Harlow doesn’t have the answer either. But since we have different fathers we think it must be linked to who our mother is.
“You were amazing out there,” East says, coming up behind me, and wrapping an arm around my waist. “It was hot.”
“Literally,” Cal says.
“Too soon,” River adds, frowning. “People died in that fire.”
I swallow, reaching for River’s hand. It’s true—people were lost. It’s impossible to save everyone, even with special abilities. Nothing is perfect in this world.
We check into a motel, having nothing but the clothes on our backs and the shoes on our feet and cellphones in our pockets. The downside and the upside of moving as a wolf pack is that we travel light. “Someone is going to need to find a Target and get me some clean clothes,” I say as Cal unlocks the motel door.
“I’ll go and find some food while I’m at it,” East offers.
“Thanks, babe,” I say, and then I kiss him softly. “I’ll be sure to thank you properly later.”
* * *
I’m just stepping out of the shower as East returns with pizza and clothes.
“It smells so good,” I groan, wrapping a towel around myself as I walk into the room with two queen-size beds. River has the TV remote in his hand but lets it drop, patting the bed beside him, asking me to join him.
“I got your favorite, cheese and black olives,” East says as he opens a beer.
“Anyone hear from the boat recently?” I ask, opening the box of pizza and taking a slice before getting in bed beside River. Our feet are outstretched, and he immediately runs a hand under my towel. I giggle as he moves his hand between my legs, ignoring my question entirely.
“I haven’t,” Cal says, reaching for the phone charger East bought for us and then plugging in his phone. “But last week, didn’t Harlow say they were headed toward the Gulf coast?” He pulls off his shirt and slips out of his jeans. I think he’s going to head toward the bathroom to shower, but instead, he comes on the other side of the bed, beside me. His mouth is on my neck in seconds and a smile on my lips.
“Yeah,” I say, setting down my pizza. There’s no way I can eat if the guys are ready to play. “I just wonder if they are any closer.”
The TV is on a news station and I can’t help but listen as a news anchor mentions a freak wildfire in Nevada.
“Let it be for just one night,” River says as he undoes the towel and then kneels in front of me, pushing apart my legs.
“A fire, though, and Nevada isn’t far.”
“And you, my love, need your rest,” Cal says.
“Rest?” I ask, with eyebrows raised. “I thought you might want something else.”
East joins us on the bed, interest piqued. “You mentioned something about a thank you.”
“I certainly did,” I say, eager to enjoy my mates.
AFTER
I feel my daughter run, wild and free.
Her heart light, her power harnessed.
Anger replaced with justice.
No longer fueled by fury—her veins course with peace.
She is not alone; her mates are by her side.
I feel it, the all-encompassing strength that comes from the pack.
And still, after all this time, the memory of being so loved, so cherished, forces me to pause.
To weep.
How, after so many years, can the loss of a life make me feel so raw?
Will I ever heal?
I doubt it.
But you, daughters, you have a chance.
You have two sisters waiting.
Find them.
Run Wolf, Swim Siren.
Listen to the sky and listen to what’s below.
You are enough, and you are not alone.
Find one another, Daughters of Olympus, and then… come find me.
Their Phoenix
Daughters of Olympus Book 3
Before
Naively I thought I could have it all.
For some, love has limits.
But a mother’s love has no bounds. Do you feel it, Daughters?
The love I have for you?
You, sweet girl, were so small, so slight.
I could hold you in the palm of my hand.
Your eyes were dark but your heart was light, and I begged Gaia not to leave you alone.
You needed someone strong by your side. You were so weak, so fragile.
Have you found your strength yet, Daughter? You need it now, more than ever.
No one deserves to be alone in this world, but here I am, a prisoner.
Don’t become one too.
Break the cage; don’t let someone else swallow the key. Fly, Daughter.
Spread your wings.
It’s time for you to soar.
1
Lark
The audience gasps with excitement as I move across the stage. My fingers grasp the trapeze at just the right
moment and they exhale their relief. I never worry whether I’ll make the distance.
I’m the girl who can fly. It goes against the laws of physics, and yet it’s the truth.
I can’t, like, flap my arms and fly off into the sunset, but I can defy gravity for a few seconds or so at a time. When I jump from one part of the set to the next, I move through the air in a fluid motion that makes people do a double take.