Daughter of Asteria (The Daughter Trilogy) (26 page)

off.

I start to panic as I think of all the others hooked up to machines that depend on that energy, and I

shake my head at him. His eyes narrow, and then he realizes the reason for my insisted pause.

He releases his hold on the electricity, and frowns in his failed attempt. Devin smirks as he steps

to the door with me still in tow, and suddenly the sprinkler head over the nurse station breaks loose.

Shrill screams erupt as gallons of water drop down on them.

The pandemonium becomes nothing but a blur as Devin flashes with me in his arms, and I feel the

outside air rushing my desperate lungs and freeing me from the sterile hell.

A rapid descent grabs my stomach and forces it into my throat as if I’m in a free fall, but his

perfect embrace holds me steady and offers me zero pain as he glides through the animated streets of

Chicago.

“Call Deidra,” he orders. Then he turns his gaze on me as we walk into a building like normal

people - other than the fact I’m wearing a horrid hospital gown and having to be carried. “Please tell

me you’re okay,” he says through strain.

Tears fill my eyes as I hesitantly shake my head instead of nodding, and it forces tears to brim on

his lids as well.

“I’ll call a guy I know back home,” Jace murmurs through tightened lips. “Maybe he’ll know

something.”

Devin gently places me on the couch, and I squirm uncomfortably.

“I spoke to Deidra,” Theia announces. “I’ll call the pilots. We’ll need to meet her in Texas.

She’s already there dealing with a siren outbreak,” she exclaims breathlessly.

“More sirens? Just tell her to come here, and we’ll help her once she helps Adisia,” Devin insists.

“Not more sirens… the same sirens, son. They’ve migrated here already, and there are more of

them. They’ve started feeding on the mortals now,” she breathes out in disbelief as Phillip grabs his

phone to make a call.

“Have the jets ready as soon as possible. I’ll email you the itinerary,” he gruffly commands

before walking away.

“They shouldn’t have migrated so soon, and they certainly shouldn’t have started feeding on

mortals yet. Is she sure they’re the same ones?”

“She’s positive. They grouped with more that spawned in other areas, and now they’re working

together.”

“That’s just crazy. Sirens have a pack mentality. They don’t branch out and organize like this,”

he murmurs in complete bewilderment.

“Devin,” my hoarse voice strains out.

His eyes widen as he grips me to him.

“No, baby. Don’t talk. Just rest your throat. You need something to drink? Eat? Anything?” he

asks while handing me a pen and paper.

I roll my eyes, and strain harder to speak. “Water,” I grunt.

He tightens his lips at my stubborn refusal, and then he flashes to and from the kitchen with a

bottle of water to hand me.

I sip slowly because I know I came out of an anesthetic sleep just earlier.

He takes my hand in his as he sits down, and I lean against him while the others continue their

spontaneous planning. Jace walks out with a pale face, and Devin’s eyes connect with his as they

share a private conversation.

“What?” I force out.

“I know a guy in Australia who has a lot of experience with sirens. He’s only ever seen this once

before, and it was the same scenario. The mortal was a destined immortal who was strong enough to

withstand the initial shock of the sirens,” he murmurs with a fear stricken tone.

“What happened?” Hale says as he walks into the apartment.

Jace just shakes his head, his eyes refusing to meet mine any longer, and I know what that means -

I’m dying
.

“No. I won’t let that happen. There’s a way to fix this, and I’m going to find it,” Devin blares as

he scoops me in his arms. “I love you,” he whispers before flashing out of the room with me in his

arms.

Chapter 9

Broken to Badass to broken

“Any problems getting here?” A woman asks as we step off the jets.

Devin’s arms keep me tightly placed against his chest, and I just lie there with limp ambition.

“Skip the small talk. Where’s Deidra?” Devin barks.

“She’s in the desert. We weren’t expecting you to be here so soon,” she yells over more planes

descending loudly upon us.

Devin turns to Kry to pass me off as he walks with the woman to a car with Hale at his side. I cry

a little as Kry tucks me into his safe embrace. He kisses the top of my head to try to comfort me, but

it’s not what I need right now. I just need Devin.

“I want to go too,” I cough out.

Devin flashes back with a grimace.

“The desert is where the sirens are right now. They’ve hoarded them up, but they can’t get too

close until a silencer arrives.”

“I don’t want to stay here alone. Devin, I don’t think I’m going to make it much longer, and I

don’t want to-”

His lips close over mine to halt my teary-eyed confession that is so coarse from my injured throat

that it’s barely understandable. I can feel his absolute panic in his mouth as it pours into mine.

He pulls me back into his arms, and this time he doesn’t fight me. I could die either way. He

knows that I’d rather die in his arms than in someone else’s.

The car revs its engine as soon as we get in, and Hale stays behind to talk to the others about

strategy.

“We’ll just grab Deidra since she can’t do anything without a silencer right now,” Devin says to

the perfectly manicured woman driving.

“It’s good to see you again, Devin. Even if these aren’t the best of circumstances,” she offers a

little too kindly.

Great. Another one.

He catches my disgruntled pout, and shakes his head. “She’s my cousin,” he says quickly.

Oh. Thank goodness.

He doesn’t smile at my relief. His eyes stay intensely focused on the road ahead as if he’s

worried about every second that passes by. Of course, with every second that passes, I’m feeling all

the weaker.

The car slows to a halt as the engine ticks into expiration.

“Damn it. They’ve already learned to control their pulses?” Devin gasps.

“That’s new. I wasn’t expecting that. Deidra and the others are still ten miles away. Are you

ready to run?” She asks emergently.

Devin flashes with me out of the door, and sand spins behind us as he digs it up too fast.

Then I’m suddenly shrieking out my pain as I feel myself collapsing to the ground, and the

banshee-like screams erupt around us.

I cover my ears, and Devin yells for me just as the vines rip free from the ground and cover the

mouths of the sirens.

“Not yet,” a voice commands.

No!

It’s the daughter of Athena I killed during my tantrum when Persia died. She’s here, and the

sirens are under her authority against their will.

The vines restrain them, and Devin twists against the vines gripping him down. This all seems

too impossible to be true, and horrid memories revisit my mind. We’ve been here before - both of us

restrained by these fucking vines just before Safina stole his life and I destroyed the world… only this

time, I don’t have any power.

His cousin screams at them, “Let us go. I’m the daughter of Poratia, he is the son of Poseidon,

and she’s just a sick mortal we’re trying to save. You have no reason to invite a war with us.”

“You’re right. You’re completely unimportant, but he’s not. Someone needs him, and I need

their help in order to find that Aphrodite bitch that escapes us every time we’re too close. Sorry, but

you’re just collateral damage,” she insults.

No.

“Actually, you’re collateral damage,” Jace pops off as energy bolts whirl through the air at her

head.

She barely dodges the first one, but the second one rips through her side before she can wrap him

up.

“You! You’re supposed to be dead,” she growls.

Jace laughs as suddenly everyone else appears at once.

“Release them,” Hale orders.

“The sun? Well isn’t this delightful?” A new voice sounds off as a wave of black-haired bitches

emerge along with a band of possessed mortals.

Safina is possessing them, and she’s talking through one of them. The last time she did that it

was my brother.

“What do you want?” Hale answers coyly.

“You don’t remember me? You’re the one who held me down while all the others helped Deidra

encase me. I came to find her, and here you are instead,” she chuckles out. “Sometimes I love my

luck.”

The vines release Devin and his cousin suddenly as Gemma steps up. I can’t move, but there’s

nothing restraining me besides my destroyed mortal body.

Devin starts to flash to me, but fire blazes between us, and a girl grabs me up instead. As her eyes

connect with mine, I feel something terrible growing inside of me, consuming me… possessing me.

I get sick at my stomach, lightheaded, and then my mind turns into a thick fog I can’t see through

just as I’m shoved out of the way.

I start walking around as though I’m completely unaffected by the fragile state I was just in - the

only problem is, I’m not in control.

“Uh-uh,” my voice rattles off mockingly as my finger twitches.

“No,” Devin gasps as he lunges toward me, but my hand flies up and starts spiraling the deadly

around it as a warning.

My mind cries as it’s pushed into the corner and forced to watch helplessly.

“Oh, isn’t this sweet. You’d do absolutely anything to save her, and now she’s mine. You’ve

hidden her away, gotten rid of her parents, friends, and her brother. It’s as though you knew how

dangerous it was to fuck a mortal, but you did it anyways. You just didn’t plan on me,” she taunts.

I cry inwardly even more, and Devin’s eyes drip with tears. Persia can’t free me, Theia can’t save

me, and Devin will have to watch her rip me apart if I can’t break free.

‘Fight her, baby,” Devin begs. “Fight her.”

My mouth laughs viciously at him.

“Fight me? You’re such a romantic. Your girlfriend will live if you die,” she says bluntly.

“Kill me,” he prompts without hesitation.

I smile a wicked grin that is not my own, and then my body casually struts with triumph too

effortlessly obtained.

“Oh, now. You’re making this all too easy. Momma always said to never accept a gift too

willingly given,” she snickers.

“Let her go, and you can have me,” Devin promises.

“Your mignons have to stand down, and I also need to find the Aphrodite you’ve been hiding

away,” she quickly retorts.

“We don’t have an Aphrodite, but my people will stand down if you let her go,” he offers.

“Don’t lie to me. I can smell her on you. I’ve been in this dying girl’s mind for minutes, and I

know the Aphrodite is near.”

Devin takes a step toward her and the ash begins to spread again. I feel something happening

now, something powerful is starting to stir, rumble, and nearly erupt.

“Devin stop. She’ll kill you,” Gemma begs.

Devin suddenly smirks at the bitch possessing my body.

“No she won’t. Adisia won’t let her,” he says with smug assurance.

Safina scowls through me as she uses my body to take a step toward him to assert her fury for his

insolent remark.

“You’re crazier than-”

Her sentence is cut short when suddenly the wind begins to stir, the clouds rumble violently

overhead, and the rain starts its vigorous descent.

“What the-”

The words stop as the fog lifts, and I get a little more elbow room in my own mind. My body is

suddenly my own again as the ashes fade away from sight, and my possessor is expelled.

Each afflicted piece of me heals, and the power courses through my veins freely with an

awakening excitement. My blue eyes grow green, and I feel the ground beneath me quaking in

disbelief as the scared mass of bitches gasp in surprise.

Jace’s mouth gapes open, and I give Devin a wink as I turn to face our attackers.

“She’s a fucking Aphrodite,” a possessed mortal exclaims.

Safina is still here; she just found a new mouth to do her dirty work.

“She’s controlling this shit. That’s impossible,” an Athena bitch screams.

The tornadoes descend, but there’s no air to stop it. The lightening crashes, and there’s no

conductor to derail it. I smirk dangerously as they begin to scream in panic while my unkempt,

merciless storm rolls wildly across the desert.

“I’m back,” I murmur with the taste of
badass
lingering in my mouth.

“Go. Go now. It’s happened. Go,” Safina yells through the mortal.

The others quickly begin launching their attacks, and the sirens squeal out their shrieks as their

gagged mouths are released.

Hale breaks open the sun from his body, and the sirens scream louder as they flee from its grasp.

Too many are retreating, and none wish to fight. It’s the complete opposite of last time.

My green eyes flash brighter, and Hale stands beside me to send his light swirling in all directions