“I swear, I didn’t know it was a protection artifact.” His voice is almost like a whisper beside me.

I know something happened in the Sector he visited, and he clearly made some sort of mistake, but it wasn’t this. He wasn’t involved in these attacks, I could feel it deep inside, and from the bond we now shared. He had nothing to do with this.

I stand closer to him, taking his hand in my own, hoping through our bond that, he can feel the belief and faith I have in him. I turn my glare to the group spewing hatred toward my bright and loving shifter, ready to rebuke them, when all of a sudden, I see Cole marching forward, Ilyric joining him by his side.

They stand in front of Jace and me, blocking the view of the group in front of us.

“Enough!” One word from Cole's thunderous voice has the entire group falling silent.

Ilyric glances at Jace before talking to the group. His eyes tighten at their corners while staring into the crowd, his demeanor rigid and imperious as he pulls their attention to him.

“Until we hear all the information from the parties involved. We will not hastily jump to conclusions.” He scans the crowd, daring anyone to challenge his authority.

I guess the arrogant Fae attitude comes in handy sometimes.

“We’ll be checking everyone's story,” he declares, examining the crowd for any signs of objection. He nods before continuing.

“We’ll start with yours.” He turns to Jace, giving Cole a nod as he makes his way over to a table on the other side of the Library.

Jace looks at Cole and then me. “One minute.”

Cole nods, glancing toward me.

Jace makes his way over to me and drags a hand down his face.

“I know that this doesn’t look good right now.” His eyes flicker from the floor to mine.

“It’s hard to explain, but I have my reasons for what I’ve done. I'm not saying they're right either, but this…” He gestures to the Library and groups around us. “I’d never do anything like this. I swear.” His words rush out quickly, the worry etched over his beautiful features with all these accusations being thrown at him, but even more than that, I can tell how much he wants me to believe him.

“I’ll explain everything to you after all this, Rhys. I promise.” His eyes never leave my face as his hand stretches toward me.

I reach for his hands, gripping them in my own. My eyes are firm as I gaze into his, channeling as much of what I feel right now into them, “I know, Jace. I know you weren’t apart of this.”

He exhales, almost as if he was holding his breath, giving me a small smile and nod. The relief is visible on his face.

Cole clears his throat, pulling our attention toward him. With a brow raised, he looks to Jace and then over to Ilyric.