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24. Chapter Twenty-four

They held me in a hotel in Dallas for over a week. Ten days, actually. My guards included several supernatural species, from vampires, werewolves, and witches, to fae, a rare kitsune, and more. I wasn't allowed to leave unless it was to be taken in front of the Tribunal, where I wasn't allowed to speak. Not until the last day.

There were procedures to Tribunals. Upon being taken into custody, they descended like riders of the damn apocalypse on whatever location they needed to be in. They came to Dallas to deal with me. It took a few days, since they came from everywhere, including the lands of the Fae.

After that, there was a week of trial. I was on the last day, but the previous days hadn't been so bad. The Tribunal put a call out for supernatural creatures to speak on my behalf. They didn't need anyone to speak against me because my crimes were clear. They were looking for people who might help make my punishment more lenient.

Not like they really wanted to do that, but they were required to try. There were no executions without exhausting all other options.

Lani showed up to speak for me as fast as she could, arriving on day two. Heath and the pack spoke on my behalf every day, filling up entire days with recounts of my actions and behavior through the entire event.

Brin showed up, and strangely enough, the fae were hushed for him, letting him speak about my time at his motel. That had been nice. His family showed up as well, including his human wife—unheard of. No one stopped him, though.

But it was now the last day. It was my day to speak for myself.

I washed my face, staring at my reflection. The bruises were gone and most of my stitches were removed already. I was healing better, which was a blessing. My body had taken a beating, but I wouldn't be limping into the chamber for the last day. My eyes were finally my human hazel again, too. I was finally able to pull back the werecat a couple of days after turning myself over to Harrison.

I got dressed, putting on the set outfit they left for me. There was a dress code for appearing in front of the Tribunal. My clothing was supplied to me before they showed up. It was a severe black suit, much like a lawyer would wear, but instead of pants, like any decent person would wear, they gave me a pencil skirt today.

How nice of them.

My guard was waiting for me in the little kitchenette of the hotel room, a sword strapped to his back. He was a vampire, one of the few I had met—all of them in the last week. "Time to go," he said, gesturing to the door. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said softly, swallowing. Heath had promised me on day one that he wouldn't let Carey come to this, but on day six, I had asked him to bring her on the last day. Just so I could see her and say goodbye. Tell her that meeting her and helping her family made me feel like a hero for a minute. A good person. She made my world a little less lonely. She deserved to know that.

It was a trip to get to the Tribunal. They were in the hotel, but not in the hotel. They rented out a room, then made a pocket dimension in it, the cheaters. It was a fae trick. The Tribunal's meeting ground stood in the space between worlds, which was why the Tribunal members were willing to travel. They could have their special little room anywhere.

The vampire had to get a fae and a witch to open the door. I followed him in and was led to the front, to sit down where everyone could see me, like every day before. I sniffed the air, getting an idea for the crowd around me. There were a lot of species in attendance that I had never met before, but Hasan had taught me about. I was surprised to smell a naga, another rare species. Many of the smaller species didn't hold positions on the Tribunal, but they agreed with the Laws over the centuries, knowing they were only meant to keep the peace between all of them. The Laws were the very things that kept nagas and kitsunes alive, both hunted down in their home lands nearly to extinction, much like werecats once were.

I sat down, sitting stiffly in front of the Tribunal. The room was too quiet, so I stared at the men and women in front of me without greeting them. I didn't want to break the silence and draw any more attention than I already had.

The Tribunal itself was an amalgamation of the five species that grouped together to stop the war between werecats and werewolves. Two fae, two werewolves, two witches, two vampires…and there were supposed to be two werecats.

I knew there wouldn't be. One of those seats belonged to Hasan. He claimed the other seat was the one for his missing mate, and none of the werecats around wanted to step up and take it. So the seats remained empty for my entire Tribunal, no support or condemnation from my own kind except in the form of Lani, who sat as close to me as she could.

"Welcome to the last day of Jacqueline Leon's trial, everyone," a vampire called. "Today we're going to hear final arguments from anyone wishing to come forward and speak on her behalf and from the prisoner herself. Is there anyone wishing to step forward?"

No one answered. All of the wolves were done. A smothered cry came from the back that made me turn around. Heath was whispering to his daughter, probably explaining to her that humans weren't allowed to speak on my behalf. She was only allowed to watch. I waved at her, hoping she would see me.

When she waved back, I knew I would do it all over again.

"No one?" a fae asked from his spot, standing up as well. "Really? Are we finally out of wolves that want to talk? Finally."

"Packs," one of the Tribunal werewolves said softly. "They're always like this. I never thought I would see a pack defend a werecat, but if one was going to, all of them were. Fenris surprised me. That must account for something."

Fenris had surprised me too.

"Doesn't matter. Jacqueline, please stand and begin your final argument."

I stood up, clasping my hands in front of me. I had over a week to think of all the things I had wanted to say, and they escaped me. I was blank for a moment.

"Well?" A witch sounded impatient.

"I wanted to do what I promised," I started, swallowing my fear. "I swore an oath to Carey Everson to defend her, to protect her as I would a child of my own. I only did what my Duty demanded—"

"Yes. The other werecat said this argument as well," a vampire yawned as he spoke. "And we're not inclined to excuse your involvement with werewolf politics, something explicitly against the Law for werecats. You entered their territory and joined something you had no part in."

"It's been eight hundred years since the war!" I snapped. That brought my words back. "Eight hundred years. And you know what? Yeah, Lani and I are in agreement. I did as my Duty commanded of me. I might have lost Carey, but I didn't give up on her. I wasn't the party who broke the Law first. Dean and Emma, and their lackeys, were. Would you have dragged them up here and put them under fire for a week?" I pointed a finger at the bored vampire. "And maybe you should think of the repercussions of executing me, like Brin pointed out. Werecats were put in the position we hold for a reason. What does it say to those with human families that you're willing to execute someone who is brave enough to go the distance to protect them? My kind, we can't afford to fail. We can't afford to be useless. We have to succeed. So I did. It was the right thing to do, not just for me or the werewolves, but for the supernaturals everywhere. So they can go home tonight with their human spouses or mates and feel like their local werecat is the right choice to make to defend them when things go sour."

"And it was the right thing to do for the humans," someone called from the back.

The voice made me gasp. I spun around so fast that I knocked the chair over.

"Hasan," Lani whispered near me.

"Forgive my tardiness," he called to the Tribunal. "I was in the middle of some family things." He was standing at the main door, which was just closing behind him. "Jacqueline has a point. You can't execute her. This entire situation has been a mess. The best way to let it lie is not by killing her, but by accepting that she did the right thing. The honorable thing." He began to walk slowly down the center aisle. "I've been on this Tribunal since before it was this big." He didn't look at me. He looked over the crowd, which was nearly every supernatural in the state of Texas and a few of the neighboring states. "It's grown in the last century, it seems…"

"Hasan. It's good to have you here," a fae said, grinning. "But tell me, how is it good for the humans, too? Werecats are still covered by secrecy."

"For now," he agreed. "But if you start killing my kind for being in the tough position of oath-sworn and honorable and following a ridiculously old Law, I'm going to change that."

"Excuse me?" The female Tribunal werewolf sat up, narrowing her eyes at Hasan. I was now completely forgotten. I didn't mind. I was still trying to process what Hasan had just said.

"Humans. That's who we werecats protect. Wouldn't it be a good PR move for my kind to come out right now with Jacqueline's story? To tell the world ‘Look. One of the monsters in the night is on your side.'" He smiled. "‘And the other monsters killed her for it.' I'll even tell them what killed her. I'm not afraid to expose us all."

I let my jaw drop finally. He was serious.

"You…you can't out your kind without—"

"I think I'm the only werecat that can do whatever I want without anyone telling me I can't. I brought my kind peace. I saved us from extinction. I'm much older than most, and while I've been away..." He shook Lani's hand as he passed her, patting the back of it once. "They have remained respectful of me. I can tell the world about my kind. If you push me to it, that is."

I still wasn't moving when he stopped at my side, looking down at the chair I knocked over. He righted it for me and patted the back.

"Sit, please, Jacky," he said gently. He even used the name I liked more. He never did that. "You're not dying tonight."

"Thank you." I fell into the chair, still finding it hard to breathe. He'd come to help me.

"You can't promise her that. You can't hold the Tribunal hostage with the threat that the humans will be on your side!" The male wolf pushed out of his seat, fury turning his face red. "Damn you, Hasan, you don't get to walk in here—"

"I can, I will, I just did," he growled. "Don't test me, Callahan. I'm leaving here with her tonight and no one is going to stop me. My children are prepared to send the evidence the human media needs about the existence of the werecats right now."

He got my older siblings involved. I looked up to him, wide-eyed. My ‘siblings' and I hadn't spoken since I walked out on the family when I found out Hasan let my fiancé die in that car.

"Why are you doing this for a no-name werecat? She's not anyone special among your kind. We've checked. Even Lani, the other werecat here, doesn't know where she came from. She had no lineage to back up her strength, something your kind finds important. She has no allies but the ones she's met in the last week." The female vampire seemed confused. "Hasan, certainly—"

"I won't let another of my daughters die to werewolves," he said softly. "And sometimes it feels like all of the werecats are mine." He squeezed my shoulder. He claimed me as a daughter and still kept our relationship a secret.

I wanted to hate him, but in that moment, hating him was a hard thing to do. He was going above and beyond anything I ever expected from him, ever wanted from him.

And he doesn't have to. I've never been the best daughter—or werecat.

"I agree with Lani, Jacqueline, and the werewolves. She didn't enter the werewolf war over Dallas-Fort Worth without cause. She was oath-sworn, held by the very Laws you want to hang her with. She showed undeniable courage to risk herself for the safety of a human girl. She tried to remain impartial but knew there was only one good way to keep the girl safe. That was to help the Alpha, Mr. Heath Everson, defeat the traitors he was fighting against and rescue her from them." Hasan ruffled my hair next, one of his more fatherly actions. I had picked it up from him. "I'm honored to have this werecat among the rest of my kind. I hope we shall all live up to the example she's set." He took a deep breath. "And maybe it's time for us to rethink the Laws."

Gasps filled the room. Chaos erupted. People were clamoring to speak, some yelling at Hasan, some cheering for him. The Tribunal watched in silence, and so did I.

"SILENCE!" a witch screamed, magic flying through the room. It wasn't a graceful way to bring order, but it was an effective one. I looked out at the crowd. People were still yelling, but nothing could be heard. "It's not permanent, everyone, but we must stay on track. Hasan, how would you recommend to change the Laws?"

"Like all things, Laws must evolve to meet the needs of the world. We can discuss it over drinks, my old friends. After you acquit Jacqueline Leon of her supposed crimes."

The Tribunal looked between each other before one of the fae spoke up again. "Recess for one hour," he ordered everyone, standing up. "Hasan, please come with us."

He nodded, finally letting go of my shoulder and walking away. Lani was the first person to me once he was gone, grabbing my upper arms.

"He's here! Hasan is finally back with us!" She was grinning. "You have brought about interesting times for the werecats, Jacky. I hope you realize that."

"Yeah…" I watched his back as he left the room with the other Tribunal members. I pulled away from her and looked over to Carey, who was smiling as her dad explained what was happening. Landon waved at me this time, smiling broadly.

I didn't go visit them, knowing it was time to keep my distance. There was no place for me with that family, but I was glad to see them together.

The hour flew by, and Hasan came back out to me, finding Lani and I talking quietly.

"Lani, it's been so long," he greeted, taking her hands again. "I'm glad you and Jacky have become friends. She's young and needed some guidance these last few years."

"You…" Lani seemed confused for a moment. "You know her?"

"Oh…Hasan, please—"

"Let's keep this quiet, for her sake." He nodded towards me. "Jacqueline is my daughter. I Changed her a decade ago."

Lani's sharp intake of air made me worried. She didn't breathe again as she looked at me. "You…Every time I ever talked about Hasan and how I wished he was back helping lead our kind, and you…"

I looked away. Yeah. I figured this was coming.

"She's private, my Jacky, and we have our differences. She kept that from you, though, because she knew I didn't want to be found by most of the world, much like my other children pretended for the last century that I was nowhere to be found. They never lost me." He patted Lani's shoulder. "There's big changes coming for our kind."

"Oh, Hasan, what did you do?" I demanded, throwing my hands up.

"You'll see," he promised. "But you're going home tonight. That's all that matters."

"Oh, I don't believe you, but sure." I crossed my arms. He did something. Now I just had to hope that it wasn't terrible for my health.

The Tribunal walked back in and called everyone back to their seats. It was one of the fae who stood up and began to read from a scroll.

"In the matter of Jacqueline Leon, we have decided to acquit her of all charges. There shall be no punishment passed down based on the events here in Dallas-Fort Worth." He took a deep breath. "Going forward, werecats who are called to Duty will be protected from future charges if the events are similar, so long as they can adequately prove that their actions were in the best interests of the human or humans in their care."

People cheered. Well, howled. It was mostly the werewolves that were excited for me. I had saved Carey and helped them. Of course they would be happy to see me walking away alive.

I threw my arms around Hasan. "Thank you so much," I whispered.

"One day, I'll tell you the truth about Shane," he told me softly. "But smell the truth when I say it wasn't a decision I made thinking it wouldn't hurt you. Or one I made lightly." He pulled away, holding my shoulders. "What you said about Duty…I wasn't going to let them take away your life for finally finding something to fill the hole you have here." He pointed at my chest. "I would never let that happen."

I could smell the truth, just as he wanted me to. And tomorrow, I could pressure him for the rest of the truth about the day I was Changed.

He did say ‘one day'.

Today, though, I was just going to be grateful for being alive.

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