Page 35 of Royal Protector

“You don’t understand, Antoine. The body was found here in the village. In your cabin. One of the other pack members smelled the blood and looked through the window, and saw the dead vampire.”

I let out a soft cry. What exactly are they trying to say?

“Where were you all night, Antoine?” asks Jack.

“He was here with me!” I snap, running to his side and clutching onto his arm. “I swear, he was here the whole time!”

“Isabella . . .” says Leo, giving me an apologetic look. “We can’t take your word for it. You’re his Mate.”

“So? I’m still a person, I have eyes! I saw him here. I touched him here.” They have to listen to me. I’m telling the truth.

“It doesn’t matter. Mates cannot testify for or against each other.”

“Testify? What do you mean, testify?” I say, but as I do, Antoine shakes his head at me.

“I didn’t do this, Jack,” he says. “You know I didn’t.”

“I know you didn’t,” his old friend says. “But the evidence is bad, man. Your scent is all over the crime scene.”

“Because it’s my cabin!” Antoine protests.

“And all over the body.” That stops my Mate short. How could his scent possibly be on some random dead vampire?

“We’ll have to take you to the center,” apologizes Leo. “There’s a holding cell there. After that, there will be a trial, but . . .” his voice trails away, but we all understand the meaning behind his silence.

Under the peace treaty, any werewolf who kills a vampire is sentenced to death, and vice versa. If they can’t prove that Antoine is innocent, he will be executed, and quickly.

“No!” I cry, breaking out into a sob. Antoine folds me into his arms, rocking me gently.

“It’s going to be alright, Isabella,” he murmurs, kissing my temple. “Everything is going to be alright. You’ll see. We’ll get this all cleared up. You stay here, and stay safe.” Reluctantly, he lets go of me, and turns to Leo.

“I’m yours,” he said. “Take me where you need me to. But you know I’m innocent.” Leo says nothing, his throat bobbing with emotion.

I stumble after them into the sunlight, where Maura waits to take over watch. She grabs my arm, keeping me from following my Mate, and I collapse to the ground.

This can’t happen. They can’t take Antoine from me, just when we’ve found each other at last. Just when we’ve found hope for the first time.

* * *

Later that afternoon,Anna comes to my cabin to comfort me. I’m laying in my bed, the sheets still smelling of Antoine. I can’t cry anymore. I don’t have any tears left inside me.

“I’m so sorry, Isabella,” she hugs me. “Jack is doing everything he can to straighten this mess up.”

“Have they found any clues?” I ask, rubbing my dry eyes. Anna looks away from me, and my stomach sinks.

“Whoever framed him did a very good job. There are even traces of his fingerprints in the blood.”

“He was here with me, Anna, I promise,” I say, and she shushes me gently.

“I know he was.” She stands, bringing me up to my feet with her. “Listen, Jack wants to keep this as quiet as possible, in case the person who framed Antoine is aware of our suspicions. He sent me to prepare you for the final gala tonight.”

“What?” I ask, reeling backwards. “We can’t have the gala, not with everything that has happened! None of the Alphas are speaking to each other, we don’t know who sent the vampires the other night, and Antoine is sitting in jail, waiting for a death sentence!”

“I know, I know,” she says wearily, opening my closet door and pulling out the silver gown I had picked for the final event. “But Jack thinks the risk is worth drawing out whoever is behind all this. If they come to the gala, maybe we can put all this behind us.”

I touch the healed mark on my neck, the beautiful reminder of what Antoine and I share. “What about my bite? What will we tell people?”

“Ah yes, about that,” she says, laying the dress on the bed and going to fetch her handbag. “I thought this would do the trick.” She pulls out a long length of pearls, folding it over into several strands. “Unless someone looks really close, they won’t be able to see your scar through the beads.”

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