He lifted up to draw her nipple into his mouth and sc.r.a.ped his teeth over the peak.

She arched her back and pushed the globe further into his mouth. Chills racked her body at the sensation. His teeth pulled and pinched, teasing each nipple. "Theo!" She shrieked in ecstasy. It felt so good. The pleasure-pain of his attention was mind-blowing. The danger and intrigue of the past day melted away.

He kissed, licked and bit his way along her body until he reached her thighs. He turned his head and sharply bit the flesh on the inside of her leg.

She groaned as feeling besieged her. His tongue swiped along her slit, tasting the cream.

He growled and pressed roughly against her c.l.i.t. Her scream briefly filled the air, but was interrupted as he rose up and flipped her over. He lifted her to her knees and spanked her bottom hard before he dominantly thrust into her. His wide c.o.c.k pushed through the pa.s.sage forcefully. He grabbed her hair in a clenched fist, holding her head steady as he leaned over and bit the curve of her neck.

She felt full, aching, complete, but she wanted much more from this G.o.d of the Sea. He pumped a hard, aggressive rhythm that lifted her off her knees. His hips slammed against hers. The fragrant smell of the crushed purple gra.s.s lifted to her nostrils. She clenched her hands in the soft texture of it. Large brown hands squeezed the cheeks of her bottom with each thrust. He leaned over and licked a tickling, wet path along the knots of her spine. He rose up to follow the same path again with his teeth. Little shocks tripped along her spine following his ministrations.

He ran a long finger along the crack to her a.n.u.s and pressed there. He entered a finger inside her.

She cried out and bucked against him in wild abandon. White heat enveloped her, muscles clenched and pulsed as release inundated her. It swept through her with an intensity that took her breath away.

"I'll see you when you get here." He whispered and licked her damp nape.

She drifted into sleep.

She woke when the flight attendant politely shook her shoulder. After one stop, she was soon on another flight for the final leg of the trip. It was day in Cyprus. She would go to Pieter's house, the dive master who worked for her father for as long as she could remember.

He owned a boat and a crew that she would need to dive to the location where she and her father found the necklace. She planned to go to the museum on arrival, but more and more instinct was telling her to go into the sea. The answer wasn't at the museum with the necklace-it was in the sea.

After paying an outrageous fee for her and Petra's transportation, Kyp arrived at Pieter's house. She watched the beautiful, round woman's face curve in pleasure when she saw who was at the door.

Marina threw open the door and emerged, her arms outstretched. "Kypris," she wrapped Kyp in a powerful hug and pulled her into the aromatic kitchen. "Look at you, so sophisticated, so grown up! We've missed you," she said with her hands on Kyp's checks, "and look at this beautiful dog!" She went to the stove, pulled a piece of chicken out of a pot and placed it on the floor for Petra.

"Kyp! It's good to see you," Pieter said as he entered and gave her a hug. A smile crossed his grizzled, familiar face, "I've waited a long time for you to come back. I started to think you might not, but I'm glad you're here. It's where you belong." He patted her back. "Just a minute," he said mysteriously and left the room. He returned momentarily and handed her a leather-wrapped bundle. "I found it on the boat. Your father must have hidden them there. I've waited to give you these."

Marina placed a steaming plate of chicken, rice and currants in front of her. They each hugged her, then gave her the privacy of their cozy kitchen while she opened the bundle.

She gasped as she realized it was her father's research notes on Atlantis. Every one of them, she realized in amazement and grat.i.tude. Pieter saved them. When she couldn't find them after his murder, she had a.s.sumed Minos's men stole them as well as the necklace. More hopeful than ever, she settled into the leather chair to read. Four hours later, she watched the sun rise astounded and shocked by what she read.

Her father, Alec, was fascinated with Atlantis after reading Plato's theories on the subject. He became obsessed with finding and proving its existence. He moved to Cyprus when he became of age, leaving behind a life of leisure with his aristocratic family and a place at Oxford to follow his dream. Kyp opened the journal to read again the theory crammed into the margin and flagged with asterisks a Are the Atlanteans in fact what the Western Europeans refer to as the Fey folk? Could examples of mysterious artistry and craftwork, like the Pyramids and Stonehenge, be the work of Atlantean people and their advanced technology? It isn't a stretch to believe this and to believe that Fey is what they were called.

Reports of the physical appearance of the Fey are similar to those stories of Atlanteans appearance. Legend has long held that the Fey folk left earth for another dimension. It is my hypothesis that the Atlanteans are indeed the Fey folk and that they lived all over the world, advancing human societies, until a global call brought them all home when the elders decided to leave earth for another dimension.

His research progressed as he discovered new clues that were meticulously detailed in his journal. Diving on a hot summer day, searching an ancient man-made wall, he noticed a human-shaped shadow dart behind one of the large stones. He unsheathed his knife and swam to investigate. He rounded the large stone to glimpse the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Kyp's cheeks burned as she read about his obsession with the naked woman he found swimming in the sea-Aphrodite, her mother, the Greek G.o.ddess, also known as Kypris who was in reality an Atlantean and Kyp's namesake.

They spent the summer together, her parents, inseparable and in love. Her father wanted her mother to stay on earth, but it wasn't allowed and Aphrodite couldn't ignore her responsibilities on Atlantis. She disobeyed strict rules by being with him.

Traveling to the mortal world was only permitted to help or advance a society, and only then with the approval of the elders. An intimate relationship with humans was not allowed. Punishment for not following the rules was banishment to Atlantis, never to return to earth.

Days pa.s.sed. Aphrodite became pregnant. Months later, she left her tiny daughter with Alec and returned to Atlantis.

Her father searched the rest of his life for the doorway to the hidden world, despite Aphrodite's claim that it would not reveal itself to a human. His search was in vain. He never saw the woman he loved again.

Atlantis is real, Kyp thought in wonder, as she dropped the book and sat back in the chair. It didn't fall into the sea as historians hypothesized though there was some fact to that theory. The truth was that it simply entered another dimension and the doorway to that dimension was in the sea to protect its location.

According to his journal, Aphrodite warned Alec that she couldn't stay on earth. There was a judge who determined human interference and the amount of time each Atlantean stayed on earth. The safest, kindest thing she could do would be to leave Kypris with her father though it devastated Aphrodite to leave the two of them. She promised to return one day.

Kyp stared at the textured ceiling, thinking. Her father's journals covered his research up to his death. Two months before that fateful day, he found the necklace, similar to the one that Aphrodite wore around her neck. He knew immediately he found a link to Atlantis, possibly a key or a map. He felt the power contained in the otherworldly metal.

Fearful that the necklace would be stolen, he had the design tattooed on her lower back where it would be hidden. He theorized that Kyp would be the one to discover how to use the key. As a descendant of Atlantis and the daughter of a G.o.ddess, she would be able to find the doorway. She remembered his words when he wrote about her getting the tattoo.

Her eyes blazed iridescently and her hair lifted though the wind was not blowing. Her very skin glowed. She snarled, baring her teeth, then slumped in repose having swooned with the completion of the symbol on her back. She has her mother's blood.

She reached down to stroke Petra's head. She was going back in the sea tomorrow to the spot where they found the necklace. She went to bed with the realization that the completion of her quest was on the horizon.

Six hours later, she stood on deck with Petra basking in the sun next to her. Kyp's feet were bare and instead of the jean shorts and a bikini top of her past, today she wore a wetsuit and standard dive gear. She put Petra in the cabin so she wouldn't attempt to enter the water with her mistress.

She was getting ready to drop in when she heard a speed boat quickly approaching. Oh f.u.c.k, Minos. She should have known he would watch for her to come back to the site. She jerked off her mask and tank. She was tempted to dive in, but wouldn't leave Pieter here to face Minos's brutality when it was her he wanted.

Her mouth dried as she watched him climb onboard. Hardened, lethal men crawled over the side with him. Machine guns in their hands were soon trained on her crew who had no weapons other than diving spears. "Stand down guys, don't give them the satisfaction of killing you." she whispered softly, "Is this really necessary, Minos? Does it always have to be about intimidation and violence with you?"

"h.e.l.lo Kypris. I've looked forward to this moment," he announced as he stalked to her with animalistic grace, ignoring her question.

Retribution was promised in his gaze. She briefly remembered a time when she desired him with every fiber of her being and wondered how she misread him so completely.

"You did a good job of hiding for five years, but now," he tilted his head and stared at her intensely, "here you are. Mine again," he reached out his hands to touch her face and leaned in to breathe her scent. His gaze was dark and heated when he warned, "I'll break that independent streak this time. You won't leave me again."

"I had to leave the first time," she snarled through clenched teeth, "you were trying to kill me! Remember? Or did you conveniently forget that fact? Phaedrais nearly beat me to death under your orders! Isn't that your plan again? Or are you going to do it yourself this time?" she asked in disbelief. When he reached for her, she stiffened and tried to jerk out of his grasp, but he clenched his fingers in her hair.

No one on board moved, tensions were high. His men kept their guns trained on the crew. She prayed Pieter would not attempt anything in her defense. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and noticed the gun that rested securely against his temple. She didn't want his death on her hands. She wouldn't leave Marina a widow.

"I killed him," Minos snarled, "Phaedrais endured a torture far worse than you experienced. I cut him into pieces while he was still alive, slowly and painfully. He was an example to all as to what happens when you touch what is mine. He was only to capture you, not nearly kill you, and he still failed to bring you to me."

She bravely snorted at his gall-hiding the chills his merciless words evoked. "f.u.c.k you, Minos. I'm not yours." She said bitterly.

He jerked her hair in anger and slammed his lips down on hers.

At one time, his dark, s.e.xy, masculine physique and dominant ways lured her into giving up her secret, her father's secret-Atlantis and the necklace. She would have done anything for him and his love. Blinded by his pa.s.sion and flattered by his attentiveness, she saw what she thought was love rather than the sick obsession he had for her.

She knew not to tell anyone of Atlantis, but he thrilled her with his intense devotion and possessive ways. He was older and sophisticated with women throwing themselves at him. Kyp was threatened by that and wanted to be special to him so she foolishly told him everything. He took her knowledge and used it against her. He was the reason she had no one left, no family to call her own.

His hand lowered to squeeze her breast over the wetsuit. She tried to push him away, but he backed her against the side of the boat. He pressed his hard c.o.c.k against her, and clenched his fingers tight and painful in her hair. She slapped him.

He backhanded her and she groaned in pain. "Don't hit me again, Kypris. I'll retaliate. I like a woman with pa.s.sion, but you better be prepared for the consequences." He snarled.

She lifted her hand to her throbbing cheek. Anger blazed through her. He grabbed her arm and swung her around. Her leg followed her body's path and she kneed him viciously in the groin. He bellowed and bent in half.

Pieter and his crew used the distraction the launch an attack on his men. She heard gunfire. Minos growled and swiped his arm out, punching her in the temple. She cried out. Vision blurred as she slid to the deck. She was dimly aware of the Petra barking furiously. The cabin door slammed against the wall as her lethal body launched into the fray. Minos raised his gun to shoot a charging Pieter. Petra leapt into the line of fire as she jumped for the man who struck her mistress.

Kyp heard her yelp when the bullet entered her body. In horror, Kyp watched her fall limply over the side of the boat into the sea. She screamed in mental anguish. Would this man never stop destroying everything she loved?

In that moment, her lower back throbbed, burning fiercely. Something was happening but she knew not what. Sound like a shock wave erupted and the boat tilted crazily on the peaceful water. The men hesitated for the briefest instant before resuming the fight. She heard a roar and chills encompa.s.sed her body.

A man, a being of light, shot over the side of the boat onto the deck. It was her dream man a Theo. His hair swirled wickedly, sensually. Sea water sluiced off his body. His dark skin, tattooed with ruins, glowed. The black eel was alive and wrapped around his neck, displaying ferocious fangs.

Black pants of the same silken material as before were his only clothing. He rushed Minos, his own fangs glistening in his open mouth and struck, tearing into his throat. He growled and shook Minos's p.r.o.ne body until he consumed his blood. He dropped the empty husk, kicking it out of his way. He waved a hand and disintegrated the machine guns firing at him. With another wave of his hand, Minos's men fell to the ground, dead.

Theokritos. He had come for her. Her dream man was a real Atlantean. She stood with much effort, shocked, afraid and dizzy and gracelessly fell over the side when a wave swayed the boat.

He yelled out and dove in after her.

She had no tank, no mask or air hose, but it was like her dream. The diving equipment wasn't necessary. She floated as she did in her dream.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her with him to the murky depths. Seconds later they tread water in front of a large stone on the sea floor.

He gestured to the stone with one hand and suddenly she was facing the gilded doorway from her dream. The tattoo on her back throbbed again. There in the center of the door was the triangle lock. All it needed was a key. She ran her fingers over the triangular lock in the appropriate pattern.

The door swung open. Her father was right. There was a key needed for the door and she was the key. They swam through. She felt a tangible change in water. She looked behind her, but the doorway had disappeared. Suddenly they were swimming in clear shallow water. Pink flora swayed to and fro with the current. She was in another dimension she realized in wonder and amazement-Atlantis!

The broke the surface and made their way to sh.o.r.e. It was the world from her dream. There was purple gra.s.s, blue flowers, an orange sky and clear water visible for miles.

A woman of indescribable beauty walked forward to meet them. Her gilded, diaphanous gown swayed with her steps. Long red hair curled around her voluptuous waist.

Petra walked next to her, tail wagging and tongue hanging.

"Petra!" Kyp laughed in delight and hugged Petra when she barked and licked her face.

"Daughter," Aphrodite greeted and hugged Kyp tightly with tears flowing over alabaster cheeks, "I've been waiting for this day. Let's go to my rooms and get some dry clothes on you." She lifted hands above her head and closed her eyes.

Kyp frowned in confusion at her actions. An instant later, they were seated on a balcony. Blue forest canopies swayed below the towering terrace. She gasped at the sudden switch in location and blinked when some kind of strange fruit, arranged decoratively on a beautiful crystal surface, hovered before them in offering.

She glanced at her surroundings in incredulity. The world was beautiful. Colors were bright and intense. Strange animals roamed freely below the trees and in the distance, she could see what must be the city. Tall spires and open balconies were visible on every magnificent dwelling. There were no homeless people or squalid housing. Everything was beautiful and dream-like and unlike anything she had ever seen except in her dreams.

Kyp spoke to her mother for hours while Petra lay at her feet. Theokritos lounged beside her quietly, his warm hand on her knee in supportaa constant reminder of his presence. Aphrodite told her daughter of the heartache of leaving the two people she loved behind. She told her why she couldn't stay on earth and spoke of the rules of traveling to the other dimension. She explained that she left her daughter with her father so he wouldn't be alone-that she always planned to bring Kyp to Atlantis once she reached twenty one and needed her mother's guidance to go through the changes her maturity would bring. She told her of the love that never wavered for her and her father.

Aphrodite cleared her throat and shook herself as if to remove the melancholy. "Theokritos," she said gesturing to Kyp's wet dream, who nodded his head in acknowledgement, "caught me returning from earth. One of his powers is the ability to see earth by entering human dreams. He can also see the future. He knew about your father and me...and you. He could have forbidden me to ever see you again, but he recognized his soul mate in you, in your spirit, so we made a bargain. To see you again and escape permanent banishment from earth, I agreed to a betrothal between the two of you. In return, he agreed to wait for you until your twenty first birthday," Aphrodite explained. A determined look filled her eyes, "But I only agree to the match if you accept him and of course it is your decision if you want to stay in Atlantis."

Theokritos growled in defiance. "Don't test me, Aphrodite," he promised. His brow smoothed as he looked at Kyp. He stared at her as if he saw right through her to her innermost desires.

Kyp remembered her dreams and knew them to be real. He really had been with her in her dreams. He was her soul mate. She looked over his long, almost metallic hair now that she could see it above water. His brilliant, azure eyes shined with l.u.s.t and desire for her. His muscular, tanned chest and arms covered in tattoos made her mouth dry. The braid lay on a sculpted shoulder. His pants, slung low on his slim hips, molded themselves to his firm b.u.t.tocks and legs. Long feet peeked in casual s.e.xiness from below the loose pants.

She was thrilled by him and the knowledge that he watched and waited for her all of these years burned inside her. Yes, yes, she would accept him.

He read the knowledge in her eyes and in an instant they were somewhere else-Petra left behind at her mother's. They lay on a large soft surface that seemed to float as if on water, reminiscent of her dreams. "Welcome to our home." He said as he ripped the st.u.r.dy wetsuit from her body as if it were paper.

She moaned and attempted to grab his hands to halt his a.s.sault, wickedly tempted to make him work for her seduction. The thought of the powerful man losing control was dangerously exciting.

He growled and wrenched her wrists above her head.

A smug look of satisfaction crossed his visage when two crystal bracelets appeared on her wrists. She gasped in delight, then moaned as they melded in the center together forming erotic handcuffs. The crystal was the same radiant color as his eyes.

He captured her gaze, then forcing her legs apart, entered her in one long thrust. He drove her up on the soft surface with his pounding thrusts and leaned over to lick the valley of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and nipples.

Kyp writhed and thrust beneath him. When he grabbed the skin of her neck with his sharp teeth, she screamed and climax soared through her. He pumped until her release eased, then reached down and pinched her c.l.i.t sharply. She gasped as he ground his hips against it. The friction upped the sensations another level as they flamed to life again.

"Do you take me as your mate?" A husky voice demanded. He thrust again deeply, conqueringly and Kyp closed her eyes against the feelings. "Do you take me?" He growled as he shook her tethered arms above her head.

She looked up at him. His eyes blazed in emotion, azure sparks mesmerizing. A snarl showed glistening white teeth with four long fangs, she swallowed, thrilled by her dangerous lover...and mate. "Yes," she whispered wholeheartedly. He was her heart. He gave her a new home and a new life, and she antic.i.p.ated an eternity of his exotic love.

He growled and roared as they reached climax together. He pumped three more times as the aftershocks rocked their bodies. They collapsed into the softness and the bracelets broke apart, but remained on her wrists.

They were Atlantean wedding bracelets, a mark of his ownership and she wore them with pride. She fell asleep with a smile on her face and new fangs glistening. For the first time in her life, she felt at peace. She was home. Her quest was fulfilled.

SCORCHER.

D. J. Manly The woman beckoned to him. Her intense blue eyes seemed to burn into his very soul. "We know what you need," she whispered. Her voice sounded like velvet. Naked, he followed her down a narrow corridor. Around him were sounds not of this world. Strange shadows crept around him cautiously. Startled, he lost sight of her for a moment and quickened his pace. He was plunged into an open s.p.a.ce, seemingly encased in a transparent room. Strange creatures swam in the water surrounding him. Invisible hands caught him suddenly and began moving over his body. A white light cascaded down on him, blinding him.

"Adonis," someone whispered amidst the bizarre moans and groans reverberating in his ears. "We have been waiting for you."

He was as light as air, floating. The hands moving over his flesh were at first gentle, soothing, then, the touch changed. It felt different, the hands were more urgent, more demanding. "Adonis." Fingers twisted his nipples, soft lips suckled his ball sac and a scratchy tongue moved over the length of his shaft. "Open yourself to us," echoed a mult.i.tude of voices. Two hands sliced down between his a.s.s cheeks. He felt something warm and sticky hit his a.n.u.s, then the tip of what felt like a tongue slithered up inside of him, hitting every erogenous spot possible. He moaned. Something moved across his lips, then pried over his jaw. His head was forced back and what felt like a hard, slick c.o.c.k was pushed into his throat. "Drink, Adonis, drink." He was suspended in the air, an object now burrowing deeper into his a.s.s and expanding. It began to pump him, and at the same time, the c.o.c.k in his mouth began to f.u.c.k his face. Both invaded him at a frantic pace. He felt his c.o.c.k being stroked at the same time, while expert tongues tortured both nipples.

Adonis sat up in bed every single night at the same time, his body bathed in sweat. He was lucky if he got five hours sleep. He tried to explain to the many doctors he had visited that he wasn't really sleeping when he dreamt. Rather, it was like he was rendered powerless, wide awake, but submerged completely in another reality. He'd been told he was overworked. He'd been told he had deep seated s.e.xual desires that he felt guilty about. He'd been told he should take medication. In the end, he stopped seeing the doctors, convinced that these were more than just dreams. Of course, maybe he was insane. His colleagues on the seismological research team at the university certainly thought so, and even Devon, his ex lover began to act as if he thought something was wrong with him.

"Donis," he'd told him last night as he sat on the sofa drinking a beer, "I hate to sound like a broken record, but I still say these dreams are related to all this Atlantis stuff."

He always called him Donis when he was telling him something disagreeable. Adonis eyed him, folding strong, well muscled arms across his chest.

"See, you're getting defensive," Devon pointed out.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You've crossed your arms-"

"Stop playing amateur psychologist and be on my side for a change."

"You know I'm on your side," he said. "And if you'd let me, I'd help you to sleep." He smiled slyly.

"We agreed to remain friends, remember? Living together was h.e.l.l."

"Doesn't mean we can't..." He trialed off and lifted his eyebrows up and down a few times.

Adonis laughed. Devon was cute, but s.e.x with him had often been disappointing.

"See, I made you laugh. You're so beautiful when you..." He got up off the sofa and came closer. He reached out to touch his cheek with his fingertips.

Adonis slapped his hand away. "Knock it off, Romeo. Look, these dreams are not just borne of s.e.xual frustration. I had them even when we were together, don't you remember?"

"Yes. I remember." Devon met his gaze. "I didn't realise how obsessed you were at that time with this Atlantis thing."

"It has nothing to do with that." He'd once thought it was because he was s.e.xually frustrated, but he would have never told Devon that.