Page 88 of Bitten Vampire
The Vampirical Council’s guards surge in, and I slide down Valdarr’s rock-hard body just as a spell crackles overhead. Silence drops like a curtain as every vampire freezes, magic pinning us to the marble floor.
Harrison growls, furious at being immobilised.
I am exactly where I want to be, safe in Valdarr’s arms. I rest my head against his chest, breathing in his distracting musk, metal and power scent. For one brief moment, all is well. We have survived the trial and the fight.
I. Kissed. Him.
Grinning like an idiot, I make sure no one notices. Worth every ounce of fear and stress: I saved the prince with a kiss—this time, fairy-tale nonsense of my own making.
The Herald, robes askew, sweeps the hall with a withering glare.
“You are a disgrace. Have you lost your minds and all common sense? You have made a mockery of this court. Wewill review the security footage, investigate how the wards failed and who spilt the first blood. All clans should expect repercussions. We may even close the public gallery for good—animals do not deserve public trials.”
A ripple of hushed murmurs spreads through the chamber.
“Winifred Crowsdale, before this disgraceful interruption, the Court granted your petition. Under Accord Codes 101.4 and 212.3, the Council orders a full ethereal-memory and provenance assay. The Ministry of Magic will conduct the testing under Council ward and seal. The Court will reconvene three nights hence at first bell.
“Until that time you remain under interdiction: you will not quit the protection of Clan Blóðvakt, you will not conceal, alter, or destroy any evidence, and you will submit to summons on pain of contempt. So entered. Let the blood speak; judgement will wait until it does.”
He makes no mention of the absent Grand Master.
A commotion erupts to one side as guards haul the Nocturna delegation forward.
“Clan Nocturna,” the Herald intones, “by breaching Accord Code 301.2, Sanctity of Council Proceedings, 512.6, Armed Hostility Under Ward, and 12.1, Protection of a Petitioning Clan, you have placed yourselves outside the law. You exploited this hearing, ignored my explicit warning, and attacked Clan Blóðvakt while it stood beneath the Court’s aegis. We are not human; our law is not a suggestion. Judgment is final.
“Under Accord Code 903.11, Forfeiture and Dissolution, your name is struck from the roll. Your titles, assets, and territories are seized by the Council treasury toremediate the damage to this Hall and compensate the injured. The penalty is death.”
He does not need a dramatic gesture to summon the vampire I have seen many times before.
One might expect an executioner to dress in black leather. Instead, he wears a tailored suit. Calm and precise, he glides across the chamber like a shadow—face expressionless, eyes lifeless. A sword rests loosely in his grip.
I have watched my own execution in visions delivered by that very blade.
The clan struggles, yet the many guards keep everyone contained. I do not look away when a sword claims them. One by one, beginning with their still-unconscious leader, their heads come off. Blood sluices across the marble, seeping into the grout.
Eight lives, wasted.
I no longer flinch at the sight of blood, no longer feel sickened by the violence. Perhaps it is my vampire nature, or perhaps I have seen too much, too quickly, to react.
Crystal flashes through my mind, and the tired waitress at One Bite Won’t Hurt. “What about their humans?” I rasp.
“They fall to the Council under the accord,” Valdarr says quietly. “They will be protected.”
The upper-tier clans depart first, and the spell anchoring us releases. Our feet peel free of the stone.
Outside, Harrison produces a canvas bag.
“All phones and electronics—now. We’re compromised. War status.”
I drop my mobile in. Ralph, Tony, Valdarr follow.Simone shrugs and tosses hers. James clutches his tablet in horror.
“But my schedules—our entire life?—”
“Tablet. In.” Harrison’s growl brooks no argument.
James appeals to Valdarr.
“Do as Harrison asks.”
