Page 172 of Vampire's Choice
“I am your Master, always,” Garron said quietly. “As well as the man who loves you with a strength no one can put asunder. Ever.”
“I will not live without you.”
Kaela turned to the Council, her hand still in Garron’s. Her shoulders swept back, her chin coming up. “You can’t make me submit to the farce of reconditioning if I choose death. Garron’s life is the only leverage you have over me, and you are taking that. Bring me a wooden stake. I will end my life, which will end his as well. We die together.”
“No,” Stewart insisted. “She might change her mind when the sentence is done. If she does not, his wait for her will not be long.”
“She has stated her preference,” Helga said sharply. “We should respect it.”
“The Council has voted, Lady Helga,” Walton said, though the tightness of his voice suggested his vote might be wavering. “Let the sentence be carried out as imposed.”
“Don’t do this to them.”
Ruth couldn’t bear to see this happen, not today of all days. Not ever. The hoarse plea in her voice didn’t win more than a flicker of the other Council’s attention, except for Lord Welles’s order that she be removed from the courtyard.
But as they began to drag Ruth away, Kaela looked toward her, and offered a nod.
She’d run out of road, her and Garron. The sudden, agonizing peace Ruth saw told her that Stewart was right only about the last part. She was being denied the right to die with Garron, but he would not wait long for her.
Borgas took control of Kaela’s grip on the stake again. He’d likely hold her fingers in a bone crushing grip, and make her shove the metal into Garron with violent enthusiasm.
But she was beyond them. Her eyes were upon Garron, and his upon hers. Ruth hoped their last exchanged thoughts shut out all of this.
Belizar was still expressionless. Like a judge awaiting the carrying out of sentence, not taking any joy in it, but not shirking his duty either. Because the rules in the vampire world protected them all. They had to be upheld.
It horrified Ruth, knowing only a few weeks ago she might have felt the same. There was a roaring in her ears as Torrence and Brian pushed her into the library. Helga blocked her escape route, but Ruth grabbed the doorframe and started screaming protests again. They would have to knock her senseless to make her stop.
Merc, please…
Belizar’s lips parted. He was going to tell the guards to carry out the sentence. Garron was going to be killed, at Kaela’s hands.
No, no, no…
Then the agony in Ruth’s mind was invaded, the will of a vampire queen overrunning it like a stampede of kelpies.
“Hold,” Ruth shrieked. “Lady Lyssa commands it.”
Everything stopped, but only as a teetering-on-the-edge-of-disaster pause. They didn’t believe her at first. Until Ruth repeated what Lyssa relayed through Merc’s mind link.
“‘You hesitated, old friend. I’ve not seen that happen since the battle in Paris, when you were distracted from the fight by pastry samples and French wine.’”
Belizar’s eyes narrowed and he turned to face Ruth. “Tell the queen if she is going to insult me, she should do it in person. And when I have vodka in hand to cushion the blow. Where are they? Are they all right?”
Jessica’s soft cry of joy gave them their answer, as Mason obviously spoke in her head. Anwyn gripped her in a tight hug while Ruth drew in a shaky breath. “They’ve retrieved the children successfully,” Anwyn said. “They’re on the way here. Everyone’s all right. Minor injuries.”
It was dizzying, the abrupt change in mood and direction. Lord Brian and Helga held Ruth up as exclamations and cheers passed through the courtyard, embraces exchanged.
That celebration didn’t extend to Kaela and Garron. Borgas, his face suffused with frustration, had stepped back at Belizar’s gesture, but the honor guard still flanked the vampire and her servant. Kaela swayed forward, Garron’s one hand clasping her hip as she dipped her head over his, her hand resting on his shoulder.
It was a pause in the execution. Not a pardon.
Lady Carola confirmed it. Once things settled down, the Councilwoman spoke, her gaze flicking to Ruth. “Lady Lyssa, the law is clear. If we address this now, when you return we can handle the far more important issues related to your son’s kidnapping. Why command a delay?”
Another pause, as Ruth listened, digested, so she could continue the three-way relay accurately. Now that the immediate danger was past, it took effort not to get distracted by the sensual brush of Merc’s voice inside her head, or lose herself to its steadying influence, the strength it provided. For the past few hours, she’d been teetering on the edge of an emotional abyss and having to hold the rope all by herself. Her hands were cramping.
“Lord Mason and I have further insights. For a matter as serious as the execution of an overlord, they should be heard. Lady Kaela, if I may have your word of honor that you will await our arrival and respect our final ruling, then you and your servant will be placed in a guestroom, together, to refresh yourselves.”
Kaela straightened and turned. For a moment, she was holding Ruth’s gaze, then her expression changed, reflecting the formality of addressing the queen, even if she was not physically present. Her hand remained on Garron’s uninjured arm, though. They touched one another without shame, drawing strength from the contact.