Bliss

by Renee Field

  Without a thought, she bit down hard.

  “Ahh, sweetlips, you don’t listen very well. I told you to stay put, and look where I find you. As for biting me the second time, I’m really going to enjoy paying you back,” said Darius, whispering the words into her right ear while his hand remained firmly over her mouth.

  “Now, I’m going to move my hand, but you’ve got to promise me you’ll be extra quiet.”

  She nodded. His voice and erotic words were doing strange things to her body. A throb began to pulse between her legs. It was a wanting she had no time for.

  “Good.” His body brushed up hard against hers. He was once again asserting his dominance, giving her no space to breathe, letting her know in no uncertain terms he didn’t trust her.

  She prayed he’d inch back a step to give her more breathing room. No such luck. They were crouched together like canned sardines as they watched Rajheb move to a side door and haul out an old man who had obviously had the crap beaten out of him. Kassandra heard Darius’ gasp and realized he knew the person.

  “Who is he?” she whispered.

  He motioned for her to be quiet, and she complied, aware that he was trying to eavesdrop on the conversation. Not that they had to. Rajheb and the other man, who wore a long white lab coat like a scientist’s or a doctor’s, weren’t attempting to lower their voices. In fact, they seemed to be having a heated discussion.

  “I’ve told you before, I can’t fix them. They’ve mutated because of the plague. They are rogue,” said the old man.

  Kassandra watched, horrified, as Rajheb smacked the man hard in the face. She felt Darius’ grip on her hand tighten.

  Edging back a fraction of an inch, she tilted her head up at him to whisper, “We’ve got to save him.”

  “Quiet,” he mouthed.

  In case she didn’t get it, he proceeded to place a finger over her mouth, effectively shushing her. How sad, thought Kassandra, that the gesture also caused her heart to race.

  Worse, she had to clamp her mouth firmly shut so as to keep from flicking her tongue out to lick his finger. An erotic image of drawing his finger deep into the recess of her mouth to suckle it made her dizzy. God, how she hated this man.

  Chapter Twelve

  Darius had known the minute Kassandra started rambling that she was trying to hide something. It wasn’t like her to act nervous, but nerves were exactly what he sensed from her body as she hastily left Reece’s bedroom. If he could have, he would have gone after her immediately.

  However, Reece’s innocent question, asking if he’d been intimate with Kassandra yet, had unsettled him so much he couldn’t leave the room. He had queasily realized he needed to explain some very important details about being a Titan in human form to his nephew, pronto. Having the sex talk with his nephew wasn’t at the top of his favorite things chart, but he knew it had to be done. And his frankness had certainly seemed to deflate any ideas Reece might have been conjuring. For a Titan, taking human form was a disguise. They were still Titans to the core, and passion ruled their blood. He had finally managed to convey that idea to Reece.

  Now, here he was. The urge to throttle Kassandra fueled his cells. What by Zeus had she been thinking? He took that back. She hadn’t been thinking at all. If she had, she most certainly wouldn’t have ventured back into Saad’s office, and without a doubt she would not have opened Saad’s secret wall panel. The panel that Darius had had every intention of discovering himself after ensuring that all was well with his nephew and that Kassandra was sound asleep.

  The woman never did as told. He probably should have tied her up again for her own safety. She could have ranted all she wanted but at least she would be alive.

  Darius eyed the imposing Red Sea guards who were walking about in human form. They were even wearing black military uniforms. He wasn’t fooled. Every Titan sense within his body knew who they were. He calmed his breathing and reached out to shield both his thoughts and those of Kassandra.

  He knew the Captain of the Red Sea guards was probably scanning the area telepathically. There were a dozen of them. Too many for him to take on his own. The warrior he was wanted to fight his way out, while the rational part of his brain knew stealth was his best option. Still, though, it almost killed him to watch Rajheb man-handle Master Odeon and not barge in and strangle Rajheb with his bare hands.

  However, Odeon was a master like no other. He was an ancient Titan. Darius hadn’t been surprised when Odeon had telepathically told him in no uncertain terms to not interfere. At least he now knew where their chief scientist was.

  He had been working with Jamie to find a cure for the deadly plague killing his mardom, and Jamie had informed him that Odeon had disappeared two weeks ago. Once he was in the water he’d reach out and let Jamie and his twin know Odeon’s whereabouts and tell them of the strange happenings at Saad’s place.

  A shrill alarm sounded briefly and then a steel covering slowly opened up to the turbulent sea below.

  “What is that over there?” asked Kassandra.

  He wished he could speak telepathically to her. Her human voice could easily be picked up by the Titans. Darius prayed that the sound of the cooling engines and machines drowned them out.

  “Sharks,” he answered briefly, his eyes narrowed in annoyance as he tried to reach out with his inherent sense to read the sharks minds. No such luck. These must be the sharks that Saad was worried about.

  A loud thrashing bang caused Kassandra to grip his arm.

  “I need you to fix them. We have one week left, and then we need to deliver them. If he can’t fix them, kill him,” said the scientist to Rajheb.

  “Darius, they just said...”

  “Shh,” he replied, shaking his head.

  It angered him that they were experimenting on sharks. The bigger question was why? He just hoped Master Odeon could fix them or, better yet, put an end to Saad’s experiments. Did all of this have something to do with the plague? And who was the strange human dressed in the lab coat? What were Saad and Rajheb thinking to work with a human?

  It made no sense to him. Deranged, killing sharks...unless, Saad and the scientist were trying to find a way to control the sharks to use them as their own fighting machine. Still though, for what purpose? He’d have to sort through all those questions later. At the moment he had to get Kassandra out of here before they were discovered. He could only shield their thoughts for so long before the Red Sea guards sensed the influx of Titan power.

  “When I move, inch back, and then we’ll make a dart for the corridor,” he said.

  The guards moved to flank Rajheb’s side. It was now or never. Darius made his move motioning for Kassandra to follow him back up the corridor. Even though the hall was no longer lit, he relied on his other senses to allow him to move at ease. Pressing on a notch by the door they stepped through into Saad’s office. He breathed a sigh of relief. A click told him the automatic shutting mechanism had sealed the door again. He quickly ushered Kassandra back to their bedroom and wasn’t one bit surprised to find Rylan there waiting for them.

  “The yacht’s ready and I managed to get those wet suits and tanks you asked for,” said Rylan, standing at attention like a young cadet.

  Darius didn’t want to know how the kid did that. He simply wanted to be underway. “Let’s go,” he said, ushering everyone to the balcony.

  “We’re jumping?” asked Kassandra, eyeing the eight foot drop.

  “We can’t risk being seen going out the front door, and this is the quickest way to the dock. I’ll jump first and then I’ll catch you. I promise.” Darius gave Kassandra’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

  Smiling, she said, “Okay, mister, you asked for it.”

  Darius didn’t like her mischievous tone. He nodded once and then jumped easily to the ground and proceeded to get into position to catch Kassandra.

  What is she doing? He watched disbelievingly as she backed up into the room and then took a flying leap to the top of the balcon
y railing, which her hands briefly touched as she propelled herself forward, tucking in her knees to complete a full rotation to land on her feet, like a cat. The grin lighting up her face was equally amazing.

  “Can I just pop...?” asked Rylan from the top.

  Darius eyed the semi-god and in no uncertain terms informed him telepathically that he was not allowed to pop anywhere while Kassandra was present, and that he’d have to jump. Rylan grimaced and eyed the ground for the fifth or sixth time.

  “He’s afraid of hurting himself,” said Kassandra, backing up to give Rylan space.

  How can a semi-god get hurt? Darius snarled at Rylan to get his ass moving now or never.

  “You should catch him,” said Kassandra.

  “He’ll be fine. Jump, Rylan. Now!” said Darius, turning his back on the teenager to make his way to the dock.

  “Okay...okay,” said Rylan as he jumped awkwardly over the railing. While his landing wasn’t perfect, he did manage the feat. “I think I broke my ankle,” he whined as he shuffled down to the dock.

  “No you did not, and stop whining,” said Darius, ushering them both onto the yacht. “You can still stay here, Rylan, or better yet, go visit your Uncle if you’d like,” taunted Darius, knowing full well that his words would spur the rebellious teenager into action.

  “I’ll manage. And guess what? My ankle is feeling better already,” he replied, jumping onto the yacht to prove his point.

  “I just bet it is,” grumbled Darius, as he started the engine. “Rylan, take this bag with you. It’s got the ancient book with it. I want you to take another look at it and try again to figure out a way to get us unbound. Okay?”

  “Will, do, Captain,” said Rylan, giving a mock salute as he grabbed the bag and headed below deck.

  “Hey, when did you get here?” asked Rylan, practically yelling at Darius and Kassandra to come see who was on board.

  “Thought you could leave without me, Uncle?” asked Reece, lying down in the small bunk.

  “I thought I told you to go to the safe house,” said Darius, ushering Rylan out of the way so he could make sure Reece was okay.

  “I’m fine. I’m coming with you. This is my family, too,” he said, trying to sit up.

  “Look, Reece, you still need to rest. I need you to be safe.” The last thing Darius needed was an argument. He ran a shaky hand through his hair.

  “Let him come, Darius,” said Kassandra, surprising him.

  “You don’t understand. If one hair on his head gets hurt, I will be in big trouble,” he replied, bone weary with the responsibility of having to keep everyone safe.

  “It’s his decision, Darius. It’s his family. And, while I don’t understand what’s going on, I do appreciate the seriousness of the situation. I don’t think it’s safe to send him back to Saad’s house. Besides, what better way to keep an eye on him than to have him with us?”

  Her logic undid him.

  “Fine,” he said to Reece. “You can come, but stay there. Don’t you dare come out of that cabin. Do you hear me?” He attempted to sound angry while tucking the blankets around Reece like he was still a ten year-old, which caused Reece to grin.

  Running back up on deck, Darius surveyed the scene.

  “What can I do?” asked Kassandra.

  Darius moved away from the wheel as he replied, “Take the wheel.”

  “With pleasure. Ah, Darius we need lights. I can’t see where I’m going.”

  “Follow them,” he said, pointing out the two leaping dolphins to her right.

  “Friends of yours?” she replied sarcastically.

  “You could say that.” He turned his attention to the dock and saw Rajheb and Saad running toward them.

  “We’re not going to get away,” said Kassandra unable to keep a note of panic out of her voice. “Darius, they’re getting in the other boats.”

  “Oh yes we are,” replied Darius. “Put the yacht in full throttle. Now!”

  Kassandra obeyed quickly. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Darius smile as Saad and Rajheb tried again and again to start their boat.

  “You did something to their boat,” stated Kassandra.

  “I didn’t. Rylan did,” he said, giving credit where credit was due.

  An hour later, Darius ordered the yacht to stop.

  “This is the place. Rylan and Kassandra, go suit up. I need to talk to Reece alone,” he said, moving below deck.

  Fifteen minutes later he returned and had to force himself not to laugh at how ridiculous Rylan looked. “Just where did you get the suits?” asked Darius.

  Rylan scowled at him. “Don’t say it. Not a word. I didn’t have a lot of time. I had to grab what I could. I thought this one would fit her, but it doesn’t, so unless you’d like me to...”

  “Sorry Rylan, it will do.” He cut off the kid’s prattle, wishing he could take a photo for future reference of Rylan, the semi-god, clad in a hot pink wet suit.

  “Anyway, this is top of the line. It has a digital driver so we can speak to each other, a crystal silicone seal, an equalization system to fit over any nose and an exhaust valve feature so we won’t get any bubbles, and...”

  “Okay, I get it. It’s top of the line. Just finish getting ready, will you?” Darius gritted his teeth.

  “Where’s your suit? And where exactly are we going?” asked Kassandra, reaching over the deck to test the temperature of the water with her finger. “My god that’s even colder than yesterday.”

  “The suit will keep you warm,” said Darius, wondering if it would.

  Okay here’s the hard part, he thought. For the past hour he had tried to think of a plan that would allow him to get the relic, and the only way he could do it was as a Titan, which meant the unthinkable.

  Part of him reasoned that if he was lucky and got the artifact he’d be able to get his sister, Mercka, to erase Kassandra’s memories of what she was about to witness. The bigger worry was if his father. If King Sadok found out about what he was about to do – break another sea law…he didn’t even want to think about it. But the truth of the matter was that he was running out of time.

  “Once you’re in the water I’ll explain,” he said, ushering them to the bow of the yacht.

  “How? I won’t be able to hear you,” said Kassandra, fiddling with her mask.

  Darius knew she was delaying jumping into the cold Atlantic water after her recent experience in it. Taking her in his arms he leaned his body tight up against her wet suit, not missing the feel of her breasts sharply outlined in the suit as they brushed up against his chest.

  “I promise you’ll be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you. You’ve got to trust me on this one okay, sweetlips?” He tucked a stray curl under her cap. Darius knew if he had to he would force her into the ocean, but he didn’t want that. He wanted her compliance. He ached for her trust. Trust that he had no right to expect, but still he yearned for it.

  She titled her head to look up at him. “I trust you, Darius. The question is do you trust me?”

  Do I trust you? Hell, yes, he wanted to shout. But the question was, did he trust himself? Well, he was about to find out just how much.

  “Kassandra, please get in the water. We need to be underway,” he said, breaking contact from her.

  Her meek nod was his answer.

  Two minutes later, with the two of them safely in the water, he stripped and dove head first into the sea. Motioning for the two of them to follow him he propelled himself toward the ocean floor, prolonging the rapture for another moment as Kassandra got used to breathing oxygen with the tank.

  Then, in the blink of an eye, he allowed the power of the sea to claim him and raptured into his true form. His ears heard Kassandra’s indrawn breath. Her heart accelerated.

  “Wow,” said Rylan.

  “This is what and who I really am,” said Darius, using his telepathic powers to invade her mind.

  Her thoughts were a jumble. Not for the first time, he worried it
might all be too much for her. Then he heard her laugh. “You’re not a genie, you’re a Titan. Well that explains a lot,” she said, grinning like there was no tomorrow.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kassandra wished more than anything she could talk to Darius. He had a lot of explaining to do. She had wondered how he was going to travel through the cold Atlantic Ocean without a wet suit and now, knowing he was a Titan – a mythological creature of the deep – rattled her.

  Her father had told her stories about the Titans and Sirens of the sea world. In fact, it had been those stories that had spurred her to become a librarian of antiquity. She loved ancient things. She loved the myths surrounding them and had, on more than one occasion, gone to sleep dreaming of what it might be like to be a Siren swimming and living in the wild sea, free to roam the ancient ships dotting the ocean floor.

  As a child, a small part of her had secretly wanted those stories to be real. After all, the way her father told them made them appear larger than life. Now, she wondered, was there more to her father than she knew? Had he known the myths he told her about were actually real? No, that was impossible. They were simply stories he made up for a fanciful child. She forced her breathing to return to normal and blinked.

  Taking another look at Darius, she marveled at his changes. His dark hair was fuller and longer and trailed behind him in the current. His upper body was more muscular and his long, tapered torso reminded her of a powerful swimmer. Then her eyes did a double take. A sleek, powerful-looking tail, which shimmered with a dark blue color easily propelled him through the water. A ridge of hard iridescent golden scales separated his torso from his lower half. Covering his chest was the unmistakable outline of a sea dragon in vibrant red, orange, and deep green with blues hues. It curled around his chest. Kassandra knew without a doubt that it wrapped around to his back as well. Two green eyes stared at her. And, for one moment she wondered if it, too, would come to life.