The Daughter Trilogy Bundle

by C. M. Owens

  “Is she an ex?” I grumble.

  “Not exactly. Don’t start acting crazy,” he scolds.

  I’m actually a little offended by his tone, and then he turns to look back at the girl still staring at him.

  “Did you tell her you were married?” I growl.

  He promptly turns back around while shaking his head.

  “I did. I told her we were on our honeymoon, and I told her goodbye directly after,” he announces.

  “Then why is she still staring?”

  “Because she’s not unlike Gemma. Let’s just go back to the house,” he urges.

  “Why didn’t you introduce me?” I suspiciously add.

  “Because I didn’t really think you’d want to meet her, and I wanted to avoid this nonsense. There’s no reason for you to be jealous, and I’m not going to deal with it while we’re here to enjoy ourselves,” he admonishes.

  Wow. Who the hell is this guy?

  “You can see the far too coincidental occurrence? You want to go to the market, and you happen to run into her while you’re away from me for the first time since we’ve been here?” I snip.

  “Adisia, I mean it. I’m not doing this. I love you, and that’s all you need to know. Let’s get back,” he prompts.

  I just huff in defeat. He married me, and he’s never done anything for me to question his loyalty. His reasoning is plausible, and I have to accept it if I’m going to make this work.

  It doesn’t take long to reach our house, and Camara and Deacon are still splashing in the waves. Devin smiles as he points to the cliffs down the beach.

  “Let’s go there,” he says with a grin.

  “Okay? What’s up there?” I muse.

  “A great place to dive,” he murmurs with an excited, dangerous hint.

  I giggle a little, and strip down to my bikini as he flashes in. I frown when I hear him on the balcony yelling to Deacon and Camara.

  “We’re heading to the cliffs. You coming?”

  “Hell yes,” Deacon answers, and they flash up to where I’m at.

  “What’s wrong?” Devin asks in a whisper when he returns.

  “I thought you meant just you and me,” I sigh.

  “They’re already here. Let’s just have a good time,” he says coolly, and I still feel like there’s a sudden disconnect.

  “Is everything okay?” I worry.

  “Yeah, of course. Should something be wrong just because I invited our friends to go cliff diving with us?”

  “No, but something just feels off,” I add.

  “Adisia, you have no reason to feel as though I don’t love you. Please stop acting like this. It was just a girl from my past. You can’t keep doing this,” he growls, and now I feel so oddly insecure.

  “I wasn’t talking about her,” I rattle out in confusion.

  “Good. Let’s go diving now,” he says while nudging me, but he’s not holding my hand.

  He’s not touching me at all, and that’s never been an issue with us. I feel like he’s not telling me something, but I don’t know what.

  I look over at the water, and I see the ripples of something swimming. I smile as I think of the family of dolphins we had seen leaping through the air so many times during our stay, and I try to shake free of the odd feeling.

  We flash to the top, and Devin has still not touched me. Maybe I’m being a little too needy, but he’s usually pretty needy as well.

  Camara flips over the side, and squeals as she dives into the water.

  I laugh a little when Deacon pounds his chest like Tarzan before doing a back flip. Devin gives me a wink before rushing over the edge, and it only slightly alleviates my anxiety.

  I take a step back and then get a run and go before diving over the edge. I splash into the deep water and swim to the bottom before returning to the surface.

  I smile as I emerge, but Devin has already flashed back up to the top. I can hear him talking to Deacon as if he’s completely indifferent to my presence.

  “What’s the matter?” Camara asks.

  “Does Devin seem a little off to you?”

  “No. Should he?”

  “I don’t know. He just doesn’t usually find ways to stay away,” I observe aloud.

  “He’s just tousling with Deacon,” she laughs. “You worry too much. Has something happened to scare you?”

  “We saw an old ex of his in the market, and-”

  “Oh. Adisia, we’ve all got promiscuous pasts. It’s part of our world, and it’s something you’re going to have to learn to accept. You’re the only exception to that,” she advises.

  “I wasn’t exactly a saint,” I grumble.

  She laughs wildly at my confession.

  “Compared to all of us, you are very much a saint. You might as well be a virgin,” she chuckles out.

  “That’s encouraging,” I gripe.

  “Just relax. Devin loves you more than I’ve ever seen anyone love someone. Just enjoy this beautiful day on this gorgeous ocean.”

  She’s right. Devin loves me, and I have to stop acting so crazy.

  He and Deacon continuing laughing and wrestling as each tries to throw the other off the side of the cliff. Why does it bother me that he’s having a good time?

  Then the swimming mystery I noticed earlier is suddenly right beside us, but it’s not the dolphins I was expecting… It’s her.

  “Devin,” she yells while waving, and suddenly five other girls emerge from the water beside us.

  He gives her a wave, and then he dives off the side of the cliff to come join us. I feel the jealously starting to bubble over, and the thunder threatens to rumble overhead.

  Devin smirks a little and swims to be between the girl and me.

  “Hey Nina,” he says casually. “What are you guys doing out here?”

  “We came to see you and the others. You said Deacon was here, so what about Kry and Ther?”

  “They’ll be here in a couple of days,” Devin answers mildly.

  “Oh. Who is this?” she asks curiously, and my tongue almost snaps in half between my teeth.

  He didn’t tell her?

  “That’s my wife. I told you I was married,” he says with nonchalance.

  “Oh yeah, but just a mortal wedding, right?” she provokes.

  “Yeah,” he answers without detail.

  What the hell is going on?

  “I think I’m going to go back to the house,” I mumble.

  “You sure?” he asks without showing any real emotion.

  “Positive,” I growl.

  “I’ll be there in a bit,” he murmurs, and then he gives me a light kiss before swimming back over to Nina and her mermaid friends.

  “I love you,” I add.

  “Love you, babe,” he calls back, and now I know I’m not just dreaming shit up.

  He’s colder. There’s no way in hell he would normally let me leave without him, especially while on our honeymoon.

  I swim beneath the surface to drown out my sobs, and for the first time I feel like he’s out of love with me.

  “Yo,” Kry says as he walks in.

  “Hey,” I murmur in surprise. “I thought you guys weren’t coming in until tomorrow.”

  “Well, we changed our flight plans due to some harpie action,” Ther answers while tossing his bag in a corner.

  “Harpie action?” I ask in confusion.

  “Harpies are crazy bitches with a fierce appetite for mortals. They usually spring up every once and a while, and they picked now to do so. We need Devin’s help because drowning them is the best way to kill them, and Phillip is handling a different outbreak. We’ve baited them to come here, and they should arrive by tomorrow morning,” Hale answers as he joins us in the room. “Where is Devin?”

  “He’s out swimming with an old friend,” I answer in a griping tone.

  Devin has been hanging out with Nina far too often, and Camara is my eyes since I can’t be around to witness it.

  “And he left
you here alone?” Kry asks in shock.

  “Yeah,” I mumble as I hold back the tears I’ve been fighting for two straight days.

  “I guess you two have spent too much alone time together,” Hale chuckles, and he walks over to give me a warm hug.

  I almost don’t let go because I really need a hug right now. He feels my clingy need, and then he notices my two day scent that has budded.

  “Wow. You’re really worried, and you two haven’t been-”

  “Not for two days,” I whimper while interrupting Hale. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing,” Kry says with a lack of conviction. “I’ll go talk to him.”

  “Thanks. Deacon hasn’t been much help,” I grumble.

  “He usually isn’t,” Ther chuckles. “He loves conflict.”

  Kry pats my arm affectionately, and flashes into the bedroom to change. He swishes back out, and disappears out the door with his swimming trunks on.

  “Where are you going?” Hale muses.

  “I’m going to go listen to what Devin says to Kry,” I confess.

  “Why?”

  “Because he won’t tell me the truth if Devin’s ready to be done with me,” I choke out.

  “Hey. Whoa. That’s not what’s going on. Devin’s head over heels in love with you, girl. You know this,” Hale assures, and he flashes over to hug me again.

  “Hey, Hale,” Ther interrupts. “Help me out. My legs haven’t seen the sun in a while.”

  “I’m not a damn tanning bed,” Hale scolds. “Can’t you see Adisia is upset?”

  “Why? Devin’s not going anywhere. He loves the hell out of her,” he chimes in.

  “You haven’t seen him lately. He’s barely touched me, and when he has, it’s been cordial and brief. The sizzle is gone from his touch,” I cry.

  “Hey, easy. I’m sure there’s a good reason,” Ther comforts as he joins Hale in his efforts to reassure me.

  This is so embarrassing. I’m just falling apart in front of both of everyone because I’ve been holding it back for two days.

  “It all started when he saw Nina,” I whimper.

  “Nina? Damn, I forgot about her living here,” Ther murmurs.

  “She meant something to him, didn’t she?”

  “The most before you, but he still didn’t love her. You’re the only girl he’s ever loved,” Hale promises.

  “Is that enough to change the man he’s always been?” I rattle off with anxiety.

  “It has been so far, and I know he’s completely in love with you. Hell, he’s about to bind himself to you for life,” Ther answers.

  “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea anymore,” I shakily interject.

  “You might be completely wrong about the whole situation,” Hale adds, and then suddenly Kry and Devin are flashing into the house.

  “Why didn’t you guys call about the harpies? We could have come sooner,” Devin grumbles.

  “Well, it appears we’re going to have to go to them. Look at the news,” Hale prompts.

  Then in walks Persia and Kahl with Theia as we all gawk at the horrible chaos and terrible death counts.

  “They’ve detoured to Bulgaria. We need to go now,” Persia urges.

  “I left something back at the beach. Grab my stuff, babe,” Devin instructs, and his icy chill makes me feel barely even know him anymore.

  I’m sick of this. I’m tired of second guessing and worrying. Jace walks in behind the rest of the group and gives me a small smile.

  “Hey,” I gasp, and I rush over to hug him. “You came back.”

  “Yeah. Your mom sort of recruited me,” he admits while barely returning my too clingy embrace.

  “I need to go do something, but I’ll be right back,” I promise.

  “Sure,” he says mildly, and I flash down to the beach to confront Devin about his bizarre behavior.

  It takes a couple of minutes to find his tracks since the wind stirs the sand too fast, but I finally find the impressions that lead me to a giggling noise.

  My heart sinks, and the world around me almost disintegrates as my eyes fall on Devin and Nina. The wind is sucked from my lungs, leaving me suffocating in disbelief.

  Stabs of ferocious pain ripple through me with merciless slices as I see his lips tangled with hers, and I can’t hold back the vomit rising to my mouth.

  They both whip around the moment they hear me, and the lightning crashes in front of me as a warning of what’s to come.

  “Adisia! Fuck! I don’t know why I just did that! Oh, baby. I’m so sorry,” he pleads, and the wind swirls around Nina in a constricting motion as the green surges to my eyes.

  “What did you do to him?” I growl.

  “Nothing, I swear! It was just a kiss,” she pleads while trying to pull the ocean to me, but my winds keep it at bay.

  She’s not as strong as I am, and Devin shakes his head in complete bewilderment and guilt as he grips it like a terrified child. He seems distraught, rattled, and in shock.

  It wasn’t him.

  “Adisia!” Kry screams. “Stop it. You’ll kill her!”

  “She did something to Devin. She made him kiss her,” I blare.

  “She doesn’t have that power,” Hale chimes in with panic.

  “Liar!” I scream, more tears dripping from my trembling eyes.

  “No, he’s not lying. Adisia, she’s just a water nymph. They only have a link with the sea,” Persia assures, making me fight the sickness rising to my throat once again.

  “Then someone else in her lineage does,” I contest.

  “Nymphs don’t have lineage like ours. They only bear descendents with their own kind. I promise, Adisia, she didn’t force him,” Persia pleads.

  I drop her to the ground, and she grabs her ribs. Devin rushes over to pull my face to his, but I push him back.

  “Find out what did it,” I grumble.

  “Are you sure there were evil forces at play?” Jace suspiciously derives.

  “Positive. I would never do this to her,” Devin swears, and Theia steps up to pull his palm in her hand.

  “Did you feel a possession?”

  “I don’t think so,” he murmurs as his eyes plead with mine for forgiveness.

  “You’d know it if you did,” I grumble.

  “Baby, I swear this wasn’t me. You know I would never do this of my own free will. You’re everything to me,” he pleads louder, and then he turns to Theia. “A fury. A fury could do this.”

  “There’s not a stain from a fury,” Theia assesses. “Just open your memories to me, and let me see for myself.”

  “Do it,” Devin urges.

  “I want to see them as you do,” I demand.

  “Okay,” Theia says hesitantly, and I take her free hand as Devin stares at me anxiously.

  “I swear, baby, I didn’t do this,” he promises as his mother starts massaging his palm with her fingertips.

  I ignore his pleading innocence, and I see the flash of memories that have been leading up to this moment - subtle flirtation mixed with building sexual tension between the two of them.

  He told her to wait for him before he went back with Kry. I see him talking to Kry and telling him I’m too paranoid and clingy.

  Tears overwhelm me, and I jerk free from Theia’s grasp when it all becomes too painful to view any longer.

  “I don’t know about you, but I didn’t see anything other than a jerk!” I cry to Theia.

  She tightens her lips, unable to object. Devin throws himself at me, and his lips claim mine before I can push him off. The shocking force from my hands doesn’t knock him off of me because he’s immune, and it takes all my strength to force him off.

  Suddenly electricity blasts between us as Jace offers a threatening warning.

  “Stay out of this, Jace,” Devin warns. “She’s my damn wife.”

  “That you just cheated on who knows how many times,” Jace retorts, and I turn to walk away from the graveling son of a bitch wh
o has broken my heart into more pieces than I’ll ever be able to pick up.

  “Adisia, please, I swear that’s the only time I kissed her, and I didn’t mean to do it then,” he desperately begs.

  “No. You’ve been cold for two days, and you made me feel like a crazy bitch for noticing. You gave me every sign, and I fought to not pay attention to the obvious. Your very skilled mother can’t even find any signs of interference!” I explode.

  “Adisia,” he pleads while grabbing my hand. “I swear it wasn’t me. I don’t know what it was, but-”

  “But nothing, Devin. There’s no supernatural explanation for being a total jerk. Goodbye,” I sob, and then I feel him hanging on as if he’s not going to let me leave.

  “Let her go, Devin,” Kahl demands.

  “No. I can’t let her leave me. She’ll never come back,” Devin cries, and now it’s getting harder to break free.

  My chest grows heavy from the panic attack, and Jace walks over to blindside Devin with a punch. Kry rushes over, but I wave him off.

  “He did it for me because I couldn’t,” I defend, making Kry look so torn as to what he should do.

  “Adisia,” Devin begs, and it’s almost a prayer when he continues. “Please don’t leave me.”

  “Restrain him. I’m taking my daughter with me,” Kahl asserts, and Theia seems as torn as Kry.

  “Kahl, there may be an explanation,” she tries to insert.

  “Then call me when you have it,” I sob violently.

  “No,” Devin protests, and then he rushes to me.

  Kahl throws up a flaming wall as a warning, and lightning threatens to strike as the skies open up for Persia.

  “Don’t start a fight here. Adisia just wants to leave right now, and that’s all we’re trying to do,” Persia neutrally offers.

  “Go,” Hale murmurs with a pained tone. “We’ll hold him.”

  “No!” Devin yells, and the ocean tries to reach me before Lana pushes back on it.

  Hale’s eyes offer an apology for having not found a way to help me sooner, and Devin screams as his family and friends hold him back.

  I cry harder as we flash to the car, and I can hardly breathe as Jace pulls me to his chest once we’re safely out of reach.