The Nymph King

'Beasts. Killers.' He turned toward her and she was once again hit by the full majesty of him. Icy air at her back, pure heat in front. 'Do not fear, for they will not be allowed near you. Some are to be a present to my friend, Layel, and some are to be used to bargain.'

How ominous both plans sounded. What did the man have planned for her, then? Was she to be a present for one of his friends? Was she to be used as a bargaining tool?

He watched her with a frighteningly possessive intensity. The water in his hair was already drying, lightening the locks to a rich, honey gold. Several of those amber strands fell over his forehead and trickled tiny, lingering droplets onto his cheeks.

'I see the disbelief in your beautiful eyes,' he said, leaning one shoulder against the jagged silver wall, 'and I will do my best to prove my claim that this is Atlantis. The faster you accept the truth, the faster you will accept me.'

Before she could respond, he reached out and applied pressure to the boulder behind her. His hand brushed her bare skin, shooting those electric shocks through her blood. She twisted, seeing one of the huge rocks embedded in the wall slide backward and sink deeply. As it descended, a secret doorway revealed itself. Rocks creaked and grumbled as they parted. Inch by inch, smooth, glassy crystal was exposed.

Her mouth fell open in an imitation of the doorway. Unbidden, her feet walked her to the edge. Water swirled behind the enclosure, and sand swayed at the sea's bottom. Pink coral and multicolored fish danced a lazy waltz. Emerald plants rose proudly.

'That's the bottom of the ocean,' she said, awed and shocked. 'That's the freaking bottom of the ocean.'

'I know. I discovered this wall only a few days ago and have spent many hours down here. Breathtaking, isn't it?'

A gentle hum echoed in her ears when she flattened her palm against the crystal. The coolness and vibrations of the water assured her this was no hallucination. My God. Atlantis. As she peered out, trying to come to grips with what she was seeing, a gorgeous, dark-haired woman swam up to the crystal. No, not a woman. Shaye's brow furrowed in shock. A mermaid. A bare-chested, tail-wagging mermaid.

Curiosity gleamed in its—her—green eyes. She stretched out a dainty arm and placed her hand exactly where Shaye's rested. Gasping, Shaye jerked away. Shock pounded through her, and her hand fell to her side. Her mouth dried. Her knees shook. The creature frowned... until her gaze latched on Valerian. She smiled, pleasure gleaming in her eyes, and waved.

'You know her?' Shaye managed.

He nodded, but didn't elaborate.

The woman... mermaid... whatever, had the face of an angel, innocent and more lovely than a long-awaited sunrise. Long black hair curled around her delicate shoulders and lush breasts. Her tail shone like spun glass, an irradiance of violets, yellows, greens and pinks, each scale a kaleidoscope of colors. Naked desire adorned her features as she stared at Valerian.

'Do you believe me now?' he asked.

'Yes.' The admission left Shaye on a ragged breath. Part of her wanted to sink to the twig-laden floor, curl into a ball and cry. I've been abducted by an Atlantean and carted to a city under the sea. The other part of her wanted to—she didn't know what.

Another mermaid joined the brunette, a symphony of curves and colors, pressing herself against the crystal and smiling seductively at Valerian. Passion glazed her amethyst eyes. Shaye had no doubt what the two women were thinking: three-way.

'You said this is the home of the gods' finest creations,' she said softly. Without facing him, she asked, 'What kind of creature are you?' He'd already mentioned that he wasn't human.

'I am a nymph.' His tone reeked of pride. 'The nymph, actually. King of my people. Leader. Warrior.' He hesitated. 'Lover.'

A nymph. Another so-called myth. A sexual being. Seductive. Irresistible. Able to give pleasure with a glance, a word. Beauty personified. Valerian fit the description perfectly, and that frightened her so much more than if he'd said he was a soul-sucking demon from the deepest depths of hell.

'I thought nymphs were... ' Obsessed with sex—check. Continuously naked—close. Willing to sleep with anything that moved—probably. 'Female,' she ended lamely.

He snorted and stepped closer to her. 'There are females, yes, but mostly we are males.'

God, she had to get out of there. His nearness disturbed her sense of peace and reduced her to a trembling, sex-starved hormone. Already her nipples had hardened. Her stomach quivered. 'Take me home, Valerian. I don't belong here.'

He didn't reply. The wall began to close, gradually shutting out the view of water, gradually shutting out the now infuriated mermaids banging on the crystal. Shaye covered her mouth with a shaky hand. 'Please take me home.'

'Love, this is your home now. I swear to you, you will soon come to adore it as I do.'

How beguiling he sounded. His husky tone promised endless nights of passion and days of wild abandon.

Resist. Flee. More than ever, she needed the safety of numbness. She squared her shoulders and raised her chin. She would feel nothing for this man; she would be rude, completely unlikable. Sometimes that was the only way to keep someone at a distance. 'I'm going home,' she said, determined. 'With or without your permission.'

Before he had time to respond, she jolted into motion and sprinted toward the whirlpool. Her sandals dug into rocks and twigs. Breath caught in her throat, burning, urging her on. Almost there... just another step...

Valerian grabbed her by the arm and twirled her around.

'No!' she shouted, kicking backward.

'If you enter the portal without me, you will die.' The words held an unmistakable edge of fury. His hand tightened on her. 'You will never be able to swim the length of the water alone. Do you understand? You will die out there, your body nothing more than nourishment for the fish.'

She stilled, the blood chilling in her veins. The water... how could she have forgotten the water? As if he'd shackled her wrists and ankles to the wall, she was trapped. Leave and die. Stay and... what? It didn't matter, really. Living here held no appeal—not when she had King Pleasure to contend with.

'You can swim the distance,' she said, using her haughtiest tone. 'I command you to take me home.'

'It is my greatest pleasure to give you anything and everything you request, but I cannot give you that. Anything else you desire will be yours.' He released his grip on her arm and traced his fingertip along her collarbone. 'One day soon I hope it will be me that you desire.'

Red alert, red alert. She had to get away from him, had to escape that tempting wish. How? Where could she go?

'At least tell me your name,' he cajoled.

'Up yours.' The words emerged breathless, rather than insulting as she'd intended. Exquisite fire trailed the same path as his fingers, then journeyed the length of her spine. Dangerous.

A heavy pause stretched between them. All the while, Valerian radiated a sense of amusement, sadness and anger. Sadness? She frowned. Surely not. Hulking he-man warriors were never sad. Were they?

His arm curved around her waist, an impenetrable force. 'Come then, Up Yours, and I will show you the palace.' He ushered her up that long, winding staircase, coarse and crudely built.

Not knowing what else to do, she followed without protest. Really, what could she say? Leave me in this cold, dank cave to rot? God, what kind of nightmare had she entered? Every second that passed became more surreal and damning than the last.

There had to be another way home; she had only to find it. Shaye studied the markings on the wall. The higher she stepped, the less jagged the rocks became. They appeared to be dusted with glitter, sparkling and inviting her to touch. Unable to resist, she brushed her fingertip over the smooth surface.

Valerian stopped abruptly. She bumped into his back and gasped at the fiery, full-body contact. As she hastily backed away, he spun around and faced her. He pushed her against the cold wall, his frown fierce, his turquoise eyes gleaming with purpose.