Chapter Five

Raine sat between Sanjay and Rahul at the large triangular table in the meeting room of her grandmother’s villa. Across the table, Kesi and Saloni stared hard at the men.

The First Wraths–Vidonia, Lani, and Masika–sat along the table’s third edge, their expressions calm, not betraying their thoughts. As representative for Saloni, Kesi was allowed to speak first.

“We are here to prove this man,” Kesi sneered the word while tossing Rahul a scathing glance, “is guilty of wantonly seducing one of our trusted sisters, impregnating her, and leaving her with no other choice but to marry a man whose abuse led to the death of her child and nearly caused her own death. We are also here to seek justice for his father’s violent attack on our sisters as they attempted to carry out their duty. Both these men have already twisted the truth with the hope of avoiding their well deserved punishments. By the end of this trial, you will see that in order for justice to be served, both must be severely punished.”

Listening to Kesi, Raine knew she would have her work cut out for her proving Sanjay and Rahul’s innocence. After speaking to Rahul, she found it difficult to believe he was lying. To her annoyance, she found herself liking the seemingly forthright young man.

Vidonia nodded in Kesi’s direction, then turned to Raine. “You may speak.”

“Our primary reason for being here is not to dole out punishment, but to seek the truth,” Raine began. “The Wakened Veils originated because we as females found no justice in the laws of men. We created our own justice system with the goal of improving men’s unfair methods.

Unless we have become as petty, cruel, and narrow-minded as those we learned to despise, I plead with you to listen with open minds to what these men have to say.”

“We have heard your opening statements. Now we ask you to present the proof you’ve gathered,” Masika said. “Kesi, you may proceed.”

Kesi turned to Saloni with a sympathetic expression. Had the situation not been so grave, Raine would have smiled. Kesi could really lay it on thick when she had to. “Saloni, I realize how difficult this must be for you. When you came to us in good faith and asked for vengeance against Rahul for his crimes against you, we promised that justice would be served. Now you must again relive the past to remind the First Wraths about why they had, just weeks ago, given the order for Rahul’s execution.”

“It’s all right,” Saloni said, glancing down at her hands folded on the table in front of her. She hadn’t once glanced in Rahul’s direction, even to fling him a look of hatred. Very strange.

“Saloni, please tell us how you first met Rahul.”

“We met at the home of a friend – a married couple with whom we were both acquainted. Rahul later approached me while I was shopping in the marketplace. He seemed very sincere.”

“Only sincere?” Kesi pressed.

“And somehow. . .irresistible.”

“Irresistible.” A slow smile spread across Kesi’s face and she turned to the First Wraths. “I’d like to take this moment to remind you that at this time Saloni was a mere mortal with none of the vampiric powers later given to her. Rahul is weretiger and such creatures are known for their sexual magnetism. If Rahul desired Saloni in his bed, it would have been simple for him to lure her.”

“Objection,” Raine said. “It has never been proved that weretigers have any special seductive powers like vampires or Incubi.”

“Excuse me, but I personally know of at least two women who have been lured by the sexual magnetism of weretigers,” Kesi said, narrowing her eyes at Raine.

Anger surged through Raine, but she kept it under control. During a trial friendship meant nothing. By using what she knew about Raine and her grandmother to goad her opponent, Kesi was only doing her job.

“This trial is not about how many weretigers have seduced any number of women,” Lani said. “It is this particular tiger and woman we must focus on.”

Kesi bowed her head slightly in deference to the First Wrath before continuing, “Saloni, please tell us how you felt when Rahul began pursuing you.”

“Flattered. He is very handsome and from a good family, but it was more than that. He treated me with tenderness I had never felt from any man. I wanted to please him.”

“And he made it clear that bedding him would please him.”

“Yes.”

“What man wouldn’t?” Rahul said. “But I never pressured her.”

“Silence!” Vidonia ordered. “It is not your time to speak. Another outburst and this trial will be over.”

Sanjay cast his son a furious look and Raine sensed his concern. Though this trial was as important to the Veils as it was to the weretigers, the First Wraths would not allow what they considered insolence from the men.

“During this courtship, did he propose marriage to you?” Kesi asked.

“Yes. He said if I slept with him he would marry me.”

A muscle jerked in Rahul’s cheek and his teeth clenched visibly, though he refrained from speaking.

Raine glanced at Sanjay and noted the tension in his expression as well. Fear of what might happen to him, should the trial go badly, curled inside her.

“How long did your affair last?” Kesi’s voice forced Raine out of her thoughts and back to the trial.

“Close to a month.”

“And then?”

“He broke it off. I can only assume he was bored with me. Soon after I learned of my pregnancy.”

“Did you tell him?”

“Yes.”

Raine glanced sharply at Rahul, fearful that he might lose his temper, but he remained silent.

“What did he do?” Kesi continued.

“He denied that it was his. After that he left India. My family didn’t know about my situation, so when they arranged a marriage for me, I pressed for a quick wedding. I needed to make a home for my child.”

“What kind of home was it?” Kesi asked in a soft, compassionate voice.

“My husband beat me often. It was because of that my baby was born prematurely and died. If not for the midwife who gave me the gift of vampirism, I would have died giving birth to him.”

Throughout the trial, Saloni had scarcely lifted her gaze from the table. Tears dripped down her face and she wiped them away.

Kesi offered her a tissue and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you, Saloni. That’s all.”

Masika turned to Raine. “You may proceed.”

“Saloni, I apologize because I know this is difficult for you,” Raine began, “however I must ask you some questions.”

“Of course.” Saloni dabbed at her eyes with the tissue.

“How long ago did you and Rahul meet?”

“A little over a century ago.”

“A century.” Raine paused significantly. “Not long for many of us, but according to the mortal world it is quite some time ago. Sexuality wasn’t nearly as free back then, even in the most liberal places.”

“No.” Saloni smiled tremulously. “Things were quite backward.”

“I understand how difficult it is to refrain from getting closer to someone you care about, one to whom you’re greatly attracted, but didn’t you think about the risk you were taking in having sexual relations with a man who wasn’t your husband?”

“I. . .I was very young and foolish,” Saloni admitted.

“Objection!” Kesi snapped. “Surely you can’t be insinuating that a young mortal girl would have any chance of defending herself emotionally against a weretiger with a couple of centuries behind him?”

“I’m not insinuating anything. I’m saying that during that time, during any time, a woman, just like a man, must be held accountable for her actions.”

“He told me he loved me,” Saloni said, fresh tears spilling down her face. “I believed him.”

“I have no further questions for Saloni,” Raine said, then she turned to Rahul. “Please tell us how you first met Saloni.”

“Like she said, it was at the home of a mutual friend.”

“Did you later approach her when she was alone?”

“Yes, but not to seduce her.”

“Oh, right,” Saloni muttered, for the first time meeting Rahul’s gaze.

Raine was almost taken aback by the emotions raging between them.

“Silence.” Vidonia glanced at Saloni. “I must remind you not to speak out of turn.”

“I’m sorry.” Again Saloni lowered her gaze.

“If you didn’t want to seduce her, then why did you approach her?” Raine asked.

“Because I liked her and wanted to know her better.”

“Did you ask her to sleep with you?”

“Not right away, and I didn’t exactly ask her.”

“Please explain.”

“It sort of just happened.”

Raine nodded. “I see. And after it happened, did you ask her to marry you?”

“Yes, and she refused.”

Saloni glared. “He’s a liar.”

“I never lie,” Rahul said through gritted teeth.

“Order!” Lani demanded. “Saloni, this is your second warning. One more and we will be forced to reprimand you.”

Raine turned back to Rahul. “Did she give you a reason for her refusal?”

“No.”

“Did you stop seeing her?”

He sighed deeply and his gaze flickered downward. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I hoped she would change her mind.”

“When did she tell you she was pregnant?”

“She didn’t. When she finally confided that her parents had arranged her marriage and she would not go against them, I left India.”

“I have no further questions,” Raine said.

“Kesi?” Vidonia asked.

Kesi held Rahul’s gaze. “You claim that you didn’t ask Saloni to sleep with you, that it sort of just happened. Could you explain how something like that could just happen?”

“Not really, no.”

“I see. So the two of you were walking through a crowded marketplace and a lustful spirit leapt into your body, forcing you to have sex with her and it was completely beyond your control?”

“No.” Rahul’s eyes blazed.

“Then you were someplace private?”

“Of course.”

“Why would you, in that day and age, take a woman to whom you were not engaged, someplace private if not to seduce her?”

Rahul’s jaw tightened even more and he seemed at a loss for words.

“I withdraw the question.” Kesi smiled slightly. “I think we get the picture. Do you agree, Rahul, that your affair with Saloni lasted about a month?”

“Yes.”

“And during that time you were just begging for her hand in marriage, but she continued to refuse, even though she admits you were a great catch?”

“Yes.”

“Did you use protection of any kind?”

“It was not common at the time.”

“So for a month you had unprotected sex with a woman, then just left the country without sticking around long enough to see if any children came out of it?”

“She was marrying someone else.”

“Oh yes, there’s that. How do you feel knowing your baby died because she was forced into the home of an abusive man?”

“Terrible, if you must know.” Rahul’s eyes gleamed with such genuine emotion that Raine actually felt sorry for him.

“Do you admit that if you had remained in India where Saloni could have confided in you about her pregnancy, your child would probably have lived?”

“Objection! How can he possibly speculate about something that was in the hands of nature itself?” Raine interrupted.

Again Kesi smiled. “I withdraw the question, and I have no further questions for this man.”

The First Wraths exchanged glances, then Vidonia said, “You are dismissed until seven o’clock this evening when we will meet back here and we will question Saloni and Rahul in private.”

Raine sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. Her grandmother’s statement proved that both she and Kesi had failed to sway the three founders of their sisterhood. She had hoped for a fast trial.

Now there was no telling how long it might take.

Sanjay rested a hand on her shoulder. She turned and gazed into his dark eyes.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“I hope I helped a little,” she replied.

“Regardless of the outcome, I will always care for you, Raine, and I will always be grateful.”

Even if it’s war between our people. He didn’t have to speak the words. The threat stood between them like an impenetrable wall.

If the Veils sentenced the men to death, they would try to escape. With their power, there was a chance they could actually get away. If they did, the Veils wouldn’t rest until they were hunted down. Raine flinched to think of the gory battle between the Wakened Veils and the weretiger clan. It could literally last for ages. She and her lover, a man she had grown to respect and care for, would be trapped in the middle of it.

* * * *

Two days later, after intense questioning and deliberation, the First Wraths had yet to decide Rahul and Sanjay’s fate. Both Saloni and Rahul seemed equally sincere, and while the First Wraths admitted they would like to condemn Rahul, they could not doubtlessly accuse him.

Again the group sat at the triangular table where Vidonia announced the solution to their dilemma.

“We have decided that to best serve justice we will seek the assistance of one who projects thoughts.”

Lani continued, “Since this is a rare gift, there is only one women whom we fully trust to project the untainted truth. “ “Word has been sent to Panya, a daemon with the power to read and project thoughts,” Masika said. “It will take her another week to arrive.”

Raine exchanged glances with Sanjay. Another week in the cage. She cringed at the thought of what he must be going through.

“May I speak?” Sanjay asked and Lani motioned for him to go on. “I know a daemon with the same power currently residing in Spain. He can arrive much sooner and help put an end to this trial.”

“He?” Kesi demanded. She looked at the First Wraths. “For something this important we cannot trust an unknown male to interfere. How can we be certain he will show us accurate projections and not manipulated images?”

“Please, I don’t understand what you mean by projections,” Saloni said. “And can we trust any demon, male or female, to act justly?”

“Not demon. Daemon. A demigod. Not necessarily evil,” Raine told her. “As for the power to project thoughts, it is exactly as it sounds. They can read minds and create images for others to see, like a hologram.”

“You mean, I must look at exactly what happened to me?” Panic glistened in Saloni’s eyes.

“Of course you may refuse to participate,” Vidonia said. “However this will facilitate the process.”

“Are you afraid they’ll see the truth?” Rahul demanded.

“You are willing to reveal yourself so completely?” Saloni retorted.

He lifted his chin. “Yes.”

“For your father’s male daemon or one of our choosing?” Kesi asked.

“Either one.”

“Then we will wait for Panya to arrive. Also, we have decided that if the man is found guilty, he and his father will be executed immediately by beheading.”

Saloni looked up sharply. “Isn’t it customary to beat the guilty part first, and allow his accuser to decide if she wishes to follow through with execution? ” Vidonia nodded. “It is, but we tried that the first time and he managed to avoid his full punishment. This way there is no chance for escape or survival.”

“This is what you want, Saloni?” Rahul asked quietly.

“It’s what you deserve.”

“Look at me when you say that.”

Raine’s heart pounded in anticipation. A glance around the room revealed everyone else staring at Saloni, anxiously awaiting her reply. Perhaps Raine was no longer the only one who doubted her reliability.

“Look at me,” Rahul demanded again.

“Objection!” Kesi shouted.

“Overruled,” Lani said.

Saloni turned her gaze to Rahul, then looked to the First Wraths. “I would prefer he not be executed.”

“But he is responsible for the death of your child,” Vidonia prodded. “And he would have been the cause of your death as well, had it not been for your vampiric creator.”

“For these crimes, which the daemon will confirm, the man must pay to the fullest,” Lani said.

“Wait,” Saloni murmured. “Perhaps there has been a slight exaggeration.”

“Exaggeration?” Masika asked. “In what way?”

“He might not have known about the child.”

“Might not?” Vidonia snapped. “Explain.”

“I actually never got around to telling him.”

“What?” Kesi raised an eyebrow at Saloni.

“But even if I had told him I doubt he would have done anything about it.”

“That’s not true,” Rahul said. “If I had wanted to marry you before knowing you carried my child, I would have wanted you even more after.”

“You wanted me so much that now, scarcely a century later, you’ve decided to marry someone else!”

“Is that what this is about?” Rahul stared at her. “I can’t believe you would send assassins after me out of petty jealousy after you rejected me.”

“You knew my situation!” she snapped. “I had to do what my family wanted. You knew that from the first.”

“Did you know that?” Sanjay asked Rahul. “She told you she belonged to someone else but you seduced her anyway?”

“Father, whose side are you on?” Rahul snapped.

“The side of truth.”

“I loved her.”

“You lusted after her,” Kesi accused.

“Yes!” Rahul shouted in exasperation. “Yes, I lusted after her. She was young and innocent. I wanted her and took her, knowing it was wrong.”

“And I wanted him,” Saloni said quietly. “When I realized I was pregnant, I wanted to change my mind about marrying the man my father had chosen. I wanted my child to know his real father, but you were gone, Rahul.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“So you’re telling us you were as much to blame as Rahul,” Lani said. “And you used your position in the Veils to satisfy your jealousy, not to punish a truly guilty man?”

“Damn,” Kesi muttered under her breath and flashed Saloni an angry look.

“We need to decide where to go from here,” Vidonia said. “The First Wraths will discuss this matter privately and return with our decision within the hour.”

The three leaders left the room.

“What do you think will happen to me?” Saloni whispered to Kesi.

“I have no idea,” Kesi replied. “And don’t even talk to me, Saloni. I am so mad at you right now.”

Raine turned to Sanjay. They exchanged a relieved look.

“It’s safe to say you and Rahul are no longer in danger of execution,” she said.

“Then why don’t they just let us go?” Rahul asked.

“Don’t look quite so happy.” Sanjay cast his son a stern look. “You might not have been as bad as Saloni described, but you did not act honorably.”

“What?” Rahul looked stunned.

“You placed a young girl, not to mention your own child, in a terrible situation. You did this knowing she was promised to another man.”

“But—“

“Silence. I am disappointed in you, Rahul.”

“You would be,” Rahul snapped. “What did you ever know about love? You married my mother with no love between you.”

“That is not your business, boy.”

“Then why is my life your business?”

“Stop it, both of you!” Raine snapped.

Beneath the table, she reached for Sanjay’s hand. He squeezed hers gently and offered her a strained smile. He might be disappointed in his son, but at least now they would have the chance to work out their problems without the threat of death by assassins hanging over their heads.

A short time later, a loup-garou warrior stepped into the room and called for Sanjay. The First Wraths wished to speak to him in private. Raine watched him leave the room, her heart pounding as she wondered what they wanted to discuss. Moments later, he and the three women returned to the table.

“It seems Rahul and Saloni are equally at fault and the only one to have suffered was the child you created,” Vidonia said.

“For that you both deserve punishment,” Lani said.

“We have decided, and Sanjay agrees, that Saloni and Rahul will serve a month long prison term during which they will share the same cell.”

“What?” Saloni and Rahul shouted in unison.

“Father, how can you allow this?” Rahul demanded.

“You must face responsibility for your past actions and also come to terms with your true feelings for this woman,” Sanjay said.

“But I can’t stay away for a month. I have a business to run!”

“And I am your partner, so I grant you the time off. I can run the business along with our vice president who has been handling it very well since we’ve been away dealing with this issue.”

“It’s not only the business. I’m engaged to be married. What will Nidhi think?”

“As of this moment you no longer have my approval for that marriage.”

“What? Father, even without your approval Nidhi and I—“ Sanjay glared. “Isn’t it bad enough that you ruined one woman without doing the same to another?”

“What?”

“You do not love Nidhi because you are still in love with Saloni.”

Rahul looked horrified. “I’m not.”

“You are becoming a compulsive liar, Rahul,” Sanjay continued. “As leader of your clan, I order you to fulfill the punishment set for you by the Wakened Veils. End of discussion.”

“I will not be forced to live with him!” Saloni glared at Rahul.

“You will do what you’re told,” Vidonia said. “In our long history no member of the Wakened Veils has ever used the power of this organization for such a petty thing as jealousy.”

“You’re lucky they didn’t throw you out entirely,” Kesi added.

“I am sorry,” Saloni said. “But if you must punish me, at least put me in solitary confinement.”

“For you to be so jealous of a man even after so many years, you must still have deep feelings for him,” Lani said. “Use this time to come to terms with him and with yourself.”

Fifi and Angelique, in their half-beast shape, approached. One grasped Saloni while the other took Rahul’s arm. He shoved her away, his face and body shifting into its tiger form. Sanjay also shifted. Part black tiger, part man, he grasped his son in an unbreakable hold. He dragged him out of the meeting room and followed the wolf women and Saloni to the cells below.

* * * *

Later that night, Raine and Sanjay walked side by side down the beach. His arm draped around her, he held her close to his side. She leaned against him, one hand caressing his chest.

“I almost feel sorry for Rahul and Saloni,” she said.

“It will do them both good. There are many unresolved feelings between them. Perhaps now they will be mature enough to handle them.”

Raine laughed. “I wonder.”

He chuckled and squeezed her gently. “What about us? Are we mature enough to admit that perhaps there is more between us than incredible sex?”

Raine’s pulse quickened and she drew a deep breath. She had vowed never to surrender her heart to a man. Never to love. Lately never seemed like a long, lonely time.

“I have come to care for you deeply, Raine. I don’t want this to be the end for us.”

“Neither do I,” she admitted. “But I need to move slowly – at least on an emotional level.”

“I understand.”

“What about you? As a clan leader, don’t you have rules to follow about who you can marry?”

“I have already married for my clan and produced an heir. I have learned the hard way that it’s wrong to commit to someone you don’t love. From now on I want to choose the mate of my heart. I believe I have found her.”

Sanjay stopped walking and Raine paused too. He gently took her chin and tilted her face toward his. A thrill of desire coursed through her as she stood on tiptoe and accepted his tender yet penetrating kiss.

“Don’t refuse me, Raine.”

“I won’t.” She whispered against his lips. Burying her fingers in his hair, she kissed him again.

Her tongue met his with warm, passionate strokes. When the kiss broke, both were slightly breathless. Meeting his obsidian gaze, she offered a slight smile. “But there are conditions.”

“Ah yes.” He grinned, taking her hand and continuing down the beach. “With the Wakened Veils there are always conditions.”

“A woman can’t be too careful, especially when she’s falling in love.”

“You would think I am the one who must be careful, considering I have just handed my heart to a Succubus.”

She tightened her grip on his hand. “I’ll be careful with it, weretiger.”

With Sanjay beside her and the burden of the trial over, Raine felt a completeness she had never experienced before. Maybe, just maybe, she had been wrong about love after all, or perhaps she had simply gotten the only decent man left in the world. Either way, she wasn’t going to question her luck. For the first time in her life, she intended to simply enjoy it.

The End