Chapter 3
The Sound of people talking made Foster wake
up. Who was in his room? Where was he? He didn’t feel any boat
rocking as he normally did when he was sleeping in his
quarters.
“The way you are treated isn’t right,
Jabari. I know this. Yet, if one side doesn’t give allowances, that
means forgiveness is already lost. There will be no moving forward
without forgiving the past. And if you can’t take those steps of
forgiveness where does that leave you and your mate? Just think
about it.” The soft female voice said, and then Foster heard her
leave the room.
Feeling someone watching him, Foster didn’t
know what to do. He wanted to open his eyes, but not understanding
where he was, or who was in the room with him, scared the shit out
of him.
When the feeling of feathery fingers brushed
his hair from his forehead, and a deep baritone voice whispered,
“Open your eyes, mate. You have nothing to fear from me or anyone
else. I will fight to the death to ensure your safety.”
Mate? What the fuck? He knew that
term. He read more paranormal romance novels than most anyone in
the world. Hell, what else did he have to do when lying in a sick
bed for so damn long? Nothing, that’s what. Then the words actually
registered in his fogged up brain. It was as if the guy knew he was
awake? Was that possible? Mate... hmmm... knew he was awake...
whoever was here and wherever he was, it had to be a paranormal
thing. Okay, that shit was scary. This entire situation was scary.
Maybe he was dead? Could that be it? How would... wait, it was
coming back to him. Being on the boat, watching the sharks feed
from the chum the deck hands were throwing out to them, and then
the crazy-ass storm coming out of nowhere and the waves... holy
shit, he had been swept over the side of the ship by the waves! He
had to be dead.
“Please don’t be afraid. I can hear your
breathing increase and your heart rate as well. I swear to you,
mate of mine, you are safe. Just open your eyes for me. I’ve been
so curious as to what color those orbs will be. I know whatever
they are, I will love them, but still I would like to know.” The
soft baritone said.
Slowly Foster opened his eyes, and found
himself staring into the most amazing dark-blue eyes he had ever
seen. The man before him was simply gorgeous, and fuck if his cock
didn’t take notice. Shit, Foster didn’t remember a time when any
man had caused his dick to harden by just a glance.
“Baby blue. Wow, that never even occurred to
me. I thought maybe hazel or green, or even a typical blue, but no,
yours are even more alluring than I imagined.” The man said with a
smile, then said, “My name is Jabari Hellister.”
Foster swallowed before rasping, “Fos...
Foster Wit... Witman.”
Jabari’s eyes widened, “Let me get you some
water. I’m sure your throat must be dry from all that salt water
you must have swallowed.”
Foster watched as Jabari grabbed for a shell
of sorts, then helped Foster sit up as he held the shell to his
lips so Foster could drink. The water was cool and refreshing as
Foster swallowed. There was no way he could stop the groan of
pleasure he felt as the cool liquid soothed his sore throat.
Once he had his fill, Foster pulled back,
whispering, “Thank you.” Then he looked around, “Where am I?”
“My home.” Jabari answered as he laid Foster
back down and set the shell back where he had found it.
Foster couldn’t help but smile, “And where
is your home?”
“Atlantis. Where is yours?” Jabari
asked.
Holding up his hand, Foster said, “Hold on a
second. You’re saying I’m in the lost city of Atlantis? The
mythical location deep under the sea?”
Nodding, Jabari replied, “Yes, although I
know nothing about being lost since I’ve lived here all my life,
but yes, Foster, my home is in Atlantis.”
Foster closed his eyes trying not to freak
out. If what Jabari was saying was true, he was deep down on the
ocean floor and... “Wait a second. If I’m under the sea, how the
hell am I breathing? For that matter how did I get here?”
“I discovered you in the water. I tried to
get to you before you got too far from your ship, but the water
kept carrying you away. By the time I caught up to you, you were
unconscious and too far from the ship. So I brought you here and
called in the healer.” Jabari explained.
Foster could tell the man was keeping
something from him, and he knew what that something was. “And the
fact that I’m your mate had no bearing on where you brought
me?”
Jabari’s eyes widened, and then he smiled.
“You were awake longer than I thought.”
Shrugging, Foster replied, “Maybe. But in
all fairness, I was trying to understand what was different. You
know... trying to get my bearings.”
“It’s okay, Foster. I just wasn’t sure if I
should say anything. Can I ask you something?” Jabari
questioned.
“Of course.” Foster replied.
“Why are you not freaking out? I mean, you’re human
and I’ve just told you that I’ve brought you to my home in
Atlantis. You’re hundreds of miles below the sea and are able to
breathe, and if I found you it means I am a paranormal, and to top
it all off, I’ve just told you we are mates. From what I
understand, you should be a blubbering mess right about now, yet,
you’re calm and taking all of this in like none of this is
happening.”
Foster let out a soft laugh, “I don’t know. Maybe
it’s because of all the paranormal books I’ve read and lived so
vicariously through, that this isn’t as crazy as it would be to
someone else. It could also be because after everything I’ve been
through, things don’t seem to faze me as they should.
Jabari’s eyes widened. “What does that
mean?”
Shrugging, Foster replied, “Let’s just say
I’ve lived a very sheltered life and have learned to be grateful to
live all life has to offer. Life is too damn short to do
otherwise.”
“I wouldn’t know about that. I’m immortal
and so death is not always something I think about.” Jabari
replied.
Foster couldn’t help but laugh. However, if
Jabari was immortal what did that make him. In romance novels he
read, normally it was things like vampires, angels and demons that
seemed to live forever. Curious of what Jabari was exactly, he
asked, “So what does that make you? Angel, demon or vampire?”
Jabari seemed to be startled for a moment and turned
away to grab the shell. “I should get you more to drink and maybe
make you some food.”
Before Jabari could actually leave his side,
Foster grabbed the man’s wrist. Jabari slowly turned back to him,
but still wouldn’t look in his direction. Foster then knew what the
answer must be. “You’re a demon.”
It seemed Foster had hit the nail on the
head if the man’s stiffening body was anything to go by. Foster had
to smile as he said, “I would love to know what kind. I can’t base
everything off of the types of books I read, but I can say that I
did learn not all of any one species is bad. You have good and evil
in each one... demons included.”
Slowly Jabari met Foster’s gaze, softly
saying, “I am Charonte and Adanc.”
Foster raised a brow, “I can honestly say I’ve never
heard of those. Can you tell me about yourself?”
“How about I get you some food and we can
speak as you eat?” Jabari suggested.
Foster tried to sit up, but Jabari was there
to keep him where he was. “The doctor said you needed your rest.
I’ll get you your food and be right back. Please, stay there and
rest. You’ve been through a great deal. Let me help.”
The only reason Foster nodded his head in agreement
was because his body was tired and sore, but not like it normally
did. It was a funny thing, yes, he was sore, but it was how anyone
would feel after fighting the waves and currents like he had done.
The constant fatigue he normally felt wasn’t there, nor was the
heaviness Foster normally felt in his arms and legs. When he took a
tentative breath he didn’t cough or feel any discomfort either.
Wow, Foster didn’t know what was going on, and he didn’t have a lot
of experience with what it felt like to be well, but damn, he felt
better than he had in a long time.
It was odd, but true, and thinking about it, Foster
actually felt well rested all over. He might hate the thought of
being in a bed to “rest so he could get better”, but he wasn’t
stupid either. He knew that with the cancer continuing to eat away
at him, this feeling wouldn’t last long, and he would need to do as
asked if he didn’t want to end up here for longer than just a few
hours. “Okay, I’ll stay here for now, but I refuse to stay in bed
for days. You said we’re in Atlantis and damned if I’m not going to
get the grand tour.”
Jabari looked as if he was going to argue,
but stopped himself. “I’ll be back shortly.”
Foster lay there thinking about all that was
happening. No matter how calm Jabari might think Foster was, he
really was freaking the fuck out inside. He wanted to understand
what was happening and how he was going to get home. It was
something he needed to do no matter what Jabari said about them
being mates, because that was what Foster was freaking out over...
not the paranormal stuff. He didn’t understand it himself, but he
had meant it when he said that he had lived his short life through
the books he read. If a book took him to the rainforest, then he
was in the rainforest. If it took him to a remote island, then
Foster was on a remote island. Hell, Foster often thought of
himself as well traveled just from the books he read. It was the
knowledge of those very books he needed to fall on, to understand
what was going on with Jabari, and what he needed to do.
If Foster’s books were anything to go by, as
long as he and Jabari didn’t bond, the man would be okay and not
waste away when Foster died. If the books were correct, once
Foster’s life was no more, a new and healthy mate would be born for
Jabari, and he could go on to live a happy and fulfilling life of
his own.
Foster needed to ignore the twinge he felt
in his heart just thinking about Jabari with another, but he had to
ignore it. He had to stay strong. He knew it was just the mating
pull, and Foster needed to just keep reminding himself that his
time was limited and that wasn’t fair to Jabari.
“Okay, this is just some chicken noodle
soup. I believe it is what someone in your circumstances might
need.” Jabari stated, coming in with a tray.
At first Foster thought Jabari must know
about his cancer, but his next words put that thought to rest. “It
can’t have been easy to be tossed into the churning ocean like you
were?”
Giving Jabari a tentative smile, Foster sat
up straighter and arranged the covers so Jabari could place the
tray across his lap. “Thank you. It smells wonderful.”
“It’s my mother’s recipe.” Jabari said as he
sat in the chair next to the bed.
Taking a small taste of the soup, Foster
couldn’t hold back his moan of pleasure. “I have had more bowls of
chicken soup than I can count and this has to be the best I’ve ever
tasted.”
Smiling, Jabari replied, “I’ll let my mother
know you approve.”
“Your mother? Does she live here too?”
Foster asked as he ate his soup.
Shaking his head, Jabari replied, “No. She
and my father still visit, but they prefer to live with the surface
dwellers. I also do what I can to visit from time to time, but the
surface and my demons don’t exactly mix well.”
“You were going to tell me about that. What
did you call yourself again?” Foster asked, dabbing at the dribble
of broth that didn’t quite make it into his mouth.
Jabari watched Foster’s movements, and by
the look in the man’s eyes and the way he licked his lips, Foster
felt as if the man was imagining his tongue as the napkin Foster
was using. The thought of that had Foster’s own cock taking an
interest.
Thankful that he had the tray to block his
own arousal, Foster cleared his throat, asking, “Your demons?”
Shaking his head as if he needed to clear it, Jabari
finally answered. “I am a Charonte and Adanc demon. A Charonte
demon is a high-power ancient land demon that the gods brought to
Atlantis to guard the people that live here. The Adanc demon is
also a high-power water demon. They were used to protect the waters
surrounding Atlantis from not only those that wish to harm the
Atlanteans, but also from the surface dwellers that seek to find
Atlantis itself. My father was one of the first Charonte brought
here and my mother was one of the first Adanc demons. They met when
Atlantis first sank, and the two demons hadn’t known who or what
the Atlanteans were, or what they were doing below the surface.
Father was sent, by Poseidon, to be the emissary of their kind, and
from what he said, the moment his eyes met hers, the ocean current
stopped all around them.”
“That is so romantic.” Foster said with a
wide wistful smile.
Jabari tossed his head back and laughed, saying,
“Don’t let my father hear you say that. He would never live it
down. The badass leader of the Charonte... romantic?”
Foster laughed and smacked at Jabari, “Stop. It is
romantic. To look across a room and see the person meant for you...
love at first sight? What the hell is not to love about that?
That’s something that all of us mere humans just read about and
wish for, if you believe in that type of thing.”
“Do you believe in that kind of thing?”
Jabari asked.
He didn’t even have to think about the
answer, Foster replied, “I don’t really know. I mean I can’t deny
that when I first set eyes on you I felt something, but I put it
down to lust.”
Jabari’s shoulders seemed to slump, and Foster hated
that he had put that dejected look on the man’s face unnecessarily.
“The thing is, if it was just lust, then why do I feel the need to
be close to you? Why is it that your needs are important to me, and
if it’s only lust, why do I feel the need to kiss that sad look off
your face?”
Jabari seemed to brighten with each word Foster
spoke, and although he hated that he knew he was about to take that
look off the man’s face, there was no other choice, but to let him
know upfront how things needed to be. “I know it’s the mating pull
but it doesn’t matter.”
The deep hurt in Jabari’s eyes had Foster’s
heart clenching once again in his chest. He stood and took the tray
of empty dishes from Foster’s lap, “I should take these to wash.
You need your rest.”
“Jabari?” Foster called out before he could
leave the room.
Shaking his head, Jabari refused to turn
around as he softly said, “It’s okay, Foster. I do understand. My
entire life I have been shunned by all except my parents. Why
should my mate be any different? I am an abomination, I know. Once
you are rested I’ll take you back to the surface to my parents’
home. From there you should be able to contact someone to come for
you.”