Turbulent Waves, page 12
“If this was the shells’ idea of a wedding gift, I would’ve rather skipped it.” She took a deep breath and tried to purge the panic from her head. “I saw the same thing, and I couldn’t run fast enough to get to you before a wave of something evil ripped you away.”
“Okay, you’re right, this sucked.” Vivien moved to lie on top of her. “I don’t want this to replace our afterglow moments. If this is our wedding gift, a gift certificate to The Cheesecake Factory would’ve been nicer.”
She couldn’t help laughing. “That sucked the wind out of my sails.”
“How about if I suck something else right out of you?” Viv slid down her body and ran her tongue over her clit before doing what she’d promised. She sucked her in, and it was embarrassing how quickly she came.
“Shit.” She exhaled when Vivien came back up and kissed her chin before her lips.
“What? You didn’t like it?” Vivien pinched her side and laughed. “That quick takeoff says otherwise.”
“Don’t remind me. It does make me look like a novice, doesn’t it.” She laughed when she got pinched again. “Or it could be I’ve been waiting three days.”
“All you have to pray for now is that my mother won’t make you wait longer than that.” Viv completely relaxed against her. “And I hate to bring it up again, but do you think there’s anything to what just happened? This isn’t some obscure Atlantis ritual divorce proceeding that ends in me being taken away on a rogue wave, right?”
“My mom Hadley told me once that my devotion to the goddess would come when I had something to pray for. Up to now I’ve spent my life learning to defend my queen, my sisters, and the ideal of who we are.” She ran her hands up and down Viv’s back, and the sense of having the freedom to do so twisted something free in her heart. This was something new and wonderful, and she gave herself over to the kiss Viv started.
She’d never prayed to be gifted with a great love because she’d never met a woman who had conjured that up in her. Oba was someone she’d loved, but not like this. It was true she’d never prayed for it, but she’d been blessed just the same. Vivien’s love infused her with a strength and happiness that she’d never take for granted.
“You’ll never have to hide anything from me,” Vivien said. “I’ll love you when you’re strong, when you’re unsure, and when you’re lost. You are my mate, and I belong to you.”
She couldn’t help the tears that welled up in her eyes. The fact that she didn’t have to be strong all the time made her love Vivien even more. “You are the most important thing to pray for. If my mothers feel anything close to what I do for you, it explains why they’re still so crazy about each other.”
“You can tell me anything, and I promise I’ll always listen.”
“Thank you, and I’ve always participated in all the temple ceremony that’s been required, but I haven’t spent a lot of time there.” It was an awkward non sequitur, but she was following a train of thought.
“I wouldn’t say that, stud. You got the priestess in charge to sleep with you.” Vivien’s pinch was more pronounced this time.
“I did, but I didn’t go over there to pray, and that’s a dead subject. I’m happily married and in love.”
“Okay.” Vivien smiled and kissed her anyway. “What is it you’re trying to say badly?”
“I wasn’t as interested in all the religious teachings as I should’ve been, and maybe I missed some important lessons. It might explain why I don’t have a clue as to why I have no clue to what’s going on.” She rolled them over and put her thigh between Viv’s legs. “Right now I can promise there are no dark waves or dangers lurking nearby.”
“Are you sure?” Viv held on to her and pressed closer.
“Yes. Let’s make sure there are no more visions in our future.”
What she’d seen of perhaps an unknown future had scared her. Her mom had a philosophy about that as well. Letting fear rule your life was tantamount to completely giving up. Facing the things that scared you was never easy, but it was the only way to rid yourself of them. If what they’d seen was a warning, she wasn’t letting Viv out of her sight, and neither would the guards she’d assign to her new consort.
Vivien was someone to pray for, but not even a personal appearance from the goddess would make up for losing her. Before, all she had to gamble with was herself, and she’d been at times cavalier about her safety. With Vivien and the baby, though, she’d leave nothing to chance even if she had to sacrifice herself. She tried to put all that out of her head as she lost herself in the passion. The battles could wait.
Chapter Ten
The next morning, Vivien walked along the corridor looking at the paintings that lined the walls. The collection the Merlins owned was phenomenal, and any museum would freak seeing some of the works long thought destroyed. She wasn’t an expert on art, but the selection of old masters made you want to linger.
“Highness,” a young woman said before bowing. The landscape Vivien was staring at was beautiful, but she glanced around expecting Galen or Hadley. She knew Kai was making preparations for their departure to the queen’s retreat and wouldn’t be back for an hour.
“Who are you looking for, ma’am?” Viv asked her.
She smiled when the woman and the others with her tried not to appear amused. It was obvious she had a huge learning curve when it came to all this and wondered if there was some etiquette class she could take. She was more of a roughneck than royalty.
“Highness, we meant you.” The young woman pointed at her and smiled.
The title made her want to laugh. “Trust me, I’m just Vivien.”
All the women just stared at her with not-quite disbelief, or was it shock? It didn’t matter, but they all appeared to be trying to figure out if she was kidding or crazy.
“No, ma’am. You’ll never be just Vivien again, Your Highness.” The women bowed again as if to drive the point home. “We’re glad Princess Kai has found you, and we’ll be happy to help you with whatever you need. This morning we wanted to walk you to breakfast. This place is large and hard to navigate at first, and your brother’s waiting for you along with the queen and her consort.”
“Thank you.” She followed but kept her eyes on the walls.
“It’s a beautiful place to live and work,” one of the younger women said shyly. “You might not have time today, but Princess Kai’s grandmother Yara is the best docent to take you through here. She studied art history, and her mother was on the squad that found some of these after the great war. The other items in the collection have been in the family for generations. Our museum has an extensive collection going back to what humans consider prehistoric times. I’d be happy to go with you if you’re into that kind of thing.”
“Thanks for the tip and the offer. I’d like to get to know everyone here better. These really are magnificent.” The same dining room where they’d eaten with Kai’s family was where they led her. “I also appreciate you all keeping me on track. Don’t hesitate to speak up if I’m about to mess up.”
“It’s our pleasure, ma’am. You make Princess Kai happy, and everyone has loved her from the day she was born. It won’t take long before everyone feels the same about you. If you don’t mind me saying, we’re enjoying serving you.”
“That’s sweet of you to say, and I promise I’ll take good care of her.” She nodded to everyone around the table as her new friend pulled out her chair. “Did you sleep okay?” she asked Frankie. He had a huge plate in front of him and looked thrilled.
“Mari was nice enough to give me a quick tour. That kept me out late, but it was totally worth it.” Frankie was smiling like a man content with the world, and Kai’s parents appeared happy to have him there.
“We’ll have to have you come back, so we can show you the rest,” Galen said. “Anna, would you fix Vivien a plate, please? There’s plenty we need to talk about, but I’d like to wait for Kai. She’s getting the security team set up and shouldn’t be much longer.”
“Did Kai happen to mention what happened to us? That’s what we’d like to talk to you about because of its bizarreness. Is there something new I need to know about?” She smiled up at Anna and repeated her name a few times in her head to remember it. There were so many people in the palace, and it was going to take time to learn all their names.
“Nothing that can’t wait. And she’s good at not mentioning things, so you won’t worry,” Galen said, pointing at Hadley. “She learned that particular annoying trait from this one. You might want to remember that and hone your interrogation skills. Sometimes you have to torture it out of them.”
“Hey, I’m not that bad,” Hadley said as Kai walked in.
“What’d you do now?” Kai kissed both her mothers’ cheeks before sitting next to Vivien and kissing her lips. “We’re set,” Kai said to her softly.
“You’re being accused of being too much like me.” Hadley pointed her fork at Kai. “So fess up now before your mother starts throwing eggs at you. It’s too late to keep quiet. Vivien gave you up.”
“Let’s eat and then we’ll head to your office.” Kai took her hand and squeezed her fingers. They ate and enjoyed each other’s company, trying to leave the business alone until they were done. All the weird things Kai couldn’t work out from their vision would keep them from moving around too freely when they doubled security around them. It was going to be tough being married to a national treasure, but she’d cope.
Their meal was nice, unrushed, and she got to see a new wing of the palace when they headed to Galen’s office. The security offices were amazing with monitor after monitor of radar, monitoring all of Earth’s bodies of water, land masses, and airspace. From what she was seeing, the human race as a whole was way behind technologically and they were lucky Kai and her people weren’t aggressive. There was nothing Galen and her people didn’t see and know, which meant their weaponry was probably advanced beyond human imagination. That gave Vivien some peace of mind, but she wouldn’t completely relax until she had answers.
“This is incredible.” She stopped and looked around at the monitors.
“We can see everything from here,” Kai said. “We’d never attack anyone unless they attacked first, but we do need to stay vigilant to keep our secrets. There are countermeasures we can deploy if anyone gets too close, but mankind seems more interested in space than in the depths. There’s not a whole lot on Mars, not like before, and it’s been entertaining to watch those rovers send back pictures and everyone trying to guess what they are. As long as everyone’s heads are in the stars, we’ll be okay.”
“Has anyone ever come close?” She saw Frankie studying the layout with the wonder of a small child. It really was like something out of a movie. “Close to this place, I mean.”
“Not really. Like I said, there are very few people who’ve figured out how to dive this deep.” Kai held her hand and pointed out a few things. “And it’d take some considerable luck to pinpoint this and our other settlements, even the very large ones.”
“We’ve tried our best to stay clear of human affairs, but we have intervened on occasion,” Galen said as she got them walking again to the inner office. “We’ve only ever ordered something like that when it was for the greater good. All this technology protects us from the topsiders, but mostly it’s to alert us about someone like Pontos. Even with all this, though, we haven’t figured out how he landed without raising any alarms.”
She waited until they were behind the door of the large office that had another great view of the city. In the light of day, the city was even more impressive, and Vivien always found something new when she stared down at it. The construction was well beyond imagination, and it seemed well-planned. The city’s grid pattern reminded her of Washington, D.C.
“Your family’s ruled since Queen Nessa’s arrival?” Frankie asked. He stood next to her and had that same awe-struck expression she knew she did.
“There have been challenges to the throne throughout the years, but none lately. We are a free people even if I have a crown. My sisters want what most people want—they fall in love, marry, and have children. Some are happy never seeing the surface, and others, like your friend Etta at Tulane, go on to have careers that they enjoy.” Hadley invited them all to sit as she walked behind the desk. “I’m not sure why someone would think to throw away all that defines our way of life for something that will not end well for anyone.”
“Did you capture all of Pontos’s people? Maybe they can tell you something if you have them in custody.” Vivien had noticed the patrols previously, and how they seemed to pass on a regular schedule, but there seemed to be more of them today. Maybe she was imagining that, but she wasn’t sure.
“Right after Kai returned from her time with you, Galen received a transmission from Atlantis. Sol Oberon, the current ruler, was asking about his son. He had no idea Pontos was dead.” Hadley spoke freely. “That, combined with Edil’s crew rounding up the survivors, made us believe that chapter was done. If anyone had escaped, they’d have sent word back.”
“Made you believe? Did something change your mind?” Frankie asked.
“There’s no way to know for sure,” Galen said. “What we do know is that Pontos got here and existed in this world without detection, with help from some of our citizens. We haven’t found or even identified all those who were involved, although we’re working on it.”
She stared at Galen and was having a hard time believing that even with all these advancements they were still no closer to definitive answers.
“It’s hard to navigate when you’re in the dark about something, even with all this,” Galen said as if reading her mind. She probably had, Vivien realized.
“So we wait until they attack?” she asked.
“We prepare as if their attack is imminent. Sitting and worrying while we pace isn’t in our nature,” Hadley said.
“We had a vision last night,” Kai said as if she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
Vivien wanted to throw up. It had nothing to do with morning sickness and everything to do with dread when Kai told them what they saw. Everything Hadley and Galen had said, or more importantly hadn’t said, made her believe the danger was still out there. That would make the threat in the vision real, and how cruel would life be, to find everything she wanted only to have it ripped away?
“Both of you had the same vision?” Galen asked, glancing between her and Kai.
“Yes—well, sort of. It was the same outcome, but we saw two different perspectives. Kai thought we should talk to Oba about it.” She wanted answers, but she didn’t think it was her place to rush anyone.
“I’m sure she can help, and she will,” Galen said, smiling. “Oba’s started her fasting meditation to try to find answers about you and Frankie. Plenty has happened that shouldn’t have necessarily happened, and I’d like to know why. Some in the temple want to wrap it in a bow of mystic happenings, but there has to be an answer besides religious magic.”
“Anything we should know?” She tried to gauge everyone’s reaction but kept her focus mainly on Galen.
“Vivien, sweetheart,” Galen said with compassion. “You love my child, and I’m happy about that. I’m not trying to find fault in you or why Kai picked you. I happen to love my mother-in-law, and I want the two of us to get along in that same way. All I’m saying is you were with Kai in front of that orb when it changed you, and that sort of made sense. You seem to be the exception to our rules when it comes to our interactions with humans. But, Frankie, you do not make sense. Do you mind me calling you that?”
“No, Your Majesty, and for the record, I’m not upset with the changes.” Frankie’s smile was contagious.
“What’s this record you speak of?” Hadley asked.
“It’s a saying. He doesn’t mean a real record, Mom,” Kai said, smiling.
The joke finally loosened the grip of fear strangling her heart. “When will Oba be ready?” It was hard not to freak over the half answers they seemed to be getting, but Kai’s parents didn’t appear worried.
“In two days, maybe sooner,” Galen said. “If I had answers, I’d give them to you. Our plan should be to wait until you and Kai get back, or we can come to you. That might be the better choice. The retreat will have fewer people around to overhear our conversations, and we can relax. All I need to know is if you can stay, Frankie.”
“I’d like to stay, and you guys need to start your honeymoon. If we figure all this out, you can have a longer one after your next wedding.” Frankie winked at her, and it made her happy that he was there. They’d been through so much together, and she didn’t want him to think that would come to an end now that she was married.
“Good,” Kai said. “We’ll see all of you tomorrow afternoon. Make sure you call ahead to make sure I have pants on.”
“Kai,” Vivien said, closing her eyes. Her blush must’ve been spectacular by the way Kai chuckled.
“What? It’s our honeymoon, sweetheart. Frankie said so.” It was the first time Kai had used his nickname. “Call if anything comes up.”
They moved to the spot where the Salacia had been docked, but this time it held a smaller vessel that only had room for two. She was going to enjoy having Kai all to herself even if it was only for the night. Kai brought her fist to her chest and saluted as one of the soldiers closed the hatch for them.
“Edil and the others have our bags, so we’re ready to go.” Kai kissed her before turning her attention to the control panel.
“Where exactly are we going?” The view out the large window gave her a closer view of the city as Kai took them over it. She noticed all the areas outside the city grid were a dull gray, devoid of plant life. After diving all over the world, it was strange to see such a barren landscape. Within the city, even outside the domes, there was plant and fish life that shouldn’t really be able to survive here. “And how did you get parrotfish to survive at this depth?”
