Blood Moon (25 page)

“What do you think you know?” The challenge came from an older man, short and round, with rage etched into his taut face.

“The Council has been working to breed their version of the perfect Shifter. I am their last shot,” Aria answered.

“You flatter yourself, child. Even if we wanted to do such a thing, it is impertinent to think
you
are where all our hopes lay.”

Lukas’ growl rumbled through the hall, until Lawrence put a restraining hand on his shoulder, whispering furiously.

“Jonas, Tessa, and my father discussed it in detail,” Aria told the man, stiffening her spine and daring him to call her a liar openly. “They were unaware that I listened outside the window.”

Tessa stepped forward. “I can judge the truth of her statements, if you like, Jonas.”

“Ah, but who will judge the truth of yours?” Aria asked, quietly.

Tessa turned, a hiss escaping her mouth. “Do not dare insult me.”

“I only asked a question. It was not intended to insult you. If you were in my position, you would not want someone you are accusing to vouch for themselves, would you?”

Tessa’s glare grew pointed. Before anything else could be said, Haemon stepped forward, the picture of calm.

“I have something to say.”

Jonas waved a hand to permit Haemon to speak.

“I don’t think it’s important any longer who said what. What is important is that
I
made the claim because I have feelings for Aria.” She just barely choked back a comment, but he continued. “The Council needs to focus on what is happening now and decide how best to deal with this.”

A few of the Council members murmured agreements. Aria wanted to scream like a mad woman. With one simple statement, Haemon had made her appear before the Council like a petulant child seeking to whine about the past. He’d even managed to make Lukas look like her conspirator. Haemon radiated innocence. Paint a halo over his golden locks, and he would have fit into any baroque painting.

“You have an excellent point, Haemon. We have digressed. The matter at hand is a simple one,” Jonas conceded.

Cern moved next to her. “How do you figure that, Jonas?”

She had been fixed on those in front of her, she’d forgotten about him.

Jonas frowned. “You are not a part of these proceedings.”

“Am I not? I was present at Lukas and Aria’s mating.”

“Really? So they did perform the ceremony?”

“They did. And I saw the legend of the True Mate’s glow come to life. It happens from time to time. It isn’t the first I’ve seen, but it was the brightest. The two of them lit up like someone flipped an electric switch.”

“An easy manipulation of the senses. Magicians do it every day.”

“I would know the difference.”

Tessa turned to Jonas. “He does not lie. It is as he says.”

The admission seemed to come reluctantly.

Aria met Lukas’ gaze, hope flaring in her chest. Perhaps things were not quite as horrible as she thought. He gave a slight smile.

“Is what he says true? You have a connection to Lukas, one that allows mind speak and a sharing of emotions?”

Aria nodded. “Yes.”

Jonas’ frown was fierce. Aria surveyed the seats, noting that there appeared to be many who were uncertain of their decisions. When they walked in, the Council had been sure of themselves. Things were not going the way Jonas and Tessa had planned, and it was written in the tense lines of their bodies and the furtive glances they shared when they thought no one was watching.

“Haemon, you also claim to have feelings for Aria. Do you have the ability to mind speak with her?”

Aria watched as Haemon dashed an imaginary tear from his eye. Really, the man should have been an actor. “No, we do not. But I regularly dreamwalk with her.”

The metallic taste of blood filled Aria’s mouth, as she bit down on her tongue to keep her comments to herself. Lukas’ face turned dark as a thundercloud.

Tessa walked next to her. She knew. Oh, yes, she knew and she was enjoying this. “Is what he says true?”

“Yes,” Aria spat out, the admission bringing a bout of nausea.

The Council waited for Tessa’s nod, and then whispered among themselves. There were too many conversations to listen in on any one in particular. Aria stood, her hands clammy and clasped behind her back.

“The Council needs a few moments to speak. Remain where you are. We shall return shortly,” Mira announced.

That was it?
Aria wanted to demand they stop and come back.

“You’re turning green around the edges, Aria,” Cern teased her.

Aria stiffened. “I can’t help it. This whole thing is ridiculous. They’ve known what they were going to decide since they arrived this morning.”

Cern tapped one finger on his chin. “More than likely, but they had to go through the motions. You never know, you might have turned a few minds to your side.”

“Not likely.” She took a few steps towards Lukas, but stopped when one of the Council Guards slid in front of her. His face betrayed his sympathy, but he remained in front of her, shaking his head.

She stepped back, and he retreated to the walls.

The longest ten minutes of her life passed slowly. The silence in the room was hot and oppressive, and she paced, avoiding looking anywhere, but at her toes. She formulated plans of escape, speeches to change their mind, throwing each one out in turn. Finally, she sat on a chair, holding her head in her hands.

Stop that,
Lukas said.
I want to come over there, but I don’t want to have to do any more rule breaking. Cheer up. It may not end as badly as you think.

How can you think that?
Her voice silent, but thick with tears in her mind. She pressed the heel of her hands into her eyes, annoyed that she couldn’t keep better control of her emotions.

I think it because I have to, baby. Otherwise, I’d have to kick some ass, and I can’t do that right now. There’s about two more than I can handle.

She stifled an incredulous laugh. There were nearly fifteen Council Guards, in addition to Haemon’s men. His gentle teasing helped her regain some of her calm.
Yeah, okay, macho man.

The door opened at the other end, and the Council reentered somberly. Many of them studied her as she rose to her feet. She couldn’t decipher their glances.

“Aria Lagreve, are you ready to hear the Council’s judgment?”

She sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly. “I am.”

Jonas held up his paper and slipped on his glasses again. “The Council has decided Haemon Thessangelos’ claim is valid. But….”

Her knees went weak, and she gripped the back of the chair for support. A loud snarl echoed from her left, but she couldn’t bring herself to look in Lukas’ direction. Jonas continued after a brief pause.

“We have also decided Lukas MacLeod’s has an equally valid claim.”

“But, that means….” Horror clogged her throat. 

Jonas removed his glasses. “In three weeks, under the Blood Moon, Lukas and Haemon will resolve this issue by Challenge.”

Aria couldn’t help a small sound of protest. Jonas continued as if she weren’t there. “The requirements are simple. No outside assistance, and the combatants will fight until first blood is drawn or until death. The issuer of the Challenge will choose.”

Closing her eyes, Aria willed a different answer than she knew would come. Tears slid from under her lashes. Beneath her fingertips, the wooden chair began to crack.

“Haemon Thessangelos, as you have the earliest claim, you are considered the Challenger. What result will be satisfactory?”

Her head turned towards Haemon, even though she knew it was a mistake. Her emotions were too close to the surface, moisture tracked down her cheeks, no matter how hard she tried to hold it back. He met her gaze, his hard and icy, gloating at her pain.

Haemon turned his attention back to Jonas, making his decision in a loud, clear voice. “Death.”

Chapter Twenty-five

Wood splintered under her fingertips as she focused on a dark swirl in the marble floor. Under the collar of her shirt, the silver nestled between her breasts grew so cold it burned. Her fingers flexed, tearing off a piece of the chair. Cool wind blew over her face, and the temperature in the room dropped sharply. Frost formed on the edges of the mirrors. The marble beneath Aria’s feet could have passed for ice. The Council members began to turn bewildered looks to each other as their whispered concerns left their lips in visible puffs. 

Cern gently untangled her hands from the wood she had ripped off, his fingers digging into her elbow. His voice was almost inaudible as he whispered fervently in her ear, “Get control of yourself, Aria. Don’t make this more of a victory for them than it already is. They want you broken.”

The feeling that she had been kicked in the chest didn’t leave, but she took three deep breaths to steady herself. When she opened them again, she had herself mostly under control. Just in case, she did not look left or right, keeping her gaze on a gilded leaf behind Jonas’ head. Frost continued to creep over it, rapidly covering the mirror it surrounded. She narrowed her gaze, reeling the power in. It was difficult. The cold made her teeth throb as she pulled at the tendrils freezing the room. Slowly, the frost began to inch back, until it finally retreated to a two-foot circle around Aria.

With one last deep breath, she forced the power back within herself, and the circle faded. The only indication anything had happened was a lingering coolness in the necklace around her neck.

“I don’t even want you to explain that right now. We must solve this issue before we deal with any others,” Jonas said, shaking his head. Under his breath, in a stage whisper, he added, “Although it becomes more and more obvious you need a keeper.”

Anger drove away the last remnants of chill. “As you wish.”

He didn’t respond to her. “The Challenge to the death, will be fought under the Blood Moon, at a location to be determined later. We will contact you in a few weeks to tell you where to go.”

He laid his glasses aside, his fists braced on the table. “Now there is the matter of you and where you will be staying for the next few weeks.”

“What do you mean?” Aria’s entire body thrummed with tension. They were not taking her from Lukas. Not a chance.

Tessa spoke this time, adopting one of the most insincere expressions of sympathy Aria had ever seen. “We can’t allow you to go home with Lukas. And if we send you home with Haemon, I fear you will disappear. Your past history indicates it is the most likely outcome.”

“So, what do you have in mind?” Aria ground out.

Jonas smiled, a little too friendly. “The Council has decided that a mutual friend would be the best choice. Cern, as we all know, acted as your guardian yesterday. It is the Council’s wish that he continue in this capacity.”

Cern stepped forward. “I gladly accept. I am to keep Aria with me until the Challenge, is this correct?”

“You may take her home with you and keep her with you until called back. Both parties will be allowed to visit with her at your discretion,” Tessa said.

Cern’s face was serious and composed, but his eyes sparkled with amusement as if something they said had triggered a private joke. He turned to Aria. “Do you accept the terms?”

A wry grin twisted her lips. “Do I really have a choice?”

“Of course. You could stay with me,” Tessa answered.

A decision easily made. “I’ll stay with Cern.”

“As I suspected.” Jonas sat, again, and waited for the Council to give him the sign to close the Meet. As each one nodded, Aria felt Cern lean over.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan.”

“I’m not sure that makes me feel better, but for now I’ll go with it.”

Jonas watched each of them, and motioned to the Council Guards. “The Meet is closed. In two weeks, each of you will be contacted with directions to the Challenge. Until then, do not attempt to engage one another.”

He turned with the other Council members and left. Aria stood with Cern, trying to get a grip on her emotions, while Lukas and the guards moved to one side, and Haemon and his lounged on the other. Tessa watched them all closely. She skirted a wide path around Haemon, heading to Aria.

“Until we meet again, my dear, do try to stay out of trouble.” She didn’t wait for a reply, but patted Aria’s cheek softly. Aria and Cern exchanged glances as she flowed to Lukas. He ignored Tessa, starting in their direction.

Tessa’s hand caught his arm. “I’d like the opportunity to speak with you about what you’ve seen.”

He stopped, but his face remained blank. It was as if he stared through her instead of at her. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I think you do.”

His temper began to leak from the edges of his calm demeanor. “Tessa, unless our meeting happens at an official Meet, I have no desire to ever see you again.”

“What could I have done to inspire such hostility?” Her wide eyes and high-pitched voice appeared to indicate genuine surprise.

“You helped to keep me from my Mate. Do not ever appear on my Pack’s lands without invitation or official Council cause. You are not welcome.”

Tessa stepped away, one hand pressed to her chest, shock etched into her face. Aria would be willing to bet large quantities of money that no one had ever spoken like that to Tessa. She regained her composure quickly, her body stiffening and the shock fading into something much darker. “You will regret that, Lukas MacLeod.”

He didn’t bother to respond. All his attention was focused on Aria. Haemon approached from the other side just as Lukas pulled her into his arms and seized her mouth. His arms trembled with contained emotion, and when she opened herself to their link, anger and frustration seared down the open pathway.

She softened against him, allowing him to feel her submission. She could sense his need to reclaim her as his Mate—to brand his mark into her until no one dared question it again. His lips moved from hers, skimming her neck to nip at the fading bruise on her neck. The poor patch of skin was not likely to ever return to its normal color.

“That’s enough, Lukas. I’ve seen enough for one day.” Haemon’s scathing disgust broke through the passion-filled haze. Lukas’ hold tightened around her. “Unless you would like to offer me the same courtesy.”