Daughter of Asteria (The Daughter Trilogy) (41 page)

eat. We’ve lost track,” he continues.

“Fine,” Deacon mumbles in disappointment. “Not even married yet and already she’s bossing

him around.”

I continue laughing, and I realize this is the most therapeutic day I’ve had in a while. I had mind-

blowing sex, I got to kick a little ass, freed Kahl from his immortal enemies, and I made Devin happy.

All in all, I’m very pleased with the daily activities.

I clutch onto Devin as the motorcycle roars down the street, and then suddenly I’m pulled to the

front. My legs cross over his in reverse, and I’m staring him in the eyes as the wind whips against my

back.

I smile at the seductive game he’s playing, and I follow suit. My lips press against his without

hesitance, and he uses one hand to thrust me forward. The only difference is, this time I’m not

waiting until we get back to the house. I’ll just have to be careful not to break the bike.

His eyes widen when I rip open his pants, and his free hand grabs my dress to slide it up. I can

tell he’s as turned on as I am, and I’m ready to start blowing his mind daily.

I wake up to an
empty stomach. We failed miserably in not breaking the bike, and we ended up

laughing all the way back about it.

I keep choosing sex over food, and now I’m actually very hungry. We may not need food to

survive, but it’s very annoying to be hungry.

I rise up, and I smile when I see Devin sleeping peacefully beside me. I can’t resist kissing his

cheek, and he stirs lightly before I get up all the way.

I pull on a shirt and a short pair of shorts before tiptoeing down the stairs. A whispered

conversation captures my interest, and I sit down on the stairs to listen in.

“Do the others feel the same way?” Phillip asks.

“I know Lydia’s family does, bit the others are too scared to talk to me about it,” Theia answers.

Too scared to talk about what? Me? Surely not.

“Her power does reach extreme heights, but Devin always brings her back down,” Persia explains.

It is about me.

“What happens if Devin isn’t there to bring her back down though?” Gemma asks.

Gemma is here? They’re having this conversation with her in the room?
Unbelievable.

“Then we’ll find another way,” Kahl quickly inserts.

I feel a presence behind me, and I jerk my head around to see Devin standing on the stairs.

I hold a finger over my lips to motion for silence, and he quietly takes a seat beside me to join the

late night eavesdropping excursion. His hand grips mine, and I know he just heard the same thing I

did.

“Maybe we should explore the option of blocking her mind from the power of Kaos,” Theia

hesitantly offers.

“My power comes from Kaos, and I’ve never brought harm to anyone who didn’t intend me

harm. My daughter can do the same,” Kale argues.

“She has so many powerful entities in her already though. Now the power of Kaos is starting to

wake up. Asteria has been awake in her for a while, and only tonight did she show her white burn of

the cosmos. Imagine what will happen if Kaos fully wakes. Imagine what will happen if she inherits

all of his power,” Theia almost whispers, and I can hear the fear in her voice.

“Most of the power my father had was stripped before he died. He wouldn’t have ever been killed

if it hadn’t been. My mother was the same way. The cosmo white burn is only a tenth of what she

had, and your son is immune. No one will stop him from saving my daughter. Their bond could be

what saves us,” Kahl growls.

“And if Devin doesn’t survive the attack? What happens when Adisia loses control like last

time? Asteria had only begun to awake, and she still destroyed almost the entire world. Such power

shouldn’t exist, and you know I’m right,” Gemma prompts.

Devin shakes his head, and I know he can’t keep his silence any longer as he leaps to his feet.

He’s in the room before I can even get all the way up.

“Nothing is going to happen to me or any of us,” he blares.

I step in behind him, and I see all the stark white faces riddled with guilt. Everyone from our

group is here. They were just listening rather than engaging in the conversation.

“Devin, son. We’re just concerned,” Theia interjects. “Her power… it’s too much. We should

try blocking a portion of it,” she pleads.

“No. You’re not touching her,” he barks. “Adisia has saved all of our lives while completely out

of control because she’s still Adisia even then. If you don’t feel safe around her, then leave. We’ll

handle this without you or the others, and we’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out of hiding,” he

snarks.

“Your mother has saved numerous lives over the years, including yours. Watch how you speak to

her,” Phillip blares.

Without meaning to, my eyes flash white as a protective defense. My fingers intertwine with

Devin’s, and Phillip’s eyes grow wide when he sees my offended stance.

“My mother and you are talking about the woman I love as though she’s going to hurt you. You

have no right to be scared of her, and yet here you are cowering back just because her eyes shift. Our

eyes swirl with every emotion, and you’re not scared. She’s no different,” Devin murmurs with a

calmer tone.

Very slowly my eyes fade back to blue, and I see Persia hanging her head low. She doesn’t like

crowds, and years of running has left her very little trust to disperse. Now these people are teaming up

against me.

“Devin,” Gemma interjects. “No one is saying we’re scared of her right now. We’re worried

what will happen if you’re not here to breathe her life back into her,” she sighs.

“No one asked you,” he scolds. “Anyone who listens to the woman scorned is no friend or family

of mine. If you can’t see her jealously being the driving force behind her argument, then I’ve given

you far too much credit,” he responds through gritted teeth.

Gemma’s eyes water up from the harsh whip, and she stands to her feet while her lips quiver.

Devin doesn’t even glance in her direction when her eyes beg him to look at her, and I look away the

moment her eyes meet mine.

She barges past us, and Devin turns to look at the others.

“Kry? You’re scared of her?” Devin muses.

“No. I just came down to listen to the meeting. I don’t think we should block her power. It

would be stupid of us not to use her when she’s our strongest ally,” he chirps.

“Ther?” Devin asks.

“No. I’m more scared of the other families than I am Adisia. Personally, I’m very glad such

power exists,” he answers with a nonchalant shrug.

“Hale?”

“Not a bit. I’ll stand beside her anytime, and I know it won’t be her strikes that harm me,” he

asserts.

“Deacon? Camara?”

“Not even a little bit afraid,” Camara answers.

“I’m terrified, but then again I’ve been
zapped
before,” Deacon jokes.

Theia frowns at what she feels to be a growing mutiny, and Devin turns back to face her.

“So all of this came about how?” he asks. “If no one else here is the least bit afraid of her, then

why call this meeting? Let me guess, Gemma and her parents are scared,” he murmurs with a

sardonic sting.

“Yes, and Deidra, Lydia, and the others. No one else will talk about it with me, but they’re

discussing it among themselves. I was merely trying to find a suitable way to end the panic stirring

amongst the masses. I understand their point, and I worry what will happen if something happens to

you,” she cries.

His hand tightens around mine, and I feel the white inching back to my eyes. Devin keeps his

hand fastened to mine, and then he shakes his head in disgust.

“Don’t come to my wedding tomorrow,” Devin snarls to his parents, and more tears spring from

Theia’s eyes.

Phillip’s lips quiver, and his eyes reveal the pain he’s been holding back.

“You don’t mean that,” he chokes out.

“I mean it very sincerely,” Devin replies coldly. “If you choose to cater to others’ fears, then I

don’t want you there. Tomorrow means more to me than any other day of my life, and I won’t let you

be apart of it if this is how you feel about the woman I’m marrying,” he growls.

“Devin, I didn’t mean that I don’t love Adisia. Son, we’re just worried, and-”

Devin holds his hand up as he interrupts his mother.

“Don’t. I can’t listen to this anymore.”

He flashes outside, and I’m standing here all alone with everyone’s eyes on me.

Theia starts to speak to me, but then changes her mind. Her pained eyes look away shamefully,

and she wipes her tears while flashing up the stairs. Phillip follows in behind her, and then Jace walks

over with a pout.

“Devin never asked me if I was scared of you,” he jokes, but it doesn’t lighten the mood the way

he expected it to.

“It would have been a rhetorical question,” I say with forced humor.

His eyes soften, and he pats me on the shoulder.

“It’ll be alright. They’re intimidated right now. Things will calm down after this fight,” he

assures.

“Are you sure about that? If we lose… we’ve already lost once and it wasn’t pretty. If we win,

and I do manage to kill Safina without rattling the world off its axis, then who’s to say their fear won’t

just heighten?” I huff.

“I think you’ll do great, and I know you won’t let anything happen to Devin, just as he won’t let

anything happen to you,” Kry comforts as he pops into our conversation. “I need to go talk to him.

He’ll regret banning his parents from his wedding. They’ve waited a while for this… a long while,”

he says dramatically.

I force a smile and grab his hand. “I’ll go,” I insist.

He nods, and I walk outside to look for the brooding man who needs to be cheered up before

tomorrow. He’s sitting on the side of the beach, and the waves are fighting with each other as they

crash to the shore beside him.

I smile as they split around him each time, but that smile fades when I see his jaw clenching.

With cautious steps, I approach stealthily, but he knows I’m here. The waves separate around me as I

draw nearer and I sit down almost close enough to touch him.

“That was a little unexpected,” I say too lightly.

“That’s definitely an understatement. I can’t believe they would do that. Of all the people in the

house, I would have never expected them to be this way after all we’ve been through,” he sighs.

I wrap my arm through his, and he rests his head on top of mine.

“It’s not like I’m going to be the first girl not liked by her mother-in-law,” I joke.

He lets out a huff of a laugh, and then his face turns back serious.

“I’m sorry about what they said,” he grumbles.

I kiss the side of his arm, and snuggle in closer while my fingers trail up and down his forearm.

“There’s nothing to apologize for. They’re scared, and I get that. To be honest, I’m a little scared

too. It’s not like such horrible questions haven’t plagued me before tonight,” I confess.

He shifts in the sand, and tilts my face up so that my eyes meet his.

“You shouldn’t be,” he encourages. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, and I’m

not going anywhere. I’ll be here every time you can’t do it on your own,” he promises.

His lips fold over mine before I can divulge anymore inner anxiety. I feel his hands burning

under my shirt as they slide over my back and pull me closer.

His breath is intoxicating as it flows into my mouth, and I draw back from the suddenly intense

moment to continue the conversation he’s doing a good job of avoiding.

“Your parents have to come. You’ll regret it if they don’t,” I murmur softly.

He backs away shaking his head.

“No. I’m not letting them come after all that. They should have been the ones defending you, not

questioning you. I expect them to defend you just as they defend me. They should never side with

anyone over you, and this will let them know exactly the zero-tolerance policy I have for anything

less,” he asserts adamantly.

I sigh a little, and then I take in a deep breath as I take a new approach.

“Then let them come for me. I don’t want to come between you and your family for any reason.

I’ll hate myself if you felt as though you had to choose. The wedding isn’t just the bride’s day,” I

urge.

He starts to object, but this time I take offense and cover his mouth with mine while pushing him

back against the sand. He doesn’t fight my fervent attack, and his hands grip me to pull me tighter to

his body.

My hips grind against his as they straddle him completely, and he moves one hand to be behind

my head to pull my face tighter against his. Every bit of my southern half throbs, tingles, and pulsates

against his.

“I love you,” I breathe.

“I love you,” he moans, and that’s my undoing.

I rip his clothes free from his glorious body, and the waves come to claim us as he mimics my

savage action by shredding the clothes from my body. The cool water rushes over us as heaven pours