* * *
When we arrived, there were five others standing there waiting for us.
“Hello, Knox.” The oldest man of the group addressed Knox, stepping forward. He was short with a grey beard and balding.
“Have you been waiting long, Jeremy?” Knox bowed and so did Trent. Trent shoved Cassidy, who finally did the same. I guessed that I should have probably bowed as well, so I did.
“Is everyone involved present?” a man of average height with closely cropped chestnut hair spoke up. He only looked a few years older than Knox.
“Yes, Leonard. Everyone is here.”
“I sense a human among us…” One of the two women—a blonde—was sniffing the air, and her blue eyes landed on me. “Someone explain this.”
Ramon stepped forward to defend me. “Her name is Min Dupont, and she is my mate. She’s the one who brought Cassidy’s treason to light.”
“And was proof presented to back up claims?” The other woman asked. She was older, and her silver hair was tightly pulled back into a high ponytail.
“Yes,” Knox stated simply.
“Okay, then; let us begin,” Jeremy announced. He beckoned Trent forward, who brought Cassidy along with him, and knelt her in front of the conclave. “Cassidy Powers, you are being charged here tonight with treason, conspiracy, and attempted murder of the entire clan. How do you plead?”
“Guilty. Just get it over with.” She rolled her eyes in contempt.
Leonard raised an eyebrow, “Well, there it is.”
“I, for one, would like to hear what she did.” The final man—a tall ginger—walked up to Cassidy and looked her over in disgust.
“She conspired with the government to initiate genetic warfare against us by using ticks. They genetically engineered a species that could carry a mutation of the rabies virus which can only affect shifters, causing us to shift against our will and become rabid…before it kills us,” Knox informed the conclave.
“Yes, Nathan. And the virus attacks all cells in the body. The beginning symptoms resemble the rabies virus, but then random shifts begin,” Ramon added.
“So, how is the human involved?” The blonde woman asked.
“Well, Vanessa, she was hired by the government to distribute the ticks here in Acadia, but once I was infected with the virus, she created an antidote for it,” Ramon said.
“You were infected?” The older silver haired woman was concerned.
“Yes, Priscilla. Up until about an hour ago when Min here gave me the antidote.” Ramon smiled at me and I returned the expression. I was happy he was doing all the talking, because to be honest, the conclave scared me. They seemed so intimidating. And to top it off, they wouldn’t even address me as anything other than a human.
“I see,” Jeremy nodded.
“Cassidy is also behind the rogue shifters from the last trial here in Acadia. When you came to judge Shawn, Harris, Kevin and Jamie, they were infected with the virus; it just hadn’t advanced to the more serious stages yet. Cassidy informed us that the government dealt with the three who managed to escape the park,” Knox continued.
“I think we have enough information to understand her guilt,” Nathan said. “There is no need to deliberate. She has already admitted her guilt and there is more than enough evidence against her.”
“Why did you do it?” Vanessa turned to Cassidy.
“I didn’t want to die.”
“You have made quite a mess. You could have died with your clan, but instead, you will die alone in shame.”
Cassidy didn’t respond.
“I would like to ask for my mate and I to be excused from witnessing the execution. I don’t think she needs to see this.” Ramon stepped in front of me.
“Granted. You may be excused. We only need two people as witnesses to the trial, so Trent and Knox are enough.”
With that, Jeremy waved us away. Ramon grabbed my hand and we headed back to my car.
“What are we going to do about the government? The people who hired me and Cassidy?”
“Well, we could have Hannah or Blanca call them using Cassidy’s phone and pretend to be her? She could tell them that the ticks were located by the clan and destroyed before you could distribute them. She could also tell them that she no longer wants to partner with them and would rather take on the government with her clan than be their guinea pig.” Ramon shrugged.
I nodded. That actually sounded like a great plan.
“Alright, then. I’ll have Knox grab Cassidy’s phone after the execution.”
“Thank you, Ramon.” I smiled and kissed him. He pulled me in and deepened the kiss, catching me slightly off guard.
But he was kissing me, and he was alive, and I couldn’t have been more grateful.