to have been kidding. This had to be a joke. But what awful timing for such a joke, and looking at his face, I knew he was completely serious. My jaw dropped, and I sobered. “Have you lost your mind? My love has nothing to do with a stupid stone.”
He pressed his lips against my knuckles. “I wish I could believe that. I really do. But ever since we lost the pendant . . . we argue all the time.”
“We’ve been under a lot of pressure.”
“We’ve always been under a lot of pressure, and we never argued before. We always stood together. The stone united us.”
“Bullshit,” I spat. “Why are you doing this? You don’t even sound like yourself. What’s wrong with you?”
“Alexis, please don’t make this more difficult for me. I do love you, regardless of your real feelings. And I love the Amadis. You need to do what’s right for them, and I’m not right for them. I can’t give you a daughter. I can’t give you—or them—what they need.”
“Tristan—”
“Listen to me. The ones who thought we were meant for each other were wrong. Rina must have interpreted the Angels’ message incorrectly. I’m obviously not meant for you. I’m not the right one. We only believed it because of the stone.”
“Stop talking about the fucking stone!” I yelled. “My love for you has nothing to do with it. And I will not let them separate us!”
“Don’t you get it?” he growled. His eyes flashed as he lost all patience. “She only gave the stone to me so I could trick you into loving me.”
“You didn’t trick me. You can’t do that to someone’s feelings. You can’t do that to my heart. I know what I feel!”
“And it can’t be love, Alexis. Not true love. I. Can’t. Be. Loved.”
“Oh, no! No, no, no. You’re not doing this. You’re not destroying us because of your guilt.” I jabbed my finger into his chest. “Stop it now, Tristan. Because I love you whether you like it or not. I love you. No matter what you or some stupid woman says! Besides, there’s a prophecy. I’ve read it myself.”
“Prophecies aren’t specific enough. You can’t be certain it means you and me.”
“Then so what? Screw the prophecy. Screw the stone. There’s still you and me, and I feel what I feel. I won’t deny it. But are you? Are you denying our love? Do you love me?”
He growled again. “Of course. More than anything and everything combined. Which is why I’ve been so selfish. It’s wrong. I have to let you go, to do what’s best for everyone.” He pulled my arms to his chest and stepped forward so we both pressed against the bars. But our faces—our lips—couldn’t touch. “Do what’s right, Lex. In the end, it will be good. It’s what’s supposed to happen.”
Two hands grabbed my waist from behind and tugged. “No! Tristan, no! I don’t believe this! I’m not giving up on us!”
“Go, my love. Just go.” He lifted my hands to his lips again, but the guard jerked me out of Tristan’s grasp. “I love you, ma lykita.”
I love you, too, my sweet Tristan, I called back. Whether you believe it or not. I love you. Forever.
I didn’t know if he heard my last words. The guard had me outside by then, beyond the shield, which might have severed our mental connection. Without a word, Mom took my hand and pulled me around the side of the building. She stopped and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I shook my head and more tears flowed. “He’s giving up, Mom. He thinks it’s best for the Amadis.”
Mom sighed and wrapped her arms around me. I cried into her shoulder for several minutes. Then she gently pushed me back and looked into my eyes. “The trial will start soon. I assume you want to be there?”
I nodded.
“Then you need to straighten up. You can’t be a mess, especially if they call on you as a witness. You need to look and act confident, not like a blubbering idiot.”
I nodded again and inhaled a deep, jagged breath. Mom cleaned my face off once more and ran her hands over my hair to straighten it. Once I could breathe without hitches, she led me to the front of the Council Hall and inside. The low thrum of many muted conversations carried out from the meeting room, but Mom turned the opposite way. We entered the smaller holding room where