Blood for Atlantis

by Anna LaVerne

  Once I put my weapons away, my bedroom door opens without so much as a knock. Aden catches the door with his hand to stop it and Ari from entering.

  “Calm down, it is just Ari,” I laugh at his natural protective instinct. Especially when it is more likely I will be saving his hide than him saving mine.

  “Meri, what is going on?” The feisty redhead pushes through the door, glaring at Aden with fire in her eyes.

  “Ari meet Aden, he will be one of my gatekeepers,” the smile on my face betrays my happiness watching Ari squirm.

  “He has to survive the Ring, to be chosen,” she counters.

  “Oh, he will,” I assure her. “Can you have a second plate sent to my room?”

  Ari doesn’t answer. Instead, she sits my plate down on a small round table and does a sarcastic curtsy. I know she would be back with a plate, as it is her job. After she leaves the room, Aden looks over the food and the large glass of blood left for me.

  “I don’t trust her,” Aden tips his head towards the door.

  I chuckle, “I don’t either, but then again, I think you and the other three guys are the only people I can trust right now. Ari is getting your plate ready and then will run to Amphitrite to let her know I have a man in my room. Amphitrite will be okay with it because she knows I can protect myself, and you are a potential source . . .,” My words trail off when I realize what I said.

  My eyes go big as I peer across the room at Aden, praying he doesn’t take that the wrong way, “I don’t mean it like that. I didn’t ask you here because of it.”

  Aden adjusts his glasses, and in a moment of sheer confidence he strides across the room until he is right in front of me, his face angled down toward mine.

  “Why did you ask me to stay?” His voice is husky with the same tension and need swirling in me.

  “I didn’t want to be alone. I n-n-need you to be near,” I admit.

  “I’m glad, because I want to be here.”

  The moment is interrupted when Ari opens the door carrying another plate of food for Aden. She promptly slams it down on the table and leaves without saying a single word. Aden follows her to the door and is sure to lock us in. He takes a deep breath and leans his back against the door.

  “I don’t trust her” he sighs again.

  “I don’t trust anyone here. Ari warned me in the beginning not to trust her. I have never been so lonely in my life. Before the Ring, I didn’t have friends, but I had a purpose. I had an apprenticeship lined up, and I trained. My mother . . . was my confidant.”

  I move to the table to eat the only meal I have had all day. Aden sits across from me and begins eating at a ravenous pace. Guilt washes through me for working them so hard, but even if they don’t get to train with me again, they are mostly ready. They gelled well together as a team. I divert my eyes while I gulp down my large cup of congealing blood. They texture is thick and clumpy as it glides down my throat. Not pleasant at all, but my body's craving leaves me no choice.

  We eat in silence, focused on our food. Ignoring the fact we both stink with the sweat of training. I notice Aden taking quick glances, bringing a smile to my face. The heat in my cheeks betrays my feelings, and I know he sees it. I finish my meal and bend over to remove my boots.

  “If you don’t mind, I think I would like to take a shower,” I tell him.

  He takes his glasses off and sets them on the table. “Would you mind if I joined you?”

  His question nearly knocks the air out of me. It takes me a moment to recover, although I continue to squirm under his intense gaze. My desire is calling me to him, but my brain is arguing. I have no idea what I am doing. Not able to form the words, I nod and begin removing my pants.

  My gaze never leaves his as we each remove our clothing, one item at a time. I follow the trail of his muscles down his long lean torso. My teeth nip my bottom lip as I observe his fingers undoing the button on his jeans. Once naked, I turn to walk into my small bathing area equipped with a shower just big enough for the two of us.

  His fingertips touch the small of my back, startling me. I jump away a bit and feel instant guilt for my actions. I invited him in here with me, the least I can do is not give mixed signals.

  “We don’t have to do this, if you don’t want to. I am fine taking a shower later,” Aden’s comforting voice echoes in the bathroom.

  “No-no, I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

  I touch the cold lever to turn on the water and hesitate again.

  “I can stand right here and wait, so you won’t be alone,” Aden reassures me.

  “It is okay. We can share.”

  I check the temp of the warm water before stepping in and allowing the water to trickle down my body. I tilt my head back reveling in the instant relief the warmth brings on my sore muscles. I pull my long hair to the front and turn to motion for Aden to enter.

  The shower becomes steamy the moment he enters. It is as if the shower is feeding off of the tension between us. He adjusts the shower head to better suit his taller frame. I pick up a washcloth, soaking it in soap before placing it upon his hardened chest.

  My eyes drift to his, and the unspoken tension causes my fangs to burst forth from my gums. I yelp in surprise and turn my back to him in shame.

  “I’m sorry,” I mumble under my breath looking at my feet. I may be a born killer, but I live in shame of what I am. It is not who I want to be.

  Aden’s strong arms reach around and take the wash cloth from my hand, “Shh, Meri, there is nothing to be ashamed of. You are a magnificent and beautiful creature. A goddess in her youth. Who knows what, or who, you will become? But you can’t live life in shame for what you need to be who you are.”

  He begins washing my back, and in response, I cry silent tears. Tears that are a reflection of all the mixed emotions swirling within me.

  “Thank you,” I say in a soft tone, trying not to betray the tears still gliding down my cheek.

  Aden’s hands rest upon my shoulder before he turns me around into him. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me in for a wet embrace. Unable to resist the urge I run my tongue along the tips of my teeth. Clamping my mouth closed tight, I nuzzle deeper into his chest. He places his hand beneath my chin bringing my gaze to his.

  He licks his lips before leaning forward and peppering a light kiss upon my mouth. The smell of him and the sound of his heart beating in his chest near my ear causes me to moan. I refuse to open my mouth, but I do try to lean in even closer, pressing the length of my body to his.

  Undeterred by my need to hide my fangs, he kisses me again. This time, he moves to my neck. When his tongue caress my ear, I almost collapse. A hiss leaves my mouth. My hand snaps up, covering it quickly trying to keep my nature hidden even though Aden has told me he accepts who I am.

  “It’s okay. Show them to me,” he suggests his voice husky with the desire reflected in his man part below.

  I shake my head, but he takes my chin within his hand gently and reiterates, “It is okay Meri, please show me.”

  In slow motion, I open my mouth ever so carefully, revealing two long white fangs. My bottom lip quivers in my attempt to hold back from my desire. The water continues to beat around us. Unable to keep his gaze, I peer upwards watching the steam rise out of the shower and filling the bathroom.

  “You are beautiful, and oh so perfect. Meri . . .”

  His mention of my name brings my eyes back down to his. “What?” I ask sounding all too innocent.

  “I don’t want you drinking old blood anymore, surely it doesn’t fill you as it should. I want you to take from me. I want you to be strong for the Ring.”

  My heart quickens. I am a predator, and I want to take from him, too. “I don’t want to hurt you,” I argue.

  “I trust you,” Aden brings his wrist between us, placing it in front of me.

  Tears began to well in my eyes as I look upon the blue vein. The sound of his blood his echoes in my ears. At first, I try to fight it, clenchi
ng my mouth shut tight.

  “You won’t hurt me. You’re mind is intact in this moment. The only part of you shifted is your teeth. This is when it is safe to feed. Not when you are half woman and half mermaid.”

  His words seem right to me; maybe this is when it is okay to feed. I don’t really know. No one has thought to given me a crash course in managing my urges. My eyes have yet to leave his wrist. He pushes it toward me, urging me on.

  I take a deep breath and bite. His skin is no protection against my razor-sharp fangs. I don’t even have to push them all the way in before blood starts to seep out. It is like warm golden honey. My body zings in delight. The blood I tasted the other night is nothing in comparison to what Aden is serving me now.

  It doesn’t take me long to feel completely sated. When I pull away from him, I watch a few drops of blood become diluted in the water before dropping into the drain. When my attention goes back to his wrist, I see it is healed over. There are only two small dots where my teeth sunk in.

  My hands go to his wrist, and my thumb runs across the freshly healed skin in wonder.

  “Impossible,” I whisper.

  “I told you, I trust you. How do you feel?”

  “Full, comfortable, and content for the first time since shifting.”

  “Let’s get out of this shower and get to sleep then,” he suggests.

  My face widens in a smile, and I nod, turning off the water and grabbing at the towel on the hook. Aden takes it from me, carefully patting my body dry. My body is calm even though my insides are going wild. He wraps my silk robe around my shoulders and the towel around his waist. He leads me to the bed, where we both lie down. His body is pressed tight against mine with his arm over me, holding me to him tight.

  “Everything is how it is meant to be, Meri.”

  My hand pats his arm, “Goodnight, Aden, thank you so much.”

  14

  I wake the next day to Aden sitting in a chair, watching me sleep. It is the best sleep I can ever remember having. My body is relaxed, and the stress of what is to come is no longer weighing on my shoulders. Knowing I have the support of Aden and the other guys is all I need. I have friends now, and maybe someday, they will all be more than that. I smile at the thought.

  “Look at you waking up all happy,” Aden proclaims from his chair.

  “I feel amazing.” I stretch my arms above my head.

  “You look amazing. Your color is incredible.”

  “What are the plans for training today?” I ask, bouncing from the bed to get dressed.

  “Zero training with you. You have to go through purification before the Ring tomorrow.” Aden gets up from his seat and strides over to me. He enters into my bubble and looks down at me with his big-rimmed glasses. My breath becomes caught in my chest as the tension between us builds. Subconsciously, I lick my lips and say an inner prayer that he will kiss me. Aden doesn’t disappoint; he leans in, gently kissing me on my lips. He prods them open, urging me to kiss him back. Not knowing how to kiss properly, I do my best to imitate Aden. I tug on his bottom lip when we are rudely interrupted by a banging on the door.

  We seperate, “Ari,” I whisper.

  “It’s okay I should get going, anyways,” Aden replies.

  “Last night and yesterday was the best day of my life. It might sound ridiculous, but I may not see you until after the Ring, and I want you to know that.” I have no idea where the confidence came from to tell Aden how I felt.

  “It was perfect, wasn’t it?” He leans forward, kissing me on the forehead before swinging the door open on Ari.

  “Oh, he is still here?” Ari asks with the emphasis on ‘he’.

  “Just leaving, Ari. Meri is all yours, for today that is.”

  I smile at Aden and wave at him as he turns the corner and then turn my attention to the monster standing in my room.

  “I don’t know what your problem is, Ari, but I really don’t need your attitude.”

  “I have no problem. I am here to get you ready for the purification. There is no food today except the drink. Today is a day of fasting.”

  “Do the other girls have someone getting them ready?” I ask, wishing I could do it all on my own.

  “No, only you,” she shoots back at me.

  “Do you think I can have an itinerary and do it myself?”

  “No, Amphitrite assigned you to me.”

  My eyes roll into the back of my head in frustration. I grab a pair of pants, but before I can put them on Ari slams a long white toga on the bed.

  “Sorry, but it’s required for purification.”

  I slip off my robe, and Ari goes to work pinning the toga on me. I bite my tongue. Something is off about Ari, and I am not sure what it is. She was so friendly and honest when we first met.

  My hair is left down, and my feet are left bare. The cold floors of the palace send shivers up my legs. I don’t know where we are heading, only that Ari says this is where I must go. Even though she told me I could not trust her, I am stuck having to trust her. I watch her long red hair sway from side to side with her hips as she walks reminding me of my mother. The skill of seduction is not one I inherited.

  “Wait!” I bellow at Ari, and she spins around waiting for me to finish. “I left my weapons.”

  I turn to go back to the room to grab them, but Ari puts her hand on my shoulder to stop me. My muscles tense in response, and it takes every ounce of control I own to not react as my training demands of me.

  “You don’t need it where we are going, and we need to go,” Ari takes her hand from my shoulder, and I turn on her.

  My body continues to be tense, and a rage I didn’t know I possessed begins to bubble up from my core. I give her one look, daring Ari to try and stop me. Turning my back to her, I take slow calculated steps back towards my room. I’m tired of being dragged around and being told what I can do and when. Ari has been rude to me for the last two days; if I want my weapons, I will get them.

  “Meri, please if you are late, I will get in trouble,” Ari pleads from behind me. I note that she is staying at a safe distance.

  “Ari, why should I care? You have spent the last day being less than kind to me. I’m done being ushered around and having secrets kept from me. The other night, I was attacked by four men, and I am grateful I had a weapon on me.” I keep walking at a steady pace to my room.

  “You don't need a weapon where you are going. You are a weapon, yourself. Please, Meri.”

  I sense she’s stopped walking, so I turn around to look upon her, “Why, Ari? You warned me my first day here that you are not to be trusted. Let me bring one knife.”

  “They won’t let you enter the pool with it, but do what you must. Please hurry,” It appears that Ari isn’t going to follow me, and she gave in because it is obvious she has no choice but to do so. There is no way she could ever stop me.

  It doesn’t take me long to get to my room and to strap my dagger to my thigh. Walking out the door, a warmth spreads through my body from the necklace my mother put on me days before. Surprise and shock shoots through me. My hand goes to the pendant, pulling it free from beneath my toga. I cup it in my hand, reveling in the warmth seeping through my body. I’ve no idea what it means, but I’m taking it as a sign that I am on the right path. A message from the fates that this is where I need to be.

  Last night, I broke past my reservations of drinking blood to survive. Today, I feel more at peace than ever, and more confident. I refuse to be ushered around. I shut the door behind me and stride towards where I left Ari with a confidence I never before possessed. I’m going to go to purification, because it is part of my path, not because a rude maid is telling me to do so.

  “I have to go in there?” I ask Ari as we stand outside of a cave beneath a temple to Amphitrite.

  “This is where I was told to bring you.”

  The cave entrance is small, and I will have to duck to get into the narrow passageway. If I am attacked, I know I will not have adequate
space to fight back. This could be a trap. I hesitate at the entrance with my hands on the stone, trying to determine my next course of action, weighing all of my options. My hand goes to the pendant around my neck, hoping it will give me a sign of what to do. When it warms in my palm, I nod to myself.

  Without turning around to Ari, I step down into the cave. My bare feet deftly avoid the jagged rocks by only stepping on smooth surfaces. I am always graceful, but today, my reflexes are wired tight. I am bent over to keep my head from hitting the ceiling of the cave. The light from Atlantis is blocked out by my body. Only slivers of it reach into the darkness I am descending into.

  Soon there is no light at all, and my body naturally adjusts to the circumstances. My fangs burst free, and my eyes seem to become larger and my vision sharper. I’ve shifted to my surroundings. As I go down, the walls and floor of the cavern become slick with moisture. I slow my pace to accommodate the changes.

  A faint light flickers up ahead, urging me on. I hear the sounds of voices echoing up the cave. After the walls make a sharp turn, the cave opens up into a giant cavern. The walls are made up of green bioluminescent algae.

  There are four girls in the center dressed in identical white togas. I step forward to join the girls. We are standing around a small pool of blood. I can not see if it is blood for certain, but there is no mistaking the smell. Across the pool from us stands Amphitrite dressed in a dark toga and a scarf covering her face.

  “Welcome, Meri, daughter of Aphrodite,” she says.

  The girls around me gasp. I look to Jewel, who smiles sweetly, while her green eyes shoot hate towards me. Now they know who I am, well half of who I am. I am grateful Amphitrite did not disclose my father.

  “You are all here to be purified for the Ring. The process is long, and you may not survive with your mind intact. If you survive the process, then you will be deemed strong enough to be the Key. After purification, you will be immediately prepped for the Ring. The last one standing alive is the Key.”