The Council Meeting (3)

      There was a visible tremor of shock that ran through The Council Members after Jocelyn announced so calmly that Claire should die. A small squeak of fear escaped the hybrid's lips, but she did not give the witch the satisfaction of looking in her direction. 

      Marwen only narrowed their eyes in anger. "The Council did not ask for your opinion on the matter, Priestess. And we do not appreciate it. You may leave." They raised their voice and spoke above the fire, "Elias Elhassan." 

      Jocelyn left, the matter-of-fact smile still on her face. Elias glowered at her as they passed one another. Immediately, he stood by Claire and reached his hand out to hers. Lifting her puffy face up from her hands, she stared at him blankly, ignoring his outstretched hand. "Chérie," he whispered. 

      "Don't," she snapped back, tears streaming down her face. 

      Slowly, he pulled his hand away, but left it on the table, in case she changed her mind. He could feel her anger pulsing through the air, but also her fear and confusion. 

      "Elias Elhassan," Marwen cleared their throat impatiently, nodding to the Vampire King.

      Ife smiled charmingly and commanded his friend with the same order he had given Claire. Elias narrowed his brown eyes at the grin the King wore, but he said nothing. He knew Ife's thoughts without having to ask them. He knew what the King was planning to do. 

      After Ife returned to his seat, the dryad stepped forward again. "Did you knowingly make a hybrid?" 

      "I knowingly turned Claire. And I knew that she would be special. However, I did not know that she was a hybrid until recently," Elias replied calmly. 

      "Elaborate." 

      Elias looked apologetically at his progeny, who was staring straight ahead into the flames. She imagined how they would feel on her skin. Isn't that how you killed a witch? 

Noticing her blank gaze, Elias sighed before looking back to The Council. "A sorcerer owed me a favor, and so I asked him to find me someone interesting to turn. He brought me to her, but neither of us knew what she was; we just knew that she was different." He moved on, skipping how he had the sorcerer curse Claire and make her sick. It wasn't asked for, so he did not need to give it. "It was not until a few months ago, when I encountered a witch who had been stripped of her magic, did I realize what Claire was." 

      Ife stood up, clapped once, and moved to stand next to Marwen. "You see, my friends?" He made a sweeping gesture over the two vampires. "All is well. There is no need for such intense punishments. The girl was a witch, but she is no longer. Elias did not break any laws. She was not a hybrid by his doing, as she has magic no longer." 

      The Council Members turned to one another; their voices shielded by Circe's magic. Elias moved back to Claire. "Chérie, I know that I've hurt you. And I will take eternity to make it up to you, my child." 

      Ignoring his desperate pleading, Claire sat up and said loudly, "May I ask a question?" 

      Ife turned abruptly and grinned; he knew what she wanted to ask. She wanted to know if Elias had really made her sick, and when the old vampire confessed to it, she would reject him. That was when Ife would sweep in. He could imagine her now, clad in nothing but sapphires, blue as her eyes. She would be stunning on her knees for him. 

      "Would you care if I stopped being," she sneered at the last word, "Special?"

      Without hesitation, Elias responded sincerely, "I have not cared for years. I did not know what would happen when I gave you that blood. But I did not care about anything except trying to make you well. You are my family, Claire." 

      Beyond the flickering flames, Jocelyn smacked her lips in distaste. She did not care for her granddaughter's feelings, but hearing the vampire attempt to win her over was still disgusting. She could not let the hybrid go with Elias; he would take her far away and never return. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She wrote a small message in the air and sent it to a witch in the woods. Satisfied, she leaned back in her seat. Alpha Peter noticed her sudden calm manner but said nothing. 

      "Claire," Elias whispered softly. 

      "You lied to me," she replied in Arabic, not wanting anyone to listen in. He had taught her five languages using a spell for the anniversary of her turning five years before. She treasured the ability, never good at languages when human. "You lied to me for years." 

      "I only did it-"

      "To what? Protect me? Then why did you create me?" Her voice cracked as she spoke. "Why did you do this to me? I know what you did; do not lie to me again." 

      Elias felt his heart break as he watched his child sob. Her pale skin was so translucent from hunger. Without thought, he sliced his wrist and offered it to her. Disgusted, she slapped him away. "So you can control me again?!" 

      "Chérie," he began, realizing his mistake. "I meant no harm. You are hungry." 

      Claire scoffed at him, crossing her arms. She did not know it, but she looked exactly like her mother in that moment, with her eyes squeezed childishly shut. May Heron had done the same thing when she was finished with a conversation, and Claire had watched her do it often as a child when she fought with Robert over not spending enough time with his daughter. She felt a pang of sorrow as the memory flashed in her mind; she had never remembered her birth mother to miss her before. 

      Elias gently touched her arm, imparting as much comfort as he could into the contact. She looked at him, violet eyes blazing with anger and pain. And, of course, hunger. "I will not use the sire bond again, chérie," he spoke in English again. 

      "Why should I believe you? You've lied to me since the moment we met. If I had known that you were the reason that I was sick to begin with, I would have never agreed to your offer. I wish that I had never even met you." 

Her words were like knives, slashing into Elias' heart. And he knew that he deserved each cut. His long solitude after the death of his partner had left him so empty, and he did not even realize it until he had wanted family again. He did not want to let her go so easily. "I will earn your trust back, Claire. I will." 

She shifted again, turning away from his earnest look. He had been her only source of comfort for so long, she did not know how to feel. The pull of the sire bond told her to trust his promises, but every other ounce of her gut told her to run from him. From everyone here. Disappear and never deal with any of the monsters again. 

      Suddenly, Marwen stepped away from the rest of The Council and cleared their throat for a final time. "The Council has reached a decision" they announced loudly.