Forbidden
By Misha
Disclaimer- Not mine.
Author’s Notes- This chapter covers the second part of Chapter 12, given how long it is, it was a good move to split it up. Like the first chapter, this is pretty faithful to the book, just adding Lilith’s thoughts and changing some of the dialogue (particularly the end of the chapter). This was very hard to write and it gets dark and heavy. There are 2.5 chapters left after this, so we’re getting to the end of this story.
Rating- PG-13
Summary- Adrian goes on trial and Lilith realizes just what kind of monster she fell for.
Words- 3225
Chapter Eight: The Tribunal Pt. 2 (The Betrayal)
I was subdued as I followed Kamilah back to her office.
Lily shot me a look, but I shook my head, I didn’t want to talk about it. Not yet. I was still, trying to process what Kamilah had told me.
It was Adam. He was the one behind this. There had to be an explanation, something that Kamilah and I were missing. Right?
“Lilith?”
I blinked, realizing I’d tuned out. “Yes?”
“I was suggesting that you might want to change before the hearing,” Kamilah told me, “I had my assistant pick up some clothes for you.”
I nodded, “sure. Fine. Whatever.”
Lily shot me another look, but I ignored her and instead ducked into the bathroom to change into the skirt and blouse Kamilah had provided. After that, it was time to head to the tribunal.
Which turned out to be in a hard-to-get-to cavern under the city and what looked like ruins.
“Are you ok?” Lily whispered as we got close. “I mean, I know you’re worried about Adrian, but…”
I knew I had to tell her, but I couldn’t find the words. I didn’t want to tell her how stupid had been, besides I still didn’t know the whole situation.
However, before I could answer, we were interrupted by Nicole approaching. It was probably the first time we’d met that I was happy to see Adrian’s VP.
The conversation was tense, after all, this wasn’t a cheery situation and it wasn’t like Nicole and I were besties. After a moment, Kamilah, Lily and I entered the temple, the other members of the Council were already there.
All except Adrian.
Priya made some comment about my outfit but I ignored her, my attention focused on Adam instead. He was standing a little apart, looking as cool and composed as ever.
To my surprise, he met my gaze and his eyes filled were warmth as they swept over me, reawakening my doubts. After all, how could he look at me like that if this was all part of some villainous plan?
Before I could do something stupid, like speak to him, Kamilah called the session to order and people took seats amongst the ruined temple grounds.
Then Adrian was brought out, in cuffs and escorted by two of the Baron’s men. It broke my heart to see him like that.
His eyes found me and I could see the agony there. “Lilith.”
I heard him whisper my name and my heart clenched. This was wrong. This was cruel. Adrian was a sweet man. How could anyone accuse of something so terrible?
Kamilah was remarkably composed as she brought the session to order, one of the advantages of being alive for two millennia, I’m sure.
“Who do you think brought the charges anyway?” Lily whispered to me.
I couldn’t answer, unwilling to say it, but my eyes found Adam again, my body tense as I wait for Kamilah to say the words.
“Will Adam Vega please stand and present your case against Adrian?” Kamilah said coolly.
“Wha–” Lily murmured beside me, her shock apparent, “Lil–”
I cut her off with a shake of the head. “Not now, please.”
She nodded, going silent once more.
I focused my attention on Adam who had stepped forward, his posture and tone brimming with confidence.
“Adrian Raines has broken the Pact that has kept this city safe for nearly a century.” He announced. “He has been flagrantly Turning new vampires, resulting in a glut of Ferals, widespread attacks, and the loss of 27 lives at the Awakening Ball.”
“Lies!” Adrian cried out, his outrage apparent.
“Do you have any proof?” Kamilah asked calmly, her face a perfect mask.
“Of course,” Adam answered smoothly. “ I would never make baseless accusations. A member of my Clan got me access to the security logs from Marcel’s castle. The keycard used to open the gate for the Ferals… was Adrian’s!”
There were murmurs from the council, I remembered Adrian telling me he lost his keycard when we’d parted ways at the ball before I’d snuck off to be with Adam.
I was barely aware of Adrian saying just that, a denial that didn’t seem to have any impact on Adam, who just continued with his presentation, that charming mask still in place.
“Secondly, I’ve managed to track down the identities of the Ferals who attacked the Ball… And every last one of them was a former Raines corporation employee. I can submit proof of all this to the Council.”
How was that possible? There had to be a mistake. Unless… Unless someone did this deliberately to frame Adrian…
“Unbelievable,” Adrian called out, obviously reaching the same conclusion. “You backstabbing worm, Vega…”
No! It couldn’t… He was just presenting evidence right? There was no proof that he was the one that had framed Adrian. I knew I was grasping at straws, but it was hard not to when I remembered the way he had touched me, the offer he had made to be. How close I had been to giving into him. Had I really been that easily fooled?
I’d been so focused on my thoughts that I’d obviously missed something because Scholar Jameson was being brought in.
“What’s going on?” I blurted out.
“Any vampire who’s worth anything knows how to guard their thoughts. But humans and baby vamps like your friend are an open book.” Priya told me with a smirk.
Oh.
Jameson shot me a kind, apologetic look. “We meet again Lilith, though I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances. My abilities aren’t limited to debriefing, I can peer into the mind in other ways.”
Oh.
“Okay, hang on. Sergeant Pepper here is gonna read my mind?” Lily piped up beside me. “Because, full disclosure, things get pretty weird up in here.”
If I hadn’t been on the verge of a breakdown, I might have laughed at her comment, but I wasn’t capable of laughter. Not now. Not when so much was on the line.
“I can’t read your thoughts, no,” Jameson assured her. “But I can tell if you’re lying. Think of me as an infallible polygraph.”
That was kinda cool. Really creepy, but also kind of cool. Besides, I had nothing to hide, right? And neither did Adrian. I knew he was innocent.
“Let’s do this,” I answered with more confidence than I felt.
Kamilah nodded in approval and then called Lily to testify. She asked Lily about the circumstances of her Turning and Lily answered calmly and honestly, getting a nod from Jameson afterward.
I felt confidence bloom. This was good. This proved that while Adrian was impulsive, he wasn’t malicious and that when he did break the rules, he immediately sought to fix his mistake, that had to count for something, right?
That hope, along with several other ones, died when Adam stepped up to take his turn questioning Lily.
“I have only one question for you, Lily.” He told her, his face a calm mask. “Did he or did he not Turn you without your permission?”
Lily hesitated, tripping over the answer. “Yes… But…”
“No further questions,” Adam said, cutting her off.
I narrowed my eyes at his tone, how dismissive it was, lacking his normal charm, and it occurred to me suddenly that he made less effort with her, he was charming, yes, but he treated her almost as if she was beneath his notice. Yet she was the vampire, so why did he treat me differently?
“I never saw him Turn anyone else!” Lily blurted out desperately.
“I said no more questions,” Adam told her, a hint of anger in his tone before the polite mask slipped back on. “Thank you.”
I watched him, that nauseous feeling returning. It was getting harder and harder to convince myself that he was just following the evidence, he genuinely sounded like he wanted to pin this on Adrian. But why? Why would he do that? What was he going to gain from all of this?
I didn’t have long to wonder, because Kamilah called me forward.
Jameson moved to stand beside me, touching my forehead as he did. His touch was warm and I felt a strange tingle and slight pressure, must be his abilities getting to work.
“Lilith, on the night of the Awakening Ball, were you Adrian’s guest?” Kamilah asked me, opening up the questioning and making me focus on her instead of Jameson.
“Yes, I was,” I answered promptly.
“And do you have any recollection of where his keycard was that night?” Kamilah prompted.
“Yes! In fact, I heard him say at one point he had lost it,” I told her, “so maybe someone took…”
“We’re not here for speculation,” Adam interrupted me, “just facts, Lilith.”
His tone wasn’t as cold as it was when Lily had kept talking, it was firm but there was still a hint of warmth to it and that drew me in and made me hope I could reason with him.
“I know he didn’t do any Turnings or let in any Ferals in that night,” I told him passionately. “He never would have done that.”
“And was he within your sight for the entire night?” Adam asked me, his tone deceptively mild with a faint hint of triumph.
That was when it hit me. He knew I hadn’t been with Adrian the whole night because I’d been with him for part of it.
Oh god.
“Was that what that scene in the study was about?” I demanded, unable to stop the words from spilling out and uncaring that every member of the council was staring at me with interest. “Was it just your way of making sure Adrian had no alibi? Was everything you said just a pretty lie?”
I felt like such a fool.
I’d been so close to accepting his offer, to abandoning Adrian and giving this monster my loyalty the way I’d given him my body. Even after I’d been warned, I’d still been in denial, trying to rationalize his actions, to convince myself he wasn’t the enemy.
“I never lied to you Lilith,” Adam told me so smoothly that it was hard not to be drawn in. “This has nothing to do with us. My offer was sincere and it still stands.”
Of course, it did. I looked at him, so calm, that charming smile look on his face as he made that statement, that him trying to destroy my boss and using me to do it wasn’t personal and suddenly my anguish was replaced with pure rage.
“Does it? Well, here’s my answer: go fuck yourself.”
There were gasps and a laugh, from Priya, I think and I realized that I wasn’t probably helping Adrian, but I didn’t care, I was just so angry and humiliated.
Adam’s eyes narrowed and I could tell I’d angered him, but his expression never actually changed. I wonder what it took to rattle that calm, though I was fairly confident I never wanted to find out.
“That aside, since you admit you weren’t with him the whole time, then, wishful thinking aside, I’m not sure how you can assure us that he could not have done these things.”
“Because I know him!” I said desperately. “Because I know how he feels about the Pact and the Ferals!”
“I’m not here for your feelings, Lilith,” Adam told me and I had the sudden feeling that it might be the truest thing he’d ever said to me. “All I care about is the facts. And you yourself admit there were periods of the night when Adrian was unaccounted for. Which means your testimony is functionally useless. I think we’re done here?”
I nodded, feeling completely hopeless. My testimony had done nothing. I had no way of helping Adrian and Adam… Adam had shown himself for what he really was and showed what a giant fool I was because I’d bought everything he fed me, hook, line and sinker.
Adrian spoke up, looking directly at Vega. “Tell me this. Why? Why would I possibly turn Ferals? Why would I harm my own kind?”
“Because in your heart, Adrian, we’re not your kind,” Adam told him with that damnable calm. “You’ve never embraced being a vampire. You’ve always longed for humanity. That’s why you made the serum, isn’t it?”
What?!
How did he know about that?
The cavern was filled with silence as every head turned to Adam.
Even Adrian looked stunned. But then I remembered him telling me that only a few people knew about the serum and Adam wasn’t one of them. “How… How do you know about that?”
“What are you talking about? What serum?” Lester demanded.
“Out with it, Vega,” Baron ordered, his demeanor tense.
Adam cleared his throat and stepped forward, like a cat about to pounce. In that moment he looked every bit the predator that he was and I wondered how I hadn’t seen it before now.
“I have it on good authority that for the past year, a team of Raines Corporation researchers have been hard at work on a top secret project… A serum that could effectively turn vampires… back into mortals.”
The entire chamber sucked in a breath. Including me. This wasn’t good. Not at all.
“ Well? Admit it.” Adam challenged, looking directly at Adrian.
“No such serum exists,” Adrian said coolly.
Adam smirked. “At the moment. But you are working on it, are you not?”
“I… I have been,” Adrian admitted.
“Are you out of your mind?” Priya screeched.
“How could you even imagine in a thing like that?” Lester wanted to know and I knew that whatever chance Adrian had had just evaporated.
“That’s your goal. It’s been your goal all along. To wipe us out… our entire race!” Adam accused just before the Council erupts into chaos, each member shouting over the other, except Adam who was just watching the chaos in smug triumph.
“Quiet!” Kamilah bellowed, bringing the room to order once more. She turned to me and for the first time since we met, I could see a hint of fear in her eyes… Even Kamilah thought this was hopeless.
I stood up, unable to stop myself. I had to say something, besides pretty everyone in this room was already my enemy, it wasn’t like anything I said could make the situation worse. …
“This tribunal is a sham, based on a completely fictional accusation…” I declared, glaring at all of them, though I couldn’t bring myself to look at Adam. “It’s clearly a malicious attempt to frame Adrian, and if you go along with it, you will suffer the consequences.”
“Who is this girl to threaten consequences?!” The Baron demanded, glaring at me.
I shrugged and shot him a nasty smile. “Karma’s a bitch, and your betrayal will be punished tenfold down the road. I’ll make sure of it.”
And I would. It might kill me. But I would do everything in my power to avenge Adrian.
There was a surprised silence for a moment, then…
“Whatever.” From Priya, clearly dismissing me.
Whatever, at least, I said my piece.
“Shall we vote?” Kamilah asked and I could hear the resignation in her voice. She called out the names and everyone but her voted against Adrian, with every ‘Aye’ vote my heart broke a little more and it shattered when Kamilah declared the verdict.
I watched them take Adrian away. “Lilith, I—” he whispered as the villains good dragged him out of the room.
“What’s going on?” I asked no one in particular. “Where are they taking him?”
No one answered, too busy talking amongst themselves and making plans to divide Adrian’s belongings like the scavengers that they were.
Suddenly, I felt a hand grab my throat. I jerked back with a gasp as Priya pulled me close.
“I’m claiming this one!”
Oh god. Just when I didn’t think it could get any worse.
“Let her go, now!” Lily demanded.
Priya just smirked. “Make me, little one.”
“Sorry to rain on your orgy, Priya, but they’re both accomplices.” The Baron said, a malicious gleam in his eye. “Which makes their fate subject to the Council.”
With a sigh, Priya let me go, and I dropped to the ground, gasping.
“We’ll need to make sure they don’t have any more information. I’d be happy to handle that.”
Ok, this just kept getting worse and worse. Because if there was anything I wanted less than to be claimed by Priya, it was to go anywhere with the Baron.
“Aw, are you going to kill them?” Priya whined.
“Sure.” He answered with a grin. |After I torture the hell out of them first.”
“Not so fast, Baron.” Adam stepped forward, his gaze focused on me. “I have a prior claim on Lilith, we were in the process of formalizing it at the ball and I believe I am capable of handling her.”
His voice was cool, openly daring the Baron to challenge him.
“It didn’t sound like she was in agreement with your arrangement,” Priya said with a smirk.
“I’m sure she’s reconsidered, right Lilith?” Adam said, looking directly at me with a triumphant look on his handsome face. He knew he had won.
He knew I would agree. Because there was no other choice.
The idea of going with him… Of being with him… It made me feel physically ill, but it was still better than what Baron or Priya were proposing. He was the devil, but at least he was the devil I knew and even now, I still felt like his intentions were less sinister than the others.
I would likely be physically safest with him, though he could destroy me in so many ways that the others never could.
Before I could speak up and seal my fate, another voice interrupted.
“I agree, Lilith should be given a choice.” Kamilah’s voice was firm, “and I offer her my protection as well.” She looked at all the others in turn, daring them to defy her. “Lilith?’
“I accept your protection,” I said eagerly, feeling as if she had thrown me a life raft.
“Then it’s done.” Kamilah decreed, “Lily is under my protection as well.”
She nodded for us to follow, but as I turned to go, Adam grabbed my arm.
“Don’t touch me!” I shouted.
He smirked. “That wasn’t what you said the other night. You were begging for me to touch you.”
God, I hated him.
“That was before I knew what a manipulative bastard you were,” I hissed. “And that it was all a lie, a plot to get Adrian. Now that I know that, all I want is you to leave me the fuck alone.”
“The business with Adrian was unfortunate, but it was that: merely business,” Adam said with a shrug, “What is happening between us is personal, Lilith. I want you.” He looked at me, his gorgeous lips curving into a cruel smirk. “And I always get what I want.”
With that he let me go and I raced out of the cavern, eager to get away from him, his warning, and that’s what it was, sitting over me like a heavy cloud. This wasn’t over, I knew that.
Once we were out of the cavern, Lily asked Kamilah what happened next, I knew before she even spoke but it didn’t make the words any easier.
“They’ll keep him somewhere for the next six hours and then he meets the sun.”
**
