Chase leaned his elbows on his knees and put his face in his hands.
Darren put his arm around her waist once they were in the hall. She allowed him to comfort her for a moment.
"It looks good, Dani. I think they believe you, and Donovan was a lot of help."
"Don't give her false hope, Darren," Gage said from the doorway.
Dani entered the cell, and the door slammed behind her. Gage continued. "You know the sentence for killing our kind is death, no matter what the reason. If they don't make an example out of her, there will be hell to pay, and they know it. Whether they believe her or not means nothing. I have seen them sentence others to death for lesser crimes. She should be prepared for that."
"Gage, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked.
He nodded and walked over to the cell. She gave Darren a dismissive look, and he stepped out into the hall.
"I realize that you're being standoffish due to your position. I also know it must be hard for you to do your job when your family is hurt by it. I just want you to know that I understand, and no matter how this ends, I don't hold it against you." She reached through the bars of the cell and placed a hand on his chest. He covered her hand with his much larger one.
"I know I won't get a chance to say good-bye." Danielle choked back a sob and closed her eyes in an effort to stave off the stinging tears. Her throat felt swollen. She lowered her face and said, "If I die … if I die, please tell Kayden I'm sorry for leaving him. Tell him this isn't his fault. There was nothing he could have done that day. Tell him I wish we could have had the future we were dreaming about." She pulled her hand back through the bars and went to curl up in the corner of the cell.
Gage stood outside of her cell and watched her huddle in the corner before he resumed guard duty.
A short time later, when she was led back into the council chamber, the buzzing of the crowd burned in her ears. She could hear the thoughts of the vampires, as if they were screaming at her. Frightened and full of sorrow, she staggered under the weight of all the words flying at her. There was a dazing mix of hatred, love, disgust, and concern, blowing in circles like a tornado in her mind. The imaginations of her opponents showed her their thoughts of her execution, and it made her blood run cold. It was too much.
Darren tried to steady her. "Are you alright? Never mind-that was a stupid question," he said while rubbing circles on her back. He helped her to her seat, and she fell into it. She laid her head down on the table.
It was so loud. They hated her, and they loved her. They wanted her to die, and they wanted her to live. They wanted to see her pay for a death, and they wanted her acquitted. The room was split down the middle between those who feared and distrusted her and those who wanted to protect and shelter her. Her heart pounded with fear and panic. She didn't know why everything was so sharp and loud. The emotions flying around the room were painful as they assaulted her mind. She was nauseous with overwhelmed senses. The council entered the room and took their seats. The room went quiet, but the buzz in Danielle's head remained. Mason stood and spoke.
"It has been the precedent of this council to punish the murder of our kind with a death penalty. We have reviewed our historical record of such cases for the last two hundred years, and we found only fifteen cases. In each of these cases there was clear intent to murder the victim and cover up the crime. In most cases, there was more than one defendant due to the sheer force it takes to really injure an adult of our kind. So, we find ourselves walking a fine line between protecting our people, continuing to uphold a strict justice system, and upholding the idea of justice itself."
The crowd murmured and fidgeted on the edge of an outburst. Danielle clutched her head in her hands and moaned. She wished they would go ahead and kill her already. Lloyd took the floor and continued where Mason left off.
"We have clear evidence that the death of the warrior was not intentional and was likely brought on by his own foolish choices. There is a rogue on the loose who is gunning for our young. Ms. Scott has been holding the attention of this evil one due to her unique psychic powers. The fact that she has been living in fear for her life for an extended time also must have a bearing on our decision. Danielle has put her life on the line twice to spare the lives of our children. This is quite a sacrifice, considering she was not raised in our society and has no connection to us that would elicit such a response. These were purely selfless acts. Given that two members of the council were summoned to the scene by Danielle in a cry for help proves that she was looking for assistance in subduing her attacker without causing him harm." Several people in attendance balked at the use of the word attacker. "The scene they found on arrival is consistent with the details relayed by Danielle and Kayden. Danielle was not alone in the assault, as her future mate was in the room to witness the intent of the warrior."
Her opponents in the room began to see where this was going, and several let out cries of anger and disgust. Danielle couldn't take the noise and animosity any longer. Her head pounded with it, and she was about to be sick with the stress of the whole situation. With blood pounding in her ears, she suddenly stood and shouted, "Shut up!"
The council looked at her in confusion. Then they realized that she had frozen the entire audience. Everyone was perfectly still and quiet. She sat back down, panting with a sigh of relief. Finally, it was quiet enough for her to hear the council and her own thoughts.
"What have you done, Danielle?" Griffin asked.
"Their thoughts are so loud. I can't take it." She was still massaging her temples and holding her head in her hands. "I need to hear what you're saying and they are screaming anger, hate, love, and compassion at me all at once. I can't take any more," she panted.
"When was the last time you fed, Ms. Scott?" Mason inquired, but she didn't answer. Mason approached her seat and lifted her head to examine her face. "I believe the stress and lack of blood is overwhelming her," Mason said to the rest of the council. "I will call for a human to assist after the hearing concludes." To Danielle, he said, "I need you to release the room so we may finish the hearing. Then we'll get you some blood. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," she replied, as her head lulled to the side and the crowd began to hum once more, as if they had never stopped.
Danielle was relieved when the crowd hushed in surprise at seeing Mason standing over her. He'd been sitting in his chair a second ago.
"Is she alright?" Kayden stepped up. He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.
"I'm fine. The noise is more than I can take right now," she said, and she held his hand to her cheek.
"May we continue now?" Kane drawled. "This chamber is a place of law, and it demands the respect of our kind. Keep your comments to yourselves or be permanently ejected. Please, continue, Lloyd."
"All the evidence in this case points to the fact that Danielle Scott and Kayden Paris were hunted down and attacked with the intent of handing Danielle over to a rogue. It is the opinion of this council that if we punish Danielle for Lance's death, we will also have to punish any warrior who kills one of us in defense of our laws. We have been hunting the rogue and would not hesitate to kill him if he were located. Lance fell in with the wrong side of the law and paid the ultimate price for that mistake. It should be understood that this does not give free rein for any vampire to kill another. We will judge crimes on a case-by-case basis and will not hesitate to strike down any that break our law. If we had apprehended Lance with proof of his betrayal, we would have executed him for the crimes ourselves," Lloyd finished.
Kane scowled as if he didn't agree with the ruling. "It is the opinion of some council members that this should not go unpunished." Kane stood to add, "Therefore, Ms. Scott will be removed from the Enclave and no longer live under our protection. I find it unfair that warriors would have to defend a person who killed one of his or her own, whether it was justified or not. She also claims that there are more traitors in our warrior class. If she cannot trust our warriors, she does not deserve to benefit from their protection."
Darren came up out of his seat at that, and Gage grabbed his arm to pull him back. "She will live, warrior. You should be happy with that."
"But for how long?" She heard Darren ask Gage.
"Danielle, do you have anything to say in response?" Griffin asked.
The room was still buzzing with agitated warriors, others who looked forward to watching her execution, and people who were so relieved to know it wasn't going to take place. Her head throbbed with it.