Atlantis Series Complete Collection
Page 75
“Escape. This again?” A woman named Tiffany tsk-tsked. She leaned against one of the bars. “Please tell me you two aren’t trying again. If you are, at least wait until everyone is sleeping and you have a chance of success.”
“I still don’t understand why you’d want to escape, anyway.” The redhead who’d left Valerian’s room that very first night stepped forward, unabashedly joining the conversation. “He’s the best lover in the history of ever. I polled my body parts and they all agreed.”
Well, well. Here was one of those testimonials Valerian had considered giving her.
Shaye’s hands fisted as…yes, oh, yes—as jealousy speared her. There was no denying it or convincing herself another emotion was at play.
Diamonds were a girl’s best friend until Valerian happened.
“I still dream about him,” another woman said. Her blade of a nose gave her a regal air. She sighed dreamily. “Does he ever speak of me? I’m Ameena, by the way.”
Shaye’s teeth gnashed together as images of Valerian and Ameena—naked and straining—consumed her mind.
Jealousy was new to her, and she wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with it. “No,” she said. “He hasn’t mentioned you.”
“Oh.” Ameena’s shoulders sagged with disappointment. “Let me know when he tires of you. I give the best ‘get over her and get under me’ blow jobs.”
When, she’d said. Not if.
I will cut first and ask questions never!
But…if Shaye were being honest, she’d admit she feared the same.
How long would Valerian remain interested in her?
Would she lose him soon after he awakened desires that she’d thought buried?
How long until his eye began to rove in search of someone else? Someone sweeter and more biddable?
He was a nymph, after all, and commitment had never before been his jam.
But he hadn’t yet met me.
I’m a novelty, that’s all.
Valerian would tire of her at some point. Already he’d expressed dissatisfaction with her. She complained, never praised.
A fair criticism.
Let’s face it. Everyone she’d ever loved had either abandoned her or disappointed her so massively she had never recovered. No one stuck around. No one had ever wanted to work at the relationship.
Yet here she was, falling for Valerian and giving him more of her heart than she’d ever given to another.
Her first instincts had been right. She needed to leave him.
The pang in her chest said only one word: stay.
Clinging to hope, like a fool.
Well, it was time to destroy that hope once and for all!
“What makes you so certain he’ll tire of me at all?” What did these women see when she and Valerian interacted?
Ameena shrugged. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but he’s a king and you aren’t exactly queen material.”
There was a right way to take that?
A dozen new cards took shape in her head. All of them about breaking up.
It’s not you, it’s me. I’ve finally realized you’re terrible for me.
Don’t cry because the relationship ended. Laugh because your ex is now someone else’s problem.
Remaining friends after a breakup is like keeping your dog after it dies. FYI we’re done.
It’s better to love and lose than to live with your scum of an ex.
I almost can’t get over how easily I can get over you.
Shaye shook her head to dislodge the rest. Before rage overwhelmed her.
Brenna latched on to her wrist. “If you’re thinking about catfighting her, don’t. I don’t have the tools to patch her.”
Deep breath in…out. In, out.
Ameena flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Please. I’m not to be harmed. My man—”
In a lightning-fast movement, Shaye hooked her foot behind her knees. At the same time, she shoved the girl backward.
Between one blink and the next, Ameena dropped.
She lay on the floor, blinking up at the ceiling with confusion.
Shaye pressed her foot against the woman’s vulnerable throat. “What your man orders has no bearing on this situation. My word will always trump his. Just ask Valerian. Better yet, don’t. You won’t even mention his name without first requesting my permission.”
Ameena turned pallid.
Point made, Shaye removed her foot. She scanned the cell’s occupants and everyone looked away as if suddenly fascinated with the walls and one another.
Enough. She’d had enough.
Determined, she whispered to Brenna, “This is our best chance for escape.” The ache in her chest intensified, but she ignored it. “Are you with me?”
Indecision played over Brenna’s lovely features. She nibbled on her bottom lip and wrung her hands.
Finally she nodded.
Good. That was good.
Shaye pushed through the crowd, stopping at the bars. Still thick, about the width of a baseball bat, still bright and blue. They were also hot to the touch, she realized as she curled her fingers around two. Not hot enough to blister, just enough to burn.
She tried to rattle them, but they didn’t move. How had the warrior caused them to turn to mist?
She replayed the goodbye kiss Valerian had given her—no shivering! Valerian hadn’t had to push a button or use a key to allow her to step into the cage. But, once she’d stood inside, another warrior had waved his hand through mist. That’s right! The bars had first become mist. With that wave of his hand, he’d caused the bars to solidify again.
Was an outside touch required? Or had the warrior worn some type of sensor?
Only one way to find out.
“I have a plan,” she told Brenna.
Head high, she strode over to Ameena. “You want to get rid of me, then you have to help me.” She explained what she wanted the woman to do.
Ameena’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits. “You’re trying to get me into trouble.”
“No, I’m giving you a chance to get rid of me.”
“So you plan on leaving Atlantis?”
“Not all of us are happy being sex slaves.” Again Shaye’s chest throbbed. “But yes. I am.”
“In that case, helping you will be my pleasure.” Ameena sashayed her way to the front of the crowd. She gripped the bars, smiled sweetly, and called, “Terran, you look so handsome today. I could just eat you up.”
He grinned over at her, hungry yearning in his eyes.
“You look handsome, too, Dylan,” Ameena added, playing her role perfectly. “Your muscles are so big. May I feel them?”
Both men trudged toward her as if pulled by an invisible cord. What they didn’t do: reach for her.
Shaye kept her attention divided between the men and the bars, ready to exit at a moment’s notice.
Amenna whispered throatily, “May I lick your neck, Terran? Please. I have to taste you.”
He didn’t even think of denying her. “Of course.” He gripped the bars and leaned into Ameena’s waiting lips.
In that moment, the bars turned to mist.
“I want to lick you, too,” another woman said.
The entire group surged forward, exiting the prison. Everyone but Shaye and Brenna focused on the two guards, capturing the pair.
Well. The dragons could learn a thing or two. Want to defeat the nymphs? Offer a sexual favor.
Shaye easily and silently slipped away, Brenna beside her. They tiptoed into a section of the cavern.
“All right. Time to return to the cell.”
Moans and groans.
“I mean it! Return to the cell. Please.” Amid the guards’ now-frantic pleas, she and Brenna rounded the corner.
Guilt flared. Before Valerian, sneaky hadn’t been her style. But that’s what she was doing right now. Sneaking away without saying goodbye. As if he meant nothing to her.
He’s something. He’s heartbreak waiting to happen.
Shaye shivered from the cold—not from regret, she assured herself—and wrapped her arms around her middle.
“I can’t believe how easy that was,” she said. But she didn’t take another step.
Brenna didn’t respond.
She faced her partner in crime—who was twisting her hands together, her expression tortured.
“What’s wrong?” Shaye asked.
“Joachim and Shivawn…they need me.”
Ah, crap. The nymphs had brainwashed another one. If Brenna backed out…
“Joachim is healing nicely. You said so yourself.”
Brenna bit her lip. “But Shivawn…he’s so sweet. He would rather die than hurt me. He keeps me safe.”
Understanding dawned. At some point in her life, Brenna had been abused. She’d probably shut down sexually…until the nymphs awakened her desires.
I know the feeling.
Desire alone wasn’t the reason for her reluctance. Safe, she’d said. She felt safe. A heady feeling instead, for someone who’d gone any amount of time without it.
Expelling a sharp breath, Shaye pushed a hand through her hair. “You really want to stay with our captors?”
A moment passed in silence. Without any kind of reaction. Then Brenna nodded. “I think I do. I’m ready to face my fears at long last. No, not ready. We’re never really ready for anything, are we? I will face my fears. I hate the life I’ve been living and want a better one. The only way to have change is to make change.”
Wow. Talk about a punch to the throat!
Shaye had thought herself content. Until Valerian. He’d opened her eyes to the truth. She’d settled. She’d settled for half a life because it was easier than risking her heart for a full one.
But here she was, running again. Running away from him and the things he made her feel. All because she feared he would one day grow tired of her.
What if he didn’t?
What if he meant what he said—she was his one and only, now and always?
What if Valerian was injured during the battle with the dragons? He would need her.
What if he was killed? If she left now, she would never know his fate.
What if she stayed and he fell deeply, madly in love with her?
Her heart fluttered with…longing?
But…she didn’t believe in love, right?
Love wouldn’t be temporary. Love wouldn’t allow someone to hurt another person. Love…
Maybe wasn’t what she thought it was?
Like, maybe she’d never actually seen an example of real love. Maybe her mother and father had waxed poetic about lust not love.
Shaye bowed her head and stepped back, away from the portal. “I’m not ready to leave him,” she admitted, her voice breaking. He was right. He’d said she would forgive him for abducting her, and she had.
Not that she was okay with his actions. She wasn’t and wouldn’t be—ever. What he’d done was wrong. But they’d both made mistakes, and she could finally see past his.
Brenna patted her shoulder, a show of solidarity.
She rubbed a hand over her eyes and pushed out a frustrated breath. “I’m afraid,” she whispered.
“Of what?”
“Of falling for him, giving up everything to be with him, and then losing him.”
“If we do not let go of the past and grasp onto the future, we will regret it for the rest of our lives.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right” She licked her lips. “And these men could use a queen. I mean, already I can think of a million laws I need to put into motion.”
Snorting, Brenna banged her shoulder with her own. “You’re doing Valerian a favor, really. Fixing his kingdom.”
“I’m a giver.”
They shared a smile.
“Ameena is going to be ticked,” Brenna said.
“Well, she’ll just have to get over it.”
They shared another smile.
“I don’t want to go back to the cell,” Shaye said. “Do you?”
“No.”
“We can’t go into the palace, though.” Valerian had asked her to stay down here, so stay down here she would. She wouldn’t play the dumb card and inadvertently distract him, placing him in unnecessary danger. Nor would she allow herself to fall in enemy hands, thereby giving the dragons the advantage.
Sighing, she led Brenna through the cave and into the cavern next door to the cell. “We can stay here.” The guards wouldn’t hear them, the drip drip of water too loud.
Wouldn’t Valerian get a nice surprise when he came to get her, and she wasn’t in the cell? The thought of thwarting him, however slightly, made her want to laugh.
If he survived.
Record scratch.
Time ticked by with agonizing slowness. She spent a good portion of it studying the cave walls in an effort to distract herself.
She traced her fingers over the image of a muscled male body. “The details are exquisite, aren’t they?” Something caught her eye, and she examined it more closely.
Realization smacked her, and she gasped. She motioned her friend over. “Brenna, come look at this. They tell a story.”
The first picture showed a group of…gods? They were sitting high above an empty world, looking down upon it. The second picture showed a world filled with terrible monsters born from rivers of blood, water and fire. In the third, those monsters were being thrown into an underwater prison. She saw a portal—the portal.
No. She saw two portals.
The pictures went on to show a human army marching through one of the portals and slaying every creature in its path.
Those humans carried swords and guns, an odd combination of past and present. Perhaps two different armies had marched through the land at two different times, but the images had coalesced into one?
Several of the monstrous races rose up in retaliation and destroyed the human army.
“The violence,” Brenna said.
“Yes.” What a brutal place Atlantis was—or rather, had been forced to be. Did she really want to stay here, even for a little while?
Valerian’s face swam into her mind, reminding her of exactly how beautiful he’d looked when he’d been poised over her, about to enter her. His honey-dark hair had fallen in disarray over his strong shoulders. His crystalline eyes had gleamed with molten desire.
Yes, she thought, she wanted to stay here. Despite the violence, despite the circumstances, she wanted to stay with Valerian.
The corner of her eye snagged on a particular grouping of rocks on the far wall.
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing.
Brenna’s brow crinkled.
In unison, they moved forward. The closer they came to the grouping, the chillier the air became.
A tremor racked her spine. Once they reached it, she realized it was a hidden doorway.
She gulped and looked to Brenna. “Should we?”
“No. Definitely not.”
“I think I’m too curious for my own good. I’m going to check it out.” Heart racing, Shaye pushed and prodded until the block had been moved out of the way, and suddenly she stood on the precipice of a dark abyss.
The shuffle of feet pricked at her ears.
Who did Valerian have locked inside?
The first day she’d entered this cave, she recalled how he’d discussed “prisoners” with one of his men.
Curiosity propelled her deeper inside, and she slowly inched around the corner. Torches came to life, lighting her way. Her eyes widened. Several hulking warriors paced inside a cell. They didn’t look to be nymphs, for they lacked that air of raw sexuality. They were dark and strong, obviously young, and all had golden, glowing eyes.
One of them spotted her and growled.
She jerked backward with a gasp.
“You,” he said. “Let us out of here. Please.”
Soft hands suddenly shackled her wrist. “We don’t know what these men have done,” Brenna said. She’d followed Shaye inside.
They exited the room without another word.
* * *
HAD SHE MADE THE right decision?
Brenna had opted not to escape in order to stay with not one but two different men. Men who were possessive and from what she’d seen, disinclined to share. Ever.
She’d never dated two men at once.
Is that what I’m planning to do? Date Shivawn and Joachim at the same time?
Ethan had cause brain damage. Clearly.
Shaye returned to their little room, and her cheeks were pale.
Brenna had spent more time with Shivawn but had never dared to let him kiss her. She’d barely spoken to Joachim, had run away every time he’d tried to start a conversation, but the desire to spend more time with him was undeniable—but only if Shivawn stayed with her. He would protect her. Just in case.
Just in case what?
If she was worried Joachim had a temper, she shouldn’t be with him at all.
“I should pick one,” she said.
Shaye patted her hand, offering comfort without judgment, something Brenna liked about her. The former maid of honor was her cousin by marriage, and at the wedding, Brenna wouldn’t have guessed they would ever be friends. Shaye had scowled the entire ceremony. Her misery plus Brenna’s misery, well, two wrongs would never make a right. But the past was the past—a lifetime ago it now seemed.
“I know nothing about love,” Shaye said. “Are you in love?”
“I don’t know.”
Her shoulders dropped. “I was hoping you could give me advice.”
Brenna snorted. Then, sobering, she said, “I was in an abusive relationship.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I was too afraid to leave. He’s in prison now for attempted murder.” And rape, and a handful of other charges. “I don’t want to make the same mistake.”
“Well. From what I know of Valerian, he would kill his men for harming a woman.”
“If he found out. Some bruises can be hidden. But…I don’t think either man would hurt me. But then, I didn’t think Ethan would hurt me, either.”
“You remind me of me! I want to trust Valerian, but fear keeps changing my mind.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Can you imagine yourself with one of the guys forever?”