Daughter Trilogy Bundle (122 page)

“
Where’s my baby?” I whimper.

“
She’s asleep in the bassinet,” Hale answers softly.

I free myself from Devin, and I grab up the sleeping beauty bundled in far too many blankets from the overzealous concern of the immortals without a true grip on a child
’s preferred temperature.

I peel her out of the overstuffed wrapping, and then I hold her precious little body to my chest as I try to make sure she
’s still real.  My lips press against her wrinkled brow over and over as the tears from my weary eyes fall to her face.

Devin pulls the two of us into his lap, and his lips repeat the same motion of overwhelming her with too much affection.

She whimpers slightly from the stimulation, and he pulls both of us against his chest.

“
When and where?” Kry urges.

“
I don’t know.  It’s not exactly like watching a movie.  Past and present mixed together in the visions.  The background is blurred, but the faces and words are more distinct,” Jace answers.  “I could tell from the ramblings she doesn’t know Aster has been born yet.  We need to capitalize on that one edge.”

“
How?” Hale interjects.

I feel the tears falling as the silence in the air answers the question Jace cannot. 

My heart pounds fiercely against my chest, and Devin’s grip tightens against me.  We stare down at the beautiful creature we’ve created, and the pain stings us both when we know what we have to do.

“
We’ll take her to my parents,” I whimper.  “She’ll be safe with them until we finish this,” I sob, and Devin fights the tears in his eyes as his lips console my quivering ones.

“
When?” Kry sighs too softly.

“
Now,” Devin breathes, and I know he’s struggling with this decision just as gravely as I am.

I cry harder, and he holds me in his arms while helping me to my wobbly feet.

“I’ll get her stuff,” Camara whimpers, and Deacon flashes in behind her to aide her in her packing endeavor.

“
We’ll leave now to cause a scene on the beach south from here.  If there’re any eyes watching close by, they’ll be distracted,” Nina offers, and then her followers flash in behind her as they filter out without another word.

“
Call Persia and Theia,” I murmur to Hale, and he nods solemnly while patting my shoulder. 

“
Are you going to be okay?” Devin almost whispers.

“
Are you?” I counter.

“
Fair enough,” he almost whispers, and then he takes a deep breath to restrain his terrified and pained tremble.

The long flight and drive
has been lengthened by the silence and reluctance smothering out the air.  Each mile is a painful cross, and every second we’re getting closer to the inevitable relinquishment of the daughter we just got.

It isn
’t fair to her or us, and for the first time, I really understand the turmoil and difficulty of the decision Persia and Kahl had to make so long ago.  I only pray my daughter can return to me soon instead of when she finds her own immortality.

Devin
’s arms haven’t released me the whole journey, and I’ve barely let anyone else hold Aster.  This could be the last time we see her for a long time.

“
We’re here,” Camara almost whispers to ease the force of the painful blow.

Devin takes Aster from my arms while Persia and Theia sniffle together.  Two dark vehicles follow us down the dirt ranch drive, and we all climb out together.

I take the lead, and my breath hitches as I try to control the surge of emotions choking me to the point of being physically painful.

“
Adisia,” Clara squeals, and right behind her comes my mother zipping toward us with excited eyes.

“
Is it over?” Mom gasps as she throws her arms around me in a relieved embrace.

I strain so incredibly hard to stay strong in front of them, although strength is my most lacked quality right now.

“Not exactly,” I quiver out, and my imitation of strength begins to waver.

“
Then why are you here?  Is something wrong?” Mom worries.

“
Yes, but there’s been something wrong since I turned immortal.  It’s going to be fine just like it always is.  I came to introduce you to someone, and I wanted to ask for another favor,” I tremble out.

“
Anything, dear.  What’s the matter?  Who do you want us to meet?  Is it another child?” she babbles.

“
Angel!” Nadia squeals in interrupting delight, and I smile as I wrap her up in my arms.  “Are you taking me home to Momma?” she asks with heartbreaking hopefulness.

“
Not yet, but soon, Nadia,” I promise, and stabs of pain shoot through my stomach.

Devin walks up behind me, and all eyes fall on the precious baby in his arms.  The others start carrying in all of the tiny baby
’s overwhelming amount of supplies, and my mother oozes out her baby-fever symptoms as she gushes over her.

“
Oh my.  She’s so precious.  What’s her name?” she giggles out.

“
Asterius Kaylana… Cole,” I murmur with suspended hesitance.  “Aster for short.”

“
Cole?” she muses and Devin hands Aster to me.

His arms wrap around my waist as he stares lovingly over my shoulder at our sleeping beauty who has finally learned how to rest.

“Yes,” I murmur, and then I choke on the thick air as I gently place her into the come-hither arms of my mother.  “She’s your granddaughter.”

Her eyes almost pop out of her head, and my slowly approaching father walks up just in time to hear the tail end of the conversation.  He almost stumbles in shock, and Clara gasps loudly while covering her mouth.

“We just saw you a few weeks ago.  You didn’t even have a tiny bump,” Clara argues.

“
I know.  I didn’t know until just before I had her.  Apparently there are still numerous things I have to learn about our world, but I need her to stay here,” I answer strongly, my words only slightly crackling in the end.

“
Of course,” Mom hurriedly answers without hesitance.

“
You okay, Daddy?” I ask to the pale man stooped on the ground.

“
I just need a minute, but I’ll be fine.  I wish you had told us,” he dryly replies.

“
I didn’t want to reveal her to the world until I had to.  I knew this day would come, but I had hoped I had longer,” I whimper, and Clara takes Aster while my mother’s arms fold around me.

“
Honey, please tell me what’s going on,” she pleads.

“
No.  It’s bad enough you have to hide out here.  Just take care of my baby,” I whisper through the tears.

“
You know we will,” she assures, and Jake walks over to investigate the scene.

“
I’ve got a niece?” he says so helplessly cautious.

“
Yes,” I cry with a hint of a laugh.

Clara gently places Aster into Jake
’s arms, and then Devin’s eyes begin to water when he glances at his watch.

“
We can’t stay long,” Theia cautions with tears starting to stream.

“
You can’t stay for a little while longer?” Mom asks softly.

“
It’s not safe.  The longer we’re here, the more of a chance someone has to sniff out our undiluted power,” I whimper, and then I take Aster back in my arms.

“
I love you, little girl,” I whisper softly, and then another one of my tears dampens her smooth cheek.

Devin wraps his arms around me from behind as he holds the both of us, and then everyone comes to pick her up and hold her one last time before we have to go.

Devin wipes away my lingering tears as Persia and Theia take one last look at their granddaughter.  Kahl and Phillip quickly resume the grandfatherly role by kissing the angelic wonder with hesitant release.

I can
’t resist touching her tiny fingers one last time, and more tears squeak free as her hand clasps around my index finger.  Her scrunched eyes close even tighter as she yawns in her sleep.

“
You ready?” Kry asks anxiously.

Devin sighs loudly, and I only cry harder as I hug my family goodbye.  Devin
’s fingers intertwine with mine, and we flash to the cars before I have time to change my mind.

The dust stirs violently behind us as Kry gasses the SUV too hard.  I
’m worried the steering wheel is going to break under his hands, and Devin’s hand has already busted the handle in the backseat.

My tears are almost corrosive as they burn against my cheeks, and the whole mood is drenched in misery.

The sun lowers to reveal the usual sight of darkness, but tonight it seems so much darker.  I’m so distraught, agonized, and distressed that I smell the scent of death.  It’s almost scary, and then I realize everyone else seems to smell something odd as well.

“
What is it?” I worry.

“
It could be nothing,” Devin comforts, and then his eyes connect with Kry’s in the rearview mirror.

Their exchange seems to be a silent conversation, and Kry jerks the wheel to the right to cut through a field.  We
’re only twenty miles from the house where my family is.  It’s not possible they’ve already found us.

“
Anything?” Deacon asks, and now I feel as though I’m the only one not in on the theory.

“
A glimpse of a shadow, but that’s it.  Based on the strength of the presence, they’ve just caught our scent.  Aster and the others should be safe,” Devin murmurs.

“
You saw something?” I prompt.

“
Shh,” he lightly cautions.  “Whispers, baby.  Whispers.”

I lower my register to a near muted whisper as I ask,
“Is it her?”

“
I don’t know.  The visions of blocked invaders are weak usually, sometimes even nonexistent.  It’s possible I’m just too fatigued, and I could be seeing something based on my fear for our daughter’s safety,” he answers without conviction.

“
Don’t spare me.  Be honest,” I growl.

Then Kry cuts the wheel sharply as something barely misses us.

“Harpies!” Camara screeches, and then hoards of them drop in from spiraling dark cyclones that seem to appear out of nowhere.

I gasp at the surreal sight, and the car flips through the air as another cyclone drops too close too quickly for us to swerve by.  Devin wraps an arm around me, and I feel us flashing out of the car before it hits the ground.

We bounce to our feet, and immediately Devin starts stirring the water around us. 

The howling carried through the swirling, black cyclones brings Jace to a thundering charge as he flashes to face the appearing hellhounds.  I scream as Camara barely escapes the wrath of a Medusa, and then a flock of rabid Furies fall in.

Ember, Samara, and Ambora face off with the savage side of their past, and I feel helpless as the sky shuns my attempts to break it free.  Jace is left handling all the beasts salivating their flames of destruction by himself.

“
Sirens!” Devin shouts just as another cyclone whirls in, and Hale jumps up with Faith as the light pours from their bodies to ward off the screaming fiends.

Devin pushes me backwards to save me from a fatal blow from a harpie attack, and the force sends me several hundred yards backwards before I
thud
to the ground.

Jace electrifies a hell beast inches from my face, and then Devin yells at me.

“Get back, Adisia!”

I scramble backwards like the coward I never thought I
’d have to be, and then I feel a powerful force wrapping around me before my eyes can fathom what’s going on. 

The swirling cyclone appears and draws me in with its vicious, inescapable grasp. 

Devin’s eyes widen as he charges toward me.  I struggle to break free from the binding winds, but I can’t move.

I feel as though I
’m in the aerial equivalent to quicksand, and every move I make only sucks me in deeper.

“
No!  Adisia, no!” Devin screams, but it’s too late.

The flashing cyclone sucks me into the air before I see nothing but faint pieces of light barely scratching through the darkness.  I almost feel the tackiness of spider webs sliding over my skin as I struggle against the force of the severe gale winds.

I try to draw my own wind to aide me in release, but I can’t find the power that has left me abandoned, deserted, and all alone.

Sharp pricks resembling the feel of bee-stings pierce the flesh of my body, but I can
’t make out what intruders are.  The taste of poison plays on my lips as it induces an unwelcome sleep I’m slowly being forced to succumb to.