have a daughter. What did this mean for us? For Tristan and me? For the Amadis?
Was there still a chance I could have a girl? Although Rina never had a message from the Angels, Mom had felt the truth that I would. So perhaps all was not lost. If we could move beyond this stupid trial, if they would only give us a chance, Tristan and I might possibly still be able to give them a daughter. They had to see that now. They had to see that the girl we found, whoever she was, didn't change anything. They had to give us another chance.
Lost in thought, I almost missed what Martin had to add. He banged his fist on the table, silencing the crowd and catching my attention.
'However,' he said, 'there is a very close match to Tristan, leaving no trace of doubt of relation.'
Chapter 22
A deafening silence filled the room. No one seemed to understand the meaning behind Martin's words, including me. My brain slowly processed them, and it eventually understood. The girl was not mine … but she was Tristan's.
'Tristan?' I whispered, unable to speak clearly around my heart lodged in my throat. He turned toward me and our eyes locked.
'No,' he mouthed, shaking his head, truly acknowledging me for the first time since entering the room. He turned back to the council table and bellowed, 'Impossible!'
The crowd finally reacted, just now figuring it out. They gasped and clicked their tongues, and at least one man chuckled. Hatred boiled within me. I hated the council, particularly Julia, for insisting this shame be exposed to everyone. Especially because it couldn't possibly be true. It's a set-up. It has to be. My brain, my heart, my soul couldn't accept anything else.
Julia's eyes narrowed as they scanned the paper Martin held in front of her, then she looked up at Tristan, the corners of her mouth twitching as if she fought a triumphant grin. She kept the smile to herself and maintained a ruthless glare. 'The results are right here. Further proof of your betrayal. Not only did you fail–or refuse–to produce a girl for the Amadis, but you did produce a daughter with someone else and tried to make it appear as if she were ours.'
'And what would be my reasoning?' Tristan demanded.
'It's obvious,' Armand said. 'Look at the disruption you've caused in the Amadis. Look how close we are to collapse. All at your doing.'
'You're setting me up.'
'It explains your defense of the girl,' Julia pointed out.
'You contradict yourself. You said I attacked the girl. Are you admitting it was you?'
Julia stood and leaned over the table, baring her teeth, fangs and all. 'You've betrayed us. You are the traitor. The proof is right here.'
'Bullshit!' I shouted, jumping to my feet again and ignoring the reaction to my language. I looked Julia directly in the eye. 'You're making it up to frame him. You've been trying to set us up for months, for some reason trying to get rid of us. It won't work!'
'You have no idea what you're talking about, girl,' Julia said through clenched teeth.
'I agree we've found the traitor,' Adolf said, and he sneered at me as he continued, as if to prove Julia's plan would work. 'I move for a conviction of Tristan Knight for treason against the Amadis. I also move we annul his marriage to Alexis Ames and she marry Owen Allbright.'
'What?' I shrieked. 'You can't do this! You can't force me to marry anyone!'
Mom grabbed me by the waist, but I struggled against her.
'You are an Amadis daughter. If you are loyal to us, you will do what's best for the Amadis,' Armand warned. 'I second the motion.'
'No! You can't do this!' I yelled louder, fighting against Mom's tight grip.
'All in favor?' Martin asked unenthusiastically, his voice loaded with defeat. I thrashed against Mom as I watched seven hands rise … against six that didn't.
Mass confusion broke out in the crowd, drowning out my cries of refusal.
'Martin didn't vote,' someone called out above all the other voices and the crowd quieted.
'What's your vote, Martin?' someone else asked.
'What does it matter?' a vaguely familiar, gravelly voice said. I thought it belonged to Ferrer, the blacksmith, but I couldn't see his stooped frame in the crowd. 'This is not a democracy. It's up to the matriarch. She must make the final decision.'
'What say you, Ms. Katerina?' an old, small witch at the front of the crowd asked.
Rina didn't answer, but only stared at the dais. Martin pressed his lips together.
'I did not vote because I will make the final decision,' he finally said. 'I have been asked to take the rule for the time being. Katerina Camilla Ames has removed herself as matriarch.'
And all hell broke loose.
People yelled at the council, at Martin, at Rina and at each other. The rise of emotions literally heated the room. The crowd began pushing their way toward the dais, demanding answers.
'Silence!' Solomon's voice boomed over the chaos and everyone obeyed, more out of being startled than anything. He looked every bit vampire at this moment. 'We are taking a recess. Everyone out!'
When nobody moved and the protests broke out again, the council left the room themselves. The two warlock-guards led Tristan out the back, too, and Rina, Mom and I headed for the same door we came through, Mom half-carrying me.
'Rina, you have to do something!' I said as soon as the three of us were alone in the holding room. 'They're obviously framing him. You can stop this.'
When she looked at me, her mahogany eyes wide and moist, I could tell the fight had completely left her. 'There is nothing I can do, Alexis dear. They will not listen to me. Let Martin handle this. He will do the right thing.'
I whirled on Mom, and she held up her hand.
'Martin will take them in private quarters and talk sense into them,' she said. 'They've put their trust in him, honey. He'll take care of this and they'll have to go along with him now.'
'You have listened to his thoughts, no?' Rina asked. 'You know what he will do.'
'I'm blocked,' I said. 'I can't hear anyone and no one can hear me.'
'Then the traitor is here, in the crowd,' Rina said.
'Obviously. No doubt creating all this mayhem to distract everyone from what's really going on. Probably influencing everyone in that room, especially with those bogus test results. And if destroying the Amadis is her goal, she's doing a damn good job of it.'
Mom sat in a wingback chair in the seating area. 'As soon as Martin takes care of this, we can move on and address the issue of the real traitor. We just have to wait now.'
I sank onto one end of the couch across from her. 'For how long?'
Mom shrugged. 'For as long as it takes for him to feel he can overrule their vote without causing too many problems among them. He has to do it diplomatically, or we'll have even more trouble on our hands.'
'You're sure he's with us?' I asked. 'I mean, they want me to marry Owen. He might want– Wait. Where is Owen? He's not really in the hospital is he?'
'I sent him on an errand,' Rina murmured.
'Oh.' I snorted. 'I thought maybe he ran away, before they forced him to marry me.' The idea sounded appealing, much better than annulling my marriage and being forced together with Owen. If only I could talk Tristan into it. He, Dorian and I could get away from here for good, escape the crazies, as Charlotte had called them. Now I understood fully. But I didn't understand why Rina would send Owen away now, during such an important trial. His future was at stake, too, after all.
'Alexis,' Rina said, and I looked over my shoulder at her. She stood where she had earlier, leaning against the wall and watching out the window, still looking just as forlorn. 'Have you been able to lower your shield
