[Atlantean's Quest 03] Redemption (8 page)

A grin split across Coridan’s face as he imagined all the ways he could go about convincing Ariel to see things his way. As long as her body remained bound, she was at his mercy. She had to listen to whatever he had to say. Ariel had no idea what power he could wield if necessary. And the more he considered the situation, the more necessary he found it to be. The seer had met her match whether she realized it or not. Now all he had to do was convince her of the fact.

Chapter Six

Coridan didn’t return that night. Ariel waited as patiently as she could. She had no idea what he’d done for the rest of the night, while her body had thrummed in need, but she’d hoped he’d been just as uncomfortable.

He was an arrogant, self-centered bastard. Jac had it right when she’d called Ares the same thing. Ariel finally understood how Jac had felt. Being dominated was not something she had any experience with at all. Coridan had left her tied here all night. He could have easily untied her and they could have made their escape, but no, he wanted his questions answered. It didn’t matter that he’d said he was doing surveillance. If she wasn’t tired of all this crap, she’d make him wait for the answers until he rotted.

Of course, that was not only illogical, it was impossible. She’d give just about anything to wipe that smug smirk from his handsome face. Ariel fisted her hands. How that man could infuriate her and inflame her at the same time she did not know.

Birds chirped, heralding morning. Confused, frustrated, and horny, Ariel was in no mood to put up with the professor’s crap today. If he gave her too much trouble, she’d figure out a way to castrate him.

Excited voices reached her ears and her muscles tensed. Santo and Raoul threw the hide flap back and stepped inside the small hut, their faces ripe with excitement.

“They’ve found it.” Their eyes gleamed and smiles split their faces.

“Release me! Release me now!” Ariel panicked.

“I’m afraid, señorita, we cannot do that.”

She tugged at the vines, willing them to break.

“Going somewhere, my dear?”

Ariel didn’t have to glance up to know who stood in the doorway. The patronizingly droll voice could come from no one but the professor.

“No.” She glared. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m tired of being confined.”

“We’ve found your little secret.” He smiled and stepped deeper into the room.

Ariel’s stomach rolled and tears threatened to spill from her lids.

“It will be quite a discovery, once you tell me what it’s used for.”

Ariel choked, strangling on her tumultuous emotions. The fool had no idea what he’d found. “I’ll tell you nothing.”

“Don’t be like that. You know how much pleasure I derive from your pain.” His thick lips separated slightly to expose yellowing teeth. “Perhaps my men could convince you to cooperate.”

Santo and Raoul’s expressions perked with interest.

Fear clutched Ariel’s breast, sending its needle-like tentacles burrowing into her flesh. Her mind raced to Coridan. He’d kill them all if they touched her, destroying himself in the process. She couldn’t let that happen, not as long as she drew breath.

* * * * *

They have discovered the transport.
Coridan’s voice boomed in her mind.

I know. The professor is here now inquiring about its use.

What do you want me to do?

Stay away
. Ariel’s voice sounded defeated.

He snorted. You know I cannot do that. You are my tru— He let the words die, knowing she was not ready to hear them. She had yet to admit the truth. I have managed to remove a stone from the transport. I did so after I realized they’d discovered the sacred crystals. I know not whether that will be enough to stop its use.

Coridan, you bring your family name great honor and justice. The transport is disabled. You have done well.

He smiled, even though she could not see him do so. Her words touched him deeply. I will come and get you. It may take a while to dispatch so many men, but I will, know this, seer.

No! Stay in hiding. I may be able to convince the red-devil I know nothing.

Has he harmed you?

No…

Coridan heard the unspoken
not yet
, it hung in the air like the humidity. He couldn’t force Ariel to tell him what the professor was doing. He growled in frustration. She was too stubborn for her own good. She would not be able to keep pain from him. If the professor touched her, he’d know it instantly. Coridan knew himself well enough to know he wouldn’t be able to hide in the jungle while Ariel was tortured. The warrior in him would fight to the death.

He may be labeled an outcast, but some things were ingrained. Protecting the Atlantean women was one, even if it turned out to be the seer. Coridan pressed deeper into the jungle, searching for a hiding place to conceal the stone he’d removed from the transport. He didn’t want the stone to be too far from its rightful place, but he couldn’t afford for the precious item to be discovered.

Coridan found a hollowed out tree stump three hundred yards from the transport and placed the stone inside, concealing it from prying eyes. He covered the area in leaves, then carefully removed all trace of his presence. If only Ares were still here. He could use some assistance, although it would kill him to ask for help from his mentor, he’d gladly accept the mighty warrior’s skills now. Everything Coridan had learned about fighting had come from Ares.

The warrior had taken him under his wing and raised him as if he were part of his family. Coridan had repaid him with jealousy and deceit. If he ever laid eyes on the fierce, raven-haired warrior again, he’d beg his forgiveness. For Ariel’s sake, he would do anything…including give his life.

* * * * *

The vines binding Ariel’s limbs were cut away. Santo and Raoul helped her up, while the professor stood in the corner of the hut watching her. Ariel dressed in her sheer skirt and washed quickly, taking only a couple of sips of water before turning to face her enemy.

“You know, my dear, I’m a very observant man.” He exhaled heavily. “And I’ve noticed you don’t seem to need food or water often. Why is that?”

“I know not what you speak of.” Ariel’s gaze darted around the room looking for a means to escape.

“I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.” He took a step toward her.

Ariel forced energy to build, then raised her palm, ready to fire. At the last second, Raoul yanked her hands painfully behind her back.

“Thank you, Raoul.” The professor acknowledged the guide. “I do believe she was about to harm me. The question is how?”

“Let me go.” Ariel struggled as Raoul and Santo bound her once again.

“I think we should take her down below where I can run some tests on her hands.” The professor walked to the door, glancing over his shoulder to make sure she followed before stepping beyond the threshold.

They reached the bottom in moments. Raoul and Santo practically dragged Ariel to the table in the center of the compound. Instead of tying both hands behind the table, they only tied one. The other they jerked forward palm up, so the professor could examine it closer. He pulled out a magnifying glass and went over her palm slowly, carefully. Ariel knew he’d find nothing out of the ordinary, for Atlantean power emanated from the inside out.

Rumsinger grabbed a swab, dipped it into some kind of chemical, and then ran it over the length of her hand before returning it to a small plastic test tube. He sealed the tube and then placed it inside of a dark container. He then picked up a syringe and approached Ariel.

She swallowed hard. She didn’t know what the substance was he’d used on her, but her skin began to tingle. Her gaze caught the professor’s. He gave her a lascivious grin.

“Keep still. I wouldn’t want to harm you.”

A small prick followed and within a minute, he’d obtained some of her blood.

“Santo, bind her hands behind her back and bring her along. She needs to explain to us what it is we’ve found.”

Ariel’s heart hit her knees as they freed her hands, and then yanked them behind her back once more. Raoul held her by one elbow, while Santo held the other. They walked her down the familiar trail that led to the transport. Ariel didn’t know where Coridan was but prayed he’d stay far away.

A gentle breeze caused the treetops to sway. She inhaled the sweet air, sensing the approach of rain. Animals chattered in the foliage, scurrying about, yet not venturing far from their homes. They sensed the storm too.

They reached the clearing within a few minutes. Ariel stared at the transport, dread filling the pit of her stomach. It looked so harmless when deactivated. The Atlantean people waited for her on the other side. Once Coridan returned the stone he’d conveniently pilfered, they could take the last step in their own journey. The trick was to keep these men from reaching Zaron in the process.

The professor approached her with a scowl upon his face. “Don’t even think about lying. I want to know what this is and I want to know now.”

Ariel blanked her face. “I’ve never seen this before.” She didn’t see the blow coming, but she felt it. Her lip split as the professor drew his hand back. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. The flavor was becoming familiar.

“One more time, what is this?”

Ariel struggled in Raoul’s and Santo’s arms. “I told you, I know nothing about the transport.” The second the words left her mouth, Ariel realized her mistake. How could she betray the Atlantean people like this? She’d failed.

The professor’s mud brown eyes widened, giving him an insect-like quality. “So this is a transport.” He turned and surveyed the stones. “It doesn’t look like it is working. How do you turn it on?”

Ariel clamped her lips shut. She’d said too much already. She would not help the slug anymore.

Rumsinger approached her. He stuck his hand out and gently stroked over her mouth, pressing just enough to cause pain in her split lip. “How do you turn it on?”

“You don’t, and I cannot activate it.” A necessary lie. The wind around them picked up, blowing loose debris.

“Who can?”

Ariel smiled, her lip smarting from the effort. “I believe you know her as Dr. Rachel Evans.”

The professor’s smug expression faded like the last wisps of sunlight as the storm approached, heralding the rain. “Are you telling me you know Dr. Evans?”

“I know Rachel.”

“Where in the hell is she?” His hands fisted at his sides and his ruddy complexion turned beet red in the growing dimness.

“Gone.” It was a word that said nothing and everything.

The professor glanced over his shoulder at the transport, his demeanor shifting, growing uneasy. The first splattering of rain fell. The big drops bounced to the ground, landing on fat outstretched leaves. Rumsinger looked to the sky, his expression darkening to match the weather. Rain began to fall in earnest. Wetness covered his glasses, running down his face in torrents.

“Let’s return to camp. Nothing more can be done until this storm blows over.”

The men promptly returned Ariel to Eros’ hut. She didn’t bother fighting. Raoul and Santo undressed her and bound her to the bed, then stepped to the door. They threw the flap back in time to see lightning flash. The two men looked at each other and then hurried out the door. Ariel heard raised voices and then the basket lowering to the ground. Apparently, they’d left her up here alone until the rain stopped.

Rain came down in scathing sheets, thunder cracked, shaking the limbs supporting the tiny hut. The tree swayed under the storm’s fury. Ariel tried to think of other things. She’d never liked living up in the trees, which was why she’d chosen to have her hut on the ground. Another flash of lightning flared through the window. Ariel’s heart thudded and her limbs trembled. She never liked storms. They reminded her too much of the destruction that occurred on Atlantis when she was a child.

Thunderous booms shook the walls. Ariel closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing. Everything will be all right, she told herself repeatedly. Drops slapped the leaves, tossing them from side to side, like a wave upon the ocean. She heard a dull splat as something dropped to the floor.

Ariel peeked out from beneath one lid and saw Coridan’s loincloth lying on the floor. Her eyes flew open. Her gaze met a pair of large feet. She allowed it to roam up long tanned legs, over thick muscled thighs to oh, dear Goddess.

Ariel’s gaze jumped to Coridan’s drenched face. Heat spread over her cheeks and down her body until every nerve stood at attention. His golden hair lay plastered to his soaked head. Coridan’s expression remained unreadable as he sent an energy burst through his body to dry himself. Ariel couldn’t seem to be able to catch her breath. Her lips prickled, so she licked them.

Coridan approached the bed, his gaze hardening as he took in her swollen face. His nostrils flared, his muscles tensing as he reached out to touch her. Before his fingertips made contact, he pulled back, afraid.
What did the red-devil do to you?

Ariel tried to turn away, but Coridan gently caught her chin before she could do so, tilting her face so he could get a good look at her. His fingers were tender as they traced her injuries.
I swear to the Goddess, seer, I will kill the monster who has done this to you.

No
. She shook her head.
You mustn’t
.

Why?
He stroked her chin a moment longer, then raised his hands a few inches above her face, sending healing energy coursing through her body.

Tears stung the back of Ariel’s eyes.
I must finish what he started.
And she wanted more than anything to keep him safe.

What does that mean?

One drop fell, sliding down her cheek and onto the fur below. Coridan traced the wet trail with his fingertips reverently.
I have betrayed our people.
She dropped her gaze, unable to look into his eyes, not wanting him to see her shame.

Seer, I know not of what you speak, but I do know you could no more betray your people than stop the sun from rising.

Ariel glared at him. You know nothing, warrior. I tell you I have.