Kristie Cook - Devotion

"Armand, I believe you have something to say," Solomon finally said, his baritone voice sounding tired, as if he, too, had been beaten down by the council.

"Yes, I do," the short and stocky vampire said, taking two steps forward and turning to face the council who stood in a half-circle. As the chief of the Amadis police force, Armand had probably been the one who'd taken Tristan into custody. My mouth soured with hatred as he straightened his spine and cleared his throat before making his announcement. "I believe we need to temporarily remove Katerina Camilla Ames from the role of matriarch."

Mom and I both gasped, along with a few others. Rina's face, however, remained emotionless.

"Don't be absurd, Armand," Charlotte said. "We can't remove her from our rule. We're ordained."

"It is temporary only," Armand said.

"Only for the trial?" asked Robin, the were-falcon. "There is a … conflict of interest."

"Until further notice. Until she has returned to herself," Armand said. "There has obviously been a lapse of judgment with the handling of Tristan and Alexis and this whole situation."

Several conversations broke out among the council members, and I took the moment to silently ask Mom if they could actually get away with this. But she didn't answer me. Mom? She ignored me, her full attention engrossed in one of the debates. Mom! I screamed to no avail. What the hell? Even if Rina had sourced that last conversation, I'd used my power with Tristan only ten minutes ago. How could Mom not hear me?

"Sophia will take her place, right?" someone asked.

"Of course she will," Solomon answered. I couldn't believe he actually went along with this and tried to listen to his thoughts for an explanation but I heard nothing. In fact, with all the mind signatures floating around, I couldn't focus on a single one. I couldn't hear anyone. The traitor must have learned about my gift and now blocked me, too. Shit.

"No one else–" someone started but was interrupted.

"Sophia can not take the seat!" Adolf, the German werewolf, declared. "Her actions do not prove her trustworthy."

Mom spun on him. "You can't name anyone else leader of the Amadis. It is against the Angels. Against God!"

Adolf stumbled over his English. "The Angels are apparently not caring about us with the moment. Neither of you are worth the position."

Anger flared within me, but I bit back my temper.

"Then who?" someone demanded as I watched Rina exchange a look with Julia.

"Solomon," someone else suggested.

"He's no better than Sophia," Armand said. "He'll just be Rina's puppet."

Solomon hissed but otherwise didn't respond. Rina and Julia shared another significant look.

"I propose Martin," Julia said. I was surprised she didn't say herself.

Mom freed Adolf from her glare and returned to my side. Apparently, she and I agreed with Julia, for once: if not Rina, Mom or Solomon, Martin was the next best leader. Temporarily, of course. He had enough distance from our family that the council might accept him, but he and his family were close enough to us that he'd defend our wishes. I wondered if Rina had actually told Julia to suggest Martin.

If so, it meant Rina's powers weren't completely blocked like mine were. The traitor had made a point to silence me from everyone, both ways, allowing no communication at all. Who knew about my power? Who had Rina told? And how the hell did they get into my head to do this without my knowing?

"I second the motion," Adolf said, "but not for the trial only. I move we appoint Martin to rule the council and the Amadis."

With raised brows, Martin's eyes bounced between Julia and Adolf as if he waited for them to say, "just kidding."

"I doubt it possible," he finally said when he realized they were serious. "Think about what you're saying. Our leadership is not up for election, even if we did agree in a vote."

They all spoke at once, challenging each other's statements and talking over one another.

"Enough!" Rina said, actually sounding firm, like her old self. Everyone fell silent. "There will be no vote."

I wondered, if she was able to quiet them like that, why she hadn't stopped this sooner. She displayed complete control over herself and them, so why let the discussion go on? Apparently, it wasn't lasting. She sighed wearily, and her voice came out heavy and tired.

"Martin is right. Only I can make the decision." She held her hand up when others started to speak again. "I temporarily relinquish my rule to Martin Allbright. That is an order, Martin."

With an exhalation of his breath, as if in resignation, he nodded, bowed his head to Rina and walked to the door. Without a word from anyone, he led the council, with Rina, Mom and I at the end of their procession, down a long corridor, toward the rear of the Council Hall, not to the front of the grand meeting room as we'd gone before. A thick and heavy silence weighed down on us, as if trying to press us into the stone floor.

I couldn't make sense of what happened–the council trying to oust Rina and Rina giving up her authority voluntarily. I half-expected lightning bolts to shoot from the sky and strike down the traitor and her sheep for taking this too far, beyond their boundaries. Surely the Angels didn't want this. How could they even allow it? My understanding of the Amadis, the council and the Angels' role and rule in our society had flipped over, whirled and twisted into a senseless pretzel. How could I be devoted to these … these politicians … whose values and beliefs obviously meant so little? They didn't seem so loyal to God and the Angels now. Why should I be loyal to them? How could Tristan be so adamant about it?

My heart felt nothing but a burning rage toward them now. If it weren't Tristan on trial, I would have left with Dorian right then, not caring what they did anymore. I wanted to forget my position and leave the Amadis forever. They weren't worthy of my allegiance.

But it was Tristan on trial.

We stopped in the dark hall as Martin, up ahead, paused in a doorway. The room beyond, which had been buzzing with voices, fell silent. As we filed into the back of the grand meeting hall, I thought at first we had come to a completely different room. But, no, it was the same one; only the arrangements had changed.

The King Arthur's table had been removed and the throne-like chairs moved to this end, placed behind a long table on a raised platform. Rows of chairs, a center aisle splitting them in two, faced the dais, all of them filled–well, they would be, once everyone sat down. More Amadis lined the walls and the crowd seemed to flow out the doors. The warrior angel statues–one above the doors and one above the head table–looked fiercer than ever, their anger directed at us.

The council members paraded behind the table to their chairs. Solomon, who preceded Rina, took the last one at the table, meaning Rina, Mom and I would not be joining the council at the head of the room. Instead, Martin motioned toward a line of three chairs against the wall, perpendicular to the dais, between the council and the crowd, as if we were the jury. But I already knew we'd have no say in the outcome of this trial.

Once Rina, Mom and I sat down, everyone else sat, too, showing at least some kind of respect. Then Armand raised his hand and flicked it, as if hailing a waiter. Everyone turned toward the doors, and I did, too. I held back a gasp as two guards sandwiched Tristan between them and brought him down the center aisle. The urge to run to him, to throw my arms around him, to blast the guards and the council with electricity and then run away with him, nearly overcame me. But the look on Tristan's face stopped that thought.

He barely glanced at me, his eyes hard, and quickly looked away. His face remained stony and indifferent as the guards led him to stand before the council. I love you, I thought as he took his place. But he didn't respond. Of course, he couldn't hear me. No one could.