His words were cold, but I noticed the slight tilt up of his lips at the end of his statement, like he was barely holding onto the facade.
As we descended the stairs, the faint cries of a familiar voice pulled my attention.
“But daddy, you can’t!” Rina sobbed, holding onto Tristan’s leg with all her strength as Bailey tried to gently pry her off.
“Honey, this is something your father feels strongly about. We have to support him, okay?” Bailey quietly tried to reason with the red-faced child. “Remember, we want other families to have this freedom and happiness, right?”
As we approached, Tristan gave us a pained look, his lips tight as his brow creased and he ran his hands through Rina’s hair.
“But why does daddy have to go?” she questioned, the tears still flowing heavily. “They already have an army! They don’t need him as well!”
My throat quickly dried at the clear pain in Rina’s voice. I hadn’t expected Tristan to join the army, not after all he’d gone through to get his family here to safety. I expected him to find a home to settle into with his family in the countryside, so they could enjoy their lives in peace.
It was like having a bucket of cold water dropped over my head. So many had told me that lives would be lost in this war, but this was the moment that almost brought me to my knees. The sorrow lacing through Rina’s voice for her father’s safety was damn near my undoing.
There would be mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, grandparents, siblings, and friends that wouldn’t return to their family. They were fighting to free an empire full of people they didn’t know and frankly owed nothing to, but they were doing so of their own free will. Elijah assured me that no one was forced to join the army, that each person wanted to be there.
My voice wobbled as I sank to my knees a few feet from Rina, glancing up at her parents. “May I?”
I didn’t want to overstep my boundaries with their child, but it was breaking my heart to see her in this state. The despair written all over Tristan’s and Bailey’s faces didn’t help matters either.
Bailey’s eyes widened a fraction before she nodded. “Please do.”
“Hi, Rina,” I whispered, softly trying to gain her attention.
“Ky?” she questioned through a sniffle and turned her attention to me. What I didn’t expect was for her to throw herself into my arms and for her sobbing to start anew. She choked on big, gasping sobs before crying in my ear, “Ky, daddy is going to leave us! Please make him stay.”
I was shocked for a moment but quickly snapped out of it and circled my arms around her, squeezing gently. Running my hand over her back in what I hoped was a soothing manner, I asked, “Do you know how brave and strong your daddy is, Rina?"
She didn’t answer but began to hiccup through her crying, so I pushed on, hoping she was listening. “Your daddy is the reason why all of us are here in this beautiful castle, with such kind people. If it wasn’t for him, I would be stuck as a prisoner of that really horrible emperor across the sea. There are a lot of other people who are still trapped there that could use the help of someone like your daddy.”
My eyes met Tristan’s, and he offered me a soft smile, his eyes red like he wasn’t far off from shedding a few tears himself. I couldn’t imagine the agony he’d gone through deciding whether to fight in this war or to stay with his family. This was breaking his heart just as much as Rina’s and Bailey’s were hurting—of that, I was sure.
Her voice wobbled as she pulled back to look me in the eyes and asked, “Daddy saved you?”
While she had been with us when we escaped, it was clear she didn’t understand the full extent of the situation.
Nodding, I brought one hand up to push her hair from her face and wiped her cheeks free of her tears. “Yes, he did. He is a hero, and he’s going to help so many more people when he goes back for a little bit. He’ll help so many families that have little kids just like you that desperately need it, and then he’ll be right back with you.”
Her throat bobbed as her eyes searched my face. “You promise?”
My throat tightened and tears stung my eyes at that question. How could I make that promise when I couldn’t even ensure my own safety ? There was no way I could say that to Rina, though. What I did believe in was that the strength and wit that Tristan possessed, coupled with the knowledge that myself and my three vampyres would protect him, would get him through. Tristan and his family were part of our family now.
Taking a deep breath, I held her face in my hands and nodded. “I promise that your daddy will come home to you, Rina. I will personally see to it,” I swore.
It took a moment, but she gave me a tiny nod back and sniffled before her arms wrapped around my neck once more. She squeezed me tightly as she said, “Thank you, Ky. Keep my daddy safe.”
Bailey moved to wrap her arms around Tristan’s waist as she quietly cried into his chest. He leaned down to talk in her ear, and knowing they needed a moment, I wrapped my arms back around Rina and stood with her in my embrace, rubbing her back once more.
Taking a few steps backward to try to give them some privacy and not show Rina that her mother was crying, I called out for the other man I knew Rina loved. “Kolvar?”
His hand was immediately on my arm. “I’m here.”
“Hi, Rina,” he cooed, and my heart warmed at the sight of instantly perking up and reaching for him.
“Kolvar!”
Wordlessly, I transferred her to his embrace and smiled at her sorrow fading away, even if it was for just a brief few moments.
