Daughter of Asteria (The Daughter Trilogy) (37 page)

relationship with a titan, and she was too promiscuous to ever settle down for long, so it was an easy

secret to keep,” she huffs.

“So you two are related? Oh that’s so gross,” I grumble in disgust.

Kahl stifles a grin, but everyone else still seems to be in shock.

“We’re not related. Oh fuck. The eyes always give me away every time,” he exasperates.

“I don’t understand,” I muse.

Devin’s arm now snakes around my waist, and I can see everyone taking a step back as if they’re

scared.

“So that’s who else is in her. She certainly needs to be trained for that. I didn’t think it possible

for her to have another entity that powerful in her,” Devin murmurs under his breath.

“That’s not a power that should even exist,” Theia murmurs through her ashen lips.

“Relax,” Kahl soothes. “I’ve never controlled the dead. I don’t possess half the power my father

did, nor the malice. She won’t either. Don’t be scared of us like the fools who’ve been chasing after

me for so long,” he gripes.

“No one is scared of Adisia. At least, not while she’s in control,” Hale asserts, and then he cowers

back as if he’s worried of repercussions.

“You shouldn’t fear me either. In case you’ve forgotten, my father gave his life in the great

Aphrodite war. He saved the life of my wife, and my mother gave her life for her as well. It’s

because of them Athena was weakened enough to be killed, and you all know she wasn’t far from

reaching the reign of tyranny Rhea was already at.

“It would have been a bloodbath between the two, and we would have been the armies they

controlled. Where were all of you when the daughters of Aphrodite were being stalked down by the

masses?” he blares.

They’ve been together a hell of a lot longer than Persia confessed if they were together during the

Aphrodite wars.

Everyone looks away shamefully, and Kahl’s eyes turn to Devin. I’m a little taken aback at the

defensive outburst, and I see his glare burning through my fiancé.

My eyes widen when I realize he thinks Devin stood by idly when my kind was being slaughtered.

I quickly chirp out, “He wasn’t born yet.”

Kahl lets out a smirk, and Devin stifles one of his own. I’m still baffled by the whole unknown

ancestor, and Kahl exhales loudly before calmly readdressing the group.

“Can we please get back to preparing for the army of dead? As you now know, I have a bit of

knowledge in that department, and I would like to make sure we live through this battle.”

“We can,” Theia says with a more humbled tone than normal.

She strokes my arm as she comes over to me, and then her hand cups one side of my face as she

speaks with a little
awed
adoration.

“You’re the most powerful thing I’ve ever seen with my own eyes. If you can harness all that

power, we’ll have no problem winning this thing,” she beams, and then they all flash away.

“What?” I grumble to Devin.

His lips find mine to avoid the question, and I wrap my arms around his neck to bring him down

farther. He lifts me up, and I feel the wind stirring in jubilation.

“Is he gone?” Slash’s fearful voice chimes in from behind.

I turn around and stifle a grin when I see the drenched coward creeping out of the ocean he had

been launched into.

“Yeah. He’s gone for now. I’d probably steer clear of him for a little while though,” Jace

chuckles out, no fear shining though his icy blue eyes. “Though I have to admit, there should have

been an admission charged for that wonderful show.”

Jace was the only one not to act like the breath left him when Kahl’s eyes swirled and revealed his

origins.

Slash groans in disgust for the taunting remark, and Devin’s eyes swirl as if he’s ready to knock

him back out to sea. He cracks his neck to the side, and my hands run up his chest to distract him

from his vicious train of thought.

“I love you,” I whisper.

His eyes soften, and I feel the waves rushing against our feet. He pulls me back into his arms, and

passion erupts in my mouth as his covers mine once more.

“I love you,” he breathes. “Never again,” he pleads.

“What?” I murmur against his lips.

“Don’t take this off ever again,” he whispers as he hands me my ring.

I smile as he puts it back on me, and the waves slap at our feet once again.

“I only took it off this time when I thought you were the one coming out of Gemma’s room,” I

whimper.

His eyes glare at Slash who is still wringing his clothes out, and the waves suddenly crash against

him before sucking him back out to sea. I let a small laugh escape, and Hale slaps his hands together

in jubilance when he sees Slash enduring the waterlord’s wrath.

“Remind me not to hit on Adisia anymore,” Hale asserts. “At least not while
Papa
is in the

house,” he chuckles.

Devin smirks slightly before countering, “I believe you should be more worried about not hitting

on
Momma
with Papa in the house.”

“Ah fuck. I really hope she keeps that between us,” Hale frets.

I laugh a little, and Devin’s arms scoop me up.

“Anyone up for a dip?” Jace says with a smirk, and several of the eager girls leap up from their

seats to take him up on his offer.

“I could use a refreshing bit of the ocean,” I seduce as I stare into Devin’s eyes.

A wolfish smirk spreads across his lips, and suddenly we’re flashing into the house and up the

stairs to my room.

My room.

This house was built before I was immortal, and they made me a room.

Devin drops me on the bed, and I laugh as I realize the room is padded.

“I wonder if this was padded before or after I changed?” I question.

“The windows are the same technology as mine, and I know they take some time to make. I think

they knew what you were going to be, and they didn’t want to take a chance of knowing what you were

doing,” he chuckles.

“So we can be as loud as we want?” I tempt.

His eyes swirl with excitement, and his lips find mine once more. I smile against the kiss when I

feel my shirt ripping free from my body. His hips grind into mine, and everything feels on fire from

the waist down.

His hands heat against my skin, and I can feel the world resetting to normal now that I’m back in

his wonderful arms.

“I’ll marry you whenever you want to get married. I was just scared when you said I’d be

stronger. I don’t want to risk hurting you, but you walked right through my winded wall,” I breathe.

He stops his tantalizing tease, and his lips end their trail of kisses at my lower abdomen as he

looks up.

“You didn’t open it for me?” he asks curiously.

“No. You walked through the whole storm unaffected. I was trying to keep you out,” I admit.

“I’m immune to all your powers then?” he asks confused.

“I think you’re just immune to them when they could hurt you because you can feel this,” I say

with provocative intentions as my electrical currents slide over him.

His eyes close as he absorbs the seductive energy, and his lips rabidly seek mine. I can smell the

fire starting to sizzle as his hands slide up my body and savagely jerk my hips up to meet his.

I feel the jeans being pulled off me, and I moan as his slow descent heats me even more.

Finally.

“That’s the best part about
fighting with you,” I murmur breathlessly.

He laughs a little as he pulls one arm behind his head. His other hand pulls my left one up to

examine my ring finger once more.

He wiggles the ring down to reveal my tattoo fully, his eyes not wavering from their stare.

“Why did you choose this while we were fighting?” he asks curiously.

I blush a little at my corny reasoning, and I do my best not to make it sound so pathetic.

“Whether you wanted me or not, I wanted everyone to know I belong to you.”

He smiles a goofy grin that infects me, forcing me to mimic it. He kisses the finger that promises

I’m his, and then he draws back shaking his head.

“I’m always yours. There hasn’t been a minute since I met you that I haven’t wanted you. It’s

been torture not to kill Jace,” he says, grumbling the last part.

“He’s calming down a little. I think he’s finally accepting the truth of my love for you, and I

really don’t think anyone will be too eager to press their wills of want on me now that Kahl has

returned from the grave. Honestly, does no one stay dead anymore?”

He laughs a little, and his lips fall over mine to offer the sweet taste of our reconciliation.

“Kahl is definitely picking up the protective dad gig. I hope he doesn’t inspect your room,” he

chuckles.

We look around at the charred marks all over the room, and I blush instantly.

“Damn. I’ve got to get that under control. I guess that just goes to prove how immune you really

are to my more vicious side,” I mumble.

Then I notice the bed hasn’t faltered from our wild throes.

“What?” I gripe. “This bitch should be in pieces after that.”

He laughs ridiculously hard, and I smile as I climb out of bed and start pulling on a swimsuit.

I make sure to pull it on with a slow, seductive finesse, but I have to laugh a little when I turn

back around to see Devin has been completely oblivious to my reverse striptease. He’s completely

distracted as he studies my bed very tediously.

“What are you doing?” I chuckle out.

He snickers as he continues his examination.

“I’m trying to see what this bed is made out of. This metal shouldn’t be that strong, but I found

marks of a metal wielding Nuri on here. Your parents have been very thorough in preparation for your

arrival. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”

Now my face flushes crimson, and I bury it in my hands.

“Wow. That’s so embarrassing and a little gross when you put it that way,” I grumble.

He laughs a little and flashes over to pull a pair of trunks from his bag. There’s no distracting me

from the reverse striptease he’s offering, and I roll my eyes when he catches my drooling gaze.

“I love it when you look at me like that,” he seduces.

“I never look at you any other way. Sometimes I just hide it better,” I foolishly admit.

He pulls me against his body, and I feel the heat consuming me once more. His lips glide against

mine, and his tongue dares mine to join its game.

His hands threaten to shred the two piece bathing suit, but he reluctantly draws back.

“I could spend all day doing this with you, but we really should rejoin the others. The heads of

the houses think they run things, but it’s us that actually do all the heavy lifting in case you haven’t

noticed. We just let them think they’re in charge,” Devin gloats.

I laugh a little, and he takes my hand in his.

“Perhaps I should discuss acquiring such a bold marking with Hale,” he murmurs as his eyes

catch the tattoo peeking out from under the ring. “I wouldn’t mind the world knowing I’m with the

most incredible woman they can never have,” he boasts.

I blush from his adoration for me and look away from his sincere gaze that only makes me want

to toss out the idea of ever leaving this room.

He smirks as we leap from the balcony and flash toward the others.

Hale is sunbathing - ironically enough - and Jace is in the middle of a bunch of women ogling his

body with no discretion.

“I expected you to be in the center of the desperate females here,” I murmur as I sit next to Hale.

“I think better when I’m basking in the true sun,” he utters with all seriousness as his eyes stay

closed.

“What’s giving you a reason to think?” I chuckle out.

“You,” he says very sternly as he rises from his meditation.

Devin sits down beside us, and he looks out to sea as he speaks.

“She doesn’t know anything about him. You’ve seen Kahl, and you know in the end his father

died doing something completely out of character. We only knew the worst.” Devin cautions.

“Asteria and he had a child. That child bore a daughter of Aphrodite. Do you realize the

magnitude of this? I’m worried about Adisia. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the sooner the two

of you get married the better. She could use that power boost to control the powers that could destroy

her. You know how dangerous this all is. It’s like mixing dynamite, anthrax, and radiation all in one

tiny vial and hoping it doesn’t explode,” he says too panicky while motioning to my body.

“Who is it?” I blare.

I’m tired of everyone talking about me and no one talking to me… again.

“Kaos,” Devin murmurs softly.

“How do you know so much when you weren’t even born during all this?” I gripe.

“I’ve seen the past, the present, the future. It’s really easy to see the past. I’ve seen more than I

ever should have looked at. After your father spoke of Kaos’s sacrifice, I looked for it. It was hard to

find because I never knew him, but I found it. He’s telling the truth,” he explains.

“Who is he? Why is everyone so scared?” I insist.

“Do you remember the story of Pandora’s box?” Hale asks hesitantly.