Chapter Thirty-Two

Alex stood in the communitygarage with his hands fisted in his pockets, his feet doing a bunch of jitterbug steps as he watched the minivan drive off the elevator platform. His heart felt heavy as rain clouds. This situation totally sucked big dick.

Nyko, standing closer to the platform, clearly thought the same. It was rare to see Nyko scowl—the dude was sensitive about the scary disguise he wore and generally tried to play it down. But he currently looked like Chucky in the middle of murder withdrawal.

Alex felt himself tense as the minivan stopped and the doors rattled open. The six occupants stepped out, Jacken and Toni, the Costaches, and Dev and Marissa. He checked eyes briefly with his sister, throwing her a something's-wrong-and-you-gotta-solve-it look, but that was all the pow-wow he got with her.

Jacken took one glance at Nyko's uncharacteristically grim expression, and his brows set into a level bar over the bridge of his nose. "What?" The single syllable cracked through the garage.

Nyko's hands landed on his hips as he faced his brother. "Pettrila Nichita has placed an injunction against her children bonding with humans."

Dev laughed, an abrasive sound that was utterly devoid of humor. "How nice for her."

The lump in Alex's throat fell down and splashed into his stomach. Her children. As in, Luvera, too. Which meant that if this big dick suckage problem didn't get resolved, then Alex's dream of someday ending up with Luvera would remain in the realm of unreality where he'd already relegated it by being such a complete single-digit about the whole affair. Dating a bunch of other Varcolac women hadn't succeeded at all in getting Luvera out of his head. Really? Dur. Nothing had been able to do that ever since that laser tag game; he and Luvera had shared a moment there, he was sure of it. Luvera remained as lukewarm to him as she'd been since his birthday, but, dang it, he should've ignored that, swallowed his nerves, and taken hat in hand and just asked her out a long time ago.

He'd been about to do that last week, but…she'd come down with a bad cold or something, which was weird because Varcolac rarely contracted traditional human illness. Something had looked like it was wrong with her, though, her eyes sunken and haunted, almost guilt-ridden, as if she'd done something wrong. He couldn't imagine what with a sweet girl like her. It was killing him not to be able to talk to her about it, but Luvera rarely left her house these days—she hadn't been at Garwald's all week—and there was certainly no getting past her mother.

"This is serious, Dev." Impossibly, Nyko's expression turned grimmer.

Jesus, surely earthquakes thundered topside, the sun was becoming black as sackcloth, and the moon had turned to blood.

"A Tribunal has been gathered in the Council Room to decide the matter," Nyko said.

"Decide what?" The skin beneath Dev's goatee was growing tight, anger sawing across his words. "Pettrila doesn't have the power to place this kind of injunction."

"She's claiming right by Dantur? Pravil?."

Dev looked toward the ceiling. "The old bat has finally gone senile."

"What's Dantur? Pravil??" Toni asked.

"It's the ancient text of the Varcolac," Dev answered.

"I thought that was the Str?vechi Caiet."

"Exactly," Dev bit off. "Dantur? Pravil? is an outdated text, used way back when the Varcolac were one race. After the breed blended with Dragons and became a mixed culture, the Str?vechi Caiet was formed."

"Your mother's argument," Nyko inputted, "is that the Dantur? Pravil? was never officially set aside, especially since Str?vechi Caiet was lost for so long. And if Dantur? Pravil? is still an active governing document, then Pettrila has a right to place this injunction." Nyko nodded toward Marissa. "You can't be anywhere near Marissa until the Tribunal has ruled."

Dev's face turned stony. "Anyone tries to keep me from my woman," he warned, fixing Nyko with a shriveling glare, "and I'm going to have a serious problem with that someone. We clear?"

Alex's pulse quickened and his stomach knotted.

Marissa watched Dev with worried eyes, her forehead puckered.

"Don't make this hard, Dev," Nyko came back, frustration edging his tone. "Just face the Tribunal, and Marissa can sit in the audience," Nyko reached for her arm, "while you—"

Dev blasted a punch at Nyko.

Lightning-quick, Nyko snatched Dev's moving fist out of the air and yanked Dev's arm behind his back, the movement forcing Dev to twist down and to the side.

But Dev kept moving…

Alex himself would've been crying "uncle!" or "take my wallet!" the moment Nyko's large hand made contact with any part of his body. But Dev didn't exactly sit in front of a computer playing Club Penguin all day. Working with the downward momentum of his body instead of against it, Dev kept twisting until he was spinning up on Nyko's opposite side, the back of his fist slamming into the side of the larger man's nose. The blow whipped Nyko's head to the side, and Alex nearly jumped out of his sneakers at the resounding crack of bone breaking.

Marissa yelped.

"Dammit to hell!" Jacken roared.

Nyko kept his face angled to the side for a moment, blood trickling from both nostrils. Then he turned.

Alex had a gulp ready to go, but to Nyko's credit, he merely sighed. He didn't curse or complain or—and Alex was eternally grateful for this one—show any signs of shifting into the enraged, out-of-control state of R?u. He just sighed.

"Stop," Jacken barked, his complexion dark, "both of you. I'm not letting the Warrior Class be torn apart by this." Mouth tight, Jacken rounded on Dev. "Get your butt to the Tribunal, Nichita. That's the place to fight this, for chrissake. Marissa can sit in the courtroom, always within your line of sight. And Nyko, what the fuck? Don't touch her."

"Yeah." Nyko nodded, wiping his nose clean with a shammy he'd picked up. "My bad."

Dev stood in place, jaw clenching and releasing. Seething.

"Dev," Marissa whispered, her face white. "Jacken's right. You need to go fix this."

The moveable wall in theCouncil Room had been pushed back, exposing ??ran?'s courtroom, which consisted of two rows of lacquered wooden seats like pews, split down the middle by a single aisle. Up front, there was the U-shaped table, instead of a judge's bench, providing a temporary home for the Tribunal.

Seats were jam-packed with onlookers, although Alex easily spotted Luvera in the front row across the room, sitting on the same bench as her mother. Jesus, she still looked sick. His heart sagged like a stone had been wedged into his chest cavity. Dang it, if she'd only talk to him, he bet he could help her, or if nothing else, lend her his ear. Weren't they even friends anymore?

At his side, Toni hesitated as she scanned the Tribunal members—seven in all, including Roth Mihnea and Dr. Jess—then she continued inside, her strides stiffening, her spine going rigid.

He cast an oh, no look at Jacken. When Toni wore that stubborn expression, it always meant a fight, something his brother-in-law surely knew by now, just as well as Alex did.

Nyko led Dev to a lone chair at the far end of the U-shaped table. As Dev passed his mother, the two exchanged such heated glares of dislike that Alex couldn't help but grimace. Dang, man, no love lost there.

Nyko returned and gestured at the bench in the front row across the aisle from Pettrila and Luvera, indicating where Jacken, Toni, and Alex should sit; as Community Council members, they were being afforded prime seats.

They sat.

Except for Toni.

"Excuse me." Toni pushed past Nyko to face the members of the Tribunal. "Is there some reason there are only Pure-bred Varcolac on this Tribunal?"

Alex blinked, re-inspecting the occupants of the table. Heck, Toni was right. All the members of the Tribunal were ??ran?'s old-guard Pure-breds…people just like Pettrila Nichita. That much-feared matron vampire had no doubt pulled the strings of this Tribunal to her own ends, which wasn't good for Dev. Nothing like a totally partial jury to screw over a man's day.

"Dantur? Pravil?," Roth answered, "is the original text of the Pure-breds, making this a Pure-bred issue."

"The decision about it will affect a human." Toni gestured generally toward the audience. "Marissa Bonaventure deserves representation on this Tribunal."

"The matter will be addressed with all due impartiality and fairness," Roth maintained. "Please, sit down, Toni."

Toni's eyes frosted. "Only if I sit there"—she pointed at the U-shaped Council table—"where I belong. This isn't a community of only Pure-breds, Mr. Mihnea, but of Dragon vampires and Dragon humans alike…and Half-R?us. This Tribunal isn't representative of the mixed nature of our culture."

The observers in the courtroom stirred and murmured.

Alex twisted his mouth. Mr. Mihnea. When was the last time Toni had called Roth that?

Roth hesitated only a moment more, then inclined his head in concession of Toni's point. "You're right, Dr. Parthen. Please join us." He scanned the crowd, finding a Dragon member of the Council. "?lsi Korzha," he called to the owner of Aunt ?lsi'sCoffee Shop, "if you could take a seat on the Tribunal, as well?"

Alex hid a satisfied smile. Score: Toni, one, Pettrila, zip.

Nyko moved to stand behind Dev.

Toni took her seat and folded her hands on the table in front of her. "As a first order of business, I'd like to put forth that we vote to set aside the Dantur? Pravil? officially and permanently, then make a motion to accept Str?vechi Caiet as the prevailing law, which already has been the Varcolac de facto text for centuries."

Alex heard Jacken's soft, amused exhalation.

Yeah, gavel down, case dismissed, pooh on you, Pettrila Nichita. Talk about going right for the jugular.

Pettrila turned her head to give Toni an icy stare.

Toni met the matron vampire's look dead on, the two powerful women locking in silent battle for a long moment.

"Dr. Parthen is mistaken," Pettrila said coolly, "if she thinks the Str?vechi Caiet has been our de facto guide. The text was lost for a hundred years, found a mere few months ago." Pettrila elevated her nose. "Furthermore, it cannot be considered a reliable source of governance until we have a competent Soothsayer to interpret it."

Alex felt his face heat as the observers in the courtroom flashed glances his way. Man, ouch. He had to figure out how he could marry Luvera and not get saddled with this lady as his monster-in-law.

Toni's folded hands tightened. "That's a short-term issue, easily solved once Alex bonds."

Pettrila tsked. "If he ever bonds."

Alex's face burned brighter. All right…so maybe he held the human record for the longest time spent finding a potential mate to date exclusively, but, hey, if Pettrila would remove the chains from her daughter, then maybe Alex could remedy that. And if Luvera would say yes.

Pettrila settled an authoritative look on the Tribunal. "Until the community has a Soothsayer who can reliably and consistently interpret the Str?vechi Caiet, then the Dantur? Pravil? must stand."

Tribunal member Crina inserted her opinion. "That is a reasonable request."

Crina was an old-guard matron member of Pettrila's bridge club. But whether Crina had spoken out of bias for her friend or not, the fact was, Pettrila's request was reasonable.

Something Toni obviously knew; she remained silent, her expression flat.

"Agreed," Roth pronounced.

Score: Toni, one, Pettrila…probably two. And wasn't it nice that this was all Alex's fault?

Pettrila's mouth curved faintly. "Therefore, in accordance with the laws of the Dantur? Pravil?, I may prevent my children from bonding with a species against which our family name holds a blood-debt. In this case, humans."

Dev exhaled hotly. "Dammit, this is stupid. Dad was killed by accident. That's not a true blood-debt."

Pettrila serenely clasped her hands in her lap. "In matters of death, a wife has the right to claim a blood-debt. I do so."

Silence dropped over the courtroom like a pall. Alex swore he could hear Dev's teeth grinding.

"All right." Toni exhaled, a long, careful breath. "How does one go about paying a blood-debt?"

Dev's head snapped up, his eyes widening for a heartbeat of realization, then narrowing in on his mother. "No," he hissed between bared teeth.

Malicious satisfaction practically oozed from Pettrila.

Dev shook his head in a single, hard jerk. "Even you wouldn't be so cruel as to make me do that."

"Do what?" Toni demanded.

Pettrila swept her hand through the air. "I have no say in this, boy. It's the law."

Dev's eyes shot silver fire at his mother. "I won't do it."

"Then don't," Pettrila's shoulders lifted in an unconcerned shrug, "and give up the girl."

Dev shot out of his seat. "Damn you to hell!" he roared, "you spiteful, abhorrent old—"

Nyko's enormous hand came down on Dev's shoulder like a hook and hauled him back into the chair.

The courtroom erupted in noise as everyone voiced an opinion on the proceedings.

Next to Alex, Jacken tensed, no doubt readying himself to manage a riot, if it came to that.

Roth pounded his gavel. "Silence!"

Toni was on her feet, her hands braced on the table. "I have a question for the court."

Her snapped-off words quieted the room down to tense murmurings.

Toni aimed eyes of blue steel at Roth. "According to the law of Dantur? Pravil?, what must be done to expunge a blood-debt?"

Roth carefully set down the gavel. "There is a ritual that may be performed by the oldest living male of a family line."

Dev rumbled out a deep, bestial growl, his eyes locked on the floor.

"The law of the Dantur? Pravil? requires retribution to be given equal to that which was taken," Roth continued to explain. "You humans think of it as an eye for an eye."

Dev's lips moved in a steady stream of silent curses.

"In order for Devid to extricate the Nichita name from this blood-debt, and thus lift the injunction against him mating with Miss Bonaventure," Roth drew a tight breath, "he must take a human sacrifice."