“You didn’t do anything wrong. I invaded your privacy. I touched—” Her cheeks pinkened. “I should be the one to apologize.”
He couldn’t stop the curve of his lips. “Do you really think I couldn’t have fought you off if I wanted to, princess?”
That sparked a brief smile. “I suppose you could have. Why didn’t you?”
“Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time. I want you pretty badly. That’s really my only explanation.”
“But why? I’ve been nothing but a bitch to you since we met.”
He slid his gaze over her, from the blond hair and striking violet eyes, over her slender, sexy dancer’s body to her purple painted toenails. “Maybe that kind of thing turns me on. Creates a challenge.”
“I don’t want to be anyone’s challenge.” She shook her head. “Don’t we have enough going on with the Mendukati trying to kill us? Is this really the time to start anything?”
“You’re right. We need to focus and eliminate the threat.”
She gave a nod. “Good. Then we understand each other. I’ll just leave you to it.” She headed for the bedroom door.
He darted in front of her and grabbed her wrist before she could reach the doorknob. She blinked, and he realized she had no idea of his physical capabilities, how they were greater than a normal man’s. She’d never really seen him in action, not at his full capacity. The delicacy of her wrist bones beneath his fingers reminded him of the differences between them. Once he finally did get her into bed, he’d have to be careful not to hurt her.
She looked up at him with a question in those stunning eyes. He could lose himself there forever.
“Adrian, you should let me go.”
“I should.” He nodded and brushed the pad of his thumb along her wrist. Smiled at the fluttering pulse he felt there. “This thing between us is powerful, Tess. That’s why it didn’t take much to push me over.”
She blushed again. “I never intended to push you anywhere.”
“You can’t ignore this, princess. It’s too strong. It’s preordained.”
“Preordained? What the heck does that mean?” She pulled her wrist free, and he let her.
“Talk to your mother,” he said.
“Are you crazy? Tell my mother about this?” She swept her hand toward the bed and the wadded up towel resting on it.
“Maybe not this exactly. Preordained, Tessa. Think about it.” He swept a lock of her hair behind her ear and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Stop treating me like a child.” She shoved past him and opened the door.
He pushed it shut again and leaned against it. “Stop acting like one. We’re consenting adults, princess. If we wanted to hump like rabbits, it would be no one’s business.”
“Smooth line. What happened to that silver tongue of yours?”
He smiled. “Let’s just say I lose all reason when you’re around.”
“Yes, you’re definitely crazy.”
“Talk to your mother.” He moved away from the door, and she darted into the hall.
Larina’s voice slipped into in his mind. You ready, A?
Two minutes, he responded and went to find a shirt.
* * *
Tessa stood in the hall for a moment. Her body throbbed, urged her to go back into Adrian’s bedroom and beg him to make love to her. Soothe the ache that was becoming a constant presence. The compulsion was nearly unbearable.
Larina’s door opened at the end of the hall. Tessa darted into her own room, right next to Adrian’s, and shut the door with a barely audible click. She leaned back against the sturdy wood, listening. Footsteps in the hall. A knock. The murmur of voices, then Adrian’s door shutting and more footsteps as Larina and Adrian headed out on patrol.
She sagged against the door. What in blazes was wrong with her? She wasn’t the type to throw herself at a man, especially not for quick and easy sex. Though to be fair, she didn’t think there was anything easy about sex with Adrian Gray. It promised to be very complicated indeed.
Then she realized she was actually contemplating having sex with Adrian. Maybe even planning on it.
She walked to the bed and sat on the edge, her mind whirling. This attraction exceeded anything she’d ever felt before, even for Luke, and she’d loved him desperately. Until he’d betrayed her, that is.
The familiar sting pricked the bubble of besottedness that surrounded her, and she clung to it. Yes, remember how that felt, to have the man you love betray you so completely. Not just your heart and body, but your very life.
She bent forward, covering her face as she made herself remember. Made herself relive every bit of the humiliating, menacing experience. Maybe if she kept those feelings alive, they would help her resist Adrian.
She forced herself to think of Luke’s face, to remember how his green eyes always made her feel all gooey inside. He’d been a new sales rep at her father’s company, a smooth operator with movie star good looks and lots of charm. Her naïve, just-out-of-college self had been easy pickings for him. She was barely twenty-one at the time, and Darius had been shot and left paralyzed, while Rafe had already departed for who-knows-where. Her parents were distracted with both Darius’s prognosis and trying to find Rafe, and they hadn’t paid much attention to what Tessa was doing. They probably assumed she was just fine working at her father’s company.
She’d fallen for Luke hard, so much so that at first the fact that she couldn’t read him hadn’t registered on her radar. When she did notice, her only thought had been that the fluke might make it easier to hide this delicious new romance from her sometimes-too-inquisitive family.
Even now, her own lack of self-preservation made her groan. Forget the whole True Seer of Atlantis thing; at the time she hadn’t realized there were any other Atlanteans but her family. She should still have remembered that her father was a very wealthy, powerful man, and she, his only daughter.
When Luke had lured her into his car, drugged her and handed her over to kidnappers in exchange for a large bag of cash, her heart had shattered, and any sense of self-esteem right along with it. By some miracle, her dad and the Team, his private, special-ops-grade security squad, had gotten her back before she was hurt.
They’d never found Luke.
To this day, she’d never trusted anyone she couldn’t read, with the exception of her own family. Not with the things she valued.
When Faith had first come to them, Tessa hadn’t trusted her for a moment. Tessa had done her best to protect Darius when he’d gotten involved with the ex-Mendukati agent, to make him see the danger. But Darius’s empathic power did work on Faith, and he knew she meant them no harm. In fact, she had been instrumental in taming the power of the Stone of Ekhia currently sitting in the vault, as well as locating the third one. That earned her points with Tessa.
Too bad the Mendukati had managed to steal that last stone. The Mendukati were all Atlantean, which meant Tessa couldn’t read them, and her powers of seeing past, present, and future didn’t work on them, any more than they had worked on Luke—
Her thoughts screeched to a halt.
Luke had green eyes, just like Faith. All Channelers had them. What if Luke was Atlantean, or even Mendukati? It would explain why Tessa couldn’t read him. Why he’d been so willing to hand her over to potential killers. Faith had said the Mendukati were made up of all Warriors and Channelers, since any Seers were immediately executed.
She sucked in a slow, shuddering breath. How was she supposed to recognize the enemy if her powers were blind to them? The mere thought of what could have happened sent a chill through her.
She’d promised herself long ago that she would only allow people close whose thoughts she could read. If their minds weren’t open to her, then she kept her distance. Except with Adrian. Though his easy self assurance had stuck in her craw from their first meeting, she’d accepted that her family needed him in their race to recover the three Stones of Ekhia. But the longer he was around, the m
ore drawn to him she felt, as if there were some invisible force drawing her to him. Some kind of weird bond …
Preordained.
“No,” she whispered. “No, no, no, no, no!” She jumped off the bed and darted from the room, tearing down the hallway at a run.
She had to talk to her mother.
* * *
Azotay arrived at the president’s private chambers, as summoned. The Warrior standing guard took one look at his face, most notably the thick scar stretching from ear to ear beneath his jawline, and paled.
“I wish to see the president,” Azotay said.
“Name and purpose, sir?”
“I was summoned. And my name is Gadeiros Itzal.” He leaned closer. “Though most call me Azotay.”
The guard swallowed hard at the infamous nickname and opened the door. “You may enter.”
Azotay gave a nod and swept past the intimidated guard and into the private suite of President Jain Criten of Santutegi.
Criten reclined on a lounge chair covered in pillows, a good-looking man in his early forties with fair hair and the green eyes of a Channeler. A scantily clad blond woman knelt beside his chair, her hands beneath the folds of his silk robe. Azotay barely glanced at her as he approached.
Surrounding the lounge were several healing stones of various sizes and colors, including two of the three Stones of Ekhia. Though he’d fractured his neck in a battle with the Seers less than two months ago, Criten had made an astounding recovery and was nearly back to full strength, due mostly to the round-the-clock healing of his Channelers and the added strength of two of Atlantis’s most powerful stones.
Imagine what miracles could be achieved with all three stones, Azotay thought.
“Ah, Azotay,” Criten said as he walked in, “I’m glad you’re here. Nilara, leave us.”
The shapely blond rose, withdrawing her hands from whatever seduction she’d been working beneath Criten’s robe, and headed for the door. She paused near Azotay, and only when she drew near could he see the fine lines around her eyes, the only indication of her age. “Hello, Gadeiros. I haven’t seen you since you got back.”
“Mother.” He allowed her to kiss his cheek. “I’ll see you at dinner later, if that works for your schedule?”
Nilara glanced over at Criten, who waved his hand with a nod. She turned back to her son. “I’d like that. Seven?”
“Fine.”
“See you then.” With a smile, she left them, closing the double doors behind her.
Azotay approached Criten. “It’s good to see you feeling better, Your Excellency.”
“This new stone has such pure energy, it’s accelerated my healing substantially. Good work acquiring it from the Seers. I hope you took some of them out when you did.”
“Unfortunately not. They had help, a Warrior named Adrian Gray.”
“Yes, I’ve met him.” Criten sneered. “I hope you dispatched the bastard.”
“I slowed him down long enough to obtain the stone, then came right here to bring it to you.”
“He lives?” Criten’s brows rose. “So unlike you, Azotay.”
“I wanted to get the stone to you, Your Excellency.”
“I see.” Criten steepled his fingers. “And the fact that this Adrian Gray is really your brother Atlas has nothing to do with your uncharacteristic mercy?”
Azotay stiffened. Of course Criten knew. Criten always knew everything. “Not at all.”
“Considering the amazing effect the stone has had on my health in the past week, I really can’t disagree with you.” Criten stroked a hand over his chin. “I met your brother in Las Vegas, did I tell you? Apparently he is Leyala.”
“He is,” Azotay said.
“Yes, he invoked Judgment on two of my guards, leaving them drooling idiots. I had to dispatch them, of course.”
“Of course.”
“And he said we’d met years ago. I suppose that was when your father was still on Santutegi—before the Temple of Mneseus picked up and left. We had to have been children.”
“Atlas’s association with the Seers indicates the involvement of the temple,” Azotay said. “I remember my father being obsessed with the Stones of Ekhia.”
“This makes things a bit personal for you, doesn’t it, Azotay?”
Azotay lifted his chin. “I will perform my duties as you command, Your Excellency.”
“Even if it means executing your father and brother?”
Azotay allowed a small smile. “It is my pleasure to serve.”
Criten laughed. “Ah, Azotay, I named you well. You are indeed the lash of my whip, and soon the Seers and that traitorous Warrior temple will feel your sting.”
Azotay bowed his head. “And through you, Atlantis will live again, in all its glory.”
“Tell me of your plan to obtain the last stone,” Criten said.
Azotay did.
* * *
Tessa found her mother in the rooftop garden, watering her plants. Maria wore a big floppy hat against the sun and gloves to protect her hands. She looked up as Tessa burst through the door from the house. “Hi, sweetheart.”
“Mom, you have to tell me the truth.”
Maria frowned and stood up. “Honey, what’s wrong? Did you have a bad vision?”
“No. I wish I could have a vision because then it might explain everything.” She locked her gaze with her mother’s. “Is Adrian Gray my destined mate?”
“Oh, dear.” Maria set down her watering can. “Did he tell you that?”
“No, and that’s the point. He didn’t tell me anything. No one is telling me anything about anything. Please, Mom, just give it to me straight, because I’m going out of my mind. Is he my destined mate?”
“What do you mean, you’re going out of your mind?”
“This is unbelievable.” Tessa threw up her hands. “Can’t you just give me a straight answer?”
“Yes.” Maria took off her gardening gloves and set them down on a nearby stone bench. “He is.”
“Wow.” Tessa plunked down on the bench. “That explains a lot. I think.”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s happening.” Her mother sat down beside her and reached for her hand. Squeezed it.
“Ever since I met Adrian, I’ve been ridiculously drawn to him. I don’t like him very much. He can be condescending. He calls me ‘princess’ in that snotty tone.”
“I never associated the word ‘snotty’ with Adrian Gray,” Maria said. “Then again, he’s always been lovely to me. And let’s face it, sweetheart, you can be quite imperious when you want to be.”
“I just wanted to … I don’t know what I wanted.”
“To put him in his place, maybe?” Maria smiled, amusement lighting her blue eyes.
“That makes me sound horrible.” Tessa shook her head. “But it’s probably true.”
“I suspect it’s part that and partly to keep him at a distance.”
“Yes, exactly. You know what I mean, Mom. I can’t … not after Luke.”
“Honey, that was years ago. Luke is long gone. You must know none of us would let anything happen to you.”
“Easy for you to say. You can read your mate.”
“Not really. I don’t have your gifts. Anything I get from your father, he either tells me directly or I feel through our link. I can’t pluck his every thought from his brain.”
“Oh. I assumed that’s what the mate link was.”
“Not quite. He can hear me if I speak to him telepathically, just as Cara can hear Rafe. Apparently that’s how it works with human mates. But other than that, well, a lot of our connection is from being married all these years.” Her lips curved in a smile. “For the most part, we’re just like human couples in that respect.”
“I don’t know how humans do it,” Tessa said. “How can they go blindly into a relationship when they can’t read the thoughts and intentions of the other person?”
“Trust.”
“That seems incredibly dange
rous. The other person might be lying.”
“Entirely possible,” Maria said with a nod, “but still, that’s how relationships flourish among humans—and Atlanteans, too, given we usually can’t read each other, either.”
“I don’t know if I can trust Adrian,” Tessa said. “I suppose I would trust him with my life, as he’s positioned himself in this war on the side of the Seers. But I don’t know if I could trust him with my heart. And I resent this mating bond forcing me into his arms.”
“Oh!” Her mother looked startled. “So the two of you have—”
Tessa shook her head. “Not exactly. Not yet.”
Maria let out a sigh. “I see.” She placed her hand over her heart. “I know you’re a grown woman, honey, and you’ll be making your own decisions. That includes very personal matters like taking a lover. Just know I’m here if you need me.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Tessa could feel heat creeping into her cheeks. “You’ve answered my question, I guess. Adrian Gray is my destined mate.”
“He is. I knew it the first day I met him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me then?”
Maria smiled and pulled on her gardening gloves again. “Everything happens in its own time, my daughter. Especially love.” She picked up the watering can and rose. “I’ve got to finish the watering before dinner. Lupe is off tonight, so we’re barbecuing. Your dad said around six.”
Humming, her mother turned back to her flowers. Realizing this was all she was going to get right now, Tessa turned back toward the house. She had one other resource to consult.
Cara, she sent telepathically, where are you?
Since Cara was human, she couldn’t respond telepathically with anyone except Rafe; however, Tessa was able to tune in on her future sister-in-law and get the image of the TV room and football. She must be watching the game with Rafe.
Meet me by the pool, she sent, and headed downstairs.
* * *
When Tessa got to the pool, Cara was waiting.
“Thank you for rescuing me!” Cara exclaimed, her honey-blond ponytail bouncing as she grasped Tessa’s hands. “Rafe had me watching the game. I love being with him, but I hate football with a passion.”
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