Daughter Trilogy Bundle (82 page)

"You're the most powerful thing I've ever seen with my own eyes.  If you can harness all that power, we'll have no problem winning this thing," she beams, and then they all flash away.

"What?" I grumble to Devin.

His lips find mine to avoid the question, and I wrap my arms around his neck to bring him down farther.  He lifts me up, and I feel the wind stirring in jubilation.

"Is he gone?" Slash's fearful voice chimes in from behind.

I turn around and stifle a grin when I see the drenched coward creeping out of the ocean he had been launched into.

"Yeah.  He's gone for now.  I'd probably steer clear of him for a little while though," Jace chuckles out, no fear shining though his icy blue eyes.  "Though I have to admit, there should have been an admission charged for that wonderful show."

Jace was the only one not to act like the breath left him when Kahl's eyes swirled and revealed his origins.

Slash groans in disgust for the taunting remark, and Devin’s eyes swirl as if he's ready to knock him back out to sea.  He cracks his neck to the side, and my hands run up his chest to distract him from his vicious train of thought.

"I love you," I whisper.

His eyes soften, and I feel the waves rushing against our feet.  He pulls me back into his arms, and passion erupts in my mouth as his covers mine once more.

"I love you," he breathes.  "Never again," he pleads.

"What?" I murmur against his lips.

"Don't take this off ever again," he whispers as he hands me my ring.

I smile as he puts it back on me, and the waves slap at our feet once again.

"I only took it off this time when I thought you were the one coming out of Gemma's room," I whimper.

His eyes glare at Slash who is still wringing his clothes out, and the waves suddenly crash against him before sucking him back out to sea.  I let a small laugh escape, and Hale slaps his hands together in jubilance when he sees Slash enduring the waterlord's wrath.

"Remind me not to hit on Adisia anymore," Hale asserts.  "At least not while
Papa
is in the house," he chuckles.

Devin smirks slightly before countering, "I believe you should be more worried about not hitting on
Momma
with Papa in the house."

"Ah fuck.  I really hope she keeps that between us," Hale frets.

I laugh a little, and Devin's arms scoop me up.

"Anyone up for a dip?" Jace says with a smirk, and several of the eager girls leap up from their seats to take him up on his offer.

"I could use a refreshing bit of the ocean," I seduce as I stare into Devin's eyes.

A wolfish smirk spreads across his lips, and suddenly we're flashing into the house and up the stairs to my room.

My room.

This house was built before I was immortal, and they made me a room.

Devin drops me on the bed, and I laugh as I realize the room is padded.

"I wonder if this was padded before or after I changed?" I question.

"The windows are the same technology as mine, and I know they take some time to make.  I think they knew what you were going to be, and they didn't want to take a chance of knowing what you were doing," he chuckles.

"So we can be as loud as we want?" I tempt.

His eyes swirl with excitement, and his lips find mine once more.  I smile against the kiss when I feel my shirt ripping free from my body.  His hips grind into mine, and everything feels on fire from the waist down.

His hands heat against my skin, and I can feel the world resetting to normal now that I'm back in his wonderful arms.

"I'll marry you whenever you want to get married.  I was just scared when you said I'd be stronger.  I don't want to risk hurting you, but you walked right through my winded wall," I breathe.

He stops his tantalizing tease, and his lips end their trail of kisses at my lower abdomen as he looks up.

"You didn't open it for me?" he asks curiously.

"No.  You walked through the whole storm unaffected.  I was trying to keep you out," I admit.

"I'm immune to all your powers then?" he asks confused.

"I think you're just immune to them when they could hurt you because you can feel this," I say with provocative intentions as my electrical currents slide over him.

His eyes close as he absorbs the seductive energy, and his lips rabidly seek mine.  I can smell the fire starting to sizzle as his hands slide up my body and savagely jerk my hips up to meet his.

I feel the jeans being pulled off me, and I moan as his slow descent heats me even more.

Finally.

"That's the best part about
fighting with you," I murmur breathlessly.

He laughs a little as he pulls one arm behind his head.  His other hand pulls my left one up to examine my ring finger once more.

He wiggles the ring down to reveal my tattoo fully, his eyes not wavering from their stare.

"Why did you choose this while we were fighting?" he asks curiously.

I blush a little at my corny reasoning, and I do my best not to make it sound so pathetic.

"Whether you wanted me or not, I wanted everyone to know I belong to you."

He smiles a goofy grin that infects me, forcing me to mimic it.  He kisses the finger that promises I'm his, and then he draws back shaking his head.

"I'm always yours.  There hasn't been a minute since I met you that I haven't wanted you.  It's been torture not to kill Jace," he says, grumbling the last part.

"He's calming down a little.  I think he's finally accepting the truth of my love for you, and I really don't think anyone will be too eager to press their wills of want on me now that Kahl has returned from the grave.  Honestly, does no one stay dead anymore?"

He laughs a little, and his lips fall over mine to offer the sweet taste of our reconciliation.

"Kahl is definitely picking up the protective dad gig.  I hope he doesn't inspect your room," he chuckles.

We look around at the charred marks all over the room, and I blush instantly.

"Damn.  I've got to get that under control.  I guess that just goes to prove how immune you really are to my more vicious side," I mumble.

Then I notice the bed hasn't faltered from our wild throes.

"What?" I gripe.  "This bitch should be in pieces after that."

He laughs ridiculously hard, and I smile as I climb out of bed and start pulling on a swimsuit.

I make sure to pull it on with a slow, seductive finesse, but I have to laugh a little when I turn back around to see Devin has been completely oblivious to my reverse striptease.  He's completely distracted as he studies my bed very tediously.

"What are you doing?" I chuckle out.

He snickers as he continues his examination.

"I'm trying to see what this bed is made out of.  This metal shouldn't be that strong, but I found marks of a metal wielding Nuri on here.  Your parents have been very thorough in preparation for your arrival.  I don't know why I didn't think of that."

Now my face flushes crimson, and I bury it in my hands.

"Wow.  That's so embarrassing and a little gross when you put it that way," I grumble.

He laughs a little and flashes over to pull a pair of trunks from his bag.  There's no distracting me from the reverse striptease he's offering, and I roll my eyes when he catches my drooling gaze.

"I love it when you look at me like that," he seduces.

"I never look at you any other way.  Sometimes I just hide it better," I foolishly admit.

He pulls me against his body, and I feel the heat consuming me once more.  His lips glide against mine, and his tongue dares mine to join its game.

His hands threaten to shred the two piece bathing suit, but he reluctantly draws back.

"I could spend all day doing this with you, but we really should rejoin the others.  The heads of the houses think they run things, but it's us that actually do all the heavy lifting in case you haven't noticed.  We just let them think they're in charge," Devin gloats.

I laugh a little, and he takes my hand in his.

"Perhaps I should discuss acquiring such a bold marking with Hale," he murmurs as his eyes catch the tattoo peeking out from under the ring.  "I wouldn't mind the world knowing I'm with the most incredible woman they can never have," he boasts.

I blush from his adoration for me and look away from his sincere gaze that only makes me want to toss out the idea of ever leaving this room.

He smirks as we leap from the balcony and flash toward the others.

Hale is sunbathing - ironically enough - and Jace is in the middle of a bunch of women ogling his body with no discretion.

"I expected you to be in the center of the desperate females here," I murmur as I sit next to Hale.

"I think better when I'm basking in the true sun," he utters with all seriousness as his eyes stay closed.

"What's giving you a reason to think?" I chuckle out.

"You," he says very sternly as he rises from his meditation.

Devin sits down beside us, and he looks out to sea as he speaks.

"She doesn't know anything about him.  You've seen Kahl, and you know in the end his father died doing something completely out of character.  We only knew the worst." Devin cautions.

"Asteria and he had a child.  That child bore a daughter of Aphrodite.  Do you realize the magnitude of this?  I'm worried about Adisia.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but the sooner the two of you get married the better.  She could use that power boost to control the powers that could destroy her.  You know how dangerous this all is.  It's like mixing dynamite, anthrax, and radiation all in one tiny vial and hoping it doesn't explode," he says too panicky while motioning to my body.

"Who is it?" I blare.

I'm tired of everyone talking about me and no one talking to me
… again.

"Kaos," Devin murmurs softly.

"How do you know so much when you weren't even born during all this?" I gripe.

"I've seen the past, the present, the future.  It's really easy to see the past.  I've seen more than I ever should have looked at.  After your father spoke of Kaos's sacrifice, I looked for it.  It was hard to find because I never knew him, but I found it.  He's telling the truth," he explains.

"Who is he?  Why is everyone so scared?" I insist.

"Do you remember the story of Pandora's box?" Hale asks hesitantly.

"Yeah.  Supposedly Zeus gave Pandora a box and her husband a key.  Of course she swindled him out of the key and opened it.  It was yet again another dig against women being too curious just like Eve and the forbidden fruit," I exasperate.

"It wasn't Zeus who gave her the box.  It was Kaos."  He stops for a minute as he waits on the reality of the impossible myth to set in as a truth.  Then he continues, "The contents were downplayed in the childhood story everyone uses as a cautionary tale.

"Mortals were infected with the most toxic air of hate, envy, greed, and so much more.  Hope really was in the bottom of the box, but it was such a faint speck of it to counter the epic destruction the little box had unleashed.

"The havoc it wreaked was named after its maker, and we now know all hysterical disruptions as chaos.  Kaos enjoyed the game of mortals killing each other.  He was pretty vicious and too powerful to go against.  He reminded us of his power every time he got the opportunity.

"He raised an army of dead more than once until he died.  They won more wars than they lost, and he didn't hesitate to take out anyone that stood against him.  You already know how capricious Asteria was, and on her downshifts, she was just as vicious.  It's a little scary," Hale shivers out.

Devin's hand tightens around mine, and I can see the sheer terror beaming from Hale's eyes.

"You're scared of me," I assess.

"No.  I'm scared of what you could become if we can't help you find a way to control your darker halves," he counters.

"I'm immune to her powers when they're in strike," Devin proudly interjects.  "I can help her find control."

"All of them?" Hale gasps.

"All of them.  We can demonstrate," he offers.

"Devin, I'm not sure I want to test our theory unless we have to," I grumble with reluctance.

"I want to.  It’ll give everyone piece of mind to know I can be there for you if you get out of control," he promises.

I sigh a little.  "I hate knowing you have to control me.  It's a little degrading actually," I gripe.

He smirks a little.  "It's pretty hot if you ask me.  I love knowing I'm your trigger, and I love knowing I can be there when you need me.  It might sound a little smug, but I've never felt so good in all my life.  I need you, and I love knowing you need me," he smolders, and I can feel my body trembling beneath that intoxicating gaze.

"You're too sexy when you talk like that, and I can't think straight," I mumble as my lips find his.