“We’re going to make Opus pay for what they’ve done. We’re not going to stop searching for Lucan until we find him, either.”
“And then what?” Jordana searched his face with an optimism he wished he could feel.
Nathan frowned, lifting the edge of his fingers to stroke Jordana’s cheek. He didn’t have that answer. No one did. And the odds of having even a slim chance of saving Lucan dwindled with every minute that passed without his return.
“We won’t give up on him,” Nathan said, gathering Jordana close again. “I don’t want to talk anymore about what happened tonight, all right? I just want to feel you. I need to be inside you.”
“Nathan, I--”
She moaned as he took her mouth in a heated kiss. Her body was soft against him, fragrant with the mingled scents of soap, shampoo and the creamy, citrus-sweetness that was Jordana. He slid his hand around to the front of her bathrobe and groaned at the soft feel of her bare skin.
She gasped when he picked her up, scooping her into his arms. He walked into their bedroom and his booted feet abruptly stilled.
A pair of Jordana’s slacks lay draped over the edge of the big bed along with a pretty silk blouse. On the floor nearby was a pair of low-heeled sandals. The outfit was one of Nathan’s favorites on her, something she often chose to wear to the museum on days when she was meeting someone important or presenting a significant exhibit.
“What’s this about?”
She flattened her lips as she gazed up at him. “That’s what I was going to tell you.”
Something about her uncertain expression made his heart begin to thud heavily in his chest. He slowly set her feet down on the floor, but couldn’t seem to uncage her from his embrace. “Tell me now.”
“The meeting with the colony.”
He scowled at the reminder, even though he already knew there would be no persuading Jordana not to accompany Zael and Brynne to the Atlantean conclave. They were planning to fly to Rome in a couple of days, then sail on to the hidden island for the meeting with the colony’s council of elders. Nathan couldn’t make her stay--nor would he ever stoop to forcing her to his will--but damn if the idea didn’t tempt him just a little.
Especially when it appeared she was preparing to go sooner than expected.
She rested her hand lightly on his chest. “After what happened tonight, everything just became more urgent. That includes our alliance with the colony. We can’t afford to let any more time slip before we try to solidify their willingness to ally with us if and when the time comes.”
“What time is your flight?”
Her long lashes shuttered her eyes for a moment. “We’re not flying to Rome anymore. Brynne has decided to stay here in D.C. to help with the search for Lucan, and to strategize with the other daywalkers as needed. So, it’ll just be Zael and me going to meet with the colony. He’ll use his crystal amulet to teleport us directly to the island.”
The amulet that could only transport Atlanteans across time and distance.
“When?” Nathan’s voice sounded hollow, even to his own ears.
“We’ll be leaving in a couple hours.”
He couldn’t curb the low growl that curled up from his throat. Ever since she’d informed him of her intention to go to the Atlantean colony in hopes of persuading their trust regarding the Order’s proposed alliance, Nathan had been harboring a dread he couldn’t express. He knew Jordana was a strong, smart, capable woman who could hold her own intellectually or physically with anyone. She was pure-blooded Atlantean, immortal and powerful, her innate gifts bolstered even further by the blood bond she and Nathan shared.
But he couldn’t shake the niggle of apprehension he felt that something--anything--could possibly go wrong on this trip while he would be thousands of miles away, helpless to protect her.
“You’re brooding,” she gently pointed out. “I wish you wouldn’t worry about me.”
He scoffed. “You might as well ask me to stop breathing too. You’re my mate, Jordana. You’re my heart, my reason for living.” He stared into her mesmerizing, tropical blue eyes and felt a surge of intense emotion rise inside him. “You’re my everything,” he whispered thickly. “If anything were to happen to you . . .”
She rose on her toes and pressed her lips to his, chasing away some of his fear with her tender kiss. “I love you, too, Nathan. With every fiber of my being.”
“Then don’t go.” The plea slipped out of his mouth before he could bite it back. It shamed him to hear it, to feel the desperation that sent the words to his tongue. “I don’t like this, Jordana. The thought of you so far away, with people I don’t know and damn well don’t trust, considering it wasn’t very long ago that one of the colony inhabitants was exposed as a loyalist to Selene.”
Jordana reached up, cradling Nathan’s taut jaw in her palm. “I’ll be fine. I can handle myself well enough. Besides, Zael will be there with me. Do you think he’d let anything happen to me?”
Nathan shook his head. He didn’t doubt his mate or their Atlantean friend. It was everyone else with possible designs on the sole heir to the Atlantean throne who concerned him. To say nothing of Selene herself.
The colony was hidden by a veil that concealed their island from outsiders, thanks to the crystal they had in their possession. There were also lethal Atlantean sentries on guard around the clock, protecting the colony from breaches. But once Jordana was in their domain, who was to say if any of those purportedly peaceful Atlantean exiles might pose the greater threat to her wellbeing?
Nathan’s body tensed at the notion. “I’d be more comfortable if I went with you.”
