The Daughter Trilogy Bundle

by C. M. Owens

  My eyes bug out when I see her looking like Betty Crocker gone immortal. Her delicate apron actually has ruffles trimming the edges like something from the roaring twenties. Her intimidating stature is far less pronounced beneath her domesticated facade.

  "There. It's perfect." She takes a step back to admire her masterpiece meal, and then she turns to face us. "We're going to discuss the details of return, but for now we'll stay here until we've fully sorted out where, what, and when," she mumbles in nervous incoherence.

  Deidra strolls down the stairs and takes her place at my side.

  "I've continued the charade as you've asked, but I really think it's time to tell the others of your power," she pleads.

  "Not yet. Just let me get my power under control before someone else provokes the beast. There's not anyone here I want to hurt, well, Gemma maybe, but not anyone else."

  Everyone laughs at my candor, and Devin walks into the room that instantly hushes the moment we all see him.

  "Did I do something wrong?" he asks suspiciously.

  "No, son. You just stumbled upon girl talk," Theia answers vaguely.

  "O…kay," he mumbles awkwardly. "I'm going sailing with the guys. We'll be back at nightfall," he says to… who exactly?

  Is he telling me or Theia?

  "It's your boat, do as you wish," Theia answers.

  He acts as though he's waiting on something else to be said, but I don't know if I'm supposed to say anything or not. He finally flashes back out, and Persia nudges me with her elbow.

  "That was your cue. You were supposed to say you've never been sailing. Then he would invite you. Then you would go, and then the both of you would end this squabble," she exasperates.

  Squabble?

  "Okay, first of all, I'm not into hinting for an invite. If he wanted me to come, he should have asked me. Secondly, I think you've been out of the dating game too long. It's changed a bit in the past few centuries. He would have texted me," I laugh.

  She snickers a little at my response, and then the others start piling in for the grub. Apparently Devin's skipping lunch, and I'm going to have to spend the day alone.

  "Yo. I found a pair of dice," Kry announces to Ther who is staring helplessly at Gemma through the window.

  "Yeah. It's paradise," Ther sighs dreamily.

  Kry kicks Ther's feet to knock him free of his trance as he chuckles out, "Not paradise, you yuppie. Pair. Of. Dice. Let's play."

  I let out a chuckle as well when I see the embarrassed face of a busted Ther.

  He spins around to face the table, and I stare out at Devin as he finishes unloading the boat.

  The stars dance their light across the ocean surrounding him, and the moon shines bright enough to compete with the sun, casting a luminescent glow against the bare upper body of the man who refuses to look at me anymore.

  I sigh loudly before retreating to my room. It's been a long day, and now it's pushing midnight. So much for them returning at nightfall.

  They've been gone all day and most the night. I've spent the day fighting off goons and staring out at the sea, hoping to catch a glimpse of Devin. Now I'm running to hide the moment he returns. What's wrong with me?

  After pacing back and forth for over an hour, I finally swing open the door. I'm tired of this charade, and I'm ready for the games to end.

  I love him, and I'm sick of being apart. I'll marry him this second if that's what he wants - if he still wants me at all.

  I round the corner, and I feel my heart drop to the floor as I see him standing in the doorway of Gemma's room. A sickness rips through me, slicing me deep enough to force me to almost double over.

  I can hear her giggling, and his eyes dart over to me. He doesn't even act affected by the tears in my eyes, and I flash back up to my room to escape the torture.

  I rip the lying ring from my finger, and I cry as I see the irrational decision staring back at me, taunting me mercilessly with its permanent bind to my body.

  Why did I tattoo his name on my frigging finger while we were apart? How could he do this to me?

  A knock at my door jars me out of my thoughts, and I almost jerk it free from the hinges when I go to open it. I gasp when I see Devin staring into my eyes with his darker than normal ones.

  "What?" I bark, my anger seething through my lips.

  "I just came to see you. I'm sure you've been missing me, and I know I've been missing you," he smolders.

  My heart flip-flops, forcing that girly butterfly band to strike up in my gut, and then anger surges back to the surface.

  "What do you think you're doing here? You just came from Gemma's room, and now you think you can just traipse in here?" I blare.

  "Shh… Keep it down. I just dropped off the seashells she asked me to get. I had no reason to come see you, but I'm tired of my girl being so mad at me," he seduces.

  I feel my knees crumbling beneath his gaze, and I feel my mind screaming at me to stop.

  Aphrodite isn't stirring as strongly as usual, but I still want him so bad. He doesn't give me time to object before his hands tangle in my hair, and his lips claim mine prisoner.

  He pulls me tighter, a desperate desire slipping free from his lips to mine, but taste something different. His lips aren't as soft, his breath isn't as delicious, and his tongue isn't as well acquainted with my mouth.

  "You smell so fucking good," he breathes.

  "You smell so… different," I stumble out.

  His lips cover mine again, and I realize this can't be right.

  I push him back, and the green flashes into my eyes - but not from lust, from worry.

  I can see his obvious seduction growing, and I know this isn't Devin. Devin isn't affected by my Aphrodite.

  My hands surge with violent energy, and I launch him through the side of the house. He falls three floors to the sand, and I drop from the opening to slowly stalk the foolish imposter that has crossed a dangerous line.

  He laughs a little as he changes into the Slash.

  That slimy son of a bitch.

  "Relax," he chuckles. "It was just a little fun."

  He rolls up on his hands and knees before dusting himself off. He's too careless right now because he doesn't know how fucking pissed I am.

  "Fun? Was that your idea of fun?" my voice echoes, and he starts walking backwards with his face distorting in fear instead of humor as my eyes burn the white fury from them. "Let me show you my version of fun," I menacingly add.

  He starts to flash away, but I block his path as the winds build an impenetrable wall around him. Surges of electricity rain from the sky and bounce off me to dive into him.

  Everyone rushes out as the winds pick up and the lightning crashes, each bolt striking the ground beside the scum who tried to trick me into bed.

  "Where's Devin?" Theia screams. "He has to stop her."

  "I'll get her," Jace intervenes.

  He rushes to me, but a swirling gust knocks him onto his back.

  "Don't touch me," my hollow voice threatens.

  "Damn it! She's going to kill him!" Kry panics.

  "What the hell is she?" a girl shrieks.

  A deadly smirk appears on my face as I taste the fear, the panic, and the chaos brewing around me. Slash is almost stark white and terrified as I continue to stalk toward him with a hungry prowess.

  I feel the ground beneath us shaking, trembling, and begging me to be gentle. He screeches slightly as I slap the lightning beside his face and graze him on the cheek.

  I see a body leaping from the ocean and flashing toward me. I hear Theia pleading once more.

  "Devin. Thank goodness. Stop her."

  "Yeah. I got it," he says with muffled confusion.

  He walks right through my winded barricade, defying its strength as if it doesn't apply to him. His immunity to my power has grown.

  He grabs my waist to do his duty and bring me down, and the real fire consumes me at the feel of his long lost touch. I want to feel his kiss, but not like thi
s.

  I quickly push him away as I release my storm.

  "Relax," I growl. "I'm not out of control. I'm just pissed."

  Devin's head tilts curiously, and he looks to Slash for answers. Poor Slash is so distraught and horrified that he doesn't know what to say.

  "Ast… Aster… Asteria," he stammers out while cowering into the sand beneath him. "She's not Aphrodite, she's Asteria."

  "She's both and much more," Devin huffs. "What the hell did he do?" he says as he turns back to me.

  "He fucked up. That's what he did. I'm guessing it'll never happen again," I add with a prompting tone.

  "No. Fuck no. I swear it won't," Slash promises.

  "What did you do?" Devin groans in exasperation. "I leave to go swimming for an hour, and I come back to this."

  "An hour?" Gemma gasps. "You've been gone an hour?"

  "Yeah," Devin murmurs in confusion. "I never even came in."

  She turns to glare at the sniveling pervert on the ground, and she screams, "You son of a bitch!"

  She lunges at him, but two guys restrain her body. But they can't restrain the big ass palm tree that strikes him like a bat would a ball.

  Slash bounces backwards from the impact and grumbles into the sand as he thuds into it.

  "That asshole posed as you and came to my room," she screeches. "I made out with him for thirty minutes, and it would have gone farther if Adisia hadn't walked through," she shivers out in disgust.

  Devin's eyes show his understanding, and he looks me over once before he has to be restrained.

  "Did you fucking touch her?" he growls as the others hold him back.

  "I just kissed her. She figured out it wasn't you pretty early on," he groans.

  "You sick son of a bitch. I'll kill you for this!" Devin blares as a deafening boom erupts from him and ripples through the air.

  It slaps against Slash's chest and he's driven back farther on the island, sand flying up to pronounce his exhausted defeat.

  I walk over to stand in front of Devin and hold my hands up to halt his next attack.

  "I'm fine. I made the point myself. I don't need you doing it for me, and I'm sure Gemma feels the same," I say in an eerie calm.

  His eyes soften, and I can see pain filling up in them as if I've said the worst thing in the world.

  "You think this is about Gemma?" he scoffs.

  "I think you're a little pissed that he tried to get with both of us while you were out. Just drop it. The worst he did was touch us with those disgusting lips," I assure.

  Devin shrugs off the arms confining him and storms back into the house. Kry circles his round blades in his hands as he steps up.

  "If anyone has a problem with this, then speak now, but Slash is forbidden from changing without our knowledge while in our presence. Any questions?"

  "None," the madam of the house answers as her eyes scold Slash who is crawling back toward us.

  He sinks into the sand he's been pounded into, and then I follow Kry and Hale back in.

  Everyone is drenched now that I've thrown a tantrum, and I wring out my shirt before stepping through the doors. Devin's nowhere to be seen, and I flash up to change out of my dripping clothes.

  The gaping hole in my room poses a problem. I really don't need to be giving anyone a peepshow right now.

  I huff as I grab some clothes and flash into the closest bathroom.

  Stupid immortal bullshit!

  My life as a mortal was fucked up, but... this shit just keeps getting crazier.

  With dry clothes replacing my soaked ones, I finally walk out of the bathroom to hear muffled voices drawing my attention. I stealthily creep up to eavesdrop.

  "I really am sorry. It was just a little joke. You know how I am," Slash exasperates.

  "That's not an excuse. Using Devin's face to get laid, especially with Adisia, is definitely enough to cause war between our families," Kry admonishes.

  "Bring him down here and let me apologize," Slash groans.

  "Save your insincere apologies. There won't be a war this time, but I swear I'll fucking kill you if you ever touch her again for any fucking reason," Devin interjects out of nowhere. "You're so fucking lucky she was mad at me. If you had gone further than a perverted kiss, this conversation would be going very differently right now," he blares.

  "My perversion doesn't reach that depth. I never screw a girl when wearing a mask unless she asks me to wear the mask. I could have slept with Gemma within the first five seconds. I admit, I got a little carried away with Adisia, but she stopped me when she realized it wasn't you. In fact, she damn near killed me in case you've already forgotten," he explains.

  "She kissed you willingly when she thought you were me?" Devin says curiously.

  "Yeah, and those divine lips are intoxicating," Slash murmurs dreamily.

  Devin's growl warns Slash to watch himself, and there's a silent moment. I'm sure a stare down is in effect, and Devin's glower is definitely intimidating.

  I want to see, but I know everyone will lock up their lips if I walk in.

  "Why are you so mad when you aren't even staying in the same room as her?" Slash huffs.

  "My relationship isn't any of your concern," Devin blares.

  Relationship? We still have one?

  "Why didn't you tell us she was a descendent of Asteria?" a woman's voice chimes in.

  "She asked us not to," Kry answers.

  "Since when do we let newcomers call the shots?" she scoffs.

  "Since the newcomer took my place as Emperian," Deidra grumbles humbly.

  "What?" the woman gasps.

  Crap.

  "We entered a battle, and she won my title," Deidra shortly explains.

  "You have to apologize to her right now," the woman shouts.

  "I didn't know. I swear I didn't know," Slash panics.

  I roll my eyes when I realize I can't stay hidden for much longer, and I swirl around the corner to meet the ghastly faces of the strangers I'm only beginning to learn the names of.

  "Relax. I think you've learned your lesson. I don't like being touched unless I want to be touched. Got it?" I warn.

  "Got it," he mumbles with a trembling tone.

  I plop down on the couch, and Devin comes to sit beside me. Butterflies ruffle in my stomach, and I fight the urge to curl into his body.

  Gemma walks in, and her eyes instantly glare at the face-stealing pervert that seduced her.

  "If you ever come near me again, I swear I'll string you up," she grumbles.

  "No worries. I've had filet mignon now. I can't go back to hamburger meat," he mocks.

  A windowsill plant comes to life, and it strangles around his throat momentarily, until his hands rip it apart.

  "Your plants don't work as effectively on me, in case you don't remember," he taunts.

  She narrows her eyes at him, and then she sits down beside an excited Ther. Her eyes shift toward Devin, and I feel his arm draping around my shoulders in that instant.

  I cringe at the desirable fire so close to me because I know he's just keeping her from messing with him right now. He's probably regretting ever letting her chase him in the name of the jealousy games.

  Then a ferocious buzzing emerges from outside the window, and the fear becomes imminent in the faces of everyone around me. Everyone stands, and Devin grabs my hand instinctively before flashing outside.

  I almost can't keep up with his fervent pace, and I gasp as I see a dangerous cluster of darkness swimming through the air high above us.

  "It can't be. Safina doesn't have this power anymore," Theia panics.

  "What power? What is this?" I mutter warily in a near whisper.

  "An army of dead," Hale almost whispers as he steps up beside of us.

  He launches his scorching sun rays into the cloud of darkness, but it just scatters around before starting its materialization. The buzzing ashes form bodies, and when the dust settles, my mouth pops open in disbelief.

  These people
don't look dead at all. They're not dirty, rotting zombie corpses wearing tattered, formal burial attire. They're not stalking toward us with arms raised and empty stares.

  They're clean, poised, and their stares are full of deadly ambition mixed malicious intent.

  Theia throws out her rippling wave, but only a couple fall down. The others seem unaffected.

  I pull open the clouds, but the lightning falters as it crashes into the ground between them, leaving them unscathed. Fire surges from the pack of vicious dead, but the ocean suddenly swipes between us like a magnificent wall to snuff out their dangerous strike.

  Devin's hand tightens against mine, and his eyes swirl with power as he stares through the clear wall he's holding.

  Theia slashes her hand with Kry's blade and tosses her blood to the ground as if it's supposed to do something. The army doesn't waver and all the lively faces just smile at her.

  Her eyes widen in disbelief before ducking back behind the ocean wall, her hands now trembling.

  "We're the intended targets. That should have worked," she stutters out.

  "They're invincible," I worry aloud.

  "No. Just damn hard to kill. We need to find their leader, and-"

  Hale's explanation ends quickly as a new silhouette slowly reveals itself through the smoggy remnants of the entry.

  My heart pounds too fast for me to control my erratic breaths. I don't feel like a twenty-six-year-old powerful immortal right now. I feel like a terrified eighteen-year-old girl staring into the eyes of a man she never thought she'd see again.

  Nausea strikes my barely standing body, and his eerie grin cocks up to one side as his smug stride brings him closer to the aquatic wall.

  "We should have had some sort of badass song blaring for that entrance," he says in a playfully dangerous tone. "Don't you think so, Izzy?"

  Izzy. I never thought I would hear that name again.

  I swallow hard against the hellacious knot, and Devin's eyes widen as the taunting continues.

  "What's wrong? You didn't think you'd ever see me again?" he snickers.

  "Van… no… you're dead," I stumble out as fear seizes me completely.

  "I was. I told you we'd meet again. Now here I am. You look much better than the last time I saw you," he gloats. "Maybe we can pick up where I left off," he continues angrily through grinding teeth.