Cats And Dogs: A Shifter Novella by Georgette St. Clair

his
forehead.
    “It totally sucks that you can’t have
anyone in there supporting you,” Agnes added.
    She’d been fired the day that Belle
had been kidnapped by Raymond Charucki. Axel’s grandfather had
stepped in to hire her, at Belle’s urging, and now she was working
on their dairy farm.
    Now they were standing inside the
headquarters of the Shifter Council, in downtown Billings. Belle
had filed a complaint against Raymond Charucki, and he was
obligated to appear to answer the charges. The seven members of the
council, and the moderator, were inside waiting for the proceedings
to begin.
    Axel and Agnes weren’t permitted
inside, since they weren’t panthers. He was clearly unhappy about
letting her go in by herself.
    “I’ll be fine. You know what’s going
to happen in there,” Belle said, praying that she was right. That
Griselle had told her the truth about the Truth Stone and its
hidden flaw.
    “It’s not fair that he can bring in
people and you can’t,” Agnes groused. Raymond had showed up with
half a dozen bodyguards and three lawyers. Belle would face him
alone. There wasn’t a panther shifter attorney in the state who’d
dare represent her and face Raymond.
    “Life’s not fair. But remember, I have
one huge advantage,” Belle said. They both nodded; they knew the
secret of the stone.
    Belle had demanded that the
proceedings be televised live, as was her right. Because of Raymond
Charucki’s power and prestige, and his reputation, shifters from
all over the country were tuned in, watching raptly.
    Belle squeezed Axel’s hand for
support, then turned and walked through the big double doors that
led into the room where Raymond and his cohorts were waiting,
seated in a row of chairs on the right side of the room.
    The moderator stood at a podium with a
microphone, facing the seven council members who each represented
different shifter territories throughout the state of
Montana.
    The audience was packed with newspaper
reporters, radio reporters and television reporters, and curious
panther shifters here to see the spectacle. There were also a dozen
shifter members from the Enforcement Brigade, who dealt with all
legal matters pertaining to panthers. They stood against the wall
in their uniforms, arms folded, faces stony.
    Raymond leveled an ice cold look at
Belle as she walked in, and despite herself, she shivered. There
was murder in his eyes. If Griselle was wrong about the Stone of
Truth, Belle was dead. And so were all of her friends.
    No pressure at all, she thought, as
her breakfast churned in her stomach.
    The meeting started with the moderator
reading Belle’s accusation against Raymond kidnapping, assault,
illegal collaring, illegal arranged marriage.
    Then Raymond’s attorney stood up and
angrily denied the charges, in tones of utmost contempt. He called
Belle a promiscuous, scheming liar who’d tried to trap Raymond into
marriage and was bitter at being rejected. He praised Raymond to
the heavens, describing in pious tones his contributions to charity
and the many businesses he owned.
    Belle endured his barrage of insults
calmly, standing with her hands folded and her gaze cast meekly
downward. She waited until he was finished, and then she
spoke.
    “I have the right to question the
accused,” Belle said.
    Raymond glowered at her
contemptuously, and then strode up to a wooden chair which faced
both the audience and the television cameras.
    Looking at the moderator, he swore to
tell the truth to all questions asked of him.
    You have no idea, Belle
thought.
    As soon as he sat down, Belle walked
up to the podium and the moderator stepped aside.
    She stood on her tiptoes to reach the
microphone. Without preamble, she looked at Raymond and asked him
“Did you kidnap me and threaten to torture me and my best friend if
I didn’t marry you?”
    “Yes, I did,” Raymond said, and then
gasped in shock…as did the rest of the room.
    “Objection!” Raymond’s lawyer shouted,
lunging