Hendrix ✓

48 ★ You have my heart

     "Please, sit." Shepherd motions toward an empty chair with an open arm, wiping at his forehead with the other hand to rid it of nervous sweat while he takes his own seat.

     I oblige, sliding smoothly into the leather and drumming my fingertips across the black tabletop impatiently. Everyone eyes me warily, and I glare back at anyone who tries me. Councilwoman Ardeta smiles at me, a familiar face in a sea of fearful glances.

     A female clears her throat, and I look up at her. I recognize her. She's from the CPO. I don't know what district, but I already don't like her by the way she stares at me with evil eyes.

     "I really don't see why you're even considering  closing us down. We didn't do anything wrong, Councilman, you have to understand."

     Shepherd holds up a single finger, going from stressed to direct in a second. The CPO is controlled by the Council, and funded by the Guard. The way she speaks to him is childish, and disrespectful. His motion shuts her up quickly.

     "You are head of the child rehoming committee, Miss Vastis. Clearly, you knew about what they were doing to the human women, I say women because I'm sure there were many more than Alpha Veiler's mate, weren't there?" He presses, and her fake sweet disposition shifts into something more sinister.

     Her face is twisted in a glare, and she huffs like she doesn't have time to explain her crimes.

     "There were a couple, yes. But you don't understand, humans are worthless. A couple of them being killed to preserve our species, our pups, it's no sin. No one will miss them." She makes the mistake of letting those words out in front of me, and I'm out of my chair and snarling before she can take them back. She gasps, having the nerve to put a hand out as if it could possibly stop me.

      "Now, now. Calm down. We have this under control. The Council has already made its decision." A female speaks up, she's clearly a goblin with her curled fingers and ears, a superior look shot at the CPO woman.

      Miss Vastis pales, a flicker of hope in her eyes. She opens her mouth, but Shepherd speaks before she can ask.

      "We'll let you know as soon as we get everything we want to know." He pauses, flipping open a folder and scrolling his eyes down the information typed before him. "Is it true that you had permission, at some point, from a Council member? Or was that forged?"

     She gulps, nodding her head.

     "We had permission. Before, we did it without any approval, which was risky. We knew what we were doing was right, but that not everyone would understand how ethnological our operations were, but someone found out. Someone leaked it to a Councilman, and he came straight to my office. I was scared he would be angry and put a stop to us, but he didn't. He was glad with the idea. He even asked for a favor in return of his stamp of approval."

      My stomach sinks, and I think I know what and who exactly she's talking about. I can only hope that I'm not right. Oh please, Moon Goddess, let me be wrong.

     "And whom, may I ask, was that?" He continues.

     "Why, Councilman Cole of course." I cringe, looking down and sighing. I was right after all.

      "What favor did he want in return?" I demand. The female dares to look put off by my question, as if I don't have the right to ask her. "I am your King. I may not be ruling anymore, but I can take back my rightful throne as soon as I want. That's part of the Guard's system, part of the law I wrote. You want to know why? Because I built this government, and I can take it away, just as easy as I can take away your pathetic life. So, do you feel more like talking now?"