Daughter Trilogy Bundle (128 page)

“
I promise,” I murmur softly, and my lips graze his once more with a sweet farewell before I flash out the door.

I give a smiling wave to the others in the room while flashing out of the house before they can interrogate me on my intentions.  I can
’t tell them.

I can
’t tell them Devin is destined to die at Jace’s hand.  That’s the premonition our sweet dreamer had to endure, and they would all join me in keeping him and Jace safe from Rhea’s grasp.

I can
’t risk their lives to save my own.  I have to do what I was meant to do.  This is why I was created, and I can’t leave our daughter an orphan.  She’s going to need one of us to guide her through our world when the time comes, and Devin is the best one to do that.

I
’d give my life for him and her, and if that’s what it takes… then so be it.

“Adisia,” Slash calls from the
beach bar when he sees my eyes searching for his face.

I jog over to him with mortal speed, and he looks absolutely terrified when I finally approach him.

“You look like a man full of dread,” I criticize.

“
Well, no offense, but when you called to ask me to meet you in secrecy, I knew it had to be something terrifyingly dangerous or torridly scandalous.  I would be a fool to hold out hope for the latter of the two options, so I can only assume my Emperian is about to ask me to stand in the line of fire… again.  I’ll have to agree to whatever you ask, so you might as well just tell me what to do,” he huffs.

I feel a little burdened by the inherit power I never wanted and the loyally obedient followers forced to do my bidding without option.

“You can tell me no, and I won’t persecute you for any reason.  Let’s get that on the table first.  This meeting is secret because the task is incredibly dangerous for almost anyone but you.  I’ll keep you safe, and then you can run once I’ve cleared away the first threat,” I murmur in a whispered tone.

His eyes narrow and he looks around to make sure there are no prying ears trying to listen in on our conversation.

“I’ll do whatever you need me to do.  If you feel it necessary, then I trust you’re doing the right thing,” he devotedly offers, and I still feel like a dictating queen bitch.

Damn Emperian bullshit.

I don’t have time to wallow in the guilt stream though.  I have a limited amount of time to put this plan to work before Devin starts wondering where I am.

“
I need you to come with me to Athena’s garden.  I know it’s here, and I know it’s close.  I tasted, I saw, and I lived for a moment through Rhea’s eyes.  I gained insight on her scheming plot, and I know what she’s waiting on.  I’m going to provoke her out of her entombed grave that can no longer hold her down,” I mutter, and it’s so quietly delivered, he almost has to read my lips to see rather than hear my words.

The color washes from his face, and I know he
’s fully understood the contents of my muted request whether spoken or mouthed. 

“
That’s… so… but… I’m a little confused.  You’re saying you want to take on Rhea with just the two of us?  Why?” he asks with complete bewilderment.

“
I don’t want
us
to take on Rhea.  I’ll be taking on Rhea by myself.  I need you to draw her out.  How good are your acting skills?”

“
You’ve seen my best, and as I recall, I didn’t do too well to convince you I was Devin,” he grumbles.

I smirk a little at the memory I
’m almost fond of these days.

“
I don’t need you to convince someone you’re somebody else, I need you to convince them you’re dead - that I’m dead,” I murmur very cautiously.

“
Who?” he muses.

“
Rhea has two spies in our group.  I’ve kept it secret because I plan on using it against her.  If Devin and the others knew of about this, they would kill them before we could use the information to our advantage.  It’s how we were constantly being found so easily even after the demise of the daughters of Athena.

“
It’s how Pyrrha knew to find us in Greece, but she couldn’t find me when I was in Phoenix.  Our daughter’s birth was strictly limited our immediate group, keeping Pyrrha from learning about her birth.  The facet I was Emperian was a simple oversight because Pyrrha doesn’t speak with them regularly.  Fortunately, my daughter’s birth and whereabouts were only made known to our most trusted friends.

“
These two spies knew what direction we were going when we took Aster to safety; they just thought I was going to see my family.  They had no idea my daughter was in tow.  It’s amazing we’ve avoided the disasters intended to kill us, and it makes me feel validated with my extreme paranoia for my daughter’s safety.”

“
Wow,” he gasps in a whisper.  “Who?”

I dare not say the names out loud, and I scribble on a napkin in front of me while covering it with my free hand to obstruct stray eyes from catching a peek.  I turn it over and slide over face down.

His eyes dart around nervously before peeking under the napkin and then he slams it back down to the surface of the bar as his face goes ashen.

We have the worst covert operatives in history because we have no subtle finesse.  His mouth is almost gaping open in disbelief and horrified shock.

“You’re sure about this?” he strains in a whisper.

“
Positive.  I’ve intentionally left them out of the loop on certain things because I had suspicions, and then earlier the blurred images I received in the volcanic prison became clearer.

“
My mind and body are getting stronger by the minute, and now I’m certain.  They’re at the house now with Devin, and they’re listening to every strategy the team is laying out.  They’re looking for their opportunity to launch another ambush, and I’m about to give them one.

“
I’ll call Devin in just a minute, and I can assure you they’ll be listening in on our conversation.  I’ll give them the opportunity they’ve been dreaming of, and they will take the bait willingly - so will Rhea.  All you have to do is play dead,” I whisper.

He takes a deep breath, and the bartender walks over to proffer a Slash a new drink.  He smirks as he stares me up and down, and his salacious eyes give me a peek at his disgustingly dirty fantasies.

“You want anything, babe?” he cockily inquires.

“
Vodka.  I’ll take the whole bottle,” I murmur dismissively.

His eyes almost cross in complete disbelief.

“Sorry, but I’m not allowed to do that,” he snickers out, and now I’m the one smirking as my eyes flash their controlling green.

“
Now,” I order with a chimed tone, and his humor dissipates instantly as he trips over his own feet to hastily obey.

He almost drops the vodka in my lap, and my hand flashes to catch it while turning it up to guzzle it down.

“Do you mind getting me the bottle of whiskey?” Slash chuckles out.

I grin a little as my eyes flash green to force the silent command, and Slash
’s whiskey is in his hand promptly.  He clanks the side of my bottle with his in a
cheers
motion, and then he shakes his head before grumbling.

“
Here’s to your crazy as hell plan,” he toasts with a trembling tone underlying his defensive humor.

I laugh a bit nervously before joining the clanking motion, and then we devour the liquid courage without further reservation.

Chapter 15

Venus Flytrap

I pick the phone up to start the call that will only bring our anxiety to a new level. 

“
Adisia, is everything okay?” Devin worries, and I can hear the voices in the background becoming distant.

I have to speak while they
’re still in range.

“
I just called to tell you I’m on my way to destroy Athena’s garden.  I found it, and I’m going to make sure no one can ever use it against me again,” I quickly spew out.

“
What?” he gasps.  “I thought you were going out for fucking air,” he growls.

“
I was, but then it dawned on me where this wretched thing was.  I want our daughter to be safe, and Athena’s garden will be a threat to her one day.  It’s not too far away, and I should be there in twenty minutes or so,” I say without trying to sound too obvious.

“
Adisia, that’s way too dangerous,” he counters.  “Tell me where it is, and I’ll come help you.”

“
I’ll only be a minute.  I plan to burn it to the ground.  It’s very cleverly disguised to the outside world on private property, and it’s discreet enough for me to make it in and out without arousing concern from the mortals.”

“
Damn it, Adisia.  Tell me where you are!  You could fucking trip and barely graze a thorn and that would be enough to seal your fate.  Tell me where the fuck you’re at right now!” he blares, and I shiver a little.

He
’s terrified, and I feel horrible for using him like this.  I have to though.  This has to happen, and this is the only way to do it without risking his life.

“
No.  I want to do this on my own.  I need to do this on my own.  I promise I’ll be safe, and I’ll call you the second I’m done,” I adamantly reply.

“
No the fuck you won’t.  You’ll tell me where the hell you are right now and I’ll come there.  You’re not doing this alone,” he blasts with more fury fueled by his fear.

“
I love you, Devin.  I’ll see you at home,” I choke out, and I can only hope I’m not lying about the last part.

“
Adisia!” he scolds, but I hang up and toss the phone into the small koi pond of the nefarious goddess’s garden that has been hidden from all.

The brilliantly colored carp curiously inspect the sloshing intruder as it sinks to the bottom, and I stare into the perfectly filtered water, free of all debris, discoloration, and despair.

This place would be tranquil if it wasn’t for the hate for my blood that built its power.

Slash is staring into the reflective water as he feels up his breasts, which exactly match mine.

“Seriously?” I growl, and I feel so weird as I talk to
myself
.

It feels as though I
’m staring into a mirror rather than a body double, and I’m watching myself be violated.  He smirks a little before grabbing the ass that is also a perfect replica of mine.

“
Hey, this could be the last time I get to feel a woman’s body.  I’d prefer to feel the real thing, but I assume that offer isn’t on the table,” he murmurs leadingly, and I feel as though it was actually supposed to be a question.

“
Not a chance,” I roll out with a sardonic scoff.

He laughs a little, and then his face changes to a more concerned, protective expression.

“You need to stay back.  I can smell her poison in almost everything here - not just the thorns.  It’s completely anti-Aphrodite here,” he murmurs, and my eyes fall on the dangerous beauty of the garden.

It
’s essentially an elaborate Venus flytrap, and I’m the only Venus prey it’s salivating at the stems to sink its hidden teeth into.  The lush, vibrant colors collide in a cascading flow of breathtaking beauty, and the infallible greens of the never fading beauties offer a strength I know will soon be a stronger threat than I’m fully appreciating at this moment.

The old stones imbedded into the ground guide one through the treacherous beauties draping over the narrow path with an itching desire to force their petals on me.  This garden almost feels alive, and that makes me feel all the closer to death.

“Are you sure you don’t want to just burn this place to the ground?  We can always go about this a less dangerous way,” he suggests hopefully.

“
No.  This is our best chance of ending this now instead of letting it drag out for centuries while they try to weed through us one by one.  I won’t let my daughter live in fear when I could stop the madness now.

“
They have to feel like they have the upper hand, and they won’t be able to resist such a tempting opportunity to show their triumph to their goddess of choice - their true Emperian; the only one they’ve ever really been devoted to.

“
Besides, I can’t just summon the fire like I can the wind.  Kaos’s power is harder to control than Prometheus’s - which I can’t seem to control anymore either.  I need Devin to summon the fire usually, but I should be able to draw it out once Aphrodite senses the undeniable danger upon us,” I answer, and I’m a little too casual in the, given the dire circumstances.

“
Should be able to draw it out?” he squeaks, and I see the new terror in his face.  “Why didn’t you mention that a little sooner?”

“
Because I need your help.  I need you to feel confident, but I also want you to know the
tiny
risk involved,” I say with an understating tone.

He grumbles and growls lightly as he kicks a loose pebble into the thick of the savage garden still waiting for an awakening force to aide it in its fatal taste for my blood.

“Get ready.  They should be here soon,” I instruct softly, and then I start walking toward the plant-free hiding place I’ve found.

“
What did Devin say when he found out about you coming here?” he asks, and I know he’s trying to distract himself from the possible impending disaster ahead.

“
You didn’t hear?”

“
No.  My advanced hearing is impaired when I’m in a
morphed
state.  Aside from the fact I’m too damn sexy to keep covered up, it’s the reason I don’t stay changed more often.”

I let out a small laugh at his humorous candor, and then I roll my eyes for his smug stance.

“He freaked the fuck out,” I sigh.  “For once he acted more like my husband than a loyal follower of the Emperian.  I’m glad I got to hear him that way again in case-”

“
In case nothing,” he scolds.  “You have to survive.  I dedicated myself to the Emperian’s realm centuries ago when I was almost executed for crimes I didn’t commit.

“
It’s amazing what a scorned woman’s grudge can lead to in our world, and if it hadn’t been for Deidra, I would have been buried under plants as creepy as these instead of standing here right now.  She helped me even though I had never pledged allegiance to either side of our world, and she didn’t expect anything in return.

“
I’m not only doing this for you, I’m doing it for her.  You’ll live through this.  Anything less is unacceptable,” he adds with a confident conviction that almost brings tears to my eyes.

I nod and then pull off the rings I hold so dearly to my heart. 

“You’ll need these.  They know I never go anywhere without them,” I almost whimper, and he frowns as he slides them onto his designated finger.

I quickly flash away and disappear behind the wall.  I can hear the vines stirring, and I only hope I haven
’t overlooked anything that will give me away.

I pray I wasn
’t too obvious while on the phone with Devin, and I can only hope I didn’t miss a step they strategically laid out to force a stumble out of me.

The footsteps rattle out from a distance, and I peep through the tiny hole left by the wearing from the weather over the centuries.  I see Slash acting as though he
’s just stepped into the garden, and then I see the faces of the enemies who have spent centuries in a far better disguise than Slash could ever master.

They bore the most deceitful disguise of loyal, trusted friends when in fact they were nothing more than wolves for the other pack.

I can’t believe I didn’t catch on sooner.  They were never around when we were safe, and they were almost always there or close by when we were caught.

During the second battle with Safina, they had been left out of our scheme until the last second.  Only our closest, most dedicated circle knew of our great plan.  They just followed along.

They only knew we were summoning her, and Safina even told us she knew we it was a summoning.  I’m so stupid for not catching on sooner.  She shouldn’t have known it was a summoning.  She should have believed it was simply Gemma speaking to her plants as usual.

“
Well,” the first traitor murmurs as she steps over the threshold.  “I’m glad I found you.  Devin’s been worried.  Have you called to tell him where you are yet?” she asks pryingly.

“
No,” Slash answers vaguely in my voice.  “I’ll call him when I’m done.  I only just got here,” he lies, and I see her wry smile emerge as her husband steps out.

My stomach turns when I realize how justified I
’ve been for suspecting the friends of the Cole’s for such a horrific treason.  It’s them.  It’s Ava and Edgar - Gemma’s parents.

“
How did you find me?” Slash asks as he plays along.

“
Your phone of course.  Devin traced the location, and he sent us to bring you back,” Ava lies.

They
’ve known where this garden was for centuries, and they’ve been waiting for their chance to get me here - or sting me in my sleep from something they took from here.

I
’m grateful my husband never lets me out of his sight now.  They would have probably killed me sooner.  I’m even more grateful for the fact Gemma doesn’t have the type of relationship with her parents that would have prompted her to tell them the secrets she had privy to… such as our daughter’s birth or our immortal bonding.

“
Why didn’t he come?” Slash presses, and I see the narrowing eyes that look chillingly just like mine.

He
’s better at playing me than he at playing Devin.

“
Because we couldn’t do this,” she snarks, and the vicious plants snap free from the entanglement of the garden.

The savage petals slap his wrists like cuffs, and the creeping vines shackle his feet.  Ava smirks as she forces in the poison that will bear no true consequence to Slash, but he starts acting weak.

              I only hope he doesn’t exaggerate the reaction for the
ham
performance I’ve seen him put on in the past.

“
Why?” he murmurs as if he’s actually dying.

“
Why?” Edgar snaps.  “Because Rhea kept us on a pedestal.  Since then we’ve been bumped down to nothingness.  Our power is overlooked by all and underwhelming in the eyes of all the others, but Rhea saw us as the powerful creatures we truly are.

“
She saw us for the brilliant masterpieces we’ve always been.  She didn’t treat us as servants.  That’s what we feel like under the reign of the damn Emperians since - Deidra and you.  We should have told Pyrrha you were the Emperian, but you were supposed to die.  Safina, the spoiled brat from her womb, was supposed to kill you.  But no matter.  Now we don’t have to share our glory with the witch seeking your child for her own gain.”

“
I’ve done nothing to make you feel like a lesser power,” Slash counters while showing physical fatigue as his mock languid despair begins dragging him down.

“
As long as you rule, we’ll never be anything but the vine wielders.  I refuse to bow any longer when Rhea will make people bow to us!” Ava blares.

“
You gave your life in the first battle with Safina,” Slash objects, and I’m proud of how well he’s acting surprised while convincing them of his slow, painful death.

“
We knew Theia would save her son by rewinding time.  We’re the ones who told her about the last time Devin died.  I never would have dreamt you’d be the one to accomplish such a feat, but then again, the damn trigger happy fools Safina had under her command had no real clue what was going on.  Damn Athena bitches.

“
It actually worked out in our favor you survived so that you could carry out the plan which almost failed completely.  Instead, you just created a mild hindrance.  Did you really think you could outsmart, outgun, and out-power the strongest of our kind?” Ava mocks.
“She’ll turn on you.  In all I’ve heard, Rhea has been accused of everything but mercy, kindness, and loyalty.  She watched her own daughter die when she could have surfaced and aided her in the battle,” Slash murmurs with a little too much weakness in his tone, and now I’m starting to feel as though he’s actually dying.

A slight bit of panic stirs within me as his eyes drop quickly and rise lazily over and over as if he
’s genuinely fighting hard to keep them open.