Promise

souls can have.'

She paused as Mom handed each of us a glass of wine.

'There is only one problem with this Heavenly match,' Rina continued. 'The Daemoni would like to prevent it. Firstly, they still desire to have Tristan back. They promise him a kingdom, but we all know he would be under their rule. They believe him to be a possession. They have time and again tried to bring him back, using an assortment of tactics, from promises of greatness to violent force. Tristan refuses.'

I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye. I had almost pushed him back to them . I could never let that happen again. I squeezed his hand.

'So, secondly, they seek revenge. If they cannot have their ultimate warrior, then they certainly do not want us to have him. They seek revenge against Tristan for betraying them and against the Amadis in general for taking him.

'Thirdly, this match will result in our family's, and therefore our society's, continuance. The Daemoni would like to see us extinguished. Add to that, young Alexis, the fact that they have always targeted the youngest Amadis daughter and you can see we have a complex problem on our hands.'

Tension filled the room like a dense fog as we sipped our wine. Well, everyone else sipped. I drained mine, but didn't expect it to have much effect on me. Tristan put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to him. That calmed me more than the wine did.

'We need to consider this from both an immediate and a long-term perspective,' Solomon said. His deep, seductive voice, with a foreign accent different than Rina's, matched his attractive, yet exotic face—nearly white skin but, somehow, with a dark undertone, and features that looked African or possibly Caribbean. 'The Daemoni know about our plan for the two of you and that it is being executed. The question is what they will do about it.'

Stefan spoke next. Even his voice—smooth, clear, authoritative—sounded familiar, but I still couldn't place him. 'Through our recognizance, we have heard them discuss four options and they are not yet decided whether to pursue any in the immediate future.'

'Explain the options so we can all understand,' Rina said.

Stefan spoke matter-of-factly. 'First, they could try to kill Tristan.'

My heart jumped against my chest. I instinctively shifted my body in front of Tristan and put my arm across him in protection, shaking my head. As if I can do anything. Tristan pulled me back to him, his arms wrapped around me like a human straightjacket.

'Relax and listen,' he murmured.

Stefan glanced at us briefly and continued. 'They believe this could prevent another Amadis daughter and would give them their revenge for Tristan's betrayal. However, they are not fond of this idea. They still have hope in Tristan.'

Solomon shook his head, the long cornrows, some pulled back into a pony tail, swinging slightly. 'They do not have the means to kill him.'

I relaxed with this statement and Tristan let go of me. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

'It would have to be an ambush. Lucas is the only one who might have a chance single-handedly, but they would not risk that,' he said. He and Mom exchanged looks I didn't understand. He shrugged. 'They've tried to kill me before. It is not my life we need to worry about.'

'Until there is a daughter, we need you,' Solomon said harshly, but he followed with an exquisite smile of gleaming white teeth. I wasn't sure how to take him and, I thought, that's the impression he intended.

'There are other options for offspring besides me,' Tristan muttered. I threw him a dirty look.

'Tristan, daughter or not, we are concerned for your life,' Rina said. 'But you are right. This is status quo. Go on, Stefan.'

Stefan said their next option was to kill me. 'This would definitely prevent the bloodline from continuing and would give them revenge on Tristan by killing his mate. In their twisted way, they believe this could bring him back in remorse.'

For some reason, I didn't have nearly as strong a reaction to my murder as I did to Tristan's.

'They can only kill her if they are provoked. They must have justifiable reason,' Rina said adamantly, lifting her chin.

'Yes, according to ancient law, that is, ultimately, the only rights they have, but they could still try,' Solomon said.

'They know it would mean a major battle,' Stefan said. 'They are mostly concerned about fighting Sophia and Tristan, though—two Amadis daughters and their own warrior could be a major victory or a terrible defeat for them.'

I looked at Mom, sick at the thought of her fighting these monsters to protect me. She glanced at me, seemingly unconcerned until she saw my face.

She came over to me, squatted in front of me to look me directly in the eye and said firmly, 'Don't you worry about us. We are just discussing how the Daemoni see it. They will not get to us. We have the best and highest protection.'

I nodded, trying to look calm, but I shuddered anyway.

'Let us take a moment for a breath,' Rina said and then she looked at Tristan. He stood up, grabbed my hands and pulled me up. I wondered if she'd communicated telepathically.

'Come on. Let's get some fresh air,' he said, leading me through the kitchen and out the back door.

The evening air still felt muggy and heavy against my skin, but I felt a sense of freedom as I drew it in. I smelled the humidity, combined with freshly mown grass, jasmine and magnolias from the neighbor's yard behind us. I took several cleansing breaths, trying to focus on steadying my pounding heart.

'You okay?' Tristan asked after a few minutes. He leaned casually against the house as if we'd just been discussing what new toy to buy rather than our own demise.

'Yeah, freakin' wonderful.' I gave him a weak smile and walked over to him. I lifted my hands to the back of his neck, stretched up on my toes and tilted my head back. 'Make me okay, please.'

He kissed me and a sense of calmness washed over me with his scent and taste and touch. I inhaled deeply for an extra dose.

'Okay,' I said.

Mom handed me a glass of ice water as I returned to the loveseat. I emptied the glass, the icy liquid light and refreshing, washing away the thick, bitter coating the wine had left in my mouth and throat. I finally nodded at Rina, who'd been watching me expectantly.

'Okay, Stefan, please proceed with the other options,' she said.

The third option, according to Stefan, was business as usual—the Daemoni would mostly leave me alone until they had Provocation. The way they all said 'Provocation,' I could hear the capital P, as in it must be official.

'And that leads us to the fourth option,' Stefan said. 'They capture Alexis to bring Tristan to them, using her as bait. This appears to be the most dangerous option for us. They would not have Alexis's blood on their hands, so they do not see this as a violation. They also have a strong desire to have both Alexis and Tristan alive, but in their hands, seeing the same great potential we do, but working for them.'

Everyone in the room reacted to this statement. Solomon hissed. Mom and Rina gasped. Tristan swore under his breath. I didn't understand.

'I thought their natural instinct is to kill me. How could they keep me alive?' I asked. 'And why would they want to, once they had Tristan?'

They all exchanged meaningful looks I didn't understand. Rina nodded at Mom and Mom sighed, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. Tristan put his arms around me and whispered he loved me in my ear. Mom eventually came over to us and knelt on the floor in front of me, while everyone else stared at the floor. Something horrible was coming.

'Honey, it's time you knew something about your…father,' Mom said quietly.

'You mean sperm donor,' I corrected. 'I don't have a father.'

Her eyes dropped to the floor and she spoke so quietly, it was barely more than a whisper. 'The last time I met up with Tristan, he was with Lucas. After Tristan, Lucas was—is now—the Daemoni's most powerful warrior. They were on a mission to kill me, but not in their normal, direct manner. Tristan thought they should act like they