Atlantium Trilogy I: Bride of Atlantis (12 page)

Typically, Thor had been gone when she
woke and had only just returned. She was curious to know what he
did all day. He was the guardian, the protector. A slogan she’d
heard one of the branches of the military use popped into her
mind—an army of one—and she felt a touch of amusement, wondering
what they’d think of this army of one.

But there didn’t seem to be any threat
to Atlantis that would require that kind of service so she supposed
he must be something like a policeman. So—he must patrol the city
during the day, watching for trouble, or ‘listening’ for it. She
wondered if he patrolled all the cities or just this one, the
capitol city.

“
There are others who keep
the peace in each of the other cities,” Thor said.

Alexis’ brows lifted, but she didn’t
comment on his ‘hearing’ her thoughts. “Like you?”

He seemed to debate the question for a
moment. Finally, he nodded, returning his attention to his
plate.

What was eating him, anyway? Alexis
wondered.

He gave her an enigmatic
look.

Alexis decided not to go
there.

She’d barely touched her food,
discovering her appetite had completely vanished. She pushed her
plate back. Moira appeared, removing the plates.

Alexis rose. She needed something to
do, anything. She didn’t dare think, and if she couldn’t think, she
had to do.

“
What do Atlanteans do for
entertainment?”

She was almost immediately sorry she’d
said that.

Thor studied her for a long moment.
Finally, he, too, rose, extending his hand. “It is festival time. I
will take you.”

“
Uh. Actually, I hadn’t
expected to go out, not like this, anyway,” Alexis said, crossing
her arms uncomfortably when Thor looked her up and down.

“
Our customs are very
difficult for you.”

It wasn’t a question. Alexis shrugged.
“I suppose, given time, I might grow accustomed, but in just a few
days….”

Thor looked at her thoughtfully for a
moment. “Wait here.”

He was back in a few minutes, carrying
a cloak—undoubtedly his. When he’d draped it around her shoulders,
she saw that it was about a foot too long.

Thor frowned. “We’ll have to shorten
it for you.”

“
Oh, no! I’d hate for you to
cut it up. It’ll be fine, really! Actually, it looks kind of neat,
like I have a train or something.”

“
You are certain? It is
likely to be trampled upon.”

“
You’ve got a point,” Alexis
said, frowning. She reached down, grasped the hem of the cloak and
flipped it over her arm. “There.”

Thor looked doubtful, but took her
arm, looping it through his, and escorted her from the
house.

It was a rather courtly gesture,
reminding her of the ‘gentlemanly’ behavior of past centuries.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t altogether comfortable with Thor’s
proximity, but if Thor read that thought, he chose to ignore
it.

It was night, she saw, as they left
Thor’s house. A gentle breeze wafted across the cove, bringing with
it the pleasantly pungent scent of the sea. Above them, a full moon
and a million stars lit up the night, bathing the city in a gentle
glow that chased shadows into tiny corners around buildings and
beneath trees.

It was almost impossible to grasp that
it was entirely manufactured. In every way, it looked, smelled and
felt like the most perfect of spring nights.

She couldn’t even keep her home this
well acclimated. How the Atlanteans managed to do so on such a
scale amazed her.

She studied the buildings they passed,
admiring the architecture. Each was unique, and yet each building
complimented the others around it, giving the city as a whole a
continuity one rarely saw in cities of any size.

There were no vehicles of any kind on
the streets. They passed a vender pushing a cart laden with what
appeared to be oil lamps, but otherwise no sort of
conveyance.

Everyone in Atlantis, it seemed,
walked where ever they went—or shifted into a birdman and flew, or
into a merman and swam.

Small wonder everyone they passed was
lithe, fit—Alexis realized suddenly that, with the exception of the
elderly who could not be expected to be lovely, she had not seen a
soul who could’ve even been described as plain.

Vanity, then, must not be a big
problem. It would be difficult to feel exceptionally pretty in a
place where everyone was attractive.

Alexis didn’t find it all difficult to
feel dull and plain beside them.

She was fit though. She had only been
eight when her mother died, leaving her and her father alone.
Naturally enough, her father had been inclined to push her toward
sports. Not that she’d been very good at any of it, but her
attempts to please him had resulted in growing up physically
fit.

It had been her father who’d insisted
she take up kick-boxing, despite her earnest objections, so that
she could learn self-defense. She had not liked it. She had dropped
out after only a few months and that had been years ago. She was
surprised she’d even remembered any of the moves, let alone been
able to perform them, but she was glad now that he’d insisted. All
that time spent playing punching bag had been worth it if only for
the look on Thor’s face, and Helen’s, when she’d creamed them. If
there had been any chance at all of escaping that first day, the
self-defense moves she’d learned years ago would have earned her
freedom for her.

She missed him.

She didn’t want to think about it,
however, and returned her attention to familiarizing herself with
her surroundings. She discovered that they had traversed several
blocks while she’d allowed her mind to wander.

As they neared the center of town, the
foot traffic picked up. Every person they passed, nodded, bowed and
smiled. Apparently Thor was well known, and respected or liked, by
everyone.

She glanced up at him.

She had lied. She didn’t think she
could ever grow accustomed to this place. It was beautiful, quiet,
peaceful and well ordered. It was totally alien and almost made her
yearn for the din of car engines; horns; talking, laughing,
screaming people; the stench of pollution.

HER people might be every awful thing
in the world that the Atlanteans were not, but they
were—alive.

Being in Atlantis was like walking
through a ghost town, watching wraiths drift silently
by.

And then she realized what was wrong.
There were no children. She had not seen a single child in all the
time she’d been here.

“
Where are the
children?”

Thor didn’t look at her. “They will be
at the festival.”

Alexis suddenly felt silly. She would
not ‘hear’ the chatter and giggles of children. She was not
telepathic and that was the only way, apparently, that Atlanteans
ever communicated, except with outsiders like herself.

Moira could barely even vocalize
words.

Thor stopped, pulling Alexis to a
stop, as well. “There are few children. You do not understand our
ways.”

Alexis looked up at him in surprise.
“Why?”

“
It is rarely
allowed.”

“
Having children!” Alexis
couldn’t contain her shock. “You have to get special
permission?”

Thor nodded.

Alexis thought about it a moment. “Oh.
Population control.”

Thor looked as if he might say
something, then stopped. After a moment, he merely nodded. “I tell
you this, here, because it is a source of great pain to many who
yearn for children. I don’t believe you would intentionally hurt
anyone, but through ignorance….”

Alexis felt a welling of pity. She had
wanted, for years now, to start a family of her own, but at least
she knew that she could. How awful it must be for those who had no
hope of it!

Thor lifted a hand, caressing her
cheek with his knuckles. “You have a good heart and a quick
understanding.”

Alexis looked away,
uncomfortable.

Thor caught her chin, urging her to
look at him. “You are an exceptional human being.”

Alexis blushed, grinning in
embarrassment. “Not really. As my father used to say, if you can’t
dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.”

Thor smiled, dropping his hands to her
shoulders and pulling her closer. Instinctively, Alexis placed her
palms against his chest, but she was never afterwards certain of
whether she meant to push him away or if it was merely a token
resistance.

She was mesmerized by his mouth as he
lowered his head. Only looking at it sent a flash flood of heat
through her, brought her body to readiness. Her nipples grew hard
as pebbles, dampness saturated her femininity, even before her body
molded against his, with just the faintest of touches as his lips
brushed hers. “You are more extraordinary than you could begin to
imagine,” he whispered against her lips.

Alexis barely heard his words. Her
mind, her whole being, was focused on the touch of his body against
hers, on his lips as they moved leisurely against hers, plucking
first her bottom lip, then the top. Each time his lips brushed
across hers, her heart thudded a little harder, her breath catching
in her chest in anticipation.

If he had thrown her to the ground
right then and there, she doubted very much that she would have
even tried to resist.

“
Thor! You did not say that
you would come to festival!”

They jumped apart guiltily and turned
toward the feminine voice.

Still more than a little dazed, it
took several moments for Alexis to recognize the woman who stood
only a few feet from them, pale with fury, despite obvious efforts
to hide it.

Wonderful! Alexis thought. As if Helen
didn’t hate me enough already only for breathing!

Alexis glanced from Helen to Thor. He
looked about as uncomfortable as anyone she’d ever seen in her
life.

Unfortunately, Alexis couldn’t think
of a thing to diffuse the situation.

She should not feel sorry for Thor. He
had cheated on Helen. He deserved the worst tongue lashing she
could give out, at the very least.

But she was just as guilty. Helen had
very clearly staked her claim.

And, in the end, wasn’t a woman more
to blame, or at least as much? Men were biologically inclined to
rut with every female that crossed their path. Not that that
excused their behavior. They had a brain. They had the choice of
using it. They didn’t have to give in to their animal instincts.
They could learn a little self control.

On the other hand, to be perfectly
fair, women were just as inclined to excuse their own behavior
because of their biological makeup, throwing tantrums and/or crying
jags because it was ‘their time of the month’ and it was hard to
control their emotions.

“
Actually, it was my idea. I
was bored.”

Helen’s gaze could have drilled a hole
through her chest. The look she gave Thor was almost triumphant.
“Really? So soon? Poor Thor. I guess that puts you in your place.
Perhaps she misses Adonis?”

Alexis flushed beat red. So much for
acting civilized and pretending nothing had happened.

Up until that point, Thor had merely
looked harassed. The mention of Adonis, however, was sufficient to
bring a glare in her direction.

Alexis felt her jaw drop in surprise
before indignation took its place. How dare he look as if she’d
cheated on him!

In the first place, he knew damned
well Adonis hadn’t finished what he’d started.

In the second, it wasn’t any of his
damned business anyway!

She was on the point of telling him as
much when she realized she probably didn’t have to. He would have
read her thoughts as easily as he might have heard her voice had
she spoken aloud.

He did not, however, look either
contrite or mollified.

If anything, he looked angrier than
ever.

“
I do believe I’ll just find
the festival myself,” Alexis said coldly.

She tried to push past him. He grasped
her arm, pulling her to a halt.

“
We will all go to the
festival,” he said grimly.

“
Oh joy! This will be such
fun!” Alexis said sarcastically.

Helen said nothing, merely slipping
her arm through Thor’s, almost with a smug look at Alexis, even as
Thor took Alexis’ hand.

Silence reigned between the three of
them as they moved in the direction of the bright lights Alexis
could now discern in the distance.

She had a feeling, however, that Thor
and Helen were deep in telepathic discussion.

After a moment, Alexis pulled her hand
from Thor’s, wrapping the cloak more snugly against her. He glanced
at her, but said nothing.

Alexis focused on her
surroundings.

She was beginning to develop a
headache. She wasn’t certain whether it was because they were
nearing an area where many people were gathered, all chattering
telepathically and therefore bombarding her brain with waves she
could feel, even though she could not discern the speech, or if it
was her own efforts to filter out interlopers.