Shadow's End
Page 42

Graydon stroked wisps of hair off her face. “Does he gamble anymore?”
His words pulled her back to the present. She paused, thinking. “No, not to my knowledge. Not since England.”
“Then don’t lose hope, not yet.”
She drew back so she could search his shadowed expression. “Gray, why did you come? Has something happened?”
Gently, he laid a large, broad hand over her mouth, stopping her flow of words. We should talk telepathically, he told her. We haven’t done anything to trigger the connection, and I don’t sense Malphas anywhere, but he has slipped up on us before, remember?
I could never forget. She gripped his thick, strong wrist, staring up into his dark, shadowed gaze. You do know something!
A slow smile widened his mouth and crinkled the corners of his eyes.
A few months ago, information came into my possession, he told her. I didn’t go looking for it, and it also has nothing to do with what happened to us and Ferion two hundred years ago, so it doesn’t violate the terms of our bargain. I sent investigators into the field to verify the details and gather more evidence.
The thought of the risk he had taken made her stomach clench. Her fingers tightened on his wrist.
Before she could say anything, he added quickly, They’re very good investigators and experienced professionals, thorough and careful to hide their tracks. I took great care.
Her breath shuddered. Of course you did.
I also went outside both our demesnes. They’re not even Wyr. Well, one of them isn’t. The other who is Wyr has no ties to the Wyr demesne – in fact, he used to be an Elder tribunal Peacekeeper. He’s young, but he’s respected for the impartiality and quality of his work.
What did they find? she asked.
Exactly what you would expect. His gaze turned fierce and eagle-sharp. What happened to Ferion was no isolated incident. Malphas has enslaved others, Bel. Humans, Dark and Light Fae, Vampyres. His reach crosses over multiple demesnes.
Disappointment began to darken her hopes. None of that goes against Djinn law, just as Ferion’s debt didn’t.
I have several things to say to that. Just as he had so long ago, he pressed his lips to her forehead. Closing her eyes, she leaned into his kiss. Since Malphas has enslaved them, their behavior has changed.
She sucked in a breath. That sounded like her worst nightmare about Ferion. What do you mean?
Bank statements show them funneling money to accounts that can be traced back to his casino. In itself, that isn’t alarming, since supposedly they owed him money anyway, but some have switched political parties. A couple are committing fraud, even though the investigators could find no history of criminal behavior in their past. A few months back, there was a senator’s son who died in a boating accident – do you remember?
Her eyebrows drew together. You mean a human senator in the federal government?
Yes.
She searched her memory but came up blank. No, I’m sorry. I don’t remember. Usually, I take note of that sort of thing, and I send a message of condolence.
He stroked the back of her neck gently. You’ve been preoccupied with your own problems here.
That was true enough. What happened?
Before he was killed in the boating accident, the senator’s son spent a great deal of time at Malphas’s casino in Las Vegas. Senator Jackson, his father, arrived, paid off a debt totaling close to two million dollars and took his son home.
He couldn’t seem to stop touching her, and his small caresses were drugging her with pleasure. She rubbed her face, forcing herself to concentrate as she digested his words. Unlike us, he was able to get to his son in time.
Also, unlike us, the debt was in the official casino records. The Senator could pay it off, and Malphas couldn’t claim that only his son could clear the debt. Graydon paused. She realized he was standing on the balls of his feet, his big body poised for action. Shortly after, the son died in a freak squall.
Her mind raced over possible consequences. Is there proof that Malphas murdered him?
No. But we don’t need conclusive proof of a murder. He framed her face with his hands. His gaze had turned fierce. We have enough proof of everything else, along with what happened to the other victims he enslaved, that we can now establish a clear, documented pattern of behavior without ever mentioning what happened to Ferion.
She repeated, Documented behavior.
The reality of what he was saying began to sink in. Over the last several months, while she had been fighting to recover along with rest of her people, Graydon had been patiently, carefully collecting proof to use against Malphas.
Along with everything else, she remembered what he had said, as if it had happened yesterday.
I will keep looking for a way to get out of this. No matter how long it takes, no matter what I have to do. I will not stop until we’re all freed.
He had kept to his word. Looked at houses in Charleston. All this time, when she had been fighting despair and discouragement, he had been quietly fighting.
Her heart filled with a powerful, unnamed emotion. Wetness spilled from the corners of her eyes.
He said, This is no longer about whether Malphas broke Djinn law. This is about crimes against other Elder Races. Crimes against humanity.
You’re saying it’s a matter of tribunal law, she breathed.
He nodded. After all the victims from Devil’s Gate, and the human casualties in the Nightkind demesne, along with other problematic events, like the bombing of the Oracle’s home in Louisville, the human government is acting very spooked right now. Senator Jackson is heading a federal subcommittee to look into what they claim are abuses committed by the Elder Races. His appointment can’t be an accident. Relations between humans and Elder Races have never been so strained before. The tribunal will not be able to set this aside.
She moistened dry lips. You mean we can get enough support to kill Malphas.