him a reason to think otherwise,” Griffin’s sister said. “All he needed was a reason.”

Val cocked her head. “Why does she call you Goofball?”

“It’s a long story,” he said. As Caro opened her mouth, he added, “One we’re not telling here.”

Their father stepped into the room, looking satisfied. “Not quite what I was hoping for, which was Valeria released on her own recognizance, but pretty good. She’s in guest quarters with us. Griff, your trial starts first thing tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.” Stunned, Griffin turned to Val. “I didn’t expect to have tomorrow.”

“‘Only a day away,’” she quoted around the lump in her throat, “but a very precious day.”

“Damned straight.” He squeezed her shoulder, and she slid an arm around his waist.

“You were entitled to a damned trial.” His father’s eyes looked like granite chips. “They had no right to condemn you in your absence. I tried to stop it then, but Alden’s death allowed them to ram the conviction through.”

“You tried to stop it?”

“Of course I did.” The words sounded clipped, impatient. “You’re my son. I knew you must have had a solid reason for what you’d done. But a lawyer can’t just volunteer to represent someone. The accused has to accept representation, even when a family member tries to hire the lawyer, as your bond-mate did today.”

“What? You revealed the bond?” Griffin’s head jerked toward Val. “The risk—”

“Don’t start,” she said, with steel in her voice.

The hell I won’t. Valeria, you—

Stuart Dare cleared his throat. “Our defense, besides your own account, Griff, will be to sandbag the tribunal with your good character. The people in Wayfarer have been told you’re applying for membership on the institute’s board. Some of them are coming to testify for you.”

Raising an eyebrow, Griffin asked, “What do Mundane witnesses have to do with Alden being a traitor? Or whether or not someone else is?”

“Mundanes can’t prove anything about Alden. However, the
Caudex
allows a great deal more leeway for character witnesses than the Georgia Rules of Evidence. Under our rules, character speaks to judgment, to the accuracy of your perceptions. It’s particularly useful when actual evidence is thin on the ground.”

Hettie beamed at Griffin. “Marc has the Wayfarer angle covered. Peace and love and sunshine don’t run the world, but those of us who believe in them learn to tell the hard cases from the good. You’re the good, and all of Wayfarer knows it.”

“By tomorrow evening,” Valeria said, “everyone will.”

If only
, he thought to her.

Believe, Griffin.
Val squeezed his waist.
Have hope. I do.
But there was something else in his mind, something he hid from her.
Griffin?

Later, love. I’ll tell you later.
The thought had an ominous undercurrent.

“You’ll have to go back to your cell,” his father said, “but for now, sit down, son. We have six years to cover and not all that much time.”

Griffin waited for Val to take her seat, then took the chair beside her.

She laid her hand over his on his knee. He had a fighting chance now, and they would make the most of it.

F
ear jabbed at Val’s heart, kept her pacing the conference room. Morning had come, the day of Griffin’s trial. That was enough to worry about, but her concern over whatever he’d refused to tell her yesterday had grown through the sleepless night.

He’d said he would tell her, but there hadn’t been time. Whatever it was, he’d blocked it from her while they were together. The wards around his cell had interfered with the bond after that.

His father sat at the table, sipping coffee and scanning the notes on a yellow legal pad. Did he know what Griffin wanted to talk about?

Griffin hadn’t answered when she’d asked him how he thought she could live knowing he would sacrifice himself for her even when he didn’t have to. She took a deep breath and pressed her hands to her eyes. Could he really not know she’d rather die than have him sacrifice himself for her?

Stuart cleared his throat. “We have an excellent shot, Val, better than I have with most of my Mundane clients.” He looked composed, as though Griffin were any other client. Only the tension around his eyes, if she looked closely, betrayed his concern.

“Because of the chair and its truth auras,” she said.

“That and the Mundanes who’ll speak for Griffin today. No ghoul ally would ever have done the things he has for them.”

“He thought Alden could beat the chair, deceive the auras. He saw it in a precog flash.”

“He saw Alden free and himself dead in that flash. Maybe there’s a way to beat the chair, but there was a bigger problem legally. Griffin had no firsthand knowledge of Alden’s treason. No one did. It’s a requirement for accusation. He saw the result correctly but didn’t see the reason.”

Griffin’s mother, Lara Dare, slipped into the conference room. The tall brunette with eyes the blue of Griffin’s and streaks of gray in her hair had arrived late the night before.

She smiled at Val, who nodded a greeting. Griffin’s family accepted her with surprising ease. Maybe they realized she would do anything to help him.

“I left Caro and Hettie with the people from Wayfarer,” Lara said. “They’re quite a large group. Surely that will help.”

Stuart Dare shrugged. “There are never any guarantees.”

“Stuart, pessimism—”

“Calling it straight, hon.” He stood to draw her close. When he pressed his lips to her hairline, the gesture seemed so tender and intimate that Val looked away.

He continued, “Prejudice doesn’t respond to evidence, and there’s six years of it stacked against Griffin.”

Before his wife could respond, the door opened. Griffin stepped in, and Val’s heart clutched. She couldn’t lose him. She wouldn’t.

He wore no shackles today, as his dad had arranged. In the charcoal suit, white shirt, and red tie she and Hettie had found for him, he looked as dependable as a doctor. He smiled at her, but his mind stayed closed to the bond. Something was definitely wrong.

“Griffin.” His mother stepped out from behind his father.

“Mom.” Joy shot across his face as his mother darted into his arms. “I thought you’d been delayed.”

“What good’s money if you can’t charter a plane?” Blinking back tears, she took his face in her hands and kissed him hard. “My sweet Griff. Finally.” Her blue eyes narrowed. “You nail this thing, son. We want you home.”

“That’s the plan.”

Smiling, she brushed a finger along his hairline. “You need a haircut.”

“Nag, nag.” He grinned at her. “Same old, same old. Caro thought I needed a shave, so I got one, and now you think I need a haircut. Want to complain about the suit they dug up for me?”

“What’s not to like? You look like the successful artist you deserve to be.” Her lips trembled, and she gave him a quick hug before turning away.

Her husband slid an arm around her. “With a little luck, honey, he can enjoy his success openly from here on out.” He glanced at their son. “Wish I had a guarantee for you.”

“I know, Dad. I trust you. Before we go in, though, I have to talk to Valeria. Alone.” His eyes locked with hers.

She reached for him in the bond, but he didn’t reach back. Dread bubbled in her gut.

“Only conversing with your legal team,” his father said, “justifies your being out of the guards’ sight.”

“You can buy us a few minutes.”

“If it’s that important.” Stuart shrugged. “But make it quick. Come on, everyone.” He led them out of the room, leaving Val and Griffin alone.

“What’s wrong?” She brushed her fingertips along his cheek. “Just tell me, Griffin.”

“I know who the traitor is.” Face tight with concern, he took her hands. “I’m so sorry, love, but it’s Blake.”

She stared at him, baffled, for a long moment before the words clicked. She took one step back. “What makes you say that?”

“I felt it when they were questioning me. Just a flash, but—”

“Flash of what?” She paced to the window, her body painfully tense, arms folded across her stomach. She didn’t want to believe Griffin was right.

But Gene had spied on her. He’d voted against her and threatened her. For the good of the Collegium, he’d said. She’d wanted to believe that, but she’d felt uneasy about his motives all along.

Griffin stood close behind her but didn’t touch her. “When they were trying to probe my mind, I told them I wasn’t a traitor but someone on the Council was. Larkin felt shocked but uncertain. Blake, though, felt afraid. Guilty. I caught a flash from his mind of him with ghouls.”

“You saw that in his mind?”
Oh God, no.

“Nothing in words. Nothing explicit. But enough to make the accusation and force him to respond.”

“You’re sure.”

“I can show you.”

She didn’t want to see, didn’t want to know Gene could do such a thing. Just the idea made her queasy. Swallowing hard, she tried to steady her breathing. If Gene had betrayed their people and the Mundanes, persecuted Griffin to cover his own tracks, he had to pay for that.

Besides, the man she loved was asking for her trust. Val took a deep breath and turned to take his hands.

Full of love and regret, his mind touched hers. Then she was with him in the chair, waiting for Gene and Larkin to destroy him. She felt the crushing pressure on his mind, the constriction of his chest.

The love for her that had sustained him and now brought tears to her eyes.

I’m no traitor
, he flung at his tormentors.
A councilor is.

From Gene,
Bullshit.
Then that flash of fear and guilt, the image of the meeting, then
Don’t let him con you.

Heartbroken and fighting tears, she leaned into Griffin’s shoulder. How could Gene have betrayed their people? Sent her to what might have been her death? He’d been the only father she’d known since the age of fifteen.

But her father would never have betrayed her. Or tried to have the man she loved executed for crimes he hadn’t committed.

Griffin’s arms closed tightly around her, offering refuge. His love for her and his grief over giving her this news brushed her mind in their bond. She held on to the solid, sheltering strength of his body and the steady warmth of his love, gathering herself, for a long moment.

Then she raised her head and kissed him. “Let’s go,” she said. “There’s a reckoning long overdue here.”

Griff kept a tight grip on Valeria’s hand as the deputies escorted them to the assembly room. Thank God, she’d believed him, but it had cost her. That bright smile hid a heart ripped with disillusionment and loss. A reckoning was indeed due, for the way Blake had used her in addition to everything else.

When they rounded the last corner, a clump of people from Wayfarer stood with Caro and Hettie by the assembly room doors—Marc, Cindy and Molly, Sally from the Crystal Grotto, Todd and his sister Robin, Missy from the bakery. Sam Peters, a couple of the other farmers. Ben Hayes, the scruffy young publisher of the weekly Wayfarer
Oracle
. The mayor, Elijah Kimball, his dark, wrinkled face alight with interest. Stocky, graying Sheriff Burton, who ran the softball league in his minimal spare time. A handful of people Griff barely knew.

They were far more than he’d expected, and his throat closed. His eyes stung. Blinking, he set his jaw and swallowed hard. He couldn’t believe so many of them cared enough about him to go to all this trouble.

Only Ben knew the truth. Valeria had needed him for her media push yesterday, but he’d sworn to keep the secret. The rest thought Griff was up for a seat on the board of the Georgia Institute for Paranormal Research, much lower stakes than he truly faced, but they’d come anyway.

Look at that
, Valeria sent to him,
all these people are here because they care about you.

He squeezed her hand but didn’t reply. He couldn’t trust his voice yet.

The squad of guards stepped back.

Griff nodded to his friends. “Hey, y’all.” At least he sounded normal even though his throat still felt tight.

Little Molly beamed at him.

Hitching up the unaccustomed suit trousers, he crouched to flick his thumb over her chin. “Hey, punkin’.”

“Hey, Gray.” She threw her arms around his neck for a quick squeeze that made him smile. Preening, she fluffed out her frilly pink skirt. “I got a new dress.”

“A gorgeous dress. You look like a princess.”

She twinkled in a way that promised trouble down the road for boys of her generation. “Todd’s gonna be my prince.”

Rising, Griff glanced at the gangly youth beside Cindy, Molly’s mom. The boy showed no after-effects of his encounter with the demon hosts.

Griff directed a level look at him. “Okay, Todd?”

“Yeah.” Todd gave him a solemn nod. “Thanks, Gray.”

“My pleasure.” They exchanged fist bumps.

“I’m here because you take time with the little kids—drawing, baseball, hoops, stuff like that.” Robin’s brown ponytail swung as she gave an emphatic nod. “It matters.”

“I think so. Thanks, Robin.”

Todd gave him a fierce look. “I’ll tell ’em what you did for me, how you saved us. Tell ’em all about it.”

If mage secrecy had to be blown with any group of Mundanes, the people in Wayfarer were probably the safest choice. Their laid-back attitudes and New Age interests made them more open to such prospects than most other Mundanes.

“Molly wanted to come.” Cindy stroked her daughter’s hair. “We all did. But they said we had to wait out here.”

Griff smiled down at Molly. “The first part’s just for members of this group.” Mundane ears shouldn’t hear a debate about magical murder. “I can’t thank you all enough for being here. It means a lot, regardless of how this turns out.”

Marc stepped out of the knot of people. “We have your back. This is going to work out. I have faith.”

“Me, too.” Valeria slid her hand into the crook of Griff’s arm. “We should go in.”

He nodded to the group. “Thanks, everybody, for coming.” He could feel their good will like a shield as he walked away.

The reeves stopped at the door. With his family and Hettie following, Griff and Valeria walked into the grotto and down the stairs. They took their seats at one of the two malachite tables flanking the obsidian chair.

Adrenaline hummed in his veins. His life was still on the line. No matter how things came out, though, the full assembly would have to listen to him, listen and know he spoke the truth. Whether they accepted it or not.

Judging by the hard looks people were directing at them, he had a big hill to climb. His fellow mages didn’t look very forgiving, and what would that mean for Valeria when this was over? He’d done his best to convince her not to stick so close, but she had her own ideas. As usual.

“I’m proud to be with you,” she murmured, “and I want everyone to know we’re together.”

Did she know what a high price she was paying for that? He couldn’t let her be an outcast, not for him. Not when the Collegium had been such a big part of her life.

His father and Hettie took the chairs flanking Griff and Valeria, with Caro and his mom sitting behind them.

Griff glanced sideways at Valeria. The sleek, royal-blue suit highlighted her trim curves, and lust punched him in the gut. He ached to take her to bed again.

If the strategy he and his dad had crafted could pull the rabbit out of the hat, maybe people would be more accepting than he feared. Maybe he really could have a future with her. If not, if the mages convicted him, he would find some way to protect her.

And to see Blake pay.

The High Council filled the opposite table, with the rest of the councilors again in front row seats. Griff’s eyes met Stefan’s encouraging ones.

A few minutes later, Will hurried down the stairs and squeezed into a seat a couple of rows from the front. He gave Griff the barest of nods. Javier Ruiz sat behind him, his dark eyes grim and focused. Javy’s wife, Karen, was not a mage and so couldn’t sit in on this proceeding. At the back, by the door, Lorelei sat with Chuck Porter and his wife, Dora, a high school English teacher.

Two rows below Lorelei and Chuck sat Tasha. Weapons were forbidden in here, except for the door wardens’ spears, but Griff would bet she had something lethal on her somewhere. The rest of Griff’s team was outside, in the overflow section on the lawn.

Sybil Harrison sat halfway up, with some of the other deputy reeves. Griff leaned over to Valeria. “Do you see Sybil?”

“Yes. Can’t read her expression, though.” She bit her lip. “I thought we were friends.”

“I know, love. You will be again.”

The loremaster, Gerry Armitage, came down the stairs and over to Griff’s table. His face showed only neutral disinterest, and Griff caught no hint of his mood in the magic. “Valeria, whether we proceed against you will depend on the outcome of Griffin’s trial.”

“I know. Thanks, Gerry.”

He nodded. “Griffin, in accordance with the procedures laid down in the
Caudex Magi
, are you ready to answer the charges against you?”

“I am.”

As Gerry crossed to the Council table, Valeria touched Griff’s arm. “Nervous?”

“No.” Not anymore. Not if he could nail that bastard, Blake.

Gerry turned to the audience. “The wards are set.” He nodded at Will, who had helped set them. “A blue aura signals truth, green denotes evasion, and red, lies. After hearing the witnesses, the assembly will pass judgment.”