CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

 

“WHAT DO YOU mean?” I asked.

“Clay and I witnessed a Tribunal in action, probably about five months ago now.”

“And what happens at one.”

Ethan shook his head. “It’s not a matter of what happens at one, it’s a matter of what one does.”

“Huh?” Both Clay and I questioned him at the same time, before catching each other’s gaze. He turned away first, turning his face from mine almost the moment our eyes met. He cleared his throat almost inaudibly before his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

An instant later his eyes were back on me, this time I turned away. The butterflies kicked up again, did a few loop-de-loops, before finally settling back down.

Ethan appeared oblivious to the whole silent exchange. “Tribunal is a class of fae. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you’ve never met any before, Evie, they would avoid you like the plague.”

“Why?” I felt affronted by his suggestion—even though I wasn’t entirely sure what his suggestion was.

“Because they’re a unique bunch, even for fae.”

“How so?” I asked.

“They keep to themselves a lot. There’s only two or three in a court usually.”

“What do they do?” Clay’s voice rose, clearly showing his frustration with Ethan’s beating around the bush. I didn’t blame him—I wanted answers too.

“They judge the innocence or guilt of an individual.”

“Then why won’t this work?” I asked, waving my hand to indicate Clay and myself.

“Because they don’t stop and listen to what you say. They weigh your guilt based on your thoughts and memories. All fae have telepathy, empathy, and precognition in their arsenal. These attributes are just hypersensitive in Tribunals. They experience the suffering of your life and the injuries you have inflicted on others.”

The color drained from Clay’s face, and my heart plummeted, landing somewhere near my feet.

“I shouldn’t have dragged you into this,” Clay murmured before pushing up off the coffee table and pacing the room in front of me.

“Dragged?” I was standing in an instant and stepped in front of him to stop his momentum. “I came up with this stupid plan.”

He reached for my hands. “Only because you thought there was no other—”

Ethan broke into our conversation with a chuckle. “Even when you’re apparently not together, you two just don’t quit, huh?”

“What do you mean?” Clay dropped my hands and whipped his head toward where his brother was sitting.

“Watching you two do the old married couple act. It’s just like old times.”

“It’s not like that,” Clay said hurriedly, glancing toward me for the tiniest second.

“It’s all just an act,” I confirmed. “He’s not the man I married anymore.” I watched Clay closely as the words left my mouth.

For a moment, I thought he winced, but then he smiled. “Yeah, remember, foot-loose and fancy-free.”

“Yeah. Right.” Ethan sounded unconvinced. “So who else knows about this charade?”

“Just Louise.”

“I think you need to tell Aiden the truth. He’ll find out anyway as soon as the Tribunal is involved, and it’ll be much better coming out before then.”

A knock on the door caused us all to stop in our tracks.

“Are you expecting another visitor?” Ethan asked.

Shaking my head, I looked at Clay to see if maybe he’d arranged for his father to come already. He didn’t say anything but seemed as confused as me. Unsure who it could be, I made for the door.

“I’ll get it,” Clay said, placing his hand on my shoulder to stop me from rising. “Just in case Dad decided to find me early. I wouldn’t put it past him to be watching the house for Ethan’s or Louise’s arrival.”

I allowed him to pass.

“Why are you doing this, Evie?” Ethan asked in a hushed whisper. He almost sounded disappointed in me.

I flopped onto the sofa. “Why does everyone keep asking me that? I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you really? I can see the way you still look at him.”

“I can’t help it. He’s still my husband. I can’t help it if he doesn’t remember that, just like I can’t help that I do.”

“That’s exactly why I think this is a dangerous path for you to tread.” The pity in Ethan’s eyes told me that he perhaps understood more than I would have ever expected him to. He was a free-love-for-all type of person, so I never thought he could understand the depth of the emotions Clay and I shared. Had shared, I reminded myself. Past tense.

“I can’t lie. Of course, I’m still in love with my husband. Even though the man living with me now isn’t him anymore, it’s going to hurt when he leaves. But it wouldn’t matter whether that was yesterday, tomorrow, or in a few months’ time. It doesn’t change anything.”

Ethan nodded.

“Besides, at least he’s a built-in babysitter, right?” I forced myself to joke.

Instead of answering, Ethan focused on a spot over my shoulder. I turned to follow his gaze and saw Clay had returned. A deep frown marred his face.

How much did he hear? Does he know that I still feel things for him that I shouldn’t? It would explain his expression.

“It’s Aiden,” Clay said. “And he has a friend with him.”

Oh shit!

“Aiden, what are you doing here?” I rushed to stand to greet him as he walked in just behind Clay. “I thought you were going to call Clay back for the Tribunal.”

“I knew you would want to be at Clay’s side during this time to offer your support for him, and I did not feel comfortable risking Ava’s return. As I told you, I do still care for your family, and despite what you seem to believe, I do not want to cause you undue stress.”

“Mack chewed you out about it, didn’t she?” Ethan joked.

Aiden risked a smile. “Perhaps she had something of a stern word in my ear. However, I happened to agree with her.”

Another fae walked in behind Aiden, much shorter than him, and although still otherworldly she appeared a little plain in comparison. Her nose appeared to be permanently crinkled as she assessed the collections of our belongings littered around the living room.

For the first time since Fiona had found us in Sweden, I was ashamed of our limited furniture. The new fae gathered her long rust-colored hair into one hand and pulled it forward over one shoulder as she turned her attention to the rest of us in the room. She sighed audibly and muttered something about favoritism under her breath.

“I’m Evelyn,” I said, moving over to introduce myself. “You can call me Evie or Lynnie, either one works.” I gave her the most winning smile I could muster under her stare, which somehow appeared to be both apathetic and appraising at the same time.

She breathed heavily through her nose, the air coming out in a soft snort. “As if it matters.” She turned her piercing silver-blue eyes onto Aiden. “Could we please just commence already so we can return home?”

“Verity is a little averse to leaving the comforts of the court,” Aiden explained.

The way she had her nose turned up at everything her gaze fell on seemed to indicate that she was a little averse to, well, everything. Between what Ethan had warned us about the way the Tribunals gathered their information and the unfriendly nature of the particular one who’d landed in our living room, I began to fret for Clay’s chances.

“Aiden, can I have a word before this starts?” I asked.

Verity rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue loudly in annoyance. I backed away from her.

“Sorry, Lynnie. I cannot grant that request. Technically, you are not allowed to even be present. I have only allowed this because of—”

“Nepotism,” Verity interrupted.

“Because of the unique situation,” Aiden corrected. “Clay hurt fae, and for that he must be held accountable. Fae on fae violence simply cannot be tolerated. However, special consideration must be given to the fact that he also helped deliver your fledglings, the grandchild of our matriarch.” When he continued, his tone turned sarcastic. “And that he has miraculously recovered his former memories.”

“That’s what—” I started, but Aiden held up his hand to silence me.

“It is in the best interest of everyone gathered if the Tribunal can begin her enquiries now.”

Clay had been watching me the whole time, and I felt bereft the instant his gaze left me. He stepped closer to Verity and nodded. “What needs to happen?”

Aiden narrowed his eyes at him. “You and Ethan witnessed a Tribunal in action no more than six months ago. Surely if your memories are truly returned, you would know what to expect.”

“Aiden—” I started again, ready to beg him to listen to my reasoning for telling Clay to continue the charade.

Clay held his hand up. “My memories never returned. I tricked Evie into believing they had so that she would vouch for me. I deceived her to avoid punishment for my actions.”

The full power of the authority Fiona had granted to Aiden was evident in his stance and his piercing gaze. He paused to consider Clay’s words.

“No,” I murmured. “That’s not right.”

Clay turned to me with a sneer. “I led her on, and she’s naïve and so pathetically in love with the man she thinks I am that she’d believe anything I told her.”

I was certain the words were just a show for Aiden so I would avoid any punishment, but they hit their target, stinging me and leaving their mark on my heart. I bit the inside of my cheeks to stop myself from crying, and Ethan’s hand rested onto my shoulder in support.

Aiden turned to Verity, but before he could say anything, Louise came charging into the room.

“The door was open. I’m not too late, am I?”

Aiden frowned. “It is highly unconventional for there to so many witnesses while a Tribunal is in action. It has only happened once before and then only to share court customs.”

Louise raised her eyebrow at him in a way that clearly said, “Just try to kick me out of here.”

“The more the merrier,” Aiden relented. “Verity?”

She nodded and closed her eyes. “There is so much guilt in this room, so much to filter out. I will need complete silence so I can concentrate.”

Louise’s gaze fell on me for a moment, and she offered a watery smile. I gave her my best “I’m being strong” smile in return but was certain that the tears glistening in my eyes gave away my weakness.

“His guilt is certain,” Verity said after a moment. “In his heart, he knows what he deserves.”

Aiden nodded. “Then he must be punished accordingly.”

Verity nodded. “Injury, not death, so one year for every violation.”

“Six years?” I murmured, assuming they would include Ethan. Six years for one mistake, and they hadn’t even heard everything. They hadn’t stopped to consider the good he’d done since then.

“Ten,” Aiden said. “He attacked yourself and your two fledglings. Plus there is the matter of being deceitful with the intention of escaping punishment.”

In trying to help, I’d managed to be the cause of an additional year of punishment. The sunbird would sleep in Ava long before he’d be able to see her again. My heart ached and my throat constricted.

“That can’t be it!” I cried. “There has to be something more we can do?”

“What more do you expect, Lynnie?” Aiden asked.

“What about everything he’s done to help?” I was almost hysterical.

“Do you mean his cruel trickery in convincing you that his memories had returned?”

“The twins,” I said, fighting against myself to stay calm and state his case. “He’s helped me with them. He’s had so many chances to hurt them and he hasn’t.”

“A handful of good deeds cannot erase the injuries he has caused.”

“But—”

“Evie, stop,” Clay murmured. I raised my eyes to meet his gaze and what I saw there was almost enough to break me. “I have to do this. It’s what I deserve.”

I shook my head. “No, not after all of this. It can’t end here! It just can’t.” My chest heaved as my words turned into sobs.

Clay closed the distance between us. He placed his fingers against my cheek. I wanted to lean into his hand like I always had before, but it wouldn’t be the same.

“I was going to hurt you when I left anyway, right? Now you can mourn your loss without having to look at my ugly mug.”

“No, that’s—”

“How is this any different to simply going away? If it makes you feel any better, just imagine I’ve gone somewhere exotic. You might need to find yourself a new babysitter though.”

I didn’t want to listen to him. He wasn’t making sense. I blinked back the tears so that I could look at him again. “You can’t just accept this. I don’t want you to spend the next ten years locked away in the Void. I can’t even bear to think of you in that place.”

He gave me a half-hearted smile. “Then don’t think of me. Move on. Look after those fantastic kids.”

I sobbed. “Clay, I can’t do it without you.”

“You can. You know you’ve got the strength in you. Even I can see it, and I’ve only known you for two weeks.”

“We better leave,” Aiden said, touching Clay’s shoulder.

Behind them, Verity watched our exchange with a troubled expression.

“Can’t we have just a few more hours so he can say goodbye to the twins?” I asked Aiden, but I never got my answer.

Instead, an ear-splitting scream, coming from the nursery pierced the air.

That’s not Ava’s normal cry, I thought as my broken heart stopped.