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his eyes. I could look at them all day, but I am worried about what he just said.
    “Tribunal? Council? What are those?”  I ask.
    “Governing bodies. The tribunal is comprised of the heads of each house for all the major families, Packs, Vampire Clans, Covens, and Fae Courts.”
    The United Nations of the not quite human?
    “The council is Therian community only,” he says.
    “Therian? What does that mean?”
    “ Therian is short for therianthropy, which is the metamorphosis of a man into an animal. Therian is the word we use to encompass all species of shape shifters.”
    “Great. I am just learning to handle the idea of werewolves, and now you throw vampires and fairies my way,” I huff.
    “Fae,” he corrects.
    “Whatever.”
    He has the nerve to laugh.  “Baby, you have no idea what you just got cast into, do you? Therians and Vampires are the bulk of the tribunal in this region. The others rarely show up. Witches are too human to care about our problems. Fae are stuck up. They live on an alternate plane of existence parallel to ours. If it does not happen over there, we’re not likely to see them.”
    Soberly I ask ,  “How much trouble am I in?”
    His sigh is heavy and brings me no relief.  “Humans want to use you as a weapon, right?”
    “Yes, but don’t I get points for foiling their evil plan?” I murmur.
    “You already cashed that favor in otherwise you would be dead. The vote barely went in favor of keeping you alive long enough to find out what you know.”
    “What are my chances?” I demand.
    “I won’t lie, they're slim. I intend to talk to my dad about vouching for you. He’s the alpha over all the other wolf packs. It gives him influence in political matters.”
    The council or tribunal may decide to kill me, but surely Livia will not be considered a threat. Would they kill a child?   “What about Livia? They won’t hurt her, will they? She’s only five, how dangerous can she be?”
    Bastien sighs.  “That’s a little more difficult. Did you know she’s not human?”
    “I noticed she was different, but hadn’t had time to think about it,” I answer, surprised.
    “She’s half werewolf. My older brother Athan went missing over a decade ago. Many have disappeared through the years. Madalaina and I both noticed his scent on the girl last night. Tests are being run, but they’re only a formality. She’s Athan’s daughter. Her mother’s side of the family is where things become interesting.” He sounds bitter.  “Winter, the Fae bartender from Lune Rouge, says Livia is a royal red Fae. If it is true, then she has a hard road ahead of her.”
    “What’s a Royal Red?” I question.
    “The Dawn Court, or Seelie court of Fairy has a special genetic quirk that runs through the females of the high royals, flaming red hair. Winter swears Livia’s one. Turns out they had a princess go missing not long after Athan. Only she turned up dead later. Rumor was she had given birth, but no one expected the child lived since ransom was never demanded.”
    Overwhelmed I plop down next to Bastien on the cot.  “This is all too much. My headache’s worse than before.”
    He looks at me and brushes the hair off my forehead.  “Who gave you the bruise over your right eye? A gift from the Richland Institute?”
    “A gift from the guards, to be exact. Rifle butt hit me. It was a pretty nasty cut before.”
    Warily, he touches the cut making me wince.  “Sorry. Looks better than it did earlier. The Arcana you told me about might be helping you heal faster. I hope the guy that hit you is one of the two assholes I killed,” he snarled. I’ve no trouble imagining Bastien with blood on his hands. He has lethal predator written all over him. I am reminded of Alonzo.
    “Oh God. Will I be charged with the death of Alonzo?” I ask, frightened.
    I try to get up to pace again, but Bastien catches me around the waist and pulls me on to his lap.  “I will keep you safe. Trust me to