Kristie Cook - Devotion

"Then–" My breath hitched with the sobs. "Then how can it be?"

"I honestly have no idea. The traitor must be blocking me, too, because I see no options, no possible answers except the obvious. But it's not true. I promise you that. Please, Lexi, believe me."

Each pleading word, pointed with his despair, pierced my heart. I finally forced myself to look up at his beautiful face, and as soon as I did, as soon as I looked into those hazel eyes begging for my trust, I wanted to have faith in him. But …

"I don't know what to believe anymore," I said.

The pain in his eyes nearly killed me. He took my face in his hands, and I didn't pull away, unable to hurt him anymore. He leaned his forehead against mine.

"I understand. You need to shield your heart." His thumb stroked my face, and I wanted so badly to lean into his palm. "But open your mind, Lex, and use it. Find out the truth. Promise me you'll try. I understand that you can't love me, but I can't bear the thought of leaving you like this, believing their lies."

So I should believe yours? I couldn't bring myself to say it. Especially because I wanted to believe him. I'd made the decision years ago to take his word over everyone else's, but that was when his word meant something. When I thought he and I were on the same side, together, as one.

The door opened and Charlotte stepped inside. "It's time."

"No," we said at once, desperation filling both of our voices. Desperation to believe. To be believed.

"I'm sorry, but they're ready."

The two warlock-guards pushed past Charlotte and each grabbed one of Tristan's arms. Before he stood on his own, he leaned forward and brushed his lips across my forehead, leaving a trail of electricity under my skin.

"Use your head. If not for me, Lex, do it for our son. For the Amadis. You have the advantage, ma lykita. Use it." He didn't fight the guards as they pushed him toward the door and out of the room.

Away from me.

Perhaps forever.

I didn't remember moving, but I suddenly found myself standing. Standing in an empty, gloomy room alone. All alone. A feeling I'd lived with for over seven years. Something I thought I'd never have to do again, yet here I was. But I wanted to be alone. Needed it. Distant noises thrummed from the hall and the meeting room, setting my teeth on edge. I couldn't deal with being in that noisy crowd again. I couldn't stand seeing the smug faces of the council.

I'd trusted them easier than I'd ever trusted anyone. I'd been convinced years ago, when I first learned of the Amadis, they were the good guys. The Daemoni were evil. The Amadis were good. If you were Amadis, I could trust you. Black and white. I'd never been so wrong. Like anything in life, this covert world was colored with grays. Nothing–nobody–could be trusted for how they appeared on the surface. How could I ever be loyal to those I couldn't trust? I wanted nothing to do with them, with my position, with the Amadis at all. I wanted out.

"Alexis, they're about to start," Mom said from the doorway.

"I'm not going back in there. I've heard enough."

"You don't want to hear Martin's final decision?"

I shook my head. "What does it matter? What do I care what happens?"

Mom moved into the room, and I took a step backward. She sighed. "You don't believe that. You know it matters to you. Whatever has happened in the past, you love him. You care what happens to him."

I shook my head again, but my eyes stung. She pursed her lips together and stared at me for a long moment. Then she left. And my eyes burned hotter. I do care. I do love him. No matter what. Besides, he was the father of my son. Even if I no longer cared about the Amadis or their future, I did need to hear Martin's decision about Tristan.

I hurried down the corridor to the grand room, which sounded as though an angry mob filled it. Rina and Mom were just entering, and I slid into step behind Mom. People shouted accusations and questions, not noticing as the three of us came inside and took our seats.

"The Ames women must lead us!"

"We're nothing without them! We'll collapse!"

"Ms. Katerina, why did you step down? How could you abandon us?"

"How can you rule, Martin? You aren't of Amadis blood! You're not ordained to rule!"

"We are here for the trial of Tristan Knight, not Katerina Ames or this council," Solomon said over the crowd, somewhat quieting them. "We will finish this trial, then we will discuss the future of the Amadis."

"Get this over with! We should be out there fighting!"

"Yeah! We should be fighting Daemoni, not each other!"

"But we have no future without a matriarch!"

I didn't know where to take my gaze. I avoided the front of the room, definitely not wanting to see the council. I didn't want to look into the faces of the angry crowd either. My eyes kept pulling toward Tristan, but I knew looking at him would only bring more tears. So I looked up, over the crowd's heads to stare at a point on the wall. Across the room from us, a little higher than the rest of the heads, bobbed a familiar blond one.

Owen's eyes caught mine for a second, then he looked away, as if unable to bear the sight of me. He stood against the wall with a woman on each side of him, one blue-haired and the other purple–Jessica and Lisa, the faeries. Is this his defense? Trying to show he's already in love with someone else–two somebody elses? He couldn't believe that would work. It would only be infatuation, faeries creating lust, not love. Everyone would see that.

Not that he looked in love. The crowd must have diluted the faeries' influence because he didn't have the same expression as he'd had at their cottage in the Tennessee woods. Instead, he looked composed and … calculating. As if he had something up his sleeve and simply waited for the right time to reveal it. Did Rina send him after the faeries? But why?

I followed Owen's gaze to the old woman who'd cared for Lilith, sitting not too far from Owen and the faeries. Her face was drawn tight, making her look older. I didn't remember her presence earlier and wondered why they'd brought her in. I could only figure that after Tristan's trial, they planned to question her about Lilith–their relationship, why she was raising her, what she might know about Lilith's mother. That thought made me physically cringe. Did I want to stay for that? I might learn something that would help me to believe Tristan … or I might not and instead subject myself to even more agony.

Nona, as Lilith had called her, was the only person sitting in the room, besides the council members and us. Everyone else stood, and as I finally looked at the crowd, I found a variety of expressions, but all of them full of passion. Their spirits animated with the desire to fight or to protect, with rage or with worry, with hate or with love. Some had pointy ears and extra facial hair, as if they were about to lose control over their human forms. Others' fangs showed, brought out by the anger and fear in the room.

"What about the Daemoni?" someone called out, the voice spiked with terror.

"Yeah! They're attacking right now and we're doing nothing. They'll win!" A voice agitated with the desire to fight.

"What about our children?"

"They have no future now," a woman wailed. "What will happen to them?"

"What about the unprotected humans? The innocents?" Owen yelled louder than anyone, and many shouts rallied with him.

I saw then what Mom must have seen years ago, what council members now realized. Owen could become a great leader. He might try to push things a little too far, as Rina had once pointed out, but that was a sign of courage. He never overreacted to anything, but was passionate about his beliefs. And as seen now, he could control a crowd, keep them focused on the right things. He was definitely strong and powerful enough. No wonder he was their next choice as the father of my daughter.