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“Idiot! Jackass! Moron!” She fought and kicked with all her might, and her knee slammed into his stomach. “Put me down. I’ll make you miserable. I’ll never stop fighting you. I won’t see to your needs.”
“You, love, will make me a well-satisfied man,” he gritted out. “That I promise you.” He strode past the line of women.
Even through her struggles, Shaye held her mom’s watery stare until the tent flap was swept aside and Valerian carried her into the night. At least her mom wouldn’t be forced to endure…whatever these men were going to make her and the others endure.
The rest of the men fell into pace beside Valerian. The young, single women followed blithely, happily, behind them. From inside the tent, the sound of feminine sobs echoed. “Take me with you,” several called. “Please. I’m begging.”
Shaye stilled. She rubbed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose. This is not happening. Surely this big, brawny, sinfully gorgeous warrior was not carrying her over his shoulder, striding toward the ocean, determined to take her to his home. Wherever that might be. What should she do? What could she do?
Valerian hesitated for a moment, as did the others. “Beautiful,” he whispered, gazing at the velvety night sky, the pinpricks of starlight. “So beautiful.” He spoke in English—for her benefit? “Now that we have our women, we can enjoy the sights.”
“The heavens seem to go on forever,” another said, awed. He, too, spoke in her native tongue, following Valerian’s lead.
“I’d dreamed of this land, but never imagined such majesty.”
“Are you sure we cannot stay here, my king? We could bring the rest of the army here and—”
Valerian shook his head, and the silky tendrils of his hair brushed her bare back. She shivered. “I am sure,” he said. “Layel was very clear. To remain on the surface is to die on the surface. Let us tarry no longer.” He started forward, expecting everyone to follow. They did.
“For the last time, put me down!” Shaye shouted. She slapped his butt. “Now!”
He slapped her butt in return, then surprised and excited her by massaging away the sting. His hand lingered and savored the feel of her backside. If her grass skirt parted any more…
She snarled low in her throat. Angry at him, angry at herself. Remaining cool and emotionless was not an option. “This is illegal. You’re going to get caught. Criminals always get caught. At your trial I’m going to request the death penalty.”
“As long as I have tasted you, I can die a happy man.”
“Is that supposed to make me shut up?” She beat her fists into his back, watching sand kick at his feet. The echo of churning waves filled her ears. “Is it supposed to make me happy that you’ve got me trussed up like a sack of potatoes? And why the hell are you walking toward the water?”
“I told you. We are going to my home.” His gait easy, he stepped over several of the scuba-clad men who were still lying motionless on the beach.
“Did you kill those men?” she demanded. “Who are they?”
“They were waiting at the portal and attacked, so I did not stop to seek an introduction. And no, we did not kill them. We simply made them sleep.” Valerian entered the ocean. Cool waves lapped at his ankles…his knees…thighs. Salty droplets sprayed over her face, burning her eyes.
A gasp slipped from her lips. “Stop! Stop this instant. Put me down.”
He kept moving, sinking deeper and deeper into the water.
“Idiot! What are you doing? You’re going to drown me.”
“I will never allow harm to befall you, little moonbeam.” Still, he continued into the water. The other women followed merrily, each wearing a giddy smile. As if frolicking to their deaths was perfectly acceptable. Even fun.
Wait. No, not every woman followed happily. The one with dark curls was fighting her captor, struggling for freedom.
Shaye’s heart pounded in her chest, an erratic drumbeat. A war beat. “You’re going to kill us all, you overgrown G.I. Joe. You’re going—umph.” She swallowed a mouthful of salty water, and the next thing she knew, she was completely submerged. Her eyes burned. Her throat constricted. Hair floated around her face like strands of ivory ribbon.
The idiot man kept his strong arms locked around her, one at the bend of her knees, one at the small of her back. His palms were hot, so hot, a startling contrast against the chilly liquid. Silver-white hair continued to dance around her. Colorful fish swam past her line of vision. She wanted to scream. Oh, how she wanted to scream. But every time she opened her mouth, she swallowed more water.
Deeper, deeper he sank. She needed to breathe, damn it! Any minute her lungs were going to burst. Valerian was insane. A drowning murderer on a suicide mission.
She fought against his hold with all her strength, kicking, beating, scratching. Finally the ocean became so deep he couldn’t remain upright. They tilted forward, and he began using his powerful legs to swim them even deeper. Deeper still.
I’m going to die, she realized. Truly die. Terror beat through her. Already her lungs shrieked for air. There were so many things she wanted to do, and dying wasn’t one of them. She wanted to write a book, maybe a sappy romance where the heroine experienced the love Shaye had always denied herself. She wanted to get another tattoo, maybe a pretty flower this time. Her first tattoo, a skull and crossbones on her lower back, was something she’d gotten in an attempt to make her parents notice her.
Her mom had definitely noticed and still mailed her tattoo-removal coupons every few weeks. The coupons amused her, actually made her feel liked—if not loved.
Another thought tried to form, but her mind blanked, cutting it off and becoming as dark as the water. Breathe, she mentally shouted. Breathe before you pass out.
Suddenly the water cleared, so glassy she could see as perfectly as if she were on land. Even the salt dissipated, soothing her irritated eyes. Valerian tugged her forward until they were eye-to-eye. Automatically she tried to push herself away from him, but he held tight.
Maybe that was for the best. She didn’t want to lose her single connection with life. And right now, Valerian was her only solid anchor—psychotic though he was.
Yes, at the moment he was both destroyer and savior.
“Breathe,” she mouthed. Her body verged on spasming, on forcing her to attempt to suck in air. No matter that water still surrounded her.
“Soon,” he, too, mouthed. He motioned with his head, and she squelched her panic enough to turn and look. Her eyes widened when she saw the swirling, gelatinous whirlpool looming ahead. What the hell was that thing? And why was Valerian swimming straight into it?
Had to…stop him. With a shaky arm, she reached out to block his forward momentum. Her fingertip brushed the whirlpool. Instantly the aquatic world crumbled into dark nothingness, an abyss welcoming her with open arms. A thousand screams ripped through her ears, violent, intense. Needles jabbed at her every pore, the pain nearly too much to bear.
A stream of bright light erupted and whizzed past her, then disappeared altogether. Wind gusted, spinning her round and round. Where was Valerian? He, too, had disappeared. Dizziness consumed her as she continued to twirl. Alone. Frightened. No end in sight.
Falling…falling…
Chapter Five
“I’VE GOT YOU, MOON.”
Strong arms wrapped around Shaye’s waist, and she gratefully buried her face in the hollow of Valerian’s neck. In that moment she didn’t care who was holding her, she was simply happy that someone was. She even wrapped her legs around his waist, strengthening her grip on him. She could finally breathe, she just couldn’t stop falling.
“Don’t let go,” she cried.
“Never.”
She’d never held on to anyone with such force, such need. That Valerian held on to her just as tightly was…comforting, something she’d craved for many years before convincing herself she didn’t need or want such a thing. And she would believe it again—tomorrow.
They were spinning faster and faster, left and right, tumbling toward the unknown. Nausea churned in her stomach. She didn’t understand what was happening; she only knew the water had disappeared as if it had never been, leaving only this spiraling black tunnel that stretched for eternity.
“Valerian,” she panted. “What’s happening?”
“Don’t worry, love. It will be over in a moment.”
Did he speak of death?
Zipping lights once again blazed past her ears, firefly flickers extinguished all too soon and replaced by that thick, oppressive darkness. The bevy of screams increased in volume and shattered her fragile hold on calm. No. No! Her temples hammered with a sharp ache. Her blood froze, yet sweat beaded over her skin. Fear clutched her in a painful grip.
As a little girl, her favorite fairytale had been Alice in Wonderland. Over and over she’d read about Alice falling down the rabbit hole, and had wanted to fall into that hole herself. Not now. Now that she felt like Alice, plummeting into the unfamiliar, she didn’t like it.
Alice had landed in a whole new world—and that thought scared Shaye more than never landing at all.
“I’m not sure…how much more…I can take,” she gasped out.
Then, suddenly, Valerian hit a solid foundation. His knees bent, absorbing the impact, and the vibration trembled through her. His arms tightened around her waist, holding her up with his determined strength.
“Take a moment to breathe.” He slid her down his body inch by gradual inch. “Breathe for me, love. I don’t feel your chest moving.”
In. Out. Air filled and left her lungs. In. Out. Surprisingly, she did calm. She could smell his scent, salty, sultry. Could feel his heat, his strength.
“Good, good. But you are pale,” Valerian said, a hint of concern in his voice.
“I’m always pale,” she muttered. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, she realized, slowly forcing them to open.
They had entered a cave. She gulped. How had they entered a cave? The walls were bleak and rocky, silver stones splashed with crimson. A metallic tang layered the cold, cold air, and that cold, cold air continued to wrap around Shaye’s soaked, nearly bare body, chasing away Valerian’s warmth. That frigid breeze ruffled her wet skirt and hair, and she shivered.
She slowly turned, taking in every detail. One by one, the other warriors were walking out of a clear, jellylike pool that swirled mysteriously. They were clasping as many frightened, trembling women as they could hold. Mist curled all around them and drifted to the ceiling. The entire scene was like something found in a movie. Where am I?
Trembling, Shaye faced her captor once again. Her gaze traveled over him, starting at his booted feet, moving up his muscled legs, skipping over his male…parts to his chest. Droplets of water trickled over his tiny brown nipples, through his silver nipple ring, and pooled in his navel. He had no chest hair; not a strand dared mar his perfection. Rope after rope of tantalizing muscle banded his bronzed stomach.
How could one person be so utterly flawless?
Up her gaze went again, finally hitting his face. His savagely, amazingly perfect face. Perfect sandy brows, perfect crystalline eyes, perfect nose. Perfect lips, lush and pink. Of course, he now sported bruises under his eyes because she’d punched him in the nose. Even with the bruises, however, he was the most sensually erotic creature she’d ever seen. He wore confidence like a cloak; he radiated primal ferocity.
Reaching up, he gently traced his fingertips over her forehead, nose and chin, wiping away the water. She wanted to pull away, but couldn’t summon the strength. His touch reverberated through her like a live wire. Hot. Scorching.
“Welcome to your new home, little moonbeam.” Desire coated his words—as if he had felt the sparks, as well. “Welcome to Atlantis.”
Atlantis. She blinked once, twice. Atlantis…the city buried under the ocean? Like the ocean she’d just exited? Her mouth went dry. No way. No damn way. “Please tell me you meant to say Atlanta, as in Georgia, and your accent screwed it up.”
His brow puckered. “I know not this Georgia. You heard me correctly. You have entered Atlantis, city of the gods’ finest creations. Home to nymphs, vampires, demons and many others that do not bear mentioning, for they are unimportant.”
No, no, no. Hell, no. She shook her head, her mind valiantly trying to discredit such an explanation. Atlantis was a myth. It couldn’t possibly be real. The creatures he’d named were also myths. They, too, couldn’t possibly be real. For God’s sake, vampires? Demons? In nightmares, perhaps, but not reality.
Welcome to Wonderland, Alice.
No, no, no, she thought again. There had to be another explanation. And yet…she could think of nothing else. She’d entered the sea, fallen into a dark tunnel, and now stood in a cave. A cave found below the water, not above it.
Atlantis whispered across her mind. She gulped, tightening her hold on disbelief, unwilling to relinquish it even for a moment. To do so meant accepting the craziness of Valerian’s claim—the claim of a deranged kidnapper.
“So I drowned, and I’m in hell.” Eyes slitted, she tilted her chin stubbornly. “Obviously, you’re the devil.”
“We shall see. Men,” Valerian called, a harsh growl. His penetrating stare never left her face. “Take the women and gather the rest of my army in the dining hall. The choosing will soon begin.”
With an air of eager anticipation, the warriors leapt into action. One of them tried to grab her arm, but Valerian stopped him with a feral, “I will bring this one,” even as she slapped at the offender’s hand.
“As you wish, my king.”
King? King! They pounded up a coarse, wooden staircase, the women close on their heels. Most of the men were grinning and clapping each other on the back. “Who will you choose?” she heard one of them say. Another responded with a hearty, “I want the redhead. Her breasts are…” Their chatter faded away.
A single man remained behind. Or perhaps he’d been waiting here in the cave. He wasn’t wet like everyone else. He wore a white shirt with a deep V-neck that almost reached his navel and tight black pants.
Valerian finally released her from his stare and turned to the remaining warrior. “How are the prisoners?” he asked.
Prisoners? Shaye’s eyes widened, and she clutched at her throat. Dear God.
The man gave a brusque answer in that odd language she’d heard Valerian use earlier, but Valerian shook his head. “Speak in the human tongue.”
“Alive,” the man said with a frown.
Wait. Human tongue? What did that make Valerian’s dialect? Inhuman?
“Have they given you any trouble?” Valerian asked.
“None at all, my king.”
“Very good. Continue to see to their needs.” He waved in dismissal, scowled, then called the man back. “Has there been any word about our females?”
“None.”
“Very well,” he said, his disappointment clear. “On with you.”
The man nodded and clomped off, his boots beating into the rocky ground.
“What prisoners?” Shaye found herself asking on a trembling breath.
“Beasts. Killers.” He turned toward her and she was once again hit by the full majesty of him. Icy air at her back, pure heat in front. “Do not fear, for they will not be allowed near you. Some are to be a present to my friend, Layel, and some are to be used to bargain.”
How ominous both plans sounded. What did the man have planned for her, then? Was she to be a present for one of his friends? Was she to be used as a bargaining tool?
He watched her with a frighteningly possessive intensity. The water in his hair was already drying, lightening the locks to a rich, honey gold. Several of those amber strands fell over his forehead and trickled tiny, lingering droplets onto his cheeks.
“I see the disbelief in your beautiful eyes,” he said, leaning one shoulder against the jagged silver wall, “and I will do my best to prove my claim that this is Atlantis. The faster you accept the truth, the faster you will accept me.”
Before she could respond, he reached out and applied pressure to the boulder behind her. His hand brushed her bare skin, shooting those electric shocks through her blood. She twisted, seeing one of the huge rocks embedded in the wall slide backward and sink deeply. As it descended, a secret doorway revealed itself. Rocks creaked and grumbled as they parted. Inch by inch, smooth, glassy crystal was exposed.
Her mouth fell open in an imitation of the doorway. Unbidden, her feet walked her to the edge. Water swirled behind the enclosure, and sand swayed at the sea’s bottom. Pink coral and multicolored fish danced a lazy waltz. Emerald plants rose proudly.
“That’s the bottom of the ocean,” she said, awed and shocked. “That’s the freaking bottom of the ocean.”
“I know. I discovered this wall only a few days ago and have spent many hours down here. Breathtaking, isn’t it?”
A gentle hum echoed in her ears when she flattened her palm against the crystal. The coolness and vibrations of the water assured her this was no hallucination. My God. Atlantis. As she peered out, trying to come to grips with what she was seeing, a gorgeous, dark-haired woman swam up to the crystal. No, not a woman. Shaye’s brow furrowed in shock. A mermaid. A barechested, tail-wagging mermaid.
Curiosity gleamed in its—her—green eyes. She stretched out a dainty arm and placed her hand exactly where Shaye’s rested. Gasping, Shaye jerked away. Shock pounded through her, and her hand fell to her side. Her mouth dried. Her knees shook. The creature frowned…until her gaze latched on Valerian. She smiled, pleasure gleaming in her eyes, and waved.
“You know her?” Shaye managed.
He nodded, but didn’t elaborate.
