Daughter of Asteria (The Daughter Trilogy) (44 page)

“I don’t care. I’ve seen Van using my fear to paralyze me as Safina destroys everything around

me. I’m not watching everyone die again, and there’s no chance of a second rewind for another

hundred years,” I huff out in exhaustion, and I stumble when I try to stand.

Devin’s arms wrap around me supportively, and he pulls me back into his lap. His strong

embrace tells me I’m not getting up no matter how badly I want to.

“How do they keep finding us?” Persia ponders aloud.

Devin’s eyes narrow and I see the swirls of the sea pronouncing themselves as he stares at an

unwitting Jace who is messing with his phone.

“It’s him!” he blares, and suddenly he’s out from under me and shoving Jace against the wall.

“Every since he showed up they’ve been right on our heels.”

Jace squirms lightly from the startling assault, and then he shoves Devin off of him.

“Why would I do such a thing? I came to keep Adisia safe, not endanger her life,” he screams.

“You don’t want her to be with me, and you’re doing everything you can to stop her from such.

Of all the days, they show up on our wedding day,” he growls, and I hear the faucets bursting free as

water pours from them.

“You’re right about one thing. I definitely don’t want her to be with you,” Jace snarls.

His body ripples with electrical currents as he glares at Devin. I’m not even sure whose house

we’re in, but it’s about to get destroyed if I don’t stop them.

“That’s enough,” I scold, and then I step in between them to stop any irrational attacks they’re

contemplating deploying. “They came to your island home, and it wasn’t because they knew every

home you own. They showed up at the bar and for some reason we didn’t even question it. They’ve

shown up time and time again, but it has nothing to do with Jace. It’s Gemma,” I pronounce.

She leaps from her chair and the brown swirls around viciously in her eyes to mingle with her

venomous stare as she stalks toward me with hell’s furious chip on her shoulder.

“How dare you! I’ve fought by your side and gave my life once already. How can you tell

everyone I’m a traitor?” she squeals.

“I didn’t say you were a traitor,” I explain.

Everyone looks at me expectantly, and I sit down when my legs tremble beneath me. Devin

quickly returns to my side when he sees my weakened state, and pulls me back into the comfort of his

lap before I try to clarify.

In an effort to be thorough, I whisper in Kry’s ear, and he quickly leaps to his feet to do as I

instruct. He walks back through and places two plants into a padded room.

He shuts the door on his way back out and awaits my reasoning for making such an odd request.

“In my vision, I saw the girl Safina called Herma. She’s the leader of the Athena bitches. She has

a telepathic connection with the plants you love to talk to and control. Everything you say, she hears

it. Everything we say with your plants in the room, she hears it. Every time you use your power, she

feels your location, and she knows where we are the moment a plant comes to life. You’re not the

traitor, your best friends are.”

Her mouth opens and closes again as her eyes stain with disbelief. Theia grabs her phone and

then dials someone with a fervent pace.

“Get out of the house now. We’re changing locations, and leave any plant you have behind,” she

orders.

“We need to go too. This location has already been compromised. I have a desert home not too

terribly far from here. We’ll be safe there,” Persia quickly inserts.

Devin takes my hand, and yet again we’re down the fire escape before I even know what’s going

on. Kry jumps in the front seat of the SUV, and Ther jumps in to drive.

“We have so many homes in plant lands. I never dreamed they could do such. Can you do that?”

Devin asks Gemma.

“No, and they shouldn’t be able to either. It’s another dead power that was stripped from the

ancient ones. Athena was the last to be able to do it, and even she lost that ability before her demise,”

she stammers out. “I swear I had no idea,” she murmurs in such guilt.

“Safina has found a way to resurrect more than the army of dead. She’s bringing powers back to

life as well. How is she doing it?” Theia asks expectantly.

“I don’t know. I wish I could have seen more, but it was so painful,” I huff in disappointment.

My eyes turn to Devin with a little angst riddling my face. “Does it hurt when you see?”

He strokes my cheek when he sees my seeping concern for him, and he shakes his head to relieve

me of my new burden.

“No. It’s hurting you because you’re breaking through barriers. I’ve never known anyone to be

able to do something like that. The few glimpses I’ve gotten weren’t enough to help us. I’ve never

pulled a vision of Safina at all,” he sighs. “You’ve seen more than any of us would have ever thought

to be in the realm of possibility. Now we know how they’re doing it, and that’s enough to keep us safe

for now,” he assures.

“What happens in two days when the army of dead returns?” Kry asks softly. “Have we come up

with anything to take out Van?”

“Not yet,” Devin grumbles.

“Two days?” I squeal. “How is it just two days?”

“You were out for a while, and we’ve changed locations four times. That was the first time we’ve

all been in one spot since the jet landed. I’m sure they weren’t far behind,” Devin sighs.

I look out the window at the trees swaying in the wind, and I wonder if they’re betraying us right

now. The grass whispers to the air, and I try to listen to see if it’s sending a message to Athena’s

pride. Each flower holds a dark secret, and every leaf that falls is just a messenger.

“I can’t even enjoy looking outside right now,” I growl.

“Me either,” Gemma almost cries.

“Herma is the only one who can do it. If we take her out, they’ll be just as blind to our

whereabouts as we are to theirs,” I insert.

“Any ideas on how to handle our two day time frame?” Ther asks hopefully.

“Actually, yeah. We’re going to a desert home, which will limit plant life, but there’s just no way

to make it obsolete,” I answer.

“That’s not a solution, that’s a problem$” Kry huffs sardonically.

“Not if we want them to find us,” I add vaguely.

“Say that again, please. I think I missed the part where you were making sense,” Jace quickly

prompts.

“The army of the dead is Safina’s safety net. She feels like I can’t touch her as long as she has

Van and his merciless group of terrors staring me down - that’s how she plans on taking me out of the

fight. She will come after us anywhere we go. Let’s change the venue, and find somewhere we’re

stronger. We’ll live in the desert tonight, and I’ll explain better. Tomorrow, we go where Devin is

strongest… back to the ocean. I may need him more than ever to bring me down if all goes according

to plan,” I murmur with a devious plan swirling in my mind.

“If all goes according to plan? You’re planning on losing control to the point you need Devin

more than ever? That’s not a plan. That’s a plan gone awry,” Jace worries.

“I’ll be stronger than ever if all three wake up at once, but I may need Devin to pull me back just

before I go super nuclear. I want to level them, not everything else,” I explain.

“You’re scaring me. Embodying all three could kill you,” Jace mutters.

“It would kill you. It’s out of the question,” Devin adds, and I can see tears starting to waver on

his eyelids.

“It may be our only shot. I know I can do this, and I want to do this,” I assure.

“You can’t call them. They just show up,” Camara argues.

“I can try.”

“I’m not talking about this right now,” Devin growls. “We’ve still got two days to figure it out,

and that’s what I intend to do. Your option isn’t a plan; it’s a last resort.”

“More like a hail Mary,” Jace grumbles.

“Why is it the only time you two can get along is when you’re teaming up against me?” I gripe.

“You’re safety is all they can agree about, and it’s a warranted concern,” Camara adds.

“You too, eh?” I huff while rolling my eyes.

“We happen to like you a little, and we’d like for you to stick around,” she murmurs with a

sardonic touch.

“None of us will
stick around
if I don’t do this,” I almost whisper to myself.

“We’ll figure it out,” Devin sighs.

“We need a muse,” Kry grumbles.

“Those are real?” I ask inquisitively.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he scoffs. “It was a joke.”

“Don’t be ridiculous?” I ask in sardonic disbelief. “Sirens, titans, goddesses, the living dead, and

so much more are real. I rewound time for goodness sake. How is it so far fetched for muses to

exist?”

“Good point,” Kry says with a shrug.

“Come here, please,” Devin grumbles as he pulls me into his lap. “Just quit talking about it. I

just want to hold you right now.”

I nestle into him, and Ther squeals the tires on the car as he continues his bat-out-of-hell driving.

I feel the warmth of the man that might not be mine for much longer if life follows the trail cut by

my vision. I shiver slightly at the cruel reminder of reality, and Devin’s arms tighten around me in

response. His soft lips brush my forehead, and I just live in his perfect arms for the moment.

The house is unbelievable, and
I roll my eyes as we step out. I spent most of my life learning

the value of a dollar - per my mortal parents - and here I am constantly being
wowed
by the unruly

expenditures displayed by my immortal circle.

“Eventually this will stop being impressive,” Camara snickers.

“I’ll believe it when it happens,” I mumble.

Devin’s hand takes mine, and in we flash to the marble floors and gallant chandeliers.

“You like this don’t you?” he muses.

“I think it’s pretty amazing, but I’m not this high maintenance if that’s what you’re asking,” I

quickly answer.

He laughs a little as we head up the spiral staircase.

“I know you’re not
high maintenance.
I’m just trying to assess which of my houses you would

like the best,” he chuckles.

“Any house you’re in,” I add with corny
oomph
.

He smirks as he blushes slightly, and then he scoops me up in his arms. I see a door similar to the

beach house that is marked with my name.

“Did they make me a room in every one of their houses?” I ponder aloud.

“Probably. They most likely prepared for the day you would join them. It’s not common for an

immortal to find someone their willing to tie themselves to so early on,” Devin murmurs, and then his

eyes drop as if he’s said something that doesn’t settle well with him.

“What?” I prompt.

“You haven’t really gotten to experience any of the fun things yet. You’ve spent the entire time

on the run, fighting, or barely surviving. Now I’m pressuring you to marry me, and you’ve barely

stepped foot into the immortal doorway. It’s the first time I’ve ever really thought of it, and now I

feel a little selfish for holding you back from the experiences you should get to have,” he hesitantly

mumbles with a guilty and fretful tone.

“You’re not holding me back from anything. I love you, and I can experience the immortal world

with you. It’s not like we have to become old married hermits overnight,” I chuckle.

His eyes don’t change, and I can still see some trepidation in their swirls that confuses me. It’s as

if he worries about something else.

“He’s talking about the more promiscuous side of our world,” Jace provocatively interjects to

announce his eavesdropping. “The partying, the wild sex, the fun that last for days as often as you like

without consequence. Being an Aphrodite, you would definitely have a lot of fun.”

“I wasn’t speaking to you,” Devin growls.

“I didn’t say you were. I was just clarifying what you were neglecting to fully explain,” he

perkily offers. Then he turns back to me. “Once you’re immortally bonded, you’re bound to that

person until death. Your powers are tied to that person the moment you say yes
.
There’s no going

back, there’s no divorce, and there’s no leaving one another without risking an epic heartbreak that

could kill you. Just ask him,” Jace says as he crosses his arms over his chest like a proud devil.

“I don’t have to ask him,” I mutter as I join the fuming Devin. I curl into his arms, and my lips

threaten to graze his. “I don’t want to be promiscuous. I don’t care if there’s a cemented bond formed

by our immortal union. As a matter of fact, it sounds pretty freaking good.”

Devin smirks but keeps his eyes lowered. Jace frowns at my overly enthused attitude he had been

trying to sour. He shakes his head, and I can hear the surging of electricity as he skulks off.

“He’s relentless,” Devin gripes, and he moves out from under me to go shut the door.

“That he is. He’s convinced I’m meant for him,” I exasperate.