Atlantis Betrayed

Chapter 27

Atlantis, the royal suite

Conlan smiled to see his son mash banana slices into his own hair. “He’s clearly a brilliant child.”

“Hey, buddy,” his princess and bride said, pulling him down for a kiss. “You did the same thing at your age, bet on it.”

“I’d do the same thing now, if I thought it would relieve some of this worry.”

Riley nodded. “Denal?”

“All of it. Denal, the vampires, the impending war, the jewels for the Trident.” He ran a hand through his hair, wondering when he’d pull enough of it out to go bald. “Hells, what isn’t going wrong? Will I ever be able to live up to the demands of being king? Alaric keeps pushing for the coronation but I don’t feel like I’m even handling the high prince job well yet.”

“Do you have to become king?”

“You mean could I abdicate?” He smiled at her. “I tried that once, for you, remember? Poseidon wouldn’t let me go so easily.”

“What about Christophe and Fiona? Does that worry you, too, my handsome prince?” She cleaned up their sleepy son as they talked, so she could put him down for his afternoon nap.

“Should it? I don’t know. What right do I have to meddle in the warriors’ private lives? But he has been so close to the edge; so dangerous and out of control with his power. Is he even safe for her to be around?”

“Maybe only for her, but yes, she’s safe with him. It’s anyone who tries to hurt her I worry about,” she said.

“They must find the Siren. All hope of Atlantis rising is lost without it.”

“They’ll find it. Now, come take a nap with us. Even high princes are allowed to rest with their family once in a while.”

Conlan held his wife and son close while they slept, but his own eyes couldn’t close, nor could his mind shut down. They were so close to retrieving all the jewels. Maybe he should send someone else. Christophe had always been . . . unpredictable.

And now this new element, this Scarlet Ninja—and the Unseelie Court Fae.

“I’ll put the word out to na Garanwyn,” he told his sleeping wife. “If the Fae are facing a civil war, the Seelie Court needs to know about it.”

His tiny son belched, a huge noise for such a small boy. Conlan sighed and nodded. “I feel exactly the same way, Aidan. Exactly the same way.”