Atlantean"s Quest.

The Dark King.

by Jordan Summers.

Taylor Sh.e.l.ley has always had the worst taste in men. When her latest ex turns out to be part of the Russian mob, she"s offered the chance to start a new life...on another planet.

No more bad boys for her.

Hades, The Dark King is both feared and rejected due to his mixed Atlantean/Phantom heritage. As King of the Phantoms, he rules his land via blood and claw. Hades doesn"t have time to watch over a human female, even one as enticing as Taylor, but a debt is a debt. If keeping an eye on the woman for a week will clear the slates, then he"ll do it.

Taylor isn"t sure how a cage-fighter ended up on the throne, but she wants nothing to do with this royal bad boy.

What starts as an obligation, ends in a game of seduction where the players are evenly matched. There"s only one rule to remember when playing with the Dark King-the house ALWAYS wins.

The warrior slipped into the communications room, during the shift change and shut the door behind him. Not that his presence would be questioned if he were found. No, the guards wouldn"t give him a second thought. But treason was best performed without an audience. He had minutes before the new guards arrived.

The red and white communication"s crystals sat upon a metal table in the center of the room. They glowed and pulsed, indicating that they were ready to use. In the corner, a green crystal coruscated, verifying that the energy field around the Walled City was active. Had the energy field been expanded to cover the surrounding areas, the crystal"s green color would"ve morphed to gold, signifying that they were under attack.

The warrior ignored the crystal in the corner and picked up the red one nearest to him. He moved the crystal to the right of the white ones. The change in position caused the red crystal to vibrate and give out a high-pitched tone. He quickly moved another red crystal to the side. The tone changed and became a steady beep.

With a careful twist of his wrist, the beep turned into a signal, a beacon projected into s.p.a.ce. The type of distress beacon a Slaver ship would be unable to resist. The warrior waited as long as he dared to ensure the message had gone out, then returned the crystals to their original positions.

It was done.

Time to see how the Dark King handled unwanted company.

Once the Phantom people saw how unsafe their city was, Hades would have to accept his challenge for the throne.

CHAPTER ONE.

Linx strode into the dank cavern. Flames lit the walls, casting long shadows over the wet rock. The musty air tickled his nostrils, making him want to sneeze. The ground crunched as the rock beneath his boots crumbled under his weight. Behind him, his mate"s sister, Taylor stared wide-eyed into the darkness. She hesitated at the entrance for a moment, then followed him inside. Her kitten heels tip-tapped on the stone as she rushed to catch up.

"Remember what I told you about the Dark King," Linx said.

Taylor glanced at him. "I will, stop worrying." She rubbed her hands over her arms to ward off a chill.

"I know it looks bad, but it"s not as bad as it appears," he said.

No, it was worse.

These days Hades loved to rule his Kingdom like some dark lord from the underworld, but that hadn"t always been the case. When he"d first risen to the throne, he"d railed against the voices of dissension. Strove to bring his people together. But eventually he became disillusioned by what the Phantom people were saying and decided to become the abomination they accused him of being. Neither the Phantom world nor the Atlantean one fully accepted him, but very few were stupid enough to challenge him.

Linx looked at the woman beside him. Perhaps her being here would create change. "I"ll bring Tabby as soon as I"m able to pet.i.tion the Atlanteans for your status upgrade. I have no doubt that once they hear the circ.u.mstances under which you came here, they will accept you as a citizen of New Atlantis," Linx said. "But it will take time."

Taylor snorted. "Nice to know that bureaucracy exists everywhere in the universe."

Linx smiled, but his grin faded as a regiment of towering guards came into view. The men were all Phantom Warriors. A bit of a surprise given the King"s mixed heritage. The guards stood in front of a ma.s.sive metal door that looked like something from medieval earth. Linx stepped forward. "Phantom Warrior Linx. I"m here to see the Dark King," he said in a loud voice, officially announcing his arrival.

"State your business, Phantom," the nearest guard ordered. His red eyes glowed in the darkness, but held all the warmth of a glacier.

Linx felt a clumsy touch in his mind as the Phantom tried to read his thoughts. He fought back a smile, then pictured himself in a state of undress.

The guard"s face flushed and his gaze narrowed accusingly, then he straightened to attention.

Linx kept his expression innocent. "I have an appointment with the King. As for what it"s about, that is none of your business. Just tell him that I"m here," he said. If things went well, he"d leave his Royal Crankiness with more than a new charge to care for. It was time the Dark King joined the land of the living again.

The guard"s jaw clenched and unclenched as an internal struggle took place. Eventually reason won out and he said, "One moment." The other Phantoms continued to block the entrance as the lead guard stepped away.

It took fifteen minutes for the guard to return. Linx was sure that he"d kept them waiting on purpose. The Phantom barked an order and the guards slowly parted to reveal another door, this one made of thick stone, beyond the metal one they were blocking.

Taylor had never been more terrified in her life. Not even when the Russians were torturing her sister, Tabby, which was saying something. She had no idea what was on the other side of that great stone door, but if it was anything like the entrance to the cavern, then it wasn"t going to be good. Whose idea was it to build a palace-scratch that-fortress inside a mountain? She didn"t think things like this existed outside of the movies.

She"d been moved from what amounted to a windowless shipping container straight to Linx"s transport. He had made her duck down to avoid detection, so she hadn"t seen much of New Atlantis or the Walled City. Heck, she"d barely gotten a glimpse of the light green sky. What she wouldn"t give for a little sunshine. If it weren"t for the tanned skin on the warriors they"d pa.s.sed, Taylor would"ve thought she was being dropped off in the land of the mole people.

Linx looked back at her. "Ready?"

"As I"ll ever be." She took a steadying breath.

"Before we go in, take this. You"ll need it if there"s any trouble." He handed her a small round disc that looked like a black pebble.

"What am I supposed to do with a rock? Throw it at him?" From what she"d seen of the Phantom Warriors, she"d need something a lot bigger than a pebble to stop one.

Linx didn"t bother to hide his impatience. "It"s a communication device. You can reach me any time by touching the top. Your sister made me promise to give you one. I"m pretty sure that Hades won"t hurt you, so hopefully you won"t have to use the device."

The mention of her sister, Tabby made Taylor"s heart clench, which was why it took her a moment to register what else Linx had said. "Pretty sure?" As in he had some doubts about her safety. "Your lack of confidence in the Dark King is not rea.s.suring," she said.

Linx sighed. "I"m positive he won"t. No Phantom Warrior would ever raise his hand to a woman. The punishment for such things is...severe." He eyed her critically. "Besides, you"re kind of his "type". He has a thing for long hair and full b.r.e.a.s.t.s."

Taylor arched a brow. "Don"t most men?"

Linx grinned. "Good point. Ultimately his taste in women matters not, since you"ll be under his protection and you"ll only be here a week tops."

How rea.s.suring, Taylor thought.

"I think the King and I will be able to resist temptation for a week," she said dryly.

Linx"s expression turned calculating. "Your sister didn"t last that long."

She pulled a face. "Ew, too much information."

Linx grinned.

The hair on Taylor"s arms rose. What was that cat up to? And why didn"t she think she was going to like it. "Thanks for the device." She tossed the communicator into the air and caught it, then shoved it into her pocket.

He stepped forward. She followed close behind. More guards poured out of the shadows, blocking their entrance. Their fierce expressions never wavered as they frisked them, before they were allowed through the stone door.

Linx glared at the guard, who was a little too thorough in frisking Taylor, but he didn"t say a word. She gave him a small rea.s.suring smile, but she was trembling by the time the Phantom finished. Taylor was used to men trying to cop a feel, used to them ogling her. When you take your clothes off for a living, you get used to a lot of things. But dealing with men and dealing with shape-shifting aliens were two very different things.

She thought about the pain and horror Tabby had gone through because of her poor judgment in men. If her twin could live through torture, then Taylor could survive the next week. Tabby may not think she was strong, but she was wrong. Taylor had learned to be strong, learned how to survive. She"d had to when she had gone into exotic dancing, since it wasn"t exactly an accepted profession.

People looked down on her, but Taylor refused to look down upon herself. In her mind, she had nothing to be ashamed of...at least not until she hooked up with Sergei. Her mistakes from that day forth had piled up until Taylor was convinced she"d never see daylight again. Fortunately, her sister and the man-make that alien-standing beside her had saved her life, given her a second chance, and she was determined to make the best of it.

No more mistakes. No more screwed up relationships. A proper "do-over".

Linx stepped through the door. When she reached his side, he took her hand and placed her palm upon his arm before escorting her deeper inside the room. The move was oddly formal and caused b.u.t.terflies to attack her stomach.

Taylor frowned, but didn"t say anything. They walked side by side into the Great Hall. Had he not been holding her, Taylor would"ve stopped, shocked by what lay beyond the cavern door.

The journey in had been all craggy cave, wet walls, and musty minerals, but somehow the stone door had transformed the cave from something out of Middle Earth into a sultan"s palace. Plump red pillows lined the benches that cuddled against row and row of long tables. Rich tapestries clung to the walls adding vibrant color to an otherwise slate room. Thick black rugs brushed the cobbled aisle, giving it a polished look. Taylor visually followed the stone pathway to...she squinted. Was that a throne?

Of course it"s a throne. You"re about to meet a King.

She"d never met a King before. Oh sure, she"d entertained a few Saudi royals at Sergei"s club, but she doubted that a King would be expecting a lap dance. Such things were beneath them. Weren"t they?

How did one behave in front of royalty?

Every culture had its own version of royalty. Each with its own set of rules when it came to dealing with them. Taylor had seen Kings and Queens on the television, but were they the same here? Did they even have Queens? She had her doubts. The cultural differences she"d witnessed thus far on Zaron were in stark contrast to the ones she"d left only a few days ago.

Had it only been a few days? It seemed like a lifetime.

Taylor cut that line of thinking off at the knees and dumped it in a shallow grave. She was done feeling sorry for herself.

The door shut behind them with a thunderous boom. Her palms began to sweat as Linx led her forward. She rubbed them over her jeans just in case she had to shake the King"s royal hand.

Blood roared in her ears as her heart tried to pound its way out of her chest. This was a mistake. She shouldn"t be here. She was a stripper for goodness sake! Wasn"t there a hotel or motel she could crash at until Linx cleared up her "visa" issue?

The empty throne came into sharper relief. Fear and trepidation slowed her steps. The royal seat was neither gold nor silver. Taylor expected to see jewels at least, but there were none. The seat was a spider web of steel with spindly legs and humanoid skulls for feet. If she hadn"t been told it was a throne, Taylor would"ve thought she was viewing a torture device.

Was this some kind of joke? She looked at Linx, but he wasn"t laughing. Her gaze slid back to the empty-eyed skulls. Their grotesquely pointed teeth seemed to grin mockingly at her.

This wasn"t the throne of a King. This was the throne of a barbarian. What had she gotten herself into? The urge to turn and run away nearly overwhelmed her.

Linx must"ve sensed her unease for his grip tightened and he kept her moving.

A tawny-haired man with a fight-carved face lounged insolently against the base of the throne in the shadows. He was a study in muscle, though Taylor doubted that he"d ever stepped foot inside a gym.

Was this one of the King"s private guards? His bodyguard perhaps? He looked the part. Built for sheer brute force without all the frivolousness of subtly. One glance told her that the man could crush skulls with his bare hands until all that remained was bone dust.

His lazy gaze started at the top of her head, resting momentarily on her full b.r.e.a.s.t.s until her traitorous nipples hardened in awareness, before proceeding to her toes. He reversed direction without saying a word and stopped when he returned to her face. Taylor shivered under his uncompromising regard and hated that her reaction wasn"t all because of the cool, damp air and fear.

In her old life, he was the type of man that she would"ve been attracted to. His rock hard body and edgy vibe would"ve turned her on. The old Taylor would have wanted to lick and touch every one of his bulging muscles. And even if she didn"t surrender right away, the promise of mind-blowing s.e.x would have been too tempting to resist for long.

Taylor would"ve gone out of her way to catch his attention, lure him with her body, and seduce him into her bed...but not anymore. She"d learned her lesson and it had very nearly cost her everything she held dear. Taylor forced herself to meet his eyes. Something odd flared in the icy blue depths before being carefully banked. The man"s unflinching gaze slowly moved from her to Linx.

"What do you want?" His clipped words made the temperature in the room drop.

Linx arched a brow and looked at the guard.

"I thought you said the King was expecting us," Taylor said in a hushed breath, hoping that only Linx could hear her. Had they come on the wrong day? Had the King changed his mind about seeing them? What if he did? What would she do then? There were only so many places she could hide on Zaron without risking discovery and deportation.

"He is," the guard said. He rose slowly and walked to the front of the throne, then sat, resting his meaty hands on the thick metal webs.

"Your Highness." Linx"s lips kicked up at the corners in amus.e.m.e.nt. He gave the man a short bow.

Taylor gaped. This was the King. It couldn"t be. Kings didn"t look like cage fighters. Kings were soft, well-spoken, pampered. She glanced around the room at the lush red pillows. Okay, so maybe he did pamper himself a little, but that was as far as the stereotype went. Her gaze returned to the fierce looking throne and the even fiercer looking man seated upon it.

"If I grant you this favor, then we are even," the Dark King said.

"I wouldn"t exactly call it a favor, Your Highness. Perhaps a gift."

Gift? What did Linx mean by that?

The King"s eyes narrowed dangerously.

"But you"re absolutely right, we"re even now," Linx said hurriedly before the King could speak. "I will be back to retrieve her within seven days." He gave Taylor a warning glare and indicated to the King with a jerk of his chin.

Nothing like being forced on someone, she thought wryly.

Taylor dropped down onto one knee. "Thank you for allowing me to stay, Your Highness, and for putting me under your protection." She recited the words Linx had made her memorize. Taylor must"ve done it right because Linx smiled at her when she finished.

"What are you called, Earthling?" the King asked, drawing her attention away from her sister"s mate.

"Taylor Sh.e.l.ley, but Taylor is fine." She t.i.ttered nervously, then clamped her mouth shut.

"You may call me Hades."

Taylor stared at him for a few seconds. She couldn"t have heard him correctly. "I"m sorry, did you say Hades?" She frowned. "Like the G.o.d of the underworld? Is it because you live inside a mountain?" She indicated to their surroundings.