Koren and Kayden sat close together in stunned silence, amid the rumors and laughter that spun around them. They knew the truth and would not stop until those fools heard every word of it. Kayden was ashamed he'd let Dani down, again. Every time he looked at his hands, all he could think of was how they had looked wrapped around her neck, choking the life out of her while he watched, screaming inside for forgiveness the whole time. Christopher Stafford, his mother, Veronica, and older brother, Donovan, sat in the second row behind Koren and Kayden.
A hush came over the crowd, and everyone stood when the council entered from a door centered behind the long table they presided from and moved to take their seats. The current serving members were Lloyd, Adele, and Griffin Vaughn, Seleste, Seth, and Mason Deidrick, and Alexander, Ayden, and Kane Stafford. In front of each seat was an envelope containing pictures of Danielle's injuries and pictures of the warrior Lance's body, her statement, and the statements of the first responders to the scene, including Kayden's.
Once everyone was seated, Danielle was led into the chamber by Gage on one side and Darren on the other. Darren stood very close, with his arm linked with Dani's shackled arm. He whispered words of encouragement to her. Both Chase and Kayden shot up to their feet in surprise at the sight of her arms and legs in shackles. She looked exhausted and so small in an oversize Enclave sweat suit and chains joining her hands and legs. Being flanked by two huge warriors only amplified the effect. They led her to a long table between the council and the front row.
Several people murmured at first sight of her. The streaks of white in her hair were an ancient sign of great power that was very rare indeed. Griffin was the only other vampire they'd ever seen with the coloring, but the red running through the white was nothing they had ever seen before.
Adele and Lloyd gave each other looks of suspicious worry when they got their first look at the girl who had caused so many waves of late. They both thought the same thing: She looked just like Griffin, right down to the streaks. Griffin looked out over the crowd. Someone moving in the hall caught his eye. The person came in the main entrance, and the wind blowing in from outside carried the sweet scent of vanilla to him, but no one entered the chamber. He shook his head, thinking it must have been Danielle. She had that lovely sweet scent of vanilla and lavender.
Kane Stafford, who was the great-grandfather of Christopher, began the proceedings.
"Ms. Scott, you stand accused of murdering Lance Brown, a well-known and respected Wrath leader. The penalty for killing another vampire is death by beheading. How do you answer these charges?" There was a long pause while the crowd murmured accusations before she answered.
"I murdered no one. I was defending myself. Lance was accidentally killed during his attack on me." She raised her chin in defiance of the charges. She was scared to death and trying not to cry in public like the little girl she was.
"We have reviewed the photos you provided, along with the other statements, but it has always been the opinion of this council that a person does not need to kill in order to defend. We need to hear your explanation for this grievous crime," Kane returned. Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.
"I had no intention of killing him. In fact, I didn't think it was possible for me to do so. He broke into my hotel room and hid in the bathroom. He assaulted me and my future mate after surprising us in bed.
"He used mind control to sneak up on me by using Kayden to choke and hold me down. After I got Kayden out of the room, Lance beat me senseless. I only tried to hold him off until Kayden was able to get reinforcements. I also sent out a distress call to two members of this council and my friend, Chase Deidrick. If I wanted to kill someone, I would not have called for two prominent leaders of this society to come witness the aftermath."
"That isn't possible. We cannot use mind control on each other, only on humans. How could the warrior have caused Kayden to choke you?" Seleste, Mason's mother, scoffed. She didn't seem to like the elder Stafford.
"I understand from my brief exposure to this society that some of my powers are unusual, but I assure you it is possible. The warrior laughed at me for assuming I was the only one with the ability to control other vampires. He explained that a lot of vampires don't make their powers publicly known. He said it's easier to get away with things if no one knows what you are capable of, and harder for your gifts to be exploited."
"Could you please explain to us what you mean when you say you sent out a distress call?" Lloyd spoke up without looking up from his paper as he took notes on her comments.
"I have the ability to speak telepathically with others and pick up on their thoughts and feelings. I've been told this is a more common ability. I've found the more familiar I am with the person, the easier it is for me to reach him or her from a distance. Chase, for instance, had come to my rescue and had been able to help me on two separate occasions when I was drugged and having trouble coming out of the mental hold the drugs had on me. He and I have shared a lot of mental conversations, so I can call him easily. I can also hear him if he calls out to me, as long as I'm not too distracted. I have demonstrated my power for Mason and Griffin in the past, so I am also able to find their unique mental signatures with my mind. When Kayden and I were threatened, I called out for help," Dani explained.
"That's interesting. Were you able to do this all at once? Could you demonstrate this ability for us? I understand you have a great many talents that we might like to witness in order to substantiate your claims," Lloyd asked.
"What would you like me to do? I can also send my memories to you. I could probably show you blow for blow what happened that night if you like," she offered. Lloyd called Darren to the front and gave him two pieces of paper from his notepad and two pens. Lloyd instructed Darren to give paper and a pen to Chase and keep one for himself.
"If she is able to use mind control on us"-Kane gave a disbelieving look-"I don't feel that she can be trusted. She could put anything she wants in our heads and we would believe it. And if such a thing is possible, why didn't she use this ability to stop Lance without killing him?" Kane spoke up again. Danielle was surprised to get such opposition from the house of a boy whom she had saved.
"Lance explained to me and Kayden, while I was being choked to death"-the hostility and agitation in Danielle's voice was plain-"that you cannot use this power on another vampire with the same power. He couldn't influence me, and I couldn't him, because we have a natural shield against each other. He was very forthcoming with information, because he believed that he would be turning me in to his ‘master,' and I would be dead by the end of the day," Danielle explained with venom in her voice. "Also, he explained that it is a first-come, first-served ability, just like when we enthrall a human. He took over Kayden and was shielding him against my influence. Basically, once he had a hold of his mind, I wasn't able to use my ability to stop the attack."
The crowd erupted into an angry denial of the claim that Lance had been reporting to an outside entity.
"She lies!" one warrior shouted.
"Lance was a good man. She shouldn't be allowed to defile his memory!" another warrior agreed.
Griffin stood, demanding silence and respect for the chamber and council. As he stood scanning the room, he saw someone in the hall again, watching from a shadow. When he looked closer, the person moved quickly.
"I believe this is a good time for a recess. Anyone who cannot hold their tongue should not return to the chamber," he bellowed.
He tapped Mason on the shoulder and motioned for him to follow quickly. Griffin needed to know who was lurking in the shadows. It could have been a traitor there to report the outcome of the hearing back to the rogue vampire at the root of all the mess. If so, they were going to beat some information out of the bastard. The two men shot out into the hall, as a side entrance door shut behind someone who made a quick retreat.
"Did you see that?" Griffin shouted over his shoulder to Mason.
"I think we have some unwanted company. Let's go introduce ourselves, shall we?" Mason pushed the door open in time to see a figure darting across the lawn toward a parking lot. They put their supernatural speed to use and were on the stranger in seconds.
Griffin reached the intruder first and tackled him to the ground. Facedown and covered by an oversize coat and a ball cap, the person was totally obscured. Griffin was surprised at the slight size of his quarry, until he flipped him over. Rolling off the person he pressed to the ground, he began repeating to himself, "It's not possible. It's not possible."