Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (8 page)

“
Oh I hope so.” Theda said after taking a sip from her cup.
“I’m about to enter the door we all open only once and I’d like to
know that my grandson will not be alone in this world.”

“
Oh don’t say that.” Juliana gently admonished her,
automatically reaching out for her gnarled hand.

Theda
gave her a smile filled with wisdom. “I can say it because I know
my time is almost over. I’ve had a wonderful journey and soon I
will embark on another one.”

Wanting
to move away from the morose subject, Juliana asked, “What’s the
name of the woman your grandson dreams about?”

“
Juliana.” Theda said before taking another sip from her
mug.

Juliana’s heart somersaulted. She blinked several
times.

“
My name’s Juliana too.”

“
What a coincidence!” Theda’s face lit up. Before she could say
more, they both heard steps coming down the stairs.

“
Dominic,” the old lady greeted the person behind Juliana. “We
have been waiting for you.”

“
I’m sorry, Miss Stevens. I’m not usually this late. Gran,
please.”

Oh my
God! Juliana felt the blood drain from her face. An electric shock
coursed through her body. It was Simon’s voice!

Theda
spoke. “Dominic doesn’t want me to call him by that name. He
prefers his other name,” she sighed. “Very well. Simon, her name’s
Juliana too! Isn’t that a coincidence?”

Juliana
heard Dominic suck in his breath before his grandmother spoke
again. “Juliana, my grandson, Dominic Simon Mellor.”

Juliana
tried to swallow as she stood. When she turned, her knees nearly
buckled underneath her had she not gripped the edge of the table.
She saw Dominic’s eyes widen in stunned amazement when he saw her.
Despite the buzzing in her ears, and her sight nearly swimming, she
saw the recognition on his face.

“
Good heavens, Juliana. Are you all right?” Theda’s concerned
voice sounded as though it came from far away.

With one
swift move, Simon reached her side, holding her around the waist.
At that moment, Juliana knew. It was the familiarity of his touch,
how it soothed and comforted her.

It was
the same touch that had driven her into a frenzied passion and had
brought her to a whole new level of ecstasy in the
grove.

And now,
it was real.

She
looked at those mesmerizing blue eyes that crinkled at the sides as
he smiled. This time, his eyes weren’t haunted anymore. They were
happy and at peace.

“
It’s okay,” he said, the huskiness of his voice drawing her to
him once more. “I’ve got you.”

THE
END

Book
2
– WARRIORS OF THE ATLANTEAN EMPIRE By
C.L. Pardington

Warriors

of the

Atlantean Empire

(The Ensuing War)

The Prelude

C. L. Pardington

Front
Cover Art by
Cora
Graphics

Editor
Tracy
Stephen

Assistant
Gayle
Latreille

Photos: underdogstudios by
Fotolia.com

This eBook is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual
events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is
coincidental.

Copyright © 2013 by C. L.
Pardington

C. L. Pardington, L.L.C.

All rights reserved

In
accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning,
uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without
the permission of the author is unlawful piracy and theft of the
author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material
from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written
permission must be obtained by contacting the author at
[email protected]
. Thank you for your support of the author’s
rights.

First Edition

ISBN: 978-0-9889783-1-7

Visit my
website at
www.CLPardingtonBooks.com

Follow on
Facebook at
www.facebook.com/CLPardington

Follow on
Twitter at
www.twitter.com/#!/CLPardington

Dedication

To my beloved family for
their understanding, sacrifice, and most especially their
unconditional love so that I could make my dream a
reality.

I’m truly
blessed.

I’ll love you always and
forever

Acknowledgements

A special
thank you to
Gabrielle
Bisset
,
Laura
Kaye
,
Scott
Prussing
, and
Tina
Folsom
, I’m forever grateful for your
mentoring and friendship over the past year. It’s because of your
help that my dream has become a reality.

Although it was The Twilight Saga that
got me back into reading, it was these amazing authors and friends
that inspired me to write…

Ally Thomas

Amanda Ashley

Everly Drummond

Gabrielle Bisset

Laura Kaye

Sharon Hamilton

Tina Folsom

…
Thank you

To
Cora Graphics
, my sister,
my friend, thank you for creating this amazing cover. You are
extraordinary at what you do. If it wasn’t for your random
creativity, this story may have never been told.

To
Tracy Stephen
, thank you
for being my best friend and editor. You and your family have
become a part of my own. I look forward to our morning edit
sessions over coffee; they’re more fun than they are work. I truly
couldn’t do this without you nor would I want to.

To
Gayle Latreille
,
thank you for being my assistant, dear friend and
confidant. You are second-to-none in what you do. You keep me
grounded, you make me laugh, and I definitely couldn’t have done
this without you either.

Over the
past year I have formed many wonderful and lasting friendships on
Facebook. There are a few friends that I’ve had the privilege to
really get to know outside the realm of Facebook and we’ve formed a
special bond. I’ve even had the honor of getting to know some of
their families and they’ve gotten to know mine as well. I would
like to give a special acknowledgement and thank you for letting me
become a part of your lives to
Christi
Doporto
,
Chrissy
Peebles
,
Deborah
Gafford
,
Dora-lee
Harrison
,
Karen
Roma
, and
Nicole
Garcia
. Your friendship will always have a
special place in my heart.

Cast of Atlantis

Crehon
Ariskan:
Emperor of
Atlantis

Magna
Oricha-Ariskan:
Empress of Atlantis;
Crehon’s

wife;

Carnaxa
Oricha:
Magna’s sister

Zimora
Ilareth:
Magna’s best
friend

Thoun
Edirishol:
Commander of the Imperial
Army

Baneth
Moros:
Admiral of the Imperial
Navy

Drakon
Stathos:
Ambassador of
Atlantis

Chrysis:
Priestess of the Temple of
Poseidon

Cast of Oceania

Atargatis (Atty):
General of the
Oceanic Royal Guard;

Naia’s life mate

Naia:
Atargatis’s life
mate

Hekili:
Captain of the Royal
Guard

Cast of Cythera

Straton
Ethos:
Emperor of Cythera; Hektor’s
half

brother

Hektor
Alexios:
Ambassador of Cythera; Straton’s
half

brother

It’s impossible to escape from what is
destined.

~ Ancient Greek Adage

Chapter One

Slipping through the depths as fast as
she could, Naia made her way to their secluded spot. They were
meeting in secrecy because neither of their families would approve
of their union.

It was nearly dark above the surface
and below, the hundreds of floating orbs were brighter now. She’d
made this trip so many times before that she didn’t need the
radiance of their light to find her way.

As the dark sapphire liquid rushed
past her, her excitement grew. Naia’s skin was already tingling
with the anticipation of his touch. Her time with him was limited
so she had to make every second count.

She swam faster.

This was the moment they had been
waiting for. It was going to be the beginning of their
forever.

Deeper and deeper she dove until she
reached a dense forest of long bladder kelp. Just beyond that was
their hidden cavern.

As Naia swam through the tall swaying
sea of brown, she could faintly see the crabs scurrying across the
rocky bottom below and the mollusks darting in different directions
as if they feared for their lives.

She came to a stop near the entrance
of the cavern, pausing to make sure she wasn’t being followed.
After taking a full twirl around to check out her surroundings, she
pushed aside the seaweed canopy covering the opening and
entered.

There was a soft glow of light from a
couple of orbs they had brought in previously. It was small inside
with nothing more than just a thick bed of kelp off to one side
padding the grainy floor. But it was theirs, so that made it
perfect in her eyes.

As she moved forward something behind
her grabbed her left arm, pulling her backwards and twisting her
around until her back met up with the coral rock which formed the
wall of the cavern.

He crushed his lips into hers, hard
and fast. Her lips parted as she granted him entry. He kissed her
as if she held his very existence in the palms of her
hands.

She felt his urgency. The emotions
attached to this moment had been building for some time.

Releasing her lips from his, she
pulled her face a couple of inches away from his and whispered, “I
missed you too, Atargatis.”

He marveled at her as the flow of
water caused her long black hair to sweep across her bare breasts.
She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and soon she
would be his. She would be his life mate, his future queen, and the
mother of his merchildren.

“
Are you sure this is what
you want?” he asked. “Because once it is done, it cannot be
undone.”