“We are your intelligence officers, Your Majesty, we should be permitted to question the other witness.”
“Orwin, I already told you and the other officers, Justice and I questioned the Lord of Arms. You all have his complete transcript before you.”
There was an extended moment of tense silence, and Adres imagined each entitled vampire in King Bentley’s court, glaring back and forth at each other, appalled that they were being denied anything.
“We have a Cavalerie in the royal court, my king. The eldest no less.” Another spoke up, his tone revealing his offense. “It would be a great honor if he would sit with us.”
“An honor for you, maybe, but not for him.”
Adres’s heart sped up at Macauley’s sharp comeback.
“Excuse me?” the uppity individual balked. Adres could imagine the outrage on the vampire’s face. “Are we no longer required to speak to each other with respect?”
“I said nothing disrespectful.” Macauley replied.
“Adres Cavalerie does not wish to participate in the king’s official business or in Justice’s pack politics—”
“Yet he swore an oath and accepted the title as Lord.” The vampire cut Belleron off, and Adres smelled the pungent stench of anger inside the darkened cave.
Belleron’s voice traveled on a higher sound wave, and Adres knew he’d stood to address whatever lower-ranking officer had interrupted him. Belleron’s tone held warning. “We do not need Adres for planning and strategy. He has sworn to execute the king’s orders without question and protect his territory.” Belleron paused before he finally added, “Tonight, he went above and beyond that duty.”
“He saved my brother’s life.” Justice rumbled. “I couldn’t care less if he wants to sit here and have a back-and-forth or not.”
“Our brother could be dead if Adres did not kill those assassins—”
“Farica, I mean no disrespect by cutting you off, but—”
“You don’t mean to be disrespectful, but yet, you still decided to interrupt me.” Adres heard a delicate sigh. “Now, like I was saying, General, before you so rudely interjected. If those assassins would have made it into the mainlands, heaven knows what kind of havoc they might have caused. The Lord of Arms is a hero. Yet it sounds as if you are sowing doubts.”
“I’m simply stating what no one else here will. That Adres Cavalerie should be questioned. Our king has not been attacked in the United States since his mating. Something seems off.”
Adres felt his insides start to heat with rage as he quickly picked up on the insinuation. And this particular vampire—the general—was not surrendering without a decent fight.
“I’m far too old to believe in coincidences. The horseman is here for a week—a family that has built their legacy on challenging royalty—and then suddenly, assassins lethal enough to breach your stronghold, Justice, appear in the middle of the night.”
“What the fuck are you saying?” Adres heard Macauley growl.
It was amazing how Adres could easily distinguish Macauley’s voice amongst the twenty other alphas in that room. He pressed his back against the cold stone wall as he put a tight clamp on his fury and reinforced his shields. How dare he be accused of such treachery and dishonor? Adres might have been evil, but he still lived by a moral code. This vampire spoke boldly of his family’s origin, but he spoke false truths.
An offense punishable by death.
The room suddenly erupted with stern murmurs and passionate threats. So many spoke up at once that Adres didn’t try to keep track. Instead, he was more focused on the long, threatening snarl that came from one wolf.
“What are you trying to say?”
“How dare you, sir?”
“You are way out of line, General.”
“That is a solely baseless theory.”
“We were there. We saw the horseman fight with honor. A real soldier can recognize true heart on the battlefield.” Adres recognized the Lord Protector’s Hispanic accent. “He wielded a power that is not of this world. And I and the king’s legion were privileged enough to witness it tonight.”
“You are being blinded by his stardom. How do you know that you have not all fallen for his act? We have to at least consider deception.”
Adres had heard enough. One should be more hesitant before they spoke about him so casually. The room burst into more angry disagreements. Many of them coming to his defense and others giving consideration to what was being implied.
Adres pulled his hood lower on his forehead and eased from behind the wall. He moved like the stealthy killer he was, until he was standing a couple of feet from the back of Macauley’s chair.
Belleron was the first to spot him, his voice catching before he stood to his feet and announced, “Lord Adres. Thank you for coming.”
Adres ignored the startled gasp when the others turned and saw him, as it seemed that he had appeared out of thin air, but he had not. They had been too busy bickering and sowing division within the ranks to notice him.