by C. M. Owens
“I’m amazed by you daily, Mrs. Cole,” he smolders.
“I’m thoroughly impressed by your stamina, Mr. Cole,” I seduce, and he chuckles a little at my crude remark. “I don’t know how I made it four months without you,” I sigh while reveling in the afterglow of our incredible afternoon sexcursion.
“I don’t ever want to try it again,” he replies dryly, and the pain pronounces itself in his eyes.
“We won’t ever try it again,” I promise, and his lips gently close over mine.
“The others are probably here by now,” he murmurs with some reluctance against our kiss.
I huff in frustration. This is the first time we’ve had a moment alone since we got back together.
I shouldn’t have ever left him in Greece. I should have believed him. Now I feel like I’ve wasted too much time.
I snuggle into his chest, and his arms wrap around me while his luscious lips gently play across my forehead.
“I wish we could just stay like this forever,” I sigh.
“I know, babe. I do too. Maybe we can take a break when we find the root of the harpie and hellhound phenomenon.”
“Don’t forget about Pyrrha.”
“I haven’t forgotten her in the least. She’s made the top of my list, and I swear she’ll pay for what she took away,” he growls.
“She didn’t take me away, I just left for a while,” I comfort, and his hands pull me tighter to his body.
“Promise me nothing will ever take you away from me again,” he prays.
“Nothing,” I assert, and then the door to the bedroom slowly creaks to be barely ajar.
“Is it safe to come in?” Deacon bellows through the crack.
I snicker a little, and Devin covers me better with the sheet while rolling his eyes before answering.
“Barely,” he teases, and Deacon strolls in and plops down in a chair that has managed to remain standing.
“Wow. You two really can fuck a room up,” he muses while staring around at the disaster zone.
Devin stifles a grin, and I cover my blushing face.
“I can buy more stuff,” Devin chuckles out. “What do you want?”
“Everyone’s back now, and your mom and Persia are asking questions about Adisia’s new power. I thought she’d be the one who wanted to tell them, and they’re growing restless.”
“Thanks. We’ll be down in a minute,” Devin murmurs sincerely.
Deacon flashes out of the room, and I walk to the closet with the sheet wrapped around me.
Devin’s lips play across the back of my shoulders and neck while I sift through the ridiculous selection of clothing, and I smile each time he grips me a little tighter.
“Can we make them wait?” I seduce.
He snickers lightly, and then sighs with a touch of dismay when he grabs a pair of pants from his side.
“I wish, but I made them promise me an hour or two, and they gave us three hours. I suppose it would be rather ungrateful of me to take more.”
“Fine,” I grumble, and I pull on a short, tight dress that hugs me perfectly before flashing to the mirror to fly through the motions of my makeup.
“I don’t suppose I could talk you into wearing an oversized sweat suit?” he smolders.
“Not a chance. I prefer knowing I’m getting to you,” I tempt, and his eyes narrow provocatively.
“You’d be getting to me even in the sweat suit. I fear there’s no cure for the depth of my desire for you.”
I giggle a little, and then I comb through my hair before he opens the door for me. Our fingers intertwine as we walk through the glorious living room ornately decorated with luxuries more suited for royalty.
Our pictures are dressing the walls, and I chuckle at the fact they’re proudly displayed beside a Rembrandt and a Picasso. Only Devin would deem something as mundane as our wedding to be in the same realm of class as such.
“We’re here,” Devin says to the room we haven’t walked into yet, and I get sick the moment I see Nina leaning against the wall drinking my vodka again.
“Did you two enjoy your alone time,” Camara giggles out.
“It was exactly what we needed,” I murmur, and I avoid looking in the direction of Nina again.
Devin’s arms pull me closer, and I feel his smile against my forehead when he bends to kiss it.
“I agree. Thank you,” Devin says to everyone.
Kry and Ther walk in with grocery bags packed full, and I smirk when I see the packaged fish. Devin winks at me, and I lean into him to show appreciation for his thoughtfulness.
“What’s with all the fish?” Kahl asks while sipping on his amber drink.
“Adisia has a craving for the sea, and she can put away some fish,” Ther chuckles.
Theia starts laughing, and an odd grin spreads across her face.
“I remember when I was pregnant with Devin. I craved fish all the time. I ate it every meal, and I smelled the ocean no matter where I was,” she reminisces.
“All of my food had to be burnt to almost ash when I was pregnant with Adisia. I would turn my nose up at anything that wasn’t profoundly charred,” Persia murmurs with a sweet smile, and Kahl kisses her on the top of the head.
Kry spews his drink slightly, and his eyes widen.
“You two aren’t pregnant are you?” he gasps.
The room falls silent, and all eyes glue themselves to me while awaiting an answer. Devin bursts out laughing, and I fan my burning face.
Nina has stopped breathing all together, and our parents are in a completely frozen state.
“No. We’ve not opened ourselves up to a pregnancy,” Devin chuckles out, and then everyone breathes out sigh of relief.
I almost feel offended by their reaction. I touch my stomach reflexively, and then I roll my eyes. Nina has resumed her breaths, and Kry chugs a bigger sip of his ale.
Theia’s phone buzzes and she steps to another room to receive the call. Persia hands me a bag, and I smile when I see what’s inside.
I pull out a pale pink, sexy, silky long gown that has a see-through back, and Devin instantly tugs at his collar.
“Wow,” I murmur, and Kahl offers her very displeased glare for her indiscretion.
“Is it necessary to give her something like that? And if so, why not do it in private?” he admonishes.
Persia starts laughing and shrugs at him.
“I wanted her to have it, and there’s no such thing as privacy anymore. In case you haven’t noticed, the two of them always have people around,” she teases.
Hale leans over the counter with a devilish smirk, and I roll my eyes at the rest of the shifty men. Jace gently touches my side as he joins the room, and I push the sexy gown back into the bag.
“Why are we all staring at Adisia? Did she just reveal the secret of her new power?” he asks quizzically.
“You don’t want to know,” Kry mumbles, and I see a blushing color staining his cheeks. “Damn Aphrodite hotties,” he grumbles, and Devin laughs at his candor.
“So what is your new power?” Persia inquires, but before I can answer, I see all the color gone from Devin’s face.
“What’s wrong?” Kry asks, and then Theia comes out of the padded room sobbing uncontrollably.
“What?” Phillip urges.
“It’s Deidra,” Theia murmurs through her muffled sobbing sounds.
“What’s Deidra?” Kahl insists.
“She’s dead,” Devin answers.
“What!” Everyone gasps in unison.
“A hoard of harpies, sirens, hellhounds, Furies, and so many more teamed up to storm her house,” Theia cries.
“They’re working together?” Kry panics.
“They’ve assembled an army,” Devin murmurs.
“How many?” Ther asks.
“I don’t know. I can’t see it. I had Deidra block my sight from her and Lana in order to show caution, and I never told them any different. I never even tried to see them,” Devin murmurs g
uiltily. “I just know what Mom heard.”
“How did an army of lower ones take out our Emperian? That’s absurd,” Nina adds.
“Lana? What about Lana?” Phillip prompts urgently.
“She’s fine. She was pretty banged up, but she’s on her way here right now,” Devin murmurs. “She’s dropped her block. That’s who called Mom.”
“How did they find them?” Gemma asks.
“Dextro beetles,” Theia murmurs with a little more composure. “Lana found them in her phone during the fight. It smashed to the ground when she was fighting, and the beetle revealed itself.”
“It’s probably a trap. I’m sure they’re following her to find us. It’s the only reason they would have left her alive,” Deacon frets.
“They were following me,” Lana says as she walks in, and we all turn to face her soaking wet body.
“Lana!” Phillip exclaims, and he rushes over to hug his niece.
Theia quickly joins him, and she soaks them both when she returns their embraces with tears staining her eyes.
“Are you sure you shook them?” Kry asks.
“Positive. We were attacked early this morning in Vegas. I took the jet, and I made them think I was heading far north. I jumped out over the Artic Ocean, and I stayed under the water for several hundred miles.
“I moved fast, but I kept the surface still so they couldn’t see it. I disabled the alarm for the jumper door Deidra had installed years ago, and they were told to keep the jet low. They’ve landed twice to refuel by now, but they won’t know I’m gone until the flight ends. I requested to be left alone in the sleeper cabin, and they’ve been instructed to land in Ireland.”
“Sounds thorough,” Kry murmurs with an impressed air.
“I had to be. If my phone hadn’t broken, I wouldn’t have ever known that beetle was there, and I would have led them straight to you,” she whimpers.
“We need to get in touch with everyone from safe phones. I can bounce the signals off random towers, and we can warn everyone about what’s going on,” Ther asserts, and he slides over the top of the bar to rush into putting his plan into effect.
“Never a minute to breathe,” I whisper to myself, but Devin hears me.
“I know, baby. I know,” he exasperates to only me, and his lips kiss my head as he pulls me into his arms.
“Do you think Pyrrha has found a way to unite so many entities?” Phillip asks Theia.
“She’s the only one opposing us that would be strong enough to do such a thing right now. It has to be aging her though,” she answers.
“What’s her end game? Why do all this? Is she that desperate?” Gemma asks.
“It doesn’t make any sense. Why not come after us when we were completely oblivious to her existence? She could have easily taken on Adisia and me in the market. Why try to break us up instead?” Devin asks with bemusement.
“What if there’s something the two of you are capable of doing together?” Persia ponders aloud.
“Then why not take the opportunity to eliminate us? Why break us up?” Devin reiterates.
“I don’t know. None of this makes sense to me either,” Persia grumbles.
“She lay dormant for months after Greece. Why is she suddenly surging forward almost frantically in search for us?” Devin asks.
“We’re safe here. She has no clue you’ve moved out here, and she’s looking for me in Ireland,” Lana comforts. “I need a shower, and one hell of a drink. I think I’ll start with the latter of the two,” she murmurs while pouring a full glass of scotch.
“What now?” I whisper to Devin.
“Now we plan, study, research, and do everything we can to prepare for whatever Pyrrha’s planning.”
“Where do we start?” I huff.
“You don’t start. Go get some rest, you’ll need it,” he says protectively.
“I can help, Devin,” I counter.
“He’s right, dear. It’s best if you let us contact everyone we know and learn what we can as fast as we can. You’ll eventually play a role in these things, but for now we need you to rest. It takes a lot out of a beginner to constantly be on guard. You’re still so new to your powers, and I think it’s started taking a toll on your body given what Kry has told me about your dizzy spells,” Persia says in her motherly tone.
“I thought you said all that could be attributed to my angered Aphrodite,” I argue.
“That was before Aphrodite had no reason to be angry. You’ve apparently been rather hungry, dizzy, and even exhausted. Immortals don’t suffer from such unless they’ve been pushed too hard. We’ve relied on you far too much in your early phases, and now you’re experiencing the effects. You need to rest because I’m sure we’ll need you again very soon,” she murmurs guiltily.
“I don’t know what good I’ll be now. We blocked Kaos and Asteria. Please tell me you know a secret way to bring them back,” I plead hopefully.
“Unfortunately, no. I suppose we were rash in doing such, but at the time it seemed feasible. You were becoming drunk on their power, and I was worried it would eventually consume your mind and drive you mad. You’re still the strongest one of us, and we’re going to need you fit,” she continues.
I don’t want to tell her how I’ve been freezing up in fights lately. I’ve barely put forth any effort, and it’s as though I’ve lost my oomph in combat. Now everyone is going to be depending on me once again, and I’m not sure I’ll be ready this time.
Devin kisses me lightly on the lips, and I very reluctantly leave them to do their work. I know they feel I’ll just be in the way, and I’m sure that’s the true reason for my dismissal.
Nina takes a seat beside Devin, and I flinch reflexively as my stomach churns with jealously. Devin quickly removes himself from her close proximity, and he sits back down between Kry and Ther.
His eyes catch my spying ones, and I just walk away before I see his guilt reemerging. I feel bad when I’m constantly putting him on the defensive.
I stare out at the waves rolling in the foam from the sea’s mouth, and I wonder if there’s ever really going to be a day of normalcy. It’s always something, and I feel weaker these days instead of stronger.
Perhaps I’ve already peaked, and now I’m just rolling down hill.
I huff and feel the dizziness returning as if on command. Maybe Persia’s right. Perhaps I am overworked.
I barely slept for four months, and I lived on canned fish and ice cream. Maybe I’m not as immortal as I thought. I suppose even immortals have some use for sleep and healthy eating.
I can’t do this though. I can’t sit up here while everyone else is downstairs strategizing. I flash back downstairs, and I roll my eyes when I see Devin and Nina are now missing from the room.
I creep past the very focused group, and I tiptoe over to the kitchen. I slow down when I hear the whispered conversation making its way to my ears.
“I already told you, Nina. None of it was me. I love my wife, and I swear I’ll throw you out before I let you mess with us. What’s wrong with you? You’re the only girl I ever dated that didn’t obsess. Why now?” he gripes.
“I never thought you’d marry, Devin. I always thought if I waited patiently, you’d come back. What’s so special about her?” she says very softly.
“She’s made for me, and I for her. No two people have ever been more perfect for each other. I love her, and that’s not a word I’ve ever used in such a sense before her,” he sighs.
“I know. I waited so long to hear it. I wish that bitch witch had just left me out of her scheme. I was perfectly fine until it felt like you couldn’t resist me. You just kept dismissing her, and it felt like you and I were getting back to the old us. It didn’t seem staged or forced. It felt like you and me - the way we always were.”
“It wasn’t. It was a fucking witch, and you need to get it out of your head now that it was ever anything else,” he scolds.
“You told me you loved me that day, Devin. Do you r
emember? You may not have ever said it before her, but you said it after her. You told me you loved me, and you kissed me,” she cries. “It’s hard to just let that go when it’s all I’ve ever wanted to hear. Then you just left Greece without a word.”
What! I never saw that in his memories!
My mind races through his memories, but they all start at the market and end just before the kissing scene. Did Theia do that on purpose to spare her son?
What the hell?
“I didn’t mean it,” he exasperates so guiltily.
“I did,” she murmurs through her tears.
“I’m sorry, Nina. Really, I am, but I love my wife. I just got her back. Please stop this. We know it was Pyrrha, not me. You’re just torturing yourself.”
“Do you really believe it was all Pyrrha? Was there any of it that was you?” she whimpers desperately.
Before he can answer, my surging anger causes some outer surging as well. The lights burst all throughout the kitchen, and I hear gasps coming from the two of them.
I flash away quickly, and I almost scream when I reach the bedroom. The bulbs in the padded room burst as well, and Devin walks in just as the last one pops.
“Adisia,” he murmurs warily, and I can see the fear in his eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I coolly ask.
“I thought you knew until after the wedding. It was obvious you didn’t then, or you would have used it against me in your accosting. What was I supposed to do?” he murmurs with trepidation.
“You were supposed to tell me. That should have been something that came up right away,” I scold.
“Adisia, I was falling apart for months. I literally destroyed two of my houses just to find some release for my anger. I couldn’t bear the thought of saying or doing anything wrong,” he explains.
“Devin, I rushed into your arms the moment I knew it wasn’t you. I told you I was sorry because I was the one in the wrong, not you. You could have told me anything, and you should have told me this. I understand all of that… sort of. It wasn’t you, right?”
“You know it wasn’t,” he utters defensively.
“This was you. You and you alone intentionally neglected to tell me this huge piece of information. You chose to talk to her behind my back tonight. I’m gone for ten minutes, and the two of you are hulled up in the kitchen all alone. That makes me look and feel like a fool.”
