Daughter of Kaos (The Daughter Trilogy Book 3) (19 page)

“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 during 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.

Finally.

“You two back together, or was this just a quick fix for the big problem?” Kry teases, and I’m

sure he’s referring to my scent that has left everyone intoxicated, distracted, and utterly seduced.

“Back together… permanently this time,” Devin asserts. “I’ve already notified the priestess, and

she’ll be here within the week,” he murmurs softly.

“When did you do that?” I muse.

“I sent her a text while you were changing,” he says just before gracing my lips with his again.

Oh I’ve missed that.
“If that’s what you want,” he promptly adds.

“It is,” I purr, and his lips reclaim mine as the heat of my body warms the air.

A gentle throat clearing reminds us we’re not alone, but Devin just smirks as he pulls me closer to

his sculpted, toned body.

His lips continue to devour mine, and then Deacon chuckles, “Not that I’m complaining, but what

brought the two of you back together?”

“Adisia saw it,” Devin murmurs in a breath between my lips.

“Saw what?” he prompts a little more seriously.

Devin draws back to answer, but his grip refuses to let me go.

“She saw a second shadow attached to me. Any idea what it means?”

They all look as confused as we are. Hale sits back with a scrunched brow as he dives into deep

thought. Jace leans forward as though he’s trying to grasp for answers, and his blond looks to be

giving the situation some thought as well.

“A literal second shadow?” Kry asks.

“Yes,” I assert confidently.

“I have no idea,” Jace murmurs almost to himself. “I’ve heard of many afflictions, but none of

them involve a second shadow. Who would have something to gain from all this?” he muses, and for

a fleeting second I’m worried Devin’s about to accuse him.

I’m proud of him when he refrains. Jace has been nothing but exceptional during the hardest time

of my life. I won’t let him be attacked, and I don’t want to have to choose sides.

“I’m going to call Mom after I make Adisia something to eat. Did you get what I asked you for?”

Devin says to Kry.

“It’s in the fridge,” Kry says with a nonchalant tone.

“Thanks,” Devin says with a grin, and then flashes over to start pulling out pans.

“You don’t have to cook me anything. Sadly enough, I still want fish,” I mumble with some

embarrassment, and his lips reconnect with mine while he tugs at my shirt.

“Hearing Jace say it was because of me… It just felt good to know you wanted me, but I can’t

watch you eat anything else out of a can. It’s just depressing, and we’re on the ocean. Kry stopped by

an all night fish market, and you can still have what you wish. It’ll just be a little less appalling,” he

says with a chuckle. “But I refuse to see this spoiled by any frozen dairy products,” he continues

playfully.

“No worries,” I rumble with a touch of more embarrassment. “I don’t want anymore ice cream

for a long time. You really don’t have to cook anything.”

“I want to. It won’t take long,” he utters so sweetly, and I can’t help but giggle a little at his

kitchen finesse.

Kry weaves in to chuckle at the light-footed chef and shakes his head.

“Since when do you cook?” he teases.

“Since when do you doubt my skills?” Devin playfully retorts.

I giggle more, and Jace walks in more seriously.

“If it’s alright with you, I’m going to go ahead and call Theia. This whole shadow business has

me concerned. They had to have had an end game. I’m sure it wasn’t just to break you guys up.

Adisia has been weak, pale, and even sick quite often,” he murmurs with too much anxiety.

“The wedding wasn’t just a fluke occurrence?” Devin asks as he puts the fish in the oven, and then

he flashes over to me.

“Persia said it was because of my Aphrodite being denied. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the

shadow,” I quickly insert to deter Devin’s oncoming interrogation.

“Call her,” Devin asserts to Jace, and he nods while pulling out his phone. “Tell me how often,”

Devin insists when his eyes turn back to me.

“Not often,” I answer vaguely.

“At least once a week for the past three months. Before that it was just fever and chills. I went

along with the Aphrodite explanation then, but now I’m worried,” Jace adds, and then I hear Theia.

“Jace?” she asks quizzically.

“Are you with Persia and Kahl?” he asks.

“Yes. Is something wrong?” she worries. “Is Adisia okay?”

“She’s fine. She and Devin are together again, but-”

“Oh thank heavens,” Persia and Theia murmur in unison with exasperation clearly dulling their

tones.

Everyone stifles a laugh, and Devin hides his smirk. I roll my eyes as I tug at Jace’s arm to lower

the phone.

“We’re also standing right here,” I admonish.

“Sorry, dear,” Persia rattles out with a bit of humor. “Just glad to see you took my advice.”

“I should have, but that’s not why we’re together. I saw what made Devin stray, and now we

don’t know what it is,” I explain.

Devin’s hand intertwines with mine, and his lips graze the top of my head the moment the

dreadful words flee my mouth.

“What was it?” Theia prompts.

“We don’t know. That’s why we’re calling you. Devin had two shadows from just before we left

the market until I left him the day on the beach,” I answer.

Now Devin’s arms wrap around me while he pulls my back against his front. I can still feel the

worry running over his skin.

He’s afraid I’m not staying, and I feel terrible about that. I rub my hand over his to reassure him

I’m not going anywhere.

“A second shadow?” Theia asks as if she’s uncertain she heard me right.

“Yes, and it was a literal second shadow. Go through Devin’s memories, and you’ll see it too,” I

urge.

There is silence for a moment, and I can only assume she’s doing as I requested. I hear a slight

gasp, and I know she’s now seen the mysterious shadow clinging to my husband.

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice that before,” she says with a hushed tone as though she’s riddled

with guilt.

“What does it mean?” Jace urges.