Chapter Thirty-One

Lucinda was brought in with her hands and feet bound by silver chains and two vampire security guards. An electrified barrier was placed between Judge Murphy and the defendant’s chair, a second between the chair and the audience. Unlike the resigned yet calm nature of Carma’s sentencing, the room crackled with emotion.

People I recognized from Thinner packed the benches, all staring intently at the woman who brought them low. Rachel and Maggie sat together, not speaking, at the end of the front row. They both glanced up when I walked in, Maggie’s eyes holding mine.

I mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

She nodded once, giving me a concerned look. Then she glanced over at Carma, and back to me. Even now, she was trying to take care of me. I nodded, but this time I didn’t listen, and I didn’t go to Carma. She needed closure first, that much was clear.

Instead, I stood along the back wall, arms crossed, concentrating on not showing any outward sign of weakness. No nail chewing, no leg bouncing, no fidgeting. A molten ball of emotion lodged itself against my lungs as Judge Murphy began reading the list of charges.

“Lucinda Nicks, you are charged with knowingly acquiring, possessing, and distributing an illegal substance without proper permits, illegally dosing 714,364 people, creating a supernatural species without permission, endangering both supernatural and human lives, and three counts of homicide. We have a signed confession. How do you plead?”

Lucinda, who was standing, tilted her head to the side and smiled. An arctic chill ran down my spine. “Your Honor, I plead not guilty.”

Lucinda’s lawyer, a vampire, added, “Lucinda Nicks is revoking her confession on the grounds that she was coerced into writing it on the day she turned into a vampire. My client was not of sound mind or body.”

The sounds of disbelief rolled over the audience, and Judge Murphy hit her gavel to call the room back to order. I pushed off the wall, but Jake’s arm shot out in front of me. “Don’t move,” he warned.

“I won’t let her do this.”

Jake stepped in front of me, forcing me to meet his eyes. “This is Judge Murphy. Wait and see.”

My jaw was clenched so hard, I was worried my teeth would crumble. “Fine,” I spat. My muscles vibrated with fury, but I leaned back against the wall.

Jake returned to my side, positioning his cane across my ankle. I knew it would cost him—standing for so long without the benefit of his walking aid—but this way he could catch me if I did something dumb. He’d either trip me or hit me in the shins, which was just annoying enough to keep me in place. For now.

“Remember,” Jake whispered. “This isn’t exactly human court.”

I almost smiled.

Judge Murphy studied Lucinda, and I had been in her courtroom enough to know she was assessing for lies. “It’s a bold move to reject the confession, Ms. Nicks. Are you sure you want to go to trial? Based on the audience gathered here alone, I have no doubt the evidence will be compelling.”

Lucinda’s lawyer responded. “My client, like her daughter, did not know the substance in the Thinner shakes was an illegal substance, nor did she know about the existence of vampires or vampire hybrids. Because this knowledge was kept from her—”

Judge Murphy hit her gavel. “Jess, your aura literally changes color when you’re lying. You’d do better in the human courts. Lie again and I’ll hold you in contempt.”

The lawyer dipped her head and whispered something to Lucinda, who nodded. Jess straightened and smoothed her suit coat.

“Let me ask again,” Judge Murphy said. “What does the defendant claim?”

“Not guilty. Ms. Nicks say she was coerced into distributing oral venom through Thinner by a supernatural crime syndicate.”

The room erupted in gasps of disbelief.

Jake turned to face me. “This goes deeper.”

“Fuck,” I breathed.

Judge Murphy pounded her gavel again. “Order!” It took three tries before the room settled. “Lucinda Nicks, you will be held, without bail, while we review the details of this case. Guards, take the defendant away.”

Jake, Sienna, and I sat in my dad’s office drinking his most expensive scotch. In another timeline, this would’ve been a celebration. Now, it was a devastation.

“How deep does this go?” Jake asked.

As if on cue, Dad walked in and tossed his suit coat across his desk. “Deeper than we think.” He looked up at me. “You can’t be part of it.”

I threw back the rest of my drink. “Joy.”

He turned to Jake. “Need you to finish this before you transfer.”

Jake sighed and ran a hand down his face. “I figured. I want my niece protected.”

Dad nodded. “Done.” He checked his watch. “Tomorrow, we start hunting.”