Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter #18)(41)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Maman didn’t blink or flinch. "They’re lies."

Vane stood up. "I back Nicolette with all good confidence."

Savitar’s attention swung to him like a potent laser. "Boy, I haven’t even started with you yet. Right now your word doesn’t mean much."

Aimee cast a scared look at Dev.

He took her hand and held it while he motioned for her to remain silent.

Savitar pinned Nicolette with a harsh stare. "Did you or did you not have your son warn Constantine that a group of jackals were after him?"

"They attacked my daughter in my own club. They threatened her life."

Aimee looked at the blank seat that was Constantine’s. What had happened to him? Why wasn’t he here to back Maman?

Savitar gave her no quarter on the issue. "You should have told me, Nicolette. Unleashing their enemy on them is against the neutral code and you know that. And you still haven’t answered my question. Did you tell him?"

"Yes. I, not my children, informed Constantine that they were after him."

She felt Dev’s hand tighten on hers at the lie. Dev had been the one who told Constantine. Maman was protecting him while offering herself up on the chopping block.

"And when Eli Blakemore and his pack told you, in sworn testimony, that his son and friends were attacked outside your club, did you fail to hand over the attackers?"

Aimee stepped forward.

"Don’t!" Dev snapped in her head. "Savitar will kill you."

"This is wrong!"

"Aimee, don’t embarrass Maman. You know better."

She did, but it was hard to stand here and listen to her mother being attacked over things that were exaggerated.

Maman lifted her chin with the dignity of a queen. "I don’t trust his pack or the lies they tell."

"Did you fail to hand over their attackers?"

Because of her . . . Unshed tears choked her as she realized how much trouble she’d gotten her mother into. No wonder Maman was so harsh at times. While Aimee had known Savitar was unfeeling, seeing this . . .

What had she done? She’d endangered her mother while saving her friend.

And Maman was taking all of the blame on herself to protect them.

"Oui, I did in fact."

Savitar shook his head. "And when we stood here and issued a warrant for Wren, did you not lie to the members of this council?"

"No, I spoke what I believed to be the truth."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolument. Yes."

Savitar let out a tired sigh while he thoughtfully stroked his chin. "Lo . . . of all the members of this council, you knew better. What were you thinking?"

"What I was thinking was that Constantine, as a Regis of this council, should be warned. His pursuers came in and held a knife to the throat of my only daughter and they attacked my sons. Had I not cared about our license, I would have destroyed them on the spot. Instead, I thought it only fair that I warn Constantine that these people"-she spat the word-"would not honor the laws of sanctuary and for him to not bother seeking one."

Savitar sat forward. "Limani means sanctuary. Telling a marked enemy where to find those out to kill him isn’t the code. What about the other accusation?"

"Blakemore is a pig. His son attacked Wren in the back alley and we captured him there, again after he attacked my daughter who was trying to help Wren."

"I have sworn testimonies from ten of their pack members that Wren was the one who hit first."

"Only in self-defense."

"He drew first blood." Savitar’s tone was chilling.

Still Maman didn’t back down and for that Aimee had a newfound respect for her mother. "And Blakemore would have killed him where he stood had I handed him over. I won’t condemn even an enemy to die when he was pushed by bullies."

Savitar rose to his feet, something that made several members of the council gasp. Maman, however, didn’t move a muscle.

Savitar moved closer. "If what you’re saying is the truth, why didn’t you notify me?"

"I didn’t think it was worth bothering you over."

Savitar stopped next to her chair. "Your mistake. Effective immediately, your license is suspended for six months. One more violation and it’s permanent." Savitar turned to Vane. "And you . . . I told you to bring your brother with you."

It was Vane’s turn to show no emotion. "I don’t know where he is."

Savitar gave him a cutting glower. "You really expect me to believe that?"

"It’s the truth."

That didn’t go over with the big guy at all. Savitar looked as if he was about to unleash hell wrath down on all of them. "Very well. I see you need incentive to obey me. Have Fang here in forty-eight hours to stand trial or I’ll destroy the Kattalakis pack." He narrowed his gaze on Fury. "Both of them. Adjourned!" He all but roared the last word before he vanished.

Noticeably shaken, the members began flashing out, but not before several made snide comments about Fang and the Peltiers.

Stunned by what had transpired, most of which had been her own fault, Aimee walked over to her mother. "Maman?"

Her mother didn’t show even the tiniest bit of emotion. But Aimee could feel it. She knew how hard this was on her. Without the license, anyone could attack them.

They had no shelter. Everything Maman had worked so hard for had been shattered.

What have I done?

Dev sank down beside their mother. "Maman, it’ll be all right."

She took his hand in hers and studied it as if amazed by the size of it. "Non, mon fils. I want you to go and round up all of our family. Leave and don’t come back until the license is reinstated."

Dev shook his head, his jaw tightening with that look of steeled obstinance they knew so well. "We can’t leave you."

Maman slapped him. Hard. "Do not question me. You go and do as you’re told. Now!"

Dev’s features hardened. She could see his desire to strike back, but he knew what she did. Maman was upset and she was acting on an animal’s impulse. She had just risked her life to protect theirs.

Without another word, he vanished.

Aimee met Vane’s gaze as she went to speak to him. "What are you going to do?"

"What do you think?" he snarled at her.

Horror filled her. "You can’t hand Fang over to-"That monster was what she wanted to say, but she knew she couldn’t. Savitar might hear her and the gods only knew what he’d do then.

"I have a wife and child. My mate is pregnant again, Aimee, and she’s human. Am I supposed to give her up for a brother who won’t even talk to me anymore?"

Maman came to her feet. She raked a cold, hostile glare over Vane. "This is all your fault. You wolves brought this down on me. Before you came, we had peace and now-"

"Us?" Vane growled. "My brother wouldn’t have been involved in any of this had it not been for your daughter! I stand to lose my pack and my mate, and for what? A bear?"

Aimee stepped back as if she’d been slapped by those words.

Vane gave her a hard, cold stare. "You better find my brother and bring him to me."

"And if I can’t?"

"You don’t want an answer to that question, little bear. Trust me."

Aimee winced as she realized exactly what was going on here. Vane was going to betray Fang one last time, and he wanted her to be the tool to do it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Aimee stood in her room, packing everything she had. Her clothes, her jewelry, her books. But unlike the rest of her family, she wasn’t going into hiding.

She was going to find Fang and they were going to run away from this crap for once and for all. There was no way she was going to be a part of handing him over. He’d been through enough.

A light knock sounded on her door.

"Come in."

It was Dev. He had his hair pulled back into a ponytail and the sleeve of his T-shirt was pushed up, leaving his double bow and arrow tattoo extremely visible. Like him, she’d always found the tattoo funny-though she was sure it irked Artemis since he wasn’t a Dark-Hunter.

He hesitated in the doorway, his eyes sad and worried. "Are you going to travel in the SUV with Quinn’s mate?"

Becca was pregnant and couldn’t travel by her powers.

"No. I’m not evacuating."

Dev shut the door and moved inside. His gaze went straight to her open suitcase. "What are you doing?"

"I’m leaving, but I’m not going with the others."

"Why?"

Aimee sighed as she folded another T-shirt and added it in. "I’ve endangered everyone. It’s only fair I should go."

"Are you crazy?"

That was a matter of opinion and at the moment she probably was. Her mother would definitely say yes. "I should have gone with Fang when he asked me to. Now"-she winced at the memories of everything that had happened-"I’ve done so much damage here."

"How do you figure that?"

"I was the one who antagonized the jackals and caused them to attack us. It was me who’s been on Stone’s back all these years."

Dev scoffed. "I’m the one who locked his sorry ass in a cage and threatened him."

"No, I’m the catalyst. You know how unforgiving Maman is. I should go before she kills me herself."

Dev pulled the shirt out of her hands that she was packing and forced her to look up at him. "You are her only daughter. Gods, Aimee, you know how much we all still grieve for Bastien and Gilbert . . . don’t make us grieve for you too. You are blood of my blood. For better, for worse, for war, for peace. You are the only little sister I have and I would die if I lost you. Maman and Papa even more so."

Tears blurred her vision at his uncharacteristic speech. "You’re always so tough. There’s nothing you can’t handle."

"Not where you’re concerned. Don’t make me lose you, Aimee. I’m not that strong."

She pulled him into her arms and held him close. "I really hate you, Dev."

"Yeah, I know. I can’t stand you either, butt-munch."

Laughing through her tears, she pulled back to wipe them away. "Gods . . . what am I supposed to do? I love Fang and I don’t know if he’s innocent. What if he has killed the others?"

"Do you really believe he’s done that?"

"No, I don’t."

"Then he needs a friend right now. You want me to help you find him?"

"I don’t know." She sighed as she thought about it. Fang had been unpredictable the last few times they’d met. But he’d visited here recently. Her gaze fell to the small black teddy bear in her suitcase that he’d left for her on her bed a week ago . . . one that held his scent-he knew she slept best whenever she had something of his to hold. He’d placed it on her pillow with a single rose. Even though he hadn’t seen her, he’d still been thinking of her.

But that act of kindness didn’t change the fact that he was a powerful Were-Hunter who was possessed by a demon. "He might hurt you."

Dev gave her an offended stare. "I doubt it." He looked over at the picture of her and her brothers that was on her dresser before he spoke again. "Just so you know, Papa, Serre, Griffe, Cherif, Remi, Kyle, Quinn, Zar, and I aren’t leaving."

A shiver went over her. "What?"

"We’re not about to leave Maman here unguarded. If shit goes down the way we think it’s going to, she can’t be here alone with the humans."

"Have you told her that?"

"I was on my way down to let her know when I stopped in to see you. Want to come see the party?"

"Oh, yeah. This I definitely don’t want to miss." Maman didn’t like anyone disobeying her.

She followed him out of her room and downstairs to the parlor where Maman was saying good-bye to the women and children of their family as they left for the Peltier compound in Oregon. It was where they’d lived prior to coming to New Orleans. They maintained a place there and in Nice, France, where her parents had been born. But Nice would be too hard a trip on their pregnant females, so Oregon it was.

Alain, Cody, and Etienne were going with them to watch over and protect them.

Cherif, Quinn, Remi, Serre, Kyle, Griffe, and Zar stood at the bottom of the stairs with their arms folded over their chests. A united front against the world. Never had they looked more imposing. The twins and the quads were barely discernable from each other, but Aimee could tell them apart. Subtle differences that were obvious to those who knew them best.

Remi’s perpetual sneer. Quinn’s gentle eyes and overt optimism. Cherif who always stood with his weight on his left leg-an injury from childhood had damaged his right knee and so he always favored his other leg. Serre who was a hair thinner than Griffe and who always tucked his hands into his armpits. Griffe whose nails, because he was always tinkering with something, had grease under them.

And then Zar . . . he was Bastien’s twin and sometimes it was hard for any of them to look at him without feeling a new stab of pain at the loss. He never really spoke about Bastien, but Aimee had wondered many times how much harder that loss had to be on him. He saw his twin brother’s face every time he looked in a mirror.

The two of them had been closer than close. . . .

She couldn’t bear the thought of losing another brother.