Saved by the Sea Lord (Lords of Atlantis Book 9)
Page 30
“Oh.” Hazel dropped her hands. “Thank God. I mean, I’ve never met Starr face-to-face, but she’s like a superhero. We’re saved. Unless it’s true. Oh my God, what if it’s true, and the platform, which was supposed to be safe from the Sons of Hercules, is actually set up to be sabotaged by them?”
“Then we will work together to save the platform.”
The end would depend on them.
To save the platform, stop another Great Catastrophe, and prevent another long war.
Plus she had a personal stake. Tal was sleeping peacefully. Lotar was exceptional, but the platform was huge. If it sank, could he be sure it wouldn’t slide over and wipe out the new Atlantis? Her friends, her city, and her gorgeous new castle?
“Hazel.” Lotar pressed her palms together, sensing her panic spiraling. “The ocean is deep. What happens on the surface is important, but what happens beneath the ocean is another matter. There is still hope. We can make many changes. Your connections with the other cities’ kings are the beginning. Others are making similar connections. No matter what happens to the platform, we have changed. The surface world and the ocean. And this is another obstacle. We will overcome it. Together.”
Gosh, those were the most words Lotar had ever spoken.
And the fire glimmering in his wolf-gray eyes proved that he believed in every word.
She linked hands with him. “Okay. You’re right. It’s a lot to take in, but we saved a whole city from a traitor who’d been working for decades, so we can definitely stop a saboteur who’s only been working a couple of weeks.”
He rubbed her shoulder and kissed her forehead. “What is your confession?”
“Yeah. There was something I had to tell you. Um, I might be pregnant again.”
He blanched.
How funny that imagining the collapse of all they cared about and the extinction of the mer by humans was no big deal, but finding out he might be a father of two made him lose it.
She squeezed his fingers. “I promise you’ll be so loving that no child will ever feel more important to you even for one moment. We’ll have the same size birthday cake. My dad used to take a kitchen scale to measure out my and my brother’s ice creams. We’ll gift the same number of Christmas presents and the same dollar value. Erin’s been tracking this for her kids for years. She has a spreadsheet. We will give them the same number of compliments. We’ll love both of them, of course, but we’ll also show it too. I promise you.”
Lotar hugged her. His shoulders trembled, but he believed her.
“And if one of them is better at one thing, we’ll celebrate. The winner is the winner. No talking down.”
His arms tightened. His vibrations sounded broken but happy. “Yes. Yes.”
She loved him.
There were always challenges. Apparently, in a few weeks, they’d either unmask a saboteur and pull off an amazing party, or their whole world would collapse.
But they would stand tall and meet those challenges together.
Hazel and her very exceptional warrior.
Behind the Book Bonuses
Hey readers!
I hope you loved Hazel and Lotar’s story. I had a blast writing it. From “will you die from swimming in the Hudson?” to “what’s the weirdest fish ever found in the Barents Sea?” to “who owns the song ‘Baby Shark’?” my Google suggested search will never be the same.
(Answers: It depends, the black devilfish (a type of anglerfish) and the owner is currently being decided in court.)
Hazel is one of my favorite heroines. She was introduced, along with her mace-taser-air horn (not a real device) with Dannika and Starr back in book 7, Spellbound by the Sea Lord. One of these days she will finally get the chance to use it!
From the moment I met her, I just loved her. She’s totally different from me, but she worries about the same things. I’ve often wanted to be smarter, calmer, richer, and more accomplished. My dreams always felt so out of reach.
Now that I can finally pursue my passion — writing these super fun books! Thank you so, so, so much for making it possible by reading them — it’s easy to see that my old ambitions were taking me in the wrong direction. So I really wanted to hug Hazel and say, “You’re fine just the way you are!”
Lotar has been a mysterious warrior since he appeared in book 2, Sacrificed to the Sea Lord. I thought he must have an unusual past, but I never realized he was a prince! And with such a heartbreaking childhood. I’m so glad Hazel could give him peace.
This was a super fun road trip novel. I was excited to revisit familiar places (Sireno, Aiycaya, Lusca) and new-to-me cities (Newas, Syrenka). While all the names and places are fictionalized, I do like to research the areas to get an idea of what might be nearby. I immersed myself in Lapland culture for Syrenka and I looked up Native American tribes in northeastern Canada for Newas.
And, as always, I read so much about fishing and diving. This time I learned about Black Sea Devils (a kind of anglerfish) and salp tubes (which…hmm. It’s like a jellyfish but a colony and they make a giant see-through pool noodle. Somehow…) The ocean is so cool, you know? We’re always finding new things.
If you were curious about any other couples or you’ve jumped into the series (or you want a targeted refresher) here is where you can read their love stories:
Dannika + Ciran: Shattered by the Sea Lord
Pelan + Roxanne: Spellbound by the Sea Lord - bonus story
Lucy + Torun: Seduced by the Sea Lord
Harmony + Faier: Secrets of the Sea Lord
Angie, Meg, and Bex: Sea Lord’s Castaway
Milly, Jen, and Sydney: Surrendering to the Sea Lord compilation
Zara + Elan: Stolen by the Sea Lord
Nora + Giru: Spellbound by the Sea Lord - bonus story
If you read the epilogue, you know there is one more book coming in this series. Hazel’s got to host her party on the new platform. Will the mer and humans finally live together in harmony, or will they repeat their centuries-old mistake?
Find out in Sheltered by the Sea Lord!
Did you miss my free novella? It’s about Meg, Angie, and Bex first meeting their soul mates on Sanctuary Island ~ Sea Lord’s Castaway.
This prequel is exclusive for my newsletter subscribers. Subscribe here: http://smarturl.it/StarlaNewsletter
If this is your first time enjoying a Lords of Atlantis book, start at the beginning of the series and read Seduced by the Sea Lord in this four-book boxed set including an exclusive bonus scene. Buy or borrow the Lords of Atlantis Boxed Set at a discount from the full books. Save and one-click today!
Buy/Borrow the Lords of Atlantis Boxed Set.
Also by Starla Night
Lords of Atlantis
Seduced by the Sea Lord
Sacrificed to the Sea Lord
Enslaved by the Sea Lord
Stolen by the Sea Lord
Surrendering to the Sea Lord
Secrets of the Sea Lord
Spellbound by the Sea Lord
Shattered by the Sea Lord
Saved by the Sea Lord
Sheltered by the Sea Lord
7 Virgin Brides for 7 Weredragon Billionaires
~ ONYX DRAGONS ~
(Complete Series)
Malachite
Pyrochlore
Kyanite
Amber
Jasper
Alexandrite
Flint
~ CARNELIAN DRAGONS ~
(Linked Novellas)
Syenite
Peridot
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Starla Night was born on a hot July at midnight. She hikes, scuba dives, and swims naked in the ocean. She writes about smokin’ hot dragons and tattooed mermen at StarlaNight.com.
starlanight.com