"It's no more dangerous than leaving her to the mercy of her own emotions. I've never seen anyone controlled by their entity the way she is. We need to see if she can handle herself like she did earlier every time. That was a small storm. We need to have her control when it starts and when it ends before something worse happens."

Devin sighs in protest, but he knows she's right.

"Fine, but I'm not going to let you push her too hard," he warns.

She smiles slightly and shifts her gaze to me while still speaking to him.

"I suspect you won't," she says with a smirk.

I squirm uncomfortably, and her smirk remains as she walks on by. Devin motions for me to walk down the steps in front of him, and he follows at a small distance behind.

He struts over to a bar area set up outside and pours a glass of liquor. The ice rattles against the glass as he sips it slowly, his eyes showing their nervousness from over the rim of the cup.

"I need you to open the skies. Use your emotions to draw forth the thunder, the rain, the wind, whatever you can summon on a lower scale," Theia instructs.

I nod and stare at the sky. I think about the fight with the crazy people, but not even a slight stirring occurs. I think of my anger with Devin when he left me, and a breeze emerges. He sits down and keeps his eyes intensely focused on me.

"Good. Now force it stronger," Theia urges.

I think of how heartbroken I was and still am. The wind stirs more, but it's still a subdued gust. I can't seem to break the skies apart when I'm on the spot.

"Okay. I need you to think of your mother. Think of how she dumped you like an old sweater," Theia says heartlessly.

"Watch it, Mother," Devin snaps angrily as he glares at her.

"I have to piss her off. It's a strong emotion for anyone. Trust me," she says to him.

"It's not going to piss me off. Earlier was a fluke. I've dealt with my anger for my mother for far too long to provoke another emotion like I had. I need something else. I've dealt with too much, and I've already released most of the shit tying me down."

She frowns slightly as she thinks.

"You've dealt with your mother leaving, but what about your mother returning? That was what pissed you off. Imagine if she strolled up right now. What would you do?"

Lightning crashes from the clear sky without warning, and it barely misses Theia. She jumps to the side to dodge it - a ridiculously high and long jump. She lands close to Devin and dusts herself off as though she's trying to rid herself of her exposed nerves.

"Well, I think that'll do the trick," she says with a slightly rattled tone.

Devin covers his laughing face behind his drink. She clears her throat to rid her voice of her nervous crackle before she speaks.

"I think this is a good start. I'm going to go get a glass of wine, empty it into my mouth in one gulp, and pour another before we resume. I have to say, I wasn't prepared for that," she rattles out.

Devin laughs harder as she walks in with a slight tremble. I resume my place on the porch, and he walks over to join me.

His sweet breath is laced with the alcohol I normally don't care for, but on his lips, I'm desperate to reconsider the appalling scotch as a personal favorite. I've never wanted so badly to taste it, and my lips call to his.

He walks up the steps, and my eyes rise to follow his ascent. Soon, I'm staring straight up as he towers over me.

"Have you changed your mind yet?" he says playfully.

My hands slide up his chest when the goddess within tries to pull his lips to mine, but he stops me before I can.

"That's not all of you. I can see when you're not all of you," he seduces. "I do love the way you want me when you're like this. I just want all of you to want me."

His lips brush mine with their teasing dance, and he turns to disappear into the house.

He said he loves it when I want him.

The word love sends chills through me. I can't believe this is sending me into such a rush. He didn't say he loved me. Why am I reeling over this?

I'm not in love. I'm not in love. I'm not in love.

Maybe if I say it in mantra, it'll be true.

I'm exhausted from straining my emotions, and receiving very little payout. The one lightning bolt was apparently a fluke. We couldn't wrestle anything else out of me, and I can't seem to control absolutely anything.

"It doesn't happen over night," Devin says softly from behind me.

Chills invade me as his breath lingers on my neck, tempting me, seducing me, and winning the war raging on inside me.

"I wasn't expecting to be an overnight success, but there's no improvement at all. If anything, I'm declining."

He laughs a little and moves to prop in front of me. His slanted body makes me feel a desire to straddle him, but I fight the ridiculous, carnal urge.

"Where are the others?" I ask to change the tone of the conversation.

"They went window shopping," he says with a chuckle.

"Window shopping?" I ask curiously.

"Yes, for actual windows."

His snicker continues and my cheeks blush. I wish I had the money to pay for the damages.

"I have an idea," Theia says from behind me. "I'll just attack Devin. That should stir the emotions she's strongest with."

Devin grimaces. "I don't think that's a good idea. You've seen what happens. She could have killed Kry."

I cringe slightly to think of such a ghastly, morbid option.

"I'm a titan. I can withstand a great deal. I think I can handle her," she says smugly.

"Then let's try it," I say hesitantly.

We walk back outside to see Kry, Ther, and Phillip - Devin's father- walking up with huge windows bound in cardboard boxes. The elongated boxes are propped over their shoulders, and the immortal men don't even act the least bit breathless, despite how heavy the windows have to be.

"What's going on?" Phillip asks casually.

"I'm about to provoke her emotions by simulating an attack on Devin."

Kry puts down the windows he's carrying as he cautions Theia.

"That's not a good idea."

She rolls her eyes, and now everyone is watching us. No pressure.

She throws her arms out, but Devin doesn't budge. Nothing happens at all. Suddenly, a loud noise erupts, and a ripple dives toward him.

I take a deep breath, but nothing happens. Devin is struck by the rippling force, and he flies backwards, digging his feet into the ground when he lands and driving up the disturbed soil.

He brushes himself off, but he's unfazed by the gentle attack. Theia purses her lips, and then she frowns.

"I don't understand. That should have stirred something."

"Nothing. I got nothing from it," I say in a huff.

"Perhaps I'm not the trigger we thought I was," Devin says with a little bit of a pout.

Then his face changes. Fear sparks and mingles with uncertainty. He flashes up to me with his incredible speed, and his hand holds mine.

"We're about to have company," he says in an eerie, whispered tone.

Everyone jumps on guard, but nothing happens right away. A slow fog creeps in from out of nowhere, and the clouds above us crackle. Devin pulls me behind him in a protective motion.

"That's not me," I whisper, my hands clinging to his waist.

Though I'm barely touching him, it's still distracting.

"I know," Devin whispers back, snapping me out of my accidental trance.

My heart leaps into my throat when I hear a woman's voice sounding out. "You're training her all wrong."

Kry whips out his circular blades just as the woman's silhouette presents itself inside the cloak of the fog, and then she emerges to reveal herself fully. She's stunning - early thirties maybe - with striking blond hair that drapes around her shoulders. Her sexy ensemble compliments her astounding beauty.

Kry flings the blades, but she dodges them with quick, effortless ease. She dusts her shoulder off as the blades travel through five trees. She doesn't flinch as the once gallant giants crash around her.

She jumps through the gap as one topples in front of her, and she continues her unwavering approach.

The blades return to Kry, and Ther pulls out a metal pole that he flings into a spiky whip. He starts to head toward the woman, but Devin stretches out his hand to stop him.

"What do you suggest?" Devin asks the blond temptress.

Does he know her?

"You have the strongest trigger in the world for a daughter of Aphrodite - her love. This is a rare first, and it's going to play well in our hands. You just have to learn to control her. You're her trigger, and you're her brake. I think you already know this, but you need someone to guide your approach."

Theia doesn't seem to know her at all, given her offensive stance.

"Who are you? How did you find us?" Theia asks.

The woman stops and smiles while staring directly at me.

"I always know where my daughter is."

Chapter 9.

The Breaking Point "What?" I gasp in terrified, traumatic disbelief.

Her eyes soften, and her fearless, badass persona lifts slightly as she stares at me with more guilt than I've ever seen one person hold. The thunder rolls fiercely through the sky and the lightning glistens high, threatening to strike.

Theia holds her hands up for an attack pounce, but Devin speaks gently to her.

"This is Adisia's storm. Not Persia's."

Persia? He knows her name?

My voice quivers as the pain inside me overflows into a raging ball of anger, and the rain pelts against my face when the horizontal winds slide it in under the overhang.

"You brought her here? You bastard! You can't stop hurting me!" I cry as I back up.

The thunder rumbles louder, and the lightning begins streaking to spark life into the ground. The rain pounds on the house, and the wind cracks against it and us as it hastens with violent ambition.

"I didn't. Adisia, I swear I didn't," he panics.

"You fucking know her name," my chimed voice blares to protest his lie.

Suddenly, Persia's voice is behind me.

"He saw me just before I got here. I can still avoid visions pretty well it seems," she boasts.

I turn to face her, and lightning crashes between us. She flies backwards, and I stalk toward her as the power consumes me. I'm not out of control either. It's just me, and I want this heartless bitch dead - cold in the ground for all she has done to me.

The lightning crashes again, but she pulls her hand up and deflects it. It crashes to the ground beside her instead of tearing her to shreds like I wanted it to.

She scowls as she throws her hands toward the heavens and screams at me.

"That's enough!"

Like I'm going to listen to her.

The lightning crashes against the ground beside her again, and her eyes swirl and spark with lightning before shading over with a mesmerizing green. The storm around us calms, despite the one still crashing around inside of me.

"You can control her?" Theia asks in disbelief as the skies clear.