Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“Your Honor, I must protest this nonsense!” Mistress Bittlebum was on her feet before the Prosecutor could utter a word. “And I must inform your Honor that I have some evidence to present.”
“Oh, really?” Judge Thoughtgood turned a skeptical eye on her. “What kind of evidence?”
“It is evidence that Councilor Williams is hoping to suppress,” Mistress Bittlebum said quickly. “Which is why she is making such wild allegations about me now. If your Honor would care to watch it, I have it all here.” She held up a small drive and the bailiff took it.
Judge Thoughtgood frowned.
“Well, it seems this has turned from a simple release trial into something else. What evidence is this, anyway, Mistress Bittlebum?”
“You’ll see, your Honor,” Lady Bittlebum said quickly. “It has to do with the Nightwalker,” she added. “And it proves conclusively that he must never be allowed to go free—that he, in fact—should be executed immediately.”
“That will be my decision—not yours,” Judge Thoughtgood snapped at her. “However, now my curiosity is piqued.” She looked at Imani. “Councilor Williams, you’re surprisingly quiet over there. Don’t you wish to protest this evidence?”
Imani shook her head firmly.
“No, your Honor. I feel certain that my client will be exonerated in the end.”
“Very well. Bailiff, fetch a screen,” Judge Thoughtgood said.
A large viewscreen was rolled in and the drive was plugged into it.
Imani bit her lip and tried to ready herself. She knew very well that the judge was not going to like what she was about to see but she was confident that the other woman could be persuaded to understand.
For now, she just had to endure this before she would be allowed to explain.
The scene started in the simulator room after Lady Bittlebum had closed and locked the door. Imani watched, feeling detached, as she took off running and J’are chased her.
She saw something surprising, however—she saw the big Nightwalker struggling with himself. She watched as he clenched his hands into fists, squeezing until his nails bit into his palms and blood ran down to patter on the jungle floor. He gritted his teeth and fought the powers of the three converged moons and Imani watched as he struggled not to let his feral side go free.
He tried, she thought. He really, really tried. He didn’t just give in immediately—he really didn’t want to hurt me.
She could feel deep remorse coming from J’are through their link and knew that she was right.
At last, however, the battle was lost. Imani watched on the screen as the sentience leaked out of the big Nightwalker’s pale green eyes and the chase was on. She watched herself climb a tree, saw J’are stalking her, catching her…
“What is this?” Judge Thoughtgood interrupted sharply, staring at Imani. “Some kind of strange game the two of you were playing?”
“No, your Honor,” Imani said quietly. “It was no game.”
“Keep watching, your Honor,” Lady Bittlebum said quickly. “We’re coming to the good part now.”
They were all silent for a moment and Imani felt her cheeks get hot as she watched J’are’s rough seduction and her own reaction to the big Nightwalker. She watched herself pull down her top to bare her breasts and take off her panties and spread her thighs for his tongue.
And then, worst of all, she watched as she got to her hands and knees and spread her legs for him, giving him what he wanted—what they both wanted—so desperately.
“This is what you call the ‘good part?’” Judge Thoughtgood interrupted again. She turned to Lady Bittlebum, who had a satisfied little smile curving her thin lips. “Mistress Bittlebum, may I inquire as to why you have brought obscene pornography which violates the highest law of our planet against male penetration into my courtroom?”
“Why, because, your Honor…” Mistress Bittlebum put a hand to her chest and pasted a shocked expression to her face. “It shows that this brute cannot be trusted! This was recorded in a room at my own home—you can see how he acts when he doesn’t think anyone is watching! Why, he chased down his own Defender and forced himself on her!”
“J’are did not rape me,” Imani made her voice crack like a whip. “Did you see me use the remote to his pain collar? No, you did not,” she answered her own question. “I could have stopped him at any time, but I didn’t.” Which was true and she knew it.
“Oh, please, Councilor Williams,” Lady Bittlebum spat incredulously. “We all saw just now how you ran from him, how he caught you and held you down and—”
“He did all that because it was his instinct. Because you locked us in the simulator room—which was built by my client’s adopted mother in order to simulate his home world—and then drove him crazy by setting it to the bonding setting—the breeding setting,” Imani said. “You knew that when the three moons converged overhead he would be helpless to stop himself—helpless to keep his feral side from coming out.”