Artus was so shocked by their advances, he was docile for a moment. The redhead had him by the neck and kissed his mouth while she stroked his long hair. A sudden pain in the depth of his sheath snapped him out of their spell. He twisted the blonde's hands roughly and she cried out. The black-haired one looked up sharply and removed her hands from his royal sheath. They scattered as he thrashed angrily, until even the advisor backed away slightly.

The room fell silent as Artus finally exhausted himself.

Mithrus seemed interested. "Leave, my wives. I will handle this myself. Obviously this instruction will have to be handled differently." His eyes were glazed as the prince had never seen them. The mermaids turned to leave, but they appeared to be greatly disappointed.

"What do you intend to do to me? Why did you make them leave?"

Mithrus's tail twitched. "It is my duty as the king's advisor."

"You...you better not touch me. I am not the little boy you think I am. I will destroy you if you dare lay a hand on my royal body. You seem to forget that I am the only one suited to rule, thanks to my silver-blond hair. I am the crown prince." Artus nevertheless shrank away as the advisor approached. He didn't like the look in his eyes and his calm demeanor was dissolving.

Mithrus took him by the shoulders and stared deep into his eyes.

He was strong-so strong it alarmed Artus. He thrashed about, then finally realized the advisor's vast superiority. His violet eyes burned and tears, saltier than the water, burned his eyes and blurred his vision so that he had to blink them away. Finally, his hated rival had him and, although he'd tried to imagine that they would be of equal strength, he'd been wrong. He looked up to see intense eyes staring at him hotly. Artus tried to speak, but anger choked back his words.

"Artus...I...I have loved you for some time now. Let me love your body. I can't stand having to watch you and not being able to have you!"

Artus was more shocked by the trembling in the advisor's body and his faltering words, than with the words themselves. What did Mithrus mean? "What's wrong, Mithrus? Why are you upset? I have never seen you exhibit emotion."

Mithrus responded by encircling him with his arms. They stayed like that for several long minutes. Artus had never been hugged in his life, and the feeling was not unpleasant. He felt the hard muscles in the advisor's chest and the thing poking out of his sheath seemed stiff against his body. It made his scales feel rough as they stood out in his nervousness. A hand rubbed his back, calming him.

Suddenly Mithrus sighed deeply and cupped the prince's chin, bringing his face close.

It was the face Artus had seen in his mind so often-the face that always looked more n.o.ble and beautiful than his own. Warm lips closed in and he was surprised by their silken softness, but he was also surprised at their insistence. He tried to fight, but for only a moment. The soft tongue that pushed beyond his angry lips sought him out.

For several delicious minutes, Mithrus kissed the prince deeply.

The taste of his mouth made Artus feel wobbly. Delicate, yet firm lips sought him-the very essence of him. Finally, he felt his arms floating around his unrelenting pursuer's strong body and a strange need filled him. The ever-present hate that filled his every day was being soothed away, replaced by a burning in his chest. He wanted so much to be loved by this man he hated.

Softly at first, Mithrus rubbed his body against the prince.

Within his sheath, a burning laced with the nectar of need sprouted and his lump itched for release. He rubbed against the advisor more vigorously than he had ever rubbed against the sea boulders. A deep groan filled his ears. He realized that he'd been pushed against the couch of polished conch.

Mithrus continued to kiss him, but his hand ma.s.saged the itching lump in the prince's sheath.

He was unable to stop himself from twisting his tail as the advisor twisted his to lock themselves close. The hand moved away and he struggled when the hard thing pushed its way in. The electric sensations it produced were so tantalizing, he felt his body press against it to receive it.

Mithrus pulled back and looked at the prince.

Artus had never seen his face wrought with emotion. Even when mating with his wives, the advisor had remained expressionless, but now tears stung his eyes, too. His lips moved in some sort of appeal as he used one hand to direct his appendage into the soft royal pa.s.sage below his throbbing lump. His eyes went wide suddenly as a burning tightness seemed to tear at him.

Mithus murmured his rea.s.surance, then his eyes went wild with pa.s.sion.

The thing that pushed into his pa.s.sage was impossibly large and hot, yet his own need forced him to accept the thing as it found its way in deeper. Artus pushed against it and held the advisor in a tight grip. Mithrus's appendage was buried to the hilt in his sheath and they held each other like that for a while until the exploding need burst between them.

Mithrus thrust fast and hard.

Artus met his attacks with equal strength until suddenly a sharp pain tore through him. When the advisor paused and stiffened, he cried out, yet didn't try to escape. The pressure and itch of the lump was replaced by a tingling awakening of desire.

Mithrus detached himself and gazed down in wonder as his hands took in the large emerging appendage.

Artus arched his body in need. He felt nearly insane with the burning need as a hot tongue licked his newly emerged organ like a dolphin licks the young born of it. He moaned deeply as gentle hands cupped the firm, round b.a.l.l.s beneath it, then ran up the shaft before baring it of the skin, which covered its tip. He lapped at it, too, until he cried out for more. The advisor took it into his hands and ma.s.saged it vigorously until Artus felt something deep within the lower part of it burst forth. He watched in wonder when a whitish cloud sprayed out.

Mithrus kissed him and they held each other close again until Artus slept.

Artus didn't know how long he had slept, but when his eyes opened, he found himself in Mithrus's arms. They exchanged no words as he was enveloped in a lingering kiss. This time it he held the advisor close, as if he could not bear to be separated. "Mithrus, please do it again. Please do that thing. Can it only happen once, or can I feel such a thing again?"

Instead of answering, Mithrus thrust into him again, only this time there was no pain. Their fins thrashed as they pushed deeper and harder against each other. They both came to the limits of their pleasure together, crying out like the mating whales, the water around them warming with their pa.s.sion.

When it was over, they spent the rest of the day touching each other in places they never allowed others to touch. They loved each other's bodies until they were exhausted again.

King Atlasian sat on his throne and showed no expression as Mithus was led into his presence followed by Artus.

"Well, Mithrus, is Artus ready to wed?"

Mithrus hesitated and cleared his throat. "Concerning that...well...that is..."

"What is ever the matter, Mithrus? Is there a problem with him? Is he unfit?"

"What I mean to say is that we have decided to become a pair. Artus and I have joined and we intend to ask your permission to make official our union. We shall still accept the bride of the Apsaras as one of the wives of the royal prince."

The hall was silent, then everyone congratulated them. The king raised his hands to silence the people. "We have been waiting for this for some time. You were not informed of this secret, for the union of such a pair is rare and must be based in true love. If Lord Poseidon approves, you shall ascend as the kings of upper and lower Atlantis at the time of my retirement."

Mithrus took Artus's hand in his and the royal wives circled them with gifts and delicacies brought forward by the n.o.bles. Artus had only one concern that burned in him-when would they be alone again? It had been an entire hour since the man he loved held him close.

ATLANTIS WOMAN FOUND.

Adriana Kraft Struggling to keep her eyes shut, Cheri London wrapped her long legs around Alex Dawkins to keep from sliding off his office desk as he pummeled her incessantly. Staring too long into his eyes had gotten her into this position in the first place. She'd left her faculty office for his to turn up the heat on the ribald banter they'd enjoyed over the past weeks. She hadn't expected him to plop her on his desk, shred her panties and plow into her as if there were no tomorrow.

She panted, keeping pace with his ferocity, then laced her fingers behind his neck and kicked her heels against his b.u.t.t. Maybe he'd been right. Maybe they had put this initial mating off for too long. She'd never known a c.o.c.k to be so scorching. It had seared her like a hot poker. She'd thought the burning sensations were because neither one of them had bothered with foreplay. But his thick girth still scalded, setting her ablaze over and over.

His warm breath caressed her face as he relentlessly pounded her a.s.s into the desk. "Come with me, Cheris," he growled.

Aware of the faculty office next door, Cheri squealed softly. She shifted slightly on the hard surface to give them a better angle, then met him thrust for thrust. She hardly needed to be ordered to come. She was well on her way. The surprising professor propelled her toward a pinnacle she'd seldom visited. And she was so ready. "Take me," she grunted, raking her fingernails across her lover's shirt. "Take me over the top."

"Oh yes," she sighed as she soared beyond time, beyond place, beyond reality, nursing an o.r.g.a.s.m like no other. Gradually her panting turned to pleasure moans, then to deep breaths. Her finger pads soothed Alex's firm bare shoulders. He settled her b.u.t.tocks on a soft surface.

Bare shoulders? Soft surface? She couldn't feel the desk. Her eyelids sprang wide open. Alex's look of triumph thrilled her. Then she began to take in her surroundings. Her mouth fell ajar. She was lying at the foot of a very large bed in an extremely large room decorated in some sort of light blue and white marble. Stark naked except for a golden armband on his right bicep, Alex stood at the edge of the bed still gloriously impaled in her v.a.g.i.n.a. His ma.s.sive swarthy chest hardly showed any signs of the exertion they'd just shared.

"Don't be afraid," he said soothingly, gliding slowly in and out of her. "You came with me."

"But you didn't." She shook her head wildly. She should pull away from him instead of giving in to curiosity about his very engorged arousal. She locked her ankles behind his waist, gripping him tighter. Strangely she wasn't frightened, but they certainly weren't in his office anymore. "Where? How?" She blinked, suddenly aware that she lay before him naked except for her gold loop earrings and ruby necklace. "Why?"

"Spoken like the learned anthropologist." He beamed at her. "Welcome to Atlantis."

"Atlantis!" She must be dreaming.

"You've sought this place all your life, right?"

She wet her lips and nodded. She'd read books about Atlantis since she was old enough to read. As a scholar, she'd debunked the very notion of Atlantis. Yet she'd had her niggling suspicions. Dreaming. She had to be. "How?"

Alex gave her a crooked smile and glanced down at their joining.

"Oh my G.o.d." Her eyes narrowed. "You've planned this all along. You had to f.u.c.k me to transport me here."

He shook his head. His dark straight hair, which he usually wore in a tight ponytail, seemed longer than she remembered it. "I had to love you to help you want me."

"Help?" She gasped, keenly aware that he continued rocking almost idly in and out of her and she'd given him no reason to stop. "Why?"

"You are one of us. A rare find." He held a finger over his lips to forestall another question. "It is not merely your beauty, your long flowing blonde hair or your incredibly long legs that are clasping me like a vice."

"Oh," she said, relaxing her grip.

"Don't. I don't mind."

"But why?"

"Because you are bold enough to pose the question few scholars are brave enough to ask. Is it possible Plato deceived his listeners by making the fine people of Atlantis look warlike, greedy and immoral in order to make Athens appear to embody the ideal form of government and the ideal social philosophy?"

"Yes, so..." How could she be so intrigued with scholarly debate while he continued arousing her?

"It is a question lodged deep in your DNA, for you know it is true. The world, past and present, has been duped by Plato."

"Duped?"

"You know, for you are one of us." He peered deep into her eyes. "You know this to be true. A part of you has known your entire life. If not, you would be fleeing from me. You'd be screaming. You'd be demanding to return."

She wet her lips, unable to utter a denial. In her soul, she knew he spoke the truth. "Am I a captive? Will you take me back when I want to go home?"

His mouth bowed into a smile. "Cheris, you are home. You are not a captive. You can go back at anytime. You just have to ask."

Cheri glanced around the cavernous bedroom before responding. Alex had steadied his hips, awaiting her reply. She gave him a tiny smile. "How come he," she nodded at his shaft that was only embedded to its crown, "captivates me?"

Chuckling, he slid easily back into her v.a.g.i.n.a to again explore its depths.

Cheri nodded. "I will stay for now. You knew I would. I have a lifetime of questions to be answered before I leave. Atlantis! Amazing. "Oh," she groaned, "are you trying to distract me again? Oh h.e.l.l." She splayed her arms out across the bed and let him take her up that wall of ecstasy one more time. She'd have more questions later.

With his lungs filled with pride, Lexus stared down at the blonde beauty so eager for answers. She'd shuttered her eyelids again, trusting him with her body. Would she trust him with her soul? Would she trust their combined destiny? Silently and resolutely, he grabbed her hips and drove into her faster until she sailed over the edge.

This time she didn't attempt to constrain her pleasure screams. He liked that. Like a true Atlantean woman, she was expressive. She had a pa.s.sion for s.e.x. He'd recognized that quality in her when they first met. She possessed a pa.s.sion equal to his-though he doubted much of hers had been tapped.

Before her body stopped quaking, Lexus quickly pulled out of her, rolled her over onto her stomach and drew her toward him until her knees touched the floor while her upper torso remained on the bed. She started to twist her head to look at him when he reentered her p.u.s.s.y with one powerful surge.

"Jesus," she cried out, "why won't you come? I can't take much more."

Ignoring her plea, he held her mane of golden hair high off her back and raged into her depths. Out of the corner of his eye, he recognized his cousins, Lydia and Selma, entering to witness this mating.

Cheris must have sensed them also. She shook her head. "Who-"

"Focus on me. On our joining," he bellowed. She ducked her head to the mattress as he slammed into her.

"Again," she squealed, "I can't believe... Coming! Again."

As she shivered and trembled beneath him, he halted his hips and leaned over her lanky frame to plant three kisses on the upper left portion of her back. He whispered, "Believe me, Cheris. You are mine." Holding Cheris firmly beneath him, he clawed where his lips had been until her skin turned crimson.

Her screams turned to wails, then sobs. He nodded at Lydia and Selma who rapidly approached the bed and dabbed at Cheris's wounds with a soothing balm.

Satisfied he'd done what was required, Lexus pulled out of her. His c.o.c.k, still erect and full, hadn't subsided. He stepped around the bed until he could see Cheris's tear stained face. She cranked an eye open. "You okay?"

"I will be," she said softly. "Your a.s.sistants are good." She propped herself on an elbow and stared hard at him. "I've never had a man scratch me to an o.r.g.a.s.m."

"I'm glad I was the first," he said, giving her a slight bow. "I hope there will be no others." Her brow furrowed with questions. He held up a palm. "Go with my cousins. They will bathe you and further prepare you. When they are finished, we will share a light meal and I'll entertain more of your questions."

"You d.a.m.n well better," she said, looking only slightly annoyed at being turned over to the women. Perhaps she welcomed a respite from his l.u.s.t.

Trying to stay alert to her surroundings and to the two women bathing her, Cheri still found it difficult to fathom that she might actually be in a palace in Atlantis. She stood at the shallow end of a pool of aqua blue water that had to be larger than any Olympic pool. Unlike most pools she'd been in, this one had undulating curves. The decorations on the walls echoed the same curving lines.

The cousins, Lydia and Selma, were each lightly washing a breast. They'd already thoroughly bathed her backside and had spent great care tending to her recently inflicted wounds. She trembled a little, recalling his fingernails.

Both women were as nude as she was. They stood about a head shorter and their skin was darker. Each was full bodied. Lydia wore two golden armbands-one on each arm. Selma wore only one. They matched the one Alex had worn, with the same delicate engraved tracery. Fortunately, the women were quite talkative. Apparently, no one had told them to ignore her questions.

"This man who brought me here, you say he is an amba.s.sador of some sort."

"That's right," Lydia responded, paying considerable attention to swirling a cloth around a nipple.

Cheri didn't think she was trying to be particularly erotic, only thorough.

"Lexus is one of very few who leave our land to journey Above. Our amba.s.sadors travel alone or with their lifemates, if they already have one."

"And he doesn't have one?"

Lydia shook her head, but wasn't particularly good at hiding a smile.

"Why do you smile about my question? Did I say something wrong?"

Selma giggled. "Our cousin has chosen a lifemate, but she hasn't responded to his initiation yet."

Cheri frowned and Lydia turned her back to her. For the first time she noticed scratch marks below the woman's left shoulder. She nearly fainted. Both women grabbed her, or she would have fallen. "He wants me?" she gasped. "For a lifemate?"

Lydia arched an eyebrow. "He needs you. All of Atlantis needs you."