moment, they talked about Lilith as an Amadis daughter, and in the next, when convenient for them, they spoke as if we didn’t have a daughter at all.
“If you’re asking if I married Alexis and she conceived a son, yes, that is true,” Tristan said. “If you’re asking if I gave myself to the Daemoni, yes, that is true, as well, but not to return to them. Only to protect Alexis and the Amadis. To protect you.”
“That’s what you say,” someone nearby muttered. I leaned forward and twisted toward the source, wishing I could shoot daggers with my eyes. Many faces met my glare, some with pity and empathy, others hard and accusing. I narrowed my eyes, then turned back to Tristan and the council.
“Did you or did you not spend over seven years with the Daemoni and upon your return, attempt to murder your wife, an Amadis daughter, last March?” Armand the vampire asked.
The crowd became louder this time, with both defensive and accusing tones. I jumped to my feet, unable to keep quiet a moment longer. Especially because Tristan would never defend himself against this accusation. “No! That wasn’t him. You know how the Daemoni are. You can’t blame him for that!”
Several council members threw me a dirty look, while a couple looked at me with pride. Martin ignored my outburst, distracted by a piece of paper that appeared in mid-air and fluttered in front of him. He snatched it out of the air, unfolded it, and studied the contents.
“Yes,” Tristan said, also ignoring me. “I am sorry for not maintaining control of myself. That is a regret I have to live with for the rest of my life.”
“Which may not be much longer,” a voice from the crowd said.
Martin’s eyes shot daggers this time. “Silence,” he hissed.
“We all know Ms. Alexis is right,” said Galina, one of Rina’s favorite mages. “Tristan would never purposefully harm her. He was not under his own control.”
“I believe it,” spoke up Minh, her silly green hat now gone. “They are meant for each other, are they not? We agreed years ago they are to produce the next Amadis daughter. Why do we contradict ourselves now?”
I sat down, my arms across my chest, finally understanding why Rina had trusted those two mages so much. They were utterly loyal; you could feel it emanating off their bodies.
“Have you produced a daughter, as you agreed to do twenty-eight years ago?” asked Attair, one of the Middle Eastern mages.
“You tell me,” Tristan said. “You’ve tested the girl’s qualities. Since you accuse me of attempting to murder the youngest Amadis daughter, you tell me if she’s even been born yet.”
The mage pressed his lips together, having no answer.
“As to how you convinced Alexis to marry you in the first place . . . is it true you deceived her with a faerie stone?” Julia asked, and I froze in place. How did she know about it?
Tristan’s eyes flicked to me, and I shook my head before his glare returned to Julia.
“I didn’t remember the meaning of the stone at the time,” he said.
“But you did give her a faerie stone? And it did make her believe she loved you?”
Tristan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Yes. It is true.”
I flew to my feet again. “No, it’s not! You’ve gone too far. He didn’t make me do anything. My love for him is real. More authentic than any of you!”
Mom tugged on my arm, pulling me back to my seat. Rina opened her mouth as if to say something—finally—but then snapped it closed, as if she couldn’t bring herself to voice her own thoughts.
“A faerie stone does not work in that way,” Chandra said dismissively. “We are fully aware that no magic, no powers, not even fae powers can force or create love.”
Exactly.
“If you’re going to accuse Tristan of treason, your grounds must be better than what you’ve put forth so far,” Galina said.
“Is it true you can flash while holding another living being?” Armand asked, and everyone looked at him with confusion, the question seeming to have no grounds for treason. He ignored them, staring at Tristan expectantly.
“Yes. I’ve flashed with Alexis a few times.”
“You do realize no one has ever heard of that being done?” Armand pressed.
“Of course I’m aware. There are many things I can do that no one else can.”
“So if a baby—a baby girl, in this case—were taken at birth, the kidnapper would have to flash in and out . . .