Four Diet Cokes, three bags of Cheetos, seven grilled cheeses, and one and a half packages of Oreos later, I had a solid plan. Dad had even given me notecards. We’d gone through them three times, and he’d drilled me on questions—even the hard stuff. I’d been uncomfortable with the role-playing at first. It’d been hard for me to answer his questions, but by the last time, I had my answers down. I was ready. The Tribunal seemed slightly less scary.
I sat on the kitchen island, kicking my feet. The cool marble felt good against my warm Were skin. I still wasn’t used to being so hot all the time. It was something I wasn’t sure I’d ever adjust to.
“You’re pretty good at this stuff.”
Dad laughed. “It’s my job, kiddo.”
I stared at my feet. “What if none of this works?”
“Do your best.” He leaned against the kitchen counter across from me. “But don’t forget that no one can force you to do something you don’t want to do.”
I ate another Oreo. “That’s not true.”
“Maybe before it wasn’t true, but you’re stronger than everyone else now. That’s why they’re making such a fuss over this. Don’t be afraid to use that to your advantage if it comes to it.”
I didn’t feel that strong. Sure, I was more in control than I used to be, but I didn’t really know anything about my bruja side. And I was just starting to understand the Were part of me. I’d only shifted for the first time a few days ago. It wasn’t like this was a home run.
I was new. I felt new. I felt the opposite of empowered, but I needed to get there if I was going to win. So, how was I supposed to do that before tonight?
I wasn’t sure at all. It seemed like every time I took a step forward, I took five back. Eventually, maybe I’d get somewhere, but it was a trudge. I didn’t want it to be a trudge. I wanted to own it.
“You’re a smart girl, Teresa. You can do anything you put your mind to.”
I was fully committed to both staying alive and being with Dastien, but the rest…
It was going to take more than visualization to come out of the Tribunal unscathed.
Chapter Seven
Ever since the second I’d stepped into my new town, Marion, Texas, I’d been in danger of some sort or another. Bitten. Vampires. A coup. A curse gone wrong. Coven politics. Basically everything that had led to the Tribunal had been an overwhelming clusterfuck of bad. And yet, even as scared as I was, I didn’t regret moving here. When it came down to it, I was dealing with bullies. I had plenty of experience with that. Only these bullies had claws and fangs.
And spells. Mustn’t forget the spells.
Dastien and I stood on the same dais used in the Full Moon Ceremony, but it had been pushed to the side of a massive bonfire. Weres crowded the stone benches, sitting or standing all around, filling the air with nervous energy. As big and overwhelming as the gathering had been last night, this one was bigger.
So, if they decide they want us dead, then what? They throw us in this massive fire?
Dastien looked at me like I was crazy.
What? It’s a valid question.
No. The fire’s for light.
Yeah, but we have crazy good eyesight. Do we really need it?
He shrugged. It looks more official with the fire.
Official. Sure. Because what this whole mess needed was to be more official.
Mr. Dawson stood on the other side of the fire. “A charge has been raised against two of our pack. One against Dastien Laurent, for turning a girl without pack permission and without providing her with the proper warning and education. One against Teresa McCaide, for losing control of her wolf and attacking a fellow member of the pack.”
I expected some whispering or murmuring among the Weres, but no one said a thing. The only sounds were from the woods and the crackling fire.
“Tonight, we’ll hear testimonies from a handful of people. This includes Luciana Alverez from the local coven. Letting a witch speak here is highly unusual, and Luciana will only be allowed to say her piece before she’s escorted off pack lands. Once everyone involved tonight has spoken, we’ll break to debate our course of action, and then Muraco and Ferdinand of the Seven, along with five randomly selected pack alphas who’ve traveled here, will decide what’s to be done.”
Why weren’t Sebastian and Donovan voting? That made me way more nervous. I thought I had at least a few votes in the bag.
Donovan continued like he’d been reading my thoughts. “A point has been raised that myself and two of the Seven are biased toward the couple in question.”