Page 60 of Fallen

Nathan came to a stop in front of his cell, his gray-blue eyes soft with grief. There were shadows beneath them, and a defeated curve to his shoulders. “I’m sorry it’s come to this, Alex.”

“What’s happening? Why am I here?” he croaked.

Nathan straightened, as though preparing himself for something. “You can walk under your own power, or I can handcuff you. What’ll it be?”

Alex gaped. “Handcuff me? For what? Why am I here?”

Nathan shook his head. “That’s not a conversation we’re permitted to have here. As your captain, I’ve been instructed to bring you before the council.”

“The council?” Alex repeated faintly. “Why? Please just tell me why. I don’t understand what’shappening.”

Nathan sighed, bowing his head. When he met Alex’s eyes again, he wordlessly raised a finger to his own neck and tapped it. Alex reached up, his fingers finding the oval bite wound on his shoulder. His knees threatened to buckle.

They knew about Talon.

“You can’t escape what comes next, Alex,” Nathan said kindly. He keyed open the cell door and gestured for Alex to step out.

He was going to be sick. Or faint. Or both. His body shook, useless adrenaline coursing through his veins. How did they know? Had they been watching him? He’d been so focused on getting what he wanted, and so wrapped up in Talon, that he’d barely given the guild any thought at all. Now, both their lives were in danger because of his lapse in judgment. He should’ve covered his tracks better. Would they hunt Talon down? He had to warn him somehow. And what were they going to do withhim? No one had ever been caught with a demon like this, as far as he knew. Would they have him executed for cavorting with a demon? Did they still execute people these days? He didn’t think so, but there were no guidelines for this situation. He wasn’t sure a law even existed for this kind of betrayal.

He couldn’t believe this was happening. This morning he was floating, and somehow he’d found his way into a nightmare he couldn’t wake from.

The meeting chamber of the council was located in the administrative building. Frederic, a paladin, was waiting outside the double doors for them. Disdainful eyes tracked his steps down the hallway toward them.

“Are they ready?” Nathan asked Frederic.

“They are.” He knocked, and a voice from within called for them to enter. “The council will see you now.”

The council sat together at a long, raised bench, not unlike judges in a courtroom. They were the highest authority figures in the guild. Commander Sloan sat in the middle. Doctor Maxwell was beside him. Principal Barker was beside Maxwell, with Father Hawley and Diviner Rousseau on Sloan’s other side. A handful of witnesses from each division lined the room, standing at parade rest. Alex spied Ira, who shot him a quick wince. Nathan escorted him into the middle of the room, their steps seeming thunderous in the silence of the grand room.

“I present before the council for judgment, Paladin Alexander Hawk,” Nathan said deferentially, inclining his head toward the council.

Alex wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans, his throat clicking dryly. They were looking at him indisgust.

“Read for us the charges, Doctor Maxwell,” Sloan said, steepling his hands in front of him.

Doctor Maxwell, a dark-skinned man with short, white hair, lifted a sheet of paper and read through a pair of delicate reading glasses. “Two counts of disobeying direct orders, one count of vigilantism, and one count of…” He paused, glancing over the paper at Alex and then down again, “fraternizing with demonic entities.”

One. It was one entity, Alex thought mulishly.

“What have you to say for yourself?” Christina Rousseau asked, looking down her hawk-like nose at him.

Alex took a breath to speak, but he had no idea what to say.

“I think these charges speak for themselves, don’t you?” Sloan interrupted. “You were told to stand down and let another squad handle the demon. You refused. You were put on suspension for two weeks and orderedagainto stand down. You refused. Not only that, but I had someone posted outside your building to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid. And do you know what they saw?”

“You had someone watching my apartment?” Alex asked furiously.

“For your own protection,” Sloan said. “So you would have backup if you tried to do something like go after the demon alone or go back to that club for information. But instead they saw this.”

He clicked a button on a small remote, and the projector behind the bench lit up.

It was a photograph of him and Talon in the parking lot of his apartment last night, right after they’d returned from killing the mozgoran. They were locked together in a passionate kiss beside Talon’s sleek sports car. From this angle, Alex could see the possessive way Talon’s fingers curled tightly into the back of his shirt.

Sloan clicked a button, and another photo appeared. In this one, Talon was biting him, pulling his shirt aside harshly. Alex’s back was bowed, his head hanging back in abandon. Talon’s arms seemed to be the only thing holding him upright—and one of his hands was obviously palming Alex’s ass.

Those were good pictures. Heat pooled in his gut, and he dropped his gaze quickly, certain that wasn’t the reaction they were hoping for.

“He helped me,” he said softly.

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