For several heartbeats, there was silence. Then a female sigh echoed. "Enough distractions. I will now award Delilah's prize." Hestia merely blinked at them and they were suddenly standing in front of the Amazon camp, a cliff rising in front of them. The women obviously couldn't see them, for they were readying for war, unconcerned by the vampire in their midst.
There was the young girl, the one who had been locked in the dragon cage what seemed an eternity ago. To Layel's delight, she was leading a scowling Brand by a chain, as though he were nothing more than a pet.
"Lily," Delilah said. She reached out stiffly, as though the action were automatic rather than heartfelt.
"Delilah," the goddess said, stopping her in her tracks. "As you know, my precious, you have earned a boon. What would you like? Name it, and it's yours. Remember, your sister Nola is out there, perhaps in pain."
Layel's jaw clenched. Low blow, he thought. Remember your promises, he projected to Delilah. Remember my promises. Please remember. During their night of passion, he had vowed to help her search for Nola, and he would. However long it took. He would not rest until her sister was safe. The boon wasn't needed for that. Would she remember? Would she care?
"Or I could give Layel back his mate," the goddess continued. "That would please him, I think."
Layel locked gazes with Delilah, letting all of his love pour from him.
"May I ask a few questions first?"
"Of course," the goddess replied magnanimously.
"What happened to the nymph army?"
"The army was returned to Atlantis, healthy and whole. If your fellow competitors Broderick and Tagart are lucky, they will someday follow suit."
Delilah nodded, satisfied. "Since you have already agreed to spare Layel's life, I ask for my emotions," she said, and Layel sank to his knees in relief. "I want my emotions returned. My love for him."
"I planned to return them anyway," the goddess surprised Layel by saying. "After you chose your prize. Logic aids us so much more than sentiment, after all. Besides, mere emotions don't seem a large enough reward for your efforts. Is there nothing else you would like?"
"Loving Layel, being with him, is what I desire most. But as you are giving me that, as well, I ask for Nola's safe return."
Hestia studied her a moment, then nodded. "Very well. All that you have named, you shall have. But not all at the same time. Nola has much to learn first."
A moment later, Delilah's body jerked and she screamed in pain, just as she'd done the night before. All Layel could do was gather her close and hold on to her until the throbbing subsided. Finally she collapsed, panting, sweating.
"Thank you, thank you," he said, raining kisses all over her face. "Thank you for remembering. Thank you for loving me."
Her violet gaze lifted, piercing him. "Does some part of you wish I'd asked for your mate's return?"
"Ah, but you did ask for exactly that. You are my mate. My greatest prize."
Slowly she grinned. "A prize," she said with wonder. "Me. It's what I've always wanted to be, what I secretly dreamed of each night in camp and every time I saw other creatures holding hands and basking in each other."
"It's what you've always been, what you will always be." He kissed her forehead, her nose and then her precious lips. "We will never be parted again, I vow it. We can live in my palace or I will be your eternal slave at the Amazon camp."
Her eyes widened. "You would be my slave?"
"I am your slave, love."
Now those widened eyes filled with happy tears, her smile brighter than the sun. "I would love to live in your palace. To have you all to myself, no war or battle-training to distract us. Maybe, though, we can visit my tribe upon occasion." She looked down, as if it was too much to hope for.
"Anytime you wish. The girl, Lily, can even stay with us when we return, if your queen will allow it. Perhaps she can help us practice our parenting skills."
"Oh, Layel." She kissed and nipped at his face. "I would like that. And I think Lily would, too." Her head fell back and she laughed, a sound of true joy. "We'll have to deal with her new slave, though. Are you sure--"
"My quest to kill the dragons is over." He shrugged sheepishly. "But perhaps I will torture Brand a wee bit. Or perhaps he will prove useful as we rescue Zane and Nola. Because if I know my Amazon, you will not be content to wait for Hestia to send the girl to us, just as I am not content to leave my soldier in torment."
"You, Layel, are a wonderful man. My dark and passionate king." She cupped his face, her thumbs tenderly brushing his lips. "So...now that you have me, what are you going to do with me?"
"That's easy, love," he said, holding her tight. "Cherish you, all the days of my life."
*
ATLANTIS
Glossary of Characters and Terms
Alyssa--half-vampire, half-demon, second-in-command of the vampire army Amazon--Atlantean race of female warrioresses known for their thirst for war Apollo--god of the sun
Ares--god of war
Artemis--goddess of the hunt
Atlantis--a hidden city under the sea, populated by creatures mistakenly created as the gods attempted to form man Brand--second-in-command of the dragon army Brenna--human; mate of Joachim
Broderick--elite nymph warrior
Cassandra--siren formerly enslaved by the demons Centaur--Atlantean race defined by half-man, half-horse features Darius--king of the dragons
Delilah--Amazon warrioress
Demon--Atlantean race of horned, scaled flesh-eaters; most reviled of the creatures Dorian--nymph warrior
Dragon--Atlantean race of men able to shift into fire-breathers Forest of Dragons--land surrounding the Inner City; property of the dragon king Formorian--Atlantean race with one arm and one leg; wings are their great strength Gorgon--Atlantean race with snakes for hair, able to turn men to stone with a glance Grace--human; queen of the dragons
Hestia--goddess of hearth and home
Inner City--center of Atlantean commerce
Irren--formorian warrior
Jada--female nymph warrior
Joachim--elite nymph warrior
Kreja--queen of the Amazons
Layel--king of the vampires
Lily--Amazon child; daughter of Kreja
Marina--slain queen of the demons
Minotaur--Atlantean race with the head of a bull and the body of a human Mists--portals from the surface world to Atlantis Nola--Amazon warrioress
Nymph--Atlantean race so sensual, no one can resist them; they need sex to survive Outer City--home to Atlantis's criminals and assorted unwanted races Poseidon--god of the sea
Renard--dragon warrior
Shaye--human; queen of the nymphs
Shivawn--elite nymph warrior
Susan--slain human mate to Layel
Tagart--dragon warrior
Valerian--king of the nymphs
Vampire--Atlantean race of blood-drinkers; most can fly and teleport Vorik--dragon warrior
Zane--vampire warrior
If you enjoyed this story by New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter, you'll adore her Lords of the Underworld series, about immortal warriors plagued by demons, and the loves that heal their broken souls.
Don't miss the next sizzling Lords of the Underworld tale, THE DARKEST PROMISE. Read on for a sneak peek!
Cameo's head canted to the side. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?" Like you are the reason I breathe? "Like I'm hungry, and you are a smorgasbord of desserts?"
"Yes," she hissed.
"Because you are a smorgasbord of desserts." Lazarus chucked her under the chin. "You wanted to know your worth. You are a prize worthy of any man."
"I never said I wanted--" She shook a fist in his face, an action he adored. Her anger always thrilled him. "Stop reading my mind."
"Stop projecting." He stalked down the cobblestone path, calling over his shoulder, "This way."
Cameo raced to catch up with him. The
y walked side by side, the close proximity an agony and a pleasure. Torches lined the path, soft golden lights painting her with irresistible radiance.
Her eyes were molten, a sea of silvery fire. The night's warmth brushed her cheeks with an exquisite pink flush. Her bloodred lips were lush and lickable, a temptation like no other and a special kind of torture. One kiss, they said. Satisfaction awaits.
"Just so you know," she grated. "I might have desired you before, but I resent you now."
"Might?" He laughed with smug assurance. "Your passion nearly burned me alive."
She sputtered, her memory loss making her unable to refute his claim.
Hoping to encourage her irritation and displace what remained of the misery that her demon always spread throughout her mind, he took the lead and pushed a flowering branch out of the way...only to release the branch just before she passed by. The soft flower petals slapped her in the chest.
She glared at him. "You did that on purpose."
"No need to punish me." Do not smile. "Your voice is punishment enough."
"That's it!" She hooked her hands around his neck and jerked, using the full force of her body. A body she then coiled around him, as deftly as a sky serpent. Her weight and momentum toppled him.
The action was unexpected. The only reason it worked--of course.
Upon impact, she maintained her hold and rolled, forcing him to his back. He had no time to react. She straddled his chest, unsheathed one of her diamond daggers and pressed the tip into his carotid.
Instant hard-on. No one else had ever taken him to ground.
Proof she would only ever weaken him?
Instant soft-on.
One of her midnight brows arched, her usual misery edged with smug satisfaction. "You were saying?"
Such confidence. Such cunning. Was there any woman more beautiful?
With her hands otherwise occupied, she wouldn't be able to stop what he did with his own...
He should resist. A man didn't play with temptation; temptation played with him. Their association could not end well.
In that moment, he simply didn't care.
Lazarus gripped her by the waist, grunting as skin met heated skin. "So soft," he intoned. "So perfect."
A tremor rocked her against him. His hard-on returned with a vengeance.
With a hiss, she pressed the tip of her dagger deeper, drawing a bead of blood. Her jaw dropped. "You're bleeding."
Lazarus caressed his thumbs up and down Cameo's quivering belly and circled her navel. "I still bleed, yes," he said. His voice dipped. "I'm capable of spilling another fluid, too."
"Stop," she demanded, breathless.
"Stop giving you pleasure?" He traced his fingertips up, up, and met the undersides of her breasts.
Beneath the fabric of her bra, her nipples hardened into tight little buds.
"Yes. No." She covered her breasts with her free arm. "Stop screwing with my mind."
"How about I just screw you?"
"No?" she replied, a question when she'd probably intended to make a statement.
Up...up... He slid his hands underneath her arm and cupped her breasts. "Exquisite." His mind steamed with lust. "Look how responsive you are to me." Only to me.
Goose bumps broke out over her arms, and the flush in her cheeks deepened. The pressure of the blade eased. "Did you know 21 percent of women are unable to achieve an orgasm?"
"Must be the 21 percent I haven't slept with. I'm an orgasm donor."
"You admit to being a he-slut?"
"I admit to a misspent youth, when anyone in a skirt...or pants...or shorts...or bare skin...would do the trick."
She licked her lips, the epitome of wanton. "And you pleased them all?"
"Multiple times."
"You're sure? Every single woman could have faked it."
"You forget, it's impossible to hide the truth from me. I can read minds." He arched his back, causing the blade to slice into his skin again. He didn't care, because the motion also caused her to slide down and straddle his hips. "Want to test me out, sunshine?"
"I want..." She leaned down, and her breasts smashed against his chest, her nipples still hard little buds. Her heartbeat drummed against his in a too-fast rhythm.Her lips hovered over his, close but not close enough. Their breath mingled. He inhaled her essence as though he'd just received his last hit of oxygen. "Lazarus," she whispered.
"I want Lazarus. That's what you said. No take backs."
"Take backs." Even as her pupils spilled over her irises, reminding him of a storm being chased away by the sun, she said, "I will never sleep with a man who dislikes me. I don't need another reason to hate myself."
For more of Cameo and Lazarus's story, don't miss THE DARKEST PROMISE, available soon from Gena Showalter and HQN Books!
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with a sizzling Lords of the Underworld story about an iron-willed sovereign and the somber beauty who melts him with a glance...don't miss Cameo and Lazarus's story in The Darkest Promise
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For more spellbinding tales full of passion and peril, don't miss any of the irresistible titles in the Lords of the Underworld series!
The Darkest Torment
The Darkest Touch
The Darkest Craving
The Darkest Seduction
The Darkest Surrender
The Darkest Secret
The Darkest Lie
The Darkest Passion
The Darkest Angel (novella) The Darkest Whisper
The Darkest Prison (novella) The Darkest Pleasure
The Darkest Kiss
The Darkest Night
The Darkest Fire (digital prequel) Complete your collection!
"The Showalter name on a book means guaranteed entertainment."
--RT Book Reviews
From New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter comes a scorching series featuring not-quite-reformed bad boys and the women who bring them to their knees. Don't miss the Original Heartbreakers series!
The Harder You Fall
The Hotter You Burn
The Closer You Come
The One You Want (novella) Available now!
And look out for the next two irresistible Original Heartbreakers stories!
Can't Hardly Breathe
Can't Let Go
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Gena Showalter welcomes you to the mythical world of immortals, magic and dark seduction in the Atlantis series!
The Amazon's Curse (short story) The Vampire's Bride
The Nymph King
Jewel of Atlantis
Heart of the Dragon
Complete your collection!
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Don't miss a moment of heart-stopping action in the EVERLIFE series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter!
Two Realms. One Choice. No Second Chance.
There is a truth most of the world has come to accept: this is only Firstlife. Real life begins after death. But with the two realms of the Everlife waging a dangerous war over the right to her soul, seventeen-year-old Tenley Lockwood has to stay alive long enough to choose a side.
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ISBN-13: 9781488027628
The Vampire's Bride
Copyright (c) 2009 by Gena Showalter All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
(r) and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with (r) are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
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Gena Showalter, The Vampire's Bride
(Series: Atlantis # 4)
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