In his peripheral vision, Samir shifted. Quashing the urge to look at him, Warrehn looked at Ksar. “Are you recording?”
Ksar gave a nod, touching the chip on his wrist.
Warrehn looked back at Dalatteya, feeling a surge of dark satisfaction as something like panic appeared in her eyes.
In the meantime, Ksar said, “Dalatteya’il’zaver, you are charged with multiple murders, treason, fraud, five occasions of attempted murder, and the use of mind vortex on the deceased king, Emyr’ngh’zaver.”
Dalatteya paled. There were several gasps in the room, and Warrehn’s gaze flicked to Dalatteya’s right. Samir was staring at his mother, his lovely eyes wide and confused.
See, he’s innocent, his besotted self immediately argued.
Grimacing inwardly, Warrehn wrenched his gaze away. Now wasn’t the time for acting like a lovesick fool. Whether Samir knew of the mind vortex or not was largely irrelevant and didn’t prove his innocence. He’d been a child back then; of course he hadn’t been involved. It meant nothing and didn’t mean he hadn’t been involved in Dalatteya’s other plans.
“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!” Dalatteya said, springing to her feet. “I will not listen to this nonsense!”
“Sit down, ma’am,” Ksar said, his voice like ice. When she reluctantly sat down, he said, “The accusations are not baseless. The Ministry has been presented with conclusive proof of your use of a mind vortex.” He touched his wrist and a holovid of the security footage Warrehn had retrieved appeared in the air.
Warrehn didn’t look at it. He watched the others’ reactions. Eridan looked sickened when he saw the mind vortex, Ksar’s face was impassive, and Samir… Samir turned to look at his mother with an expression of dawning horror on his face.
“Mother…” he whispered hoarsely, shaking his head. “How could you have been so stupid? So reckless? That’s a life sentence!”
Dalatteya pursed her lips tightly and said nothing, her gaze empty. Defeated. Her eyes remained on the image of Emyr’s dead, mutilated body.
Warrehn got to his feet and stepped closer to her. “What did you do to it?”
“It?” she repeated blankly.
“The clone. Did you even bury it after you tortured the information you wanted out of it?”
She looked back at Emyr’s body and said nothing.
Getting to his feet as well, Ksar broke the silence. “It’s over, ma’am. The other charges against you will be investigated, but the use of the mind vortex alone is grounds for immediate arrest. Your head of security will be arrested too, once he’s found.” He glanced at the law enforcement officials. “Arrest her.”
Dalatteya didn’t resist, still looking at Emyr’s dead body.
“No,” Samir choked out as his mother was put in handcuffs. “No!” He turned and grabbed Warrehn’s hands. “Please,” he said hoarsely, looking at him with glistening eyes. “Warrehn.” He fell to his knees and whispered, “I’m begging you.”
“Get up, Samir,” Dalatteya said sharply. “You’re above begging—especially begging that man.”
Samir ignored her, looking at Warrehn pleadingly, still on his knees. “Please. She’s my mother.”
Warrehn dragged his gaze away and glowered at the gawking officials, shielding Samir from their view with his body. “Everyone out,” he ordered, before pushing a thought at Ksar, Make sure they don’t talk and the news doesn’t spread yet.
Ksar gave a curt nod and walked out of the room, his men following with Dalatteya. Eridan lingered, looking at them for a moment, before leaving too.
And then they were alone. He and the man he loved—and whose mother he’d just condemned to a life sentence.
Chapter 25
Samir had never felt so desperate. Desperate and scared. His mother was arrested. And the use of a mind vortex was a life sentence, no appeal possible. She was going to spend the rest of her life on one of the prison planets, those disease-ridden, horrible places that used the prisoners as free labor in the mines. He couldn’t imagine his delicate, graceful mother in a place like that, among the worst sort of criminals. With her looks, it would be a living hell. She would be gang-raped on a daily basis.
“Get up,” Warrehn said, without looking at him.
Samir searched his hard face for a hint of kindness and mercy. He couldn’t find it.
“Don’t do it, War. Please.”
Warrehn finally looked at him, a muscle jumping in his cheek. “Don’t,” he said roughly. “She isn’t worth your tears. She’s a heartless killer without any principles.”
“She’s my mother,” Samir whispered, squeezing Warrehn’s hands with his own. “She’s all I had growing up.”
“And she’s the reason my mother is dead,” Warrehn said flatly, without looking at him. “She’s the reason my father was killed and then tortured even after his death. She’s the reason my brother grew up in a miserable place like the High Hronthar, all alone.” She’s the reason I don’t have a family.
Samir’s heart clenched as he caught the stray thought Warrehn involuntarily projected. “I know she’s done bad things,” he breathed, leaning his forehead against Warrehn’s hard thigh and closing his burning eyes. “I know that, and I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. But I can’t stop loving her. For me, she was the best mother in the world. She’s always been there for me.”