"Let her down," I yelled, losing control over my temper.
The wind died, but the smell of ozone sharpened the air with the promise of more rain.
In the resulting silence, Dad said, "It's not that simple."
What?
Rocking back on my heels, I searched his face for some clue as to what he could possibly be thinking. I could tell from his overly formal tone that he was still in Clann leader mode, probably too aware of the audience of descendants surrounding us. But he wasn't thinking right. This wasn't about Clann and vamp politics. No matter what, no matter how powerful the Clann was, we didn't do this.
"It is simple," I said. "This woman had nothing to do with my disappearance."
"We know where you were," Dad said. "We know the vampires-that...girl's father-kidnapped you. Now tell us the truth, son. Are you okay? Did they hurt you? What questions did they ask you? Are they trying to figure out our weaknesses?"
Savannah took a step forward. "They're not trying to start another war, Mr. Coleman. They just brought him in to test me, to see if I'm a danger to anyone. And my dad wasn't the one who took him. No one in my family had anything to do with Tristan's involvement."
"They didn't kidnap me. I went voluntarily to help Savannah," I said, desperate enough to lie at this point.
"Tristan, don't," Savannah hissed.
I didn't look at her, my gaze locked on the only person here who had the power to decide. My father.
Dad's face darkened. "So Dylan was right. You are dating her."
I didn't hesitate to answer him. "Yes. I love her."
The descendants gasped. Savannah froze. I fought the urge to smile as a weight I hadn't been aware of fell away from my shoulders. This was it, the moment I'd been waiting for, when the Clann would finally be forced to give us our freedom.
Beside our father, Emily slowly shook her head, one corner of her mouth deepening in that look that always said, Oh, little brother, you've gone and done it now.
Widening my stance, I crossed my arms and met her stare head-on. Emily might be older than me and think she knew it all, but she had no clue what it felt like to be in love, to need someone like I needed Savannah. In her own way, my sister was even more of a player than I used to be, ready to drop a boy from her dating schedule for the slightest reason. She'd never dated anyone longer than a couple of months, never broken any rules, Clann or otherwise, just to be with someone. And she'd certainly never be willing to leave the Clann if that was what it took to be with the person she loved.
But I was. And it was time the Clann knew it.
"It's time to let go of the past," I said, raising my voice so everyone could hear and not just my parents. "We've been at peace with the vamps for decades now. How long does that peace have to last before we can get over our old prejudices and fears? I love Savannah, and she loves me. And I'll do whatever it takes to make you see we're meant to be together. Including leaving the Clann if necessary."
"Tristan!" Mom gasped as Dad jerked forward in his seat, his bear-paw-size hands gripping the carved armrests.
Lightning flashed in the distance. A few seconds later, thunder rumbled out a warning of the storm's approach.
"He believes he loves me," Savannah said. "But the truth is...this is all my fault."
What the...?
I turned to her, sure I'd heard her wrong.
"Continue," Dad commanded.
She swallowed hard, refusing to look at me. "I'm half vampire. All this time, your son believed he was in love with me because my vampire side basically...well, put a spell on him. I gaze dazed him with my eyes. He couldn't help himself."
She'd lost her mind. The stress of facing down first the vamp council and now the Clann must have made her go nuts. She knew the gaze daze didn't work on me!
"I knew it," one of the Brat Twins crowed. I couldn't tell if it was Vanessa or Hope. "I knew she had freaky eyes." Their mother shushed her into silence.
"Savannah, stop it," I growled, clenching my hands at my sides so I wouldn't give in to the urge to shake some sense back into her. "You know the gaze daze doesn't affect me."
"Apparently it does." She kept her voice loud so everyone could hear what should have been a private argument between us. "Why else would you suddenly decide to break the Clann's rule this year and date me, if not for being gaze dazed?"
Half vamp or not, she had the worst poker face I had ever seen. She knew she was outright lying to everyone. But why? It didn't make sense to throw herself off a cliff now, when the truth was finally out. We were almost home free. All we had to do was stick together and refuse to back down, and the Clann would be forced to see reason.
"You know why," I murmured, taking a step closer to her. But she quickly stepped back, maintaining the distance between us. "Sav, don't do this. Just tell them the truth."
She shook her head, her eyes melting back to a dark slate-gray in sadness. "You're gaze dazed. You'd say anything right now in order to be with me."
"See?" Mom hissed to no one in particular as she glared at Savannah. "I told you Tristan would never willingly break the rules. She was making him do it."
Savannah nodded. "Yes, I was. And I'm very sorry. I didn't understand what my vamp side could do. But now that I know what I am and what I'm capable of, I can promise you..." Her throat worked as she gulped.
"Sav, don't," I said through gritted teeth.
She straightened her back and lifted her chin. "I promise you I will no longer be involved with your son in any way. As long as you agree not to punish Nanna or Tristan. Nanna didn't even know about us, and Tristan-"
"No," I shouted, her words clawing at my insides. "I knew what I was doing. Don't listen to her. She's lying to try and-"
"How do we know you'll keep this promise?" Dad asked, ignoring me.
"Because..." Savannah's voice wobbled. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Because I already made the vampire council the same promise. And they'll be checking on me to make sure I keep it. Just like I'm sure you will be."
She was lying. She had to be.
I searched her face. But this time, she was telling the truth. It was all right there for me to see in the trembling of her chin, the tears gathering in her eyes, the sudden slouch of her shoulders.