She drove a block past the warehouse, and then another before turning right. The river Shannon was on her left. Gripping the steering wheel, Keely turned around in the empty road. She could wait at the end of the street in the shadows and watch. Amidurah would need to leave the confines of the warehouse at some point. With the river behind her, she could attack the sorcerer when he neared. If he didn’t, she could follow him until she was near another body of water.
Keely rubbed her temple and attempted to relax her clenched jaw. She’d fail if she didn’t unwind a bit, think things through more. She stretched and her elbows popped, loud in the quiet.
She couldn’t stay with the car. If she slapped a wave at Amidurah as she had Stephen Doubilet, the wave, or its backlash would strike her as well.
Grasping the cool door handle, Keely exited her vehicle, crossed the road, and watched from behind the corner of a building. Never before had she considered taking a life and never in such a calculated way. Her knees weakened with the enormity of her murderous thoughts.
Amidurah was the murderer, not she. He killed randomly without regard to the number of lives he destroyed. She wasn’t like him, despite her ability to manipulate the water.
She turned from the corner of the warehouse to head back to her car. There had to be another way to stop Amidurah without sinking to his depths.
A door slammed somewhere behind her. Keely whirled and saw several men exiting Roscoe warehouse. She gasped. Michael was one of the men.
“There she is!” Michael’s voice rang loud in the empty streets. The group of men broke into a run, dividing their numbers so they were on each side of the road.
Terror seized her lungs and made it difficult to breathe. She sensed a pair of men near. Her injured thigh screamed in protest at being worked again so hard so soon.
Someone’s arm reached out and grabbed her, spinning her around.
Keely stared into the face of a young blond-haired man, his blue eyes blazing hate. In his hand he held an Immobilizer, his forefinger on the trigger, pulling.
She flung her arm up to protect herself from the blast. “No!”
Chapter Fifteen
The foul-mouthed swine chasing Keely in Waterford never saw Zion tail him. The jerk needed to get a vehicle and by the time he’d found the access code to one, Zion had by-passed the security on another, hidden around the corner, and waited. By the time the owner discovered his jet bike missing, Zion would have jettisoned the vehicle in a location that would ensure its safe recovery.
The pig running after Keely led Zion straight to the warehouse and was none the wiser. Amidurah pontificated inside, unaware that outdoors a new threat to his power laid in wait.
Keeping watch over the rear door where everyone entered, Zion hoped to see Keely, stop her from her confrontation, and talk some common sense into her. She was far too emotional with the loss of her family and her research to see the logical end such an altercation would inevitably lead to.
A scream tore through the air. Zion heard Keely’s cry and felt the ripple of her power surge through the air. He rushed in the direction he’d heard her screech. The scent of road dirt and water flooded his nostrils. He prayed he wasn’t too late. He’d had a choice, to watch the front or the back of the warehouse. He’d opted for the busier entrance and was wrong.
This was the second time in less than twenty-four hours he’d not been there for her when she needed him. Guilt drove him forward, faster, like a spur to a seahorse’s flank.
Zion saw the wall of water hurl toward the men on the street, another man’s body floundering as the wave headed inland. Keely had fallen to the road behind and to the side of a vehicle. The swell whipped through the narrow street and knocked flat those who’d attempted to trap her.
A chill ran down his spine. He ran faster toward her. Cries of the injured assaulted his ears. He had to get to Keely before the backlash of the wave that knocked over the men washed her into the river. He yelled across the distance. “Come on Keely, stand up.”
Wobbling, she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees as if she heard him. “Zion?”
The wave retracted, pulling the screaming men and Keely’s vehicle toward the refilling river. Zion’s footfall softened, no longer striking the street but rather hitting the sodden earth. He streaked to Keely’s side, grabbed her about the waist, hauled her up to his chest, and turned so his back would take the brunt of the receding water should he not make it to the confines of the river fast enough.
He half-dragged, half-carried Keely to the riverbank. With him in his element, she’d be safer in the water. The river sucked at them like a giant vacuum and pulled her from his arms.
Keely shrieked, flailed her arms, and disappeared beneath the waters of the Shannon.
Terror clawed at Zion. He jumped into the water seeking Keely. Without her scuba equipment, she wouldn’t be able to survive for long beneath the surface. The cold water renewed his strength. Relief rushed through him when he spotted her.
The respite was short-lived. Her manipulation of the river created an underwater whirlpool. It sucked her deeper beneath the river and she got caught by the vortex, following the car she’d been near.
Zion kicked his feet harder, racing to the swirling pool of death. Stronger, larger fish escaped the spinning water. Hope surged through him. Keely was close. He grabbed her beneath her arms. The water raged and the centrifugal force attempted to keep them trapped in its grasp. Adrenaline pumped through him and he broke free of the whirlpool’s center.
Fighting the spinning water, Zion looked into her face. Red hair twisted around her head following the pattern of the water. Her face was devoid of color; her green eyes shuttered beneath closed lids. No! He couldn’t let her die, not like this.
He closed his mouth over hers. Humans called it the kiss of life. The gift of his air he gave freely with all the strength and passion to live he could will into her body.
Her eyes fluttered open for a mere moment.
She lived!
Zion fought his way out of the whirlpool, muscles straining with exertion. He glanced over his shoulder. A few more seconds and they would be totally free of the deathtrap, far enough down river toward the bay that he could bring her to the surface.
Each moment was agonizingly slow. He needed to get her to the air, but he needed her safe from Amidurah and his cronies as well. There was only one place she would be safe enough to recover. He had to get her to Atlantis.
He broke through the water’s surface at the last possible moment, pulling her up with him. The river slapped at him with gentle, playful surges. The banks were empty, save the lightly swaying reeds edging the water.
Zion pushed wet, red hair away from Keely’s face, leaned her over his forearm, and rapped her between her narrow shoulder blades.
She coughed and spit out river water, and gasped for air. She remained limp in his arms.
He slipped beneath the water’s surface once more, prepared to repeat the process as often as necessary until he got her to Atlantis and to safety.
*****
Opening her eyes cost Keely. The lids scraped her tender ocular tissue like sandpaper. Squinting, she looked around. Keely didn’t recognize the sea-themed artwork on the pale yellow walls. The bed she lay in, the silky textured blanket beneath her fingers, the muffled sounds of machines were all unfamiliar.
She opened her mouth to scream, but couldn’t. Something covered her mouth, wrapped around her head, and confined her to a reclining position. Panic seized her. Where was she?
Keely struggled against the material oppressing her. Despite the pain, her eyes widened. Near her, something flashed like a warning signal. A shrill beep thrummed through the humid atmosphere. She clawed the blanket beneath her fingers, thrashed her legs trying to rid the offending material.
A door opened. She tried again to scream for help. Oh Domnu, help me, she begged in silence.
“Stop.”
The voice, she knew that voic
e. A man came into her line of vision. Zion!
Her chest heaved in jerky sighs. Zion was here. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her erratic breathing. “Zion,” she attempted to say through the object covering her mouth.
Zion smiled.
His beam warmed her. The smile she attempted to return cracked and split her lips. She watched Zion motion with his arm.
A woman, large seashells covering her breasts, seaweed streaming from her hips, appeared at Keely’s side. Soothing fingers removed the device from her face and rubbed a salve on Keely’s lips. “Zion,” she sighed.
Zion nodded and the woman near the head of Keely’s bed withdrew to a far corner of the room. “Good. You remember me.”
“Where am I?”
“My father’s kingdom.” His whisper caressed her skin.
This time when she smiled, the act didn’t split her lip. “I forgot. You’re the son of a sea god.”
He picked up her hand and kissed her palm. “You say that as if you don’t believe it. Our realities are different, but both exist.”
The stroking of his thumb on the back of her hand increased her concern. “What happened? Did Amidurah attack?”
“No. A band of his soldiers attempted to take you in Shannon. Don’t you remember?”
Grief overwhelmed her. She’d failed. Amidurah was still on the loose. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She tried to remove her hand from his.
He held fast and resumed the gentle caresses on the back of her hand. “Calm yourself. Be thankful I was able to get to you in time.”
Her limbs felt weighted. “I feel so... disembodied.”
The deep timbre of his voice soothed here. “We gave you something to control your surgical pain.”
Like small eddies, scattered memories of a dim street flitted to mind. “Surgery?”
He nodded and a lock of golden hair fell over an expressive eyebrow. “It was necessary to keep you safe and alive.”
“Thank you. Just where am I, exactly?”
His facial muscles tightened and his eyes darkened. “Do you remember when I told you who my father was?”
Poseidon, ruler of the Seven Seas, was the man, er, God he named as father. She nodded.
“I’m currently the youngest son and he’s given me charge of Atlantis.”
Keely felt her eyes widen at his pronouncement. Deja vu overcame her senses. “Atlantis. The Atlantis?” She clasped her hand over her mouth when she realized she’d spoken her thoughts aloud.
“I assure you, Atlantis is where you are. When you feel better, I’ll show you some of what makes my city unique.” He smiled again.
The small act reassured her until she noticed his face. Dark circles beneath his eyes gave him a tired, world-weary look. Stubble covered his chin. Her heart went out to him. “How long have you been here with me?”
“Three days.”
Keely gasped. “Three days? The whole time...I’ve been unconscious?”
He nodded. When he spoke, his voice carried concern in each word. “You nearly drowned. The physicians thought it best to keep your body quiet while they repaired your lungs.”
Her mind whirled. There were so many questions she needed to ask. So much she needed to know. “Am I...” she paused, afraid to hear the answer to the question she was about to ask. “Am I underwater?”
“Entirely, but the air pressure within the city keeps the sea at bay.”
She lifted her brows, more questions coming to mind. “How do I breathe?”
He grasped her hand, and sat at the side of what she presumed was a bed. “Within the city, you inhale as you would on the surface. However, Atlantis is thousands of kilometers from any known body of land, and you are several leagues beneath the ocean surface. My physicians outfitted you with an implant. It works like a fish gill, extracting oxygen from a watery environment. They placed a valve in your trachea to prevent the ocean water from filling your lungs.”
She clenched her teeth together to fight the anger building within her. She hadn’t been consulted about the changes to her body. How dare anyone take such liberty!
A glance at Zion reminded her where she was. Davy Jones locker, the bottom of the north Atlantic. By all rights, she should be dead. Amazement at the thoroughness of the undersea physicians replaced her ire. They’d given her the ability to survive.
Rather than being pissed, Keely knew she should be grateful. She imagined her anger trapped in her fist, beating against her palm. She forced her hand to relax and let the emotional tempest float away.
Her next question was remarkably calm compared to the ire she’d just let go. “How can you understand me and vice versa?”
“Your words are formed as they are on land. Speech works the same here, but when you are outside the city walls, instead of creating sound waves that travel through air, your sound waves will travel through water. The density is atypical to you, but Atlanteans are raised in this environment and have no difficulty.”
His hand moved to her forehead and smoothed back a lock of hair. “You hear and understand because of the device I placed in your ear several days ago.”
The memory rushed to her mind. He’d touched her ear when she was trapped under the boat debris. She’d been able to understand him then. “Are the implants permanent?”
“No. When you are ready, they can be removed. But, enough questions. If you continue to bombard me, the physicians are likely to place me in their care from exhaustion!”
She watched him as he rose to leave. A feeling of loneliness overcame her. Her dysfunctional family no longer existed. Her attempt to thwart Amidurah hadn’t been enough to put an end to his threats against the world. Guilt weighed on her conscience. “Please, don’t leave.”
Zion returned and sat at her side patting her hand. “What do you wish?”
His query calmed her. In the early hours of the morning, after she’d woken from sexy dreams of making love to this man, she’d imagined his deep voice. “Stay with me. Talk to me. Hold me. I don’t want to be here alone with sad memories and regrets.”
Zion helped her sit up and placed his muscular arms around her. “I love touching you,” he whispered near her ear. “You tempt and torment me like no other living being.”
She snuggled against his chest and winced with the movement, pondered his words, and allowed their power to sink into her heart and soul as a salve. “How long before I can be up and about?”
“The physicians will allow you up when they proclaim you ready. They keep their own counsel and refuse to answer questions.”
“They seem to have a lot of power,” Keely lamented.
He shrugged. “Their abilities differ from mine. I don’t intrude on their expertise and they do likewise.”
Keely yawned. Although she hadn’t been awake long, exhaustion struck her. “How long will you stay with me?”
With a soft touch, he stroked her hair. “As long as you want me.”
Chapter Sixteen
For decades, Zion watched the woman he now held in his arms. For most of those, he’d been in love with her. What started as watching a child with a powerful gift, turned into lust for the beautiful young woman she’d become. He’d settled for allowing himself into her dreams, never suspecting each encounter would addict him to her thoughts and emotions with increasing intensity. Never expecting the subliminal relationship they shared would manifest and mature into an intense love.
He stroked her silky hair and kissed her cheek. Touching her sent longing racing like a ravenous shark throughout his body. “Keely, Keely,” he whispered. “What am I going to do about you?”
He’d stayed away from her when she questioned her sanity, when the drugs altered her sensitive spirit. Long years he’d spent watching her. All he’d done during those dark days was morph into an irritable, lazy sea prince. In an attempt to distract him from his unrequited love, his father had given him the additional charge of his dolphins.
The responsibility for taking care of th
e city’s unique inhabitants was one Zion took seriously. His father, all powerful and in so many ways wiser than his Uncle Zeus, guided him in understanding the distinctive needs of the intelligent mammals.
Zion filled his days with work, grooming the dolphins and seeing to their well being in an effort to keep Keely from his mind, eschewing his favored status as a prince of the realm. Despite the demanding occupation, Keely remained in his thoughts, day and night, year after year.
His father’s plan worked well and kept him busy. Unable to visit the woman who held his heart and fearful he’d driven her to the edge of sanity, Zion kept his feelings locked up tighter than a rusted shut sea chest. Until the day one of the dolphins told him of a beautiful woman with hair the color of a Tasmanian red anemone and eyes the color of emeralds.
Keely.
Memories of his time with her rushed back with the force of a hurricane. His heart quickened in an unbidden response that five years apart didn’t extinguish.
Deep into her research, thinking her delusions contained, Keely managed to find an active purpose for her life apart from him. For weeks he debated what he should do. He was miserable. She wasn’t.
She deserved as uncomplicated a life as she could enjoy. Letting Keely hold onto her erroneous beliefs of what was real and what wasn’t, allowed her peace of mind. To give her tranquility meant he had to be out of her life.
Until Amidurah.
The hurricanes caused by the old sorcerer shook up the dolphins. When they returned to Zion with reports of a woman fighting back, causing the wind to push the hurricanes back into the Atlantic, Zion immediately thought of Keely’s power.
He didn’t know if Amidurah would seek her out. If she ever used her power unwittingly, as she had when she was a child, the sorcerer wouldn’t rest until he discovered her and one way or another contained her.
Amidurah was the only reason Zion had reinserted himself into Keely’s life. Jade and Raiden had stopped him on the beach, less secretive than Denton, and warned him that Keely was actively being sought by Amidurah. He couldn’t help but remember the sorrow of Jade’s eyes as she and Raiden tried to convince him to bring Keely around to their cause. Keely could use Jade to talk to now. The two women, having lost family to Amidurah, could help one another get through the dark times they now faced.
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