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  Caderyn felt no remorse for taking them. If these women lived, it would be the will of the gods. It was out of his hands.

  “Now what?” Iason asked, scratching the back of his head. “Do you remember what to do with them once we save them? It’s been many years since we got one this far.”

  “We should take them to Althea,” Caderyn answered, unsure. He leaned over and lifted the dark-haired woman off the ground. She was so light, fragile, mortal. His body hardened in fiery response. She was also very soft to the touch. Iason nodded and did the same. “The healer will know what to do with them.”

  Caderyn felt the woman’s body shiver uncontrollably in his arms. She moaned softly. In Ataran, they never knew bodily sickness. Sea creature attacks were rare, since they had long gotten used to avoiding the dangerous ones. The only injuries most of the Merr people sustained were on the practice field though they did not battle anymore except in the games. Or, for the few chosen to be hunters—like Caderyn, Solon and Iason—they could be injured on the hunt. Only the hunters ventured so close to the mortal surface.

  The cave walls were covered in sparkling precious gems, thus the reason they were called the Crystal Caves. The colorful stones reflected torches, lighting their way as they quickly climbed up the incline leading to the palace entrance. Caderyn carried the woman before him, holding her delicate body tightly to his chest. He glanced over her face, willing her to open her eyes and look at him. Two guards stared at them from the entrance and then at the women in awe. It was rare one human made it, let alone more than one.

  Both guards wore the traditional Ionic chiton of the Merr people. The white shirt was a rectangular piece of material folded in half and sewn up the sides. It was pinned at the sleeves and fell just over the knees, leaving the calves bare. A single stranded belt cinched the material about the waist. The chlamys cloak draped over one shoulder in a broad sweep of green. It pinned on the shoulder with a circular gold brooch, engraved with the ancient Merr symbol of the sun. Like most Merr, the guards wore strapped leather sandals on their feet.

  “I saw you bagged the scylla, my lords,” Vitus, a dark-complexioned guard said, nodding in approval. “Well done.”

  “Are these women alive?” asked Brennus, a tall blond who hoped to someday be a hunter. The only way that would happen was if King Lucius appointed more teams, or if one of the team members was killed. The only way that would happen was if someone didn’t make it back to Ataran on time and was lost forever at sea, or if they were dragged to the surface world and forced to breathe the mortal air.

  “Aye. For now.” Caderyn nodded as he pulled the woman protectively closer to his body. He wondered at the caring feeling, sure it just had to do with the fact that he’d saved her life, nothing else. The woman shivered again in his arms. “We’re taking them to Althea. Inform King Lucius. Also, call the scavengers. Two ships went down. Solon will give you directions.”

  “Aye,” Brennus agreed, though he didn’t run off right away. He helped Vitus to push a large round stone in front of the cave opening to block it off.

  The city architects had glazed the bricks of the walls with a mixture made from the gemstones, which gave them an almost glowing blue cast. Light was reflected from outside during the day, but at night torches were lit through the halls.

  The blue glazed stone of the palace was accented with decorative yellow and white tiles. They formed beautiful, intricate patterns. The halls were clean and uncluttered. Large arches passed overhead as they walked out of the cave room and into the main palace hall. Caderyn nodded at the few people lingering in the hall, receiving several curious stares in return.

  Althea lived within the palace walls, so it didn’t take long to bring the women to her. Without asking permission to enter, Caderyn pushed aside the beaded door and stepped in.

  “Lady Althea,” he called. “We have need of your assistance.”

  The home was like many in the palace, a large square living area with low couches, an office, an adjoining sleep room and bathing room. Those in the palace took their meals together in the hall, so there wasn’t a need for much else.

  Althea came from her office. The healer took one look at the men and their burdens before nodding silently. She motioned them to follow her into the other room. In the office, there were two low beds near the far wall. The men laid the women on them and stood.

  Althea was a slender woman, draped in the finest linen material. Oil was rubbed into the weave, making the dress shine. The light green material was plain, woven with a darker green along the edges in the pattern of seaweed. Two pins held the garment at the shoulders, leaving the arms bare. Her brown hair was pulled back from her face, fastened in an intricate coil around the crown.

  “Help me to remove their clothing,” Althea ordered. “Mortals cannot be left wet.”

  Caderyn’s gut tightened, but he kept a straight face as he obeyed. He grabbed shears, cutting the thick wet shirt from the woman’s body. She was in good shape, toned, almost athletic, but not too hard. Even with her muscles she looked soft, touchable. He found himself staring at her breasts. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen breasts before in his many years, but he still looked his fill. The dark nipples called to him, strangely erect though he hadn’t touched them. His lips tingled, urging him to kiss the stiff peaks. Then, seeing her shiver, he knew it was the cold that prompted the reaction.

  One foot was already bare, her boot lost in the ocean, so he slipped the other free. Caderyn pulled at her pants, jerking them over her feet. His body tightened, and his heart sped in his chest. The way she was laying caused her thighs to fall open. Her legs were scraped clean of hair, all the way up to her sex. Only a thin trail of dark curls guarded her opening.

  “One wound I can tend, my lords, the other...” Althea laughed.

  Caderyn looked at Althea. She was smiling as she nodded at his leg. He glanced down. Blood trailed from the gash he’d received from the spear, but that wasn’t what she was teasing him about. He had become fully erect from staring at the human. Glancing at Iason, he saw his friend was in the same condition from undressing the red-haired woman.

  “Here, put these on,” Althea tossed them two plain garments she kept for just these occasions. Caderyn slipped it over his head, knotting it at the shoulder. “Dress your own wound my lord and you both should tend to the other affliction. Come back in an hour, and I will tell you what I’ve discovered.”

  Both men nodded, leaving the women to the healer. Caderyn glanced back, taking one last look at the dark-haired beauty. Althea’s hands were on her, rubbing over her arms. Iason cleared his throat to get his attention, and Caderyn followed him out of the healer’s home.

  Chapter 4

  Bridget’s mind swam with strange dreams. She was in the cold water, but something warm held her. Was this what happened when you died? Was this the hereafter? Was she just to drift, held to invisible warmth in a sea of cold and darkness. She wasn’t sure if this was heaven or hell. It felt a little like both.

  She couldn’t move, didn’t want to, as every fiber in her being concentrated on the press of lips against hers. Something breathed into her mouth, filling her lungs. She felt herself bonding to whatever held her. A man? An angel? A demon? It was as if he was breathing his soul into her, connecting with her. It was intimate, seductive and sexy as hell. She willed her body to move against him, to feel more, but her darned limbs wouldn’t listen. Instead, they drifted as if still at the whims of the ocean’s currents.

  When the lips left hers, darkness consumed her entirely. She had no idea how much time had passed within the dark prison of her mind. When she could again feel, it was the warm massage of hands on her skin, heating her, soothing. She wanted to open her eyes, but couldn’t. What a strange feeling death was. It was nothing but sensations of warmth contrasting with the bitter cold.

  The hands roamed her arms and legs, over her thighs, her stomach, her breasts. When they finally left her, she moaned in protest. She wanted th
em back. Her skin buzzed where they had touched, as if they gave her energy and life.

  Bridget was more aware now. She was on a bed. Her body hurt deep inside. She felt the hard press of a mattress against her back. Her lungs burned, and her raw throat ached terribly. All she could do was moan.

  “Shh,” a woman’s voice soothed.

  Bridget blinked. The light burned her eyes after so much darkness, but she saw a beautiful woman hovering above her. Was this an angel? The woman stroked the wet hair from her face. Then, to her amazement, Bridget watched through narrow slits as the woman leaned down to kiss her. The woman pulled her jaw open and breathed into her mouth. The same energy she’d felt in the massaging hands filled her lungs. The pain subsided. The woman pulled away.

  “Rest now,” the woman said, letting go of her. “You are safe.”

  Bridget obeyed, closing her eyes as she drifted again in a sea of dreams.

  Caderyn’s home was in the hunters’ section of the palace. There were only a dozen apartments in total, split up into four halls for each team. Every hall had three rooms, so that each man lived next to his team members in separate apartments. All owned a home in the countryside as well, for when they wished to get away from the city. Unlike the healer’s place, their homes had a door.

  Going to his bathing room, Caderyn pulled a cord. Warm, fresh water rained from the ceiling over a platform. He tossed his borrowed clothes aside and stepped beneath the shower. His body would not transform in the fresh water.

  Using soap, he washed the salt from his hair and the smell of the ocean from his skin. The wound on his leg stung, but no longer bled. He doubted he’d even need to bandage it.

  The suds felt particularly good over his cock, and he followed the healer’s advice, fisting both of his soapy hands over the hard shaft to rid his body of his affliction. He twisted and pumped in a fast, steady rhythm. With the image of the dark-haired beauty’s naked body in his head, it was very enjoyable and didn’t take him long to spill his seed.

  Caderyn grunted in pleasure. The release felt so good, he didn’t want to stop. He cupped his balls, massaging them as he slowly stroked himself back to full mast. Turning off the shower, he was tempted to find his pleasure nymph. He had been against the synthetic women when they were first introduced into their society. But the vessels did serve a great purpose. What else were men supposed to do for an eternity with no women to fulfill their needs?

  If the Merr didn’t meet release, tension would build and fights would start. He knew because it had happened before. It’s why they called their unreleased sexual desires the affliction. After the excitement of a hunt, the tension was always great. There was nothing like sexual release to bring the levels within him back to normal. Besides, if he didn’t get his levels back to normal, he could get sick. It was just another one of the side effects of being Merr. Many of his people were convinced that it was a further punishment from the gods that they would be so sexually driven and not have any vessel in which to release themselves.

  Going to his sleeping room, he unlocked a small slender wardrobe. Inside was everything he needed to pleasure himself. The wardrobes were standard issue for hunters—the best comfort instruments the Merr inventors could come up with.

  His pleasure nymph hung up on her pegs along with his other tools of gratification. Her head was bald, and her eyes closed. Scanning over the pockets lining the inside door, he pulled out a black round disc and fitted it to the spot on her neck that caused black hair to grow from her head.

  Then, taking a blue disc, he pressed it to her temple. The nymph’s eyes opened. They were blue, not the exact shade he wanted, but it would have to do. Designed to look like a woman, the nymph’s body was soft and almost lifelike. If he were to turn her on, she would move her body against his—blinking, sighing, thrusting. The only thing she didn’t do was have a real conversation.

  The pleasure instrument didn’t look like the human woman he wanted in his bed, but the coloring helped his fantasy about her. Compared to the live thing, the nymph paled in comparison. But what else could he do? He wanted to be completely drained of arousal when he next saw her. Just thinking of her naked body made his erection harder. It wouldn’t do to become afflicted, embarrassing himself when he went to collect her from the healer. Even if she did choose him right away and he accepted, there were certain laws that must be maintained. He didn’t wish to humiliate himself.

  Taking the nymph down, he tossed her on his bed. Then, reaching along her spine, he found a series of buttons. He pushed one and the pleasure instrument came to life, bending her knees and parting her legs. Her arms reached for him, rubbing his chest and neck as she moaned softly.

  Caderyn didn’t hesitate, plunging right in. The wet vessel squeezed his cock, and he reached to her hip adjusting himself to fit tightly, clamping, clamping her pussy down hard. He closed his eyes, thinking of the dark-haired beauty he’d rescued. When he moved, it was her body he took, her moan that sounded. His ass squeezed, working in tight circles as he wished for once that it could be her fingers rimming the tight hole buried inside his firm cheeks, stimulating his nerve endings. Leaning up, the muscles of his arms and chest flexed.

  Tension built as he fantasized about soft breasts and a shaved mound lined with dark curls. Caderyn pumped faster, jerking and panting. It didn’t take long before he met with release. He opened his eyes as he came, spilling his seed within the pleasure nymph. Almost immediately, a sense of disappointment found him. The nymph smiled at him, a sultry look. Once he thought it so lifelike that he could pretend it was a real woman, and he wasn’t so lonely, but now all he could think about was that the nymph wasn’t her.

  Caderyn pulled away, breathing hard. This didn’t make sense. He had just saved the woman. Why would he be so obsessed with her? Why would he want her so badly? More punishment from the gods? Or was the woman to be his reward for atoning for his people’s past sins?

  Tidying up, he got dressed, knowing it had been about an hour since leaving the healer’s. He definitely felt better, even if he was disappointed with the nymph. Looking at the woman on his bed smiling insipidly at him, he said, “You’re lucky you can be shut off in this eternity, nymph. I’d give anything for a little break from this life.”

  Chapter 5

  Bridget opened her eyes, feeling much better, though still a little weak. Her mind was clear, and she vividly remembered being on the boat with the other scientists. Surely, the rest of it was a nightmare. It had to be.

  They couldn’t have found a strange man dressed in sixteenth-century style clothing. Mermen did not attack the ship. They didn’t capture one of the mythical sea creatures in their net. Fine. She could accept that, although it felt real, all that had happened must have been a dream.

  Then, how exactly did she get into this room?

  The walls were flat, almost adobe like in texture. Beautiful designs were painted directly on them. There was a small circular table in the corner with a pottery vase. It too was painted.

  Bridget sat up on the bed. Light came from above, shining through decorative holes carved into the ceiling. She saw the glint of metal and guessed the place was lit by reflected sunlight. It was low to the floor and her feet touched as she swung them over the side. A small stone desk was in the corner. Rolled scrolls had been placed along the wall in diamond shaped cubbies.

  Next to her, Cassandra lay unconscious on a second bed. Bridget didn’t know the woman very well, and the few times they’d talked it had been tense. For a scientist, she didn’t appear to know too much about what they were doing. Often Bridget wondered why Dev even brought her along. But, all that considered, it was still very comforting to see a familiar face.

  Cassandra was dressed in a long white tunic. The shapeless dress covered her arms, falling loosely from shoulders to feet. Bridget looked over her own body. She too wore the same outfit. By the feel of it, she would say it was a wool blend of some sort.

  “Cassie?” Bridget whispered, kne
eling by the woman. She touched her cheek. “Cassandra? Cassie, can you hear me?”

  Cassandra’s forehead was hot. She moaned, thrashing away from Bridget’s fingers. The woman had a severe fever.

  “Hello?” Bridget called. Her legs wavered as she walked to the door. “Hello? Help, please. Someone? My friend needs a doctor.”

  She started to brush aside the beaded door when a hand came through. Bridget gasped, falling back in surprise. The woman who’d helped take the burn from her lungs entered. She recognized her face immediately, only she wasn’t an angel.

  “You’re awake,” the woman said nodding. “This is good. Welcome to Ataran, my lady.”

  “Who? Where?” Bridget shook her head in confusion. There were so many questions swimming in her brain. She glanced back to Cassandra. The woman hadn’t moved.

  “I am Althea the Healer. You are in Atlas, the capital city of Ataran.” The woman smiled.

  “Is this an island in the Bahamas?” Bridget was too confused. She didn’t remember such an island, but there were many of them off the coast of Florida. Was it possible they’d drifted so far off course? Had their navigation system been off?

  “It is an island, aye,” Althea nodded, still smiling.

  She looked back at Cassandra. “Please, help her. She’s sick. We have to get her to a doctor.”

  “Mm, I know.” Althea looked at Cassandra but did not go to her. “Poor thing.”

  “Well, can we give her something? Do you have medicine?” Bridget went back to Cassandra and reached to touch her.

  Althea’s hand shot out, grabbing Bridget’s wrist. “You mustn’t or you could get sick as well. Now that you are awake, you must leave your friend. We should keep you separated until this bodily illness passes.”