It took every ounce of self-control Rogue had to bite her tongue. But there was more at stake here than either her reputation or her temper. Prime’s fate hung in the balance.
Seth sat next to her, his expression blank. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. The entire journey back to the Zoo, he’d remained silent. Even when she’d pressed him, he’d refused to talk. Does he blame me too? Everyone else does—even my mother.
Hot humiliation flooded her chest when she thought back to that afternoon. Throughout the trip, she’d been aware of the looks and whispers. Brittany was quick to blame the stampede on Rogue and Seth, plus she had her friends to back her up. And who’d believe me, a treacherous Prime, over one of their own?
With most of the eggs lost in the rush and many people injured, the hunt was considered a failure. Even worse, Jamie’s life hung on a thread. The Zuniceratops had gored her through the back, and the wound was likely to be fatal. Luckily, Rogue had gotten off with only a bruised hip. It hurt when she walked but wasn’t serious.
“Are you even listening to me?” Ric asked, slamming a fist on the table.
Rogue lifted her eyes with grim composure. “Oh, believe me. I’ve heard every word so far. It’s hard not to.”
Ric bared his teeth. “Mind your manners. I’m not the one on trial here.”
Rogue’s eyebrows arched. “I didn’t realize I was on trial. What do I stand accused of?”
“You know exactly what you did!” Ric thundered.
“Do I?”
“Please, stop it. Both of you,” Olivia pleaded. She wrung her hands together, her face drawn and pale.
“I knew I shouldn’t have let you go on the hunt. I knew it, but I allowed myself to be swayed by the pleas of others,” Ric said. At the word others, he shot Olivia an angry look that sent her into fresh paroxysms of tearful distress.
“I didn’t know, Ric,” Olivia pleaded. “I thought it would be okay.”
“Well, it wasn’t. This year’s hunt was a disaster, and it’s all their fault,” he replied, waving a ham fist through the air.
“How on earth is any of this our fault?” Seth asked, speaking for the first time.
“She was the one that alerted the Stegoceras by venturing too close, and you compounded that mistake by shooting at it,” Ric cried.
“I didn’t alert the stupid thing,” Rogue protested. “Someone threw it with a rock.”
“Really? And who would do something like that?” Ric asked.
“Ask Brittany and her friends,” Rogue said. “It was one of them, I’m sure of it.”
“Brittany and her friends?” Ric echoed, followed by harsh laughter. “You can’t seriously expect me to believe that.”
“Why not?” Rogue said. She gazed at him with cold eyes. “I saw the rock fly past me and hit the Stegoceras. That’s the only reason it charged.”
Ric snorted. “Now, I’ve heard it all.”
“She’s telling the truth. I saw it happen as well,” Seth said.
Rogue flashed him a grateful look, relieved to know he was on her side. “That’s right. The rock hit the Stegoceras on its side, and it charged. That’s when Seth shot it with his crossbow.”
“I was trying to save her life. I couldn’t just let the thing trample her to death,” Seth said, spreading his hands apart. “Or is that what you would’ve preferred?”
“No, I wouldn’t, but it would’ve spared me a lot of trouble,” Ric growled.
Olivia gasped. “Ric. You can’t mean that!”
“I’m sorry, Olivia, but I’m too angry to think straight right now.”
“Then maybe you should listen to what we’re telling you,” Rogue said. “There’s more to the story. Straight after the first rock hit the Stegoceras, I saw another one fly right past me.”
Ric rolled his eyes. “A second rock?”
“Exactly. The same one that hit the Zuniceratops. It freaked out and attacked Jamie,” Rogue said.
“I see. So, you’re telling me that Brittany or one of her friends threw a rock at the dino that nearly killed her mother,” Ric said. “You must be crazy if you think I’d ever believe such nonsense.”
“Believe what you want, but it’s the truth. They had it in for us right from the start. The whole thing was a set-up. Why do you think Brittany asked for us?” Rogue said. “Because they were planning it. Maybe, the second rock was a mistake. Maybe, it wasn’t meant for the Zuni that gored Jamie. Who knows? A lot can go wrong in such a situation.”
“You should be asking them these questions, not us,” Seth added.
“They’ve already told their side of the story, and it makes perfect sense. Unlike yours,” Ric said, turning on Rogue. “You alerted the Stegoceras, and he shot it trying to save your ass.”
“And you believe them over us, of course,” Rogue stated.
“Why wouldn’t I? They’ve never caused any trouble before. They’re upstanding citizens, the children of fighters and leaders. People who were here from the start. “
“As opposed to a couple of Primes, right?” Rogue said with a bitter smile.
“Right,” Ric affirmed, folding his arms across his chest.
“What does that mean, Ric?” Olivia asked.
“It means that I don’t believe their story. At best, I think your daughter made a stupid mistake. At worst, she did it on purpose.”
“Why would I do that?” Rogue protested. “I have no reason to sabotage you or anybody else here. Quite the contrary.”
“You tell me, because I sure as hell don’t know what’s going on inside your head,” Ric said.
“It seems there’s nothing more I can say to convince you,” Rogue said, the sour taste of defeat in her mouth.
“Ric, please. What’s going to happen now? What are you going to do?” Olivia asked.
“Yes, do tell,” Rogue said, striving to maintain a semblance of calm.
Ric shook his head. “I can’t prove that you did what you did on purpose. And because you’re Olivia’s daughter, I’m forced to give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“How generous of you,”
