by C. M. Owens
“You want to stay hidden because of your scent? Do you wish to continue feeling weakened by your desire? That’s what I’m going to help you with,” he asserts.
“So you’re saying you’re going to force me to be with you?” I scoff.
“I’m saying you won’t want me to stop; not in this shape. You want me as badly as I want you, and all it’s going to take is one kiss before Aphrodite doesn’t give you a choice.
Oh, I’m so transparent because he’s so right.
“Devin, please don’t do this,” I whimper, but he flashes to me despite my tearful request.
I struggle ineffectively as his lips cover mine, and the long, needed, burst of passionate release explodes from my mouth to his. My hands grip the back of his neck, and he violently jerks my body against his.
He lifts me and my legs wrap around him to let me feel the burn through the thin, lacy underwear.
“Stop,” I whisper insincerely, and then my legs tighten around him to ensure he doesn’t obey.
His breath is like the water I’ve been thirsting after for centuries, and his touch is the dry land my hands have been scouring the ocean in search of.
My claws dig in, and I pull back with my green eyes burning into his swirling blue ones.
I rip his shirt from his body, and I gasp when I see the newest tattoo on his shoulder. It’s a dove, like my bracelet, and the ocean is wrapped around it in a protective circle.
“What the hell?” I ask, and my eyes turn back to blue.
“I’m yours Adisia. You ate fish and ice cream, I put your sign on me,” he explains.
Tears stream, and this time I force him off of me as I scream, “Stop. Just go. Please go.”
I tremble fiercely to the point of convulsing, and he slowly moves toward me again.
“I’m sorry. I swear I don’t know what happened that day,” he murmurs in a near whisper. “I wish I could look back and see it from the outside, and believe me I’ve tried.”
“And?” I prompt.
“Just because I can’t see anything doesn’t mean it isn’t there. I would have never done that to you,” he promises.
“But you did, and you would have done worse if I hadn’t walked up. Why would some unknown force want you to be with Nina? Why would it let you be shady, distant and aloof just like a typical fucking cheater?
“You made me think I was being a jealous fool. What power causes someone to be that skilled in the art of cheating? I saw your memories. You told Kry I was being too clingy. Now I’m not. You get everything you wanted, and I’m sorry if now you think you’ve changed your mind now.
“You were scared, Devin. That’s all. Instead of talking to me about it, you took the easy way out. You just didn’t expect to lose it all because your wedding band was on my hand. It’s just a piece of jewelry though,” I berate through my tears.
“Then why are you still wearing it? If that’s all it is, then why not toss it to the ground?” he blares.
“Because it covers up the thing that actually does mean something,” I lie, and then I pull my rings off to reveal the tattooed branding I put on my finger.
He looks away with tears piercing his eyes. “I wasn’t scared; not until we were in the market. Something happened, and I don’t know what.”
“Something did happen, Devin. I’m not arguing that. It just wasn’t supernatural,” I say with a broken tone.
“Please believe me,” he begs.
“Please go,” I murmur, and he finally drops his shoulders in defeat, though I’m sure it’s a temporary retreat.
I start sobbing silently as he turns to walk out, and then I listen until I hear his door slam hard enough to bounce off the hinges.
I shut mine and look in the mirror at the broken girl staring back at me. My eyes flash green when Aphrodite announces her anger, and I scowl at her as if it’s her reflection instead of mine.
“Don’t you dare flash your green at me! If you want me to be with him so badly, then show me why. If there’s some crazy thing out there that turns a guy into a skilled liar and cheater for no real good reason at all, then show me! You used Prometheus’s power before to show me Persia’s death. If there’s anything at all that could help me right now, then show me the truth!” I blare.
My eyes slowly fade back to blue as Aphrodite sinks into submission. Tears fill my eyes when nothing happens, and I nod in disgust.
“That’s what I thought. You can’t show me something that isn’t there,” I cry out.
I turn to walk to my closet so I can find something better suited to rejoin everyone downstairs, and suddenly I drop to my knees while writhing in pain.
I hold back the screams that are begging to surface because I don’t want Devin to rush back in. If I release the terrible, unfathomably horrific screams to pronounce the excruciating pain I feel in this moment, it would surely break through the soundproof barrier.
Flashes of incoherent images flow through my mind too fast to fathom, and then I see Devin. It’s not him that stands out though, it’s his shadow.
There’s one when we walk into the market, and then there are two when we walk out. Something so obvious I didn’t notice before.
I cringe a little as more pain shoots through me, and the images I witnessed through Theia’s touch returns. In each image after the market, there are two shadows on the ground, but only one of them belongs to Devin.
Then I see him falling to pieces as I leave the beach. I see the waves crashing against his restrainers, and he’s screaming for me. There’s only one shadow on the ground, proving he told me the truth.
I gasp for air as the vision subsides, and I grip my throbbing head as the pain slowly dulls. Then tears gush from my eyes when I realize it really wasn’t him controlling his actions.
I don’t know what two shadows mean, but I know it’s all I need to feel like I’m the one who betrayed him instead of him betraying me.
He was right all along, and I’ve been so cruel to him. He’s been in so much pain, and I’ve been cold, callous, and… completely wrong.
I wobble back to my feet, and I don’t even bother to grab anything else to put on over my underwear.
I flash out of the bedroom and down the hall to Devin’s wounded door. I lightly force it open to see his eyes staring straight up at the ceiling.
“What?” he barks, and then he brings his eyes down to meet mine.
Shock fills them when he sees it’s me, and he sits up in the bed very cautiously.
“Sorry. I didn’t expect it to be you,” he almost whispers, and more tears fill my eyes.
Words refuse to come to me, and I can’t muster the strength to even try to explain what I just saw. He sits perfectly still, and I know he’s worried I’m about to drive another stake into his heart.
I take a deep breath before gradually making my way to his bed, and he stiffens when I reach him. He doesn’t even try to touch me until my body falls to be on top of his.
Very slowly, his hands pull me to him with a ginger, wary touch, and then my lips find his before he can question my intentions. I feel his anxiety pouring into my mouth, and then it’s quickly joined by his desire.
I pull him tighter to me as my legs spread to straddle him, and then his hands find a more fervent grip. My lips trail down his neck and to the new tattoo on his shoulder before returning to meet his lips.
He grips me tighter, and the desire I’ve denied for too long brings my passion to a whole new level. Right now, I’ve never been more thankful he’s immune to my deadlier touches.
He rips my corset open to reveal my body to him, and his lips find my chest as my head drops back to revel in his touch. I close my eyes as more tears drip free while tangling my hands in his hair.
I push him back to the bed so my lips can find his again because I need to feel his breath. I need that kiss, that desire… I need him.
He gasps as I undo his pants, but he stays still so as not to spook me. He gives me complete control as my
scent does its best to drive him mad.
When he finally decides I’m not going any where, my underwear tears away beneath his grip to leave me bare against his bare body, and I fall to him to give him the only thing I can offer right now… me.
Chapter 8
A New Player
Devin is perfectly still, and now I’m worried he’s thinking about all the terrible things I’ve said to him.
Tears stain my eyes and soak through pillows behind us. I’m scared to look into the eyes that may be filled with rejection now that my scent has faded and there’s nothing stopping him from thinking rationally.
“I can go,” I mutter softly.
“Please don’t,” he almost prays, his voice crackling slightly.
“You’re not saying anything, and you’re barely touching me. I understand if you don’t want me here right now,” I add while holding back my overwhelming emotional break.
He rises up in the bed, and I follow his lead as I sit up as well. He takes my hand in his, and I finally look into the smoky blue eyes that have held me captive since the first time I saw them.
It’s not rejection I see though - it’s fear, worry, and desperation.
“Adisia, I’m not sure what just happened, and I really don’t know what to say or do right now. I’m scared if I say the wrong thing, then you’ll run out of here without looking back. You’ve got to be the one to start this conversation. What just happened?” he trembles out. “Were you just giving in once, or-”
He stops, and I can tell he’s afraid he’ll break if he continues.
“I’m sorry,” I burst out, and the tears begin flowing from my weary eyes.
“For?” he prompts in bewilderment.
“For everything. For not believing you. For not trusting you when you needed me to. For pushing you away, and for being a total bitch. I’m sorry for all of it. I love you, and I-”
He grabs me before I can finish, and I feel the heat of his body consuming mine as he pulls me back to his lips.
My tears continuing flowing feverishly and he pulls me so tightly I’m worried I’m going to break. I can taste relief, elation, and pure joy on his trembling breath.
“Why?” he mutters against my lips. “What happened?”
“I saw it, Devin. You were right, and I’m horrible for not believing you. I don’t blame you if you never forgive me,” I sob, and he pulls me into his arms to ensure me he’s not going anywhere.
“Adisia, I’ve been killing myself trying to get back with you. I’m not going to leave you now that you want me. I swear I’ve never been so relieved to hear anything in all my life. I love you too, and… Wait. You saw what exactly?” he says with distraction.
“I don’t know to be honest. It was all a jumbled up mess, but I know there was something that made you do that. Aphrodite gave me that much,” I whimper. “Devin, I swear, I’ve never felt as horrible as I do right now. I’m so sorry.”
“Baby, I don’t care about anything you said or did. I just want to be with you, and I’ll bind myself to you right now to prove it,” he promises.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say with a bit of a snicker mixed with my sniffles.
“I want to. I swear I want to. Please try to tell me what you saw,” he urges.
“Two shadows,” I mutter vaguely.
“Two shadows? Two shadows of what?”
“You. You had two shadows,” I clarify. “What does that mean?”
He stands to his feet and blares the light of the desk lamp to check to see how many he has right now. He sighs in relief when only one shadow casts its presence, and then he shrugs.
“I don’t know what it means. Maybe it was metaphorical? Visions aren’t always literal, as you learned the first time with your brother. I’ll call Mom and see if she knows anything about it.”
“This was literal,” I confirm, and he rejoins me as his arms pull me into him.
“How do you know?” he asks softly.
“Your memories. You were looking off the side of the cliff, and you had a shadow on either side. Then you were kissing Nina, and there was a shadow on the wall and a shadow on the ground in front of you. I never noticed it before, and obviously no one else did either. Now that I’ve seen them, I’m finding them all over your memories of those two days.”
“We definitely need to call Mom, and you’ll need to call Persia. She’s not really answering my calls, though I can’t blame her,” he grumbles.
“Can it wait? I just want to be with you right now,” I say with a shaky tone.
“Yes,” he coos, and his arms wrap tighter around me. “I really just want to be with you right now as well.”
The door to his room finally gives up its will to stand on the broken hinges, and it collapses to the ground to match the rest of the room.
“I suppose that was the big bang to our finale,” I snicker in a whisper.
“I’m sure the others heard everything we were doing in here,” he murmurs with a blushing hue. “I suppose they’re probably wondering if it was love or war.”
“It looks like the latter, but that’s just how we roll,” I joke, and his smiling lips close over mine.
“You don’t know how good it feels to have you back in my arms,” he murmurs softly. “I was starting to worry it would never happen, and I wouldn’t have survived without any hope. These rings you claim have no meaning are all that has kept me breathing. Mine has never left my finger, and when I saw you still wearing yours, it gave me just enough hope to stay afloat,” he wavers out.
“I lied, Devin. I simply wanted you to leave when I said they had no true meaning. My engagement ring meant you wanted everyone to know you chose me, and my wedding band symbolizes the beginning of our lives together. I haven’t taken off either except when I wanted to see my branded band with your name. It’s been hard for me too, and I just wish I hadn’t given up so easily,” I sniffle out.
“Hey, please don’t do that. I’m barely keeping up my manly appearance as it is. You didn’t give up easily, Adisia. You were ripped apart, and I understood that the moment reality snapped back in. That’s why I panicked.
“I worried everyday I’d never be able to prove it wasn’t me, especially when I didn’t have a clue what it could have been. I still don’t know, and it’s sort of irking me. Someone planned to rip us apart, and I want to know who so I can return the favor a little more violently,” he utters, and the last part ends with a snarl.
“Let’s call Theia,” I murmur softly.
“It can wait,” he softly counters, and then his incredible lips graze my forehead.
“No,” I sigh. “Call her, and find out what it is. We need to know if there’s a chance of it reoccurring. I’d like to know why it came and left to begin with. What was the purpose? I’m hungry anyways.”
“Hungry?” he muses.
“Yeah. Apparently I’ve regained a mortal appetite,” I huff. “I’ll wear your sheet to the bedroom so I can change,” I chuckle out.
“No need,” he says with a sweet smile, and he hops up to open his walk-in closet.
Out of curiosity, I follow him, and I gasp when I see the closet split in half with clothes for me and clothes for him.
“When did you do this?”
“Four months is a long time to think about things, and I realized all the things I would do differently if I had the chance. Nothing I own is mine anymore, it’s ours. I need to treat it as such.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed the warmer colors here, and of course the pictures - I admit I might have gone overboard with them though,” he says with a faint huff of a laugh. “I also had clothes for you put in every one of our homes. You shouldn’t have to pack a bag to change locations unless you want to bring something special along. I should have done this a long time ago,” he murmurs guiltily.
“Devin, we were only married a month before all hell broke loose. It’s not like you had time to do anything like this, and we were still on our honeymoon durin
g our one month of togetherness,” I comfort.
“I should have done it when I first knew I loved you. I took what we had all too casually, and I didn’t show enough regard to how quickly it could all just as easily be gone. Once it was, I made the necessary changes.”
“Devin, it’s sweet, but you didn’t have to do this. There’s no telling how much money or time was invested in such a large undertaking,” I rattle out shamefully.
“It made a dent, but I told you I have more money than I can ever spend. I also paid various people to take care of the legwork. It would have been impossible for me to personally fill our homes in such a time frame,” he adds.
He keeps saying our, and it sounds delicious on his lips. It also feels a little odd. I don’t feel like I’ve earned any of this, and he’s spent his life acquiring such things.
“I love you,” I say when it’s all I want to tell him.
“I love you, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me to be able to tell you again,” he rolls out softly before strumming his lips on mine. “Now let’s go get you something to eat.”
I pull on a soft tank top, and then I find a pair of loose shorts that are daring to be too short. Devin takes my hand, and we flash down the steps.
My eyes are still glued to his exquisite body, and the branding he chose to represent me when I hear snickering.
“You two having a good night?” Ther chuckles.
I blush instantly when I see the room filled with spectators for our wild reconciliation.
Deacon and Camara offer us a shy grin while nestling into each other, and she winks approvingly at my obvious glow. Kry and Hale have a couple of blond bombshells - that are obviously twins - sitting in their laps. A third blond is lounging in Jace’s company, and his eyes catch mine just as I look over.
I can see a twinge of pain mingling with acceptance. I hate feeling like I can’t talk to him right now, but he has a girl, and I have… my husband.
Then I see Ther very happily holding onto Gemma. Her eyes aren’t quite hoping for Devin’s attention, and Ther is basking in the obvious afterglow that can only be caused by one thing.
