Chapter 13 FACING THE COUNCIL II
The hall was silent, the Council looking at Isabella like she'd just spoken a truth that was feared to be spoken by all.
It was no secret that Blackburn wanted to be the king’s father-in-law by all means.
Blackburn's face burned as he stared at her, his jawline set straight, his eyes twitching from anger.
“It still doesn't defeat the sincerity of the question, Ms Thorne.” He said, gently directing the question back at Isabella as he held her gaze.
She nodded gently. He was good, she had to give it to him. She glanced at the Council, every one of them and held their gaze for some seconds before returning to Blackburn's.
Her throat burned from anger, but she knew she had to keep it together. “Is that all, Lord Blackburn?”
The giant man stiffened. He'd not expected to be dismissed so lightly by someone with tainted blood.
He huffed, his cool, calm, collected demeanour gone in an instant. In its place was a desire for battle.
“Just this one important question, Ms Thorne, and I'll get out of your hair.” His lips were curved sneeringly.
Isabella raised her jaw slightly and nodded stiffly. Lord Blackburn had shown all his cards from the first interaction. What new thing was he going to bring?
“Is what you have real?”
She whipped her head up in surprise. That had never crossed her mind. She'd thought of possible questions, but this…
She opened her mouth and closed it again, unsure of what to say. It had taken her off guard.
Could the elders in the council also smell the distance between her and Lucien? The distance that was only covered when they decided to be intimate. And after intimacy, poof! It was gone at the speed of light. And what remained was just necessary interactions.
“Ms Thorne?”
Blackburn’s voice stopped her train of thought.
She sighed, as she glanced at Lucien before returning her gaze to Blackburn.
“You…”
“That's enough.” Lucien's voice sounded just as she spoke.
She bit her lips. She'd wanted him to let her handle this by herself.
He stepped forward, pacing gently in the centre, where she'd stood to be questioned.
“I've watched all of you, disregard your reverence for the king, and try to belittle my mate.”
He growled, his eyes turning bloody.
He turned to Blackburn, who quickly averted his gaze.
I tried to call his attention, to hold his gaze, but he wouldn't stare at me.
“You want proof? He glanced at Sloane. “I can hear your thoughts, can read the expressions on your face and it's saying one thing. That this is a sham.”
He walked back at me.
“So, I'm asking again, do you want proof? Proof of the bond we share, proof that this is my mate?”
The hall was extremely quiet.
Isabella glanced at their anxious faces. She'd never seen Lucien boil with so much anger as he walked towards her.
She took a step back, afraid of what he was about to do, but he caught up with her ultimately.
She shook her head. “No, please.” Her mouth moved, her voice unable to find its way out of her throat. But she knew he'd heard her through the bond.
Lucien stopped in front of her. “I ask again. Do you want proof?”
Silence.
Everyone watched in stunning silence as they looked ahead, unsure of what he was about to do.
He placed his hand just above her collarbone, his fingers finding the two bite marks he'd given her, six years ago.
Isabella shook her head, trying to shake the tears back to where they'd come from. This was supposed to be a private moment for them, but now they were on display for the entire council.
Lucien's touch was gentle despite the fury in his eyes. He traced her neck as though the marks were a symbol he was revering.
“These were placed by me.” His voice had become gentle, matching the way he stroked her neck. “And every time we joined our bodies together, they were renewed.”
Isabella sniffed slightly. This was too much. He was giving them too much information.
Then the bond reacted. The way it normally would when he touched her, but she could sense something different.
The fire continued to spread in her till it erupted into a light. A shining blinding light that continued to spread till it was all over the place.
Isabella shrieked. A loud haunting noise that made the weak ones in the council scramble for safety.
The others, stared, amazed at what was happening. Only a few of these things have been seen in history, and here it was, right before their eyes.
Lucien stepped back, his hands finally leaving her collarbone. He'd stood with her from the moment it began, and now it was time to end it.
The light dimmed as the hall returned to normalcy.
Isabella gasped weakly, surprised at what had just happened. She looked at the faint light radiating from Lucien's wrist, back to the faint one still on her neck.
He nodded softly at her, before meeting the stare of the council.
“Does this convince you?” His voice was chilly, sending shivers down the spine of the weak ones, and his eyes looked murderous.
Everyone looked away murmuring, save for a few.
“Isabella is my mate and will be the Vampire Queen with or without your approval, so you should fall in line. I will not stand here and watch you intimidate her. Not on my watch.” He growled as he walked back to her, taking her palm in his as his eyes darted around the hall, daring them to oppose him.
Isabella sniffed. It felt good to be defended in public by someone who cared for her.
“Any objections or can we go?” Lucien continued.
Lord Sloane hesitated. “There are still a few concerns about Isabella's bloodline.”
He stood up and walked to the front of the room, his back towards them as he faced the other members of the Council.
“This is not a witch-hunt.” His voice had a warning tone to it and his face was stern. Isabella could see him looking at Blackburn.
“We are not here because we are displeased with the choice of mate the king has taken.”
She stiffened. They were not going to allow her go easily, were they?
“The King's first line of duty is to the kingdom. He owes us his allegiance, and we must make sure he does not do anything to jeopardise the safety of the kingdom.”
Voices rose in agreement softly.
Isabella tightened her grip on Lucien till her knuckles turned white.
“I thought I made myself clear?” Lucien said as he stepped forward.
Lord Sloane instantly retreated back to his position.
“There will be no witch-hunt in her name!” His voice had gone back to being neutral, but one would be a fool to mistake that for weakness.
“This is not a witch hunt, Your Majesty.” Sloane interrupted. “This is making sure you do the right thing. This is putting the kingdom first.”
“Oh really!” Lucien smirked, his eyes mocking Sloane.
“Besides, we don't even know if the child is yours!”
The room was so silent that a needle dropping on the floor at that moment would have been heard loudly.
Sloane continued, undeterred. “For all we know, she could have seduced you, drugged you or even used her powers on you. You can't be too careful, your Majesty.”
Lucien nodded, his mouth curved. He could see where they were going with all these.
“And these claims are not unfounded. We have a member of her family here.”
Isabella whipped her head up in disbelief after hearing Sloane's last words. She needn't look too far.
He was sitting in the hall, but he'd been avoiding her gaze all day. How could she not have realised?
Lord Harlan cleared his throat softly before standing up as the entire council looked at him in anticipation.
“This is truly not her fault.” He held her affectionately but she was not fooled.
It was a trick he'd managed to perfect over the years and no one had suspected a thing.
“Being born into a bloodline that has tried to wipe out communities over the decades is not her fault.”
The murmurings rose.
He was subtle and any wise person could see what he was doing.
“And hers, can be managed. She still carries a part of our blood.”
Isabella wished she could wipe the smug look off his face.
He'd just told the council that she could be violent when she chose to and would have to be observed and managed closely to ensure that she was not a threat.
She glanced at Lucien. “You don't believe the lies he's telling, do you?” She whispers, smiling gently. They could all think whatever they thought. She was only concerned about him.
Lucien looked at her, his eyes cold, the light that often made her feel safe, gone.