The Twisted Mark: An unputdownable dark fantasy romance that will have you hooked (Witch Trials Book 1) by Sophie Williamson

Author:Sophie Williamson [Williamson, Sophie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781805081388
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Published: 2023-07-25T23:00:00+00:00

When the lunchbreak ends, I drag myself back into the courtroom. I honestly can’t remember ever being more nervous about anything. I never normally bite my nails, but I’ve chewed them down to stubs and torn my lips to shreds, too.

I’ve cross-examined literally hundreds of people over the course of my career. I’ve had witnesses who were vicious and threatening, and I’ve not been scared. I’ve had others who were vulnerable and terrified, and though I’ve never been deliberately cruel, I’ve not gone easy on them. I’ve never taken those with a weak story for granted or been fazed by those whose credible and carefully rehearsed testimony didn’t suit my client’s case. I’m passionate about what I do, but at the end of the day, it’s always just been a job.

I’ve worried all along that this case would be too personal, that I wouldn’t be able to stay professional in the face of my worries about my brother. Against the odds, I’ve held it together. But I don’t know the meaning of the word ‘personal’ until I’m face to face with Gabriel Thornber in court.

He gazes straight at me, his eyes locked on mine. I expect a facetious or flirtatious remark, but he’s still playing the role of the perfect witness.

I glance down at my notes and think about my various possible lines of questioning. His relationship with his father. His bad character. How Bren supposedly got in—and then out again—so easily. How he knew Brendan and was so sure he was the intruder.

Gabriel is a polished speaker with a compelling story that tallies with other people’s accounts of the evening. But there are no other eyewitnesses or anyone who can even confirm he was at the scene. I’ve picked holes in equally believable evidence before.

The thing about a bargain is that it cuts both ways.

I can’t seem to find my voice. This must be what stage fright feels like.

It wasn’t a spur of the moment decision to take you back with me that night. It was half the point of the evening.

He’s staring at me expectantly. For all I know, the rest of the court could have got up and left.

Just stay awake. Let your magic flow through you. Let it heal you. Let it grow again.

We can pretend to be an anonymous witness and a detached lawyer all we want. That strange, surging connection is as present as it was when he unleashed the Greenfire or provoked me into burning through my magic at the casino. I can’t do this.

“Ms Elner.” The judge gives me a stern look. “Do you have any questions for the witness?”

I grind my heels down into the floor and gather every ounce of self-control I possess into a tight little ball. “How do you know the defendant, Mr Thornber?”

He smiles. He looks terribly amused. He’s probably going to look amused for the entirety of the cross-examination.

“We’re the same age. Grew up in the same small town. Moved in the same overlapping circles. Our fathers had similar business interests—sometimes complementary, sometimes competitive.

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