But I knew why. I knew why Rina had taken her, why our daughter had been kept from us, away from everyone, why I didn't feel as I should about her. Why she needed to be kept a secret.
Her Daemoni blood was too strong.
It overpowered her Amadis blood and humanity. Evil dominated her. She'd never be able to lead the Amadis, so her existence failed them. Rina had told me they would have killed me when I was an infant, if the Daemoni power was too strong in my blood and there had been no hope.
But … they hadn't killed this girl, which meant …
'Lilith, you don't need to do this,' I said, conviction now strong in my voice as I slowly rose to my feet. 'There's no reason for it. You don't have to be this way. We can help you.'
The hatred in her eyes flickered, then dissipated. Tears welled up and spilled over her cheeks. 'I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. But I can't help it.'
'Alexis–' both Nona and Julia warned at the same time. I waved them off.
'I understand, Lilith,' I said. 'Sometimes we can't control our feelings. But we can help you. You can learn to be different.'
I lifted my right hand and pushed Amadis power her way. She yelped, but she didn't writhe in pain as the vampire yesterday did or Sheree had when I'd tried to help her change over. Maybe Lilith wasn't as bad as everyone thought. Maybe she simply needed Amadis power and real love–love only her parents could give her–to overcome the Daemoni blood.
'Do you know what love is?' I asked her.
'Nona loves me,' she said in a small voice. 'I love her.'
I nodded. 'Good. Think about that love.'
I delivered more Amadis power at her for several moments. Her body stiffened at first and trembled in mid-air, but it eventually slackened, even under Tristan's power. He slowly lowered his hand, and she dropped to the ground in a heap. Nona struggled in Julia's arms, wanting to comfort her charge, but Julia refused to let her go. Lilith lifted her face, streaked with tears and dirt, but so much like Dorian's. My heart finally responded.
I looked at Tristan, a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth as I started toward Lilith to give her more direct Amadis power. Everything would be okay, just as I'd hoped. We already had the next daughter, and she would eventually be fit to lead. She had at least a hundred years, after all, to learn the Amadis ways, to overcome the Daemoni within her and become a true Amadis. She only needed our help.
Tristan's face twisted in horror. It's okay, I told him. She'll be okay. We'll all be okay now.
'Alexis,' he shouted, looking past me. 'Focus!'
Uh-oh. I spun back toward Lilith in time to see her springing to her feet. She crouched, one hand on the ground. She reared her head and curled her lip to bare her teeth. Her eyes glowed red. She became a monster once again.
Then she lunged at me.
Julia shouted something incomprehensible and flew our way, a murderous look in her eye.
'NOOO!' I screamed.
I threw myself in front of Lilith. Julia's stone body collided with mine, knocking me to the ground. My head slammed against a rock with a deafening crack, and stars shot across my vision. My eyes rolled up to see Julia's arms wrapped tightly around Lilith, both of them still as statues. Tristan stood over me, his hand facing them.
'You threaten a council member?' Julia seethed.
'You harmed an Amadis daughter and are about to kill another?' Tristan shot back.
'This is not–'
I didn't hear the end of her statement, distracted by the voice in my head.
'Perfect,' thought the traitor. 'This ended perfectly.'
A tree branch snapped in the woods behind us. I rolled over and peered into the trees, catching a glimpse of movement. I pushed myself to my knees. The world tilted, then settled. Forcing myself to focus, I finally made out a cloaked figure half-hidden behind a palmetto tree. I tried to stand up. I lifted my left hand in defense. But as I struggled to my feet, before I could shoot electricity, a flash of blue light flew at me and drove into my chest like a double-edged sword.
My heart exploded.
Ice shot through my veins.
All I could think about was the Ang'dora and how that pain felt nothing like this.
I screamed.
Then all went silent and dark.
Chapter 20
I came to with a gasp and bright light blinded me. When my gaze focused, it rested on Dorian and Sasha sitting on a bed next to me. Dorian's eyes grew huge.
'Mimi,' he called as he bounced on the bed. 'Mimi, she's awake! Mom's awake!'
I tried to sit up, to get my bearings, but I didn't have a chance.
'Oh, thank God,' Mom breathed, gathering me in her arms and holding me tightly. 'I was so worried.'
As she held me, my eyes drank in the familiar surroundings. We sat on the bed in my suite. But not in Tristan's and my bedroom on Sanibel Island. This bed had stone pillars at the corners and a gossamer canopy. Somehow, I'd been brought to our suite in the Amadis mansion.
Mom pulled away, and her eyes scanned my face from forehead to chin. 'Are you okay?'
I blinked in confusion, then remembered the explosive pain before I blacked out. I felt no discomfort at all now, though.
'Yeah. Fine. But why am I here? How'd I even get here?'
'You were really sick,' Dorian said before Mom could answer. 'You've been sleeping for three whole days!'
'Three days?' I echoed with disbelief. Then I looked around the room again and felt out with my mind for Tristan, but didn't find his signature. Why wasn't he here? Of course I hadn't actually been sick, but whatever was wrong, if I'd been out of it for three days, he should have been here, waiting for me to wake up. Healing me, if anything.
But he wasn't, and we were on the Amadis Island. Which meant only one thing.
'Where's Tristan?' I asked, my voice lilting with panic.
Mom frowned. So did Dorian. His eyes filled with tears. Oh, no. They really took him!
'He's even sicker, Mom,' Dorian said, his lip trembling. 'He's in the hospital and they won't let me see him. Uncle Owen, too.'
My stomach knotted with the lies they'd told Dorian. 'Mom? What's going on?'
Mom looked at Dorian and back at me. She couldn't talk with him around. I pulled him into my arms.
'Little man, I need to talk to Mimi for a minute, and then I need to take a bath. You and Sasha go to your room and play, okay?'
He sighed and his shoulders sank, making it obvious he didn't want to leave my side. I couldn't blame him, not when Tristan, Owen and I, the three people closest to him besides Mom, had been out of commission for several days.
'Actually, Dorian,' Mom said, 'Ophelia probably has lunch ready for you, and then she's taking you out to the beach.'
'Okay,' Dorian said with no enthusiasm at all. He skulked out of the room with Sasha at his side. My heart squeezed painfully, and I wanted to tell him to stay with me. Because that's what I wanted more than anything–for him to stay with me forever. But something was really wrong.
'What's going on?' I asked Mom again when I sensed Dorian had moved out of earshot.
Mom closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She exhaled a sigh. 'Everything. So many things, I don't know where to start and I don't know it all. I've kept myself sequestered in here with you to keep out of the influence of the council again. I didn't want to forget anything so I could tell you.'
