“You promise to take care of my baby!”
“I promise, Alexis. He’ll be well protected. Just hurry up and get that book done.”
“What? You still want me to finish it? That’s exactly what the problem is!”
Her voice remained steady, yet hurried. “You have to, honey. It’s very important that you do. Just trust me. This has been the plan all along.”
“Mom…”
“I can’t explain right now. I need to go.”
The safety of my son outweighed my need for answers…for now. I let her go, setting the phone down in disbelief. I took a deep breath to calm myself from hysteria to mere panic before whirling on Owen.
“Explain,” I demanded.
He grimaced. “I can’t. I don’t have the authority.”
“Owen! You can’t do this to me!”
“All I can say is the council planned all of this. I don’t think they expected this kind of reaction from the Daemoni, but we’re sure there’s more to their anger than the books.”
“They let me write—encouraged me to write—when they knew my stories exposed secrets?”
“The benefits outweighed the risks. But really, Alexis, I can’t say any more than that.” He looked me in the eye. “Just know you can trust the Amadis. We always win.”
I stared at him with wide eyes, my mouth open. What the…? Who did he…? How…? I could barely form coherent thoughts. When I finally could, I made my words slow, my voice low. “We always win? You’re telling me we always win?”
He looked away from me, not answering. His jaw muscle twitched.
“I know firsthand we don’t always win, Owen. In fact, I think I’ve lost nearly everything!” My voice rose in volume and octaves, barely recognizable as the last words came out in a shriek.
He finally looked at me, his sapphire eyes intense. “I was there, Alexis. Don’t forget that. I was there, right in the middle of it all. I know. But in the end, we do always win.”
“Get out! Get the hell out of my house!” I yelled. I looked around wildly for something to throw at him. Something that would hurt as much as he’d just hurt me. I picked up a chair but he was already gone.
I paced the house angrily while trying to keep myself under control. I really didn’t want to destroy anything. It was all too precious to me. I pounded on the granite countertops, thinking they were sturdy enough to take my rage. I added a crack to the one left so long ago. Damn it!
Questions flew through my head and I had no one to answer. The only one close by said he couldn’t tell me. And I’d just kicked him out of the house anyway. For good reason! But pacing and thinking my own thoughts— probably throwing things way out of proportion from my ignorance—didn’t help.
“Owen!” I finally yelled outside. I couldn’t take it any longer. He quickly appeared at the bottom of the steps. “You are going to give me answers. I can give you authority, can’t I?”
His face twisted in a grimace. “Not really. Especially while you’re still…before the Ang’dora. But I talked to Rina and Solomon. Ask me questions and I’ll answer what I can.”
I gave him a nasty look, but took what I could get. I let him on the balcony and we sat across from each other at the table.
I leaned in and looked him in the eye. “Why hasn’t anyone said anything before? About the truth of my books?”
He nodded slightly. “If you’d known the creatures were real, you wouldn’t have accomplished what you did. There’s a purpose for it all, Alexis. I can’t tell you that purpose, but Rina or Sophia will soon. Just know it’s a good purpose. We’re good, Alexis.”
“So even though it’s putting everyone’s lives in danger, they want me to finish it? I just don’t understand.”
He pushed his hand through his hair and squinted his eyes, seeming to organize his thoughts. “The Daemoni are throwing a fit, but we really think they’re using the books as an excuse to push their limits. They do that sometimes and right now they’re upset about something. We just don’t know what yet. So they’re using the books as a way to get something they want.”
“And would that ‘something’ they want possibly be me?”
He cringed. “Probably.”
I inhaled deeply as I let my mind process the meaning. I was the one they wanted more than anything. They probably wanted their matched set. But it was me, not Mom or Dorian, that they were truly after now. I let out the air, feeling almost relieved.
“Is that why I’m left here alone? I mean, no one is taking me to safety. Is it because I’ll put them in danger?”
“First of all, as long as you stay on this property, you are safe. It’s protected just as well as any safe house. But, yes, it’s better you’re kept away from the others. At least for now.”
My brows furrowed. “What does that mean? At least for now?”
He answered with his own question. “You’ve noticed how you’re changing recently?”
“Who couldn’t notice? I’m a mess.”
“I’m talking about the physical changes. The running and swimming, how your body’s changing, you’re looking younger…I mean, you looked terrible a week ago.”
I threw him a hateful look.
“Just keeping it real.”
“Sorry. You’re right. Are the changes really that noticeable to you, too?”
He nodded. “Part of it—maybe a lot of it—is because you are changing. Actually changing over. The Ang’dora.”
I stared at him. I’d been right? It is the Ang’dora? I dared to hope it explained everything I’d been going through this past week—that I hadn’t really been as mentally unstable as I’d feared, but that the changes caused the havoc.
“That’s what Sophia thinks, anyway,” Owen added quickly. “Everyone says it’s too early, but Sophia and I have seen you. And if it is the Ang’dora, well, there are some uncertainties….”
I nodded with understanding. They weren’t quite positive the Amadis power could conquer my Daemoni blood. I could be just as much a danger to them as any of the predators out there looking for their opportunity to attack. The sense of relief that there was a reason for the heightened insanity was quickly overshadowed by the memory of Evil Alexis—that internal voice, like I’d never heard it until recently.
“I see,” I said quietly, falling back into the chair. “So you’re not just here to protect me. You’re also here to kill me, if necessary.”
His eyes widened with horror. “Alexis, I could never…”
I leaned forward again and looked him directly in the eye. “You have to, Owen. You can’t let me hurt anyone.”
“But we only kill if absolutely necessary. That’s part of being Amadis. Every soul can be saved.”
“Rina told me they would’ve killed me when I was a baby if they thought the Daemoni blood would overpower.”
“Only if there’d been no hope.”
“You can’t let me hurt anyone,” I repeated.
The corners of his mouth twitched, as if he fought a smile. “Except Daemoni.”
“Right.” I sighed.
I rose from the chair and walked over to the railing, looking across the yard and over the water. I prayed none of this became an issue, but knew the truth in it better than anyone. No one else knew about the evil already trying to brandish its ugly self inside me. I realized then I had to do what I could for the Amadis, even when it made no sense to me now. I had to trust them. Although I knew we didn’t always win.
“Thanks, Owen.”
“I’m here for you, no matter what.” He stood right behind me and wrapped his arms around me, strong and warm. I pulled on the Amadis power emanating from his body, absorbing it into my own. His power didn’t feel strong, not like Rina’s or Mom’s or even Stefan’s had been, but it helped. “And I’m sorry if what I said hurt you. You know…he was my best friend. I miss him, too.”
