Daughter of Kaos (The Daughter Trilogy Book 3) (39 page)

twenty minutes or so,” I say without trying to sound too obvious.

“Adisia, that’s way too dangerous,” he counters. “Tell me where it is, and I’ll come help you.”

“I’ll only be a minute. I plan to burn it to the ground. It’s very cleverly disguised to the outside

world on private property, and it’s discreet enough for me to make it in and out without arousing

concern from the mortals.”

“Damn it, Adisia. Tell me where you are! You could fucking trip and barely graze a thorn and

that would be enough to seal your fate. Tell me where the fuck you’re at right now!” he blares, and I

shiver a little.

He’s terrified, and I feel horrible for using him like this. I have to though. This has to happen,

and this is the only way to do it without risking his life.

“No. I want to do this on my own. I need to do this on my own. I promise I’ll be safe, and I’ll

call you the second I’m done,” I adamantly reply.

“No the fuck you won’t. You’ll tell me where the hell you are right now and I’ll come there.

You’re not doing this alone,” he blasts with more fury fueled by his fear.

“I love you, Devin. I’ll see you at home,” I choke out, and I can only hope I’m not lying about the

last part.

“Adisia!” he scolds, but I hang up and toss the phone into the small koi pond of the nefarious

goddess’s garden that has been hidden from all.

The brilliantly colored carp curiously inspect the sloshing intruder as it sinks to the bottom, and I

stare into the perfectly filtered water, free of all debris, discoloration, and despair.

This place would be tranquil if it wasn’t for the hate for my blood that built its power.

Slash is staring into the reflective water as he feels up his breasts, which exactly match mine.

“Seriously?” I growl, and I feel so weird as I talk to
myself
.

It feels as though I’m staring into a mirror rather than a body double, and I’m watching myself be

violated. He smirks a little before grabbing the ass that is also a perfect replica of mine.

“Hey, this could be the last time I get to feel a woman’s body. I’d prefer to feel the real thing, but

I assume that offer isn’t on the table,” he murmurs leadingly, and I feel as though it was actually

supposed to be a question.

“Not a chance,” I roll out with a sardonic scoff.

He laughs a little, and then his face changes to a more concerned, protective expression.

“You need to stay back. I can smell her poison in almost everything here - not just the thorns.

It’s completely anti-Aphrodite here,” he murmurs, and my eyes fall on the dangerous beauty of the

garden.

It’s essentially an elaborate Venus flytrap, and I’m the only Venus prey it’s salivating at the

stems to sink its hidden teeth into. The lush, vibrant colors collide in a cascading flow of breathtaking

beauty, and the infallible greens of the never fading beauties offer a strength I know will soon be a

stronger threat than I’m fully appreciating at this moment.

The old stones imbedded into the ground guide one through the treacherous beauties draping over

the narrow path with an itching desire to force their petals on me. This garden almost feels alive, and

that makes me feel all the closer to death.

“Are you sure you don’t want to just burn this place to the ground? We can always go about this a

less dangerous way,” he suggests hopefully.

“No. This is our best chance of ending this now instead of letting it drag out for centuries while

they try to weed through us one by one. I won’t let my daughter live in fear when I could stop the

madness now.

“They have to feel like they have the upper hand, and they won’t be able to resist such a tempting

opportunity to show their triumph to their goddess of choice - their true Emperian; the only one

they’ve ever really been devoted to.

“Besides, I can’t just summon the fire like I can the wind. Kaos’s power is harder to control than

Prometheus’s - which I can’t seem to control anymore either. I need Devin to summon the fire

usually, but I should be able to draw it out once Aphrodite senses the undeniable danger upon us,” I

answer, and I’m a little too casual in the, given the dire circumstances.

“Should be able to draw it out?” he squeaks, and I see the new terror in his face. “Why didn’t you

mention that a little sooner?”

“Because I need your help. I need you to feel confident, but I also want you to know the
tiny
risk

involved,” I say with an understating tone.

He grumbles and growls lightly as he kicks a loose pebble into the thick of the savage garden still

waiting for an awakening force to aide it in its fatal taste for my blood.

“Get ready. They should be here soon,” I instruct softly, and then I start walking toward the

plant-free hiding place I’ve found.

“What did Devin say when he found out about you coming here?” he asks, and I know he’s trying

to distract himself from the possible impending disaster ahead.

“You didn’t hear?”

“No. My advanced hearing is impaired when I’m in a
morphed
state. Aside from the fact I’m too

damn sexy to keep covered up, it’s the reason I don’t stay changed more often.”

I let out a small laugh at his humorous candor, and then I roll my eyes for his smug stance.

“He freaked the fuck out,” I sigh. “For once he acted more like my husband than a loyal follower

of the Emperian. I’m glad I got to hear him that way again in case-”

“In case nothing,” he scolds. “You have to survive. I dedicated myself to the Emperian’s realm

centuries ago when I was almost executed for crimes I didn’t commit.

“It’s amazing what a scorned woman’s grudge can lead to in our world, and if it hadn’t been for

Deidra, I would have been buried under plants as creepy as these instead of standing here right now.

She helped me even though I had never pledged allegiance to either side of our world, and she didn’t

expect anything in return.

“I’m not only doing this for you, I’m doing it for her. You’ll live through this. Anything less is

unacceptable,” he adds with a confident conviction that almost brings tears to my eyes.

I nod and then pull off the rings I hold so dearly to my heart.

“You’ll need these. They know I never go anywhere without them,” I almost whimper, and he

frowns as he slides them onto his designated finger.

I quickly flash away and disappear behind the wall. I can hear the vines stirring, and I only hope I

haven’t overlooked anything that will give me away.

I pray I wasn’t too obvious while on the phone with Devin, and I can only hope I didn’t miss a

step they strategically laid out to force a stumble out of me.

The footsteps rattle out from a distance, and I peep through the tiny hole left by the wearing from

the weather over the centuries. I see Slash acting as though he’s just stepped into the garden, and then

I see the faces of the enemies who have spent centuries in a far better disguise than Slash could ever

master.

They bore the most deceitful disguise of loyal, trusted friends when in fact they were nothing

more than wolves for the other pack.

I can’t believe I didn’t catch on sooner. They were never around when we were safe, and they

were almost always there or close by when we were caught.

During the second battle with Safina, they had been left out of our scheme until the last second.

Only our closest, most dedicated circle knew of our great plan. They just followed along.

They only knew we were summoning her, and Safina even told us she knew we it was a

summoning. I’m so stupid for not catching on sooner. She shouldn’t have known it was a

summoning. She should have believed it was simply Gemma speaking to her plants as usual.

“Well,” the first traitor murmurs as she steps over the threshold. “I’m glad I found you. Devin’s

been worried. Have you called to tell him where you are yet?” she asks pryingly.

“No,” Slash answers vaguely in my voice. “I’ll call him when I’m done. I only just got here,” he

lies, and I see her wry smile emerge as her husband steps out.

My stomach turns when I realize how justified I’ve been for suspecting the friends of the Cole’s

for such a horrific treason. It’s them. It’s Ava and Edgar - Gemma’s parents.

“How did you find me?” Slash asks as he plays along.

“Your phone of course. Devin traced the location, and he sent us to bring you back,” Ava lies.

They’ve known where this garden was for centuries, and they’ve been waiting for their chance to

get me here - or sting me in my sleep from something they took from here.

I’m grateful my husband never lets me out of his sight now. They would have probably killed me

sooner. I’m even more grateful for the fact Gemma doesn’t have the type of relationship with her

parents that would have prompted her to tell them the secrets she had privy to… such as our

daughter’s birth or our immortal bonding.

“Why didn’t he come?” Slash presses, and I see the narrowing eyes that look chillingly just like

mine.

He’s better at playing me than he at playing Devin.

“Because we couldn’t do this,” she snarks, and the vicious plants snap free from the entanglement

of the garden.

The savage petals slap his wrists like cuffs, and the creeping vines shackle his feet. Ava smirks as

she forces in the poison that will bear no true consequence to Slash, but he starts acting weak.

I only hope he doesn’t exaggerate the reaction for the
ham
performance I’ve seen him put

on in the past.

“Why?” he murmurs as if he’s actually dying.

“Why?” Edgar snaps. “Because Rhea kept us on a pedestal. Since then we’ve been bumped down

to nothingness. Our power is overlooked by all and underwhelming in the eyes of all the others, but

Rhea saw us as the powerful creatures we truly are.

“She saw us for the brilliant masterpieces we’ve always been. She didn’t treat us as servants.

That’s what we feel like under the reign of the damn Emperians since - Deidra and you. We should

have told Pyrrha you were the Emperian, but you were supposed to die. Safina, the spoiled brat from

her womb, was supposed to kill you. But no matter. Now we don’t have to share our glory with the

witch seeking your child for her own gain.”

“I’ve done nothing to make you feel like a lesser power,” Slash counters while showing physical

fatigue as his mock languid despair begins dragging him down.

“As long as you rule, we’ll never be anything but the vine wielders. I refuse to bow any longer

when Rhea will make people bow to us!” Ava blares.

“You gave your life in the first battle with Safina,” Slash objects, and I’m proud of how well he’s

acting surprised while convincing them of his slow, painful death.

“We knew Theia would save her son by rewinding time. We’re the ones who told her about the

last time Devin died. I never would have dreamt you’d be the one to accomplish such a feat, but then

again, the damn trigger happy fools Safina had under her command had no real clue what was going

on. Damn Athena bitches.

“It actually worked out in our favor you survived so that you could carry out the plan which

almost failed completely. Instead, you just created a mild hindrance. Did you really think you could

outsmart, outgun, and out-power the strongest of our kind?” Ava mocks.

“She’ll turn on you. In all I’ve heard, Rhea has been accused of everything but mercy, kindness, and

loyalty. She watched her own daughter die when she could have surfaced and aided her in the battle,”

Slash murmurs with a little too much weakness in his tone, and now I’m starting to feel as though he’s

actually dying.

A slight bit of panic stirs within me as his eyes drop quickly and rise lazily over and over as if

he’s genuinely fighting hard to keep them open.

“She won’t turn on us, because she’s going to need us to aide her in her reign. No queen leads an

army without generals. We’ll have a higher place than the Cole’s. We’ll have the stature we were

meant to bask in,” she admonishes.

“And Gemma? Is she going to join the betrayal?” he pries, and I realize I hadn’t even given that

any thought.

I had only seen the two of them, but it’s possible I just missed her. She would have told them

about all my other secrets though… right?

“She would have if you hadn’t forced her into the arms of Ther. Now she’ll never leave his side,

but our position in Rhea’s army will allow us the ability to grant her amnesty. She won’t fight her

own parents, and Ther is the last thing we’re afraid of,” Edgar growls.

Slash’s head falls back as if his strength is completely gone, and Ava’s smile burns while the

earth swirls in her eyes.

“It’s done,” she murmurs proudly. “It’s finally done. Devin has no clue where she is, and it’ll be

too late even if he does show up to try and heal her again. Summon her,” she orders to Edgar, and my

stomach leaps into my throat as he walks over to the koi pond that had seemed so completely harmless

on my way in.