13

Gabriel did it.

Brax and Michelle forced a confession out of him trapped in my magic. They both went off the deep end.

Understandably.

I told them to take some time to come to terms with it and really settle with it. Then we needed to formulate a plan, not just fly off the handle. That solved nothing, which was why I wasn't letting him out of that circle.

I even kept the island locked. I felt angels trying to break that down, but especially after I'd been blessed by the gods—or one of them at least—my magic was stronger than ever.

There was another cult group suicide. The news was catching wind of this being a national story and reporting on it. I barely registered that with everything else going on.

And the phone calls I needed to make.

"We know what happened, Soraya," Cameron said gently when I called her first. She was a cat shifter elder and my friend, so she seemed the right person.

"How?" I whispered, worried what that meant.

"Someone saw Hunt with his team and was recording for social media, just background noise like paparazzi focused on your lover," she explained. "All the shit with the US government and—the angle was him still in good with the police even if you were affecting his job."

"Probably. Always," I rasped as I plopped down.

"No, the head of CPD made it clear that they're on your side and none of this affects Hunt. You're behind, my friend. The head of that FBI office issued a formal apology that his office was used in politics and petty. You're fine. The search warrant is gone—how do you not know all of this?"

"Cameron, if I told you what else was going on, you'd think it was a miracle I stopped drinking to call you," I admitted, sounding so lost and tired to my own ears it hurt my heart. Then I put the pieces together of what she was saying. "Someone caught James going after Remy and posted it?"

"Yes. The whole damn thing and how you handled it. Your wolf jumped right in and asked for CPD footage and got it sent to Sangria, Bacchus, and me so there weren't problems. But he didn't know it was already all over the internet."

"Great, that's embarrassing for us," I groaned.

"No, because people are fighting back against this narrative that we don't punish our own and you shouldn't work with the police. People are showing how much you care and handle anyone bad no matter who they are. People are impressed you arrested your first love—that's what they're saying because James did."

That wasn't true but whatever. If it helped us… So be it.

"What happens now?" I whispered, wondering it for more than James even.

There was just too much going on in my life that I needed that answer for.

"Bacchus and I will handle the tribunal," she answered. "The evidence is everywhere and he's clearly gone. We're not doing the full thing given what else is going on. I've talked to other shifter elders, and they agree that would be crass given it's after he lost his mate, he went off the rails."

I had a lot to say about that, but I bit my tongue.

"We both know that's bullshit as well since he refused to fucking get help," she grumbled. "And James became a problem even before his mate died. You couldn't deal with that or even hear it, but any cat elder knows that. We want this to be quiet and over with. That works for you because—you have enough going on. So we'll handle it."

"Thank you." I let out a slow breath. "I still want to be there. At least for part of it. The execution. I should be there for that."

She didn't say anything for a few moments. "As you wish. I don't know that I could leave it alone either."

She sent me what she knew was on the internet and even what Remy got her. I cried as I watched James completely unravel and go after Remy. He was so far from the man I'd once loved that I didn't even recognize him. I knew the power and authority of being an elder had gone to his head some, but… Cameron was right and I'd ignored it.

I couldn't deal with it or him.

Why should I have had to? I wasn't even a shifter, and he was a bastard to me sometimes. One of the last events I saw him at before his mate died was fifty years ago and he'd made some snarky comment that I would be forever single since no one could live up to him.

How horrible of him to rub what happened in my face when he went back on his word to marry me? I hadn't done anything wrong. He acted like I deserved to be punished or had cheated on him.

He'd found someone else to love and mate like a lion. I'd stepped aside and moved on from the pride and almost into my father's hands. I'd almost lost myself and given up. It had been such a dark time for me that I couldn't even think back on it almost a thousand years later and not cry.

Which was why I was crying when Remy found me.

"Please talk to me," he whispered as he picked me up and set me on his lap. "You shut me off and I couldn't reach you. You cannot do that to me, Soraya."

"It wasn't intentional," I admitted, snuggling up to him. "My magic is extra powerful since I was blessed. I keep doing things unintentionally. Don't be mad at me for that. You have enough reasons to hate me."

"I don't hate you and certainly not for what happened," he murmured in my hair. "James lost himself, and from what Cameron said, it was even before his mate died. It's time to end this and the pain he brings you."

"Another one to hate me and regret ever being with me," I choked out.

"Soraya, we all have people like that. I have those as well. You have people you regret being with," he said firmly, holding me even tighter. "Please, please don't let James eat you like this. He still wins and scars you. I can't—love me more than he has hurt you. Please?"

It was probably horrible of him to ask or say something like that. It wasn't emotionally healthy at least… But it worked. I nodded and hugged him tightly.

I told him how it had all happened and the pain it had caused me. How I had just wanted to die and let myself almost freeze to death. I would have if Walter hadn't found me.

"Thank you for fighting," he whispered when I was done, tears in his voice. "Thank you for living so I could find you, my mate."

I nodded, crying harder for some reason. Because I was finally loved?

No, I felt it. I felt what he said to be true and I felt his love.

What Cameron said was true and the FBI backed down. The US government knew they'd lost this round and the senator was out. From what Helen knew, he was offered the chance to leave quietly and apologize for embarrassing his state, or not only the ethics whatever, but the DOJ was going after him.

Especially because Tandon leaked it that I was still helping SPU as long as I'd worked with them before and trusted them not to be assholes. He made it clear that I hadn't abandoned helping or saving people, just working with assholes .

Or the US government who wanted to stick it to me and take more of my money than they rightfully should.

Things moved fast, and two days later I was at Bacchus's estate for the tribunal. Remy was there as the one who was attacked, but he had to work so wasn't going to be there for the full thing. His bosses knew, so it wasn't a problem, but… Everything was always a problem.

And the chief of police was still pissed at me for breaking up his marriage. They were separated and she was planning to file for divorce and he fully blamed me even if he didn't say it publicly. Fool. Instead of fixing what he broke and seeing his part in it all, he just took the easy out and blamed me.

But he wouldn't get anywhere in Chicago or Illinois blaming me, so he was very political as he said they'd grown apart and wanted different things. He wasn't wrong, but… That was such a bullshit answer that it disgusted Remy.

And I loved him for that.

It gave me more valid reasons to worry about him and his career though. Then again, he'd said multiple times that he loved helping people and he wasn't going to worry about the politics and bullshit over our relationship.

Seriously, how could I not love this man?

I turned when I felt someone overly angry approaching me.

Isaac was suddenly there and grabbed the wrist of a woman. "Don't even think about it."

She raised her other hand, focused on him now, and I reacted before either of them could. I grabbed her wrist and popped her away from him… As I broke her arm.

I twisted it back and brought her to her knees. "Are you having a laugh to think you could come at me and mine?"

She bared her teeth at me. "I'm the mate of an elder."

"I am an elder," I sneered. "Mate of an elder isn't a fucking position. It's something we politely respect, but it doesn't make you above an actual elder."

"It does when that elder is you and you're—"

I popped out her shoulder. "I don't know your beef with me and I don't fucking care."

"Devil, unhand my mate this instance ," a man demanded as he came barreling down on me.

I barely spared him a glance as I froze him with my magic. "She went to strike me and then my consort. She—"

"She's my mother," Isaac said under his breath.

"No shit , babes," I drawled. "And you're going to get spanked for not telling me later that she was mated to an elder and that was part of your issues with them."

"I was going to when we had a spare moment, but I didn't ever think they'd be here given how they never show to anything thinking they're better than all other supes," he grumbled.

Yeah, that was fair.

I kept my eyes on the elder. "If someone's mate came for you, they'd be dead. Don't even tell me otherwise, croc." I smirked at him and glanced around, making it clear that he should be smart and not lie with all the powerful shifters around who could tell if he lied.

He ground his jaw but didn't address it. "I will educate my mate and have her give a formal apology."

"Nice try," I chuckled darkly. "She tried to attack an elder and then doubled down."

"What do you want, Devil?" he growled. "And I'd remember that you're making more and more enemies with each of these tribunals that you—"

"No, she doesn't," Sangria said in a cold, deadly tone. "She does what is right, and you suddenly asked to join us which none of your species ever has before? We took it as an olive branch, but clearly you planned for childish behavior and drama. In someone else's house when the stakes are dire. And you got caught before she could make her move."

"Plus, he's too delusional that an enchanter would ever stand up to a mighty shifter," Isaac drawled. "That's what the fools teach and preach all of the time as they subjugate their women and worse."

I snickered. "Even your own council records state you came about because of enchanters, fool. Your species specifically because of my bloodline ." I nodded when several people around us froze. "Yes, so your mate might have wanted to make a stink about my being with her son instead of whatever mating she planned—"

"You called that accurately," Cameron chuckled, obviously getting something off of the woman I was still holding.

"But you were using this moment to try and make me look bad when you fools finally got caught up and learned I'm the head of the enchanters now." I nailed that as well from the rage in his eyes. I used my magic to knock out Isaac's mother before letting her go and pulling up my skirt. "Except apparently, one of the gods blessed me and the path I'm on to save the world."

"What is that, Soraya?" Ikuyo whispered, suddenly next to me. "It's… It's like a blessed item. The magic—the energy and coloring around it—" Her voice was shaking as her gaze darted to mine.

"It's what I said," I promised her. "I woke with it after I decided how to punish my enchanters who were making us look bad and handle some other things." I let my skirt fall. "Brax said it's a blessing. My magic is more." I popped over to stand in front of the croc.

"I don't—"

"I am the champion of Mother Earth, you fool," I purred. "I am the most powerful magic alive, and my job is to keep this planet from falling into ruin. And you want to come flex your perceived power over me when I can take your animal forever? Trap you as a crocodile for eternity? Are you having a laugh? "

"He would make a lovely pair of boots," Sangria purred. "So you will now publicly state you accept their relationship and your stepson is her consort or you will have serious problems, croc. We invited you out of goodwill, and I do not like being lied to and played." She studied her nails like she wasn't bothered, but she was.

Sangria was fucking pissed .

And that was ridiculously bad for the person she was upset with.

"Or I will get my bow and have some fun hunting so I can collect some new accessories for my wardrobe. We all acknowledge he is her consort and the collar he wears. How dare you crawl in here and seek to challenge us? You clearly need to be smacked to reality."

It was really hard not to laugh. She was so lethal and powerful that the temperature of the room was quickly dropping with her anger and she wasn't even able to control magic like that. I could do the same, but I had to will it.

This was simply a reaction to Sangria.

Bacchus jumped in when the croc didn't reply fast enough. "Take her into custody."

"What?" he growled.

"You set this up and she attacked someone at my estate ," Bacchus seethed. "My dearest friend and ally. You clearly have a death wish or are the dumbest fucker around to think I would be fine with that." He moved and grabbed Isaac's mother by her hair. "I'm not fine with shit."

"Fine!" the croc exclaimed. "Her relationship with Isaac is allowed."

My magic brought the guy to his knees without me even realizing it. "Allowed? Did I ask permission like a child?" I bitch-slapped him with all I had. "They're giving you the option to accept this peacefully and with what little dignity you can salvage before you turn tail and leave. I'm saying it's done, and if you want death then test me again, savvy?"

"We all recognize the collar," another elder I didn't even know well added. "It's a rule among all of us to remove our lovers from the normal species bullshit so they are safe . Who the fuck are you to challenge that? You're just as much of a fucked cult as the enchanters are trying to recover from. And you're pissing us off. So accept and leave or die."

Wow, glad I wasn't the only one over all of this bullshit.

For real.

"I accept it, and there will be no more issues from the crocodiles," he relented. "However, I wish to stay." He met my gaze. "As much as you think this was a ploy all about you, it was not. Not from me . I didn't care about you or what—I want our cultlike ways to stop as well. I pushed to be invited to this tribunal for the right reasons and see it with my own eyes."

"He's telling the truth," someone muttered.

I nodded and released him. "Have someone take your mate home then." I moved over to Isaac's mother and woke her with magic, smirking at how terrified she was since it was disorientating. "You ever come for me or even contact your son again and I will take your animal away in punishment." I nodded when horror filled her eyes.

"You cannot—"

"I can and I will ," I snapped. "I didn't even know about you, so clearly there is bad blood here. He is now dead to you. And I would do it solely because of all the witnesses here who heard me promise it. It would make all my people vulnerable if I didn't follow through with my threats. Do you get that?"

She did. It was in her eyes. She looked to Isaac for help, but he simply crossed his arms over his wide chest and kept his gaze on me, making it clear who he stood with.

Good boy.

Her mate got her out of there after she acknowledged what I said.

I gave her a few parting presents that I gave the croc elder as well.

"What else did you do?" Sangria asked when we sat down to start the tribunal.

"A lot," I grumbled. "My temper is already short." I sighed when she and Ikuyo pushed. "Crabs. Heartburn. He will have trouble getting it up. She will get yeast infection symptoms. They'll find each other repulsive for the next year and randomly say how they really feel about each other to start night fights."

"Fuck, that is hysterical," Cameron wheezed, barely holding it together.

"Oh, and IBS," I added, Sangria barely covering her laugh at the last second.

"You gave my mother the squirts?" Isaac asked from where he was standing off to the side as my guard.

I simply shrugged. It seemed fitting if she was going to be such a piece of shit.

Remy quickly attested to the video evidence he submitted being real for everyone there to hear and allowed them to tell he wasn't lying for themselves. Baccus actually asked a few other questions I wouldn't have thought of like if had Remy contacted James at any point in time to instigate issues.

Remy seemed taken aback as well as he answered. "No, not once, Elder. I wouldn't even know how—well, I'm sure Soraya or the front desk would know how to contact him. So yes, I suppose I could have, but I didn't. There was no reason to, and I do my best to help Soraya have fewer issues and less drama in her life, not more. I have no jealousy over a lover she had that long ago."

When he was done, I gave him a quick kiss and told him to be safe at work. I lied through my teeth that I was fine, but he seemed relieved that Isaac was with me at least.

The rest of it was as horrible as to be expected. James had completely unraveled. He was so fixated on me that it was disturbing, and after he admitted under my truth potion that he mostly wanted to mate me to have access to my magic for his own power, I had to leave.

I think I shocked everyone by leaving the room, but I… I just couldn't hear anymore. It was so unhinged that even if I knew it was because he was feral, I couldn't listen.

Plus, him going into detail about taking my magic for his own was unsettling to hear from someone I had once loved. Hearing him confess that he had loved my magic back then more than he had ever loved me was like a knife in the parts of my heart that hadn't iced over.

"He didn't mean a lot of that," Sangria comforted after she joined me. "He once truly loved you and—"

"I knew he loved me as much as my magic when we were younger," I whispered, wiping my eyes. "He did truly love me, but he wasn't lying that my magic was a lot of the draw. I knew that. I was fine with it because I was young and stupid and saw that as part of me. James was always ambitious, and he saw the good I could do for his people. I didn't hate him for that."

"They're cutting off his rambling," Cameron said when she came out a few moments later. "We're going to have a break for food and then carry out his sentencing. He's completely gone. We all agree there's no point in dragging this out."

I nodded and let my friends comfort me, protect me from the vultures during the break even.

But oddly enough… There didn't seem to be any. I mostly received pitying looks and people just nodding to me.

Could we finally have found a line that no one could be a rat bastard over?

Wow.

During the break, Bacchus had been rapidly draining James. None of us protested that since we knew he would mix it with human blood and distribute it among his fledglings who needed the powerful blood most. For all his many faults—and we all had them—he focused on his baby vampires most. He truly did.

Sometimes I thought he was the only reason vampires thrived in the numbers they had.

James went peacefully. Bacchus gave the bite and did it gently after wishing him peace with the gods. The other cat elders promised they'd handle his body, and I simply nodded along, numb and about to break.

Isaac said that there was an emergency at PI and we needed to go. I gave him a look that I wasn't in any shape to help anyone, but then I saw in his eyes that he was lying to get me out of there.

Luckily, everyone was kind enough not to bust him and wished me well as we excused ourselves.

I was too much of a mess to cry and didn't even register where I was for probably a couple of hours.

"This balcony is a great addition," Isaac said when he realized I was back with him or just aware enough to register what he was saying.

And that was where we were. We were sitting out on my new balcony in the cold, freezing winter wind.

I did a double take when I realized that. "Are you okay in this weather?"

He chuckled. "You made furniture appear and immediately wrapped us in a warm bubble of your magic. I would guess mine is warmer than yours if you're worried. I'm toasty like I'm lying on a fucking beach and it's seriously heaven."

Yeah, that was much warmer than I was feeling.

"I want to know more about you, but I also want the distraction," I mumbled after a minute.

He was quiet. "Fine, but you need to eat. I'll get us what I want for comfort food and you will eat, deal?"

Deal.

He came back about ten minutes later loaded to the gills with meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, mac & cheese, and carrots that smelled so sweet they seemed like a dessert. Yes. Please.

"It's this place near where I was living," he said as he set it all up on the table that I made appear. "I missed it most with the move, and now that I can teleport, it's really been nice to go back. The owners are prey shifters who get bullied, so my team of SPU going in there a lot helped. Nice couple. Cute and heals my jagged heart sometimes, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know," I whispered, feeling the same about some of the people around me or places I visit. "You want your ciders, right?"

His eyes flashed shock but then thanked me when I made them appear. I also had real plates and utensils just so we could enjoy ourselves and not eat out of containers.

But then it was time to open the wound of his past and it was clearly something he didn't want to do. I didn't blame him, but I needed to know because it had come into my life now, so it was only fair.

And Isaac Comier was a man of fairness.