Page 7 (1/2)

I didn’t look at Brigit, but I wanted to Instead, I claiive , but once I turned away, he reached over and gave raceful stealth that his hand was already gone by the time I turnedfro traces of his touch, and it tookas being grilled by the elders

"Do you feel you would serve the council well and abide by all the rules set forth by this, the council of elders, and by the Tribunal?" Hansel asked

"I do," Brigit replied, and I was impressed by her calm demeanor

"Do you--?" Hansel’s next question was stopped midstream by Juan Carlos

"Do you feel your position as a ward of one of the Tribunal leaders should allow you some sort of preferential treatment?" he de’s touch disappeared in an instant What was Juan Carlos doing? He’d had his chance to say what he wanted in private This was not the place to make a scene

"N-no" Unease was apparent in her reply this time

"Would you be here, asking us for this, if she hadn’t initiated the process?"

"I-I…don’t know"

"Be honest with us, Miss Stewart"

"But I--"

This time it was my turn to interrupt soasps that ran down both sides of the room were definitely real, and not for draripped both of his chair arrasp "How dare--"

Sig raised a hand and silenced Juan Carlos’s protest "My ies to the council Froet thement can continue without Leaders Secret and Juan Carlos present?"

Both Juan Carlos and I stopped shooting each other death stares long enough to turn our attention to Sig He was dis us? That was unheard of All council decisions went before the whole of the Tribunal Sure, he was the leader, but ere a governing unit

"It would be most unconventional," Hansel admitted, his words a subdued translation of the shocked expression on aze darted nervously to the elder next to him, a female vampire named Rebecca hom I was familiar

"It may be in the best interests of the council to eliested, her French accentthe entire statement sound very…proper

"Tribunal Leaders Secret and Juan Carlos," Sig said, looking froht

Excused

Just like that, Juan Carlos and I were on the wrong side of the council cha warden What had just happened? First Juan Carlos opened his stupid, defor I’d requested

"I hope you’re happy," I snapped

"Happy?" He was pacing the width of the corridor, the clip of his pricey leather shoes echoing against the polished stone walls Clip-clop-clip turn Clip-clop-clip stop "I will never be happy as long as you’re involved"

"What is your fucking proble so coarse with hi sick of his surly attitude, and ere technically equals now But tell that to hio, because he still treated ot close, closer to me than he’d ever been in our seven-year acquaintance He wasin front ofsize of his frame was evident for the first time For years I’d only seen hi him on his feet once before this, and I had suffered too much blood loss to payover ible waves--it was hard to notice anything else

"You," he spat the word out "You are ering Spanish accent with his hatred unrestrained in his tone and his rough masculine voice barely able toto you"

"You exist That’s bad enough"