Kristie Cook - Devotion

"She pretty much just told me."

"Yes, Julia loves Rina very much."

"But she realizes Rina's not that way, right? I mean, she's with Solomon. Does she hold out for some kind of hope or something?"

Mom shook her head. "No. Rina is aware of how Julia feels, and Julia understands Rina doesn't return her feelings."

Tristan sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulder. "We can't help who we fall in love with, even if the other person doesn't share those feelings."

I gave him a pointed look. "Which doesn't apply in our situation."

"I know," he said quietly.

I turned back to Mom. "Well, I'd think Julia would at least make some kind of effort to find another mate. Has she? Does she even try to love anyone else?"

Mom sighed. "What Julia does is her own choice. Her free will. She has reasons for her actions, and it is not my place to share them."

I nodded, understanding.

We sat in silence for a while, holding Rina's warm but lifeless hands.

"Do you think Rina knew about Martin?" I asked. "I'm sure she told Julia to recommend him as her replacement. She apparently sent Owen to find the faeries and bring them here. It seems she knew something, doesn't it?"

Tristan looked up at me, the corners of his mouth twitching with a smile. "You think she set Martin up?"

We both looked at Mom.

"My feelings aren't all back to normal," she said, and then she smiled. "But I do detect some truth in that."

I shook my head and snorted. Tristan and Mom chuckled. Martin wasn't the only one who had underestimated the matriarch.

I studied my grandmother's face with renewed respect. The dark circles remained under her eyes, but other than that, she looked more peaceful than I'd seen her in a long time. Perhaps ever. Remorse squeezed my heart. Guilt for adding more to her stress when all along she'd been trying to protect us. All of us. The power of her blood may have been more diluted than mine with the generations who had mated with Normans before Mom joined with Lucas, but I wondered how I would ever be able to rule as well as she did.

I didn't always like Rina's actions, but difficult decisions were part of being a great leader. I wouldn't be able to rule off my emotions and feelings as I did so much now. I knew that was a fault of mine. A fault I would have to overcome.

Rina's hand barely returned my pressure, and my heart leapt. It was a brief, probably involuntary action, but at least I knew she wasn't completely gone. She would return to us, and she would be a great leader once again. And with Mom between us, I had plenty of time to learn and earn the right to walk in her shoes. Good thing. I would need all the time I could get.

Tristan gave my shoulder a squeeze. "I haven't seen my son in over three days. Ready to get Dorian?"

I looked at Mom, and she nodded. "I'll sit here for a while. You can come back later."

I felt out for Dorian's mind signature and found him in his room, so Tristan and I headed toward our wing. Before we came to his door, however, I stepped in front of Tristan, put my hands on his shoulders and pushed him against the wall. He gave me a questioning look, although a smile played on his full lips.

"You do know I love you, right?" I asked. He nodded. "You won't give me anymore of that crap about how you can't be loved, that I don't really feel it, blah blah blah, right?"

"I promise, ma lykita. I'm sorry I doubted you."

"And I'm sorry I doubted your faithfulness."

"Only you, my love. Always."

"And forever," I said. "Don't forget forever."

I lifted up on my toes and leaned forward. The kiss we shared sent electricity charging throughout my body, a pleasant charge that I shared with him.

He smiled against my lips. "I'll never forget forever."

I emerged from Rina's suite two days later to find Tristan waiting for me in the hallway. It had been my shift to sit with Rina while Mom took a much-needed break, but she had returned to relieve me. Between the two of us, we sat with her around the clock to share our Amadis power.

"Any change?" Tristan asked. He'd spent the morning with Dorian and then with Bree and Lilith. The girl still remained unconscious, and we'd come to the conclusion that Martin had hit her, too.

I shook my head. "Not really. She kind of pulls away from pain, but not all the time. And her eyelids fluttered a couple times, but then she left us again. She pretty much just lies there, as if stuck between death and unconsciousness. It makes me wonder what's going on in her head. Does she dream? Is she talking to the Angels? Does she hear us but can't respond? Or is it just a black emptiness, nothing going on at all in that head of hers?"

"Have you tried finding out?"

"Actually, yeah. But I get nothing. I'm not sure what that means. I hope it's not because there's nothing to get." My brows pushed together. "I wonder if the dark magic can create a block."

"Or maybe the Angels have." Tristan gave my hand a squeeze.

I looked up at him and smiled. "I like that idea better. Hopefully she's talking to the Angels about a future daughter or about Dorian or, at least, about how to fight the Daemoni, since they keep attacking more. And it makes sense. Only she's allowed to hear their messages."

We started down the stone stairs, and I had no idea where we were going, but Tristan moved with purpose.

"Have you heard anything from Owen?" I asked as we descended.

Tristan's voice came out low and heavy. "Nothing at all. Not from Char either."

"I feel so bad for them. Owen probably hates me."

"I don't think anyone can hate you, Lex," Tristan said as he led me outside. "And it wasn't your fault. Owen's not stupid; he gets that. He just needs some time to deal with this. Like you did when you found out about your biological father."

"Like you do about your mother. How was your time with Bree, anyway?"

He shrugged. "A bit … awkward. But it's not over. She wants to talk to both of us."

We had followed the path to the beach, where we came upon Bree sitting on the sand and gazing out over the water. The sun enflamed her hair to a near blinding brilliance. She turned to look at us and gave us a stunning smile. But I had to agree with Tristan. It was a bit awkward. I returned her smile anyway, and Tristan and I sat down next to her.

"When the Angels first spoke of this plan for both of you," Bree said as she looked back out over the water, "I had no idea two people of this world could be so perfect for each other. I didn't fully understand what they meant. Now I finally see you two together and realize they truly did create a match in Heaven. There's no doubt you belong together."

"And not because of a stupid stone," I muttered.

Bree looked over at me and frowned. "A stone cannot create or force love, no, but it is not a 'stupid' stone, Alexis. That stone is very important, and you need to know about it. All about it."

I sighed. I practically hated the stone now, with all the problems it had nearly caused between Tristan and me. I didn't want to think about it and had seriously considered letting Vanessa keep the damn thing. But I couldn't deny my curiosity about it. After all, it had been implanted in Tristan's heart, and he had cut it out and given it to me, his true soul mate. Bree had called it a fertility stone the other day, but I still didn't understand its full meaning.

"Okay, so let's have it," I said.

"I have to start by saying I don't know everything about it," Bree said.

"But it's your stone," Tristan said. "How could you not know everything about it? Or was it your stone to give?"

Bree sighed. "No, not exactly. But before we go further, Alexis what have you been taught about faerie stones?"

I snorted. "Nothing. Tristan showed me his memory of you implanting it in his heart, and everyone's called it a faerie stone, except when you called it a fertility stone. That's all I know."