Daughter Trilogy Bundle (55 page)

I blush a little from his appreciative gaze, and then he flashes out of the room.  The covers drop to the floor as I stand to my feet, and then I pull on the tossed about jeans.

I slide into my shirt, and stare at the bed taunting me while still in one piece.  My eyes narrow as I examine the pristine condition we've left it in, and then I scowl a little when I feel slightly inferior to my formal self.

"Enjoy it while you can.  You won't be safe for long," I scold.

"Threatening my bed?" Devin snickers from outside the room, and I realize the door is cracked.

I smile sheepishly as I banter back.  "Just offering it a polite warning."

He laughs a little more, and then he returns to the room with that incredible grin I love so much.

"I'm going to take a shower.  Go drink your coffee and eat something.  Mortals have to eat a little more regularly," he teases.

"You're enjoying this mortal taunting a little too much," I grouse.

He puckers his lips to playfully mock mine, and then he kisses me gently before flashing to the bathroom.  My stomach growls and I cover it instinctively.

"Eat," he yells out.

Red floods my face after the embarrassing pronouncement of hunger, and I walk back into the kitchen to scavenge the cabinets.

I really want to join him in the shower, but we've already been confined to the bedroom for two hours.  I'm sure he's trying to show a little self control so he can join in on the contact search.

The elevator opens, and tears fill my eyes when Hale steps out.  The image of him leaping in front of Safina's ashes to save my life brings out the wavering tears.  He had died saving me.

I throw my arms around him with such an emotionally abrupt embrace, and he hugs me back with a little too much grip.

"Hmm
… Looks like you could use some sun on that body," he entices, his old, cocky self back in play.

I roll my eyes and the momentary tears dry up quickly with the return of the scandalous sun.

"There are some places on my body the sun will never see," I joke.

"Oh.  One second you're hurling that fantastic body at me, and the next you're playing hard to get.  I love a good game of cat and mouse," he seduces.

"I almost forgot how obnoxious you can be," I giggle as I walk over to drink the cooling coffee.

"Oh no.  Don't pretend as if we've met.  I can promise you I wouldn't forget that body or that face.
”

Deacon bellows out a woeful tone as he grips his head and chimes in from the living area.

"Don't count on it, lad.  I said the same damn thing, and now my head feels as if it's going to explode with the heaps of things I'd forgotten."

I share a sympathetic grin with the man not loving conflict as much as he did, and Deacon twirls me around in a hug, now that he remembers who I am.

"You saved us, girl.  Theia showed us your memories - what you had to do after what you had to endure."

I swallow hard, but Camara's arms wrap around me before a new wave of tears fall.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for growling at you," she gasps.

"I thought it was more of a hissing," I joke lightly, a snicker slipping out between my sniffles.

She laughs a little, but Hale looks completely stumped.

"There's been a rewind?" he asks curiously.

"That's why we're here.  Go see Theia, and let her drown you in the month of memories," Deacon grumbles.

"A month?" Hale gasps in shock.

"I can't explain it.  You'll just have to see it with your own mind," Deacon responds with exasperation.

"Send him to me," Theia groans from a room in the back.

Hale exchanges a worrisome glance before following the sound of Theia's voice.  Devin sits down on the couch and pulls up the newspaper.  It's so odd to see the date that we long passed but now we're reliving.

I scoot in beside him, and he wraps his arm around me while resting the paper on his lap.

I sip on the coffee, and yet again, we feel like a typical couple having an average morning.  I actually giggle slightly at the normal moment we're sharing.  His stare shows amusement as he curiously questions my odd chuckles.

"Did I do something funny?"

"Not exactly.  It's just nice to be having a mortal moment," I sigh in content.

He smiles adoringly at my simple amusement, and then he leans over to kiss me on the cheek.

"Well, I hate to ruin that moment, but we need a grounder," Deacon mumbles.

"A grounder?" I quiz, immortal reality coming back into play with a quick slap.

"It's someone to counteract the conductor so he can't absorb your lightning.  If we have a grounder, they lose their edge with a conductor," Camara explains.

"Haggar?" Devin asks with a shrug.

"Good luck with that.  The bloke rarely leaves the city, and he recently found a Nuri to live happily ever after with," Deacon scoffs.

"Well there won't be much of a happily ever if history repeats itself," Phillip says as he joins us.

"Perhaps we can use that to convince him," Camara adds.

"We also need someone to counteract the air embodiment they have," Deacon says with an enigmatic smirk pointed toward Devin.

I look up to question the odd look and see Devin is scolding Deacon with his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I ask with bemusement.

"Nothing.  Deacon is just trying to do what he does best," Devin says with a secretive suppressed grin as he lowers his eyes back down to the paper.

"You know I'm right.  You can't counteract the air with anything less than the wind or a breath catcher.  Seeing as Adisia controls the wind - and we don't need her tied up with the air - the only answer left is a breath catcher," Deacon snickers with his menacing intent.

I think I see where this is going now.  He acted somewhat the same when mentioning Gemma.

Devin scowls slightly, but then he sighs.

"I'll call her, but don't get your hopes up.  She's not much of a fighter."

She? 
Of course it's a
she.  I was right.  I hate being right sometimes.

"She's more of a lover, eh?" Deacon snickers with his antagonistic tone sparking the conflict he loves.

Devin flashes him a very disapproving glare, and Camara rolls her eyes at the obvious innuendo while she elbows her mischievous warlord in the ribs.

"Another ex?" I snark.  "Or would you like to refer to her as a nasty entanglement as well?"

Devin frowns slightly, but I can tell he enjoys my jealousy somewhat.

"More like a casual acquaintance from long before I met you.  We've already discussed the fact that I wasn't a saint.  Please don't bring about old spats," he requests gently, his age shining through in his wording.

Old spats.

"It's funny how many different labels you use, but yet you still hold firm to my being your first girlfriend," I snarl.

"You were my first girlfriend, and now you're my first fiancée.  Don't belittle my affections for you.  Stasia and I haven't seen each other in over fifty years," he rebuffs.

"Does that mean your
casual acquaintance
relationship is over, or should I be worried?"

"It was never something I had to end because it was never real.  I shouldn't have to prove how deeply I care for you.  I long to spend the rest of my life by your side.  Please don't assume any differently because of my past.  You have a past as well, in case you've forgotten," he huffs.

I pout a little as I mumble, "Yeah, well, I don't see us having to live in the same house as Jerry or Bret.  It's easy to sit on a pedestal and say it's the same when you're not scrambling around on the floor."

His head tilts to the side curiously.  "Bret?  Who's he?"

I roll my eyes as Deacon lets out a chuckle.

"Just someone from my past we're not discussing asking to come hang out with us and the rest of the Avengers," I growl.

"No, seriously.  Who is he?" he asks again while setting the paper down.

"An ex."

"An ex-boyfriend?  Another ex-fiancé?  An ex-lover?" he rambles.

I gasp slightly at his prying demeanor in front of Deacon and Camara who are both snickering slightly.

"He was a casual acquaintance," I mock.

His eyes narrow at me, and he continues his interrogation.

"Please tell me."

"Why is it so important?" I grumble.

"Because it reminds me about how very little I know about you in that aspect.  I'm curious."

I smirk deviously when I see how genuinely this is irking him.  I can't help but unleash a little payback.

"I tell you what, I'll compile a whole list of every intimate encounter I've ever had."

"Really?" Deacon says with a stupefied gaze while accidentally interjecting himself into the conversation.

"Okay," Devin says with a suspicious tone.  "What's the catch?"

"You have to give me a list as well," I dare, my devious smirk etching up.

Devin stifles a grin as he reclines back, and Deacon chimes in with a roaring laughter.

"It would take him a full century to conjure such a list."

I feel a little sick with that tidbit thrown out there, but I haven't exactly been an angel either.  And he has lived longer than I have.

"Touch
é.  This round goes to you," Devin chuckles as he relinquishes his interrogative tone.

He pulls out his phone and my stomach knots up.  I know he's about to call one of his exes, and it's absolutely killing me.

"Hey… Yes, it's me… It's good to hear from you, too… I need to talk to you about something."  He pauses and his face floods red.  His eyes dart to mine nervously, and he starts to get up, but I shake my head to let him know I'll fucking kick his ass if he tries to speak to her privately.  "No, Stasia… I mean, really talk… Just tell me where you are," he grumbles in discomfort for the awkward situation he hadn't fully prepared to undertake.  "Okay… See you soon."  He quickly tosses his phone to the table while looking anywhere but at me.

"I guess fifty years wasn't enough to calm her casualness down, huh?" I gripe.

Deacon laughs more.  He's absolutely loving the
spat
he has successfully provoked
.
  Devin slumps down rather uncomfortably when he feels my eyes burning through him.

"We're going to meet Stasia?" Gemma chimes in from behind, distaste clearly lingering in the back of her throat.

"Yes," Devin replies dryly, his eyes still avoiding mine.

"And Adisia thinks I'm bad," she snorts in amusement.

My eyebrows cock up, and Devin huffs rather loudly to breathe out his agitation for her snarky remark.

"So much for casual," I scoff.

"It was casual.  Gemma tends to over exaggerate where my past offenses are concerned," Devin growls.

"She tried to kill me when she met me," Gemma snarks.

My eyes widen but Devin's roll.

"She's a breath catcher, she can't kill immortals.  She can merely paralyze your powers briefly."

"Didn't stop her from trying," she retorts.

"And I'm sure you did nothing to provoke such a violent interaction."

"I've already told you numerous times that I did absolutely nothing to her, but you refuse to believe me," she growls.

"The first time you met Adisia you tried to kill her," he says with a clenched jaw as his eyes glower at her.

"I thought she was a mole.  I haven't tried such a thing since," she mumbles, waving a dismissive hand as if he's overreacting.

"You did your best to make her think you and shared a bed in California when I did nothing but rebuff your attempt," he scolds.

"Okay, first of all,
ouch
.  Secondly, that wasn't me trying to kill her, that was just me being a bitch.  There's a difference.  I'm always a bitch, so I don't see why this is still such a big deal."

"The point is, you always provoke.  That's why I don't believe you.  Stasia has never given me any inkling that she is as you describe her to be."

"Deacon, put a lid on your war mojo before I slap that smirk off your face," Gemma threatens.

"This has nothing to do with me.  The two of you need no help clashing," he chuckles.

I huff lightly as I stand to my feet, and Devin flashes to be beside me when I reach the improvised bedroom.  I don't feel like hearing about all the numerous women.  I also don't like hearing him arguing with Gemma like the exes they really are, despite his objections.

He sulks as he closes the door behind us, and I deliberately keep my back to him as I walk toward the bathroom.

"Please don't be mad at me for something I did decades ago," he pouts.

"I'm not mad, I'm just worried," I mumble as I start to close the bathroom door.