Dance Around - Susi Hawke Page 0,12

bitch twice."

He looked past Isaac and wiggled his fingers at Gil. "Speaking of said neighborhood assassin, I hope you're not here to do another one of your impassioned omega rights speeches, Mr. Blythe. My predecessor told you to wait ten years before approaching us again, as I recall. By my count, we’re left with almost nine years before we're required to grant you an audience again."

Gil held his palms out. "It's good to be recognized, Sir Alfred. But no, today I'm merely escorting my friend Isaac. I'll leave the speeches to others today."

"Hmph. Thanks for the warning." Still amused, Sir Alfred returned his attention to Isaac. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret asking this later, but did you have any say in the mating contract accepted on your behalf? And if not, did you at least receive a portion of the dowry?"

Isaac jerked back with a classic double take. "Excuse me? Sir Alfred, surely you know an omega like me has no say over a mating contract. Under current council law, omegas have no rights until they either reach the age of fifty, become a widower, or have been emancipated with their parent or guardian's permission. Forgive me for saying so, but under your archaic law, I was forced to mate a stranger and endure night after night of gang rape from him and his friends. When I finally conceived, I was turned over to Salvador Dominguez and held prisoner by OPEN EYES for the duration of my pregnancy. At no point during any of my stay was I given even a portion of whatever dowry was paid by the Pennington family to gain possession of my body. And I phrase it as such because Chuck told me he was my owner, thanks to council law. While he might have owned my body, he didn't get to touch my soul. That part remained blessedly intact for my true mate, Nash Moreno, who rescued me from their hell."

For several seconds after Isaac’s impromptu speech, the room was loud with various members of the council rustling around and whispering to each other. My heart grew three times its size, swelling with pride for Isaac. I hadn't known he planned to say anything, if it was planned at all. A quick glance at my brother’s shocked yet equally proud face told me it hadn't been.

Go, Isaac. Make the council realize how harmful their backward laws and outdated thinking is for every omega on the planet.

Everyone fell silent when Sir Alfred held up a hand. His eyes filled with apology, he nodded gravely at Isaac. "We didn’t anticipate such a deep answer, young man. To show my sorrow for what you went through, I will allow the other members of your party to speak as requested after we've finished with this order of business. And even better, I promise to listen to what they have to say."

Sir Alfred snapped his fingers, and a set of doors opened on the right side of the chamber. Two huge men with blue skin, dressed in nothing but white loincloths and with gold armbands circling their large biceps, entered the room. Sal Dominquez was between them. His hands and feet were chained, yet he managed to look cocky as he attempted to strut toward the dais.

Sir Alfred told Isaac he could go back to his friends and motioned for Sal to be brought before him. The two blue men muscled him onto his knees, a meaty hand pushing down on each of his shoulders. Like the dryad, both men were strangely hairless, except for a small circle on the crown of their heads. I couldn't guess at the length, but their hair was braided and wound into a fat man-bun. Altogether, definitely a unique look.

When Sal tilted his chin defiantly and started to speak, Sir Alfred held both palms up. "I've heard enough from you, Mr. Dominguez. The council has already deliberated, and our two human members have signed off on your sentence. We were only waiting to verify the records found in your own home were as correct as they were evil. You stood here two weeks ago and lied to our faces, which further compounds your guilt. And yes, we knew you were lying at the time. The Golden Circle reveals all. We simply wanted to hear from Isaac himself, on the off chance the circle was wrong for the first time in history. You say you worry about humanity, and yet you have