35. Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter 35
D ante stared at the rolling dunes.
The world was eerily quiet as the sandstorm whipped around Dante, biting into his skin. Like a thousand paper cuts. A woman stood in front of a vast expanse of nothingness; her hair danced around her ferociously, the loose curls almost snakelike in their movement. She was only a hundred feet away from him, but she may as well have been on another planet. The barren desert between them was like an infinite chasm. The night sky above them darkened until it was pitch black. No light touched the woman, but even in the darkness, the bronze bracelet on her arm glittered.
Dante blinked, and he was back in his childhood room. The dreams were becoming more vivid, and the ache of the whiplash from the sandstorms was lasting longer. The small cuts he had acquired had quickly healed. Somehow, the vision was able to cross into reality; he didn’t know how, and he hadn’t broached it with Sypha.
Rieka was still asleep in his bed. For the first time, he wished he could stop time and make sure Rieka was protected from what was coming. But it would not last—nothing ever did. Dante ran his hand through his hair. He did not know what to do next.
A rap on the door echoed loudly. Ignoring it, he focused on studying Rieka.
The blanket had been thrown off during the night, and Rieka’s T-shirt had ridden up, revealing her long legs and another tattoo. The colorful piece covered most of her thigh. It was of an outstretched woman with rainbow phoenix wings. A beautiful rendition of the human motif. More than anything else, he wanted to trace the outline, just like the lilies etched onto her skin.
He looked over his shoulder. The journal was perched on the edge of the bed next to him. As Rieka had slept, he had read the journal cover to cover, looking for any clues that Rieka may have missed. Dante toyed with the edges of the photo; faint watermarks bled into the glossy paper. Lilian Sinha’s pale blue eyes seemed to go straight through him. Even in a photograph, the haunted look was hard to miss or to ignore. There was no mistaking Rieka’s mother. They could have passed as sisters, except for their coloring.
Concentrating on the photo, the remnants of an almost forgotten conversation he had with his father ran on repeat through his mind. Talal had told Dante tales of people, human and Atlantean, he had encountered on his worldly travels. As children, Dante and Aldora had hung onto every word, urging Talal to repeat the tales until the stories had become part of their memories. Dante had barely thought of the old stories, but there was one that was seared to his soul. Talal had been adamant that he had met Vandana’s heir. An Atlantean with haunted eyes so pale they were almost white. Glancing at the photo, it was easy to believe that Talal had been right; he had met Lilian Sinha and known what she was.
Dante had so many questions he wanted to ask, but Rieka wouldn’t have the answers. Only her mother would, or his father. Dante slipped the photo back into the journal, careful to return it exactly as he had found it.
He was too wired to sleep; he glanced at Rieka. She hadn’t stirred. He let himself wonder what it would be like to kiss her awake, see those beautiful eyes come alive for him. At his command. He pushed the thought away. Rieka needed to rest.
Tap.
“The penguins ate the cheese,” Rieka mumbled as she turned around and buried herself deeper under the blankets. The bronze bracelet was a dark beacon in the light. A reminder that there were things he couldn’t control. At least it appeared unchanged, and Rieka seemed to be relatively unaffected by it. But there was an unfamiliar scent beneath Rieka’s—it was subtle, with an almost metallic tinge. It was linked to the bracelet.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The rosy fingers of dawn streaked across the sky. He could stay here and watch Rieka, but whoever was on the other side of the door would not leave.
Dante strode to the door before quickly shutting it behind him. Yellow eyes stared at him. The silver white of Khalida’s hair made her look almost angelic in this light. \Talik stood across the hallway, half hidden by the shadows.. It didn’t stop the clear animosity between the two Atlanteans. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. “How goes the hunt?”
A haughty look of disdain crossed Khalida’s face. “It goes. The guards found pieces of the statue.” Khalida touched the hilt of her sword as she stared straight at him, unblinking. The tattoo on her wrist glimmered in the darkness. “In the area Rieka had been working. They also found a small but not inconsequential piece in her room.”
Dante closed his eyes for a moment before he snapped them open. “When?”
“Thirty minutes ago. House Mestor demanded they re-search everywhere she had been working.”
Kai. He was going to ruin the Atlantean after the Jimourt. Systematically destroy everything the Atlantean held dear. Lucky for Dante, it always came back to money and influence. “And?”
“Anhur,” Khalida started, “has emphasized that Rieka remains under your protection and because of your familial ties, she will also remain under House Azaes’s patronage.”
Dante blinked. He had not been expecting the public support from Anhur. It sent a message and would also force his own House to do the same. His mother, Dion, may hibernate, but the three ruling families of Mneseus protected each other. “Did he say anything else?”
Khalida was very much Anhur’s daughter and shadow, and there was nothing she didn’t know about House Azaes, even if she had denounced her hereditary claim to the throne centuries before.
“No.” She smiled; the edges of her lips turned into a snarl, the light not quite touching her eyes. “Rieka wears an interesting pendant. I was not the only one who would have noticed it.”
No. Anhur had raised an eyebrow when he had seen the pendant. As had Sypha. Rieka was in no danger from them. Every time he thought they were getting closer to finding the tomb, another hurdle was thrown at him. But it was abundantly clear that Rieka was linked to all of it. He just had to unravel exactly how she was involved. “What do you know of the Anki?”
Khalida stared at him; the barest hint of her pupils widened in surprise at the mention of the name. “Nothing.”
If Dante had blinked, he would have missed it. Khalida had heard of them, but he would not push the matter. He didn’t know who else was listening to them. “And the Jimourt?”
“It will go on. The destruction of the statue will circulate if the gossip hasn’t already started. The hunt will remain under wraps. Kai is not aware of what killed the guard. Was far more worried about the blood on his shoes than the deceased Atlantean.”
There was no mistaking the disgust that tinged Khalida’s words. Dante was not surprised. Atlanteans were not immune to petty emotions, despite what most humans believed.
Khalida turned to walk away but faced him as an afterthought. “Aadya requests your presence.”
An order. One that he wouldn’t be able to ignore for long. Dante looked back at the closed door. He wasn’t leaving Rieka alone. “It will have to wait until midmorning.”
Khalida smirked. “Aadya has also requested you bring Rieka.”
R ieka woke with a start. Her heart raced as she looked around the foreign room.
It all came rushing back. The bracelet, the missing statue, the serpopards. And the promise she had made to herself about acting on what she wanted. Instead, she had chosen the easy way and chickened out.
Dante had been with her throughout it all. Hadn’t left her side. Rieka wasn’t used to having people on her side, let alone someone like Dante. She eyed her new attachment. The bronze bracelet appeared dull in the natural sunlight, almost translucent. The insertions hadn’t disappeared overnight, but they weren’t any larger and hadn’t multiplied. However, the throbbing in her arm was growing uncomfortable again. The short electrical shocks now occurred every few minutes. They weren’t strong enough to be painful, yet, but packed enough of a punch that she felt them.
She swung her legs over the bed, the tips of her feet brushing the floor. Her journal had been left open on the desk. She didn’t remember reading it before bed. The memory of the previous night came rushing back—she had given it to Dante to read through in the hope that he might find a clue or something she had missed. But now, in the cold harsh light of the day, she wasn’t so sure she was ready to hear any of it. The dark carpet was soft under her feet as she padded to the desk. She hadn’t gotten a good look at the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf last night, but now she was officially impressed.
Hundreds of leather-bound books lined the shelf. She traced the spines and breathed in the unique scent of old books. It was one of her favorite smells, up there with the aroma of grass after a storm. There were only a handful of English titles she recognized. No doubt they were all original editions. If she wasn’t already attracted to Dante, his collection of books would have done it. She was simple that way. Rieka stood on her toes, her shirt riding up as she reached and randomly picked a book without looking at the title. The pages opened to a diagram, revealing a written language she didn’t recognize.
“I didn’t take you as someone who would have been interested in ancient Athenian boat building.”
Rieka snapped the book shut as if she had been caught doing something wrong. Heat flushed through her as she turned around, ready to defend herself…but all thoughts fled.
“It was originally written in the fifth century BCE, but my father had it transcribed into Atlantean in the sixteenth century.”
Rieka nodded. Not a single word had penetrated the fog her brain was currently covered in. She just kept staring at a shirtless Dante. Clearly, she had no shame left as she looked him over, slowly. Indecently so. Heat pooled between her thighs. She couldn’t have even imagined the Dante standing in front of her. The Atlantean was built like an ancient god. All sinewy, mouthwatering muscle and broad shoulders. Dark hair sprinkled his chest, and his Mediterranean skin looked unblemished by the sun, with no tan lines. She was pretty sure she was drooling, but that didn’t stop her from staring. Would his stomach be as hard as it looked? She was determined to find out and trace his abs. She dropped her gaze, following the ‘V’ of muscle definition that disappeared under his pants. Dante wasn’t as unaffected as he appeared if the visible erection was any indication. All she could think about was the kiss the night before. The way his mouth had felt against her skin. Hot and possessive. She licked her dry lips. The heat between her thighs grew in intensity.
“I assume you like what you see?” Male arrogance dripped off every word.
Rieka turned around so fast she almost gave herself whiplash, fumbling with the damn book as she tried to return it to the shelf. This time, when she turned, she kept her gaze firmly fixed on Dante’s face. What good was having pep talk about taking action and then not doing anything about it?
All other thoughts vanished as Dante stalked toward her. He made her knees go weak, and she was thankful she could lean against the shelf. Dante moved closer to her, invading her space without touching her. He caged her against the bookshelf. She let out an involuntary moan of desire. She was trapped, but she was under no illusion that she wasn’t in control of the situation. One word, and Dante would leave her alone. But she didn’t want that. Her heart raced as she tried to steady her breathing. This close to him, and she could almost lick him.
He was technically her employer…this was a boundary she had told herself she wouldn’t cross. But right now, she was questioning everything. And what she knew more than anything else…she wanted Dante.
She reached up and brushed her mouth against his collarbone. A small thrill went through her as his eyes darkened, and he sucked in a breath. She flicked her tongue against his skin, trying to see if she would get a bigger reaction. The need to touch him was almost overwhelming.
Fuck.
He grabbed her wrists, pinning her to the bookshelf. She should have buckled at the restraint, but all it did was make her hotter. And wetter.
“Please,” Rieka whispered. Her voice sounded huskier than she had ever heard it. Her pussy throbbed.
Dante lowered his head until his mouth brushed her ear, the warmth of his breath tickling her. He hadn’t moved. “Please what?”
She licked her dry lips, all thoughts of everything else leaving her as she strained against him. “Touch me.”
Dante chuckled.
The sound vibrated through her as she closed her eyes.
“Only touch?”
He was going to make her spell it out, ensuring there was no confusion. Somehow, that turned her on even more. The heat of his gaze was like an inferno as he leisurely looked her over. Heat flooded through her as she returned his stare. Hot and insanely good looking only lasted for so long. But she couldn’t deny the anchor Dante had become over the last few days. The need she felt to tell him almost everything, even the secrets she had kept from Rory. As if they were really a team. Her heart fluttered. She had never believed in instant love, but she could get behind instant lust. Now wasn’t the time to overthink her emotions. Dante had somehow invaded every part of her. Now she wanted to be marked by him, even if it was only temporary.
“I’m waiting.”
“You,” Rieka whispered. “Now.”