by C. M. Owens
“No!” she screams one last time just before she crumbles to dust from her own doing.
The fire doesn’t cease, the power still rages in me, and it continues to climb outward as my drunken state drags it across the surrounding lands. Devin’s hand grips mine, and I hear the faint voices of our party pleading with him from a distance.
“Now, Devin. Now!”
Suddenly the lips of the man I can’t live without envelope mine to calm the storm I can’t produce outside. The fire spins to a slower rhythm until halting all together, and my nails grip into his bare back as my magma attire drops to the ground and shatters like black glass when the liquid chills instantly to a brittle form.
His lips feel like velvet drawing me in, and reality becomes less of a fantasy I’ve been set aside to observe.
The loss of Kaos’s presence is sudden, and Aphrodite slowly sinks back in to leave only me in the arms of the man I love. His breath tastes like divinity, and his hands feel like heaven’s blessing.
He scoops me into his arms, and I break apart when the tears finally fall after the overwhelming truth of our teeth-scraping escape from death.
This game becomes more dangerous each time we play it, and the stakes seem higher with each passing day. They’ll never stop until Rhea is dead. I’ll travel to the center of the earth and kill her myself to end it.
“Easy, baby,” Devin coos, and I feel a blanket draping over my exposed body.
Hale smiles softly after providing me with the modesty I lacked once more, and Camara’s eyes are stained with the tears I saw the lizard trying to shed in the suffocating and unforgiving air which had been drenched only in heat.
“I didn’t think we’d make it in time,” she cries, and then her arms wrap around me as Devin gingerly puts me down.
“We barely did,” Jace murmurs, and then his arms pull me to him in a less than brotherly embrace.
“You made it in plenty of time,” I soothe.
“Your powers came back just when we needed them most,” Kry says while adoration oozing from his tone.
I offer a faint smile, and then my eyes turn to gaze into the smoky blue ones smoldering against me. Devin’s fighting the same urge to give into our passion right now. The separation has been excruciating since the bonding was acquired.
“All I needed was Devin,” I almost whisper, and that’s his undoing.
He rushes me, and my legs wrap around his waist while I cling to the blanket. His lips devour my needy ones, and the passion gushes like waves of desire into our mouths.
“I do love a good reunion,” Hale chuckles out.
“The scent is strong again,” Jace grumbles. “It’s building quicker than usual now.”
“I don’t mind it,” Faith seduces, and I’m sure her eyes are staring directly into his with her Apollo swirls.
I tune them all out as I become lost in the love I’ve never thought possible. The passion between us has intensified even though I thought it couldn’t get any stronger.
“It’s over?” Persia gasps and Devin very reluctantly releases my lips as we turn to face the late arrivals.
Theia and Phillip look to be disappointed. Kahl and Persia seem distraught and riddled with heaps of guilt for having missed my rescue.
“Adisia went thermal nuclear times ten,” Hale explains as he motions to what used to be a gallant, monstrous volcanic mountain that now lies in shambles.
“How did she crumble the mountain?” Persia inquires.
“Kaos,” Devin murmurs blandly.
“That’s impossible,” Theia gasps.
“That’s not the freakiest impossibility,” Kry interjects. “Devin used fire as if it was his own.”
Our parents’ eyes widen in gaping disbelief.
“You used fire?” Kahl asks with a dry, trembling tone.
“I reached for water, but fire was there,” Devin explains. “Our bond is so much stronger than we’ve credited it. With the actual bonding being made official, I felt her weakness and her strengths. That’s how I found her. I felt her presence from so far away. Though, it almost took me too long to pinpoint her exact whereabouts,” he almost whispers, and his arms wrap around me with a stronger grip to ensure himself I’m really okay.
I nestle into his chest as his steady, calm breaths soothe my still shaken and rattled air. His soft lips caress my forehead while he pulls me up slightly to keep from bending.
“This is absolutely astonishing. Nothing like this has ever been heard of before. It’s as if the two of you are rewriting the rules of our world,” Theia releases breathlessly in awe.
“I can’t believe Kaos awoke after being blocked,” Persia murmurs to herself. “What about Asteria?” she asks curiously.
“She still sleeps,” Devin answers.
“We should go,” Phillip inserts. “The mortals are sure to be here soon to investigate.”
Devin nods, and everyone starts flashing to the vehicles, although Devin doesn’t permit me to walk on my own. He scoops me up and holds me close to his chest and his eyes burn against my flesh as though he’s examining me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Your face is still bruised and cut from the Jaculus’s attack,” he strains through wounded guilt.
“It’ll heal,” I say reassuringly. “I don’t even feel it anymore.”
He pulls open the blanket to peek inside at my bare body once we sit in the SUV, and then he shakes his head.
“And this? Do you feel this?” he insists while his eyes stare pointedly at the dark purple and black emersions.
“No. Devin, I’m alive, and now I’m back with you. Where the hell are we?” I murmur to shift the topic away from his guilt.
“Mount Shasta,” he answers dryly. “You were so close, and it took us days to find you,” he rattles out with even more guilt and angst.
Well that backfired.
“I’m glad there weren’t any mortals around when I blew it up,” I murmur with fear for what might have been.
“The mortals have been banned from the grounds. The fumaroles have been reading more activity that worried them of an impending eruption. I suppose they’ll assume their fears were justified. We should have caught on to that sooner,” he gripes.
I roll my eyes at the battle I’m very obviously never going to win with his persistent guilt. I’m so tired though I’ve apparently slept for days, and the fear for my daughter’s safety still plagues me.
The scene outside passes by quickly as Kry drives like hell is on his ass. I suppose, in a way, he’s right.
Chapter 14
The… Waiting
“I spoke to Mom, and Aster is doing really well with the new arrangement,” I force out with an optimistic tone. “I kept the conversation very brief, and I used one of the untraceable phones with their same zip code so as not to arouse suspicion.”
“We’ll get her back,” Devin says to respond the true anxiety I’m masking.
I sigh when I realize my attempt to seem cool despite my turmoil has been in vain, and I let my real feelings hang free.
“It’s always going to be something, Devin - Safina, daughters of Athena, Pyrrha, Damon… the point is, there’s always someone. There will always be someone as long as she’s trying to come back. She won’t stop until she doesn’t feel a threat, and it’s not just me she’s threatened by anymore,” I counter while slightly strangling on my emotion.
“Aster,” Devin murmurs in realization.
“The daughter of fire and water. ‘Each generation gets stronger.’ Those were Persia’s words. If Rhea fears me, she’ll fear our daughter all the more. It’s the only reason she hasn’t surfaced yet. She has the strength to come back just as Safina did. I felt it when I was connected with the lava. I felt her, and I tasted her desires and her fears. She’s just going to keep sending people after me, and now our daughter too until she no longer has anyone she feels threatened by.”
“What are you trying to say?” Devin asks suspiciously.
“I’m trying to say I don’t want to watch our daughter grow up from a distance the way Persia and Kahl had to. I think we should force Rhea out and end this waiting game once and for all. What do you think?”
He purses his lips, but his eyes refuse to connect with mine. He shakes his head solemnly with reluctance etching the corner of his eyes that are still shadowing the hardwood floors.
“You’re the Emperian. No one will object to any course of action you wish to take,” he almost whispers.
I have to restrain myself from slapping him across the face, and every bulb in the room blows to shattered pieces to reveal my violently surging offense.
“I’m your wife,” I blare. “I asked for your input, not your humble obedience. I swear, Devin Cole, if you start this again I’ll-”
His lips cover mine to silence my terrible rampage, and I moan lightly against the lips I’ve been desperate to be attached to again.
“I’m sorry, but this scares me. I don’t like tempting fate before we have to,” he breathes into my mouth. “I’m torn because I don’t want to waste years of our daughter’s life either.”
“We’d have to be careful, but it’s been foreseen that I can kill her.”
He sighs out loudly while looking at the ground.
“The only way we’ve ever thought it possible to kill Rhea is while she’s in possession. While connected with a host, she’s just as vulnerable to death as they are. Other than that, she’s damn near indestructible.”
“She was indestructible, but I’ve seen the oracle’s vision. I have the strength to kill her without her possessing anyone.”
“Then we’ll talk about it when the time comes. For now, I just want to hold my wife.”
His hands inflame my throbbing desire as the body desperately seeks more of his touch. My lips savagely tear at his, and his carnivorous reaction mimics my needy nature.
“Damn it,” Devin murmurs in frustration against my lips for no apparent reason.
“What?” I ask with muffled words as our lips continue their tangled affection, but my question is answered without Devin’s voice.
“Devin?” Kry asks while walking into the room without any regard to our intimate, heated, and now completely soiled moment.
“What?” Devin snaps while continuing his fervent pour of passion into my mouth.
“Whoa. Sorry,” Kry mutters with a bit of embarrassment, and I smirk at Devin’s flustered face as I pull back to relieve some of the awkwardness. “Lana’s here and she wants to talk to you,” Kry continues while staring anywhere but at us.
“Tell her she can wait,” Devin’s gruff voice enforces, and then he jerks me by the waist to pull me back to him.
“Okay then. No problem,” Kry’s pitifully awkward tone squeaks, and then he flashes from the room while shutting the door behind him.
I grin behind the kiss, and then my lips begin a teasing descent as they trail over his tense chest to his delicious abdomen. My lips graze the top of his jeans, and then I stroll my tongue along the edge to add to the seductive play.
His breath hitches when my daring, spirited tongue sweeps a little lower - just on the inside waist of his jeans - and the denim’s rough texture rubs one side while the other is caressed by Devin’s firm, glorious skin.
My right hand grips his belt buckle, and the fragile metal shatters in my hand as I rip it free. Now his breaths are rasp as he stares into my eyes that are ever steadily lowering.
My mouth grips the jeans at the button, and the fabric sheds as I reveal his boxers begging to be freed as well. My teeth graze over the thin, hindering fabric, and I feel the fully erect part of his body that desires me most right now.
He exhales loudly as I continue to tease him through the boxers I won’t let him remove just yet. He squirms under the fire of my breath, and I start to remove the woven obstruction when the door swings open again
“Go away, Lana,” Devin says before he even looks at the door.
I laugh as I jump up from my crouched position and Devin’s eyes burn with hostility when he turns to face the new interrupter while pulling his pants back up.
“Really?” she blares, and I cover my grinning mouth attached to my reddened face.
“I’m the one who should be exclaiming such a remark,” Devin growls. “What do you want?”
“I need to speak to you about Rhea’s threat. My scouts have found tracks disproving your theory of the harpie threat being eliminated. There are armies and armies of them, as well as hellhounds and Furies,” she huffs, and she narrows her eyes to emphasize her disapproval for his earlier rebuff.
“And you need me because?” Devin grumbles.
“You know why,” she gripes. “You were appointed caretaker. You have to see, agree to, and finalize every mission dealing with what could become a world war. Anything dealing with Rhea could result in a world war. Now get your ass to work,” she explodes, and then she stomps out of the room, leaving behind a frosty glow.
She intentionally left the door open, and Devin sighs in complete frustration - almost to the point of genuine anger - while grabbing another pair of pants from his closet to replace the ones I’ve just busted all to hell.
“Damn it,” I tease with a touch of humor.
A ghost of a smile tries to form while he turns his face away and shakes his head.
“You think this is funny, don’t you?” he muses with a scandalous tone.
“A little,” I mock, and he pulls the new pants on quickly before flashing to hold me in his arms.
His lips stroke my teasing ones, and then his teeth tug lightly on my bottom lip. I feel the throbbing in my lower body as he jerks my hips forward to meet the desire I’ve provoked to the nth degree.
“I’ll be back as soon as possible to end this torture you’ve stirred,” he seduces, and then he grabs me firmly across the rear to pull me even tighter.
“Devin,” Lana admonishes through the open door.
“I’m coming,” he chuckles out, and then his eyes bounce up and down from the intended pun he just delivered.
I laugh a little louder than anticipated, and he reluctantly peels himself from my body to take care of business - outside of the bedroom business that is.
The other form of business will have to wait against his wishes.
I smirk a little as I turn on the shower. We’ve barely been back for any amount of time, and I still smell like a volcano eruption, singed dirt, charred fabric, and actual death. I didn’t feel as seductive as I was attempting to while playing with Devin’s pent up frustration.
The water spirals around my body to offer me a promise of what’s to come, and the deliberate strokes seduce me with unexpected surprise. Devin can’t seem to focus on anything else right now, and he’s making sure I’m in the same teased boat as he is.
The water almost feels to have hands when it caresses every inch of my trembling chest, and it gently wraps around my throat to bring out all the more arousal I can no longer deny with any believability.
The swishing wet seduction continues with its salacious intent as it travels over the rest of me in a tantalizing, erotic motion, and I’m consumed with trembling desire that almost overwhelms me.
That asshole is using my shower against me right now as punishment for my laughing at his agitation.
The swirling waves continue their teasing pattern as they bite against my skin to press the toying exploit. I shake my head in a grumbling frustration that now matches his.
I rip the shower curtain back before I turn the water off, and I quickly wrap myself in the dry folds of the warm towel. I barely even washed my hair, and there are still specks of shampoo that were never rinsed away.
I huff with enormous agitation as I go to pull out some clothes, and then I toss them to the bed when I finally decide I have to get rid of the shampoo.
Damn it.
I flip the water back on, and I only place my head under the faucet to keep the aquatic seduction to a mini
mum. I can almost feel Devin’s smirk from the other room as the water slithers down my back despite my attempts to control its exposure to my body.
I laugh a little as I quickly scrub the remnants of the shampoo out, and then I flip the water back off to end round two.
The towel is swished around my hair, and then I tie another towel around my waist to provide only dry comfort.
I brush my teeth, comb the wet locks, and I start applying my makeup when the door to the bathroom swings open. My eyes lock with the smoky ones behind me as I stare into the mirror, and his smug smirk is finally visible as he rubs his hands across my hips and presses his front to my back.
I roll my eyes and try to stifle my grin, but it’s pointless.
“You’re real cute,” I grumble, and his smirk deepens while his lips play across my bare, dampened shoulders.
A small gasp escapes when he twirls me around and violently throws me on the countertop before jerking my legs open and my body to him. His pants dangle in their unbuttoned state, and my breath grows rasp as I stare into the intoxicated and wild eyes blaring into mine without any buffer.
No one would dare interrupt him again - not if they saw this gaze.
His sizzling touch almost ignites my fire in the literal sense, and I struggle to keep the newly reunited power from exploding free. His hands grip tighter through the barrier of the towel, and a devious, wry smile edges up when he sees he’s become the seducer and I the prey.
His lips grab, claim, and control mine as the convulsing in my body causes my legs to tremble around his waist. I moan into the divine god’s mouth, and then feel his body pressing with more firmness against mine.
The doorknob rattles to the bedroom as if it’s about to open and water surges from the shutoff tub to block the door and keep out the new intruder. I smirk a little, and Devin rips the towel away to bring me back to the fiery moment.
I’m bare, exposed, and a throbbing mess desperate to finish this teasing dance. I smile when I finally hear the rustling of his jeans slapping the floor, but he doesn’t plan on moving me from this countertop.
