“I have to go back,” she repeated.
“Go back where, exactly?”
She didn’t have time to explain. “Just...find Conner and Preston and tell them I’m okay. Tell Preston I’m sorry for the way I acted at the wedding. I’ll return if I can. If not, know that I’m happy and that I’ve found the man of my dreams, too.”
“But—”
“Trust me. Please.” Shaye gave her mom one last hug and moved toward the water. The rest of the women were awakening. Ameena had already spoken to a few of them.
Everyone wore different colored robes. Beachgoers probably assumed they’d come from a costume party, intoxicated, and gone for a swim.
“You ready to do this?” Ameena asked, moving to her side.
“Yes.”
“Me, too,” Brenna said, joining them.
“Anyone else?” she asked.
“Only three,” Ameena said.
Those three rushed over.
The others walked away, acting as if they had no idea who Shaye was. They probably didn’t.
Well. Their loss. Shaye had no desire to live without Valerian.
She loved him. She loved him with all of her heart. A heart she’d once thought too cold to care for anyone. But she couldn’t deny her feelings any longer. He’d melted her ice and left her with fire.
His love fed her soul, just as her love fed her soul. And his! He’d been right. Love gave, it didn’t take.
Fear had led her for far too long. But no more! Today, love took over.
Water lapped at her ankles, sand squished between her toes. Rising, rising, the cool liquid soon hit her calves, her thighs. If those dragons hurt her man in any way, she’d hunt them down and destroy them.
She swam as far as she could, all the women with her, then dived under the water. No luck. She had to come up for air.
Again and again she repeated the action. Hours passed, exhaustion settled in, but they never gave up their search.
“Why are we doing this?” Ameena panted as she treaded water beside her. “I... I can’t remember.”
“Atlantis.” Shaye swallowed a mouthful of salty liquid. “The nymphs.”
“The who?” Ameena’s face scrunched in confusion.
The same transformation overcame the others—except Brenna. She possessed an aura of determination, just like Shaye.
“I hate to swim,” one of the women said. “I’m going home.”
“Me, too.”
“This is stupid.”
“I don’t even know how I got here. Wasn’t I at a wedding?” On and on they muttered as they swam back to the beach.
They were forgetting, just as the dragons had promised, and Shaye was suddenly afraid of the same thing happening to her. Already Valerian’s face had begun to blur in her mind.
“I won’t forget,” she wheezed between labored breaths.
“We have to get back,” Brenna wheezed right back. “They need us.”
They swam under and up for an hour longer. By the end, Shaye felt as if she’d gained three hundred pounds of water weight. She could barely move.
Tears of frustration and fury streamed down her cheeks. If she didn’t return to shore, she would drown here. And she would take Brenna with her.
But the needed to try one more time to get back to...what was his name?
No! I won’t forget. Valerian. Yes! That was it. His name was Valerian, and she loved him.
“One more dive,” she told Brenna.
Brenna was gasping for breath, but she nodded. “Yes. I...need....Joachim.”
If they failed to find the portal this time, they would swim back to shore and try again tomorrow. Try every day until they succeeded.
When Shaye went under, the salt stung her eyes. But she pushed herself farther than ever before, while Brenna remained at her side.
Her arms and legs shook violently. Fish brushed against her. Her lungs burned. Brenna stopped moving, her hands and feet stilling, as if she’d lost all control of her body.
Shaye grabbed on to her and switched directions, angling upward—but it was too late. She’d pushed herself too far and didn’t have the strength to swim the rest of the way up. Especially with Brenna’s added weight.
She might have a chance if she released her friend.
No way was she releasing her friend.
At first she panicked, flailing, opening her mouth, desperate to fill her burning lungs with oxygen. She swallowed more water instead. Still she retained a grip on Brenna, doing her best to get them both to the top despite the obstacles.
A strange blackness, began to weave through her mind, thicker than any darkness she’d ever encountered. Then a flash of light sparked in her line of vision. A bubble floated in front of her, growing, growing, until it completely surrounded her and Brenna.
She spit out a mouthful of water and gasped for breath. Miraculously, she sucked in actual air. Wet hair clung to her face, but she didn’t brush it aside. Couldn’t. Too weak.
Was she dreaming? Dead?
She dropped to her knees in front of Brenna, who lay unconscious. She’d never performed CPR, but she’d seen it done and now mimicked the motions.
“Come on,” she panted. “Come on.”
After a long while of pumping and breathing for her friend, Brenna coughed up a river. Her eyes remained closed, but she, too, sucked in a breath of air.
Depleted, Shaye sagged beside her.
“Foolish human,” a deep, thunderous voice growled. “Why are you doing this? You nearly died, both of you. And for what?”
Her exhausted gaze circled the bubble. Water churned around it, but she couldn’t see a person—not inside or out. “Where are you? Who are you?”
“An insulting question. I am Poseidon, king of the sea. Obviously.”
Another king. The one who wanted to punish the nymphs. “Take me to Valerian,” she demanded.
He laughed. “A command from a human. Your sense of humor pleases me. Unfortunately, your lover is already dead.”
“No.” Fierce despair tried to sink sharp claws inside her. “No. He can’t be.”
Colorful sparks appeared just in front of her, solidifying into a male form. He was beautiful, more so than even Valerian. White hair framed an utterly masculine face. His eyes were as blue as the ocean, a liquid crystal, utterly hypnotic. They were almost neon, glowing, pulsing with energy and power.
“Valerian disobeyed the laws of Atlantis. He brought humans into the city.”
“He doesn’t deserve to die for that,” she snarled at him, trying to gather the strength to rise. She could only lie there.
Poseidon smiled at her, an amused twitching of his sensual lips. “I had forgotten how fierce you humans can be when someone you love is threatened. It is quite entertaining.”
“Take me to Valerian. Right now!”
He quickly lost his smile. “And now I remember how annoying it can be. Do you wish to die? With your every word, you are begging me to slay you.”
“Please.” She nearly curled into a sobbing heap. “I just want to be with Valerian.”
Poseidon studied her face for a long while before turning his attention to Brenna. His expression never softened. “I told you, he is already dead.”
“No. I won’t believe you until you’ve shown him to me. That’s right. Until I see him, I will continue to dive this ocean, continue to plague you.”
Silence. Even the water refused to make noise.
Then, “What would you give me if I allowed you to see him? To go to him?”
“Anything. Everything.” A huge black-and-white whale swam past them, its majestic body consuming the area. She watched in amazement as it lowered its head to Poseidon.
“Your own lif
e?” the god asked.
That wasn’t even a question. “Yes.”
He blinked in surprise.
“Have you never been in love?” she asked. “Have you never craved another person so much you would rather die than be without them?”
“No,” he admitted. “The concept is laughable at best.” Slowly he circled her, his hair like a curtain, ribboning in the air. His body was fluid, rippling like waves.
She maintained eye contact.
“I’m not evil, but to send you back into Atlantis and allow the nymphs to live will make me appear soft. My people will continue to break the law.”
Joy thrummed through her because, with his words, he’d confirmed the nymphs were not yet dead, that there was still time.
“Or,” she said, “they’ll think you merciful and sing your praises and be happy to obey your every whim.”
His eyes narrowed, but not before she saw sparks of pleasure flickering in their depths. “You think you are clever, don’t you?”
“I’d argue the word think.” Pushing too hard? Yeah. Probably. “I just want to be with my man.”
There was a long pause. “Watching one such as you battle with the nymph king could be amusing,” he said absently.
He wanted to be amused, did he? “I’ll give him nothing but trouble,” she promised. “I’ll turn his life upside down. I’ll create absolute havoc.”
As she spoke, Poseidon’s expression became more and more excited. Visions of the coming trouble were rolling through his mind; she could see it in his eyes.
“Very well,” he said, and there was relish in his tone. “I’ll allow you to reenter Atlantis.”
Her joy tripled, an avalanche of incomparable force. “Thank you, thank you so much. Brenna, too, right?”
“I suppose.” He sighed.
“You won’t regret this, I promise you.”
“However,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “I won’t stop the course I have set. I’ll allow the dragons to fight the nymphs. If the dragons win, and they will, for even now they have the nymphs at their mercy—a mercy they do not possess—Valerian will die and you will be forced to live in Atlantis without him. Because, by returning, I will never allow you to leave.”
She licked her lips, nodded. “Agreed.”
The bubble burst in the next instant, and water suddenly barraged her. She reached for Brenna but couldn’t find her. Water shot inside her nostrils, her mouth and lungs. A dark void closed around her, spinning her in every direction. Stars winked in and out.
Then, oh, blessedly then, the water was sucked away, leaving only a tunnel.
She coughed and sputtered as she fell, tumbling headlong into an abyss. She wasn’t frightened, though. She knew Valerian awaited her on the other end. Valerian. Her love, her life.
Impact! Her feet hit a solid foundation, jarring her all the way to her bones. She swayed, but managed to right herself and crack open her eyes.
Never had she seen a more welcome sight. The stark walls of the cave closed around her, crimson-stained, decorated with those beautiful murals. Cool air slithered from every corner.
Home. She was home.
She heard a moan and glanced down. Brenna was sprawled out and just opening her eyes.
“We did it,” Shaye told her. She couldn’t stop grinning. “We did it.”
Eyes lighting, Brenna eased to her feet.
The sound of angry male voices suddenly hit her awareness, and she whipped around. The nymphs must have been placed in the cells.
Trembling, she motioned to Brenna to be quiet, and her friend nodded.
Just in case dragons were guarding the area, she sneaked along the walls. Brenna tiptoed behind her. They remained in the shadows. Leaning forward, she peeked at the cell. It was overcrowded, positively bursting with nymphs. She looked for Valerian but didn’t see him. Still, she didn’t allow herself to become upset. He was here, and he was alive. She knew it.
There was a single dragon guard, probably because the fewer men outside the cell, the fewer who could be tricked into opening it.
Game time.
Shaye picked up the largest rock she could find and mouthed for Brenna to run for the cell and free the men on her signal.
Eagerness danced through her as she silently held up her fingers. One. Two. Three. In unison, she and Brenna burst inside. Shaye managed to surprise the guard—three cheers!—and smash his temple with her rock.
He roared, but he didn’t fall. At the same time, Brenna grabbed hold of the bars. They misted and the nymphs immediately surged out, toppling the guard.
“Brenna!” a male voice shouted.
Brenna squealed happily and rushed forward. Joachim wrapped his big arms around her.
Shaye searched for Valerian. He’s here, he’s here, he has to be here. The crowd of nymphs was parting, but she didn’t see him.
“Valerian? Valerian!”
Where was he?
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“VALERIAN!”
He heard his name being called, and his stomach clenched with joy. Shaye’s voice. His head shot up; his mouth fell open. “Shaye? Where are you?” Before the last word left him, he spotted her in front of the cell.
He leaped up, their gazes locking.
A grin split her entire face, jubilant. Radiant.
“You came back.” He pushed past his men. Tears burned his eyes—and he didn’t care. He ordered Broderick to free the nymphs from the other cell, but his man had beaten him there.
She threw herself into Valerian’s arms.
He kissed her and nipped at her chin. “I thought you were lost to me.” His voice shook.
His arms tightened around her, lifting her feet off the ground. She wound her legs around his waist, kissing him with the same ferocity.
“I promised to stay, didn’t I?” she said.
He breathed deeply of her scent, letting it fill him, strengthen him. “I’d planned to come for you. I was going to help my men retake the palace, then go to you. Live with you up there. One day with you would be better than a lifetime without you.”
“I love you, Valerian. I love you so much. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Sorry I let fear—”
He squeezed her so tightly she couldn’t finish her sentence, could only laugh. “I love you so much, my sweet moonbeam. I’m still in shock you came back to me.”
“I’ll always come back to you.”
“What of the others?” Broderick had completed his mission and strode over. “Did they return, as well?”
“No. Only Brenna and me,” Shaye told him as gently as possible. “I’m sorry.”
Broderick gave a stiff nod.
Valerian faced his men—without releasing Shaye. He wasn’t ready to let her go, couldn’t stop touching her.
“As your queen, I’m ordering you to reclaim our palace,” Shaye said before he could speak.
Several of the warriors smiled at her.
Valerian flicked her a grin of his own. “That’s right.” He placed a kiss on Shaye’s soft lips, lingered far longer than he should have, savoring her taste, then sighed.
“Where are the vampires?” Broderick asked. “They could help us.”
“I sent them into the city. By the time they returned, the dragons had already regained control and barred them from entry.” His stare became hard, penetrating as he peered down at Shaye. “I want to leave you down here.”
“No,” she said. “No way.”
“Shaye.”
“Valerian.”
“She’s queen,” Broderick said, clearly entertained. “You won’t be able to command her.”
Valerian sighed. “Promise me you’ll duck and hide when the fighting begins.”
“Promise,” she said. “I’m not looking to get hurt. Just looking for an opportunity to help if possible and if necessary.”
His hand closed around hers. He loved the feel of her. “Men, we go in hard, and we go in fast.”
“Like Broderick does with his women,” someone joked.
Male chuckles abounded.
“Where’s Shivawn?” Brenna asked.
“No one has seen him,” Joachim replied, hugging her closer. “He probably left the palace before the dragons arrived, sleeping off the night’s excess in the city.”
“Just...try not to kill the dragons,” Shaye said. “They could have killed us—and you—but they placed us on the surface unharmed and only locked you away. You owe them the same consideration.”
“My mate is very wise,” Valerian said. “Listen to her.”
After confining Valerian and his army inside the cells, Darius had looked him in the eyes and said, “I’ve been ordered by Poseidon to execute every nymph who journeyed to the surface...before killing everyone else. Perhaps I bring his wrath upon my own head, but I don’t think your race deserves annihilation. You will remain here until I decide what to do with you.”
A man of his caliber didn’t deserve to die. No matter how much Layel despised him.
As quietly as possible, Valerian crept up the stairs, Shaye behind him, the army behind her. They were without weapons, yet they were determined. This was their home, and they weren’t giving it up.
When they reached the top, Valerian softly ordered everyone to split.
Lines of men branched in every direction. Joachim had kept Brenna with him, as well, Valerian noticed. Couldn’t tolerate a moment away from her?
Know the feeling.
Surprise was their biggest advantage right now. Their footsteps tapped lightly, barely echoing from the walls. Torches glowed, heating the air and lighting their path.
“This way.” He led his contingent into the dining hall.
A group of dragons came into view. They stood at the table, discussing their best course of action.
“Kill them and be done with it,” someone growled. “I don’t wish Poseidon’s wrath upon my family.”
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