Promise

Tristan glared at him. His voice held that steely undertone as he spoke. 'The best solution for Alexis's safety and long-time survival of the Amadis is for me to go back to the Daemoni. They'll leave you all alone for a long time. Alexis will have to find another mate.'

' NO! ' I cried.

'Absolutely not!' Rina said.

'Not an option,' Solomon agreed. 'What is the next one?'

Tristan chuckled grimly. 'Definitely not an option. Alexis and I both go to them. They leave the Amadis alone. There's a chance we can still be together, have a child and possibly escape.'

Mom and Rina gasped.

'Not an option,' Solomon repeated harshly. 'Give us something we can actually do .'

'You wanted to know.' Tristan took a deep breath. 'Besides those two, I really can't come up with anything except protect Alexis and fight if and when necessary. If they go with any of their options, I believe it'll be the last one. That one serves their purpose the most.'

'I agree,' Stefan said. 'We need to ensure they cannot even get close to Alexis. It will be much easier to abduct her than to kill her.'

'Then that is what we will do,' Rina said decisively. 'We have Tristan, Sophia and Owen here. Solomon, make arrangements for at least one more protector at all times. Stefan, continue your recognizance and stay on top of their plans. And keep watch on everything here.'

'I do not think they will act immediately,' Stefan said. 'It will be a difficult maneuver, very risky for them. They may never follow through on it.'

'There are always rogues,' Tristan said.

'And Vanessa,' Mom added. The name ringed in my head as if I should know it, but I couldn't place it.

'Vanessa could become a problem,' Tristan said, 'but the rogues are a bigger threat. It's their nature to disobey and do their own thing. And they may take one of the other options.'

'You need more protection, too, Tristan, in case they do take another path,' Rina responded. 'You are planning on marrying Alexis, no?'

'Yes,' Tristan answered.

'You should do it soon,' Solomon said. 'Marrying royalty will bind you closer to the Amadis. You will become a member of the royal family and they cannot attack royalty.'

'That will be done on our terms,' Tristan said firmly, squeezing my hand.

Solomon narrowed his eyes at Tristan. 'The sooner the better.'

'It just needs to be done under Amadis power,' Rina said. 'You can delay your legal wedding if you need time to prepare, but marriage vows should be exchanged before the Amadis sooner rather than later to strengthen that bond.'

'Let's do it now. I'm ready,' I said.

'Alexis!' Mom gasped.

Tristan glared at me. 'We'll discuss this later.'

'Yes, we'll discuss it first,' Mom said.

'If it helps you…,' I said to Tristan.

'That is not the reason we'll be getting married,' he growled. I knew that tone and decided we wouldn't argue this in front of everyone.

'We will discuss this,' I promised and added, 'sooner, not later.'

'Alexis, you need to thoroughly understand this,' Rina said, changing the subject. She didn't have to hear Tristan's thoughts to know he wouldn't budge at the moment—his body language made it clear. 'I know it will not be easy, but you must not ever be alone. You are their primary target and you are also our most vulnerable. Until the Ang'dora , you will not be able to defend yourself. Do not worry about Sophia or Tristan or any of the others. We can all protect ourselves and you. You focus on keeping yourself safe, which means staying with one of us at all times.'

'I understand.' I swallowed hard when I thought about the only activity I did alone—write. I mumbled it under my breath…I thought. 'I guess my book is out of the question now.'

'That's absurd!' Mom said. 'You will finish that book and we will get it published.'

'Yes, you need to move forward with that,' Rina agreed. I stared at her in disbelief. 'Your writing and story- telling ability is one of your special gifts, Alexis, and we would never ask you not to use a gift. We know it will be used for good.'

'She should use a nom-de-plume,' Tristan said. 'It probably wouldn't do any good, but it could divert attention from her.'

'No, we want the Daemoni to know,' Solomon said. 'They will feel threatened by the boldness.'

I felt uncomfortable with the way they spoke. I felt a layer of meaning that I wasn't grasping hovering under the surface. Tristan didn't help.

'I don't like it,' he said. 'It's too risky.'

'It is necessary,' Rina said with finality. She spoke in my head, ' Your purpose, for now, is to write your stories. They will help us. That is all you need to know right now. '

I nodded. Although completely confused, I could easily accept that writing was my purpose. In fact, I'd always felt it in my heart. And I was glad I had a way to serve them, even if I didn't understand how—that I could do something besides sit around with a babysitter.

'She will continue with school, too,' Mom said firmly.

'Whatever is a part of her normal life, yes,' Rina agreed. 'We cannot show any fear.'

'So we can stay here?' I asked hopefully.

'Yes, you are safe here, at least for now,' Stefan answered. 'Tristan, keep your house. It is built for protection from the elements and it will be a safe place should we need it. We would prefer you kept Alexis there with you.'

'We'll work that out,' Tristan said. 'We shouldn't push anything too soon. She'll be safe here with Sophia and protectors keeping watch.'

'Nonetheless…the sooner, the better,' Solomon said pointedly.

'If we act too quickly, they'll only assume we're pushing forward with the plan and they'll feel threatened by that,' Tristan said. 'The more natural we are about it, the more time we take, the more time they think they have.'

'You should proceed in secrecy,' Solomon said. 'The sooner there is a child…'

'Solomon, she's too young!' Mom interrupted. 'At least allow her to finish college.'

Solomon grunted.

'It is only a couple of years, darling,' Rina soothed, reaching back to pat his hand. 'That is nothing to us.'

I squirmed in discomfort as they discussed plans for my future— my marriage, my child—as if I weren't there. Though nearly everything about the Amadis was still as murky as the Everglades swamps, I saw a few things with perfect clarity. A future I didn't like flashed before me, showing me as a puppet. I decided I better speak up now or I would be handing them the strings forever.

'Tristan and I will know when it's time to take each next step. We will determine that,' I said clearly and firmly. 'On our terms.'

Everyone stared at me in mild shock. Except Tristan. He grinned widely. A smile eventually spread across Rina's face, too.

' Yes, you will be magnificent ,' she said in my head.

And that was it. We said our good-byes, then Solomon hooked Rina's arm in his and they disappeared into the night—early morning, actually—returning to wherever they came from. I wondered where that was and I wondered if they were mates. Despite how much I'd learned tonight, I still knew so little.

'Stay together tonight?' Tristan asked me when we had a moment alone. I nodded. 'Here or my place?'

I felt physically and emotionally exhausted and didn't want to go anywhere, but I remembered my broken bed and frowned. 'Your place, definitely.'

As we pulled out of the driveway, I watched Stefan and Mom on the front porch as they turned to go inside, still discussing plans for my protection, I assumed. Stefan stroked his square jaw and chin thoughtfully. In a