The Nymph King

backed her into the bars. Only, the bars hadn't been there. They'd—what? Disappeared? Her eyes widened. Maybe they had. Maybe an outside touch was required. Valerian hadn't pushed a button or used a key. His guard had simply touched the glowing bars and they'd vanished.

She had to get one of the guards to reach into the cell. 'I've got it!' she told Brenna, then strode over to Kathleen. 'You want to get rid of me, then you have to help me.' She explained what she wanted the woman to do.

Kathleen's eyes narrowed. 'So you plan on leaving Atlantis? Forever?'

Again Shaye's chest throbbed with prickles of pain. 'Yes.'

'In that case, helping you will be my pleasure.' Kathleen sashayed her way to the front of the crowd. She gripped the bars, smiled sweetly, and said, 'Terran, you look so handsome today. I could just eat you up.'

He grinned over at her, hungry yearning in his eyes.

'You look handsome, too, Dylan,' Kathleen added, playing her role perfectly. 'Your muscles are so big. Can I feel them?'

Both men trudged toward her as if pulled by an invisible cord, but they didn't reach for her.

Shaye kept her attention divided between the men and the bars, ready to exit at a moment's notice.

Kathleen whispered throatily, 'May I lick your neck, Dylan? Please. I have to taste you.'

He didn't even think of denying her. 'Of course.' He gripped the bars and leaned into Kathleen's waiting lips.

In that instant, the entire cell turned to mist.

'I want to lick you, too,' Shaye heard other women say.

The girls surged forward, past the mist. They were suddenly crawling all over the two guards, completely claiming their attention. Shaye easily and silently slipped out of the prison, Brenna beside her. She smiled smugly as she tiptoed from that section of the cavern.

'Women, return to the cell. Return to the cell!' Amid the guards' now-frantic pleas, she and Brenna rounded the corner. Yes! We did it! Following the curls of fog, they soon came to the portal and approached tentatively. It swirled and churned, its jellylike center beckoning. Shaye shivered from the cold—not from regret, she assured herself—and wrapped her arms around her middle.

'I can't believe how easy that was,' she said. But she didn't go another step farther.

Brenna didn't respond.

She tore her attention from the portal and faced her partner in crime—who was twisting her hands, her expression tortured. 'What's wrong?'

'Joachim needs me.'

Ah, crap. The nymphs had brainwashed another one. She didn't need this now. If Brenna backed out... 'He's healing nicely. You said so yourself.'

Brenna bit her lip. Probably a nervous action, since she did it a lot. 'Shivawn is sweet.'

Expelling a sharp breath, Shaye pushed a hand through her hair. 'You really want to stay with them?'

At first Brenna said nothing, did nothing, but then she slowly nodded. 'I think I do. I thought to leave, but now... '

'What about the little love triangle that scared you so badly?'

Her cheeks colored a rosy pink. 'Would rather deal than leave.'

Great. Just great. 'Fine. Stay.' Shaye frowned and whipped to the portal. Before, she'd been afraid to enter it on her own. She'd drown, Valerian had said. The thought of entering with Brenna had given her courage. They would have fought the ocean waves together. Now that she had to enter all by herself...

She reached out, but stopped herself before actually touching it. I survived once. I'll survive again. I'm a good swimmer. I can kick my way to the surface. She nodded, drawing on her courage. Fighting her way through the ocean was better than staying here. Right? God, her chest hurt.

Slowly she reached out. Almost... there... she jerked back, stopping before contact yet again. She flicked Brenna an irritated glance. The girl was watching her attentively. 'I don't know why I'm hesitating. I've wanted to leave since I got here. Valerian knows that.'

Brenna nodded in understanding.

Damn it. Valerian might be injured or killed during the battle with the dragons, and she would never know it. She might never see him again. 'If he gets hurt,' she said, 'will you patch him up?'

Brenna gave another nod.

She should have been overjoyed by that, but she wasn't. She didn't want Brenna touching him, even to doctor him. What's wrong with me? Staying here was stupid. She would have Valerian for a while, true, but he would soon pawn her off on one of his men, like he'd done with the others.

'Leaving is for the best.' She squared her shoulders, lifted her chin—nervous actions she resorted to a lot, she realized. She gathered her resolve and reached out again. Her hand began to shake, and the vibration of it swept through the rest of her body. Ow, ow, ow. Her chest was throbbing so badly now, it almost doubled her over.

What if he kept you? What if he wanted you forever, like he said? She stilled. What if he loved you?

Her heart fluttered at the thought. I don't believe in love, she reminded herself. Love was for people like her parents who needed an excuse to do foolish, selfish things. Love had no place in her life. Love sucked. Love...

Would be so nice if it came from Valerian.

Shaye raised her hands and dropped her head into her waiting palms. 'I'm not ready to leave him,' she admitted brokenly.

Brenna patted her shoulder.

She rubbed a hand over her eyes and pushed out a frustrated breath. 'You heard Kathleen. I'm just his flavor of the week. I'm so stupid for staying.'

'Afraid?'

Of losing him? 'Yes.'

'Time to conquer your fears. Time for me to do the same.'

'Yes.' But she comforted herself with the thought that she didn't have to stay here forever. She could allow herself a few more days with Valerian. She could get to know him a little better, perhaps finish what they'd started in his room. If he treated her badly, well, she now knew how to find the portal.

From prisoner to willing guest, she mused. She snorted in disgust and turned away from the fog-laden portal. All of a sudden the ache in her chest died.

'I don't want to go back to the cell,' she said. 'Do you?'

'No.'

'We can't go into the palace, though.' Valerian had asked her to stay down here, so stay down here she would. She didn't want to distract him, placing him in unnecessary danger. Nor did she want to accidentally place herself in enemy hands, thereby giving them the advantage.

But the desire to help him, even to protect him, was strong. Ignoring it was damn near impossible.

Sighing, she led Brenna through the cave and into the cavern next to the cell. 'We can stay here.' The guards wouldn't hear them because the drip drip of water was too loud, and they couldn't leave the women to come look for them—if they even noticed she and Brenna were gone. Wouldn't Valerian get a nice surprise when he came to get her and she wasn't in the cell? Thwarting him, however slightly, brought a smile to her lips.

If he survived.

She lost her grin.

As time ticked by with agonizing slowness, she studied the cave walls to distract herself. She traced her fingers over the images there. 'Pretty, aren't they?' Something caught her eye and she studied it more closely. When she realized the images told a story, she motioned her friend over. 'Brenna, come look at this.'

The first picture showed a group of... gods? They were sitting high above an empty world, looking down upon it. The second picture showed a world filled with terrible monsters forming from a sprinkling of blood and a mixture of the four elements. In the third, the creatures were being thrown into a hidden prison. She saw a portal— the portal. Two of them, actually.