Aside from the manacles, Tessa was naked.
Her pale, slender body was dwarfed by the guards holding her chains. Her jet-black hair hung sleek down her back. Her modest breasts were uncovered and she was too defiant to conceal the smooth, hairless cleft between her legs. With her shoulders thrown back, and her jaw tilted upward, she allowed her escort to lead her past the jury. She even thanked the guards as they unfastened her chains and left her cuffed and secure in the dock. It didn’t feel right to be undressed in a courtroom filled with her fully-clothed peers. But Tessa had never been one to shy away from things that didn’t feel right. Experience had taught her that such beginnings usually provided the most satisfying outcomes. Although, she conceded, it was probably that attitude that had landed her in this trouble.
Her smile glinted wickedly as the thought brought up a host of thrilling memories. Elongated canines protruded from her overbite.
‘Tessa Cameron!’ The judge’s voice boomed like thunder from the shadows surrounding his seat.
An expectant hush settled over the courtroom.
Not that it was a legitimate courtroom, Tessa noted. With flaming torches impaled in the soft stone walls, a dirt floor beneath them, and décor composed of Aramaic symbols and Sumerian inscriptions daubed in dried blood: the courtroom owed more to the ancient guidelines of vampire lore than anything she had ever seen on Ally McBeal.
Tessa tilted her gaze in the direction of the judge’s voice. Her eyes were large, dark and void of expression. Because she had always had a thing for commanding voices, the familiar stir of arousal tickled inside her loins. She tried to quash that response, deciding it was inappropriate for this occasion, but the warmth refused to go. Irritated with her inability to control her body’s reactions, Tessa shook her head so her hair fell over her shoulders. She made the gesture with the hope that the locks would subtly cover her breasts and conceal the fact that her nipples were stiffening. The soft caress of tresses against the sensitive tips made her excitement more poignant. She released a sigh and silently prayed no one would notice her arousal.
‘You have been charged with a long list of crimes,’ the judge began solemnly. ‘The most notable of which include treason, heresy and the murder of a fellow vampire. How do you plead?’
From the corner of her eye she could see the jury shift forward to hear her response. The council for the prosecution twisted their heads. Those figures that did not remain in shadows stared at her with crimson eyes. An involuntary prickle touched her back but Tessa wouldn’t allow the sensation to make her shiver. Her arousal was already apparent to anyone who cared to look and she wasn’t going to make the signs more obvious.
‘How do you plead, Tessa Cameron?’ the judge prompted.
She flashed her most disarming grin. ‘It’s a long story ...’