Oath Sworn - K.N. Banet Page 0,106

empty for my entire Tribunal, no support or condemnation from my own kind except in the form of Lani, who sat as close to me as she could.

“Welcome to the last day of Jacqueline Leon’s trial, everyone,” a vampire called. “Today we’re going to hear final arguments from anyone wishing to come forward and speak on her behalf and from the prisoner herself. Is there anyone wishing to step forward?”

No one answered. All of the wolves were done. A smothered cry came from the back that made me turn around. Heath was whispering to his daughter, probably explaining to her that humans weren’t allowed to speak on my behalf. She was only allowed to watch. I waved at her, hoping she would see me.

When she waved back, I knew I would do it all over again.

“No one?” a fae asked from his spot, standing up as well. “Really? Are we finally out of wolves that want to talk? Finally.”

“Packs,” one of the Tribunal werewolves said softly. “They’re always like this. I never thought I would see a pack defend a werecat, but if one was going to, all of them were. Fenris surprised me. That must account for something.”

Fenris had surprised me too.

“Doesn’t matter. Jacqueline, please stand and begin your final argument.”

I stood up, clasping my hands in front of me. I had over a week to think of all the things I had wanted to say, and they escaped me. I was blank for a moment.

“Well?” A witch sounded impatient.

“I wanted to do what I promised,” I started, swallowing my fear. “I swore an oath to Carey Everson to defend her, to protect her as I would a child of my own. I only did what my Duty demanded—”

“Yes. The other werecat said this argument as well,” a vampire yawned as he spoke. “And we’re not inclined to excuse your involvement with werewolf politics, something explicitly against the Law for werecats. You entered their territory and joined something you had no part in.”

“It’s been eight hundred years since the war!” I snapped. That brought my words back. “Eight hundred years. And you know what? Yeah, Lani and I are in agreement. I did as my Duty commanded of me. I might have lost Carey, but I didn’t give up on her. I wasn’t the party who broke the Law first. Dean and Emma, and their lackeys, were. Would you have dragged them up here and put them under fire for a week?” I pointed a finger at the bored vampire. “And maybe you should think of the repercussions of executing me, like Brin pointed out. Werecats were put in the position we hold for a reason. What does it say to those with human families that you’re willing to execute someone who is brave enough to go the distance to protect them? My kind, we can’t afford to fail. We can’t afford to be useless. We have to succeed. So I did. It was the right thing to do, not just for me or the werewolves, but for the supernaturals everywhere. So they can go home tonight with their human spouses or mates and feel like their local werecat is the right choice to make to defend them when things go sour.”

“And it was the right thing to do for the humans,” someone called from the back.

The voice made me gasp. I spun around so fast that I knocked the chair over.

“Hasan,” Lani whispered near me.

“Forgive my tardiness,” he called to the Tribunal. “I was in the middle of some family things.” He was standing at the main door, which was just closing behind him. “Jacqueline has a point. You can’t execute her. This entire situation has been a mess. The best way to let it lie is not by killing her, but by accepting that she did the right thing. The honorable thing.” He began to walk slowly down the center aisle. “I’ve been on this Tribunal since before it was this big.” He didn’t look at me. He looked over the crowd, which was nearly every supernatural in the state of Texas and a few of the neighboring states. “It’s grown in the last century, it seems…”

“Hasan. It’s good to have you here,” a fae said, grinning. “But tell me, how is it good for the humans, too? Werecats are still covered by secrecy.”

“For now,” he agreed. “But if you start killing my kind for being in the tough position of oath-sworn and honorable and following a