“I’ll be right there.”
With a groan, Lucian rolled out of bed, dressed and left the small apartment. HQ was actually Sabre’s northside apartment. Northside had been deserted sometime ago and that’s where his boss decided to set up rebellion headquarters along with his home with his woman, Eden.
Sabre had brought Eden from topside. The lucky bastard. The two had met on the beach while Eden vacationed in the Bahamas and they’d fell hard and fast for each other. They were expecting their first child in the coming months. Sabre kept her hidden from the evil Dr. Franco and President Otes for fear they would take her and the baby away from him.
And rightly so, Lucian thought. Those bastards had dark souls. He couldn’t understand how using human DNA would save their race of dying Atlanteans but whatever. He despised bringing the women from topside to allow the vile doctor to run his tests to impregnate the women. But he’d had to do it or risk being thrown in the holding cell like General Bastian. And there were numerous other guardians ready and willing to take his place. The same ones Otes and Franco had bought with lies and promises.
Bastian had refused and was arrested. Sabre had refused and his sister, Helene, was threatened. Up until Eden came into the picture, Helene had been Sabre’s only family. As second-in-command, and with Bastian in a holding cell, Sabre led the Guardians of Atlantis. Most were reluctant to do what the president and Franco wanted. Some embraced it with relish. For those who hated it, though, Sabre brought into the fold one by one when he decided he could trust them. Those were the ones who would help when it came time to lead the revolt, return the human females topside, and take away control of the city from President Otes.
Lucian headed through the empty streets to Sabre’s apartment a few blocks away. Over the last few weeks, he and Sabre had managed to steal what communications gear and weapons they could. They quietly built an arsenal. Most of the weapons they’d smuggled from topside since there had been a ban on them in Atlantis for the last century.
They were quickly outgrowing the small apartment. Lucky for them, they had the entire building at their disposal. One unit had become HQ while another had become the weapons room.
When he entered, Raven already waited in the small living area. It hosted a low sofa, a table, a couple of chairs.
Raven was a big scary-looking monster of a man with a wicked blackbird tattooed on the side of his face. He’d had it for as long as Lucian could remember but never knew the story of why or how he got it.
“What’s this all about?” Lucian asked, closing the door behind him.
“No idea.” Raven wasn’t a man of many words. He was a man of action.
Before Lucian could ask another question, Sabre entered the room from the tiny bedroom where Eden was. He closed the door softly behind him.
“How’s Eden doing?” Lucian asked.
“She’s bored,” Sabre said. “She wants to help.” He pursed his lips. “She’s also battling morning sickness.”
The last thing they needed was a pregnant woman involved.
“A problem has been brought to my attention,” Sabre said, cutting to the chase. “Several of the guardians have been kidnapping the women instead of bringing them here willingly.”
“Isn’t that what we’re doing?” Raven said, his voice dark and raspy. He clenched his fist.
“The agreement with Franco was that we would bring them willingly. Most were aware of the situation and where they were going before coming here. But lately, there have been a few who’ve known nothing about it.”
“So what are we going to do?” Lucian asked.
“We need to identify those soldiers who are kidnapping them against their will,” Sabre said.
“And then what?” Raven practically growled.
“We need to bring them in before Franco or Otes find out.”
“What’s your plan?” Lucian asked.
“Lucian, I want you to go to the lab. Two women were just brought down from topside. I need you to question them, find out who took them. Get a description and report back. Then I’ll deal with those men accordingly.”
“You should eliminate them,” Raven said. “They are a liability.”
“No. No elimination,” Sabre said. “We’ll deal with the men in other ways.”
“Torture then.” Lucian cracked his knuckles, smiling. “Let me have a go at them.”
“They’ll go in the holding cell,” Sabre said.
“Spoil sport,” Lucian grumbled.
“Raven, I need you to find out what Franco and Otes know about us. Recent intel tells me they’ve become suspicious of some of the guardians. I don’t need them snooping around my men. Or my Eden.”
“And if they know something?” he asked.
“Then we’ll do damage control,” Sabre said. Then gave Raven a pointed look. “Under no circumstances are you to engage them.”
Raven’s response was a glare.
“Question the staff but I’d rather you stay away from them. They’re too dangerous. Use your resources to find out what we need to know.”
Which was code for break into the bastards’ offices. Raven’s body stiffened, his muscles rigid and defined. Lucian could see one lone vein popping out along his left biceps. Oh, and the one in the middle of his forehead. He clenched his jaw so tight the muscles ticked along the edge as he gave Sabre an intense stare before he gave a brief, stiff nod and stomped from the apartment.
“You know he hates that shit,” Lucian said. “He prefers to break faces now and ask questions later.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Why all the sneaking around?”
“The last thing we need is to piss off Franco and Otes. I made an agreement with them both that we would cooperate. If they think the men are going back on that, then they’ll start asking questions. We don’t need questions, Lucian. I don’t need them finding out about Eden.”
Lucian knew he worried about her safety. “Right. I’m on it.”
“Let me know what you find out.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
* * * * *
The city was laid out like a wagon wheel with the spokes as a grid for the streets. Northside had been deserted for a while now as people moved to the other quadrants. It had lost its luster and was no longer the “in” place to live. The ELL had once serviced northside but was now defunct for that part of the city.
The lab, the infirmary, the president’s residence as well as all the government offices were in City Center. The people spread outward from there into the smaller communities throughout. Each community elected a leader that reported to the president. There were no vehicles like topside, other than then ELL. Here people walked the streets. Atlantis had businesses like any other place but there was no need for money. Items were bartered or, in some instances, shared. Their diet consisted mostly of seafood, though one of the genius scientists figured out a way to grow fruits and vegetables in a greenhouse near the Center.
Lucian walked south heading directly to the infirmary. He hated that place. It smelled like medicine and antiseptic and sick people. The walls were stainless steel and glass, the overhead lighting was bright and white and the floor was scuffed tile. The whole place was nothing but a cold unwelcoming sight. Not exactly a nice place to recover from an illness or, worse, die.
The lab where Franco performed his experiments on the human females was housed within the same walls as the infirmary. Though not many people had access to it. Only Sabre’s hand-picked guardians as well as President Otes and Dr. Franco and his staff. A special red access card was issued to those with clearance to the top secret research. Lucian used it now to swipe through the card reader. The door slid open with a swish.
Once inside he made his way through the maze of corridors with the glass walls. Nothing was kept behind closed doors here except for Franco’s office. Exams rooms lined the corridor. Several of the lab assistants were busy at their stations analyzing the data they’d gotten from the
women while others were prepping ladies for their procedure.
It turned his stomach to see it. Never mind the women had come willingly. Some hadn’t and that’s what bothered him the most. The newest “subjects” were put into individual exam rooms to be questioned about their medical history. He found the two new ladies with ease. The first one was with Dr. Franco. She was strapped to a table, Franco standing next to her, clipboard in hand as he asked her questions. She was a pretty but plain girl with strawberry blonde hair.
The second woman was in the room alone. She struggled against her bonds, twisting her wrists until they were raw. He pressed the button on the door panel. She immediately ceased when the door slid open.
Her bright blue eyes flew to his face, locked onto him as if memorizing everything about him as he approached. She smelled like coconut and had a deep bronze to her shimmering skin. She had the look of innocence with a hint of wild child the way her cheekbones curved in her oval-shaped face. He’d never seen such lush full lips on a woman before. Lips he suddenly longed to kiss. It was all he could do not to swipe his tongue over his own. As much as he wanted to allow his gaze to rake down her curvy body he didn’t. He kept it fixed on her pretty face.
“Hello, there,” he greeted.
“Who are you? What do you want?” She practically growled the words.
“Easy. I’m not here to hurt you.”
Her gaze lingered on his face a moment longer before trickling down his torso, pausing only a second at his waist before coming back to his face.
“My name is Lucian,” he said. “I’m one of the guardians.”
Her eyes widened so slightly he would have missed it if he hadn’t been looking. “A guardian. Get away from me, you scumbag. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
“I know you’re scared right now but I’m here to help you.” He dropped his voice so only she could hear. In case there were any wandering ears outside the room.
She considered his words, chewing on the inside of her lip. “Are you going to release me?”
“Unfortunately, I can’t do that,” he said. Though he would in a heartbeat if he could. He disliked seeing her strapped to the table.
“Then what good are you? How can you help me if you’re not going to release me?” she snapped.
Smart girl. He liked her. He stepped closer, intending to reach for her shoulder and give her a reassuring pat.
“Don’t you dare lay a hand on me. I’ll…I’ll scream bloody murder,” she said. “Franco won’t like it. You’ll see.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Then what do you want?”
She was full of fire. Yes, he liked her. A lot.
“I can find the man responsible for bringing you down here. Do you remember what happened?”
“Down here. So it’s true? I’m in Atlantis?”
He nodded. “It’s true.”
“I thought Atlantis was a myth.”
“I assure you it’s very real. I’m sorry you were brought here without your consent. My commander doesn’t like it. That’s why he sent me to find out who did this to you.”
“You mean you’re…not all like that? Like…him?”
“No. Not at all.” He gave her a reassuring smile and took another step closer to her. Inching his way to her. The scent of coconut grew stronger as he neared.
“The doctor said the women were to come willingly,” she said.
“Yes and some of the men are a little…aggressive when it comes to selecting them.”
“Aggressive?” She snorted. “The bastard knocked me out.”
“He hit you?”
“Yeah with something hard. I don’t know what. Maybe his fist.”
Lucian’s hand curled into a tight ball. “That is unacceptable, Miss…?”
She pressed those beautiful lips together for a moment, as if trying to decide if she should give him her name or not. “My name is Eve.”
Eve. He loved the way that sounded. The way it rolled around in his head. He tried really hard to keep his eyes on her face and not on the long auburn hair spilling over her shoulders or her perfect breasts barely covered in a red triangle. Which was under a thin sheath that could barely be called a shirt that hit her mid-thigh. Not to mention the triangle of material covering the best part of her at the apex of her thighs. His mouth watered.
“Eve, can you tell me what happened? Describe him?”
“One minute I was drinking Mai Tais on the beach. The next minute my best friend and I are being chased down by two goons.” She looked him over again, her gaze thoughtful and full of scrutiny. “He was big. Taller than me. Taller than you. Though it’s kind of hard to tell since you’re towering over me now. How tall are you?”
“Six-four,” he said.
Her eyes widened again and her lips parted in a small O before she clamped them shut again. “Six-foot-four? Are you people giants or what?”
He chuckled. “Not all of us. Only guardians.”
“Oh.” She breathed out the word in reverence. She blinked owlish blue eyes and then a blush stained under the tan of her skin, giving her a lovely pallor.
What could she be thinking?
“Back to the guy,” Lucian said, trying to keep the subject on track. “What did he look like?”
“He had a lot of muscles. He felt like a brick wall when he tackled me.”
“He tackled you?” Anger burned through him at the thought of someone throwing her down and hurting her. He’d have the man’s head.
“Yes. I’ve never seen muscles that big before.” He didn’t miss the glance she gave to his shoulders then his upper arms and torso. “Well, except for you.” She blushed again.
Oh, yeah. He really, really liked her.
He suppressed a grin. “What else do you remember?”
“He had black eyes. I remember this distinctly because it totally creeped me out. Oh, and he had this weird tattoo on his neck. It looked like some sort of hieroglyphics or something. I didn’t recognize it.”
Black eyes. And a tattoo on the neck. He knew exactly who that was—Kane.
“You know who he is, don’t you?” she asked.
“Yes. His name is Kane. I assure you I will make sure he doesn’t harm you or anyone else again.”
“Good.”
“You’ve been very helpful, Eve. Thank you.” He gave her shoulder a swift pat—all the touching he would allow himself—and turned toward the door.
“Lucian?”
He paused and looked back at her.
“What’s going to happen to me?” she asked. There was a quiver in her voice.
“Did Dr. Franco tell you?”
“He explained a little. So it’s true then?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“And what happens to the baby if I should…have one?”
“No one’s made it that far along yet.”
“No one?” she repeated.
He shook his head. The truth of the matter was they’d only just begun this experimentation with the human females. The only one who had managed to conceive was Sabre’s woman, Eden. But that hadn’t been an experiment. That had been mutually consenting between the two of them. She’d wanted his baby as much as Sabre did.
The Atlantean numbers were dwindling. That’s why Franco hatched this crazy plan to bring down the women from topside. Sabre hated it as much as Lucian did.
Eve looked up at the ceiling, nodded. But he thought he could see the shimmer of tears in her eyes. He hesitated, hating to walk out of there and leave her. His heart squeezed with the thought of Franco or any of his smarmy scientists touching her. He wanted her…all to himself. He wanted to be the one to touch those lovely curves and kiss those beautiful lips.
But he couldn’t get her out of here without being seen or anyone knowing what he’d done. Removing the women from the lab hadn’t been an order from Sabre.
Since when did he follow orders? As soon as he w
as out the door and in the hallway, he looked back through the window to see she’d gone right back to struggling against her bonds.
Eve would not be one of the docile ones. Eve was going to give the doctor hell.
Chapter Three
As Lucian left the exam room, Eve couldn’t help but admire the strength of his back, the rounded perfect ass, the curve of his broad shoulders. God, he was tall! He towered over her as he stood next to her. She didn’t want him to go. His presence gave her a sense of calm and safety. As he left, hope dwindled. She thought he would get her out of here, take her away. But he hadn’t.
And what was with all the damn blushing? And the lurid thoughts? Why did she imagine him naked as he talked to her? She couldn’t help but wonder what he looked like without that shirt. She also couldn’t help but admire the thick biceps and the way that one vein bulged along his arm. She had a vision of her tongue licking up that vein to his shoulder, tasting his skin. What would he taste like? Salty like the sea? Or something else? He smelled like an ocean breeze. Clean and distinct. It sent her senses into overdrive.
This was so not like her. She was never one of those flirty girls. In fact, she wouldn’t know how to flirt to save her life.
Franco entered, killing all pleasurable thoughts of Lucian. She immediately returned her gaze to the ceiling, refusing to look the man in the eye. He gave her the heebie-jeebies.
“Hello again, Eve.”
He stood next to her, the warmth of his body radiating over her. She cringed.
“I’d like to take some of your vitals as well as do a physical exam to make sure you’re well and healthy.”
No way in hell was this guy going to exam her. Because…ew.
“I’m going to release your bonds and then we’ll go right over here to the other exam table. All right?”
Her heart double-timed in her chest. She knew what she had to do.
She nodded. As though she was willing to cooperate. But the truth was she wasn’t willing to cooperate. He released her ankles first and then paused at her wrists. She knew he saw the abrasions where she’d tried to get free. She’d yanked on the bonds and ripped her skin, hoping the slick blood would allow her to slide her hand free. But it was to no avail.
Seducing Eve (Guardians of Atlantis) Page 2
