by D. K. Combs
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Also by D. K. Combs
About the Author
Atlantis: The King’s Return
Book One
D. K. Combs
Copyright © 2017 D.K. Combs
All rights reserved.
Cover Designed by “Covers by Combs”
Formatted by “Covers by Combs”
Edited by Rose Marie of “Merciless Editor”
COPYRIGHT: This story, "Atlantis: The King's Return" including all chapters, prologues/epilogues and associated content (i.e fanfics, teasers and content within blogs, social networks and eReaders) is copyrighted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights are reserved by the owner and creator of this work (D.K. Combs) and any unauthorized copying, broadcasting, manipulation, distribution or selling of this work constitutes as an infringement of copyright. Any infringement of this copyright is punishable by law.
Punishments include but are not limited to:
A fine of up to $150,000 for each work infringed.
Infringer pays for all attorney's fees and court costs.
The Court can issue an injunction to stop the infringing acts.
The Court can impound the illegal works.
The infringer can go to jail.
Acknowledgments
* * *
I’m going to make this short and sweet. Thank you to everyone who made this possible—my editor. My mom. My dog. My cat. My little demon spawn for sometimes not being so demonic. And, sometimes, my husband… Yeah. Thank you for being crazy influences that drove me re-vamp and publish this book.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Also by D. K. Combs
About the Author
“Going on this cruise will be good for you! It might be a couple’s thing, and I’d go with you if I could, but I have so much work to catch up on.”
“I can’t go on a cruise by myself, Ray. I’d look pathetic.”
“No you won’t. Listen, Mari, I know some people on the cruise that you can hang out with. Don’t worry about having fun—you will, trust me. It’ll be a good break from all this stress.”
“This really isn’t a good idea…”
“Of course it is. I really would go with you, sweetie, if I wasn’t so busy.”
As Mari stared out at the bright blue waves that broke against the ship’s hull, she wanted to strangle Ray. Oh, she’d tried refusing, fighting back, playing seasick—she’d even tried to feign drowning in the hotel’s pool where they’d been staying. Yet nothing had worked. She’d begged and pleaded all the way to the giant cruise ship’s loading deck, but her words had fallen on deaf ears.
“Damn him,” she muttered, shielding her eyes against the bright sun. God, she’d never been in a place so bright and…well, blinding. As an Oregon resident, she was used to tall trees and long rains.
She heard a couple giggling behind her, and she stopped herself from turning around and telling them to get a room. It was only her first hour on the cruise—they’d left shore not even fifteen minutes ago—and on her way to the rail she’d found five couples making out. Two of the said couples she’d noted had their hands in places that they shouldn’t have been. And she’d heard…sounds; horrible, terrible sounds coming from one of the rooms on her way up.
What had Ray been thinking?
This was supposed to be an anniversary present—and he’d sent her here alone! Three years together, and the asshole had sent her on a couple’s cruise by herself.
Because of “work.” The very night before the cruise was set to leave, he got the call from his boss. His excuse for her going alone? He’d already bought the tickets. At least one of them had to go.
Her eyes narrowed into slits as she gazed at the crashing, splitting waves. Salty air enveloped her like a damp embrace, catching her off guard.
As the sensation traveled through her body, the waves slowly began to blur.
Her stomach heaved.
Oh god. She pushed herself away from the rail, feeling as if her throat was doing a workout while she struggled to keep the bile down.
Really bad idea.
She stumbled to the side, barely catching herself, and looked up in embarrassment at the couple watching her like she’d lost her head.
“Are you okay?” the bubbly blonde asked, hanging off her man’s arm as if she’d been sewn to it. The guy didn’t bother looking her way; he was too busy necking his girl.
This isn’t even a couple’s cruise, she thought. It’s more like a live-porno.
Her head reeled, and she rushed to her cabin, not giving them another glance. Thankfully, no one was cluttering the lower halls of the ship. Ray had gotten a room on the lower level of the ship, and she didn’t know whether to be grateful or furious at him.
She didn’t have much time to contemplate what she should feel before the slow rocking of the ship sent her running to the bathroom. She threw open the toilet seat.
She’d been offered a drink—which she had graciously accepted—when she first came aboard the ship. Now that drink came up with a rush. Whatever they’d given her, it’d had alcohol in it. Great—just great. The serving staff onboard had poisoned her on the couple’s cruise ship that she’d gone on by herself.
Maybe they’d noticed and had taken pity on her, deciding it would be better to put her out of her misery.
As her stomach rolled again, she thought, Sorry, guys. I’m going to need a couple more beers before I’m drunk enough to be happy on this godforsaken cruise.
Mari sat up weakly, pushing her hair back. Who’d have known she wasn’t a sea person?
The room pitched to the side and she toppled over again, this time barely making it to the toilet. God damn it, if she had to put up with two more weeks of this, she was going to kill herse
lf. Maybe when they hit Mexico, the captain wouldn’t mind if she ditched the rest of the cruise and took a plane home…
She pushed her hair behind her ear, nodding to herself and standing up on legs that shook like a baby lamb’s. Yeah, she was definitely hitching a ride across the border the second they docked on land.
Mari splashed water on her face and hobbled into her cabin, searching for a toothbrush through her mess of toiletries. She hadn’t forgotten a single detail. Nothing sucked more than being stuck at sea with no tampons, mascara, or lotion. At least, that’s what she assumed. This was her first time on a cruise, so she’d made sure to pack…everything.
She found it at the bottom of the bag on top of her laptop, along with her toothpaste. “Thank god,” she muttered, rushing to the bathroom.
Three minutes later, she was digging out her laptop and turning on her phone. She hadn’t told Ray, but she’d subscribed to the Wi-Fi hotspot her cell phone company offered. Even with the extra cost of roaming, she wasn’t going to go a whole month without Wi-Fi. Especially if she would be stuck on a rocking ship.
The butterflies in her stomach returned with a vengeance. Whelp, that meant it was time for her to climb into bed. There was no possible way she was going to enjoy her time on deck. What with the horny couples and the blinding sun—it was going to be impossible to find any enjoyment.
She logged onto the computer. Maybe she could email Ray so much that she’d annoy him to death and convince him to buy her a flight home or get on the cruise with her—even though she’d much prefer going home.
Still, the thought of making Ray go through the same torture was honestly one of the most appealing things she could imagine.
She waited patiently while Gmail loaded on her screen.
Then she frowned.
Twenty emails?
The hell?
This was her and Ray’s shared email. They both had one for work, but this was used for when their family wanted to connect or when they signed up for coupon offers. She’d checked her email just before leaving, and it was only an hour later. The coupon guys had already sent their stuff, so what was…?
She clicked on the most recent one she saw.
Ill b ovr later bby. I cant w8 to feel ur big co—
Mari tore her eyes off the screen. Gagged. Froze. Stopped breathing.
Who the hell was messaging her? Or was this even meant for her? It couldn’t have been, which meant it was for Ray, who was obviously messaging back…but would Ray do something like that?
No. No, he wouldn’t. Ray wouldn’t do that to her.
Her heart hammering, Mari clicked on the previous email; it showed the reply—his reply. No …this couldn’t be. Someone had hacked their email. Ray wouldn’t do this to her, and he sure as hell wouldn’t be dumb enough to use their personal one while he was at it…
Tears built up in her eyes as she read through all of them. All of the dirty, nasty, terrible emails. Why couldn’t they have just…just texted each other? It would have made more sense than for her to find out like this.
Near blind with emotion and tears, she read that the woman’s phone had died and this was the only email she’d remembered. And Ray… Ray hadn’t even cared. He’d said that “the bitch was out of town and it didn’t matter.”
Her stomach heaved, but not because of the sea rocking the ship back and forth.
There had to be something wrong. Something seriously wrong. He couldn’t be doing this to her. They’d been together for three years, dated since post-college, and now...this?
She picked up her cell, her hands shaking and tears falling down her cheeks. It was hard to see the buttons, but she eventually dialed him and listened to the tone. He had better answer her… Panic lodged a thick ball of tears in her throat.
Sending her on a couple’s cruise, alone, just so he could screw around with some other bitch? Someone named Bailey? Her chest tightened to the point of being unable to breathe. God, he’d actually done this to her … he’d actually done this to her.
“Please leave a message after the beep. Beep.”
A loud, echoing groan sounded through the corridors of the boat before she had a chance to open her mouth to speak.
Crunch.
Crunch? What kind of boat crunched—?
Water seeped through under her doorway.
She dropped the phone.
Terror gave her the strength to run to the door. She yanked it open, causing a gush of water to flow past her legs and into her room, nearly a foot high.
Holy shit.
The ship was sinking.
Mari forgot about her phone, the emails, and her cheating boyfriend. Stark terror held her immobile as she took in the scene before her.
Water rose rapidly to the level of her legs, sloshing up her front and soaking her. She brushed her hair out of her eyes, trying to clear her vision. The ship was sinking. She had only seconds to react, and her instincts told her to climb up to the ship’s deck. If she stayed down here, she’d drown.
The water weighed down her clothes, making it harder for her to move. She stripped off her capris, thankful for the bikini bottoms she’d thrown on earlier.
Still, trying to trudge through the water was like trying to make lead float. The effort had her panting despite the coolness of the water, and she struggled to get out of her cabin, the rushing water forcing her back and frustrating her.
She took a deep breath.
Mari ducked under the water, out of the current. When she was finally able to make it through the door, her arms had weakened. Exhausted, she waded slowly through the water.
She didn’t see anyone else in the narrow hallway that connected the cabins—she didn’t stop to look for anyone, either. The water kept rushing in, fast enough that if she didn’t hurry, she’d end up as food for the bottom feeders.
Mari stood on her tiptoes and rose high enough to the ceiling to breathe through a small pocket of air. She gasped and then looked around her. The hall had been narrow but tall, and now the entirety of it was submerged with water, aside from this two-foot air pocket.
She peered down the hall, through the water, and she saw the elevator that led to the main level—yeah, good luck with that.
Luckily, there was a door to an emergency stairway beside the elevator, which had to be her way out. The door was open, revealing steps that led to the deck. The water climbed higher, mimicking her rising panic. With every minute that passed, the water rose higher. A small part of her wondered how this was happening so fast, but the urgency of the situation was greater than her curiosity.
Mari, pushing aside her panic, took another breath and ducked under the salty water’s surface, swimming her way to the door. She was determined not to die; her stomach tried to rebel with heavy, bile-filled heaves. Things were finally looking up.
And then the LED lighting above flickered for just a second before a thunderous boom resonated through the ship. The water shifted around her, and the lights gave one last flash before dying out.
Despite her fear, she knew she needed to keep going. But it wasn’t easy; she was now completely blind, unable to see even her own two hands as she plowed through the all-consuming darkness.
Oh, god, she thought. How the hell was she supposed to see the door? Better yet, how would she find the small pocket of air left to breathe through? Feeling hysteria taking over, she reached her arms out around her, trying to get a sense of where she was, and perhaps reconstruct the image in her mind through memory. She felt around, closing her eyes as the salt water riddled her with a stinging sensation. Her hands trailed over the smooth, metallic wall, until her fingers found a small crevice.
Blindly, Mari swam forward. After a few terrifying strokes, she collided with something—something metal. A wall?
Touching anything was better than dying, which would likely be her fate if she couldn’t get the hell out of this flooded hallway! She felt lightheaded. Deep in her soul, Mari knew that she only had a couple of second
s before the lack of oxygen killed her.
She felt around for the air pocket she’d discovered before. Finding it, she pushed off her feet and up towards the ceiling. It was smaller than last time; now, she had to practically kiss the ceiling to steal her final breath of air. She needed to get out of there—now.
Knowing this would be her last chance of survival, she took her final plunge into the watery depths, feeling around for the exit. Unable to see, her sense of direction was compromised. For all she knew, she could be heading in the opposite direction of the door.
Then she found it—or the lack of something. As she slid her palm along the wall, she noticed a gap, just large enough to slip through, which meant…
Yes! She’d found the exit. Kicking her feet desperately, thanking every single mystical being out there, Mari swam arm-by-arm up the staircase, her lungs begging her for oxygen. She wondered if she’d make it. The pain became so great that she moaned, despite wasting the last bits of precious air that still remained in her oxygen-starved lungs. One row after the other, she clawed her way to survival, until finally, she emerged from the water.
The moment her head rose above the water, she sucked in a lungful of air. Shouting voices were everywhere. Alarms were blaring and the groaning that she’d heard in her cabin was so loud that her ears began to pound. The bile rising in her throat was a sharp reminder that she was still in the freezing water and still in danger.
She shook herself out of her stupor. Everything was dangerous—not just the water. The thought spurred her into action.
Mari didn’t believe for a second that she was going to die. Despite the fact that her arms were weak, and she felt on the verge of collapsing back under the water, the fear kept her motivated. Like an ominous ghost, the determination kept her afloat. She had to make it out of this—if only to kill Ray.