by Jaymin Eve
Throwing it back in the bag, I pulled out the other suit. The black top had lots of crisscrossing straps, and while it wasn’t one I’d purchased either, it looked a little more solid than the red one. It would have to work.
I showered quickly and jumped out to slip on my bikini. It took me five minutes to figure out where all the straps went, and another five minutes to curse Ilia, because there was so much ass and side-boob in this getup.
After I pulled on a short white summer dress, I stashed the rest of my stuff on a shelf near the sink. My hair was long, the curls crazy, but I didn’t care. I was going to get it wet soon anyway.
When I emerged, the guys were all standing in the living room. All dressed in board shorts.
I faltered. Atlantean muscle. This was … I mean … all that…
“You ready, Maddi?” Axl asked, and I blinked. Even he was well built; not as bulky as his friends, but his shoulders were just as broad.
And all of them were inked across their right sides.
“Are these marks Atlantean?” I asked, needing a distraction. If I could stare at the designs versus the bodies underneath them, I might just make it through this swim.
“Yes, they’re marks from our royal lines,” Asher said.
“That’s why Asher’s is the crown,” Axl added. “Because he’s almost directly descended from the last ruler of his house.”
An abstract monochromatic crown filled the right side of his pecs completely. “Maybe I should get some ink too,” I joked.
Five sets of eyes ran across my body, and I swallowed roughly.
“Asher did our ink,” Rone said, breaking the tension. “He’s an expert in the language and the ancient symbols.”
I tilted my head, taking a closer look at the designs. They were breathtaking. Art in its finest form. I was beyond impressed that Asher was the artist, and now I had a very good idea of what I would ask for when we next bet.
I wanted Atlantean ink from Asher.
27
The food arrived soon after that, and we sat around a large table in the pool house. It had thick aqua cushions offsetting the dark wood frame. Breakfast consisted of fruit, pastries, and bacon and egg rolls. At first it seemed like a ton of food, but it disappeared so fast that I counted myself lucky to have snagged one small plate. Jesse, on my left side, had his plates arranged around him in the order that suited his mood, eating them in a neat, precise manner.
While we ate, I asked them all questions about their lives and families. I wanted to know everything. The guys gave Axl permission to reveal their backstory, and he was more than happy to oblige.
“Asher’s parents died when he was young … three or four,” Axl told me. “They were on an expedition in the Greek Islands, trying to find more Atlantean artifacts. Something went wrong. His father’s body washed up and they never found his mother.”
“They were murdered,” Asher added, his voice dark and gravelly. “I’ve spent a lot of years trying to unravel their last few days.”
Sympathy for Asher rose inside of me. He’d been so young when he lost both parents. It was devastating. And completely unfair.
“I understand wanting closure,” I said softly. “I hunted down information on my father, my adoptive father as it turns out, because I didn’t just accept my mother’s vague ‘he died from drug use’ answer.”
Turned out he’d died because he stole drugs. Something that his dealer was not too happy about.
“It’s fine,” Asher said, even though his face was telling another story. “Like I said, I barely knew them. And while closure would be nice, I doubt it’ll ever happen at this stage.”
There was a beat of silence, everyone caught up in the darkness, and then Axl continued, “Jesse’s parents are still alive and well, living in Germany. They work for one of the prisons as corrections officers, and they’re big-time into wine.”
I choked out a laugh, and Jesse shrugged. “He’s not even kidding. They own three wineries, and drink at least one bottle every night. They like to ‘sample’ the new season’s haul.”
I already liked them.
“Calen’s parents live in France,” Axl continued. “They own a little bakery there, and I can tell you, to my knowledge no one makes a better dessert than his mom or fluffier bread than his dad. I tried to calculate their recipes to the exact formula one day, but they use no strict measurements. It’s not calculable.”
Calen sighed, leaning forward to rest his chin on his hands. “I miss them. Mostly their food, but also just seeing them in person. I need to get back to visit soon.”
“Are they coming for Parents’ Day?” Asher asked.
Calen sat straighter. “Yes. Fuck. I completely forgot about that. The school is opening step-throughs from a few main ferry points, and I’m pretty sure the parents are catching one from Paris.”
“Parents’ Day? I asked.
“On May 10,” Calen said, “they open the school for parents to visit. They generally stay until after dinner, and then take the step-throughs back home.”
I forced a smile. Parents. Whatever would one do with those?
“I’m the product of two scientist parents,” Axl said quickly. “They’re pretty uninterested in me or anything to do with my life, but I understand it. Their minds are on the bigger picture. I don’t even know where they are; we don’t really keep in touch. But if I ever needed them, they’d be here.”
Sure, if he could track them down, since they apparently just fucked off and didn’t even bother to tell him. I got that Axl was practical and understood their reasons on a mental level, but emotionally it had to hurt.
It hadn’t escaped my notice that he’d left Rone for last, still hesitating as he started the vampire’s story. “I said it was okay,” Rone grumbled, waving his hand. “You’ve all accepted her as one of us, and I won’t bother to fight it until I know for sure she’s here to hurt us. For now, I’m reserving judgement.”
Axl eyed his friend, and then nodded slowly. “Rone has a similar backstory to you,” he said softly. “Adopted as a young child. His family were … not good supes. They were part of an evil clan that liked to prey on humans, feeding and killing at will. Rone refused, even when he was young and vulnerable, and they almost killed him.”
Rone shifted forward in his chair. “I escaped.” His voice could have frozen the pool it was that cold. “I was six years old, and I survived until the guys found me two years later. They were camping near Russia, in this huge forest, and they stumbled on my cave. My Atlantean blood called to them, and they came to find me.”
I could only imagine the things he had to do to survive at such a young age.
“They saved me,” he finished gruffly. “And I’m loyal to them, and only them.”
“I get that,” I told him, not even caring if he bit my head off for it. “My mother was an ice addict. She sold herself to the highest bidder just to get her next hit. She tried to sell me as well, but I was able to escape each time. Pretty sure it was my supe side influencing the human men. That was the only thing that saved me. She died when I was seventeen, and I’ve been on my own since then. Working dead-end jobs, because they don’t ask questions. Ilia finding me changed my life in ways I can’t even express.”
The air was heavy, charged with strong emotions, and I hated the mix of sympathy and anger across the faces around me. “How about that swim?” I said, changing the conversation. “I’ve reached my emotional limit.”
“Thank fuck.” Rone jumped to his feet. He moved so fast, diving into the water before I could blink.
Pushing my chair back, I ditched my sundress and was heading toward the pool when Calen sprinted around the table and yanked me up into his arms. “Put me down,” I shouted, smacking his shoulder.
He just grinned. “Gladly.”
He threw me so far into the pool that I almost landed in the middle. As the water closed around me, I opened my eyes and let my sight adjust. I hadn’t done that yesterday with Asher becau
se it was dark and I was somewhat drunk. But today, today I was back to my normal self, and I wanted to really feel the water.
Not only was it crystal clear under here, but I could sense various elements of the water itself. Like, it was salty, and not in the normal way of chlorine salt, but something that was much closer to the ocean. It was the cleanest pool I’d ever been in, with almost no chemical residue.
It felt like silk on my skin. How could I not have noticed this last night?
Asher, Jesse, and Axl appeared in the water around me. All of them circling closer. They were probably wondering what I was doing under here, just floating in the middle of the pool like a weirdo. But … then again, maybe they understood. If I was Atlantean, then these five were literally the only supes in this school who would understand.
Kicking gently, it took me a second to reach the surface and pop my head out. I wasn’t short of breath as I treaded water. “You have to be Atlantean,” Axl said the moment his head popped up next to me; his hair looked darker as it slicked back off his face. “I’ve never seen anyone just hover in the water like that except those descended from our people.”
“What line are you from?” I asked him.
“Jervania,” he said without hesitation. “Most of us are Jervania, except Jesse and Asher who are Corpinicus. You’re the only one we’ve ever met who might be Sonaris.”
“Yeah, most of Sonaris went down with the ship,” Jesse added, swimming closer. “They tried to save the land but perished before they could.”
I pressed my lips tightly together, working through my emotions. “I might not be Atlantean. I mean, my blood is saying no, so the magic user and fey thing … maybe it means something else. I mean, the magic fey mix that the Atlanteans were, that had to have died out many centuries ago. So how? I’m twenty-two. I’m definitely not from original Atlantis.”
The Atlanteans that existed now were diluted bloodlines, with different races mixed in. Only Asher showed signs of magic user and fey skills, and still not like what they’d seen in me.
Asher’s expression was closed off. “We can’t discount anything yet. You have the same affinity for water that we do. An affinity that drew the five of us together and has drawn me to you as well. We’ll figure it out, Maddi. There’s an answer close by, I can feel it.”
Part of me hoped he was right, because I was big enough to admit it…
I wanted to be Atlantean.
The more time I spent immersed in this world, the faster time passed. After my weekend hanging with the guys, I was a regular visitor to their house, and it was starting to feel like a second home to me. Nothing sexual happened between Asher and me again, with alone time rare, and somehow we fell into a friendship that was both fraught with sexual tension and teetering on the edge of inappropriate.
It was driving me crazy, but I hardly had any time to think about it.
There was always something happening in this school.
March 3, we had the vampire holiday, Fang Day. They hunted in the forests around the school, and I was warned not to leave the main part of the Academy in case one of them mistook me for food. Larissa was so excited that I almost wished I could go with her.
“You hate to hunt though,” I said when she expressed her glee. “You barely drink blood from a glass.”
She laughed. “Oh, I don’t hunt, but it’s just nice to have a day with my dad where he’s not working. Running this school is like three full-time jobs, and I love that he does it so well, but Fang Day is our daddy-daughter date.”
I sighed. “That’s maybe the cutest, creepiest thing I’ve ever heard.”
She winked at me, and I shook my head at the insanity of this life.
After that it was the Full Moon Party on April 14. Again, I was not allowed to leave the grounds, but the shifters held their party out in the back field, on the edge of the Academy grounds. Half of them were naked, the other half in nothing more than underwear as they danced and shifted and had all the sex they wanted under the full moon. The fact that a school would ever allow their students to do such a thing was fucking amazing.
All of us watched from Asher’s house, except Jesse—who was in the midst of the party. When he finally stumbled home in the early hours of the morning, he was covered in glow paint, glitter, and lipstick.
“Best. Fucking. Night. Ever,” he mumbled, and then he passed out at our feet.
“Holy shit,” I laughed. “I love this school. I hope I can stay here for at least the next fifty years.”
Calen laughed and draped an arm around me. I let him pull me closer, because we’d reached an understanding. He could be his normal jokey, sleazy self, as long as he never stepped over the line. The moment he did, I was going to remove his nuts and bronze them into a trophy for my shelf.
“If you want to drag your four years here out, stop studying for the exams.”
“Not a bad idea,” I said, only half-joking.
Asher stepped closer, wedging himself between Calen and me. My heart flip-flopped as our bodies pressed close.
“I have another lead on the library,” he said, his heat and energy burning along my skin.
Excitement flared inside. “Seriously? A solid lead?”
He nodded. “Yep. Found some paperwork in my parents’ stuff detailing a shifter demolition and construction team that was building something near the demi-fey Academy. Princeps Jones is going to smooth it over with their princeps and get us permission to explore there.”
“Okay, awesome!” I said. “That would explain why you haven’t been able to find anything here. It might have been in their territory the entire time.”
He nodded, his head moving closer to mine. My lips parted as I breathed in his scent, my body aching in ways that only Asher could create. But he never made another move. “You’re one of us,” he said softly, as if he’d read my thoughts. “I won’t fuck it up. You’re too important.”
I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to grab his shirt in both hands and pull him to me. I loved that they treated me like one of them, but at the same time, with Asher, it wasn’t enough.
This couldn’t last much longer.
28
On the first day of May, I had an appointment with Louis to reinforce my shield. I was nervous as I knocked on the princeps’s door.
“Maddison,” Princeps Jones said, turning away from where he was talking to a tall, blonde, stunningly handsome supe. “Please come in.”
I stepped inside and smiled, trying not to fidget. The other supe, who I vaguely recognised as Louis, strode over to me. “Maddison, it’s nice to finally meet you. How are you feeling?”
I smiled and swallowed roughly, forcing myself to act like a normal person. “Nice to meet you too. I’m good. The power is starting to destroy the block, I think. I can feel more heat in my center.”
He nodded. “Yes, I will reinforce that for you today, and then we can discuss the future.”
He’d been gone a long time, and while I knew he wasn’t spending all of it researching my situation, I hoped he’d learned something. “Did you find out anything about me? About my power?”
Louis’s eyes flared, and I realized they were almost a blue-purple. “I have no explanation for your power,” he said softly, his words leaving tingles of energy across my skin. It was no surprise that he was the most powerful sorcerer in the world; it vibrated with every word he spoke. “But it does rival my own,” he warned me, “and it was locked down for a reason. Until I figure out what that reason is, I’m worried about freeing it completely.”
I was disappointed. “Asher said he has a lead on the Atlantean library,” I offered. “We’re hoping there will be answers in there.”
Princeps Jones already knew this, and I wanted to keep Louis informed. I felt like at some point we might need either his help or expertise. Fangirl Ilia had told me he was over a hundred years old.
Louis’s eyebrows drew together. “Call me as soon as you find it. Information on Atlantis is very
scarce. That’s actually what I’ve been trying to track down … in-between other jobs for the American council.”
I nodded, understanding that he was a busy, important supernatural.
Louis continued, looking between Princeps Jones and me. “I’m worried about the recent surge in Atlantean activity. The Arterians appearing, Maddison’s unusual powers, and the whispers on the wind about gods stirring. My gut is saying that we’re running out of time. News has even reached Stratford, and since most American supes don’t remember the original Atlantis that’s telling me something.”
“I promise to contact you as soon as we find anything,” I said, worry taking hold of me. I hated that those Arterians were still out there. “Do you think we could try and lure the assassins out? I could leave the grounds again, with backup of course…”
Louis and Princeps Jones exchanged a glance, not at all surprised by my “genius” suggestion. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to risk you unnecessarily,” Louis finally said. “I can’t stay right now to help, and these Atlanteans are powerful and well trained. Find the library first, and then we’ll talk about the Arterians.”
I nodded, and Louis got to business, stepping forward, both hands held out. He paused just above my breastbone. “I’m going to need to touch you,” he said softly, his face kind.
I nodded. “Go ahead.”
His palms pressed to my chest, on the bare skin above my uniform, and the heat of his power surged into me, taking me by surprise. “It was very worn down,” Louis said when he was done. “You’re getting stronger. I’m worried that soon I will not be able to keep it at bay. When that time comes, you’ll have to leave with me. We’ll go somewhere far away, where you can’t hurt anyone, and I’ll train you to control the energy. I won’t let the power destroy you or anyone else, Maddison. I promise.”
