Daughter Trilogy Bundle (131 page)

The winds fold over each other in a more ravaging whirl as the swirling promise of death nears the beach.

I’m drunk on the power, and I’m destroyed by my loss.  All I want to do is end this pain.  I’m sick of the losses, the misery, the agony… I’m sick of it all.

“
Get back,” Deacon yells, and I feel the power begging to explode from my body, and I’m the cusp of feeling the glorious release when something else happens instead.

My eyes begin seeing everything backwards as the world spins in the opposite direction.  Blurred and stilled images collide out of context flash in front of my mind as if I
’m watching a movie in reverse.

Incoherent words are jumbled up to sound like another language.  I almost get dizzy as the ground beneath me wavers - the earth feeling as though it
’s about to rip apart and swallow me whole.

Then suddenly Devin is on his feet again.  His eyes are consumed by the volcanic possession, and streaks are moving from his body back to Jace as if this whole thing happened the other way around.

I get sick as I see the dematerialized fragments of Rhea’s body swirling out of Devin and slicing through the barrier I once held between us as she backs away.

Then time resumes, everything is out of place though.  Devin is holding my hand, his heart still beating.

His blue eyes swirl with the ocean instead of Rhea’s ownership, and I gasp as the overwhelming emotion pulls the air from my lungs while forcing tears to pour free for a whole new reason.

He
’s alive.

I start to pull him to me, but he starts screaming at me.

“Get back, Adisia!”

I realize I
’ve just rewound time in a completely different way.  We’re at the point just before Rhea stole him from me.  The shadow fragments near, but I don’t watch helplessly this time.  I leap in front of them to offer myself in sacrifice, but the fragments bounce around the body she already knew she couldn’t penetrate.

That
’s why she went for him.  She’s not strong enough to take me.

She nears Devin with stealth, and I pull the wind around her sneaky shadow pieces with more strength to draw back the particles to a more compacted cluster.

I pull them tighter and tighter and more blood springs free from my nose, ears, and eyes as I strain to keep her away from him.

The spinning storm holds the fragments tight enough for me to see a flicker of a heartbeat hiding amongst the shadowy apparatus.

I force my hand into the cyclone, and I grab a hold of the black dust in the pulsating spot.  The tightly bound fragments are forced to resume a corporeal form despite her fervent attempts to stay among the dust.

My hand remains inside her newly rematerialized body, and it stays wrapped around her black, frosty heart.  I force all the electricity I can into her while tightening my grip on the rapidly beating organ trying to escape my clutches.

She screams in pain as her volcanic eyes burn into mine in disbelief, but she can’t break free, and with the wind holding her together, she can’t dematerialize again.  She’s forced to go on the defensive, and she focuses on freeing herself from my vice like grip.

“
No!” she screams as she struggles in vain.

I surge the charged power once more, and then I release the fire her external body had been left unscathed by.  Her body heats from the inside out, and this time she
’s not so immune.  This time fear stains her eyes instead of smugness.

“
We’re not as strong on the inside,” I taunt through gritted teeth.

My white fire surges more savagely inside her already ravaged interior, and then it shoots free into the air when her head is forced back from the strength of my attack.  She opens her mouth to scream, and my expelled white fire shoots free into the air to mingle with her shrieking cry of pain.

Her eyes blare the fire as well until her whole body cracks and then ashes around my hand.

The wind sweeps the dead fragments into the ocean, and I wobble from the raging battle that
’s finally over.

I can
’t hold myself up any longer, and my eyes go blurry when Devin’s arms catch me midair.  He looks so scared, but he shouldn’t be.  Our daughter is safe now, and I came down from my three ring act without his control.

I saved him.  He
’s really here.  Oh please let this be real, or make it a dream I never wake up from.

“
You’re alive,” I almost whisper through the terrible fatigue draining my eyes of their energy.

“
Baby, please tell me you’re okay.  Please tell me you’re not hurt,” he prays.

“
I love you,” I murmur with relief, elation, and calmness rushing out all at once.

His lips stroke mine briefly as tears begin to form in his untainted, non-possessed smoky blue eyes I love so much.

“I love you.  Don’t close your eyes.  Stay with me.  Stay with me.  Stay-”

I can
’t hear anything else.  My eyes have grown too heavy, and my shallow breaths are no longer aiding me.  It’s dark, but I’m not scared anymore.

He
’s alive.  It’s over.

Chapter 16

A Sea of Suspense

Devin

“
I never thought it was possible to see Devin love someone the way he does her.  Has he even left the room?” Nina murmurs, sounding a little jealous.

She should be jealous.  No woman has ever come close to being as incredible as my wife.  She sure as hell never will be.  I wish she
’d just fucking leave, but I know Nadia wants to see Adisia.  That’s the
only
reason I’ve permitted her stay to extend past the point of the harpie attacks.

“
No, he hasn’t left her since the fight.  That’s Devin though.  Where Adisia is, that’s where he’s at.  You need to get used to it because he does love her that much,” Hale murmurs softly, though I’m sure she found the content just as stinging despite the tone.

I hear her breath stop for a second.  I know she thinks we shared some incredible romance, but it wasn
’t anything special at all.  Nothing in my life has been special until I met Adisia.

“
I get it.  I still don’t understand it, and that’s possibly because I’m the woman scorned, but I’m happy for him.  I only hope I find that one day.”

“
Don’t we all?” Hale adds with a sigh.

“
How long has it been?” I hear Kry ask as he tries to keep his whisper below my register.

They
’ve all been talking too loud though, and the crack in the door has brought in their voices despite the rest of the soundproofed room.

“
Too fucking long,” I growl, letting them all know I just heard them as I hold Adisia’s sleeping body to me.

He frowns as he walks into the bedroom to join me in my suspenseful waiting.

“Have you slept at all?” he huffs.

“
I’ll sleep when she wakes.”

“
Devin, you know it’s possible she could sleep for centuries after putting herself through that.  She rewound time after less than a few months passing before the last rewind.  That’s never been done before.  She killed Rhea.  That alone wiped her out.  You should sleep now because torturing yourself isn’t going to bring her back any sooner.”

I stare down at the dark-haired beauty, the love of my life, the girl everyone keeps underestimating.  Time and time again she has proved them wrong.  She has broken the rules and raised the standards over and over without even meaning to be so incredible, yet they still doubt her.

“She’ll wake,” Jace says as he walks into the room to join us.  “I think it has become abundantly clear there is nothing that can keep her away from Devin for very long.”

I wish I had the energy to be stupefied by the fact those words just came out of his mouth, but I don
’t.  Instead, I offer him an appreciative nod while casting my eyes back to the girl I pray comes back to me soon.

“
I think he’s right,” Camara sweetly inserts while joining us.

“
I know he’s right,” Hale chuckles out as he too joins us.  “Adisia is too damn stubborn to waste too much time on a silly thing like rest when she knows Devin is waiting on her.”

Everyone laughs lightly, but I
’m forced to hold back tears.  I know without a doubt my wife would do anything, and has done everything, to be with me.  For fuck’s sake, she pulled time back while living in the present.

I
’ve never thought it possible to feel like this about anyone, and I’ll be damned if I lose her now to a comatose state.

“
Have you found anyone who can help?” I murmur, my seriousness ending the light moment at play.

Kry frowns, and Ther walks in holding the hand of Gemma.

“We’ve been trying, but no luck yet.  If anyone can pull out of this soon, it’s her.  She’s going to be back before you know it, Devin,” Ther utters with such soft sincerity - like I’m too fragile for him to raise his voice much over a whisper.

Everyone is worried I
’m going to break, and if she doesn’t hurry up and come back to me, I very well may.  I haven’t ever felt so miserable in all my life.  She damn near died saving me… she still might.

I wish she had just let me stay dead and lived her life with our daughter.  If she doesn
’t pull through this, I’ll join her in the grave.

Chapter 17

Our Eternity

The warmth spreads over me as a slight smile forms in a quiet room surrounding me on this soft, velvety bed.  Rhea
’s face burning to ash races through my mind, and my eyes pop open to see Devin’s body spiraled around me like the red stripe of a candy cane.

His uneasy breaths and tortured dark circles tell me he hasn
’t been asleep very long.  The question is, how long have I been asleep?

“
Adisia?” Persia whispers softly, and I turn to see her in the rocking chair beside the sliding glass door of a house I’m not certain if I’ve ever been in.

I pull one finger to my lips to let her know I don
’t want to wake Devin, and she walks over to sit in the chair beside the bed.  I almost cry when I see her holding a bundled up blanket in her arms because I know it my daughter is hidden beneath the folds.

“
Aster?” I choke out in a near muted tone, and she offers me a warm smile while gently placing my sleeping beauty in my arms.

I gasp when I see a new baby instead of the three week old I left behind.  She
’s so much bigger, older and I look up with trembling eyes to ask the silent question I can’t muster the energy to ask aloud.

“
You’ve been out for three months,” Persia kindly says to answer my plea.

“
That long?  Three months?” I gush in disbelief.

“
Yes, and Devin has been awake for most of it.  He’s only been sleeping when his body forces him to.  He’s been up for a month straight this time, and he’s only been out for four or five hours now.  We’ve been logging the days so we didn’t lose track of time.  With Aster here, it’s important to keep up with her exact age for medical purposes,” Persia explains, and I sigh as my eyes flop to the ceiling.

I almost smirk when I see the giant mirror staring down at me, and then I notice a few reflective surfaces around the room as well.  I blush fiercely at the request I had once made.

Devin actually followed through
.

“
Where are we?” I ask gently.

“
Devin’s island home,” she says with a red hue of her own when she takes notice of my wandering eyes.

Well that
’s embarrassing.

“
Oh.  It looks different,” I muse as I stare around at the room I might not have ever even seen during my previous stay.

“
It is different.  Devin had it customized while you were sleeping to better suit your tastes.  It was actually owned by the three of them, but Theia and Phillip decided the two of you should share it.  Devin wants to raise Aster here for the first few years of her life,” she adds.

“
Oh.  That’s crazy.  It’s isolated.  We’ll be tracked down,” I rattle out in a near whisper, even though I know that’s no longer an issue now with Gemma’s mole parents dead.

“
We know, Adisia,” Persia sighs.

“
What?” I murmur with complete bemusement.

“
We know about Ava and Edgar,” she clarifies, apparently catching onto my not so discreet whispering tactic.

“
How?” I gasp.  “Does Gemma know?”

“
Gemma is still in the dark along with Ther and some of the others.  We thought it would be easier for Ther if he didn’t know.  During the first few days of your unconsciousness you were infected with horrible night terrors.  Kahl and I were gone with Theia and Phillip to retrieve your mortal family and Aster.  Jace was here to draw out the nightmare, but he realized it was memories afflicting you rather than dreams. 

“
You were reliving the death of Devin over and over, and although Jace knew it was a memory, you were the only one with such recollection of the event.  Adisia, you rewound time again in a way none of us have ever known possible.  Not even a second rewind should have been possible for another century, but you did it,” she gushes in complete awe.

“
I know.  I saw it all play out in reverse,” I whimper.

My eyes move to the sleeping man still wrapped around me, and I trail one of my fingers down his tensed jaw line.  Aster wiggles lightly, and then Devin snuggles in closer to me.

Mmm.  This feels so right.

“
It was amazing to view the world rolling backwards the way you saw it.  Devin hasn’t left your side even to eat.  We’ve almost had to force food down his throat.  It’s a good thing immortals don’t lose or gain weight because he’d be wearing a sock for a shirt by this point.”

I frown upon hearing that.  I hate knowing how miserable he has been.  I
’m sure he felt guilty once Jace told him why I rewound time.  He always takes on too much burden.

“
Theia has been a worried wreck because he wouldn’t sleep.  He spent most days pacing back and forth in front of the bed.  I’m sure he’d like for you to wake him,” she murmurs in a pushy tone.

“
I want him to rest.  I can see it in his face he’s exhausted,” I exasperate, and then I kiss his forehead that has moved a little closer.

“
The two of you should have plenty of time alone.  Kry has built a few other houses on the beach though,” she chuckles.  “No one is willing to leave the Emperian too unguarded.”

“
Oh, hell.  I forgot about that.  When can we find a replacement?” I grumble.

“
When someone is stronger than you,” she giggles.  “I don’t think it wise to block your powers again.  It seems as if they’ve found harmony within you anyhow,” she adds.

“
Oh, don’t worry.  I’m not blocking them again.  I’ve learned my lesson.”  She laughs at the agitation on my face, and then I continue while giving a shrug.  “What if I throw the match?  You or Theia could take me on,” I suggest hopefully.

She laughs a little too hard this time, making Devin and Aster both stir.  She covers her mouth to silence her outburst while shaking her head.

“It doesn’t work that way,” she chuckles.  “I’m afraid you’re stuck with the title, but it appears you have a wonderful team willing to take on the tedious tasks that come along with it.  Everyone has stepped up to fill the places of Deidra’s old team, and Lana has been quite instrumental in our procedural planning, and-”

She stops short when I rudely let out a gigantic yawn.  Aster yawns in her sleep as if my reaction was contagious, and Persia and I both grin at her adorable little face trying to grin once she finishes.

“I suppose I can bore you with the details later,” Persia continues with a smirk.

“
Sorry.  I shouldn’t be tired,” I murmur guiltily, and Devin’s body tightens around mine.

“
Yes you should.  I’m surprised you’re awake so soon.  Rewinding time in an impossible timeframe is unheard of.  Just seeing through your eyes exhausted me for days,” she breathes.

“
So is my family still here?” I say distractingly.

“
Yes.  They’re in bed.  It’s almost three, and mortals tend to need more rest,” she says softly.

“
I need a shower,” I groan while running my fingers through the greasy texture of my hair.

“
You need to stay in bed.  I can wash your hair for you.”

“
Not necessary.  I think I’ve been in bed for long enough, and a shower sounds pretty amazing.”

She steps over to take Aster back, and I kiss the angelic baby on the head once more before I try to wiggle free from the impossibly good grip of my resting husband.

Persia disappears out the door, and I finally slide free to head into the gloriously huge bathroom adjacent to the room.  The shower spews its divine warmth, and then I eagerly climb under its cleansing flow.

Just when I
’m almost finished, the curtain slides back, and arms curl around me before whipping me around and pulling me into a desperate kiss.  Devin’s soft lips, perfect body, and relief tangle me up in his love. 

“
I’ve been so worried,” he breathes into my mouth.  “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“
I wanted you to sleep.  You looked tired,” I answer softly before his lips stroke mine more.

“
I love you, Adisia Cole.  I’m not too tired to see the wife I’ve been desperately missing,” he almost whispers, and the water begins wrapping around us.

His lips graze mine just barely before pulling them into a fiery, smoldering kiss.  It feels as though it has been years since he kissed me, and in my mind it has only been a day.  For him though, it has been three months, and it feels so damn good right now. 

Our daughter is home, the biggest threat is gone, and now we can just be together… or at least I hope.

His grip tightens around me as he pulls me to his body, and the water around us begins to boil violently.  He grins against my kiss for the scorching passion exuding from me, and then his hands cup my face as he stares into my eyes.

“You’re all mine now,” he smolders.

“
That sounds pretty damn perfect,” I giggle out, and a full-flashing smile spreads over his face as he lifts and presses me against the shower wall.

A tiny crack emerges from behind me, and I laugh at his forceful conquest.  His lips consume mine more fervently, and the humor melts to desperate desire.

His bare, perfect body presses firmly against mine, and his eyes promise to never let me go.

Finally.

I can
’t help but beam
with true elation while finishing up my hair.  Devin smiles as he walks over and takes my hand in his, and then we walk out to see the eager audience who has been awaiting my awakening.

“
Angel,” Nadia squeals, and then I feel her precious arms wrapping around me first.

“
She wouldn’t leave until she knew you were okay,” Gloria, her mother, says gently while stroking the long, golden locks of her daughter.

“
I’m okay, and now so are you,” I murmur to the child with too much burden to bear.

“
I haven’t had any more nightmares since you beat the shadow,” she gleams, and I offer her another affectionate smile.

“
You’ll have to come visit me when you can,” I insist, and her smile only grows.

Gloria offers me a nod in acceptance for my offer, and then she and the other finless mermaids move to the far corner just as Kry swings me around.  I laugh at his jubilation, and then Ther sambas over to me with a glass of vodka I willingly take. 

They all look as if they’ve had anxiety ripped from them and replaced with pure joy.  My mom and dad rush down the stairs in front of Persia and Kahl to hug me too tightly for their mortal arms to withstand.

“
Wow,” Mom cries happily.  “I have to remember how rock solid you are these days,” she chuckles out.  “I’m so glad you’re okay.  They said you saved everyone.”

I wipe a tear from my eye as I look up at Devin and then over to Jace who is sitting silently in a corner with his eyes turned down. 

“I didn’t do it alone,” I almost whisper, and then everyone senses the tension I need to relieve.

“
I think there’s a party we’ve been waiting to have, so we should go get it set up since our guest of honor has finally woken back up,” Devin says to the room, and then he leans over to whisper in my ear.  “Just join us when you’re done.”

He kisses my forehead before they all leave the room and I dig deep to find my big-girl courage.

Jace refuses to meet my gaze, and I sit down in front of him to pull his hand in mine.

“
I’m sorry, Adisia,” he chokes out unexpectedly while fighting his tears.

“
You shouldn’t be.  You did exactly what your mother told you to.  You stood beside me, and you were there for me in a way no one else could be.  If you hadn’t done what you did, I wouldn’t have ever been able to save him.  His death boosted my powers to a whole other level as you saw, and everyone should be thanking you instead of me,” I very softly spew - though, I doubt I would have been so gracious if I hadn’t been able to restore Devin’s life.

He looks up with tears wavering, and then he stands to pull me into an embrace.  I affectionately return his hug, and then more of my tears dampen his chest through the thin fabric of his shirt.

“I’ve been worried you’d want me dead,” he says with morbid humor.

“
Never,” I sigh.  “I had the three most powerful entities beating around inside me at once, and no harm ever came to you,” I explain, even thought the thought did flash through my mind.

“
They’re not the most powerful entities,” he adds while pulling back to look me very sternly in the eye.  “You and you alone are the most powerful.  They’re just a part of you.”

I shed a few more tears, and then he kisses my forehead just barely before hugging me again.

“We should go party.  Everyone has been on edge waiting on you to wake up, and now we just want to get drunk,” he laughs out.