Promise (40 page)

"Honey," she said, her voice rough and thick.
Something was wrong. "Honey…you don't have a daughter."

I stared at her, uncomprehending. "Of course,
I do. We
have
to have a daughter."

All Amadis daughters had baby girls. We
didn't even accept a male sperm unless a female embryo was already
formed. This much I had learned. A girl was needed for the future
of the Amadis.
How could I
not
have a daughter?
Mom
and Rina had both sensed a girl in the womb.

Mom shook her head slowly. A tear trickled
down her cheek. "I'm sorry, honey. We were wrong. For some reason
we don't know right now…you just didn't have one."

I swallowed hard. "No daughter? What happens
to the Amadis now?"

Mom shook her head slowly. Her words came out
so quietly, I barely heard her. "We don't know."

"Is there any hope at all? Can I still have a
girl? I mean, when Tristan comes back?"

"No Amadis daughter has been pregnant more
than once." The corner of Mom's mouth lifted in a
half-grimace-half-smile. "But that's what we hope for. After all,
you
are
unique."

Obviously. Always different. Never normal,
not even with the weird stuff.

"Right now, you have this beautiful little
babe," Rina said, entering the room with Dorian cradled in her
arms.

I hadn't really seen her since shortly after
that fateful day. She had to return home to attend to business as
matriarch of the Amadis. By the time she arrived for the birth, I
was deep in labor and barely aware of her presence.

Rina looked at me now and smiled, but despite
how hard she tried to hide it, I saw the sadness and disappointment
in her eyes. She placed Dorian in my arms and left the room. Guilt
overcame me.
I really screwed up. Why do I have to be so messed
up?
Though I had no control of it, it was my fault the Amadis
would collapse.

I looked down at the precious bundle in my
arms. His hair was dry and fluffy now. He didn't have much of it,
but what was there was a shocking light blond, almost white. I
could see his dad in his features already. He opened his eyes and I
was surprised they already changed colors. They were no longer
newborn-blue. They had wide, emerald-green rings on the outside of
the irises and brown around the pupils. And yes, tiny gold flecks
that sparkled.

Tears streamed down my face, happy and sad
tears mixed together. Dorian was the greatest gift I'd ever
received from Tristan and from God. He was a little bit of his
father I could finally hold again. I felt so blessed to have him,
but the despair of no daughter weighed heavily. As did Tristan's
absence.

Nearly two years ago, I thought I knew what I
wanted: a career as a writer, a family, true love and an
explanation of the quirks that made me weird. Now I was about to
become a published author, my first book due out in six months. I
didn't yet have a full explanation of who I really was, but I knew
I would one day lead the Angels' army, fighting real-life demons,
though I was half-Daemoni myself. But, without another daughter,
the Amadis would end when I did.

Only two things mattered now: family and true
love. I was a mother now, a single-mother in most ways, but I
refused to believe I was a widow. Nobody knew if my true love was
dead or alive, but I knew. I could still
feel
him. I knew he
would return to me. He promised. I had to hold onto that promise
and to Dorian. Otherwise, I could feel an abyss not far away—a
darkness I could easily slip into, letting the evil blood within my
veins consume me if I wasn't careful.

Dorian started crying and I held him against
my chest, sobbing with him. His tiny hand flailed, then latched
onto my pendant. He quieted immediately. I wrapped my own hand
around his to keep him from yanking on it. Warmth radiated from the
pendant, through Dorian's hand and into mine.

"That's our link to Daddy, Dorian," I
whispered against his cheek. "He can't be here, but he'll be back
soon. Right now, you be my light, okay? Keep me out of the
darkness."

His little fingers released the pendant and
grasped my finger. And I swore I felt a squeeze of affirmation. A
second promise to hold onto…but not all promises can be kept.

About the Author

Kristie Cook is a lifelong writer in various
genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. Besides
writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the
back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently
calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons,
a beagle and a puggle. She can be found at
www.KristieCook.com
.

For information on the next installment of
the Soul Savers series, visit www.IHavePurpose.com