Daughter of Asteria (The Daughter Trilogy) (48 page)

her from the inside out. She gags as the power floods through her more viciously, and I see the cold

taking her to the grave as her body wilts under the scorching heat.

My fire
can
burn ashes, but she realizes it too late when her body suddenly bursts into the ashes

she once controlled.

I smile at the intoxicating win, and I’m no longer afraid of anything this world can offer. This

war is now ours without pause.

The winds swirl around me again to lift me, and they drop me into the center of the chaotic fight

that should already be over.

Herma is striking at Persia who is dodging the deadly vines, and the waterlords are doing their

best to strike down my man as the sand wielders pull Devin downward.

I smirk as I flick my wrist, and the white blaze shoots free to bring Herma to a crumbling pile

much quicker than the resistant Safina.

Eyes flash toward me, and fear erupts as everyone sees the three entities existing in one body.

I smile bigger as the ones attacking Devin begin to retreat, but there won’t be any survivors

today. I pull them back with the restraining arms of the wind, and they scream as the fire takes them

to the pits of the underworld to join their fallen.

Devin’s eyes widen in disbelief as he frees himself from the sand trap. The dead outnumber the

living, but this time it’s not our body count littering the ground… it’s their’s.

“Devin, you have to bring her back. Don’t let them live too long inside her, or she’ll die,” Kahl

pleads.

Devin flashes to me, but so many still stand in his way. The earth scorches beneath my fiery feet

as I slowly stride toward his gravitational pull.

He struggles to free himself while fighting through the thick of the war. I’m too strong for them

to touch me, and I’m too hot - literally, too hot - for them to stand too close.

The herds part involuntarily as my radiating heat pushes them back, and Devin finally reaches me

just as more power erupts from me and explodes around him to bring down so many of the remaining

masses.

“Fuck, stop her before she goes nuclear and kills us all,” Kry yelps.

Devin’s arms touch the body no one else can at this temperature, and his lips consume my

sizzling ones as my clothes finally singe free.

His hands grip me, and his body pulls mine to him to force his kiss to fully push me back into

control.

I collapse in his arms, and I look around to see the fallen flock I’ve almost single-handedly

obliterated. The sound of jaws unhinging rattle the air, and I sigh in relief when I see I’ve managed to

fully miss our people during my little tantrum.

The weakness hits me, but it’s not what scares me. I feel the burn… the poison… Athena’s

poison.

I open the hand I had felt the sting in earlier, and I see the small thorn that has just brought my

eternity to an end for the second time.

Devin screams out as he stares at my fading blue eyes, and he grips me to his chest as he begins

flashing through the silenced crowd.

Muffled echoes of his voice barely find a coherent flow as the jostling rush pulses the throbbing

sounds of death through my ears.

“Do something,” he begs.

“I can’t,” Persia sobs. “There’s nothing to do.”

“Please, do something,” he begs as he spins around to face all the helpless eyes staring back at

him.

“Devin,” I murmur softly, my bare body shivering as death invades.

“No,” he scolds. “You’re not dying. We just won. You can’t die, not now. This wasn’t part of

the plan,” he cries.

I tighten my lips, and he shakes his head in disbelief.

“You never planned on surviving, did you?” he barks as the pain floods through him.

“I didn’t plan on dying,” I cough out. “I only wanted to keep everyone else safe. You’re alive.

That’s all my plan needed to be considered successful.”

My breaths become more labored as I wheeze for each one. The poison flows through my veins,

burning me with an unwelcome sting, and the seconds begin counting down.

“Kry, give me your blades,” Devin screams. “Jace, keep her heart beating. Zap it as many times

as you have to,” he orders.

“I love you,” I murmur in goodbye.

“No. You’re not dying, Adisia,” he demands, but the light fades from my eyes as soon as I feel

the small slice of a blade against my hand.

I feel the bursts of energy uselessly striking my heart. It won’t be enough though. I never

thought of living through this, I only ever wanted him to keep breathing. I won. He’s alive, and I’ll

die happily just knowing that.

Devin’s screams fade into a faint, distant echo before nothing at all. The last sensation that finds

me is his tears falling to my numbing skin.

Chapter 16

Against all odds

The lights burn against my closed eyelids, forcing its orangey-red glow through the thin barrier,

and I slowly peel them open from their glued shut state.

I see the open window and feel the warmth of the sun shining through it. An arm rests across my

body, and an embrace is holding me so incredibly close.

I’m too weak to move right away, but then my mind starts searching for answers.

Why? How? Where?

I feel the soft sheets beneath me offering a slick enough surface to help me slide around to face

the sleeping man draped around me.

“Devin,” I scratch out, and I realize my throat is beyond parched.

He stirs lightly, and his eyes lazily lift until they meet mine. They widen in relieved disbelief,

and he jerks me to his body as tears stream mercilessly down his cheeks.

“Oh, baby. You’re awake,” he rejoices. “You’re really awake.”

“How?” I croak out again, and this time I’m forced to grab my throat as the pain strikes from my

strained attempt to speak.

“You’re probably dying for a drink,” he mutters in excited panic.

He scoops me up from the bed, and flashes me down a winding staircase. He screams to the rest

of the house.

“She’s awake. Get up. She’s awake,” he announces with such sad but jubilant enthusiasm.

“How long have I been out?” I ask curiously, instantly regretting trying to speak once again.

“Adisia!” Persia squeals and she rushes over to hug me as Devin places me on a plush, orange

couch.

“Oh, thank heavens. She’s really alive,” Kahl sobs.

His tear-soaked face nestles mine as he pulls me into a fatherly embrace. I feel awkward hugging

him so affectionately, considering he’s still more of an estranged father figure.

I’ve actually come to see Persia as a second mother, but I still need time to adjust to Kahl.

Kry flashes in and scoops me up to pull me into his lap. He hugs me to his chest, and I hear his

heart pounding against my ear.

“You have no idea how worried we’ve been for the past two weeks,” he breathes out in a shaky

tone.

“Two weeks?” my raspy voice repeats.

Deacon rips me from Kry’s arms and swirls me around in the air before I get a reply.

“Our little powerhouse is finally awake,” he squeals, and I see a tear slide free.

I’m jerked away from him as Hale takes his turn swirling me around as he lifts me under my arms

and raises me to be over his head.

“You did it. You turned Safina to ashes, and you did it without breaking the world in half,” he

gloats.

Ther scoops me up to kiss me on top of the head before relinquishing me to Phillip for a brief

moment.

Again I’m pulled into a new embrace and Jace smiles as he lowers me to allow my feet to touch

the ground for the first time. I wobble slightly, but his strong arms are holding me tightly to his body.

“You really lived,” he chokes out.

Devin returns, and he doesn’t hesitate to pull me from the clutches of Jace as he hands me a bottle

of water. He scoops me up and carries me bridal style to the couch before sitting down with me firmly

attached to him.

His lap is warm, and I curl into his chest as I almost inhale the bottle of water. He strokes my

cheek affectionately, and his lips continue to press against me as if he’s making sure I’m real.

“How am I still alive?” I ask with a less scratchy resistance.

Devin tightens his lips as if he’s fighting off a wave of tears, and Jace lowers his somber eyes as

he dwells on the memory of my near death encounter.

“Devin took my blade and cut a place open on your hand,” Kry starts, and then he pauses as he

shivers slightly.

Theia pats his shoulder and very strongly takes over the explanation.

“Jace kept your heart beating by pulsing the electricity from his hands to your chest. Devin used

the healing powers of the ocean to enter your body and extract the poison. It’s never been done

before. No Aphrodite has ever survived Athena’s poison without a rewind.”

I tilt my head up to meet the eyes that have been calloused with worry. I feel a tear sliding down

my cheek as my hand touches the side of his face.

“You saved me,” I breathe. Then I turn to Jace. “You too,” I murmur appreciatively.

Jace gives me his proud, though slightly haunted smile. I turn back to Devin, but his lips find

mine before the words I’ve already forgotten escape.

His hands grip against me as he pulls me into his body to let me feel the relief exuding from him.

“When’s the wedding?” Kry coughs out with a chuckle.

The mood in the air lifts once the heavy conversation leaves the table, and the animated room

breaks out into wedding chatter. Jace remains silent on the matter, and that’s better than saying what I

know he wants to.

“As soon as possible I hope,” Devin finally answers over the roaring laughter and excitement.

“Can we bring everyone home?” I ask curiously.

“Yes, baby. Everyone can come home now. In one fatal swoop, we’ve damn near killed anyone

who even thought about coming for us. Anyone else is too scared to mess with your family. They

should be safe,” he soothes.

I smile with a little excitement coming to me. “Then let’s plan the mortal wedding to be three

weeks from now. It’ll give everyone time to come home, plan ahead, and we can have the wedding at

the inn now. We can have our immortal bonding as soon as possible,” I giggle out.

“Sounds perfect. Three weeks it is, and I’ll call a priestess to see how long it will be to get her to

bless our bonding,” he says so gently. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” I utter, and his lips cover mine once more.

He scoops me up to carry me away, and I hear the excited voices behind us planning our second

wedding. I smile as Devin’s grin grows, and he lifts me higher to bring his smiling lips to mine.

“It’s over, babe. We’re still standing, and now we can just live,” he sighs.

I wrap my arms around his neck much tighter, and I smile when I feel the bed beneath me. He

slides up to be beside me, and his finger trails up my stomach.

“So we don’t have to worry about anyone at all?” I inquire.

“I’m sure there will still be some ambitious threats, but we’ll be ready when the time comes. For

now, though, we’re completely safe,” he gloats, and his lips cover mine before abruptly pulling away.

“You’re probably hungry. You’ve been out for two weeks. I’m so sorry,” he rattles off with guilt.

He scoops me up and starts toward the door, but I hold my hand against it when he tries to open it.

“I can wait a while longer to eat,” I seduce.

He tilts his head curiously, and a dangerous smirk appears. Then his eyes flash with concern.

“Are you sure? You just woke up from the longest two weeks of my life, and I didn’t think-”

My hand presses against his mouth to silence his worried rant. I smile a little as I wriggle free

from his hold, and I show no unsteadiness when my feet touch the floor for the second time.

“I just want to be with you right now,” I breathe, and he responds with erupting passion.

His hands grip the side of my face, and his lips consume mine with vigorous need. I feel the bed

once more, and his ravaging lips work against my neck as if he’s been starving for me for years.

My voracious appetite for him overwhelms me as the currents flow over us with seductive intent.

The bed vibrates beneath us as our thunderous passion remains unkempt, and it ignites the long,

deserted excitement of true freedom.

Only a twinge of uncertainty plagues me as the thought of it all coming too easily slithers

through. I quickly toss the unbidden thought to the dark corner of my mind to gather cobwebs as I

throw myself back into the man I’ve never wanted more than I do right now.

We can enjoy the windless calm before I start fearing the unknown storms that could be ahead.

Chapter 17

The dark eyes

“Pretty girl, pretty world. Oh how foolish you really are,” the scratchy voice releases as the

woman in ragged apparel sits down in a corner to finish knitting a small blanket. “All the beauty,

none of the brains. Of course it’s now a waiting game. I’ll smile, you’ll fall. Then victory will be

stripped from the small. Perfection comes with a deadly price. I’ll be the one to force your sacrifice.

“Delicious is the taste of impending success. No mercy to find, all hope suppressed. You’ll see