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“So things from the sea and our blood?” Kye questioned, rubbing at his neck. A blush crept across his skin, and I smiled, knowing that he was thinking about my bite and the things my venom could do… The things it had done last night when I was between him and Storm. My skin flushed and heat spread through me.
One minute I was sitting in Eason’s lap, and the next, my arms were around Lokene’s neck and my legs wrapped around his waist. He had blinked me into his arms. Gasping, I lost my hold and would have fallen off his body had he not gripped my thighs and pulled me close.
“My naughty Soyale. Those types of thoughts will get you into trouble.” His warm breath tickled my neck. My fangs ached with the need to sink them into the vein pulsing in his neck. I wanted to devour him—in more ways than one.
“It is natural to think about one’s mates, and it’s not my fault you refused to join in last night. I am sure I can ask Storm to satisfy my hunger.” I purred the words, enjoying Storm’s sharp intake of breath behind me and the way Lokene’s eyes dilated. Was it anger or lust that had him tensing against me and his eyes narrowing on my face?
I smiled, the Siren cooperating fully, and teased my fangs with the tip of my tongue.
Lokene growled and captured my lips with his own. He kissed me with the hunger of a starving man. I returned his kiss, pouring my desire into it. His hand traveled up my back to twist into my already tangled hair. Need curled like a predator inside me. Lokene hadn’t marked me, nor had I marked him. He had teased me into a blind lust several times the previous night, but each time he had stepped back and allowed one of my other mates to step in and satisfy my needs.
“We have to stop,” Lokene whispered the words between kisses. “I want you more than I have wanted anything else in my very immortal life, but things will change once we mark each other, and I need time to prepare for that.”
“We could make love without marking each other.” Even as I made the suggestion, I knew it was an impossibility. It was taking every bit of control I had not to sink my aching fangs into his neck at that very moment. In the heat of the moment, there was no way I could stop the mate bond from happening.
“Soon. I have waited this long. A few more days won’t kill me.” His forehead rested against mine, our chests heaving while we caught our breaths.
Storm scooped me up into his arms and walked away from Lokene. The Ancient still hadn’t caught his breath, and he leaned back against the stone counter. “That was hot as heck, but you need to eat. What is it going to be? Food, or my blood?”
The thought of blood made my mouth water. My stomach rumbled as if to ensure we all knew how neglected it was. Storm laughed and settled into a chair near the table.
“She needs both. Soyale, try this.” A plate appeared in front of me, colorful bits of food decorating it. It smelled like the ocean, the earthy smell of seaweed, and the sharp scent of fish. I began cramming the small bite-sized pieces of food into my mouth, moaning at the explosion of flavors.
Kye gagged from his seat across from us. “You gave her sushi for breakfast?” He looked accusingly at Lokene.
“Since when did food become suitable only for certain times of the day? I will never understand humans.” Lokene scoffed.
“You know so much about us, but we know very little about you. How about you enlighten us?” Eason’s tone was casual, but his eyes watched Lokene the same way a falcon watches a mouse.“And while we’re at it, why don’t you explain what happened earlier. I’m guessing you are both telepathic?” The first part of his question had been directed at Lokene, but he directed the second part toward me.
Finishing my second plate, I took my time licking my fingers and then the plate. I used the delay to sift through his thoughts and decipher the meaning of the word.
“Yes. I am telepathic.” Having answered Eason, I turned my attention to Lokene. “I have my own questions, but you already knew that.”
Lokene nodded but remained silent.
I had so many things to ask him, but one question was more important than all the rest to me. “Can we raise Atlantis?” My voice shook with emotion I shouldn’t be feeling, and my eyes burned with tears that weren’t supposed to be possible.
Lokene’s heartbeat sped up, and worry flashed across his face. He covered it quickly with a broad smile, trying to hide something. “There would be a lot of red tape and politics with the Ancients, but the short answer is—yes. Atlantis could rejoin the modern world.”
I sensed hesitation, Kye must have as well because he beat me to asking, “But?”
“I just don’t know what they would think about having their homes and city ripped away from them.”
My brow wrinkled in confusion, and my mind scrambled to make sense of what he had said. Lokene stepped to the far wall, the one that had once given a beautiful view of my childhood city. He pulled back the thick velvet drapes that covered the windows. The glass glinted in the light, distracting me for a moment before my eyes focused, and I stared out over the city.
My brain refused to believe what it was seeing. People. No, these were not people. I was looking at mermaids. I watched in stunned disbelief as their silhouettes darted between homes. Their powerful flukes undulated through the water in a movement no human could recreate.
Two thoughts slammed into me, stealing my breath and sending me to my knees:
I wasn’t the only Siren on earth, and Atlantis wasn’t dead.
She had been trying to hide how unsteady her legs were all morning, but now they gave out, and she didn’t try to catch herself. I leaped forward and caught her right as her knees brushed the floor. I sank down and pulled her onto my lap, something I had longed to do all morning.
Shock rattled my mind when I caught the glimmer of tears sliding down her cheeks. Zosi didn’t cry. She barely showed emotion at all. Until this moment, I hadn’t been sure she had a full range of human emotions.
“Shhh… It will be okay.” I swayed, gently rocking our bodies, my awkward attempt at comforting her. It must have worked because her sniffles stopped, and the large fat tears no longer fell onto my arm.
I took in more of the scene spread out in front of us. The guys had all moved closer to the large glass floor-to-ceiling windows to peer out into the dark lonely depths that surrounded us.
