Kristie Cook - Promise

"No, I didn't! How could I doubt your love? I knew it all along and I was just mad, acting like a child. And I hurt you…."

"You were hurt first. I hurt you. I should have been more upfront with you. I deserved it."

"But it wasn't you! I know that now. All you did was what was best for them…and you loved me. I'm just so sorry I was too proud and bullheaded to realize it sooner. I almost lost you," I whispered miserably.

"But you didn't," he whispered back. "And now you know you love me and trust me fully."

I nodded. He wiped the tears from my cheeks.

"So, we're good." He smiled warmly and I nodded again. "Then let's get past this and look forward, okay?"

I nodded a third time. He picked me up in a tight hug. I gave him a long kiss, hoping the depth of my love for him would flow through it. But I didn't know if that was even possible. My love was so much more.

"We'll do the next one together— our dream home," he promised as we continued up the stairs hand-in-hand.

As we headed home from dinner that evening, Tristan drove the motorcycle right past the cottage to the dead-end at the beach.

"Come on. We have just enough time to watch the sun set," he said.

The sun already hovered half-way behind the water and we sat in silence as it finished its descent.

"Listen," Tristan finally said, "we'll need to go soon, but before we do, I need to tell you something."

Somberness and foreboding filled his tone. My stomach tightened automatically.

"Why do I have this feeling I won't like what happens tonight?" I asked.

"I think, in the end, you'll be fine. First, though, there will be some surprises."

" More surprises? How much more can there be ?" I moaned and threw my head into his lap. I laid there curled up, my head resting on his legs. "I don't know that I can take any more."

"So you don't want to know all these big secrets you haven't been allowed to know before? You don't want to know who you are?"

I shot up and stared at him. " Seriously ?"

He looked at me thoughtfully. "Yes, I think you'll be learning quite a bit tonight. I don't see how it can be kept from you any longer. There's too much at risk. So…I want you to know, no matter what you hear, regardless of how…shocking…it is, I absolutely, unconditionally, undeniably love you. No matter what. I've known it all since before you were born and knew what I was getting into, okay? And I would've told you already, but, like their plan for us, it wasn't my place. Do you understand?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Um, no . Was that supposed to make sense?"

He chuckled. "I guess it probably doesn't right now. Come here."

He pulled me sideways onto his lap and held me close, brushing his lips across my cheek. He murmured into my ear, "I love you, no matter what. You are everything to me and nothing will come between us as long as I can help it. We are together forever."

"I can understand that." I found his lips with mine. He suddenly stopped kissing me, though, and cocked his head, then closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

"They're ready for us."

"How do you know? And who's 'they'?" I asked as we headed back to the bike. "I thought it was just my mom."

"You'll see in about three minutes."

Three minutes later we walked into Mom's cottage. I stopped in the archway between the foyer and the living room, surprised to see all the people there—Mom, a woman who looked just like her and two men. I sensed extreme goodness from all of them as they looked at Tristan and me and smiled approvingly.

The lady who looked nearly like Mom's twin, dressed for a ball in a white, shimmery gown, rose gracefully from Mom's usual chair. She had all the same features as Mom and looked to be in her late twenties, but, somehow, seemed much older. "Hello, Alexis, I am your grandmother."

I jumped at the "sound." Because she hadn't spoken. Her lips didn't move! I'd heard it in my head, not with my ears. There were a couple snickers. Tristan squeezed my hand.

"Mother, she wasn't ready for that," Mom said.

"Sorry, dear," my grandmother said aloud. Her real voice, like her telepathic one, was smooth and luxurious, like velvet, with a foreign accent I couldn't place. It seemed familiar, though. I heard it in my head again. " You are just as beautiful as they have told me. Just wait until the Ang'dora. You will be magnificent. "

I stood there awkwardly, forcing a smile on the outside while internally freaking out. My grandmother's a telepathic !

She held her hand out to me. I didn't move. Tristan gave me a little nudge and whispered, "It's okay."

Without letting go of his hand, I took the two steps over to her. She clasped my other hand in both of hers and closed her eyes. Silence filled the room as everyone watched. I had no idea what she did, but a warm, pleasurable sensation washed over me. She smiled and then opened her eyes.

"Yes, magnificent," she said aloud. She looked at Mom. "She is amazing, Sophia."

Mom beamed. "I told you. Probably the best in many, many centuries?"

"Yes, I think you are correct." My grandmother sat back down. Her body moved with the majesty and grace of a lead ballerina. She belonged in a palace, not in our little cottage.

"Alexis, this is your grandmother, Katerina. You can call her Rina," Mom said. She held her hand first toward a tall, broad man with hair in cornrows standing perfectly erect behind Rina, then at the man sitting next to her on the couch. "That is Solomon and this is Stefan."

Stefan barely looked at me. Although he radiated goodness, the way he hid his eyes behind his dark, curly hair gave me the impression he felt guilty about something. I wondered what it was. He seemed vaguely familiar but I didn't know why. I couldn't remember ever meeting him, but I knew his name from just the day before. He'd spoken to Tristan recently, from what I heard on the speaker phone. I now placed Rina's voice—she'd been the woman on the phone.

"These are some of the Amadis council members," Mom continued. "Our family line has always led the Amadis, with advice and guidance from the council."

Owen popped his head in the door then and called, "All's clear."

"Thank you, Owen," Rina said. "Please continue your watch."

I threw Mom a look.

"Yes, Owen is part of the Amadis, but he's not on the council. He's a protector." She smiled. "He's your protector."

My protector —as in bodyguard? Why do I need a protector? And am I the only one in the dark here? I must have stiffened because Tristan stepped behind me and circled his arm around my waist. "Relax, my love."

He pulled me over to the loveseat. We hardly ever used it—there were never more than three people in the room—and it sat in the corner, out of the way. Someone had pulled it slightly forward and now, as we sat down, it felt like the focal point of the room as everyone scrutinized us.

"My darling, Alexis," Rina said, "you are probably wondering what we are all doing here?"

I felt like a child in the principal's office, not because I'd misbehaved, but because something was wrong that the adults needed to explain. I took a deep breath and nodded. "That'd be a good start."

"Our primary concern is your immediate safety," she said, "but for you to understand our discussions, you must be better informed. At our direction, Sophia and Tristan have only told you what you needed to know. However, recent events have shown you deserve to know more now, rather than waiting for the Ang'dora .

"We are the Amadis. All of us, including Owen, are part of the Amadis society. Solomon and Stefan are members of the council. You, your mother, myself and Tristan, too, are direct descendents of the original Amadis family bloodline. Women in our direct bloodline have ruled the Amadis since its beginning over two millennia ago. I have been the matriarch for over a half-century. At some point in the future, Sophia will inherit it from me and then you from her. There was a time when we thought our existence was all but extinct, until you miraculously arrived. You are full of such promise and I am convinced the Ang'dora will bring you powers unseen since our earliest leaders."