Atlantean's Quest 5: The Dark King Page 2

  "But you're absolutely right, we're even now," Linx said hurriedly before the King could speak. "I will be back to retrieve her within seven days.” He gave Taylor a warning glare and indicated to the King with a jerk of his chin.

  Nothing like being forced on someone, she thought wryly.

  Taylor dropped down onto one knee. “Thank you for allowing me to stay, Your Highness, and for putting me under your protection.” She recited the words Linx had made her memorize. Taylor must've done it right because Linx smiled at her when she finished.

  “What are you called, Earthling?” the King asked, drawing her attention away from her sister's mate.

  “Taylor Shelley, but Taylor is fine.” She tittered nervously, then clamped her mouth shut.

  “You may call me Hades.”

  Taylor stared at him for a few seconds. She couldn’t have heard him correctly. “I'm sorry, did you say Hades?" She frowned. "Like the god of the underworld? Is it because you live inside a mountain?” She indicated to their surroundings.

  “No.” He shot a pointed look at Linx. "It’s because it is my name."

  “Oh, that’s a good reason, too,” she said.

  Linx sighed. “Forgive her impertinence, Sire. She's never been presented to royalty before and doesn't understand our culture. She meant no offense.”

  "Fascinating." The King looked at her again like she'd just sprouted ram horns out her ears. It was obvious he wasn't used to receiving 'common' people. He continued to stare, his aqua blue eyes boring into her until Taylor felt naked. Finally, he deigned to speak. “The Phantom Warrior tells me that you have given up your wild Earth ways and plan to start a new life here on Zaron, if King Eros grants his permission.”

  Wild ways? Taylor glared at Linx. What in the world had he told Hades? She wasn't wild. Just because she'd chosen an unusual profession didn't make her a slut. She resisted the urge to hit him, then turned back to address the King. “That is correct, Your Highness,” she said through gritted teeth. Why was it when men were 'wild' they were considered studs and when women were proud of their sexuality they were called much, much worse?

  The King stared at her, no doubt judging her like so many of the men that she'd met in her lifetime. Would he consider her unworthy to stay in his kingdom? If he did, what would that mean in terms of her fate? She lifted her chin and stared right back at him. Taylor wouldn't let a King or any other man make her feel inferior.

  The silence became painfully uncomfortable. Sweat broke out on her forehead as they continued their staring contest. Taylor was about ready to repeat her answer, when he spoke.

  “Pity, that you decided to make such a change now,” the King said, clearly bored with the whole conversation. “I had hoped for a distraction.”

  Hoped for…what the hell?

  Taylor’s temper flared before she could rein it in. She shot to her feet. “Well you won’t find one here,” she spat.

  The arrogant jerk!

  She should've known by looking at him that he'd be an ass. Taylor had thought that traveling a hundred light years would make a difference. When would she learn to ignore her hormones and see people for what they truly were? Men were the same no matter what solar system they lived in.

  Linx’s eyes widened and he glowered at her. "You are speaking to a King," he hissed. "We talked about this. You forget your place."

  "My place? My place is a hundred light years from here." But he was right. Hades was doing them a favor by letting her stay here. The least she could do was be gracious. Taylor opened her mouth to apologize, but one look at the King's arrogant expression changed her mind. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared right back at him. He could take her apology and stuff it up his tight butt.

  Yes, she'd noticed that he had a great butt. She might be 'reformed', but she wasn't blind.

  Hades laughed. “Don't underestimate yourself. I have a feeling you could be quite distracting, if you put your mind to it,” he said to Taylor, then glanced at Linx. “You are dismissed.”

  "I thought perhaps--" His words died mid-sentence at the look upon Hades' face. Linx hesitated, clearly torn about whether he should stick around. He shook his head, then gave the King another short bow. "As you wish." Linx took a step back. “Behave,” he grumbled under his breath to Taylor.

  She fumed silently. He had started it.

  Linx waited for her to respond.

  Taylor sighed. “I will," she said reluctantly. “Maybe you should give his ‘Royal Badass’ the same advice. I think he could use it.”

  "Nice to see you two hitting it off. I'll give Tabby your best," Linx said, then hightailed it out of the cave like a scaredy cat.

  ***

  Hades wasn't sure what the cat was up to, but he was grateful to have his debt satisfied. He sometimes wished that he had taken the knife to the chest. It would have been far less painful in the long run. He didn't like owing Linx or anyone else.

  He stared at the Earth woman that he’d promised to keep safe. She was full of fire like the long, flowing dark red hair that framed her pale face. Odd colored eyes, neither brown nor green but somewhere floating in the middle, stared back at him in observation…and defiance. Her looks bore no resemblance to the Atlantean women or the Phantoms, but they were striking in their own way. He felt himself drawn to her, despite her anger and her obvious human shortcomings.

  He’d read Taylor's thoughts easily, when she stepped forward into the chamber. She hadn’t believed him to be a King, but that was nothing new, since half the Atlanteans and Phantoms agreed and chose to follow King Eros instead.

  In their eyes, Hades would always be a Half-being, neither Phantom nor Atlantean. A mistake. A ‘Royal Badass’ according to Taylor, though he kind of liked that term. Feared, but not necessarily respected. Their opinions would change quickly, if Zaron were ever under attack. For Hades was good at one thing, better than anyone else on the planet.

  War.

  He knew how to fight, how to use every weapon. His strategies were beyond compare. He’d been raised as a warrior from the start and did not fear death. Nor did he court his demise. Hades would do whatever he must in order to win, to keep his people safe.

  Eros would never be able to say the same. His family made him soft. Weak. Made him forget that he was a warrior first and foremost. That particular failure would never happen to Hades.

  He ensured it by keeping his distance from female entanglements. Oh, he enjoyed a good fuck as much as the next man, maybe more so since his dual bloodline gave him an insatiable appetite, but he never let sexual gratification lead to bonding. Hades didn't think with his dick. Never had, never would.

  The Phantom people regularly pushed for him to take a mate, but Hades vowed never to do so. His refusal caused strife, but it was a strife that he could live with. He was satisfied with his life. Happy even.

  So maybe he got bored on occasion. As King, it was his right. And maybe the women he bedded were becoming interchangeable in his mind. That didn't stop him from enjoying their company. And it certainly didn't mean that things needed to change.

  His mood soured as his thoughts switched course. He glared at the human. It was her fault. He wasn't a damn nursemaid. He was King. Kings didn't babysit wayward females. He should call Linx back this instant and demand he come to retrieve her. Debt be damned! Hades noted the rebelliousness in Taylor’s eyes. It sparked something primal inside of him.

  Perhaps she was an exception...

  She finds you arrogant and thinks you're an ass.

  Hades snorted. Her words were strange, but their meaning was clear. She was right. He was an arrogant ass. Those were two of his good qualities.

  Why wasn't she lowering her gaze?

  Didn't she know about the beast lurking beneath the calm facade of every Phantom Warrior? He may only be half Phantom, but his beast was strong---and dominant. It didn't like to be directly challenged. Yet, Taylor wasn't backing down or looking away.

  Hades continued to s
tare, shocked and oddly impressed by her brazen display. Something inside of him rose to accept the challenge she unwittingly tossed out.

  Taylor Shelley was different. She’d made that abundantly clear with her barely veiled disdain. If he hadn’t sensed her fleeting attraction before she’d realized who he was, Hades might’ve been able to leave her alone for the week.

  But he had sensed it. For a moment, she had wanted him. She had fantasized about stripping him bare. Now he could think of nothing but doing the same to her.

  The flash of awareness coupled with her flare of temper intrigued him. Most women fell over themselves to please him in the hopes that he'd make them his Queen or at least bed them, but not Taylor. She wanted nothing to do with him. The question was why?

  He knew it wasn't because she'd been forced upon him. He'd read that much from her thoughts. No, something else held her back. Hades immediately strategized, running all the options, evaluating the various outcomes. In the end, the answer was always the same.

  He would protect her like he vowed, but Taylor would learn to bow before the Dark King…like all the others who’d come before her. Hades knew his way around a woman's body and took great satisfaction in bringing them pleasure. Taylor would be no different, even if he had to wait for Linx's return to take her.

  Who knows, he thought. She might even learn to like his touch.

  Hades gave her an evil grin infused with sheer determination. Taylor’s full breasts quivered delectably beneath her shirt. She shifted her long, sensuous legs, which appeared to be poured into the thick blue material she wore, and glanced around as if she’d flee given half the chance.

  Perhaps she was smart after all.

  He inhaled through his nose and mouth. A rich, spicy scent tickled his sensitive nostrils. Hades’ eyes fluttered closed and his head spun as he drank her in. If Taylor tasted half as good as she smelled, she’d be delicious. His tongue darted out over his lips. He could almost taste her. He breathed in again, this time deeper. Now there was nowhere that she could hide that he wouldn’t find her, but it was going to be fun to try.

  “Run!” he ordered.

  Taylor squeaked and took off in the direction from which she’d come.

  Hades watched her go, her full bottom twitching from side to side as she ran. Anticipation rose as he prepared to give chase. His beast prickled beneath his skin, scraping its claws down his spine. He looked forward to giving Taylor her first lesson in obedience. He had no doubt that when he caught her there would be a battle of wills. Hers cast from Earth’s soft soil and his cast from iron.

  He might bend to get his way, but the Dark King would never break.

  Hades wondered if the same could be said for Taylor Shelley. There was only one way to find out. He surged up from the throne and roared.

  ***

  CHAPTER TWO

  The ear-shattering roar echoed through the Great Hall. Taylor screamed and ran faster. She should've apologized for insulting the King when she had the chance. She was afraid to look back. Afraid of what she might see.

  She'd witnessed Linx and Riot in their Other form. Seen them in action, while they fought the Russian mob. Their physical change had scared her silly, but from the sounds of it, Hades was something far worse.

  Taylor reached the heavy stone doors and grabbed the carved out handles. Her muscles strained as she pulled on the massive slabs. Linx had made opening the doors look easy. She should've known.

  She could feel Hades' heated glare burning through her shirt, searing her back. It scrolled down her body, resting on her ass. The sensation only made her pull harder. The door inched open. She glanced over her shoulder and saw what could only be described as a giant liger coming toward her.

  Taylor screamed.

  She put her hands in the door crack and pried it apart, until she could squeeze her body through. She'd barely made it into the hall and shut the door behind her, when something large hit the stone on the other side and made the rock tremble.

  Oh God, she had to hide. But where could she go that he wouldn't find her?

  ***

  "Your Majesty," Opal called out, so she could be heard over the massive claws scratching the Great Hall doors.

  She'd watched the flame-haired woman escape the King's grasp and hadn't thought much of it, since Hades was known for having a rather large sexual appetite. He'd be bored with her soon enough. She wasn't the type of woman that held the King's attention for long. It was a pattern Opal had seen repeated multiple times over the years.

  Hades continued to claw at the doors, his big paws unable to slip into the carved out handles.

  The woman must've really gotten under his skin. He rarely put any effort toward pursuit. Hades preferred that women chase him, since it kept misunderstandings from occurring. Opal cleared her throat and raised her voice. "Your Majesty!"

  As the King's Righthand, a position she fought tooth and claw to reach, it was her duty to give him a daily report on happenings within the Walled City. It also gave her a chance to be alone with Hades. Opal cherished those moments, even though they passed quickly.

  Normally, other than minor disputes, there wasn't much to report. Hades didn't tolerate rebellion and most warriors were smart enough not to challenge him in the Pit for the throne. Today was different. A slaver ship had been spotted doing a reconnaissance flight over the area.

  Neither the Atlanteans nor the Phantoms could afford to lose any of their women to the Slavers. The fact that the Slavers sometimes sold the women for their 'body parts' only made the situation graver. And if that weren't bad enough, Perseus was up to his old tricks. He'd always been a discontent, but now he was rallying men to stand with him. It wouldn't be long before he presented Hades with a formal challenge.

  Opal shook her head. Perseus was a fool. A fool that would get himself killed if he kept up his machinations. He misjudged Hades' tolerance for weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth.

  Her gaze narrowed as she focused on the closed door. Was there a connection between the mysterious woman, Perseus' sudden move to take the throne, and the appearance of the Slavers?

  For the woman's sake, there better not be. Opal didn't tolerate disloyalty any more than Hades did. And since she intended to be Queen one day, she took all threats to the kingdom personally.

  A large paw hit the stone door, sending shards of rock crumbling onto the floor. Even in his half-turned form, Hades was magnificent. Opal had thought so the moment she had laid eyes on him. Five years later, her feelings hadn't changed. If anything, they'd intensified.

  Opal loved Hades. She loved him with both her hearts and knew eventually, if she waited long enough that he would discover that he loved her, too. Or at least respected her enough to make her his Queen. Either way worked for Opal, as long as it ended with her on the throne.

  Like all men, Hades was stubborn and blind to what was right in front of him. Opal however was not. She'd worked hard to put herself in her current position. And she'd work even harder to land on the throne. Failure wasn't an option. It's why she let Hades take her body whenever he wanted and why she looked the other way when he bedded other women. A good Queen knew when to overlook a King's indiscretions.

  She watched the muscles in Hades' back bunch, rippling the pale yellow fur with light black stripes. Opal had felt that fur beneath her fingertips and beneath her claws. It was deceptively soft, not at all like the power lurking behind it.

  Hades was a ferocious lover, passionate, talented, and giving, but he also demanded the same back from his partners. It had been no hardship to spread her thighs for the King. She'd spread her legs for his entire army if it guaranteed her a position at his side.

  What was it going to take to get him to mark her? She'd done everything she could think of short of stripping naked in the Pit and challenging him. If Opal knew for certain that he wouldn't kill her, then she'd have done it already. But, the King was unpredictable. Like other Phantoms, she blamed his mixed bloodline,
his handicap.

  The giant cat let out a loud yowl and tried a final time to open the door. If the King shifted, it would be no problem to open, but that would be too easy. Hades was a big cat through and through. Opal waited patiently for him to give up.

  When he didn't succeed on his final try, Hades slowly turned to face her. His massive erection filled the front of his pants, threatening to burst the seams. Her mouth watered as she recalled the feel of that rigid shaft filling her, stretching her to the point of breaking.

  Hades' chest heaved with exertion as he fought back his beast. He rumbled deep in his throat and his odd blue eyes flashed in frustration as he glanced at the door one last time. The change in color was a quick, but efficient reminder that he was half Atlantean. Not that his thought-reading abilities mattered to Opal. She'd learned to shield herself as a child from all Atlanteans, the King included.

  "What is it?" Hades bellowed. "Can't you see that I'm busy?"

  "Do you want me to go after her? I could bring her back so that you could fuck her on the throne," Opal said dryly.

  Since when was chasing new tail so important that he'd willingly set aside duty to do so? She frowned. The woman's pussy must be lined with space blossoms to drive the feline King so crazy. Opal almost laughed aloud, but she didn't think that Hades would appreciate the humor.

  His shocked expression was almost comical as he glared at her, then his face closed down. "That won't be necessary."

  Hades shifted back to his human form. Muscles appeared to fold and shrink before her eyes. It took but a second or two for his fur to fade. When the shift to his humanoid six foot four frame was complete, he was dressed once more in his black Phantom Warriors' uniform. "What do you need?"

  He made no apologies for his behavior and Opal hadn't expected any. It would have been more of a shock if he had. "I have the daily report ready for you to go over." She didn't wait for him to respond. She pressed a button on her wristband and a holographic screen appeared in front of her, displaying Hades' kingdom.