Page 102 of Heiress of Fire

Ron denied wanting this from her. At first, she hadn’t believed him, but she was beginning to fear that this was what Isaiah wanted of her.

Davina knew of many mothers and wives from Bellatorm who were happy with what they did, and it mustn’t be an easy job to be a housewife. Yet, she didn’t believe it to be the calling for her. She had to be out there, fighting in battle.

It was exhilarating to be able to slice her sword through the air as she overpowered the Predators. Each dead Predator brought her closer to having the privilege of slamming her blade into Raven’s black heart. Being able to do that was what gave her strength to get up from bed every morning.

She couldn’t be what Isaiah wanted her to be.

And as they walked home, she fought with herself to find a way out of this engagement before it became anything permanent.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Davina trudged into her green-colored home and closed the door quickly before Isaiah came up with another insufferable conversation. She was welcomed immediately by the intricately patterned flowers in every corner of the house she shared with Leilani.

Leilani had decided to take care of their new home’s interior design. The lamps and small chandeliers were a gift from Valerie, the wall lined with weapons was a gift from Caleb and Beacon, and the furniture was given to them by Cara through one of her father’s business contacts.

She felt a bit upset that she hadn’t done much to renovate the house, but they all claimed that she had already done enough with her portion of her money to buy the homestead. She still had a bit left of those coins but those were hidden in case of an emergency.

Davina was glad that she had a quiet space for herself for the first time in her life, but she couldn’t help but miss the irritating knocks from her siblings each morning. She missed the way they would ask her to execute justice whenever they had a silly little argument. Davina longed for those days when they would beg her to bake them pastries.

No, she couldn’t think about the past anymore. It was her birthday, she had to enjoy the day.

Davina found the kitchen lights dimly lit, yet no one seemed to be occupying the area. It was empty save for the large purple cake set over the white and black polished table.

The cake had three layers of lavender-hued frosting. Boxes with different colored wrapping paper surrounded the cake.

As her footsteps resounded across the glossy floorboards, several figures popped into view.

“Surprise!” they yelled.

Davina flinched as she pulled out a dagger from one of her sleeves. She stopped when she realized that she was aiming for Caleb’s chest. Caleb held a horrified look on his face as he realized he was her first target. She lowered her knife instantly.

“Davina!” Cara gasped.

“What the hell? I could’ve killed you all,” Davina yelled.

They awkwardly stalked from behind the counter.

“We’re sorry. We thought we might give you a good surprise for your birthday.” Leilani laughed as she pushed past Caleb and reached for Davina, embracing her with her earthy scent.

Davina closed her eyes as she enjoyed the peace of being hugged by her best friend after the troubles they’d been through.

“Happy birthday,” Leilani said.

Valerie walked toward them and hugged them both, making sure to squeeze tight. “We’re so happy you’ve made it this far.”

“Thank you, guys,” Davina said.

Valerie and Leilani parted to allow the others to grant Davina a hug. Caleb approached her. “Please don’t plunge a knife into my chest for getting this close to you.”

Davina chuckled as she faked pulling out another dagger. He jumped back with his arms covering his chest.

“It’s just a joke, Caleb, calm down.” She laughed.

They came. They hadn’t forgotten about her birthday. The Island Protectors had come in the middle of the night to surprise her. They had all come together to share her eighteenth birthday with her.

But a small part of her wished her mother was here to hug her.

Beacon came and engulfed her. “Happy birthday, kid.”

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