Kristie Cook - Promise

As a waitress took our drink orders, the gorgeous blonde from Mario's entered the bar. That surprised me even more than Owen being there—it definitely didn't seem like her kind of place. Owen moved around the bar to sit next to her. She didn't look happy at all about it, but let him pull her into a conversation—from what I could tell, a strained conversation. I hoped they could keep each other company, or, at least, busy. I didn't exactly want her attention on Tristan. And I definitely didn't want Owen's attention on any of us.

Ian kept his pale blue eyes on us as he sat back in his chair, scrubbing his hand through his untidy, dull red hair, then folding his arms across his chest. He lifted his chin in my direction.

"Another toy for your collection?" His voice was calm, cool, but I could hear the menace in the tone.

"I told you, I don't know her. She's just a girl at the restaurant." Tristan was a smooth liar…except his actions spoke too loudly.

Ian smirked. "Yeah, see, I don't quite believe that. You're too protective of her."

"Only because she's an innocent girl, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just let her go and you and I can…visit."

Ian chuckled, a disgusting rattle, and leaned forward in his chair. "Protecting the innocent these days, huh? Well, if she means nothing to ya…then why don't ya lemme play?"

Tristan leaned forward, too, and I could see his muscles tighten against his shirt.

" No! " he growled.

"Hmph…yeah, what I thought." Ian looked smug, still peering at me.

"What do you want, Ian? What are you doing here?" Tristan tried to distract the ogre, but Ian stared at me harder.

"Well, I heard ya were around and I was in the neighborhood, so thought I'd drop in to say hullo, catch up, you know. But looks like I found an interesting situation." Ian leaned almost all the way across the table, his fumes nauseating me. He studied me closely in the dim light. "Ah-ha. Yeah…I thought I heard blondie call ya Alexis. Wouldn't happen to be Sophia's Alexis, would ya, lassie?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Tristan said.

"The looks are right. The name is right." He reached his hand out to touch my face and I jerked my head back in revulsion. In a flash, Tristan was on his feet and lifting Ian by the collar. Several people turned to look in our direction. Ian laughed quietly. "Just a girl, heh?"

"Don't touch her," Tristan snarled.

Ian held his hands up in surrender. "All right, all right. I get it."

Tristan let him go and they both picked up their fallen chairs and sat back down. The staring bar patrons finally looked away. I understood why Ian wanted witnesses—Tristan couldn't do anything… unusual …here.

The ogre grinned wretchedly and his voice returned to its coolness. "Ya know, Seth, ya play with fire, you'll get burned. Even you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Amadis royalty ? The worst of all evils. Not even you, the ultimate warrior , can handle that. They'll take ya down."

A moment of silence hung around us as the waitress set our drinks on the table then scurried away.

"You've never been the clever one, have you, Ian?" Tristan said. "You never could tell your ass from your head."

"Oh, right." Ian nodded. "I almost forgot. You think the Amadis are good, perfect . I spent two centuries with 'em, lived with all their damn rules, under their control. And I'm the one who's ignorant?"

"Your lustful advances were rejected. You were out of line."

"Don't matter. I found my true family. Your real family, Seth . Ya think the Amadis are going to like this?" He waved his hand toward me. "Ya think you're just one of them now? You're the one who's mistaken. They'll stomp all over ya and throw ya out with the bleedin' rubbish…if they don' kill ya first. I'm surprised they haven't done it yet…."

Ian's voice trailed off as his eyes widened. He nodded slowly, as if a realization had just dawned on him. He smirked again, his pale eyes moving back and forth between Tristan and me.

"Ahhh. That's right. They're still using ya, aren't they? Have a little assignment for ya to do?" Ian's voice was mocking. Tristan stiffened.

The question dinged in my head like an alarm or a reminder. I couldn't grasp at the thought trying to come forward from the back of my mind.

"You're wrong," Tristan said.

"Oh, I don't think so. They let ya have a little taste of royalty arse here—" Ian flicked his hand toward me again "— they get what they want and ya get to walk free. Nice little assignment, ya lucky bastard."

"Lies, Alexis, remember what I told you," Tristan warned me. Instead, I remembered that thought I had tried to grasp…Tristan saying something about an assignment he had when we first met. Is that what Ian's talking about?

"Ha!" the ogre barked. "I was there, there when all the plans were made. Remember? Lil' Alexis, just a babe then, and they had it all planned for ya."

"Remember, Alexis, he's a deceiver." Tristan's voice had that steely undertone to it.

"No, this is the truth, lassie." Ian looked at me with glee in his eyes. "You were just a tiny bundle when the Amadis planned everything. You and Tristan here…"

"Shut the hell up, Ian!" Tristan nearly jumped out of his seat. Several people glanced over at us again.

My throat closed in and my stomach knotted as I realized what Ian said. Is it true? I tried to believe what Tristan had told me, repeating it to myself. Deception is his most powerful weapon. Ian carried on in a mocking tone and it was too hard to block out.

"Oh, yes…Princess Alexis and King Tristan, the perfect combination, making the most powerful Amadis baby ever." Ian bounced in his seat with excitement as he watched my reaction.

" What ?" I choked.

" Don't listen ," Tristan whispered. "He's just trying to take advantage of the situation, turning things around."

He stood up and leaned threateningly over the table toward Ian. His voice was low, but no longer a whisper. "If you don't shut the fuck up, I will make it so you can never talk again. Witnesses or not."

"You two got a problem, take it outta here," the bartender called over in our direction.

Tristan held his hand out to me. "Come on, Alexis, we're done here."

I started to move.

"Ah, so ya don't know yet," Ian said to me, stopping me, somehow mesmerizing me with his voice. Or maybe it was those pale blue eyes, like shallow pools of water, just deep enough to pull me under. "Looks like Seth's the one who's been doing the deceiving. What'd he do? Pretend to fall in love with you? He's the best liar, I'm sure ya believed every last word…every kiss. Did he feed ya the Amadis lie ? Did he tell ya that you're meant to be together when he don't even believe it?"

The air caught in my throat as I tried to breathe. My chest squeezed and my pulse throbbed in my ears. I looked up at Tristan, my eyes wide and burning. With no air, my voice was small. "Tristan?"

He turned stiffly to look at me. Muscles in his neck bulged and his fists clenched, veins popping out.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," he said flatly. Then he turned back to Ian, his eyes hard as marbles, his voice cold as ice. "She means nothing to me. Leave her alone and deal with me ."

The air I'd been holding in my lungs came out in a whoosh. I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes.

"So you did lie to her. Back to your old ways, huh?"

Too fast to even see, Tristan had Ian pinned face down on the table, his arm twisted sickly behind him. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE NOW !"

I trembled on the rickety wooden chair as everything inside me plummeted to the darkness of hell. It is true. Tristan's been lying. I heard a choking sound and thought it was Ian but realized it was me, my chest heaving, my throat squeezing. He doesn't really love me . Tristan. Doesn't. Love. Me .