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I could barely get out the words. “You are so dead, Ancient.”
My mate just tried to kill me.
Not only that, the man had blown me a kiss. He was about to kiss something all right, but it wasn’t what he was thinking.
I could feel my body caving under the pressure of the sea. My lungs burned with the need to draw in a breath, but I wasn’t sure what would happen. How much of my body was still that of the Siren, and how much was human?
I got my answer moments later as rage boiled up from inside me. He dared to risk my life like this? To blow me a kiss like a cheeky idiot? How dare he look utterly lickable when he winked and flashed his dimples at me! I wanted to sink my fangs into him… To get rid of him or ride him was yet to be decided.
Ugh! Distracted by my warring lust and rage, the Siren took over my body. While my human body shifted easily into the familiar form I had grown used to, my mind flipped like a light switch. The control I clung to like a person drowning vanished in an instant.
The Siren had been created with earth and sea magik, while the power of the Ancients had surged through me. They had blended together to create the perfect storm: me.
It had also given me the ability to adapt and survive, and combined with my skills in battle, I was a predator the world had never seen. Yes, I had watched the Atlanteans swim outside the castle, and I had read their minds. They held the same spirit and heart as the human Atlanteans that I had loved and vowed to protect several lifetimes before. These people were not predators; they were gentle, preferring knowledge to killing.
My body was made to hunt.
That is why you are called a Siren, and they are called mermaids and mermen. You are a warrior,Lokene’s voice flitted through my mind.
It didn’t matter; they were my people, and I would protect them. I’d never wanted the role of queen, but I knew with certainty that fate had brought me home to care for my people.
Something moved in the water behind me, the faintest of ripples. Spinning around, I launched myself toward the blur as it moved in for the kill. Sinking my nails into the soft flesh of my attacker, I clung to him as he shot like an arrow toward the arched ceiling.
Twisting his body at the last second before impact, he intended to drag my body along the rough, textured ceiling. With a growl and a hard thrust of my own, I slid around his torso just as quickly, and the skin on his back scraped against the archway.
He snarled, snapping fangs at my face. Although strong, this man did not have the fangs of a predator. I did. Smiling viciously, I displayed my own fangs. I’d wanted to make it clear who the predator was, and the slight dilation of his pupils told me he was aware. This pleased the Siren in me.
He collected himself quickly. “You are an intruder to Atlantis. It is our law that all who find us must be put to death. There is too great a risk that you will speak of what you have found, and I will not risk the lives of my people. The men with you must die as well.”
I couldn’t fault his logic, but I questioned his sanity when he leaned forward and sniffed my neck. How long had the guys said these people had been down here? Maybe they were losing it?
I flashed my fangs again in warning. “No.”
Seriously? I wanted to slap the Siren in my head. We could have explained things, but she was purposefully baiting him. I would have preferred to not play with my food…and boy, did dinner smell good!
“Who are you?” he growled. Or was that a moan?
“I am Zosime, Queen of Atlantis.” While I had planned to sound haughty, as though the man pressing against me wasn’t worth my time, the Siren had other plans.
Of course she did.
Each word that slid from my lips was pure silken seduction. The sound conjuring visions of long sweaty nights entangled in your lover’s embrace.
This time, there was no confusion over whether he was moaning or growling. His long tail thrust hard, hurtling us through the water, the undulating movement grinding our pelvises against each other. Heat burned through me from my anger. It was anger that was causing me to feel so hot, wasn’t it?
“I am the King of Atlantis. Zosime is a heroine of the Atlanteans, and someone that died during the last battle. Do not insult my intelligence by claiming to be her.” The words themselves were cold, but his voice was a husky purr. Was he trying to seduce me like I seduced my victims? Could mermen even do that?
“I didn’t die. In fact, I am very much alive.” I leaned into the curve of his neck, sliding my fangs along the sensitive skin.
We crashed into one of the palace pillars, the force of our impact so strong that tiny bits of the ceiling drifted down around us.
“You speak lies. I am the ruler of the Atlanteans, and I will protect them from impostors.” His hand closed around my throat, gentle enough that there would be no marks but firm enough to make his point.
I laughed, the sound melodic and meant to draw in my prey. His hand tightened, but his body quivered against mine.
“Submit, and you could be my queen,” he spoke with a rough rumble that vibrated through me.
“Submit, and you could join my Kings,” the Siren’s voice purred right back at him.
