Return to Atlantis: a Fantasy Romance (Kingdom in the Sea Book 1)

by Vivienne Savage

  He jerked his attention from Narkissa and bowed stiffly, placing one fist across his chest. “Greetings, Lady Calypso. I am Erasmus. As a show of good faith, I came in person as requested to deliver my master’s message and to negotiate the terms of our continued alliance.”

  Calypso grinned, pleased when the mer didn’t flinch from the sight of her teeth. Her cohort had sent her a strong one. A brave one. “And what does your master say?”

  “We are willing to uphold our part of the bargain for the continued safety of Atlantis. You need only lay the trap that will lure your prey into the open, and we will do the rest.”

  She drifted around to his side and behind him, trailing her fingers over the shell cuirass covering his chiseled torso. He didn’t flinch when she touched his face. “I find those terms acceptable, but perhaps we should seal the deal with a more...intimate arrangement.”

  His dark brows rose. “That was not part of our deal.”

  “It wasn’t.” Playing it safe, she disguised her disappointment and straightened, pushing her shoulders back as another scheme took root, of equal merit to her original plans. A better idea. If it could not be her, then it would be one of her dear daughters. “But long has it been since Atlantis has given me an offering.”

  His expression told her everything, the mask of polite indifference giving way to a grimace. And there died any hope she’d had of him seeing her as normal, as a woman once more. If this young and magnificent specimen of the Atlantian Royal Army chose to see her as a monster, what did it harm her to become one?

  “I should like more children to do my bidding,” Calypso pressed, “now that my dearest Desma is gone by the hands of your people. Pass my message along, or we have no deal.” Of her three daughters, Desma had been the cleverest, the fiercest lieutenant of the Gloombeast legions and also the one most like her parents, a true force to be reckoned with.

  Queen Ianthe had killed her.

  “Lady Calypso, the arrangement has already been made—”

  “Unfortunate,” she hissed, drifting away. “Pass my demand to your master, or I may be forced to forget certain accords between us. It need not be you. Any strong mer of your Royal Army will suffice to conceive the child I desire.” She stole a glimpse over her shoulder at him and watched, holding his gaze.

  “A child,” he repeated after a time, one of his gauntleted fists clenched at his side.

  “Yes. Gifted as I may be by Keto and Phorkys, I am unable to conceive alone. The seed must be planted.”

  “There are few in my confidence I would trust with such an endeavor, my lady. Our numbers are too few, otherwise we risk discovery.”

  “Then it must be you, or dare your master come to me to do the deed himself?”

  Erasmus said nothing, sullen reticence at odds with the proud mer who had met her gaze moments earlier.

  “I thought so.” Her path to the door continued, and she paused, feigning deep contemplation. “Or...perhaps one of my daughters would do.”

  “Which?” he asked in a quiet voice.

  Hooked him. “Perhaps Narkissa or—”

  “Astraia will do,” Narkissa cut in, smiling devilishly.

  That, too, had been expected, for Narkissa was her favorite remaining daughter, but also too cunning and conniving to miss an opportunity to pass a burden to her sibling. “Very well. Find your sister. Tell her there’s work to be done.”

  25

  A Taste of the Forbidden

  Of all the presents Kai had received since assuming her role as Princess of Atlantis, nothing surpassed the gift of seeing her family again. She spent the night talking to them, deferring her evening magic lessons with Cosmas until the next day because a couple of hours wasn’t enough time to recount all of the unbelievable things that’d happened since her disappearance. Cosmas didn’t mind. At least, he claimed he didn’t mind, responding with a smile and kissing her forehead before he promised to return the next morning instead.

  Surprising her none, Sunshine fed Manu and took him in overnight, refusing to let him embark on the journey back to Atlantis without rest. Kai expected nothing less. Anyone who entered the Queen residence was promptly treated like one of Sunshine’s children.

  That additional night Manu spent away from the kingdom gave Kai time to plan and determine how to appropriately express her gratitude. Thankfully, Amerin had no shortage of ideas. Kai told a Myrmidon at the sea traffic control center to call her when Manu returned, then she bribed the master of keys to let her into his cottage. Not that bribery was necessary. As it was on royal property, just within the boundary of the palace grounds, no team of guards trailed behind her, and she had complete privacy.

  Kai seriously missed her independence. She missed walking on the sidewalk alone without looking over her shoulder or needing someone to babysit her. She missed swimming in the ocean and sprawling across the sand unobserved. She missed a lot of things, but what she missed most of all had been returned to her. In a way.

  Manu lived in a humble home, his living space barely large enough to entertain more than a handful of people, a pair of worn divans positioned opposite each other and a thin-paned televiewing screen mounted on the wall nearby. Nothing separated the room from the nearby dining nook and its round table.

  Just after she wheeled the cart of ingredients and tools into the kitchen, something wet slapped against the floor, startling her. Kai jumped and whirled to see nothing.

  Then a tentacle slid around her ankle, and if she’d had a spear in her hands, the poor critter crawling up her leg would have died an abrupt death.

  “What the—? He has an octopus?” The creature resembled a blue-ringed octopus, only much larger. From what she understood of their unique Atlantian physiology, most venoms and poisons didn’t actually hurt them.

  So Kai risked leaning down and accepting it onto her arm. It slid around her wrist and eyed her. “Hello there, pretty one. Do you belong to Manu?”

  Something resonated in her thoughts that sounded like a ‘yes’. It missed its daddy, which only endeared Manu to her even more, knowing that he could have an adorable little creature at home who loved him the way this animal did. The fondness for its owner just ebbed out from it like the tide.

  “Aw, you’re so cute. Well, he’s going to be home today. Let’s go make him a dinner together, okay?”

  She cooed over the nameless octopus, who clung fearlessly to her shoulder the entire time she made dinner preparations. It never left her side.

  Thanking whichever god was listening that ovens in Atlantis operated similarly to their surface counterparts, she followed Amerin’s instructions and did as she’d practiced in the castle, whipping a chocolate batter by hand while awaiting Manu’s arrival. He’d be storing his glider, checking into the barracks to report his return, and slowly wending his way back home. One of the watchmen at the barracks called and tipped her off as she removed the pan of oven-fried chicken. She set it in a warmer she’d borrowed from the palace kitchen.

  Kai wondered what the chefs thought of her unusual desire to cook.

  “Awesome. Tell Commander Loto it’s time to initiate Operation Chum Bucket. Delay him as long as you can. I need another thirty minutes.”

  The Myrmidon chuckled. Kai had yet to ask how, but she’d discovered weeks ago that even Atlantians knew about SpongeBob SquarePants. It must have aired on one of their channels. She’d had no time to really enjoy their handful of networks. TV just wasn’t a huge thing in their realm. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

  The guy’s best happened to be another thirty-five minutes, just enough time to mash the potatoes and make a delicious chicken gravy. When Manu stepped into his home, looking ragged and exhausted, one hand on the shaft of his collapsible trident, she met him with a big smile.

  “Hey, stranger. Long time, no see.”

  He met her greeting with a bewildered, “What are you doing in my house?” Seconds passed until common sense broke through the confusion, and he corrected himself. “
Good evening, Your Highness.” His gaze darted to the octopus on her shoulder. If he disapproved, he said nothing.

  “Good evening. I hope you’re hungry.”

  “You’re cooking for me?”

  “Uh huh. Figured I’d recreate the meal my mother made for you. She mentioned feeding you that first night.” She grinned at him and wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. “And she also revealed you’re a fan of chocolate fudge brownies. It took more work than you’d want to believe to gather the ingredients here, but I managed it.” She’d had three days of advance notice of his fondness for it, put in the proper requests with their importers, and paid a considerable sum for a rush order. As flour, chicken, and other ingredients weren’t items native to Atlantis, they’d come from Spain.

  “Go and sit down, or do whatever you need to do to unwind.”

  Manu lingered in the middle of the floor, studying her. As often as he took care of her, protected others, and guarded the kingdom, she wondered if anyone had ever returned the favor for him, or if his entire life had been sacrifice and service. “A shower would be nice,” he muttered.

  “Go ahead. I’ll pull dessert out of the oven soon.”

  When Manu stepped inside, he’d planned to order supper, stuff his face, and collapse across the bed until morning, when he’d no doubt report for duty as usual. Instead, the most beautiful sight in the world greeted him—dinner served by a sexy woman.

  Princess Kailani wore a fancy apron over a high-necked dress that tied behind her neck and exposed her back, fitted until the skirt flared out over her hips and glided behind her across the floor. The red looked good against her skin, contrasting the gold-scale thigh-high boots beneath. Fuck, he had been salivating before his mind even processed the savory aroma of poultry filling his quaint cottage.

  And she’d somehow bewitched his fucking octopus. Launa never liked anyone, and had especially loathed Calanthe, trying to strangle his ex in her sleep once.

  Not a sign. This doesn’t mean anything.

  As Kai needed more time to complete her preparations, he let her be and entered the bathroom where he stood beneath the water until he felt alive again, and less like a compressed ball of tension. Nothing felt better than fifteen minutes of steaming hot water after a two-day drive in a cramped coral glider. Of course, stopping only for fuel had shaved a full day off his travel time, returning him to Atlantis ahead of schedule.

  He should have been home over an hour ago, but the moment he stepped onto the docks, a deluge of eelshit began. First, Loto called him to his office to discuss eelshit any other commander could have handled. Then, Cosmas caught him in the hall, wondering when they’d go out again to make up for the ruined night out. After that, a grunt at the coral glider depot claimed he hadn’t logged out of the system, recalling him back to the machine.

  Returning to the living room treated Manu to the sight of Kai setting two plates on the small table. She beamed at him while pouring white wine into his cheap glasses. Her pours were definitely on the generous side. “Your friend abandoned me.”

  “Yeah, she’s in her tank again.”

  “Oh. Well. She’s really pretty. What’s her name?”

  “Launa.” He’d had Launa since he was a boy, one of the last gifts he’d ever received from his mother. At the time, his father had been fiercely against him having any kind of pet, but Malie had ignored his wishes and caved to Manu’s pleas, buying him the creature during a visit to see relatives in Pacifica.

  “She kept me company while I cooked.” Kai gestured to the dinner spread. “All finished.”

  “That looks amazing,” he said, not sure if he meant her or the dinner. She’d prepared crispy drumsticks, garlic asparagus, and creamy mashed potatoes, things that must have been staples growing up in Sunshine’s home. His belly growled aggressively with hunger. Fuck. That looked outstanding. And expensive. None of those things grew in Atlantis, and chickens were a pricy delicacy only the wealthy could afford.

  “Do you not have a shirt?”

  He blinked at her, jerked out of his appreciation for the food. “Uh, not when I’m at home. You told me to get comfortable.”

  “Oh.” Kai skated her teeth over her lower lip. “Well. Have a seat.”

  Not yet accustomed to the paradox of a princess serving his dinner, Manu sat opposite her and ate his weight in chicken legs while she regaled him with chatter about her riding lessons with Cosmas. As he demolished a second serving of asparagus and mashed potatoes, Kai popped over to the counter to fetch another bottle of wine.

  “I think I prefer sharks over dolphins. Dunno why yet. Of course, Perseus was a real blowhole and tossed me off him three times before I caught on that he was trying to intimidate me. He’s so smart, Manu. I’ve always thought sharks were beautiful, but I love his pattern. He looks like a tiger.”

  He watched her work the cork out, lean and toned arms flexing as she pulled it free. The wine looked pricier than the chicken dinner, a dark bottle of red she’d likely nicked from the palace cellar.

  “Since I’m free from lessons tomorrow, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to cut loose a little.”

  “Princess Kailani?”

  “Hm?”

  “What is all of this about?”

  “The wine is going to be amazing with the brownies, I think,” she said, pouring two big glasses.

  “Your Highness?”

  She nibbled one and sipped her wine. “Yup. I was totally right—”

  “Princess Kailani,” he growled out, rising from the seat and dropping both palms on the table. “I’m not one to complain about a gorgeous woman making me a meal, but what in the name of Styx is going on here?”

  She froze, and her smile wavered. “I didn’t know any other way to thank you for what you did. You gave my family back to me. You didn’t have to drive to Texas to hand-deliver a magical fucking videophone to my mom, but you did it without me asking. Without wanting anything in return.”

  His mind drifted back to the gold starfish. Unable to bear eating both of them, he’d placed them in a tank in his bedroom and kept the delicate critters as pets.

  When he didn’t respond, she collected the dirty plates and hurried them into the kitchen, placing both in the sink. “Anyway, I should leave you to rest. You’ve been on the…sea-road, or whatever you call it, for a long time. Enjoy the brownies, Manu.”

  Kai got as far as the door before he found the nerve to dig deeper. “Your Highness?”

  She glanced over a bare shoulder at him, hand on the door handle. “Yes?”

  “I never thanked you for the gold starfish sent to my office, but something needs to be addressed. Do you understand the significance of them?”

  A shy smile touched her lips. “You’re welcome. And yes, I think so. Amerin called them a gift of friendship among the Pacificans. I mean, I do consider you a friend. A good friend.”

  A good friend. If he read between the lines, he could take it a few different ways. Though his dick wanted to take it down a dark and dirty road that ended with both of them in bed, sheets twisted around their naked legs. “It’s more than that.” He hesitated, reluctant to embarrass her, but positive her handmaiden had stuck her nose where it didn’t belong.

  “Oh?” A slight furrow creased her brow. “Then what is it?”

  He stepped closer, crossing the living room floor, aware of how much the mere memory of her gift aroused him. “Golden starfish are what my people gift to lovers or mers they plan to take as lovers, Your Highness. It’s an offer of sex. And depending on the relationship between those mers, it’s an admission of love.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t break eye contact as she stepped toward him, cheeks rosy and flushed with mutual arousal he’d somehow missed. Fuck, he could smell her need, and she wasn’t freaking out about the message.

  Something very wrong was happening, and hell if he knew what to do about it.

  “What…is happening here?” he asked slowly.

  “I don’t know.” She place
d one palm against his chest. She didn’t have to tilt her head far to make eye contact, standing only three inches shorter, taller than most other female mers. “I…” Her breath quickened, pupils blown, with a narrow ring of chocolate brown color surrounding them. “Manu…”

  He thought they both moved at once, but he couldn’t be sure. One moment, he was studying her face and wondering how soon before he surrendered to his baser urges. In the next, one arm was around her waist, and she moved in against him of her own volition, silky skin scented like lilies and plum blossoms.

  His self-control disintegrated.

  Chocolate and wine flavored her tongue, lips soft and pliable beneath his mouth. Even as he came to his senses and tried to draw back, Kai laced her fingers through his hair to anchor him in place.

  He never wanted to stop kissing her, wanted to hold her in his arms forever. He crushed her closer, swallowing her low moan when he squeezed a handful of her ass. Her hips nudged forward, grinding against him. The moment she gasped in surprise, he knew that she felt his hardening cock. Every inch was throbbing for her—his princess, his future queen.

  Manu surrendered to the taste of her, the heat of her tongue, the way her nipples tightened pebble-hard through the thin silk, their stiffened tips brushing against his chest. Weeks of urgent need flooded to the surface as his mouth traced an invisible path from her lips to her bare shoulder. He nipped, found her throat, and relished the way she tipped her head back. Then he almost lost his mind the moment her hand slid between them and fumbled for the laces on his trousers, eager to free his cock.