Atlantis Series Complete Collection

by Gena Showalter

  Indecision and frustration ate at him. Go? Stay? “I will go,” he finally said. He’d posted guards at the portal. The dragons would have to fight nymphs and females to get through. “Ready your men.”

  Layel nodded and rushed off.

  Valerian raced into his room and gathered the dragon medallion he’d tossed aside when making love with Shaye. He stuffed it in his pocket before hunting down Broderick, who had another contingent of armed warriors stomping through every room, questioning other nymphs and vampires. “I’m going into the city. Send a messenger if the women are found…whatever condition they’re in,” he added starkly.

  Broderick gave a stiff nod.

  Alone, Valerian paused and…cried. He wanted Shaye surrounded by a hedge of protection, wanted her back at his side, healthy and whole.

  He would trade his own life for hers. Gladly. Without hesitation.

  Stop blubbering like a baby. Go and fight for your woman!

  He grabbed the Skull and raced outside. The vampires possessed an unnatural speed. They would move much faster without him, and as much as he wanted to reach Shaye first, he would rather not hinder them.

  At the outer gates, the vampires had already gathered, preparing for the search. “Don’t let me slow you,” he told Layel. “Move as quickly as you can, and I’ll make my own way. Gather any human females you find.”

  Layel’s eyes glowed bright, vivid blue. “We will find her, Valerian. I won’t rest until we do.”

  Valerian turned away before he broke down a second time, just fell to his knees and sobbed. Loss wasn’t new to him, but this particular loss would kill him.

  “Go.” The single word was hoarse, scratching his burning throat. “Go.”

  The vampires leaped into action; one moment they were there, the next moment they were gone. Valerian entered the stable and mounted Henry the centaur. They raced around trees and quicksand, and he continually shouted Shaye’s name. Sometimes he paused to listen for a response.

  Finally he concluded she wasn’t in the forest.

  She wasn’t in the Outer City, either. None of the humans were, and none of the residents claimed to have seen them. He scoured every shadow, home, hill and valley until dusk. With every second that passed, his frustration magnified. So did his fear.

  Where was she? She wasn’t…dead. No, no. He could barely even think the hated word. He would have sensed it. As her mate, he would have known the moment death came for her, just as he’d known when his twin had died, all those years ago.

  He left Layel and the vampire army in the city with instructions to continue the hunt—they could see in the dark while he could not. Valerian returned to the palace.

  When he reached the gates, he dismounted and ran inside without a word. As he ran, he withdrew the dragon medallion from his pocket. The crystal door opened before him and closed behind him.

  The palace was eerily silent, his men nowhere to be seen.

  “Broderick,” he called. “Joachim. Shivawn.”

  He ground to a halt, the fine hairs on the back of his neck standing at attention. He sniffed, encountering the same faint scent from his bedroom.

  The dragons were here.

  Valerian quickly withdrew his sword from the sheath at his side.

  “Your men are otherwise occupied,” a voice said above him.

  Darius.

  Lips thinning in a fierce scowl, Valerian looked up. There, circling him from the second-floor parapet, was the entire dragon army.

  “What did you do with my woman?” he demanded.

  “By the time you discovered her missing, it was too late. We had already sent her home, nymph.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  “WAKE UP, SHAYE.” Shake. “Wake up.”

  Shaye heard the voice from a long, dark tunnel. Yes, she thought. Must. Wake. Up. Trouble was nearby. Trouble for her and for Valerian.

  Consciousness gradually worked through her mind, chasing away the darkness.

  “Wake up.”

  Slowly she cracked open her eyelids. Sunlight glared down at her, and orange-gold spots danced through her vision. Dry cotton filled her mouth. Sand and salt coated the rest of her. Her dress was stiff, as if it had been soaked and dried right on her. The sound of lulling waves greeted her ears, soothing, familiar. Yet…wrong. The smells weren’t right, either. Yes, she smelled salt, but not orchids or storms.

  “Valerian,” she called. Her throat felt raw, scratchy. “Valerian.”

  “Do you want the herb, honey? Someone. Help! Get me valerian root!”

  “No. I want the man. My man.” Her attention veered to the speaker. Her… “Mom?” She rubbed at her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’ve been haunting the beach since you were taken. Are you—” her mother gulped “—okay? Did they hurt you?”

  “I’m fine.” From the corner of her eye, she saw Ameena kneeling in the sand, dark hair hanging in tangles around her face. Dirt smeared her blade of a nose and the sharpness of her now gaunt cheeks.

  Shaye crawled to her. “What’s going on?”

  “I want to go back,” she said, never looking Shaye’s way. “I’d give anything to go back.”

  Go back… Understanding clicked. Yes. The dragons had invaded Valerian’s bedroom, had threatened to take her to the surface, wipe her memory, then had rendered her unconscious.

  Well, the memory wipe clearly failed.

  She hugged the woman and shoved to her feet. Her equilibrium was off balance, and she swayed. Her mom wrapped an arm around her waist.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Tamara asked.

  “Yes, yes. I’ll be fine.” Shaye massaged her temples to ward off the dizziness. She scanned the area. Other women were scattered across the beach. Some sitting up. Some still lying down. Others were walking around, frowning and obviously confused. “Ameena, help me talk to the others. Any who want to go back, we’ll try together.”

  When the world finally righted itself, she cataloged her surroundings. White-gold sand stretched as far as the eyes could see. Waves crested to the beach, leaving sea foam in their wake. The sun shone brightly, no hint of crystal.

  “I was here when you arrived,” her mom explained, realizing the direction of her gaze. “I’ve questioned everyone who awoke. Most can’t recall their own name, why they’re here, or even how they got here.”

  “There was a boat docked over there.” Her mom pointed to the right. “The men inside helped get you to the beach, but they didn’t know anything, either. I did see the initials OBI on the side, though, whatever that means.”

  “I still don’t understand why you’re here,” Shaye said, pinning her with a frown.

  Tamara’s expression contorted. “After you disappeared, the police arrived at the tent. They didn’t believe us when we told them what had happened. They laughed at us, said you girls had probably paid strippers to pretend a mass abduction. All I could think was that you were gone, I’d never see you again, and the last words between us had been harsh.”

  “I—” Shaye had no idea what to say. Her mother had never shown her such a vulnerable, repentant side.

  “I haven’t been the best mother. I know that,” the distressed woman rushed on. “And I know things will probably never be comfortable between us. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  Tears burned Shaye’s eyes as she wrapped her arms around her mom. “Thank you for that.”

  Tamara hugged her back, expelling a shaky breath.

  “So you’re happy?” Shaye asked her.

  “Now that you’re here? Yes.” Her mom drew back and wiped at her own tears with the back of her wrist. “I think Conner truly is the love of my life, and Preston seems to like me. They’re at opposite ends of the beach, passing out flyers with your picture and asking if anyone’s seen you.”

  Wow. For the first time in her life, her mother was acting like a loving mother. As if they were part of a real family But…she had a new family, too. “I have to go back, M
om.” She wanted—needed—Valerian. He probably thought she’d left him on purpose. If he wasn’t—No! She wouldn’t think of him as dead. He was strong, the strongest man she’d ever encountered. He would have gathered his army and defeated the dragons.

  “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 life?” 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.”