No Atlantean was permitted to enter the surface world. Well, that wasn't entirely true. A guardian of the portal could enter, but only to kill anyone who'd escaped the underwater city. None of the nymphs were guardians-and they had entered anyway, it seemed.
Now Poseidon would have to punish them.
"Let me get this straight. You saw nymphs steal human women from the surface world and bring them into Atlantis?" he said, his voice booming across the ocean floor. Sand jumped, floating high in the water; pink and white coral vibrated. Colorful fish darted in every direction, desperate to escape his vicinity.
Two mermaids bowed their heads. Both possessed hair as inky black as the night, the tresses blending together, floating around their delicate shoulders.
"Yes," they said in unison.
"Through the portal?" he insisted. He slammed the end of his trident into the marble base he stood upon, cracking it from one end to the other. This was the most excitement he'd experienced in ages.
"Yes," both women repeated, now trembling.
Poseidon's lips lifted slowly as he stepped from the dais, his white robe dancing around his ankles. From where he stood, he could see the huge crystal dome encompassing the cursed city.
He whisked himself to it, far away one moment, in front of it the next. He needed no portal or doorway to let him inside a world he had helped create. He simply walked through the crystal as if it were not there.
He didn't yet want the citizens to know of his arrival, so he kept himself hidden in a cloak of invisibility. He breathed deeply of the pure, orchid-saturated air. Closed his eyes, enjoyed. Yes, he had turned his back on this land and its people for far too long. A mistake.
Hundreds of years had passed since he'd last entered, and all seemed tranquil. Minotaur children played in mud puddles, centaurs frolicked through thick, dewy grass. Vampires, dragons, griffins, cyclops, Gorgons, harpies and Amazons-they were all present.
How could his brothers think these creatures abominations? Ugly, even. Some of the women of Atlantis were actually quite pretty.
The races even appeared-dare he think it-tamed. And in the taming, stronger. He frowned.
How strong?
Waving his trident, and maintaining his invisibility, Poseidon whisked himself to the palace where Valerian, king of the nymphs, now resided. Within seconds he found himself in a room occupied by three very human women. They were discussing the various positions in which they'd been taken, the various positions in which they wanted to be taken, and how sad they were that Valerian now had a mate and paid them no attention.
Slowly Poseidon allowed his form to appear, though he assumed the guise of a nymph warrior. Dark-haired, vivid blue eyes. Muscled. Tanned. When the women spotted him, they smiled, jumped to their feet and rushed to him.
"Did you come to make love to us?" one asked.
"You're the most beautiful man I've ever seen! More beautiful than Valerian, even."
"Silence," he said, his voice booming. Now was not the time for pleasure. Later, though... "Sit down." He motioned to the mound of pillows behind them.
They sat without question or comment, eyeing him as if he were a delicious platter of chocolate. He settled beside them and allowed them to drape themselves over his legs, stroking him like a prized pet. Hmm. Nice. Very nice.
Nymphs needed sex to survive, the most likely reason they'd stolen the women. Not that it mattered. The law must be obeyed.
Zeus's oracles claimed the Atlanteans would one day destroy the surface.
"First you will tell me exactly how you came to be here," he said. He would hear the damning truth firsthand. "Then you'll tell me all you know about the nymphs."
One of the women kissed his thigh. Another kissed his shoulder. He closed his eyes, a blissful moan slipping from him. Answers, smanswers.
He cleared his throat. "You will tell me later," he said and kissed them back.
Already his venture into Atlantis was doing more for his boredom than a thousand tropical storms.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
"LET US BATHE. TOGETHER."
"Bathe? Together?" Dinner was over, and Valerian expected her to strip down and soak? "No, thank you." Shaye stood and backed away from him as if he were poison. Because he was.
"If we're going to date-and I'm not saying we are," she added in a rush. "But. If we're going to date, we've got to do this the normal way. You know, get the Atlantean version of a cell phone and text each other. From a distance."
He stood, unfolding his big body inch by agonizing inch. His pants were tight over his muscled legs, but even tighter over his large erection.
"You said every relationship ends." He stared her down. "Ours won't. You're my mate. Therefore your argument is invalid."