Vampire in Atlantis

Chapter 40

Serai was staring up at the sky, reveling in the first rays of the sun, when the Emperor caught fire and exploded into a shimmering dome of light. The stone itself was still whole; she could feel it in her hands, but the searing purple flames shooting from it were like the most magnificent fireworks the fire guild had ever created.

It wasn’t only the Emperor, though. As she looked around, she realized that the Atlanteans had joined hands and were contributing their own magic to support the dome protecting Daniel from the sun. Protecting her.

Saving them all with love and friendship.

But the Emperor told her a secret of its own, whispering to her through its magical resonance: they didn’t need protection.

She and Daniel were now the first two of a new breed of nightwalker; no longer nightwalkers at all. They would be able to walk in the daylight forever more.

“Daniel,” she said. “Do you trust me?”

“Always,” he said instantly.

“We have to walk into the sun.”

Not a flicker of doubt crossed his face. “Yes, except I think we’ll fly.”

She jumped up, strong and whole and sure, and held out her hand. “Now, please.”

He took her into his arms and shot up into the rosy, golden light of the breaking dawn, and together they soared high in the sky, high above the people who loved them and who would wait for them, high above the caves and the darkness and the pain.

The light shimmered on their skin like a caress and they stared at each other in fascinated wonder.

“I have not seen the dawn in eleven thousand years,” Daniel said, his beautiful eyes shining in the sun.

“Nor I,” Serai replied, laughing and crying and kissing him.

“I want to see every single dawn for the next eleven thousand years, with you,” he said, his love and sincerity shining as brightly as the dawn sun itself.

“Well,” she said, after some consideration. “I may want to sleep in once in a while.”

He shouted out his laughter to the morning skies, and then he kissed her so deeply that they were spinning like a deep-sea whirlpool when the kiss ended. As they floated back down to earth, back down to the top of Cathedral Rock, back down to their friends, Daniel embraced her so tightly she almost couldn’t breathe.

“My own Sleeping Beauty is finally awake,” he said.

“And my own Prince Charming woke me with his kiss.”

As they finally touched back down, still lost in a passionate kiss, they became aware of cheering and applause. When they broke the kiss and looked around, Serai’s face flamed red as she realized what a spectacle she’d just made of herself. A proper Atlantean princess would never . . .

She cut off the self-criticism, in her father’s words, midthought.

“What the heck,” she said, looking around at everyone and grinning. “I have it on very good authority that I’m a hot chick.”

As if in response to her words, the sky split in two, and a whirling torrent of water and power and silvery light burst into the space above them as a voice like thunder tore through the fabric of the world.

HOT CHICK, INDEED, DAUGHTER OF MY ANCIENT DAYS. YOU HAVE SERVED ME WELL. I AM PLEASED TO SEE MY AMETHYST AGAIN, AFTER SO MANY THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

All of the Atlanteans bowed deeply, leaving Daniel, his mouth hanging open like a carp’s, staring up at Poseidon. Serai grabbed his hand and pulled him closer to her.

Daniel just blinked. “Is that—are you—”

I AM POSEIDON, GOD OF THE SEA, AND I SEE THAT YOU DO INDEED HAVE A SOUL, CHOSEN ONE OF MY DAUGHTER.

“Your daughter? I thought that was just a figure of speech,” Daniel muttered, and Serai tried not to laugh.

“It is,” she whispered. “Just listen.”

DO YOU AGREE TO CHERISH AND PROTECT MY DAUGHTER FOR NOW AND UNTIL THE END OF THE WATERS OF TIME?

“Nobody could stop me,” Daniel said, finally bowing.

Poseidon’s booming laugh split the air like a crack of thunder.

THEN FEEL THIS, NIGHTWALKER, AND KNOW THAT YOU, TOO, ARE NOW SWORN TO MY SERVICE AS A WARRIOR OF POSEIDON.

An arrow of water and light sliced through the air and slammed into Daniel, knocking him down, and when he stood, his shirt hung in shreds and the brand of the Warriors of Poseidon had been burned into the top right side of his chest. Serai threw herself into his arms, crying and laughing.

“Now you’re mine forever,” she told him.

NOW YOU BOTH ARE MINE FOREVER, TO BE ACCURATE. BUT ENOUGH OF THIS, I AM WEARY OF THIS HIDEOUS PLACE WITH ITS LACK OF WATER. GIVE MY AMETHYST TO CONLAN. I RETURN TO MY OCEANS AND AWAIT WORD THAT YOU HAVE ALL FOUND THE FINAL GEM MISSING FROM MY TRIDENT.

As Poseidon disappeared, they could all hear his final words booming through the dawn air.

HORRIBLE PLACE.

“But it’s a dry heat,” Daniel said, and Serai started to laugh, almost collapsing with relief and joy and love.

As Daniel kissed her, right there in front of the departing sea god and everyone else, she heard their laughter, too, and she smiled against his lips. She couldn’t think of anything more miraculous than being reborn to the sound of laughter.

“I will love you forever, and never leave you,” she said, when Daniel finally let her speak.

“Damn straight,” he growled, and she laughed.

“Is that man-speak for me, too?”

“You know it.”

“Here we go again,” Ven called out, still laughing. “This is going to be one wild ride.”

Serai held out her hand, carefully cradling the stone, and looked at Conlan and the woman who must be his wife. “I believe this belongs to you.”

Conlan reverently took the amethyst and dropped it into a velvet pouch tucked into his belt. “Thank you,” he said, bowing deeply. “You may have saved Atlantis.”

“You saved your sisters,” Riley said, stepping closer and smiling at Serai. “You saved Guen, Helena, and Merlina. They are awake and perfectly healthy, asking a million questions.”

“We saved them,” Serai said, squeezing Daniel’s hand.

“And now on to the next step,” Conlan said. “We have to find the final jewel from the trident. Poseidon’s Pride.”

Daniel smiled down at Serai. “I happen to know two people who have plans for a world tour, if you need volunteers.”

“This is going to be the best year of my life,” Serai said blissfully, and then Daniel kissed her again, and by the time she could think or see or even breathe again, the portal again shimmered in the rosy dawn air, and everyone else had disappeared.

She blushed but then pointed to the portal. “Shall I show you Atlantis before we get started?”

He grinned. “Hot bath?”

“And food.”

“An actual bed?”

“I don’t know, Daniel, I’m kind of developing a fondness for camping,” she said to tease him, and he swept her into his arms and headed for the portal, so they could begin the rest of their lives.

Together. Finally, after an eternity, together.

Nothing could ever be better than that.

When the portal deposited them, after its usual swirling, twirling ride, in Atlantis, they were still locked in an embrace that would last them a thousand lifetimes. Serai finally looked around when she heard a discreet throat clearing. Her face flamed a hot red until she realized these were different guards than the ones she’d knocked out with her magic when she’d escaped.

She’d need to make some apologies.

“I hear there is cake, Lady Serai, and that the other maidens are waiting for you on the palace terrace,” one of the guards said, a twinkle in his eye.

“I’m very fond of cake,” she told Daniel.

“I have very fond ideas of what to do with you and a bowl of cake frosting, and a huge, soft bed,” Daniel whispered in her ear, quite wickedly.

She laughed and held his hand as they ran all the way to the palace.