Promise

skipped away from her, cackling again. Tristan stopped right behind her and stiffened. The creature was not alone.

'What an excellent gift you've delivered, Seth—two generations of Amadis royalty and your heart all at once.' This voice was smooth and clear, possibly appealing if I hadn't felt the evil rolling off the man who stood in the middle of the dark living room. The creature crouched at his side. 'I couldn't have imagined it being this good.'

'Your imagination has run away from you if you think you can get away with this, Edmund,' Tristan said calmly. He set me on my feet on the landing and both he and Mom took protective stances in front of me as the man took a step closer to us. Terror gripped my heart as I realized how weak and vulnerable I was, unable to do anything but watch. Moving only my eyes, I glanced down the stairs, wondering if any others lurked in the shadows.

'I admit it's risky, but the rewards will be worth it,' the man replied.

Hurricane shutters blocked out almost all light from the windows, but my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I still couldn't see the man's face, but I could see the outline of his hulking figure. He stood nearly as tall as Tristan and much bulkier. I had to remind myself of Tristan's power because, I thought, if it came down to brute strength, I didn't see how he could win. My heart raced as I realized the inevitability of the situation—Mom and Tristan would have to fight for our lives.

'You're an imbecile if you think you'll be rewarded for shedding their blood,' Tristan said. 'The Daemoni would not welcome the war that would ensue.'

'Yes, I said it was risky. But after all is said and done, I would be personally responsible for ending the Amadis for good. That will be rewarded.'

I shivered at the menace in the man's smug voice.

'If you live through it,' Tristan said pointedly.

'Which you will not,' Mom added. 'God Himself would not allow it.'

The man shrank back at Mom's words and didn't reply. We all stood in silence and I knew they each calculated how to proceed. The wind picked up intensity outside, shaking the shutters. The storm seemed to be coming faster than expected. It would be foolish to try to escape outside into it. The trapped feeling caused the panic to rise even higher, tightening my chest.

Edmund's eyes darted back and forth between Tristan and Mom as he moved a few steps to our right and his creature scurried next to him. Tristan moved, too, while Mom remained still. Edmund and his creature moved back to our left. This time both Mom and Tristan moved with him. They angled themselves to take him from both sides without leaving a wide enough gap for him to get to me.

'So why don't you just make this easy for all of us, Seth?' Edmund finally spoke as they continued their macabre dance. 'You come with me and I'll leave them alone.'

' Never!' Tristan snarled.

Edmund nodded at me. 'You can bring her along, if you'd like.'

A deep, guttural growl rumbled in Tristan's chest. He and Mom both took a step forward, their only reply.

'Then you'd rather fight it out.' Edmund made a tsking sound and the creature's shape transformed. It fell on all fours, became longer and taller in the darkness. It paced like a guard dog in front of Edmund, its eyes glowing red fire, a low growl in its throat. I shrank back while Tristan and Mom positioned themselves to fight. 'Or maybe I just take her and let you chase me.'

Edmund leaped into the air, seeming to fly over Tristan and Mom. He landed right next to me, as they spun around. Tristan swore profusely. The dog-thing stayed behind them. It crouched to attack. It continued to growl and even in the darkness I could see its lips pulled back, sharp fangs glinting in the little bit of natural light seeping in at the edges of the windows. Edmund grabbed the back of my neck tightly and pulled me to him. My mind and body numbed in terror.

' NO! ' Tristan growled roughly.

He lunged at the bulky man, knocking Edmund hard against the wall, pulling me with him. My hip smacked painfully against the baluster at the top of the stairs. At the same time, the dog-thing jumped at Mom. She spun at it. Her arms whacked it in the side like a bat hitting an oversized, misshapen ball. It sailed across the room, landing with an inhuman cry. It was back on its feet in a second and charged at Mom. She crouched, ready for it. They simultaneously leaped toward each other. While still in mid-air, Mom grabbed its head and twisted it with a snap. The thing fell to the floor with a thud.

Mom landed lithely on the balls of her feet and whirled around to Tristan, the hulk and me. Tristan and Edmund glowered at each other in a standoff. Tristan held his hand up, palm facing Edmund but nearly two feet from him. He held the hulk flat against the wall with his paralyzing power. Edmund's hand still clutched my neck.

'LET. HER. GO! ' Tristan roared. His eyes blazed with bright flames.

'You are such a traitor.' Edmund smirked, his own eyes glowing blood red.

He slowly raised his free hand just an inch from the wall, fighting Tristan's power with evident difficulty. Mom stepped forward. Edmund was just able to twitch his finger. She flew into the loveseat, held there by an unseen force. Anger blazed in her eyes as she struggled against the power holding her, her shoulders and neck straining.

It pissed me off.

My heart pounded in terror but the anger rose above it. Just enough to give me the force I needed. It all happened so quickly, but it felt like slow motion as my mind registered every move, every detail. I wrapped my hands around the baluster and yanked it from its anchor. I lifted it as high as I could and slammed it down on the arm holding me. It wasn't much compared to Edmund's strength, but enough to distract him. He turned to look at me, his eyes wide. His mouth formed a silent O. He apparently never expected me to fight back. Tristan seized the opportunity and pounced. I freed myself from the hand before it tried to close back on me. I stumbled sideways and caught myself on the opposite rail to avoid falling down the stairs.

Tristan came down on the Daemoni, jabbing his elbow into Edmund's upper back. His knee landed in the back of Edmund's thigh. The femur snapped loudly. Edmund fell into a heap on the floor, howling with both pain and rage. Tristan grabbed his dark hair. I turned away as he slammed Edmund's head against the concrete floor. The crack made my stomach lurch and echoed in my ears. I looked back as Tristan dragged him over to the creature's body.

He leaned over and snarled, 'Don't fuck with me unless you can finish it.'

Pop! Pop! The man and the creature disappeared.

I thought the world stopped. The pounding in my chest abruptly halted. My breath caught in my throat. I collapsed to the floor, unable to restart my heart or make my lungs work. Mom caught me before I rolled down the stairs. She sat on the top stair and pulled me into her lap. I felt her power flow through me. My lungs filled with air again. My heart started with a jolt, pounding against my ribs. She held me for a long time, or maybe for only seconds, rocking back and forth.

I'd nearly stopped trembling when Tristan lifted me into his arms. My tense muscles finally loosened and I fell against him. He carried me over to the couch and sat down with me in his lap. I curled against him and closed my eyes. The recent events started to replay like a horror movie against my eyelids. I couldn't keep them closed so I stared wide-eyed at nothing in the semi-darkness. The sound of footsteps rushing up the stairs yanked me out of my near-catatonic state.

My heart raced again with renewed fear. My body automatically prepared for fight or flight. Stefan and Owen flew into the living room, dripping wet. I slumped back against Tristan as they surveyed the scene.

'Oh, thank God,' Stefan said breathlessly. 'We thought…'

'Daemoni were outside,' Owen said. 'They started to fight but fled instead. We thought maybe they got to you.'

There were more . I shuddered.

'I wondered what happened to you,' Mom said casually. She sat in the loveseat, her legs folded under her, looking, somehow, relaxed . Like what happened was just an everyday pain-in-the-butt, like having to deal with an annoying door-to-door salesperson.

Owen eyed the broken baluster on the floor.