Jewel of Atlantis

'When I leave, I want you to keep Jewel here. Keep her safe. You lost her before, and that—'

'Will not happen again. We are stronger now and no one, no one, can breach our walls. She will be safe with me.'

Gray fought past a haze of fury and sadness and relief, and inclined his chin in acknowledgement of their deal. 'Then consider me the Ice Man.'

After Gray tucked a still sleeping Jewel into bed, smoothed her hair from her face, and placed a soft kiss on her lips, he gripped his transmitter and hunched over the edge of the bed. 'Santa to Mother.'

Several seconds passed in silence.

'Santa to Mother,' he said again.

'Mother here. Has something happened to the package?'

'Package secure.' He'd hand them the sapphire in his bag without a twinge of conscience.

Before he could tell his boss the reason for his call, Quinlin said, 'Did you figure out that little riddle about the jewel being able to breathe?'

'It was buried under a mound of rocks.' Lie. 'I figure the text was referring to its lack of air.' Bigger lie. 'Makes sense.'

Bringing them back to the business at hand, he said, 'I wanted to let you know I'll be home later than planned.'

Pause. 'Should we send in a cleaning crew?'

'No.' He ran a hand down his face. 'I've got everything under control.' God, when had he become such a liar? 'Over.'

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

 'I'm sorry, my queen, but the dragons... they have Dunamis.' 'Are you sure?'

'Yes. I saw it with my own eyes. The dragons flew it inside the palace.'

If Darius had Dunamis all was lost. Marina would never be able to defeat him—he would already know of their plan. 'Layel,' she screamed. 'Layel!'

Within seconds, the vampire flew to her side, his expression weary. 'What now?' Panicked, she ranted and shouted out the information she'd just been given.

The vampire king frowned. 'So they know our battle plan.'

'What are we going to do?'

'We will attack.'

'Now?'

'Now.' He nodded.

'They will know and stop us.'

'Not unless they've spoken to Dunamis again.' His frown deepened. 'But that is a chance we will have to take. Let's prepare our men.'

Gray and Jewel lingered in their room for the rest of the day, making love and enjoying each other. They were naked, and holding on to each other tightly. He couldn't stop touching her. He planned to make enough memories with her in these coming days to last him a lifetime.

'I'm scared for you,' she said softly. 'You're only one man, and I don't want you to fight the demons alone. I don't want you to leave this bed.'

'This is something I have to do, baby.' He trusted Darius to keep her here, and in return he would do whatever the dragon king needed of him.

'What if—'

'Baby, I've been fighting in wars my entire life. First with my dad, then my brothers, then for my country. I'll be okay.'

'Will you go home?' she asked softly, hesitantly. 'After? Without me?' 'Yes.' His tone was finite, leaving no room for argument.

Tears glistened in her eyes. Hell, he felt his own tears burn in his eyes. 'At least we've got the next few days.' His hand explored the hollow of her back and she shivered. 'Let's not waste a moment of it.'

Later, when their passion was sated, Gray taught Jewel how to best defend herself. She'd done excellently until this point, but he wanted her better prepared. He wanted to know she could save herself from any situation. Just in case.

She stood in the center of their room, and Gray walked around her, his hands locked behind his back like a military leader. 'When I'm gone,' he stumbled over the word, 'Darius is going to keep you here. But he won't always be around, so I want you well able to take care of yourself.'

'I've done quite well so far.'

'Yes, but I want you to do better. You're not someone who can scream for help because the people you draw to you might be interested in keeping you for themselves. You have to learn to rely on yourself.'

Her lips dipped, giving her a sad, vulnerable expression.

'Quick question. You're walking through the city alone at night and a group of men approach you, intent on forcing you to leave with them. Do you run away or try and fight them off?'

'Fight them off?'

'Wrong. It was a trick question. You don't walk through the city alone at night. That's lesson one. Understand?'

She nodded, her eyes following him as best they could as he continued to circle her.

'Lesson two,' he said. He needed to cram months of instruction into two days, and urgency was riding him hard. 'Any room or building you enter, you scan immediately. You study the occupants. You study the best way out. And you don't let anyone know you're doing it.'

'How?'

'Keep your expression casual and your interest focused. Do it now. Scan this room without looking guilty or purposeful.'

Her gaze darted left and right, and he shook his head. 'Slower,' he said. 'Combine a look with an action, but never let your gaze linger too long.'

She tossed her hair over one shoulder and turned her head, looking directly at him. She grinned, still a little sad, then looked away.

'Good.' He wrapped his arms around her waist. 'Now tell me what you saw.' 'You.'

'Describe me. My expression, my stance.'

'You lips were taut and hard, and your eyes were determined. You had your hands at your side, and I think you had an erection.'

He laughed, his first moment of amusement since realizing he had to go home without her. 'That's good. Real good. People who seem to be in the wrong place should trigger your suspicions. If you see a centaur in the demon side of town, you'll know he doesn't belong. Therefore you'll know to avoid him. And by the way, I don't want you to ever go into the demon side of town. That was merely an example.'

'That, I promise you, I will never do.'

'Good. Always remain calm. Emotions cause people to do stupid things. If someone calls you a bad name, don't let it upset you. What does the bastard's opinion matter anyway?'

'You're right,' she said with a nod.

'If someone comes after you, try to get away from them. Don't try to fight them if you don't have to.' 'And if I can't get away?'

'Then, and only then, do you fight,' he said, stepping in front of her. 'Go for the most vulnerable part of the body first.'

Her gaze strayed to his groin.

'That's a good place, but not always the best. If you poke your assailant's eyes hard enough, he won't be able to see well enough to find you.'