by C. M. Owens
"You look pretty incredible in those skimpy little shorts," he teases. "Perhaps that's what bested me."
"Okay, Romeo. You've reached your limit tonight," I joke.
He keeps his arm wrapped around my shoulder for support as he limps lightly back to the apartment.
When we walk in, all eyes turn to us, almost scolding us.
Devin's back.
His eyes narrow when he sees Jace's arm around me, and his jaw looks as though it's about to break off when it clenches too tightly.
I release myself from being Jace's crutch, and he walks away without the slightest limp.
That faking asshole.
I glare at him, but he only offers me a playful smirk to account for his charade.
"Let's discuss this in private," Devin says to the group.
"So I'm being left in the dark now?" I gripe.
"We can't leave you in the dark," Deidra says humbly.
"You know we can't pretend as if her opinion doesn't matter. She's the Emperian now," Hale adds.
Devin's jaw clenches more, and he speaks through gritted teeth.
"My apologies… ma'am," he snarks.
Tears brim my eyes, and I just walk over to grab a phone from the counter. Devin's eyes follow me, but I ignore his scrutinizing gaze. Camara jogs up beside me, before I reach the door.
"What are you doing?" she asks worriedly.
"I'm going out," I growl.
"You can't. The daughters of Athena are still looking for you, and Safina is still a threat. They've only retreated temporarily," Devin asserts very dominantly.
"Apparently I can do whatever I want. I'm the Emperian," I snidely remark before flashing out the door.
Jace is right on my heels, and I turn to face him.
“Stop, please. I just want to be alone," I plead.
"You spent almost a month alone. I just thought you might need someone to vent to," he says genuinely.
"You can't be alone with me without kissing me," I gripe.
"Again?" Devin snarls.
I look up to see him and the others staring at us in the hallway.
Great. I just made a situation that couldn't possibly get any worse incredibly worse.
"Devin, it's not what you think," I promise.
"Apparently you really can do what you want. At least now I know the root for your excuses," he says with a pained and whimpering tone.
"Devin," I whine, but he ignores me as he returns back into the room.
The judgmental stares become too painful to endure. I'm sick of all the back and forth, hot and cold, and cat and mouse.
There's never a long moment of happiness. There's always something, and it's enough to drive anyone mad. How can I love someone the way I do, and at the same time be so scared to take the next step?
Chapter 10
The Jealously Game
The sweetness of the wind blows against me as it brings in the moist air to graze my lips. I drink it in like a calming cocktail, and the taste of the fresh morning light is delicious as I watch the sunrise.
"It's beautiful here at this time," Theia murmurs as she sits down beside me.
I huff a little at my disturbed moment of peace.
"You're not the one I was expecting," I grumble.
"Devin is still a little upset," she mumbles.
My eyes drop all life from them as a few tears escape. I take a deep breath to steady my wavering inner storm before an outer one starts to brew.
"I wasn't expecting him either," I whimper.
"Adisia, I know I haven't been the most affectionate or embracing person here, but I know my son, and I'm here to tell you he isn't going anywhere. He pouts the same as any man, but he'll get over his tantrum soon enough," she encourages.
"So he told everyone?" I growl.
"No. He doesn't confide in anyone other than Ther and Kry when it comes to such matters as this. I'm assuming it has something to do with your engagement though," she almost pries.
"No. The engagement hasn't posed a problem yet. It's the damn marriage that keeps striking a nerve."
My head flops into my hands as it swirls with fear and uncertainty.
"You don't want to get married?" she asks curiously.
"I do want to get married, but I don't want to do it right this second. I said something stupid, and now I've pushed him away. It's the first time he's wanted to be done with me. I can feel it," I cry.
"Please don't fall apart. I'm terrible with such emotional breaks. Devin isn't nor will he ever be done with you," she assures.
"He's been with more women than any other man I've ever known. Very few rank as a relationship. It's not a far stretch to worry about such. He'd probably be better off."
I curl up as I draw my knees to my chest. The once cheerful sunrise offers me nothing but a blank stare now while it judges me as well.
"He'll never be with anyone but you. I think you know this, but your insecurities push you into a dark corner. What's holding you back?" she inquires.
"Theia, I just found out that I'm some freak with extra spicy powers a couple of months ago. I rewound time and watched so many things happen all over again. Neither of these things was even in the realm of possibility before. I don't trust the power inside me. It scares the goddess out of me to know how easy it is for me to lose control. Now you're all calling me the Emperian, and I still don't understand what that means. I think the oldest, wisest, most controlled and most compassionate should hold that title."
"You don't give yourself enough credit," she sighs. "Let me tell you a secret. When we were first created, we were so sensational. Our power was unfathomable, and we did a good job of abusing it - all of us. The earth we were created to save was starting to crumble beneath us and our misuse of power. We weren't fighting for a cause. We were just fighting.
"Athena, for example, was jealous of a blond bombshell. She started a war over a jealous feud that has lasted for centuries. Rhea almost rid the world of the mortals we were supposed to protect. The few she spared were nothing more than pets, and we were her slaves for centuries before the rebellion.
"Huron, Safina's biological father, disowned her and died while helping us entomb her. Many of the other great ones died off as well. Our once incredible powers had been gravely lessened for our insolent use of them. Within a few centuries, we were mere shadows of the greatness we had once exhibited. More entities were made to share in the excess so that it didn't pool too much in one person. A few escaped the full affects, and Aphrodite was the only one to remain a sole embodiment.
"You have the power that shouldn't exist. Once you learn to fully control it, there's no limit to what good you can do. You've been chosen somewhere along the line, and no one sees that better than I. You'll be a great Emperian even though you don't think you're ready yet. There was a select few Rhea stayed away from - Asteria, Kaos, Prometheus, and Aphrodite. Now, you have three out of four of those entities in you, and I know she steered clear because she was afraid of something. I wish I knew what."
I pull my knees all the tighter to my chest as a tear tries to escape. I'm not used to Theia being so compassionate toward me.
"Me too. If Rhea was penetrable, then so is Safina," I huff. "I still can't believe they completely fled, and they've made no attempt to return. It's so different than last time. They stalked my every move, and they never let up. It was a relentless game, and now it's just quiet. I've sit out here all night, and not a single glitch has occurred."
She nods as if she agrees with me, and then she leans back to soak in the rays of the sun beaming down on us.
"It is baffling. It's so odd they teamed up together. Safina was never fond of Athena. Perhaps they're also scared of Persia. Aphrodite's daughters have always been a mystery to the world because of their scarcity. Sometimes we fear the unknown," she murmurs, and I know that it's a jab at my unwillingness to fold on the marriage debacle.
A sick feeling strikes as a few puzzle pieces move together in the
jumbled up mess - a small piece of the picture finally visible.
"Safina spoke of something happening. She made it sound as if it had been something they either feared or wanted, I'm not sure which," I rattle out with my wild theories spinning.
"I couldn't begin to try and understand the mind of someone like that," Theia dismissively replies, but she doesn't know where I'm going.
Then it all crashes into place as I sift through the crazy piece by piece.
"Oh damn. It's so obvious," I growl as I slap my forehead with my palm.
"What?" she questions with a gawking confusion.
"We have to get back to the others. I'll explain on the way."
I barge into the apartment with Theia just behind me, and my heart breaks, reassembles, and shatters again when I see Gemma sitting far too close to Devin as they engage in what is apparently a very private and intimate conversation.
The couch squeals as they separate violently. Devin's eyes offer surprise and guilt, and then Gemma leaps to her feet like a caught-in-the-act bitch.
Un-fucking-believable. Explain that shit.
He leans up as his elbows slide to his knees, and he waits as though I'm supposed to cause a scene. I'm not going to though, not this time.
This is a dangerous game to play with me right now. I can force every guy here to fall to my feet - except for him and Jace - though I don't know if I would have to force Jace. I could certainly beat him in this game if this is how he wants to play.
I glare into his eyes momentarily before my Aussie friend walks in.
He studies the thick tension and struggles against it to walk to my side. Gemma's eyes look away the instant mine find hers.
She's scared - she should be… very scared. Jace pulls up a chair as he examines the uncomfortable stare down, and Kry walks through yawning carelessly until he stumbles into the deathly silent room.
"Did I miss something?" he murmurs in confusion.
"No more than I did," I snark.
Devin's eyes narrow, and I can tell he's about to try and tell me what a fool I am, but I'm not in the mood.
"I figured something out, and it's big," I pronounce while looking at Kry.
"What?" Devin asks curiously as he stands.
I refuse to shift my gaze to him as I continue speaking instructively to Kry.
"We might want everyone, and I mean everyone, for this."
"We'll need a big, safe place for everyone to be in at one time," Kry says while his eyes dart over to Devin for help.
"I've got a place," Devin adds.
Of course he does. He always has a place. I'm sure Gemma has been on her back in that place too.
"We're going to the island," Theia intervenes.
"The island?" Devin asks in surprise.
"Yes. The ocean surrounds us there, and we'll have three water lovers there to help out," she says in explanation.
Apparently Lana is an embodiment of the water as well, though she didn't refer to herself as a descendent of Poseidon when we were dealing with Safina in the desert.
"Yeah, but it's also the one place we never take outsiders," Devin replies dryly.
"So I'm an outsider now?" I choke out.
"That's not-"
"I need to get my stuff," I interrupt before flashing into the room.
I grab my small bag and toss it over my shoulder. I'm prepared for Devin to flash in, but it's Hale who shows up instead.
"What's going on?" he questions.
"We'll discuss it there. Then, we're going to need one masterpiece of a plan," I gripe.
"Tell me now. You're scaring me," he worries aloud.
"Theia wants to keep the chatter to a minimum until we have the protection of the sea surrounding us," I explain.
"Okay. Should I be worried?"
"Yeah. We all should be," I warn.
He swallows hard, and Devin finally appears. He doesn't speak to me or even look in my direction as he grabs his own bag. I flash out, and Gemma has the audacity to try and speak to me.
"That wasn't what you think it was. I was just telling him the two of you could work it out," she blurts out.
I meet her comment with a derisive snort. "Sure you were," I murmur sardonically.
"I really was. He's worried you don't want to get married at all because of Jace, and I-"
"He told you? Unbelievable. So much for only confiding in Kry and Ther," I scoff.
Devin walks out with wide eyes when he overhears the conversation that is busting him.
"Adisia, I swear it was innocent. Believe it or not, we were friends before we were a nasty entanglement," she growls.
"I choose the not option. You'll have to excuse my skepticism. It's fairly obvious why, I'm sure," I retort.
Devin's jaw clenches, but he doesn't try to defend himself. My heart sinks farther when I realize this really could be the end.
I take a deep, cleansing breath, but it's contaminated by his wonderful but gut wrenching smell.
"You ready?" I ask Theia.
"Yeah," she quickly offers. "We'll see you there," she says to the others.
"You're going on without us?" Devin asks with a touch of bemusement.
"Yeah. It'll just be the four of us on Persia's jet. I'll leave ours here so you don't have too many pile on yours," she instructs.
"The four of you?" Devin continues.
"Phillip, Persia, Adisia, and myself. Why? Do you want to joins us?" she asks with a motherly interfering tone.
He tightens his lips for a moment before taking a deep breath.
"I'll round up the others and ride with them," he mumbles.
"I'll fill his spot," Jace's Aussie twang chimes in. "I don't know anyone besides Adisia, so I'll come along with you unless you object."
Devin's jaw clenches tighter, and Jace takes my bag from my hand before disappearing from the room. I stare expectantly at Devin, but he looks away.
"You sure you don't want to join us?" Phillip questions with a leading tone.
"Yeah," Devin grumbles before flashing out of sight.
"Okay, so let's get going," Phillip chirps.
It doesn't take long to get to the airport when Jace is the one driving. His electric games play and offer us a green streetlight path.
I roll my eyes at each smug smirk he releases, and Phillip groans at each tire-screeching turn. I cringe at every bumper-riding pass, and Persia laughs nervously at every unfriendly gesture the other drivers offer our absurd Aussie behind the wheel.
We all leap out of the vehicle once it screeches to a halt, and then we quickly flash inside.
Jace aptly acquires the seat beside me, and he makes a less than subtle move to stretch his arm around my shoulders while offering me a menacing smirk.
The pilots fire up the exhausted engines, but suddenly the door lowers again. Kry and Ther leap onboard, and I tilt my head curiously at their unexpected arrival.
"Devin told us to come with you guys so we didn't overcrowd the other jets. He's calling all the troops right now," Kry answers to the silent question.
His eyes scowl at my close proximity to Jace, but I disregard his eyed objection. Jace rolls his eyes and mumbles to just me.
"That's not obvious at all."
"You saw him and Gemma. I don't think he sent them to keep an eye on me. I'm sure there really is overcrowding issues," I whisper.
"So does that mean you don't care who's looking?" he provocatively entices.
"No," I say with a tempting dare, and his eyes light up with exciting desire. "Because there's not going to be anything to see," I spout with my anticlimactic tease.
He huffs as he sits back, but a foolish grin plays on his face.
"I'm wearing you down," he cockily replies.
"Easy, Romeo. It's going to hurt worse the next time I have to shock you back to reality," I playfully threaten.
Kry relaxes a little when he overhears my last line, and I see Ther visibly exhale his own relief.
Hmph. Loyalists.
Where were they when Devin was all too cozy with Gemma?
I wake up just as the landing gear connects with the runway, and I look up to see I've curled into Jace's arms.
Oh good grief.
I pull away to see Kry glaring directly at me.
"Stop looking at me like that?" I growl.
"Is that an order?" he snarks.
"I realize you're Devin's friend, but I didn't see you intervening when he and Gemma were inches away from each other."
"They weren't doing anything," he gripes.
"Neither am I," I grumble.
"What'd I miss?" Jace yawns as he wakes up, his arm sliding back around my shoulders
"Nothing worth mentioning," I huff as I quickly stand and exit the freshly opened door.
I gasp as I step outside and see the marvel kept a secret from the rest of the world.
"Oh my paradise," I squeal, sounding more like a teen than an adult.
The trapped waves push against the shore as their foam bubbles over the sand. The sea mist sprays my face and offers it a moment of peace with its serene release.
The salty tingle of the air removes the sour taste in my mouth. I'm entranced by the perfect sand grabbing the bottom of my feet, and the palm trees growing diagonally across the crystal clear water.
The animated life below the surface reveals an aquatic rainbow of colors, life, and excitement. The wild and unruly jungle life that surrounds the other side calls out with its animalistic curiosity.
I giggle as I see the adorable monkeys dancing in the trees when they get excited from the visitors in their private home.
"Wow. I've definitely got to look into a new line of work," Jace pipes in as he walks up to join me.
"The house is just over there," Theia says while pointing.
"Wow. I wish I had brought a better selection of clothes for a place as magnificent as this," I blubber.
"I've got us covered," Persia adds with a smirk.
"Huh?"
"I went shopping last night. I don't do well in such a congested atmosphere, especially when there's an awkward air. I love shopping, and I enjoy getting to buy my daughter stuff now that I can be a part of your life," she says so compassionately.
