They were all noble, their family history only proved Evon’s family was loyal to the core. They believed in Viken, served Viken, even commanded large sections of it. Having Evon serving as a high-ranking officer in the IQC only added to the Tyrell family’s influence on the planet.
Having Evon’s father, Commander Tyrell, seated on the panel meant Liam was fucked. There was no gray area for that man, for that family. I had no idea what they would accuse Liam of doing, but if there was a shred of doubt, there would be no mercy in the commander’s decision. I clenched and unclenched my fists, my mind racing with possibilities.
The penalty for treason was death.
And there was no way they were taking Liam without a fight. He was innocent. I knew it for a fact, would stake my life on it.
I watched as Evon nodded to his father and brother in turn before taking a seat amongst the ten or so before the panel. A few members of the IQC community were present, perhaps because they were waiting for someone else to appear once Liam’s hearing was over.
Liam entered, two guards flanking him. Thankfully, they’d given him some damn clothes. Why they took him away stark naked, I had no idea. They positioned him to the side of the room, remaining standing as the charges were read. He wore the simple cream-colored clothing of a civilian. I had rarely seen him in anything but his brown uniform. The light color, the lack of a red armband, was strange to my eyes.
Liam stood tall, his shoulders squared and his eyes blazed with defiance. There was no mistaking the warrior’s stance, despite the clothing they’d forced him to wear as a punishment. What kind of game were they playing? Was he not still a member of the Royal Guard?
The female Viken on the far left of the panel stood. She wore a brown uniform as a representative from Sector 1. “Liam Chyron of Sector 1,” she began. She lifted her dark eyes from the tablet in her hand, looked at my friend with serious intent. “The charges that have brought you before this panel are: Conspiracy, smuggling of illegal goods, stealing royal property, stealing Coalition property, illegal weapons transport, unauthorized use of mobile transport pads, treason against the crowned kings of Viken, and murder.”
She read the charges like they were nothing more than a shopping list, but when she lifted her gaze to his, her look alone was enough to strike a lesser man down. “These are very serious charges, sir. How would you address the charges against you?”
While I didn’t hear the door slide open behind me, I knew Bella had entered the room. I sensed her. A moment later her sweet scent reached me and Evon stiffened next to me. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and my cock lengthened and hardened beneath my uniform pants. I stood, then turned. Evon followed. Someone behind us cleared their throat.
“What is the meaning of this disruption?”
I ignored the voice and took Bella’s hand, met her dark eyes, which sparked with irritation. Perhaps she was annoyed with her mates for leaving her behind. But she was not the only one irritated. She should not be here. But my mate was innocent in this. I aimed my anger at Evon’s sister, Thalia, who accompanied her. While Bella had only been on the planet for a few hours, Thalia should know better than to interrupt a military judicial hearing.
“My apologies, Commander,” Liam said. I saw him out of the corner of my eye and his fists were clenched at his sides. Yeah, he was pissed, too. “This is Bella, of Earth, my mate, and she has come to witness the proceedings.”
What else could he say? He wasn’t in a position to argue, only pacify.
“I was not aware you took a mate.” I glanced up, saw that it was Evon’s father who spoke. He looked at her, his eyes narrowed. “Is this true, Bella? Is Liam Chyron your mate?”
On the spot, Bella looked him in eye and lifted her chin. She refused both Evon’s and my touch, choosing to hold her hands loosely before her as she addressed the commander. “Yes. I arrived several hours ago. I am an Interstellar Bride, sent form Earth. I have been matched to Liam, Rager, and Evon.”
Evon’s brother spun about in his chair and he stared at Bella. I pulled her to a chair and we sat, Evon on her other side.
Bella kept her head up and looked quite like the queen. Not in coloring, for she didn’t have the bright red hair, but certainly in mannerisms. Bella wasn’t going to cower before this panel, nor her new father and brother-in-law. They were formidable; that was why they held such lofty roles.
“Yet I assume she is not yet claimed,” Evon’s brother clarified.
I watched as Evon’s jaw clenched and I wondered if his back molars might crack. While he was not removed from his family as Liam was from his, they had strong beliefs. They stood for a unified Viken with as powerful a conviction as Liam’s believed in the VSS. But his family was not open and friendly, easygoing and loving as mine was. My childhood in Sector 3 was idyllic without any of the pressure put upon my friends.