Unleashed by the Defender (Brides of the Kindred #25) - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,10

had to have the biggest, baddest, most intractable bodyslaves and she swore she could tame this one. Oh, how I wish she had listened to me!” And she broke down into noisy sobs once more.

The green-haired Prosecutor patted her shaking shoulders absently as she continued talking to the judge.

“Six solar months ago, after acquiring and failing to tame the Nightwalker Kindred bodyslave, J’are Tanlor, Tanta Zangelo was killed in her bed on the Lunar month of Tebrulary the thirty-third at midnight. Specifically, she had her head ripped off and partially eaten,” she said blandly.

“What?” Imani exclaimed before she could stop herself.

The judge glared at her.

“Councilor, do you have something to add?”

Imani attempted to recover from the shocking statement.

“I…I’m sorry, your honor,” she said. “I just don’t believe my client could be capable of such savagery.”

Up shot the bright blue eyebrow again.

“Councilor, have you seen your client?” Judge Thoughtgood demanded.

“Well…no.” Imani cleared her throat. “Actually, I haven’t had a chance to visit with him yet because someone changed the trial date to today instead of a week from now.”

The green-haired Prosecutor spoke up.

“That request was placed by the Prosecution because your client has since killed five more people—all fellow inmates—while being held in our correctional facility here in Opulex,” she said. “We were hoping to move up his execution date before he killed anyone else.”

“What?” Imani exclaimed again.

“Oh, so you didn’t know that either? Do try to keep up, Councilor,” Judge Thoughtgood said, frowning.

“So now I need to defend him on six murder charges, not just one?” Imani asked. “I’m just trying to clarify, your honor.”

“Oh, no.” The judge shook her head, her towering hair quivering with the motion. “As the Council for the Prosecution said, your client’s other victims were fellow inmates—other males. We don’t consider their deaths worth prosecuting. But your client must still die for the vile murder of Lady Tanta Zangelo.”

“But your honor, the Prosecution hasn’t yet proved that he did, in fact, commit the murder!” Imani protested. “All they have said was that the victim’s head was ripped off and, er, eaten. What proof do they have that my client is to blame?”

“Only the fact that he was the only other person in the house with her that night—since she’d given her other servants the night off,” the Prosecutor said. “And the fact that her blood was smeared all over your client’s hands, face, and chest when he was found the next day.”

“Which appears to make him extremely guilty,” Judge Thoughtgood remarked. “And since he’s nothing but a male, I’m inclined to rule in that direction and grant the Prosecution’s request that he should be executed tomorrow morning.”

“Wait!” Imani exclaimed. Things were spinning out of control so quickly! Her client was about to be sentenced and executed and she hadn’t even had a chance to defend him yet! “Wait, please, your Honor!” she said again. “I…I haven’t even had my turn to speak yet.”

“All right then—is the Prosecution finished?” Judge Thoughtgood looked at the green-haired lawyer, who nodded.

“Yes, your honor. The Prosecution rests.”

“Very well. You may speak,” the judge said to Imani. “Now what can you possibly have to say that will change my mind about putting down a rabid animal who would kill a poor, innocent Mistress who took him in and gave him a home?”

Poor innocent Mistress my ass! She was probably using a pain collar on him and torturing him just because he wouldn’t obey her every whim! Imani thought indignantly.

But of course, this was Yonnie Six where males were second class citizens—actually, not even citizens at all. They were treated like pets and like a pet that has gone crazy and hurt someone, her client was about to be put down. Unless she could say or do or show something to prove his innocence, he was going to die before she ever even got to meet him!

Frantically, she scrambled among the papers on the long table in front of her—she hadn’t even had a chance to read them yet! She—

Then her hand fell on the tiny, fingernail-sized drive the Kindred operative had given her. Picking it up, Imani realized it was her only chance.

“Your honor,” she said, holding out the drive. “I would like to submit this drive into evidence and ask the court to examine its contents thoroughly.”

“Objection! The Defender can’t just offer new evidence without giving us a chance to examine it,” the green-haired Prosecutor exclaimed.

“Normally, she could not. However, my curiosity is piqued,” Judge Thoughtgood remarked. “Let’s all examine