Atlantean's Quest Volume 2

by Jordan Summers

  The hot water rained down upon her head, washing away her thoughts, if only momentarily. Her body ached in places she didn’t even know she had muscles in. Brigit begrudgingly admitted it was a good ache. Too bad great sex didn’t excuse lying.

  She needed to find Rachel and Jac. Unfortunately, there was only one place they could be located. The jungle. Maybe Orion would lead her to their location. If she found out that he had anything to do with Jac’s and Rachel’s disappearance, she’d hit him—hard.

  Brigit shivered and picked up the lavender soap and began lathering her body. The more she thought about the situation, the more she realized she needed to play it cool. Act casual. Her heart flipped at the thought.

  “Get over it,” she gritted out under her breath. You just met him, you can’t be in love with him. Her chest clenched in protest. She needed to push aside her feelings and focus. Jac and Rachel were depending on her. She didn’t want to tip Orion off or she’d never find her friends.

  So they’d had a bit of fun. Nothing earth-shattering, even if it felt that way. She could cut her losses if necessary. Guys did it all the time. While she finished showering, Brigit constructed a plan. They’d get dressed and rush straight to one of the conference rooms for an after-party. She’d wait for him to leave. With any luck, he’d lead her to her friends. If not, she knew where she had to go.

  Following Orion would require that she leave the conference early. Brigit was okay with that. She just prayed he didn’t catch her.

  Her conscience pricked her. Why did it feel wrong to spy on him?

  Under the circumstances, Brigit didn’t think should. It was logical and levelheaded, so why was her heart threatening to break?

  * * * * *

  Orion couldn’t move or refute Brigit’s claims of subterfuge. He could barely breathe when he spied the redness between her pale quivering thighs. He vaguely remembered saying the words of binding and feeling the link pop into place. It was as if he were no longer in control of his actions. The next thing he remembered, he was stroking in and out of her.

  Upon joining, Brigit’s emotions invaded his mind. He’d shared her hopes and dreams, experienced her fears and saw the boundless love she hid deep inside of her. He had no idea why he’d performed the ritual. It was as if the great Goddess herself forced the words past his numb lips. He’d had no choice but to say them, binding their hearts together for an eternity. Or that was what he would like to believe, but Orion knew better. Even now he could feel the bond between them growing in strength. Soon they wouldn’t be able to stand to be apart for any length of time without suffering discomfort.

  The second he’d slipped his ringed cock inside Brigit’s warm quim, Orion had felt as if he were home. After that, linking had simply been a formality. Her body was everything he’d imagined and more. Her soft cries still filled his ears while the delicate scent of their lovemaking permeated the room. Orion could still taste Brigit upon his lips. The sensation brought a groan from deep inside his chest to the surface. He hardened, already wanting her again.

  His insatiable need for her didn’t change the fact that linking oneself to a human was tantamount to insanity. Look what it had done to his brother, Ares, and King Eros. They behaved like besotted fools, catering to their women’s needs above their own. It went beyond embarrassing.

  The Queen and her friend, Jac held the men’s cocks firmly in their dainty hands. Orion shuddered at the thought. No woman would ever hold him in such a manner. He and Brigit could not be bound. He’d just have to explain to her that there had been a mistake. Yet, the damning evidence he’d seen, left little doubt that’s what had occurred.

  Cassandra’s call interrupted his thoughts and reminded him that he was way off schedule with this mission.

  What in the name of the Goddess had he done?

  Before he could answer that question, the bathroom door crashed open and Brigit stood in the frame with a white towel wrapped firmly around her body. His thoughts scattered from his mind like Zaronian leaves in the wind. His eyes feasted upon the sight of her exposed ivory-colored skin. Her red hair was damp and lay pressed against her forehead, feathering her delicate shoulders like the wings of a bird.

  Orion cleared his throat to find his voice. “Are you well?”

  Brigit stiffened, then gave him a half smile, before walking across the room to the container that held her clothing. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be? How are you? Ready to go?” The words fell out of her mouth in rapid-fire succession.

  Orion had no idea what Brigit talked about, but he hadn’t missed the change in her demeanor. She’d realized the mistake their joining had been, too. He should be happy. He ignored the sudden discomfort in his chest.

  Sensible and beautiful, she was the perfect woman. What was he saying? There was no such thing as the perfect woman. He’d mated out of instinct and to continue his bloodline. It mattered not that linking couldn’t occur without the existence of a true-mate.

  She dropped the top half of the towel, but didn’t turn to face him. The material pooled around her slender waist, exposing her delicately sloping back. Orion found himself wishing that he could get one more glimpse of her rosey nipples. Brigit shimmied, pulling clothing into place before allowing the towel to drop further.

  “There is no need to hide yourself from me. I saw your form only moments ago.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, well, that was then, this is now. I need to get dressed.”

  Orion didn’t say anything more. He refused to acknowledge how much her sudden coolness affected him. This was what he wanted after all, a quick joining to relieve tension, nothing more. He’d delivered the message. It was her choice whether to believe it.

  Now he could move on to other women and Brigit could seek other men. The second the thought formed, rage engulfed Orion and he snarled. How dare she hide herself from him? How dare she seek other men to assuage her need? Did she not understand she was his?

  He stopped, his heart hammering in his chest as the words reverberated in his mind. His entire body shook with unremitting anger. It took him a few seconds before he could focus. He released an unsteady breath. Orion’s lip curled in disgust at his own weakness.

  He needed to get back to his ship and file a report on his progress thus far. He paused, deciding it may be necessary to censor part of his entry. Perhaps, he’d even send a message to his brother, Ares, while he was there. Not that he needed his older brother’s advice. He simply wanted confirmation of what he knew was the truth.

  Brigit was not his true-mate, even though he’d said the binding words. The ceremony was incomplete without his people’s energy blessing and would remain so. She was a mere Earthling. She had no control over him and he didn’t control her. He wanted it that way. He girded his loins against the unpleasant knee-jerk response to his gut.

  Orion looked at her the bare skin of her back longingly. He could already feel his cock twitching to life. He refused to accept what fate dealt him. He and he alone was in control of his life.

  And this was how it would remain…for all eternity.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Five

  Orion rose from the bed and dressed without another word to Brigit. They left her room and found a Star Battle party forming in one of the nearby conference areas. At her encouraging, they joined the group, then proceeded to mill around for an hour. Brigit thought of a half a dozen strategies for sneaking out of the room so she could pack and be ready to follow him, but Orion thwarted her at every turn by keeping his attention locked on her—ass.

  Brigit tried to ignore the tightening in her nipples and the moisture gathering between her thighs. She found it as easy as attempting to put contact lenses into a hippo’s eyes.

  Several more minutes dragged by. She’d all but given up hope, when Orion suddenly pulled her aside. “I must go back to my ship for a while.” Something akin to regret passed over his features, but was gone so quickly she wasn’t sure that she’d actually seen it.

/>   “Of course,” Brigit said, realizing her chance had come. “I’ll wait right here,” she lied, praying he couldn’t hear the excitement in her voice.

  His brow drew down. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it.

  “Well, you better get going. It was nice—meeting you.” She forced a smile.

  He stared at her, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “I will return as soon as I can.”

  “Yeah, sure. Great.” Brigit shrugged. “Take your time,” she added hastily. It wasn’t like Jac and Rachel were nearby, but hopefully Orion would leave her a clue to their whereabouts.

  Orion’s jaw clenched for a second and Brigit thought she saw hurt in his eyes. But that wasn’t possible, was it? He reached out and stroked her cheek with one finger. Her heart threatened to leap out of her chest and shatter. What was the matter with her? How could she feel so much for a man who was deceiving her?

  The word “link” slammed into her mind. Brigit shook her head in denial and closed her eyes a second. They were not “linked”. He was not from another planet called Zaron. And there was no spaceship.

  “See you soon,” she said a little too cheerfully.

  Orion hesitated, then dropped his hand away and turned to stride across the room. People stepped aside to get out of his way, their gazes darting nervously in his wake. He paused in the doorway, his knuckles turning white as he clasped the frame. Brigit half expected it to break off in his hand.

  He glanced back to look at her one last time. Their eyes met. The longing in his depths nearly knocked Brigit to her knees. Panic struck. Everything inside of her told Brigit to go after him, but she refused to move. She’d been waiting for this opportunity all night. She wouldn’t blow it now. Brigit inhaled and counted to ten. Orion nodded, then he was gone. The wrenching sensation she felt in her heart was all too real, but she knew she’d better get used to it because she didn’t see this ending well.

  * * * * *

  Orion forced himself to leave the building, when every instinct told him to stay. He’d delivered his message as ordered. That part of his mission was now complete. It was time to find the Seer and Coridan. He wasn’t proud of his behavior with Brigit, but would be Atlantean enough to do what was right for them both. He’d leave this place and allow Brigit to get on with her life, find a human mate and settle down. They had no place in each other’s worlds.

  And he’d keep telling himself that until he believed it.

  His jaw clenched as he reached the clearing and punched a button on his wrist. The woods were quiet and a warm gentle breeze stirred the air. The ship appeared before him a second later. Orion hit another switch and the entrance opened with a slight swoosh, allowing him access.

  Brigit accused him of lying. She didn’t believe her friends resided on Zaron. She didn’t even believe he had a ship. Orion stared at the control panel, knowing it would be so easy to prove his words if he brought her aboard. But he wouldn’t. He didn’t dare. For that would mean acknowledging their link. And Orion flat-out refused to be bound to an Earthling, no matter how beautiful, sensual and obstinate a creature she was.

  Why had he said the ancient words? Orion still could not believe he’d done so. Never in all his years had he acted so foolishly. His behavior went beyond foolish and straight to reckless. No one uttered the words of binding without weighing the consequences first. What for the love of the Goddess was he going to do now?

  Orion hit several buttons on the control panel to display a map of the planet. The holographic image swirled before him as he searched for the jungle. He entered the coordinates his brother Ares gave him and found the location the Atlanteans lived in before their exodus.

  It would only take a few minutes to reach the deserted village. He could retrieve the Seer and Coridan and return to Zaron before Brigit was any wiser. Prior to that, he’d contact Cassandra to see if she was ready to leave. Surely she’d had enough of this planet by now. Goodness knows he had. Brigit’s face fluttered before his eyes and his body tightened.

  The thought of the redheaded spitfire brought an unexpected pain to his chest. He rubbed it away. He’d suffered far worse injuries on the battlefield. Like those, this would eventually heal. But even as the thoughts filtered through his mind, Orion wasn’t convinced of their validity. He’d survived many wounds, but none quite as deep as those caused by the fear and disappointment he’d witnessed floating in Brigit’s green eyes after he’d told her the truth.

  He entered the coordinates into the onboard data system. The ship hummed to life and rose silently off the ground. He cloaked the craft from prying eyes. Perhaps once he had performed his duties Orion would return and bid Brigit a final farewell, since he had promised to do so. He shook his head. No, that wouldn’t happen. ‘Twas best this be the end for both their sakes. They’d already said their goodbyes. And Orion wasn’t at all sure if he saw her again that he’d be able to let her go. That thought alone scared the Zaronian fires out of him.

  The urge to reach out and touch her mind was strong. His body ached with need. Orion battled it as he strapped himself into the seat and flew the ship away from a woman more dangerous to his wellbeing than any beast he’d ever encountered.

  * * * * *

  Brigit rushed to her hotel room, packed and checked out in record time. She knew if she hurried she could catch Orion on the highway. He couldn’t be that far ahead. She stilled as she realized she had no idea what he drove. Jeez, she forgot to ask even the most basic information all because the man could fuck like a god.

  Pathetic!

  If this was what mind-blowing sex did to a woman, Brigit wanted no part of it. This was her last chance to locate her friends and escape with her heart unscathed. Who was she kidding? She’d passed unscathed the moment Orion sank that ringed cock into her body. Even now she could almost feel the vibrations in her clit.

  She groaned and threw her suitcase into the blue rental car, then jumped into the driver’s seat. Orion told her that he was going back to his ship. Ha! She truly must have “Moron” tattooed on her forehead. As much as she’d love to believe he stood on the deck of some starship, Brigit knew that right now Orion sat behind the wheel of his car probably phoning the woman he’d spoken to earlier.

  Her heart sank at the thought of him leaving without saying goodbye. It didn’t matter that she was doing the same thing. That was different. She had a good reason. Brigit growled. She would not be jealous of Orion’s mystery woman. Not when he’d deceived her. As far as she was concerned, they’d said hello, goodbye and have a nice life the second he’d slipped out of her body and told her that whopper story about her friends.

  Yet, he’d appeared so sincere.

  And that pissed Brigit off even more. How dare he make up stories about her best friends and then act innocent? Didn’t he know how much she missed them? If he were a real man, he’d come right out and admit what he’d done and rectify it. Hell, he was probably on his way to the jungle right now. She slammed her fist onto the dashboard.

  “Ow!” Brigit’s hand throbbed as she shook it out, trying to ease the pain.

  She thought about Orion’s ability to speak into her mind, the wrist device that seemed to give him information, his ringed cock, and the fact he wasn’t familiar with basic knowledge. Nothing made sense.

  Orion didn’t seem like the type of guy who got off by hurting women. He’d been genuinely upset when he saw the blood between her thighs and was quick to assure her it hadn’t come from his rings. There was no way he was telling the truth, was there? Brigit knew only one way to find out. She had to find her friends.

  She dropped her head onto the steering wheel and banged her forehead, while repeating stupid, stupid, stupid in her mind. When Brigit finally straightened, she had a big red mark the size of a strawberry to show for her foolishness. Her hands shook as she fought to get the key into the ignition. Hopefully with a little distance things would get better or at least clearer. Yeah? Tell that to your heart. Brigit
ignored the insipid little voice. It didn’t know everything.

  She drove, frantically searching for any sign of Orion. It was like trying to find a flea in a shag carpet. He’d disappeared, but at least she knew where he’d gone. She needed to get home. Maybe Jac and Rachel had returned while she was away and she could chalk this whole situation up to a huge clusterfuck. She’d check their apartments first. If she didn’t find them there, Brigit would buy a ticket to the jungle.

  The one place Jac and Rachel didn’t reside was on planet Zaron. Brigit shuddered as she realized she was about to go on the long journey her horoscope warned her about. Was she up for a trip to the jungle?

  Hell no!

  Her fingers trembled as she drove back to Manhattan, breaking every speed limit along the way. She glanced in the rearview mirror, catching sight of the hoop earring Orion had placed in her ear before the contest. Her heart hurt and the sadness she felt seemed to be growing by the mile. Didn’t he say something about not being able to separate? More mind games. She didn’t really believe that. Brigit stared at her reflection in disgust. “You are so weak.”

  Brigit fingered the silver hoop, then returned her attention to the road. She scanned the cars around her, noting the drivers. Her heart swelled as she saw a dark head in the distance. Could it be? She held her breath and waited. As the driver drew closer, she realized he wasn’t Orion. Disappointment weighted her shoulders until they slumped.

  The further away from the conference hotel she drove, the more Brigit hurt. The pain reached viselike proportions at mile forty. If she hadn’t felt fine earlier, she would’ve gone to the nearest hospital and demanded a doctor examine her. She thought about the men in the white lab coats poking and prodding her and came close to vomiting.

  What in the hell was the matter with her?

  The word linked popped into her mind. It wasn’t possible, was it? No! Definitely not. He’d probably hypnotized her or something. Yeah, that was it. He made her believe her heart would break without him. Orion was damn good, she’d give him that. Almost too good, considering she really did feel heartbroken, which was impossible since she’d only known the man for a day.