Power was something Larissa never claimed but something she envied very much.
“I see that Adriel brought you the items I requested.”
Larissa spun and gasped at the sight of Eleazar. “You startled me.” That’s what she deserved for entertaining such self-serving thoughts. Her ego had dulled her senses and left her unguarded. She was lucky it was only Eleazar.
“My apologies.” He crossed the room and pressed a kiss to the side of her mouth.
Something was wrong. “What is it?”
“The Council requests your presence in the hall.”
She drew back. “They know I’ve returned?”
“I informed them this morning.”
“And Silus?”
“He’s disputing the authenticity of our bond, but I expected as much.”
Females were seldom invited into the hall. “Must I go?”
“I begged The Elders to leave you be, but, due to my involvement, I had to surrender my authority to Abraham Gerig. He’ll act as presiding bishop until we put all objections to rest. They require your testimony. I’ll be there with you the entire time. No one will harm you, Larissa.” His hand caught hers as his thumb gently traced the racing pulse within her wrist.
They stripped him of his authority. What if they gave her back to Silus?
Her body quaked with uncertainty, and Eleazar read her fear. Gripping her by the shoulders, he forced her to look up at him. “He will not touch you. I need you to trust me. I will never let anything happen to you. Ever. I’m sorry you must go through this, but once it’s done, it’s done forever.”
She shut her eyes and nodded, trying to regain her composure, desperately wishing she possessed the power Adriel described earlier.
Eleazar ran the back of his finger down her cheek. “They’re waiting for us.”
Chapter 33
Eleazar escorted Larissa through the corridor toward Council Hall in silence. Her fear plucked on a visceral cord inside of him, and the more it intensified, the stronger he interpreted their link. By the time they reached the doors to the hall, her hands trembled in terror.
The rapid gallop of horses thundered from the east as every male approached to hear the testimony. Eleazar had no doubt Silus Hostetler already waited inside.
Adriel looked up from her sewing as she sat on her bench. The show of support registered within his mate, and Larissa lifted her chin and drew her shoulders back.
“Are you ready?”
Larissa nodded stiffly, her heart beating recklessly for all to hear.
Leaning close, he opened the door and whispered, “I’m right here. If you’re afraid, just look to me or your grandfathers. You have elders on the bench who support you. And your brother, Adam, is also here.”
“Cain?” It was the first word she spoke since leaving his home.
He shook his head, regretful that he had not been able to locate him for her.
He led her into the hall, and a ruckus stirred at the front. Bodies stepped aside as a wave of hostility cut through the crowd and Silus appeared, eyes glaring at Larissa, hands clenched in fists at his side.
Eleazar growled, warning the male not to come any closer as Abraham hammered the gavel and called for everyone to take a seat.
Silus’s glare dropped to the bishop’s hold on Larissa’s arm. “How dare you touch my wife.” His hateful stare stabbed at Larissa. “You will atone for your sins.”
Eleazar’s scent filled the air surrounding his mate until the male’s nostrils flared at the repugnant claim, and he took a step back. Then, slipping an arm around her shoulders, staking an unmistakable claim, he guided her to the seats up front.
“Brother Silus, take a seat,” Abraham called from the bench.
Defiantly, the male stormed toward the bench, ignoring his designated seat. “This spectacle has gone on long enough. Larissa is my wife, and this is no longer a public matter.”
“The matter is not whether or not she is your wife, Brother Silus. The matter is if the bishop’s calling is genuine, then there are grounds for an annulment. You have no authority over another male’s mate.”
“She’s my wife! I have the authority of her husband until proven otherwise. I demand a word with her in private.”
“Your request is denied.” Abraham sat with the patience of an oak. “The sooner you cooperate, the sooner we can put this issue to rest.”
Eleazar sat beside his mate and watched as Silus stomped across the hall. “Larissa, get up.” When her hand tightened around Eleazar’s and she did not move, Silus snapped, “I said get up!”
Her shoulders tensed, and as he grabbed for the front of her apron, a clap of thunder shook the walls. The bishop snarled, now gripping the male’s offending hand and twisting it until bones crumbled.
Releasing the sack of flesh, Eleazar flashed his fangs. “Reach for her again, and I’ll rip it off.”
Silus staggered back, cradling his misshapen claws as the bones molded back into place.
Abraham, now irritated, hammered the gavel again. “Take your seat.”